Wendy was chasing after Seulgi and Yeri who had ran off with her bank card while yelling crazily about using up all her savings on useless decorative pillows again.  

“No! Come back here! For the umpteen time, we are not getting any more Pokémon pillows!” 

Just as she was about to grab onto Seulgi’s shoulder, she jumped. Wendy jolted awake and swiftly got up to look for her wallet. But the weight of her head was suddenly so heavy and her head was throbbing so badly that she winced before taking a better look at her surroundings. It was unfamiliar to her and her wallet was also nowhere to be seen.  

“SEUL! YERM!” 

She tried getting up when the door to the room where she must have had her slumber opened and revealed a really worried-looking Irene. Wendy instinctively pried herself away from the bed but had to hold onto the wall for support as the throbbing was making her feel dizzy. Irene swiftly went over and guided Wendy back into the bed. 

“No, wait. Don’t get up like that.” 

“W-where is this place?” 

“Oh, uh. I’m sorry but I didn’t know where either one of you stayed, so I brought you guys back to mine.” 

“I see, please don’t be sorry. We should-, oh no! You mean the two troublemakers are here too?! Where are they?! Have they taken my wallet again?!” 

“What? No, your wallet’s over there on top of my desk. I left it there after it fell out from your trouser pants last night. You mean, they take your wallet often?” 

“Oh okay, it’s on your desk... Oh my god, this is your bed? Where did you sleep last night? I’m so sorry, I shouldn’t have let myself get this drunk. I’ll have to pay you back for all these troubles we’ve caused you. Did they break anything?” 

Irene was bewildered by how fast Wendy was talking, she had to take a few seconds to get everything she have heard into her head. She grabbed Wendy’s shoulders gently to stop her from her worried gibbering. Wendy looked at Irene with a frown on her face; possibly doing some mental calculations of the amount of damages they must have caused the samaritan in front of her. Irene smiled at how silly Wendy was looking right now and soothed her frown with her finger again.  

“First, please keep it down. It is only seven in the morning, the two are still sleeping in the guest room opposite from us. Second, to answer all your questions; yes, this is my bed. I slept on the couch outside. I can’t have my guests sleeping on the floor or couch. You don’t have to pay me anything and nothing was broken. So, you can rest. Okay?” 

“But I-I want to pay you back somehow.” 

Irene sighed after seeing how guilty Wendy looks right now. Irene has a feeling that if this girl does not get to somehow repay her own “debt”, her own good-will will end up chewing at Wendy’s guilty conscious for a long time. She shook her head and sighed again, defeated at how stubborn Wendy can be when receiving help.  

“Alright, alright. Since you are up, do you want to help me make breakfast then?” 

“Yes! Definitely!” 

Wendy was too eager that she had forgotten all about her hangover. She winced in pain before putting her hands on her forehead.  

“I told you not to get up like that.” 

“Here, drink this ginger tea and wash up. Come outside when you’re done. I’ve left a towel and a new toothbrush in the washroom.” 

Wendy looked down at the cup of warm ginger tea that she has just received then looked back up at the kind angel’s back view until it disappears from behind the door. She isn’t used to being taken care of, when she was hungover or sick, she just lies in bed until she feels better enough to walk to the kitchen for a cup of water. Now here she is, in another person’s bedroom, under their covers, drinking their home-made ginger tea after a bad hungover. She was feeling guilty earlier but somehow Irene has managed to reassure her and has put her heart at ease.  

She looked back down at the warm ginger tea again with a kid-like smile and gulp it down before getting up to wash up. Having someone being so thoughtful towards her was refreshing and it doesn’t feel that bad at all. In fact, it is a nice feeling she did not mind to get used to it. 

- 

After Wendy had freshened up, she walked out the room to make her way towards the kitchen. Irene’s house was about the same size as her own but with a smaller living. The living was only filled with a few things; a medium-sized potted plant sitting beside the two-seater grey leather couch, a warm oak rectangular coffee table with a small jar of cookies beside the remote, a 40-inch tv set mounted to the wall above a black glossy tv console with tinted sliding glass doors and a small clock sitting atop it and a metal frame shelf filled with books and some photo frames. The kitchen and the living were in the same space but was only separated by a small straight walkway enough for one and a long white cupboard that also serves as a table for smaller items like; keys and bottles.  

