Author’s PoV

“Class I know it’s the summer vacation but make sure to study hard and complete your assignments!” The teacher said sternly. The students probably responded half-heartedly as their minds were set on the summer holiday that awaited them.

It was finally recess period when the bell rang. Wendy stretched her arms out, whimpering. Her eyes traced Joy and Irene chattering happily now that the exams have ended. Her heart swelled again every single time she looked at Irene. Such gentle features, lovely smile and a graceful voice. It eased her mind and a slight prickly feeling played on her arms. It’s mind boggling because there was no reasoning implied when it came to a certain bunny.

Women. It’s weird. No one had taught her nor did they teach her about liking the same gender but her thoughts had its own of perception. If people asked her if she’s a lesbian, honestly she hated to be defined. She’s not into girls in general. It irked her if she thought about the possibility to be with Seulgi or Mina for example. It’s just when it came to a particular individual that tugged the chambers of her heart; she put her efforts into that special person without question.

“. . .right Wendy?”

Wendy shook her head. Her focus then shifted to the two girls, raising her eyebrows to recall their conversation. “Um. . . what were we talking about?” She said sheepishly.

Joy rolled her eyes. “We were talking about the summer holiday in the next two days.”

Oh yeah. Just when she thought she could have her alone time to herself, she actually signed up for the summer camp. Wendy’s lips protruded unconsciously. One look from her face was all it took for Joy to crack with her simplicity in mind. Her raw energy was oozing out from her aura and Wendy couldn’t comprehend where did she even channelled her energy from.

“ to be you huh. At least you’re having something in common with your favourite Baechu-nim here.” She laughed.

Irene was practically tired for these past weeks of unending school activities. She was honestly hoping to catch sometime for herself and her pale complexion spelled it all. And for once, Wendy wasn’t surprise given with her higher position in the prefectorial board. Joy had her duties but the heavy ones were all bundled up for the one and only president Bae instead.

“You can’t blame me. Study and duties . . .I just want to be lazy for ‘A’ day please.” Wendy drawled.

Irene couldn’t agree more as she nodded in agreement. “Aw come on you two. Don’t be stick in the mud. We’re going to enjoy and relax during the summer camp! It’s going to be great!” Joy beamed excitingly, her hands clapping enthusiastically.

Wendy scoffed sarcastically. “I bet you’re excited because there’re hot guys in the camp?”

Her eyes bolted out. “Who doesn’t? The other girls are excited too! Aren’t you?”

Wendy narrowed her eyes as if it was the lamest topic to converse. She sighed in defeat. “I’m good. I just want to sleep.” She rested her head on her arms.

“Of course. You’re only interested in Baechu-nim here only. You might as well just get married to her.” Joy joked. As funny as it sounded which caused Irene to roll her eyes while shaking her head, the effects were exactly opposite on Wendy. Her blood immediately boiled and rushed throughout the course of her veins, her heart palpitating; drumming the flesh of her skin as if it was about to burst just with the word ‘married’ to Bae Irene.

“Haha. . .very funny.” Wendy bluffed swatting her hand anxiously, yet it was blatantly obvious her face was flustered with shades of red lingering on her cheeks.

Irene tapped her finger, peering at Joy as if something had crossed her mind. “Shouldn’t you meet Madam Chan today?”

Joy gasped, jolting from her seat. “Oh right! I gotta go and meet the teacher now!” She said frantically, dashing out from the classroom, leaving both Irene and Wendy alone.

“Hyun-ah, do you have any duties today?” Wendy first spoke up.

Irene shook her head cutely. “No. We were relieved for today.”

Wendy then shuffled her bag. “Hyun ah, I made something for you today. Try to guess.” She smirked, wriggling her eyebrows playfully.

Irene eyes gleamed, as if her sparks of interest had been enlightened and her fatigue was washed away. “Dumplings?” She flutter her eyebrows.

“Nope! I made something sweet.” Wendy giggled, seeing Irene giving a long thought about the food she made. It never ceased to surprise her how coy Irene would be. She started to act cute, a little selfish and her aegyo will be maxed out when it came to food.

The strict and her stern complexion had disintegrated and faded. It made Wendy smile like a fool she was. Irene was so hard to resist especially when she’s giving out her cute yet rare antics. “I made some custard puddings!” Wendy chirped.

