AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay a longer author's note just for this chapter but...

105 Upvotes and 205 Comments! Holy !! This is now my 2nd most popular story after Stargirl and I NEVER expected that. You guys are seriously the best <3

As a, uh, bonus treat, here's a one-shot I wrote a while back for a writing contest but never got around to post it. It's angsty, just a warning, but go check it out anyway. Find it here:

WHEN I'M WITH YOU (CLOUDS AND DREAMS)

Anyway, enjoy! :)

7

Stayin' Alive

‘What the ?’ Seulgi said. For a while she just sort of stood there. As if unsure of how to proceed. As if she had just come out of a dream.

‘Hi,’ Irene said again from the far side of the couch, waving lazily to her. Grinning. Always grinning.

‘Am I seeing things?’

‘Probably,’ Wendy said. ‘Happens a lot, man. People seeing things. Crazy. I heard it was some government experiment . They’ve started putting things in the air now. Know what I mean? First it was the crop dusters and the chemtrails. Now it’s something else, man. Some real undercover . Makes you hallucinate. Makes you see things. Like, spirits of the dead. Ghosts. They’re not really ghosts. Just top-secret Soviet gas experiments. Leftovers from the Cold War. Government coverups. So yeah, you probably are. But if you mean her, she’s real. Yeah, man.’

‘I don’t understand.’

Irene giggled. It was a low and slight giggle, a delayed one. She seemed to be out of focus. ‘Hey,’ she said again. ‘Are you coming in? Or are you just going to stand there?’

‘I don’t…’

‘Come on.’

‘Irene?’

‘Is something wrong?’

Seulgi just stood there. Wendy sat behind the computer beside Irene and took one of the cookies from the bakingtray and ate it and offered another to Seulgi. ‘New recipe,’ she said. ‘Just made them today. They’re good, right?’

‘Yeah,’ Irene said, giggling again. ‘They’re better.’

‘See? I’m a good cook, man. Real good. None of that artificial . Real, proper ingredients. Nothing chopped up from pigs or whatever. No intestines or . Pun intended. Just real homebrewed stuff. You dig?’

‘I don’t understand,’ Seulgi said. ‘You’re supposed to be in jail.’

‘We’re all supposed to be somewhere, man. It’s like, destiny and .’

'Not you.'

Wendy took a joint from one of the plastic boxes on the table and lit it and blew smoke into the air. Enough to make Irene disappear from Seulgi’s view altogether. It coiled and swirled about the narrow light and dissipated and Irene was still there, still smiling at her. Still so very much Irene. So very beautiful. ‘Why are you not in jail?’ Seulgi said.

‘Do you want me to be?’

‘I mean, uh, no. No, of course not. I mean…you’re my partner. Like, I, uh, you know. Not because I…I mean. Not because I like you or anything. But…yeah. Why are you here?’

‘You can thank your friend for that,’ Irene said, leaning forward and taking one of the cookies.

‘Wheein?’

‘She’s a good one, that Wheein.’

‘What happened?’

‘You want the whole story? Don’t worry, it’s not long. I know how your attention span is.’

Seulgi couldn’t say anything. She stood there turning about as if something were not real. Irene laughed again. ‘Look at you,’ she said. ‘Hilarious. So, yeah. Your friend Wheein – she’s amazing. Why didn’t you introduce me sooner? I mean, I guess because you hadn’t met me. But still. So, after she slapped those cuffs on me she took me to get processed. Blah blah blah, long story short the next thing I knew I was in the back of another car being taken to Seoul Correctional, and I thought: Whoa. Déjà vu. But then she parks up somewhere and tells me to get out, and I’m like what?’

She swiped a second cookie and took a bite and put it back and continued. ‘You know, it sounds dumb, but I thought she was gonna execute me, you know? I thought I was a goner. I mean, I don’t think cops do that but you’ve been doing some real dodgy recently so I don’t know. I had all sorts of things going through my head. Like she was going to just pop me off and dump my body in a hole somewhere. Or put me in barrels. Now wouldn’t that be some poetic justice? Or situational irony. I don’t know. I just thought your boss had put her up to it. But then she leans over and takes off the cuffs and tells me to off. Not in those words, obviously. A bit nicer than that. But still. I thought I was dreaming.’

‘Man,’ Wendy said, ‘that’s crazy.’

‘Sure is. And then you know what she said? She said: I shouldn’t be doing this. I’ll probably get fired for it.’

‘I don’t understand,’ Seulgi said. ‘Why would she let you go?’