It has the right amount of space in every corner and with the soft sunlight that was now shining in from the glass doors that led to a balcony where washed clothes were hung out to dry and a washing machine were at, the whole room felt so cosy that Wendy felt almost comfortable; like it was a familiar home. Usually she would be nervous about being over at other people’s houses and would stiffen up at one corner, but this house has a warmth feeling to it. She looked over to her left where the kitchen was, Irene had her hair up in a loose bun and was wearing a cream-coloured worn out t-shirt under a navy-blue cardigan and a pair of black shorts. She was reheating the food they had packed away from the restaurant in a pan. Wendy smiled and walked over to where Irene was, rolling up her sleeve along the way. 

“Help has arrived!” 

“Oh, hi. Feeling any better? Do you know how to use a frying pan? Are you able to fry us some eggs while I heat the rest of these food?” 

“Thanks to your amazing ginger tea, I am feeling much better. And of course, I know how to use the frying pan! I can do more than just sunny-side ups, you know. I do know how to cook proper meals.” 

“Haha, sorry for underestimating you then. These side dishes are not enough for four people. Would you be able to make us a couple more side dishes? You can help yourself to the ingredients in my fridge over there.” 

Wendy grinned and nodded before going over to Irene’s fridge to see what she could make. She took out four eggs, some left over bacons, potatoes and tomatoes. She went back to the stove and stood beside Irene before laying out her ingredients on the chopping board.  

“I hope you don’t mind me using all these.” 

“Not at all, you’ll be a great help. Thank you for helping me.” 

Irene smiled at Wendy before looking back down at the pot of soup she was boiling.  

“This is the least I could do after all the trouble we have caused you.” 

“Oh, please. Stop that, I didn’t even get you guys any clothing to change into.” 

“That’s okay. It must have been a real workout to get all three of us here. I know I should have turned down all those shots from the seniors, they were being real pushy.” 

“I didn’t do all the work alone. Yeri had sobered up enough to help me carry Seulgi here. She was a great help last night, if not we would have been a mess. I’m sure they were just happy to see you finally join them; it is fine isn’t it? You said you guys don’t get to have such fun often.” 

Wendy looked over at Irene who was just focusing on stirring the boiling soup with a ladle. At that moment, Wendy thought that Irene was a really nice person and even though they have only just barely got to know each other they seem to have a really nice chemistry. Wendy was feeling happy and glad that she had made such a great and kind friend, it seems Irene would fit right into their small little group of crazies.  

“Yeah, you are right about that. Thanks, Irene.” 

Irene did not respond, she just nodded and the two of them fell into a comfortable tranquillity. Each was just enjoying the other’s presence while doing something simple like cooking together. As they were finishing up, they heard a door creaking open followed by two very loud yawns one after another. Seulgi had walked casually into the living with her eyes half-opened and a case of really bad bed hair followed by Yeri who was rubbing the sleep out of her eye. They both stopped after catching a whiff of delicious food, they looked over to see a spread of food laid out on a small rectangular granite dining table.  

They were both looking like they were about to drool all over the floor. Irene caught sight of them and smiled awkwardly at how casual they were. Wendy, on the other hand was shaking her head in disbelief. These monkeys are really too easy-going but that’s also one of their good points, they are just honest people. 

“G-good morning, Seulgi, Yeri. I made you guys breakfast and there is some warm ginger tea in that metal teapot over there. Please help yourselves.” 

“Yay! Thank you, Irene!” 

The two of them chimed in unison as they skipped their way over to the dining table just in front of the kitchen.  

“Since you two are now awake, you can help with taking out and setting the cutleries first before sitting while we finish up here.” 

Seulgi and Yeri both looked at Wendy with dismay. Unashamed about how they felt towards the two very different instructions, they voiced their opinion. 