“Wow!” Her eyes widen when she saw Wendy handing her, a small container to her as she mouthed, “Thank you Seungwannie!” A faint stretch of her doe eyes peeking to its finest. It made Wendy once again felt like her hard work was not a waste at all if she could see Irene’s genuine happiness shimmering in her eyes. It was a precious photograph engraved in her mind.

“Try some!” Wendy encouraged.

Irene gave it a go. Smacking her fine lips, she muttered happily, “It’s so good!”

She had her hands gently touching Wendy’s thighs, “You should make more of these.” She exclaimed.

“It was just a tester. I wasn’t confident in sweets but I heard you’ve been working hard so yeah I thought I made something sweet.” She twirled her thumbs, offering a shy smile. There it was; a tiny prickling sensation playing on her nape when the Bae heiress was alone next to her.

“If anything, you’re a real stress reliever. Like seriously. With all the studies pulling up, what would I do without you.” She uttered, silently savouring her treats. Wendy sat quietly on the opposite side of her. Her left hand snaking in as she naturally held Irene’s hand under the table to avoid unnecessary attention. She watched the young Bae being her childish self as she ate the pudding.

“By the way, how are we going to commute for the coming trip? I haven’t heard the details.” Wendy voiced out.

Irene scrunched her brows. She never did told Wendy anything since both sides were busy so she just told Wendy to sign some papers and paid the fee. Wendy at the time was more than cooperative to hand her the money without questioning. She trusted her enough to fill in the papers without asking much too.

“We’re going to Jeju Island. . .by plane.”

“Wow. It sounds exciting!” Her interest in the summer camp had perked up as she clapped her hands in excitement.

“But I never attended the briefing I think. Could you list down the events for me?”

Irene gazed at Wendy for a good 5 seconds. Her subtle expression was then replaced with a gust of realisation hitting her head. Wendy had no clue at all about the camp and it was partly her fault too.

“Seungwannie, I’ll come to your house tonight.” She said at the spur of the moment.

Wendy blinked her eyes in confusion and Irene cleared . “I’ll help you to pack your essentials and brief you about the events. It’ll be easier that way or. . . is it not okay?”

Wendy immediately smiled, squeezing her hand in her palms. “Sure! I’ll be more than happy to have you. My sister is currently working in Hong Kong too.”

Irene nearly had to burst into laughter seeing Wendy was more excited with her arrival to her house rather than the summer camp. As a bonus, her quirky eyebrows were raising high above her forehead. “Ah! Let’s stop by the grocery store! I’ll cook something tonight. Do you have any preferences?”

“I’ve been craving some Korean meal since I had to eat out all the time.”

Wendy noted in mind and started to jot some dishes for tonight’s dinner. It really was a real treat. Irene really felt like she was constantly being spoilt by Wendy because every time she hit her condo, Wendy’s always cooked her authentic dishes.

Her eyes then darted at their intertwined hands which started to get clammy with hers. Wendy was aware that it might be an irritating thing for the young heiress yet she patiently waited till she retracted her hands away willingly. It was one of those days she felt at ease with Irene’s fingers moulding with hers. Wendy was an epitome of a ball of fluff, giving her much comfort more than she could give her credit for.

“Let’s go to my house first before grocery shopping.” Irene suggested in which Wendy nodded dorkily.

After stopping by at Irene’s house to pick up some essentials for the camp and her bag of clothes, both girls were set off to the nearest grocery store while walking. They walked side by side, enjoying the sun steadily setting down. Both were throwing small talks, holding light jokes to pass time as they quietly walked to the nearest grocery store. Irene then held the hamster’s arms, raising her brow in astonishment. “Have you lost weight?” she asked, her face written with surprise.

“Hmn? Really? I haven’t really notice. Must be all the work for the past few months.” Wendy quipped.

“Yeah. You’re a little . . . different now.” Irene squeezed her bare flesh, feeling a trace of slightly tone yet muscular fine lines forming under her fingertips. Her eyes still linger around her features as they talked. She began to be conscious with Wendy’s sharp jawline, her eyes scanning at the small changes on Wendy’s cheeks; slightly shrunken than her usual chubby cherubs. Her eyes sparkled at the sight of a new pair a gold cross earrings. It was as if she was witnessing someone whom she never cross path till today. Has it been that long since they last met?

“You know, thinking back when we first met, I immediately called you unnie.”

“That’s not wrong either.” She hummed silently.

“True. I heard from Seulgi you were home-schooled?”