‘I thought the same thing. Even asked her. And you know what she said then? She said she trusts you more than anyone else in the force and if you’ve got a hunch about something, it’s probably right. Even if you are a bit slow. She didn’t say that last bit. I just added that. But still. So, she let me go. To help you, I suppose. Which was kinda cute in a way, don’t you think?’

‘And she just let you go?’

‘Yeah. I’ve just said that.’

'I thought she knew you.'

'What?'

'When I was first assigned to this case she warned me about you.'

'She warned you?'

Seulgi nodded. 'She said you were a sarcastic .'

'Wow.' Irene laughed. 'Nice of her to still let me go.'

'So you'd never met her before that time I introduced you?'

Irene shook her head. 'But I do have a bit of a reputation, you know? At least, among the Theft department. I guess she changed her opinion after meeting me. Don't worry. Most people do, sweetie. I guess it's just human nature or something.'

'She just let you go.'

'Uh huh.'

‘So you came here?’

Irene shrugged. ‘This morning,’ she said. ‘I slept in this alley somewhere. Don’t even remember where but it was surprisingly comfortable. Then I came here. I’ll tell you who else is a pretty cool human being. You’re pal Wendy over here.’

Seulgi took a step into the room. She wanted to smile but wouldn’t let Irene have that satisfaction. Wendy waved the joint around in the air. ‘You want some?’ she said.

‘No.’ And then to Irene: ‘What if I hadn’t have turned up here? What if I had decided to go somewhere else? Or just never shown up at all?’

‘Well,’ Irene said. She finished the second cookie. ‘At least I’d have good weed and good company, you know?’

‘For real, man,’ said Wendy.

‘I’d like to pretend I knew you were coming all along but honestly I had no ing clue. This was the only place I thought you’d go. Except back to yours, but even you’re not that stupid, right? Seulgi, tell me you didn’t go back to your apartment.’

‘I didn’t,’ Seulgi said.

‘Oh. Sweet. See, Wendy? I told you she can be smart when she wants to be.’

Wendy just looked at her and nodded sagely and typed something into the computer. Seulgi watched Irene. ‘You shouldn’t be here,’ she said.

‘Well. I am.’

‘You should be in jail.’

‘What, you gonna report me or something?’

‘No.’

‘Good. So, I’m here. Now what, partner? Sweetie. Richard Nixon. Whatever.’

For a while Seulgi was quiet. Just looking at Irene while Irene ate the cookies and smiled at her and occasionally giggled and asked her what was wrong. As if she were still seeing things. ‘Hey,’ Wendy said. ‘Hey, you okay there? Spacing out a bit, man.’

‘Maybe they’ve gotten to her,’ Irene said. ‘The government.’

‘Yeah, man. Crazy. The Soviets. Or the aliens. That could be some real . And nowadays, you never know. You dig?’

‘I dig.’

‘I swear, man. The world just keeps getting crazier and crazier and . You’ll never guess what I saw out the window last night. I thought I’d take a peek just before I went to bed and I wish I hadn’t. You know what I saw? It was a dog with wheels, man. A dog with ing wheels. Not even big bike wheels or anything. Just these little kiddie training wheels. And it was right there. Just, you know, wheeling around.’

‘Wheeling around.’

‘For sure, man. On its little dog wheels. It was crazy.’

‘Where were its legs?’

‘Who knows? Not me. Not the dog, I don’t think. It didn’t seem to care that it didn’t have legs. It just rolled down the street and disappeared. Rolled right off into the sunset. On its little dog wheels. Crazy.’

‘Is it still alive?’

‘Maybe.’ Wendy took another hit of the joint. ‘I mean, dogs are dogs, man. Let nature be natural, you know what I’m saying? Don’t kill animals for food, don’t milk cows, don’t put wheels on dogs. Crazy. Just crazy.’

‘Alright,’ Seulgi said at last. ‘Am I going crazy? Dogs with wh…Okay. Whatever. .’

‘What’s the matter, sweetie?’ said Irene.

‘We’ve got some serious work to do. If you’re in.’

‘Where else would I go? Or be? I mean, I’m still a fugitive now. Actually, I’m an escaped fugitive. An escapee. A convict again. That’s even worse. They’d catch me and lock me up for a thousand years, give or take. Which means we’ve only got one option if I want to be free, no? We’ve gotta find that painting before it’s gone. Or else I’m donezo.’

‘And so am I.’

‘You sure?’

‘Believe me, I’m sure.’

