Dude
HERSHEImmediately after Seulgi closed the door behind, her phone rang. She fished for her phone from her back pocket and her lips curved upwards when she saw the caller's name.
"Hey, Dad."
Irene is in front of the closet, choosing what to wear for the dinner party.
"Yeah. I'm here in Haeundae... We arrived yesterday... I'm with some friends and Joy... Yeah. The Joy I introduced to you before. Yes. It was her birthday yesterday... Sure. I'll tell her you said hi... No, Dad. Hahaha! We're not together. No! She's with her boyfriend right now..."
Irene raised an eyebrow. So Seulgi's dad had met Joy before.
"What's your plan for your birthday?" Seulgi asked her dad. "Of course, I'll visit you. Oh. I see. Okay. I'll catch you later then... Yeah. Don't forget your dinner too... Bye, Dad... I love you too..."
Seulgi put her phone down on the bedside table and went to the bathroom.
Irene was getting something from her duffel bag when Seulgi's phone rang again. She took that opportunity to peek at the caller and saw the familiar picture of Seulgi and Wendy with Taipei 101 in the background.
She heard the flush in the bathroom and the door creaked open. Irene hurried to pretend to do something.
"Oh, is that my phone?" Seulgi picked her phone quickly. "Hey, Wendy. What's up?" She walked towards the balcony door, opening it and stepping outside.
Irene was left confused inside the room, wondering why Seulgi's okay with her hearing the conversation with her dad but not with Wendy.
---
"Joy loved your flowers," said Seulgi.
"That's nice to hear. How's your trip so far?" asked Wendy on the other line.
"It's great. We're enjoying our stay here."
"Wait. Wait. You said 'we' or is it just you who's enjoying everything?"
Seulgi glanced at the person inside the room and averted her gaze quickly when their eyes met. "It might be hard to believe it, but I think she's enjoying the trip too."
"To be honest, I won't be surprised if she does. But what makes you think so?"
"She's in the mood to do everything: pretending in front of Joy and strolling around here. She even asked me to buy a couple's necklace and get a couple's henna tattoo."
"What? She did that? Wow, Seulgi. Don't you think it's too much for acting?"
"I know. But what if she's just having fun? What if she's just doing this to help me?"
"Help you get back with Joy? Seulgi, if she really wants that to happen there's no need for her to do what she's doing right now," said Wendy. "My deduction is... I think she's doing that because she wants to keep you away from Joy."
Seulgi knitted her brows, thinking.
"I still stand by my old statement: I really believe that she likes you," added Wendy. "Why don't you confess to her tonight?"
Seulgi never thought of doing it yet because she knows that it's impossible for Irene to reciprocate her feelings.
"Don't you think it's too early for that?" she said.
"Early for what? You're already doing what a real couple does."
"Not really. We haven't kissed yet." Seulgi giggled at the thought.
"." Wendy chuckled. "My point is this: do you think you could act naturally if you two aren't comfortable with each other?"
"But what if she's just good at this, the acting? What if everything is just a part of the play for her? I don't want to assume anything now. That's suicide."
Wendy sighed. "Don't you still get it? The fact that she can pretend to be your girlfriend with ease in front of Joy proves that she's okay to be your girlfriend for real. It also proves that you're compatible with each other."
Seulgi sighed.
"It's still up to you. I just don't see the point of prolonging it," said Wendy. "Take your chance. If she rejects you, then you can stop being a hopeless romantic and start moving on. You may not admit it to me but I know part in you is thinking—at some point—she likes you too."
Seulgi looked back into the room, observing Irene who's still busy picking what to wear, thinking if she should really confess tonight.
---
Seulgi and Irene are already in the restaurant where the party is taking place when Sungjae popped out of nowhere to greet them.
"Hey there, cupcakes!" He hugged them.
"How are you doing? You look handsome tonight," said Irene, pulling back. Sungjae looked dazzling in his v-neck striped shirt and black pants.
"Thanks. You look lovely yourself, Irene."
Upon hearing that, Seulgi's eyes involuntarily landed on Irene who's wearing a casual purple beach dress. She's already dazzled by Irene even before they left their room earlier. She just couldn't find the courage to let Irene know about it.