“We like Irene unnie better.” 

“Yeah.” 

Seulgi nodded at Yeri’s statement and the both of them heaved their chest up as a sign of rebellion. Wendy just looked at them indifferently, unfazed by their defiance.  

“The least you could do is to help after imposing on someone else.” 

“But Irene unnie doesn’t mind, right?” 

Irene let out a nervous laughter and looked over at Wendy and nodded along with what Yeri said. Wendy looked at Irene and shook her head. 

“Irene, you can’t be soft with them like that. They will eat you up. Now, help out the two of you and please comb your hair, Seul.” 

The two let out a low growl but relented nevertheless, they are all as close as family and they have always regarded Wendy as the sensible care-taker of the group so they do listen to her. Irene laughed at the two sluggish figures who had got to work with setting down the cutleries and after they were done with it, Yeri helped a spacing out Seulgi with her crazy bed hair. Irene was amused by the way they all got along with each other and smiled to herself. 

“What are you smiling about?” 

“Oh, nothing. I just thought how you three seem more like siblings than friends and it is really fun to watch you guys.” 

As Wendy walked out with the last dish and Irene following closely behind; Seulgi  into the conversation as Irene took a seat opposite of her.  

“Oh yeah, we get that a lot. We actually grew up together so I guess that’s why we are so much like siblings.” 

Yeri, who was sitting beside Seulgi nodded along to what Seulgi said. Wendy took the seat beside Irene and nodded as well.  

“We are friends from childhood, our parents knew each other so it became this.” 

Irene’s mouth formed a small “o” and seem to now understand why they always seem to be bickering over small things all the time and are strangely always glued to each other. Sometimes even without saying a single word, they can tell what the other was thinking. Irene was always a little envious of their relationship, she does not have much friends, much less such close friends. She could only think of one person that she was able to be really comfortable with, even though that person seems to be the complete opposite of her but they complimented each other well.  

Just as they were about to dig in, the bell from Irene’s front door rang. Before Irene could get up, Yeri, who was closest to the front door got up to answer it as if it was second nature. Taking, “make yourself at home,” to a whole new level. 

“Hello, Irene’s residence!” 

“Oh my god, Irene unnie! It’s only been two days since I’ve last visited you, you seem smaller than usual. What happened?” 

Yeri quirked her eyebrow at the person in front of her, she was about to clarify before she heard Irene speaking behind her. 

“Haha very funny, Joy. Stop messing around with my guest.” 

Yeri left the door open to let the person who seems to be a friend of Irene’s in. She walked back to the dining table with Irene and the stranger in toll. As Yeri took her seat, Irene introduced the stranger to the three pair of curious eyes.  

“Everyone, meet my junior from my old university. Her name’s Joy, a close friend of mine. Joy, these are my friends from work.” 

“Hello, my name is Seulgi.” 

“I am Yeri.” 

“And I am Wendy, it is nice to meet you.” 

All three of them stood up uniformly to introduce themselves and were all secretly trying to guess how tall the person that was standing in front of them were. 

“Oh my, I didn’t know you had it in you to gather minions at work, Irene unnie.” 

“Hey, don’t take us for fools just because you are taller than us.” 

“Joy!” 

“Yerm!” 

“Seulgi.” 

Both Irene and Wendy looked at Seulgi who just shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly. 

“You guys were calling out names, so I just wanted to join in hehe.” 

They were not sure whether to laugh at Seulgi’s antic or to chide her for not reading the mood. Joy who was just watching and with a slightly annoyed Yeri glaring at her, she sighed. 

“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. I was just teasing Irene unnie here for actually having friends because she is just such a shy person. Anyways, it is very nice to meet all of you. Thanks for adopting Irene unnie into your group.” 

Joy bowed slightly and both Irene and Wendy heaved a sigh of relief while Yeri nodded and Seulgi just beamed at her.  

“No offence taken.” 