Irene shrugged. The smirk so present on her face. Seulgi wanted to say: I’ve missed that. I’ve missed that -eating grin of victory. I just want to kiss that grin like I've never kissed anything before. I want your arms around my neck and I want to smell that jasmine perfume and I want to frame that ing smile on my bedroom wall in a gold case. But it had been only thirty-six hours and she couldn’t bring herself to say anything sentimental at all because Irene would laugh at her and it wasn’t worth it.

‘You want a drink?’ Wendy said.

She shook her head and turned to Irene. ‘We’ve got to find that painting.’

‘I know,’ Irene said. ‘I’ve literally – literally – just said that. You good there, Seulgi? You seen a ghost or something? A Soviet ghost.’

‘Crazy,’ Wendy said.

‘Look, we’ve got to do this. And it’s got to be tonight.’

‘Tonight?’

‘The club in Gangnam that Taeho told us about.’

‘Oh, . Yeah.’

‘Crisis.’

‘Seems like a bit of one, yeah.’

‘No, I mean…Forget it. We’ve got to get there as it opens. And we’ve got to find this guy that Taeho described. The guy he said we’d need to talk to if we want to know anything about the deal.’

‘When you say Talk to, you don’t mean Talk to, do you?’

‘Not really, no.’

Irene nodded to nobody in particular. ‘He might not even be there,’ she said.

‘Taeho said he would be. He said they meet every-’

‘Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Yeah. But there’s no guarantee he’ll be there tonight. Or that anyone will be. And think about it – if the deal really is going down tonight, why would they be there?’

‘To discuss other business. Taeho said this guy runs operations across the board, not just the Leeum disappearance. So, that’s what? Laundering, drugs, protection charges. Everything. For the whole gang. He’ll be there.’

‘And if he’s not?’

‘We’ve got to try, Irene. What other choice do we have? We’re on the run now. What was it you said? Bonnie and Clyde?’

‘Not the best comparison, sweetheart.’

‘It’s either we find this painting or we’re both behind bars.’

‘Not both.’

‘Uh huh,’ Seulgi said. ‘You think they won’t add Aiding a Fugitive to the list? I’m already off the force for three months. Next thing is they’ll lock me up. We’ve got to find that ing painting and we’ve got to act tonight. And even then it might not be enough. Who knows if they’ll let us walk? I doubt it. But still. We’ve got to try. It’s the only thing we’ve got left.’

Irene looked at her for a long time. A small and alien silence between the three of them. Weedsmoke falling about the air. Then Irene said, ‘What are we going to do, then? You got a plan? Because I’ll be honest, I’ve just sort of been sat here smoking and eating, you know? I didn’t really think you’d come. I just sort of needed a place to crash. Lay low. And your friend here’s a real top gal, you know that?’

‘Groovy,’ Wendy said with a grin.

‘I mean, come on, Seulgi. Can you blame me?’

‘No. But that’s beside the point. We’ve got to do something, and fast.’

‘Yeah. You’ve said that. What time is it?’

‘Nearly six.’

‘What time does the club open?’

‘Ten.’

‘We’ve got plenty of time then,’ Irene said.

‘Not since we need to actually get there. And before that we need to think of a plan. We can’t just walk in there, can we?’

‘What sort of plan could we even think of? It’s not going to be some cop-drama walk in the park. It’s not gonna be Miami Vice, sweetie. He’s gonna have guards and . And I can’t fight. I’ll ruin my nails. And no one’s ruining my face. Future Miss Korea right here. So. It’s all up to you.’

Seulgi sighed. ‘Alright,’ she said. ‘Whatever. We’ll think of something.’

'You'll think of something.'

'Fine. I'll think of something.'

‘Like what?’

‘Let me think.’

Another quiet. Seulgi paced the front of the room while Wendy tapped away at her keyboard and smoked and Irene ate the cookies from the tray. ‘Alright,’ Seulgi said at last. ‘Here’s what we’re going to do.’

‘I’m all ears,’ Irene said.

‘We’re going to go in there, and we’re going to find him.’

‘That’s…it?’

Seulgi nodded.

'Uh uh. Well. That settles it, I suppose.'

‘Wendy, you’re going to help us.’

Wendy looked at her. The joint in her hand.

‘Or else.’

‘Whatever, man,’ she said. ‘Let me know what you need and I’ll provide.’

‘Like Jesus,’ said Irene.

‘Like Jesus, man. Like Groovy Jesus.’

‘Alright,’ Seulgi said. ‘Can you, uh, get us inside? Actually, no. We won’t need help with that. . . Alright. Wendy, what can you help us with?’