Sungjae tapped Seulgi's shoulder. "Hey, you all right? Come on, I'll show you your table."
"Where's the celebrant?" asked Seulgi.
"She's talking to some staff for the photoshoot tomorrow," said Sungjae, leading them the way.
"You have a shoot tomorrow?" asked Irene.
"Yeah, but we have different schedules." Sungjae stopped upon reaching a circular table with a familiar person already sitting there.
"What's up, everybody?" said Amber, standing up.
"Amber!" Seulgi approached her friend for a hug.
"Thanks for coming, pal," said Sungjae, giving Amber a handshake.
"No worries, anything for Joy and you." Amber shook back Sungjae's hand.
"Are you guys gonna be okay here?" asked Sungjae. "I have to leave now to entertain others. I'll be back with Joy later."
"Don't worry. We're good. Catch you later." Amber tapped Sungjae's shoulder. When he left, she waved at Irene. "Hello there."
Irene waved back. "Hi, Amber. Nice seeing you here."
"I'm delighted to see you too, your highness." Amber bowed. "Is it just me or do you look much prettier today compared to the last time I saw you?"
"Oh. Thanks." Irene couldn't understand why a simple compliment matched with a handsome face like Amber's made her blush.
Seulgi cleared .
"If I knew you'd come, I could have brought Krystal with me," said Amber.
"Nah. She doesn't know Irene went here with me, dude," said Seulgi.
"Ah. Yeah. I forgot that you two are pretending," said Amber, bringing a hand to her head. "I thought it was real!" She chuckled, playfully hitting Seulgi.
Irene looked embarrassed too.
"Are you and Krystal officially together?" asked Seulgi, changing the topic.
"Yeah. We've been together for a month now," said Amber. "We've been seeing each other almost every day since you introduced us."
Seulgi calculated the days in her mind. "Wow. You really are fast, aren't you? It was only last month when you last met."
"Psh." Amber waved a hand. " What's the point of prolonging it when we both knew we liked each other, right? I told her I like her. I had to know what she feels to make sure that we won't waste each other's time."
Seulgi secretly smiled at that. It's like some unknown entities have been conspiring to make these two people--Wendy and Amber--tell her something about confessing her feelings.
She's not entertaining Wendy's idea earlier but after hearing Amber's point of view, she's somehow convinced that she should do it.
---
Sungjae and Joy joined Seulgi, Irene, and Amber after entertaining the other guests. It was around past nine in the evening when their conversation started to get more interesting.
"Seulgi left that night drunk and was still confident that she could drive herself home. I asked her to stay in my place since we're both badly intoxicated." Amber turned to Seulgi and pats her shoulder. "But this kid here was so persistent. She even told me 'I'm gonna call you once I got home,'" she mimicked Seulgi's drunken tone, making everyone laugh.
Seulgi felt embarrassed because she knows the outcome of the story. Joy, who's sitting across from Seulgi, is already giggling.
"After two hours," said Amber, raising two fingers, "I was surprised to receive a call from Seulgi's number. I was like 'oh, that bastard made it home alive'." All of them laughed again. "But then, when I answered, it wasn't Seulgi who called me. It was Joy."
Seulgi and Joy glanced at each other quickly.
"The moment I answered the phone, all I heard was sobbing." Amber reenacted the scene and even mimicked Joy's voice in a funny way. " 'Uhuhuhuh... Amber... Seulgi's in the hospital... huhuhuhu...'"
All of them laughed again especially Joy who's already hiding behind Sungjae's shoulder due to embarrassment.
"I admit my mistake. I'm never gonna drink and drive again, ever," said Seulgi.
"Well, you're actually lucky that you didn't run over and kill someone at that time." Amber nudged Seulgi.
Seulgi eyed the table, feeling nostalgic somehow. "Yeah."
"Jeez, I missed those good old days with you guys," said Amber, throwing quick glances at Seulgi and Joy.
Although it may not sound that serious, Seulgi felt melancholy rushing down her chest. She peeked at Joy's direction and caught the latter's eyes already fixed on her.
"I missed it too, dude," she said. Joy smiled warmly at her.
"Come on, Seulgi. Let's go get some beer," said Amber. She stood up and held Irene's shoulders. "Princess, would you do the honor of allowing Seulgi to drink tonight?"