“Good, I’ll be seeing you guys soon anyways. Better to have a good first impression, right? Anyways, Irene unnie I’ll be lending your hairdryer.” 

“What? Again? Did you not get a new one?” 

“I am a broke graduating student at the moment, mind you.” 

“Fine. Would you like to join us for breakfast then?” 

“Oh no, you guys go ahead. I have a date later. I’ll see you all later.” 

Joy winked at all of them and took the hairdryer with her before leaving. Everyone watched on as Joy made her exit from the apartment. All eyes were back on Irene, expecting some answers for all the questions that were possibly floating in their minds.  

“Well, she sure come and go like a gust of wind! I’m sorry about earlier, she is just a really playful person but is actually really nice to be with.” 

“I think she is interesting, a possible bickering rival.” 

“What did she mean by she will be seeing us soon?” 

“Is she really going on a date?” 

Wendy and Yeri both looked at Seulgi questionably, like she just asked a totally redundant question. 

“Of all things to be hung up on, you want to know if she is really going on a date? Seriously, Seul?” 

“Hey, I just like the romantic stuff.” 

“Right...”  

“Haha, that was just her way of impressing all of you. She has a morning class; it is not a date. She will be joining our company after her graduation; she had already secured a spot there.” 

“Oh, is that so. Well, it is about to get rowdier, I just know it.” 

Wendy looked over at Yeri who was peacefully enjoying her meal. They all spent the afternoon over at Irene’s house as well before returning back to their respective homes. 

- 

It has been almost a week since the incident with Bogum and on a slow day at work, Bogum went up to Irene to apologise for his behaviour at the welcoming dinner and offered to take Irene out for lunch to make it up to her the next time they were free. It was a senior’s request after all, so Irene could not refuse even if she did not want to.   

Work has been getting really busy on both sides and they were all always exhausted during lunch. However, Irene has started to notice that Wendy has been slowing her eating pace to match up with hers. Even though she has had her doubts, it seems Wendy was really eating slower deliberately. She was really grateful for the way Wendy has been taking care of her in the smallest of things. Every morning, there would be a box of sandwich and an apple on her desk with a small note from Wendy to have breakfast. It never fails to bring a smile to her face; Wendy might be the nicest person she has ever met and it makes her happy to be taken care of since she was always the one having to take care of others.  

It was another long day; Irene has to work overtime to meet the strict deadline set by her team leader. She looked to the bottom of her screen to check the time, it was half past eight and she should really call it a day. She stretched out her hands and made a low grunt at the same time.  

“That was quite a stretch.” 

Irene looked up to see a smiling Wendy propped up on top of her cubicle. Irene did not bother to return a rebuttal, instead she started packing up her things so that they may leave the office together. The two had a silent agreement to wait for whoever would be later to walk to the station together, it had become a habit for the two of them and they enjoy the small talks they share on their short walk.  

As they exited the building, the winds have started to pick up as winter was approaching. Irene instinctively shivered and snuggled into her huge coat. She had forgotten to bring a scarf because she was rushing to board the train on time. Just then, she felt a soft material being hung over her neck. She turned around to see a smirking Wendy who was already bundled up warmly, she has an expression that seems to be anticipating a praise for a job well done. She looked down to see a red scarf hanging from her shoulders and wrapped herself with it. She turned around, wanting to thank Wendy for bringing yet another extra scarf for her only to be blocked by two hot packs. 

“Here, this time I made sure that I have extras. So please use them to keep yourself warm.” 

Irene did not say a word and took the hot packs that Wendy offered and put them in her pockets along with her hands. It was really warm; Irene was not sure if it was the hot pack and scarf or was it something else but she felt warm again. Wendy grinned at her after seeing how satisfied Irene looked. Irene blushed slightly at having been taken care of again and hid half her face in the scarf.  

“T-thank you, Wendy. I feel warmer now.” 

“You’re very welcome!” 

After all that, they continued walking towards the station and it has been bugging Irene for a while now but she has always wondered why Wendy was always the one having to do extra but not Yeri. She knows it is not nice to pry into another person’s business like that but her curiosity got the better of her.  

