This one turned out way longer than I expected.

Next one is the last one.

Enjoy!

The weeks flew by and suddenly it was the last week of school. Irene had been too busy preparing for exams to help Seulgi and she barely replied with monosyllabic texts whenever Seulgi texted her. The younger girl understood that Irene had a lot on her plate at the moment but she didn’t like the way they had left things the last time Irene had dropped her at her house. The next week after that strange argument, they had managed to squeeze two meeting at Lucky to study some more but it somehow felt impersonal, like a mere exchange: Seulgi bought the hot beverages and Irene helped her with biology. After that, they both went their separate ways.

On Tuesday of their last week of school, a familiar figure appeared at the front gate of IBS, patiently waiting for Seulgi next to a white mini cooper, Jisoo. She would surely help Seulgi figure out how to mend things with Irene.

Seulgi bid goodbye to Wendy and Moonbyul—no volleyball practice or singing lessons today, most extracurricular activities were halted during exams. Coffee shops and libraries were generally packed during the last two weeks of class, though.

“Seulgi, over here!” yelled Jisoo, standing by her car. It was too cold to wait outside but Jisoo was sporting a thick down jacket so she looked as warm as a hot cup of cocoa.

“Hey, Jisoo. Long time no see! What brings you to IBS?” Seulgi asked, curiosity getting the best of her.

“You, of course. Do you mind going for a ride with me?” Jisoo said, opening the door for Seulgi, casually leaving her with no option but to comply—not like Seulgi would’ve turned her down, she actually liked Irene’s friend, she was always so kind and observant.

“Alright, let’s go,” Seulgi agreed, not really knowing where they were heading.

They took the main road, heading to Redville, Jisoo and Irene's neighborhood. For a quick second, Seulgi thought they were heading to Irene’s house, feeling a surge of panic, but instead of turning right to enter their gated community, Jisoo drove straight for about fifteen minutes and then turned left, taking a narrow and quiet street. The car came to a stop at a homey coffee shop that could've almost passed for a coutryside house, the white cottage even had a chimney on the side. It looked like the type of place that Wendy and Moonbyul would’ve liked to visit.

“It’s one of my secret spots,” Jisoo said, once they had sat at one of the tables inside. “Most of the people that come here are old and/or from Gobbart, a small town nearby. This is where I come to disappear,” the petite girl added as she passed the menu to Seulgi.

They ordered hot drinks and a blueberry cake to share, and waited for them to arrive.

Jisoo had this way of getting her message across or leading people to the right answer without seeming to be doing so, but Seulgi figured she had opted to get straight to the point this time. “Have you talked to Irene recently?” she inquired, resting her small face on her palm.

“Not really. I’ve texted her to see how she was doing, but her replies were very succinct, for the most part,” Seulgi honestly replied with a barely noticeable frown.

“I have the feeling that you should keep pushing a bit harder. Don’t give up,” Jisoo said as she placed a hand over Seulgi’s arm reassuringly. “It’s not like she’s been sharing much with any of us either, but I think she needed some time to deal with some stuff,” the girl from Trinity explained, sipping her jasmine tea, which had just arrived.

“Stuff related to her family, you mean?” Seulgi asked, trying to read in between the lines. Jisoo was working her diplomatic magic once again, Seulgi could tell.

“Not quite. I think that, as all of us do during our years of youth, she’s still trying to find herself. I think this weeks of seclusion might be a good thing for her, a time to reflect,” Jisoo said with a distant expression, looking at the fire burning quietly in the chimney. “But, be sure to reach out to her before it’s too little too late. I think out of all of us, she’ll listen to you the most,” Jisoo continued, turning around to look at Seulgi with a wistful smile. It was quite the irony for Seulgi to hear Jisoo say such a thing, given that she’d always thought Irene was constantly dismissing her words.

“Why me?” Seulgi asked with a prolonged sigh. “You’re very sharp, Jisoo, but I’m not sure I agree with you on this one. Maybe she needs you, Jennie, or Joy to talk to her, you know? Her old friends,” the girl in a ponytail argued.

Jisoo shook her head slowly with a knowing smile. “Not this time, trust me on this one. Just try to go visit her one of these days. I know it’s a lot to ask, you’re probably swarmed with exams and assignments, but spare some time to see her this week if you can, even if it’s just five minutes.”

Seulgi was still hesitant but she definitely trusted Jisoo’s judgment, so she merely agreed and took her advice to heart. She’d figure this one out.

After the topic had been discussed they moved to other lighter subjects, enjoying the warm tea and sweet cake. It was a good break for Seulgi from her hectic school schedule, just what she needed.

— — —

On Tuesday, Seulgi took the exam she had been dreading the most: Biology. It went better than she had expected. Even during her absence, Irene had managed to send her over e-mail some detailed reviews on each topic and short quizzes that she could work on. Seulgi left school that day wishing she could just phone Irene to tell her about how well she had done and thank her a million times for everything. Technically, she could, she just wasn’t sure whether the older girl would pick