Chapter 28

 

At the airport

 

Lisa stands at the waiting area, with her hands stuffed deep in her pockets nervously. 

 

Despite how little she wanted to care, she has been feeling nervous about the reunion for days.

 

After all, Rosie has been a big part of her pivotal growing years. Every of their firsts, they did it together. She was the one confidant whom Lisa shared even her tiniest thoughts with, and there was nothing they did not know about each other. 

 

So when Rosie left so abruptly, it felt like a part of her was torn too. 

 

Moments later, like a scene from a movie, a familiar face walk out of those automatic doors and runs in her direction. Lisa does not even register what happened until she felt someone hugging her tightly.

 

“Oh Lili. I missed you so much.” Rosie whispers into the embrace, in a more mature Australian accent than when she left. 

 

But her touch, the smell of her hair and just her presence, she remembers them all too well. Lisa finally wraps her arms around the latter to return the hug. 

 

“Hey how have you been?” Rosie removes herself from the hug to take a good, long look at Lisa. “Look at you. You still look like a little puppy.“ She giggles. 

 

“Chaeyoung…wow I still can’t believe you are here right in front of me.” Lisa eyes the latter from head to toe incredulously, who has matured since they last met but the cool, girly charm remains in the sparkles of her eyes. 

 

“Well me too. So how do I look?” Rosie smirks and does a twirl. 

 

“You look good Chaeng. I’m really glad you are here.” Lisa uses her old nickname for Rosie offhandedly and reveals a wide smile as she confesses, “I have missed you.” 

 

“You certainly did not seem that way, considering how you took days to reply my message.” Rosie jokes back. 

 

“I’m sorry but you know it is bound to be awkward for me. We haven’t even talked for years and suddenly, you want me to pick you up.” 

 

“I know and thats my fault. I was the one who wanted a clean break.” 

 

“Well its all water under the bridge isn’t it?”

 

“No. I was wrong back then. We have known each other almost half of our lives and shared so many memories together. How could we possibly have a clean break when you are my best friend?” Her voice breaks slightly and she tries to cover it up with a chuckle. 

 

“Chaeng.” Lisa stops her in her tracks by holding her arm. She looks at her in the eyes and says, “You are still my best friend you know?” 

 

“Are you certain that nothing has changed between us?” Rosie mutters and looks at Lisa with a wistful gaze. 

 

Lisa swallows the lump in . “Yes, I will never stop caring about you Chaeng. We can pick up where we left off except there is one thing I have to tell you.” 

 

“Yeah?” 

 

“I have someone that I like now.” 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On the final day before the competition, it has always been the practice to end their training early so that everyone could use the time to rest up before the big day. 

 

Today is also the first time in almost a month that Seulgi and Irene could have enough time to go outside for a date. 

 

Hence for Irene, it feels so weirdly heart fluttering in this moment, to be holding Seulgi’s hand and walking down the busy streets of Itaewon. 

 

Along the way, she notices the small gasps as they walk past the crowd and hear their whispers about how they look good together. 

 

It makes her smile inwardly, as it has been a long time she heard such comments, since they started dating about three months ago.  

 

Irene steals a glance of her girlfriend’s statue. Unlike her usual training attire, Seulgi is dressed in cute oversized sweater, matched with a beanie and baggy jeans. But boy, does she look good. 

 

And Seulgi looks even better with their matching necklace around her neck, a sign that her silly bear’s heart undoubtedly belongs to no one else but Irene herself. 

 

You’re all mine.

 

Seulgi notices her prolonged stare and asks, “Hyun?”

 

“Yes?”

 

 “Why are you staring at me?” 

 

“No I’m not!” Irene darts her eyes away immediately to somewhere else, feeling embarrassed about being caught. 

 

“Yes you were admiring me.”

 

“I just happened to look over at you. Don’t be delusional.” She explains. 

 

Seulgi narrows her eyes onto Irene without a word, but a smirk grows on the corner of her lips. 

 

“Don’t worry, you can look all you want for today.“ She chuckles as a random memory comes into mind, about how she used to be the one staring at Irene across the cafeteria. How have the tables changed. 

 

Irene clears and diverts the topic. “So where are we going again silly bear?” She asks as they have been walking around in circles for the past ten minutes after dinner. 

 

Seulgi reveals a sheepish smile. “Right...about this I’m sorry babe, I swear the car is just around the corner according to Google maps.” She looks down at the map on her phone screen with a perplexed expression. “It says its here.” 

 

Irene halts her steps and looks at Seulgi in amusement, “Really? You were looking for the car all these while?” 

 

“Yes?”

 

“Babe you could have just asked me. Our car is in the grey building right behind us. Gangnam Exit 12.” 