Irene smiled sweetly. "Binge drink if you feel like to. Seulgi's not driving tonight so I don't mind."
"That's my girl." Amber squeezed Irene's shoulders before turning to Seulgi. "Come on, dude. Her highness has allowed you to drink tonight."
"I'll be quick." Seulgi squeezed Irene's hand, and the latter nodded.
---
"Two beers, please?" Amber playfully tapped her hands on the bar table.
Seulgi sat on the stool. "Just two beers? Are we drinking alone here?"
"Let's talk here for a while." Amber grabbed the beer from the table and sip on it.
"But I can't leave Irene alone there with Joy and Sungjae."
"I just need a moment with you, dude. It won't be long."
Seulgi felt it was serious. "You have a problem?"
Amber chuckled while she rotated the bottle in her palms. "It just feels weird, dude. You two were inseparable before."
Seulgi made eye contact with the table. She knew what this is all about.
"And look at you now, it's like you don't know each other. Both sitting beside somebody else." Amber let out a disappointed chuckle. "What happened to you guys?"
"I really don't know, dude."
Amber took another sip from the bottle. "It's depressing to see you two like this now. Everything was perfect before, right?"
Seulgi nodded. "Just you, me, and Joy, nothing else matters."
Amber has been her and Joy's good friend since college. Amber was also a big supporter of JoyGi tandem. Although she's acting like the third wheel most of the time, their days won't be completed without Amber in it.
Seulgi partly feels she's to blame for Amber's anxiety because the breakup had cost their friendship too. And since Amber is in the middle, she's having a hard time connecting with both of them again.
"It may not seem like it but I'm also affected by the things going on with the two of you," Amber admitted. "The sad thing is I guess what happened before will just be a part of a memory."
That statement made Seulgi feel sad too. She patted Amber on the shoulder to console her.
"Don't worry about me, dude. I just need to let it out." Amber smiled. "Truth is, I'm happy for the both of you. Joy is doing what she really wants. Sungjae seems to be a nice guy for her. You graduated from college and got a good job now, and Irene... Okay. That doesn't count. You're only pretending."
"Tss..." Seulgi nudged Amber. "Irene may be pretending but I'm not."
Amber, who's about to take another sip from the bottle, stopped with what she heard. "What the--"
"Yes, Amber. Yes."
"Are you serious? Since when?"
"I realized it just this late December." Seulgi bit her lip and shook her head. "But she has no idea at all."
"Wow. I see you're enjoying this little acting you're doing now, huh?" said Amber.
Seulgi sighed. "I don't think she feels the same way."
"Yeah. I remember Krystal telling me that Irene is not into this. Plus her mom's homophobic," said Amber, waving the tip of the bottle. "I couldn't believe it at first when you told me about the thing going on with the two of you."
Seulgi raised an eyebrow at that newfound information about Irene's mom.
"What about Joy?" Amber threw another question. "Are you really over her? It's been only a year since she left, Seul."
"At some point, I still am affected by Joy's presence. I won't deny that," said Seulgi. "But everything feels so right with Irene around. I feel like nothing else matters anymore, and whatever Sungjae and Joy are doing, I don't care."
"What if, let's say Joy and Irene both confessed to you tonight. Who will you choose?"
Seulgi didn't have second thoughts. "I'd choose Irene, dude. No questions about that."
Amber looked relieved hearing that. "Any plans of confessing to her tonight? I can tell she's into you. And you really look good together."
Seulgi chuckled. "You're not the first person who told me that."
"Then what's holding you back?"
"I don't know. Maybe I'm afraid of rejection? I confessed nothing to Joy before, remember?"
"Nothing ventured nothing gained, dude." Amber grabbed the other bottle in front of her. "Need courage? Take this."
Seulgi stared at the bottle of beer with hesitation. "Do I really have to get drunk to do it?"
"Yes! Because you're very articulate when you're drunk."
"Do I really have to do it tonight?"
"No more questions. It has to be tonight. If that's not enough, I'll get you a courage potion." Amber turned to the bartender. "Could you give us an Aftershock party pack?"
Seulgi bit her lower lip and stared at the bottle in her hand.
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