She was quiet. Seulgi thought she wouldn’t respond and then very slowly she stood and pushed the computer away and said, ‘Wait here, man.’

When she was somewhere upstairs Seulgi and Irene stood just watching each other, no expression on Seulgi’s face, a coy smirk on Irene’s.

‘What?’ Seulgi said.

‘Did you miss me?’

‘I mean…’

‘Come on, Seulgi. Did you?’

‘No.’

‘Ah. That’s how it’s going to be now, is it? Playing hard to get. Were you dreaming about me last night? You can be honest, don’t worry. I won’t laugh. I might tease, though.’

‘I thought I wouldn’t see you again.’

Irene laughed.

‘What?’ Seulgi said.

‘You sound so cliché whenever you speak, seriously. Like you learned all your words from TV or something.’

‘Well, I’m sorry for that. But it’s true.’

‘Relax. You could’ve come visited me whenever. Actually, you’re probably gonna have to after tomorrow, right? I mean, let’s be honest – what’s the chances of this lead actually turning out to be anything at all? You know what I’m saying, partner?’

‘It’s worth a shot.’

Irene finished another cookie. ‘There was this boxer about ten years ago,’ she said. ‘Something Bumsoo or something? I can’t remember his name. But basically he was this amateur guy – used to work his nearest bingo halls and – and one day he called out Korea’s best boxer as a joke in his local newspaper for exposure and guess what? This guy actually responded to him. It got a -ton of media attention. The guy even called him out. So Bumsoo had a choice. He could either walk away, or he could step up to the plate and fight it out. All his coaches and trainers told him it was pointless, because there was no chance of him winning and he’d just get hurt and it wouldn’t boost his name or anything. He’d just get embarrassed. Or worse. And you know what he said? It’s worth a shot. It’s worth a damn shot. Anyway, long story short, he gets beaten so hard he actually dies in the ring. First boxer to die in the ring in twenty-five years.’

‘Where are you going with this?’

‘I don’t know. Oh, . Yeah. He thought it was worth a shot as well. Didn’t really turn out true in the end though, did it?’

Seulgi didn’t reply.

‘You know,’ Irene said, ‘it sounded better in my head. More relevant. Forget it.’

She made to say something else but Wendy appeared in the doorway. She stood there a moment and then she shuffled past Seulgi and sat back on the couch behind the computer and punched something in and leant over to Seulgi. She had two little earbuds in her hand and she passed them over to Seulgi.

‘What are these?’ Seulgi said.

‘These are mine. Well, they were. They’re yours now, man.’

‘Sure. But what are they?’

‘They’re special wireless earbuds, for listening. Long-range connection on a secure channel, is what they are.’

Seulgi tossed one to Irene and she looked it over.

‘What do they do?’ Irene said.

‘You put them in your ear and they work like any other earpieces, except like I said, they’re on a secure line. So only I’ll be able to talk to you, and only you guys will be able to hear me. And they’ve got tiny built-in microphones, so it’s two-way: I speak to you, you speak to me. CIA . No Soviets. Groovy, right?’

‘Yeah, man.’

‘Why do we need these?’ Seulgi said.

‘Because,’ said Wendy, ‘when you’re in there, I can help you. You think all I’m good for is cookies and cakes? No, man. I’ve got my uses. You know that. I can get you schematics, detailed floors plans, the whole shebang. You wanna know where the fire exits are? I’m your woman, man. You wanna know where the toilets are? Bingo. I’ll get them for ya. And then I can tell you everything over those bad boys. So, sound like a good idea? I mean, it better do. Because that’s all I’ve got, really. All I can help you with. And I shouldn’t be helping you. There’s eyes everywhere. Even right now, they’re onto us, man. I just know it. But a bro’s a bro, you know? Or the female equivalent of a bro, man. You dig?’

Seulgi turned the earpiece over in her hand.

‘See those little buttons on them?’ Wendy said. ‘When the first one starts flashing white, you’ve gotta press the other one. You get me?’

‘What happens then?’

‘Then you stick em in your ears and wahey! We’re in business, man. Loud and clear. One two three, one two three. You dig?’

‘And we’re going to use these inside the club?’

‘Well, if you want my help, you’re gonna have to. I can’t help you if I can’t speak to you, know what I mean? So, you want my help, you use those.’