 

“No you’re wro-“ Seulgi looks around to match the street names to the map and finally realises her mistake. “Haha I mean you’re right. How do you remember everything so well?”  

 

They immediately took a u-turn to head to the right direction. 

 

It is obvious that you don’t remember because your mind is distracted by the competition tomorrow. 

 

“Well I mean,” Irene held her tongue from saying the truth and brushes it off instead with a smile, “Its nothing much. Just ask me next time okay?” 

 

“Okay.” Seulgi nods to herself. 

 

“Babe don’t feel bad, its really nothing.” Irene chuckles and she suddenly thought of something. “And by the way, why are we taking the car?”

 

“Because the place I’m bringing you is not in town!” Seulgi finally reveals the secret and she enjoys watching the surprise spread across Irene’s face slowly. But it seems a little different. 

 

“Babe,” Irene purses her lip. “I know the dessert there must be really good but lets just hang around here since you have an early day tomorrow?” 

 

“But the catch is it isn’t just a dessert place. Its more than that to me.” Seulgi’s eyes soften a little. “I really want you to see it. Can we go pleaseee?” 

 

“There’s something for me to see too?” Seulgi nods fervently in response, which is a sight too cute to resist. “Alright lets go.” Irene holds her silly bear’s adorable cheeks and gives them a light squeeze. “Ugh you are too cute.” 

 

Seulgi flinches from the sudden touch, but accepts it with a shy grin. Whenever Irene touched her cheeks like this, coupled with her warm gaze, it still makes her heart flutter weirdly enough. 

 

How silly is it that you still make me feel this way? 

 

Seulgi chuckles lightly to herself and takes Irene’s hand off her cheeks, to hold them in her palms. “Ugh you are doing this again, Hyunnie!” She tells her off in a kidding tone, causing Irene’s eyes to widen.

 

“What did I do?” Irene asks with a worried expression. “Are my hands too cold?” 

 

“Nothing hehe I am just kidding.” Seulgi takes the chance while Irene is distracted, to suddenly lean in and peck her lips. 

 

“Seulgi!” Irene immediately looks around to see if anyone saw that.

 

“What?” Seulgi asks her back, as if she has done nothing wrong. Her confident gaze makes Irene grow shy and wonder where does this girl’s unearned confidence come from. 

 

“Behave a little?” Irene pleads in a quiet tone. 

 

Seulgi chuckles and leans into her ear to reply. “Well I only agreed to not kiss you in school because I don’t want to get you in trouble. Since we are out in public now, I don’t care.” She smoothly plants a second heart fluttering kiss on the latter’s cheek this time, which leaves Irene speechless. 

 

“Oops I left a stain here and it seems like it cannot be removed.” Seulgi rubs the latter’s cheek and watches the latter’s eyes widen in fear. 

 

“Seulgi!” Irene immediately stops in her tracks and uses a hand to cover her face. “Do you have wet wipes?” She frantically pats the latter’s arm which causes Seulgi to burst. 

 

”This isn’t funny!” She grows even more angry at the latter who is not helping with her laughter. 

 

“Hey hey relax babe!” Seulgi pats her on the arms to calm her down. She looks at Irene with a playful glint in her eyes. “I’m just kidding. There’s no stain....or is there?”

 

Frustrated by the latter’s teasing, Irene frantically turns on her phone camera to check for any stains on her own. Luckily there are none.  

 

“You tricked me again.” Irene smacks Seulgi’s chest lightly and glares at her. “I. hate. you.” She then storms off first and it surprises Seulgi how fast her little strides actually were. 

 

So fast that she is starting to feel worried about losing Irene. 

 

Has she gone too far?

 

“Hey hey.” Seulgi loops her arm around Irene’s once she manages to catch up, so that she would never lose her again. 

 

Startled by the sudden touch, Irene immediately snaps her head to face the perpetrator, who charms her with a cute pout. “Hey I’m really sorry okay?” 

 

Irene returns an expressionless stare and tries to untangle her arm out of Seulgi’s loop but the bear clutches onto her arm like its her dear life. 

 

It is a cute sight honestly but she decides to continue pretending to be angry.

 

“Please talk to me.” Seulgi pleads while tugging onto her arms. Seeing no reaction, Irene notices how her cute girlfriend visibly grows even more worried and smiles internally. 

 

When they reach the car, her obedient girlfriend rushes forward to open the car door for Irene and even helps her put on the seatbelt, to gain some brownie points. “My princess ready to go?” She asks the latter while behind the wheel, who simply nods as a reply. 

 

“Hyun-ah, I‘m really sorry for being too playful as usual. I am truly sorry. Please talk to me?” 