“H-hey, Wendy?” 

“Here.” 

“Why do you always seem so busy but not...” 

Irene stopped mid-sentence, she suddenly felt guilty for asking such a question. Maybe they had their reasons, it is not like Yeri decided this all, it was probably a corporate thing. Wendy noticed that Irene had suddenly fell silent and looked over to see Irene with a sullen expression, as if she had made a mistake and was too afraid to make eye contact with her. Wendy let out a puff of air for such a needless worry.  

“But not Yeri, you mean?” 

“I-I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it in a bad way.” 

“Aww please, don’t worry about it. It is normal to think like that.” 

“...” 

Wendy took Irene’s silence as a cue to continue explaining before Irene feel like she was the worst human being alive. She chuckled lightly, surprising Irene. 

“Frankly speaking, because of our age and proficiency. The both of us were given a whole ton of work.” 

“...” 

Wendy looked over again to assess how Irene might be feeling by her expression, but was unable to really tell so she continued. 

“But because Yeri has to balance both work and studies and me being something like an older sibling to her, I took over her extra portfolios without the management knowing. I wanted her to focus more on her studies and not work. Yeri had refused initially, but I insisted.” 

Wendy stopped talking and looked at Irene who seems to be in deep thought. She finally broke her silence after a short pause.  

“I’m sorry for asking such a question. I did not mean to doubt anyone, sorry for being insensitive.” 

Wendy shook her head and seeing how Irene was close to tears; probably from her own guilt, Wendy gave her a light hug and patted her back. 

“I already told you, it is fine. I know you did not mean it that way. You are overthinking this, I know you’re not like that. So please be comfortable around me and thank you for voicing out your concern, if not I would not have known that you were struggling with this on your own.” 

Wendy stopped hugging Irene and gave her an encouraging smile. Irene sniffed back all the feeling of tearing up and looked down at her own feet.  

“Thank you for being so kind, Wendy.” 

“Awww geez, I’m just normal really.” 

“No, seriously. You might be the nicest person I’ve ever met and you are also really thoughtful. I know you have been slowing your eating for me and even bringing all those extra stuffs to share with me.” 

“Oh shucks, you noticed huh?” 

Irene nodded firmly. 

“Well, I’m doing all these because I want to. I just feel like being nice to you, is that not okay?” 

Irene suddenly blushed and looked away, Wendy was puzzled at Irene’s overly dramatic reaction until she realized what she had just said. It sounds like she is some creep doing all these things just to please a crush or something. Wendy then started to blush as well and flailed her arms around. 

“Oh no no! That’s not what I meant! It came out wrong! I meant I want to be nice to you too, like I’ve always been to the other two. Please don’t think I’m a weird creep.” 

Irene burst out laughing and all the worries that was harbouring in her mind suddenly feels like a mile away. It was a strange, liberating feeling that has been brought forth by Wendy’s honesty. Wendy was not impressed by Irene’s laughter even though it did feel like music to her ears, but she was seriously worried and Irene had to laugh at her.  

“Here I am being seriously worried that I may have jeopardise our beautiful friendship and you have the heart to laugh at me.” 

Irene let out a soft giggle before giving Wendy a huge toothy grin, that still did not appease Wendy.  

“You’re seriously the best. Being with you always cheers me up.” 

After hearing that, Wendy’s frown turned into a huge smile too. She was not even one to hold onto grudges anyways and she has one more surprise for Irene.  

“I have another good news to present to you!” 

“What good news?” 

“I may have found you a place right at our building complex!” 

“You, what?” 

A/N:

Hello! I am back after a really long and unexpected hiatus. I am sorry for being gone without a notice, I had to sort my life out and now that I have. I am back to updating this again and I really hope this could make up for the long absence. 

Tadah! Here comes, Joy! Now that the whole group is here, we get more developments! There's a lot of dialogue in this chapter but I still hope you liked this chapter and would continue to look forward to new chapters. Till the next time, please stay healthy and have a great week ahead!