Seulgi looked at her again. Smiling wearily, distant, there through the smokehaze. ‘Okay,’ Seulgi said. ‘Okay. Good. So, we go in there, you help us look around the place, navigate stuff, and we keep an eye out for the guy with the ponytail. Then, when we find him, we wait until he’s alone. Or when he’s with only a couple people. And then.’

‘Then what?’ Irene said.

‘We get him to tell us everything.’

‘You mean we beat him up and kidnap him, that’s what you mean.’

‘Far out,’ Wendy said.

‘We do whatever we have to to get that painting back,’ Seulgi said. ‘Whatever it takes.’

‘Including beating him up.’

‘Sure. If it comes to it.’

‘Come on,’ Irene said. ‘Let’s be honest here. He’s not gonna lie down for us willingly, is he? That’d be pretty good ing luck. But you know what? Sure. I’ve been waiting for a little fisticuffs. A little action, you know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, I know we’ve seen three dead guys and we’ve been in a gunfight, but that was you. I haven’t actually shot anyone yet. Or shot at anyone, you know?’

‘Irene.’

‘I’ve never held a gun, actually. I don’t think I have. I mean, I'm pretty sure I'd remember something like that, to be honest with you. Speaking of - what about your gun, Seulgi? I’m guessing your husband took it.’

‘I’ve got another.’

‘Another.’

Seulgi nodded. ‘Don’t ask where from.’

‘I wasn’t going to.’

‘Be careful with that, man,’ said Wendy. ‘They’re all marked. Government . They got numbers on everything. Barcodes. So they can keep everything organised and checked and in line. You dig? Be careful what you do.’

Seulgi ignored her. She looked at Irene. ‘We need to be going,’ she said. ‘We’ve got to be at that club in Gangnam in a couple hours.’

‘Relax,’ Irene said. ‘We’re fine.’

‘We need to go.’

‘God, you’re always so impatient. Even more so now. It’s quite annoying, actually. I know you're desperate for some me and you time but let me chill, you know?’

‘Wendy.’

‘Yo,’ Wendy said.

‘Thank you for all the help. I mean it. I really do. We couldn’t have done it without you.’

‘Relax, man. We’re not done yet. Still got tonight, remember?’

‘You didn’t have to help us, you know. You could’ve stayed out of it.’

‘Uh, are you forgetting you threatened to take her to jail?’ Irene said. ‘Literally three or four times – you said you’d throw her in the back of a police car if she didn’t listen to you.’

‘Yeah, but.’

‘Relax,’ Wendy said, waving the end of the joint around. ‘It’s all water under the bridge, man. You feel me? Good vibes only. Groovy. Wait until tonight. Just you wait. These things’ll work a charm. Complete and perfect engineering. No flaws. Except one, but it doesn’t matter.’

‘What flaw?’

‘Well, when I said it’s a closed channel? That’s true, but only outbound. Inbound is a different beast. Whoo, boy.’

‘What do you mean?’ Seulgi said.

‘When I’m speaking to you, nobody’s hearing but you two. But the other way around? I get so many different signals you wouldn’t believe. All these radio channels and . All these frequencies. Crazy, don’t ya think? Crazy.’

‘Wendy.’

Wendy waved her away nonchalantly. ‘It’s all good,’ she said. ‘All Gucci, man. You won’t even notice it. Only I will. Or probably not even me. It’s all good. Trust me on this one, Seulgi. You dig?’

Seulgi looked at her again. She motioned to Irene and Irene took a handful of the cookies and smiled at Wendy and went out to the car. ‘Thank you,’ Seulgi said again. ‘I mean it. For everything.’

‘Peace,’ Wendy said. ‘And One Love.’

Seulgi stepped out into the driveway and unlocked the Testarossa and stood a second by the front door looking out. The cold purple night. No traffic. Irene right there, white polo and jeans and ponytailed hair, one hand full of cookies, one hand resting against the car roof.

‘Don’t do that,’ Seulgi said, stepping around to the driver’s side. Irene climbed in after her and she started the engine and pulled out of the driveway going south toward Hannam Bridge. Just her and Irene and the quiet. Until Irene leant over and played the Groovy Tunes CD and laughed. ‘This is a good one,’ she said. ‘I kinda missed your ty music while I was in cuffs, you know. It felt like a lifetime. Felt weird being in a car that wasn’t your eighties-mobile.’

‘Please stop touching my things.’

‘Oh, . I like this one. This is-’

‘The Bee Gees. I know.’

‘Kinda appropriate, don’t ya think? Stayin’ Alive. Oddly prophetic. Well, maybe not for Kim Taeho. I guess that would just be ironic, then? Or maybe…eh. Never mind.’