 

Irene uses her phone to a quick message to Seulgi. 

 

The silly bear immediately takes her phone out to see it.

 

Hyunnie 💓: If you want me to talk to you, promise to be nice to me from now on.

 

“Okay I promise. Don’t ignore me anymore please?” Irene shakes her head to her plea and beckons the latter to check her phone again. 

 

Hyunnie 💓: And no more fried dumplings for our dates in the next 3 weeks.

 

Seulgi lets out a loud, hearty chuckle in the car. “So this is what you are thinking about all along?” To which the latter shrugs and texts back. 

 

Hyunnie 💓: Promise or no?

 

“Whatever. I’ll agree to anything at this point as long as you will talk to me.” Seulgi gives a sweet reply and places her hand on her girl’s lap but this time, Irene finally smiles in return and places her own hand atop Seulgi’s. 

 

“You’ve been thinking about this for a long time haven’t you?” Seulgi narrows her eyes onto the latter. 

 

“I wanted to say it but you were stressed out the past few days so I didnt say much.” Irene reveals with a careful glance at the latter’s expression and she adds in a disclaimer, “It didn’t bother me that much really.”  

 

Seulgi pouts. “You’re lying. Is my dumplings addiction that bad?”

 

“Babe!” Irene exclaims in disbelief at her girlfriend’s oblivion. “For the past week, you have been buying fried dumplings takeout every day for both of us.” 

 

“Oh really? I didn’t notice it.” Seulgi muses, her tone seeming to be less surprised than expected. 

 

“Much as I love dumplings eating it every day is a little too much.” Irene chuckles with a sigh, thinking how she has already eaten enough dumplings to last a lifetime. 

 

“Oops my bad.” Seulgi tries her best to hide her little smirk, but her observant girlfriend immediately catches on. 

 

Irene gasps in disbelief, “You knew about it! And yet you continued to do it every day.“ 

 

“Well I was gonna stop after Day 3 but you weren’t complaining either.” Seulgi grins. “When else would you allow me to indulge in my favourite food than now?”

 

“You are so...ugh!” Irene replies, half amused, half annoyed, but definitely impressed at how long Seulgi has managed to outsmart her without her knowing. 

 

Since when has her silly bear become so smart? 

 

“You’re not angry at me?” Seulgi asks her carefully. The usual Irene will be fuming by now for being pranked this hard. What is this shift in strategy? 

 

“I gotta say it was well played, Seulgi.” Irene lets it go with a small shrug. “I’m not that angry really.” 

 

Her forgiveness makes Seulgi feel even worse. Suddenly, all of the delight in her victory fades away. She purses her lips, “Hyun-ah, you letting it go this easily makes me feel even worse. How about you can decide to eat for the next few weeks okay? I swear I won’t have any complaints.” 

 

Irene agrees in a heartbeat. “Sure. Lets make it a promise too.” She then takes Seulgi hand before the latter could take back her words and hooks their pinkies together. 

 

“You cannot go back on it now.” Her girlfriend finally reveals a wide conceited grin once the deal is sealed. The way her eyes are gleaming in joy irks Seulgi somehow. 

 

Wait it can’t be...

 

Seulgi scoffs in disbelief when she finally understood the situation. But she so willingly walked into Irene’s trap that she does not even feel bad about her decision. 

 

“I would never want to be your enemy, Joohyun. You have a way to feel losing feel so good.” Seulgi laments. 

 

Irene smiles and tightens her hold on Seulgi’s hand. “That’s not true. Most people I know hate losing to me. You only like it because you are so in love with me.” She jokes. 

 

“I guess I shall just succumb to my sad fate since I’m never gonna stop loving you,” Seulgi releases a small pretend sigh. 

 

“Don’t make these statements too easily,” Irene smirks in return. “You should know I am a petty person and have an especially good memory, so I’m gonna keep you accountable to this forever.” 

 

At the mention of the word “forever”, Seulgi felt like her heat stopped for a second. It is the first time any of them ever said something like this during the length of their relationship. 

 

Irene seems to not have noticed it, as she is looking at Seulgi expectantly for a witty reply. As if the thought of spending their lives together is already something natural to her girlfriend. 

 

You would do that with me? 

 

“Seulgi?” Irene calls her. 

 

It snaps her back to reality. Seulgi swallows the knot in and turns over to meet Joohyun’s eyes. Her unexpected warm gaze surprises Irene. Seulgi makes sure to reply with all the sincerity in her heart. “Sure babe. Forever with you sounds awesome.” 

 

“You are weird today.” Irene returns a mild disapproving look, but her lips curve up into a smile. 

 

She casts her gaze far away onto the rows of buildings in the distance outside of the window, hoping the