Irene paused for a minute before responding. “Yeah. And by the time I got into school I was three years behind . . .”

Wendy blinked her eyes several times in disbelief. Her left eye twitched.

Irene halted her steps, turning her head back to look at the hamster. The hamster’s expression was as clear as day. “Seriously you only know now? Amazing friend I got here.” She threw a sarcastic remark, rolling her eyes in awe.

Flustered by her words, she retorted. “Can you blame me? T-That’s quite a shock to me. You’re basically three years older than me now. I’m seeing you in a different light now Irene unnie. I’ll be more polite to you from now on.” Wendy ended her words by bowing 90 degree angle before the Bae heiress.

Irene slapped her hands onto her back. “Yah! Stop that. You’re being weird. Does our make you uncomfortable?”

“No. . . not really.” Wendy whistled, shoving her hands into her pocket.

Irene crossed her arms. “Shon Seungwan, I know you’re lying when your eyes are avoiding me. Come on, out with it.”

Wendy index finger scratched her cheeks, still pondering if she should tell. When her eyes met hers, she knew she was not getting out from this until she answered Irene truthfully. “Look . . . I just thought . . . your age makes you more intimidating but for some reason it made you a trillion times cooler and hot too!!!” Wendy squealed in excitement.

Irene glared at her, unimpressed by her compliments. “And I see that you have a type for people who are older than you?”

“Well now you know.” Wendy smirked, launching her with a playful wink.

As soon as they reached the grocery store, Irene held Wendy’s forearm to grab her attention. “Seungwannie, lets meet up at the fabric softener section later. I need to meet someone first to get my beloved thing.” Wendy noticed a hint of excitement imbued in her words. She giggled; finding everything about the bunny was oddly cute in her eyes. She nodded her head in consent.

After Irene finally got what she wanted, she took the liberty to buy some fabric softener section, leaving Wendy in her own zone to buy the ingredients. It took Wendy less than 45 minutes to choose her designated ingredients and paid them to the cashier. She then walked back to the fabric softener section to retrieve a certain bunny.

Wendy smiled when seeing Irene was taking the time in the world to indulge herself in smelling each fabric softener. A sly smirk played on her lips. She settled the trolley with the paid goods next to the crates, tip toeing to spook Irene from behind.

Her attention was distracted. She noticed a man using a ladder was gradually losing his balance. His hands immediately grab onto whatever he could but a box slipped away from his grasp.

Her eyes dilated. Her breath was held back. Her chest was puffing out as her legs sprinted to Irene before she could think twice as her instincts started to register she might be in danger. Wendy forcefully grabbed her wrist, pulling her close to her embrace. Her eyes were closed shut, encircling her arms around Irene petite body, pulling her close to brace for the impact. Yet nothing fell onto their head.

*Thud*

She could hear the murmurs from the crowd. She slowly fluttered her eyes open, double checking to see if Irene was injured. She heaved in relief. However, Wendy noticed white powder was all over her hair and shoulders yet Irene was perfectly fine, not that she’s complaining.

Dizziness and light-headedness was all she could discern. A racing heartbeat was heard. Her face flushed and her conscious was in a muddle. Irene finally began to recognise Wendy who was basked in white powder. Everything happened in a blink of an eye. She searched for any clues to process the situation, noting that Wendy was huffing out of breath as if she had been running. “Seungwannie?! Are you okay? Are you hurt?” A mixture of panic and worried look crossed her face, her trembling hands cupping her cheeks slowly tracing down as she patted Wendy’s shoulders, arms and waist as she muttered sorry. Guilt was naturally killing her consciousness.

Wendy instantly held both of her hands, levelling her eyes on hers. “Hey, I’m fine. Apart from me smelling like soap, I’m fine, Joohyun.” A soft smile plastered on her face. Her calm voice soothed the bunny’s anxiety a little. Irene’s trembling breath huffed against her quivered lips.

Irene’s fingertips pressed onto Wendy’s shoulders. “Okay. But, what happened?”

Wendy’s PoV

So we exited the grocery store after being apologised more than a dozen of times by the staff members. Apparently, the box was filled with white powdered soap, which was supposed to be packed and stored at the top of the shelves. However, the man had lost his balance, slipping the box from his grip. He tried to grab ahold onto the box but the powdered soap poured out from the unsealed box leading me into this state; my hair coated in white. Ire