Half an hour later Seulgi stopped the car in Apgujeong about fifteen minutes north of Gangnam and sat while Irene bought herself something to eat from the local shop. The cars passed oblivious. The evening wearing on. It was already nearly eight. The Flat-12 growled and rumbled under the hood. Irene came back with a bag of food and a couple bottles of water and sat eating while Seulgi watched her quietly, in secret. So that Irene wouldn’t turn and look at her and laugh and say something like: What’s the matter, Seulgi? Can’t keep your eyes off me? Like my in this shirt, is that it? You catching feelings or something?

She thought about taking the little Miami Vice tobacco tin from the glovebox and giving it to Irene. Just a present, she’d say. Just, uh, something I thought I’d get you. To show my appreciation. Or whatever. But what a stupid idea that was. So she just sat there, staring at the closed glovebox, listening to Irene eat beside her.

‘What’s the matter?’ Irene said. ‘You lost?’

‘What?’

‘You look like you’re in your own little world.’

‘No, I…’ pausing, not knowing what to say, and then: ‘I was just thinking about some stuff.’

‘About what?’

‘About tonight. About what’s going to happen.’

‘Not getting cold feet, are you? You’re not about to chicken out? I don’t wanna be doing this on my own.’

Seulgi smiled a solemn smile. ‘It’s not that,’ she said. ‘It’s just, I wish we didn’t have to do this.’

‘We don’t. Not technically. We can give ourselves up, if you like. But I mean, what sort of fugitives would we be if we just surrendered? Did Jesse James ever surrender? Did Billy The Kid ever throw up the white flag and say: Look! I’m coming out with my hands up! I don’t think so. Did Bonnie and Clyde? Nuh uh. So we’re not going to. And besides, we’ve got an advantage.’

‘What advantage?’

‘We’re me and you.’

‘What’s that supposed to mean?’

‘Well, I mean. Who’s gonna expect two idiots like us to bust a national gang operation, in one night, on our own, with no backup? Now that’s some real Groovy , man.’

Seulgi looked at her and smiled again. A small and tired and sad smile that said much of nothing. It was Irene, alright. In all her joking glory. Ever the jester. She ate a cheese sandwich and a couple biscuits and drank her water and Seulgi just sat there trying not to cry knowing in truth how close they were to the end, an end that was almost certainly doomed to some useless and preordained enterprise. And knowing also that Irene would laugh her out of the car if she shed a tear over anything. She sat a while. The next thing she realised was Irene giggling to herself in the seat beside her.

‘What?’ she said, turning.

‘I can’t believe I’ve only just noticed. Like, only just now.’

‘Noticed what?’

‘Are those Don Johnson glasses?’

‘What?’

She pointed to the aviators hanging from Seulgi’s shirt.

‘Where did you get them?’

‘I, uh, just picked them up,’ Seulgi said. ‘I just found them in some shop.’

‘Uh huh. Sure you did. Well, go on.’

‘What?’

‘Put them on.’

‘No.’

‘Put them on.’

‘No.'

‘Please, just put them on. What’s wrong? Are you scared I’m going to laugh at you or something?’

‘I just don’t feel like wearing them.’

‘Will you wear them later, though? Just for me? Please. Seulgi. Please?’

She turned and looked at Irene. A pout on her lips and a glimmer of faux innocence in her eyes. How could she resist that? How she could even say no? It was impossible. Totally impossible. ‘Alright,’ she said. ‘Whatever. I’ll wear them later.’

Irene smiled at her. She tried to look anywhere except the gap the open buttons in her shirt had made but it was very hard and she found herself staring anywhere. Irene winked at her. She opened the glovebox and put the sunglasses away and debated taking out the tobacco tin and thought against it a second time.  

‘Are we going?’ Irene said.

‘In a minute.’

‘There’s no time like the present, sweetie.’

‘I told you to…you know what? Forget it. Call me whatever.’

‘Whoa,’ Irene said. ‘Are you serious? Is this a breakthrough we’re making?’

‘I don’t care.’

‘Oh my god. I’m so proud of you, Seulgi. I feel like we’re finally growing as a unit. As partners. Know what I’m saying?’

Seulgi didn’t reply. The heat rising to her cheeks again. They sat in quiet a while. A comfortable quiet, one Seulgi didn’t much mind. It was Irene that broke it, peering out of the passenger-side window and turning back to Seulgi and saying, with a faint smile on her tender lips, ‘Come on, sweetie.'

'What?'

'It’s time to find the president.’