13

Yeri’s heart was thumping out of control as she ran along the hospital corridor. The emergency room door was just ahead of her but it felt so far. It was raining outside but she didn’t care, she had to see the ambulance pulling into the emergency room. The back door of the ambulance swung open and a gurney was being pulled out. Irene was on the gurney, unconscious.

Yeri cried in that instance and followed the gurney into the emergency room and through the surgery room. The nurses stopped her and said she couldn’t get in. Yeri turned around and looked at the emergency door again. Another gurney was being brought in. Wendy was on it. And then another gurney. Joy was on it. The next one had Seulgi on it.

Yeri cried uncontrollably and she fell on the floor.

A doctor came out and crouched down next to Yeri.

“I am very sorry but… we couldn’t save them all.”

**

Yeri sat up and gasped for air, startling Seulgi who was sitting on her feet. Yeri looked around the dorm. Joy was pacing left and right while talking on the phone and Wendy was on the dining table. She too, was on the phone.

“What’s going on?” asked Yeri.

“Joy is trying Irene-unnie’s phone and Wendy-unnie is talking to the agency.”

“Wait… um,” Yeri rubbed her face with both hands. “She’s okay? Are you guys okay?”

“Irene-unnie can’t be contacted yet but the rest of us… are fine? What is the matter with you?”

“Oh, my God, I have the most vivid dream ever, Unnie. I saw you guys died!” Yeri said.

“What the hell was that? It’s like you pray for us to get bad luck, dreaming something like that!” Seulgi protested.

“I can’t help what I’m dreaming when Irene-unnie’s fate is still unclear.”

Joy put her phone down. “Still can’t reach her phone.”

Wendy finished her call too and she joined them in the living room. “Irene-unnie is with a manager and a stylist. But none of them pick up their phones! The agency has some people there but they too can’t be contacted. I guess the storm hits pretty bad there.”

Seulgi turned the TV volume up when the news about the plane incident aired again. It said that no one could get off the plane yet because the tide was rising. The visibility was close to none so no lifeboat could be sent yet. The authorities were trying to deploy small boats to get close to the plane but it might take some time.

“Ugh! It’s killing me!” Wendy stood up and kicked the air in frustration.

“Relax, Unnie, I’m sure she’s fine.”

“I can’t!” Wendy said.

“Don’t yell, please. You’re scaring me more than I already am,” Yeri sighed.

“Scared? Do you want to know what scared is? Scared is knowing that the last thing I did to Irene-unnie was to slap her,” a tear escaped Wendy’s eyes as she said that but she quickly wiped it off.

Everyone in the room fell silent after that. For a full five minutes, there was no sound in the Red Velvet dorm. Then, a sudden ring of a phone startled everyone. Joy and Wendy rushed to look for their phones.

“It’s mine! It’s Irene-unnie!” Joy picked up her phone. “Unnie!”

**

In the darkness of a hospital lobby, Irene was standing at the corner right behind a water dispenser. It was bustling around her and she needed to hear Joy’s voice better.

“Hello?” she said.

“Unnie!?”

“You called me like ten times, Joy. Is everything alright?” she asked.

“It’s fine with us. But it’s not about us! It’s about you! Are you okay? Did you not die? Where are you?”

Irene frowned. “Die? What do you mean? I’m in the hospital.”

“In the hospital?! Are you hurt? Did you lose your memory?”

“Slow down, Joy. What the hell are you talking about?”

“The plane! Your plane, your flight, it skidded off the runway because of the storm!”

“Oh,” Irene looked around the hospital to look for a TV. She found one near the lobby and it was showing footage of a plane half submerged in the water. “I never got on the plane.”

“You never did?”

“Yeah. It was storming outside and the airport became so dark it was hard to see. Then, an airport cart hit the manager and he fell down the escalator. He broke his foot. We had to rush to the nearby hospital when the storm cut off the power to the city. My phone’s dead, the manager’s phone dead, the stylist-unnie’s phone was dead. Plus, the hospital power was conserved to maintain the essential equipment alive so I can’t find a working power socket nearby. The power just went on again and I got to charge my phone.”

“Aaaah. Oh, we are so relieved. So when are you… eh, hold on.”

It sounded like Joy was handing her phone to someone. Then, a voice Irene wanted to hear for so long said, “Unnie?”

Irene choked. “Wendy?”

“Hey.”

“You’re home?”

“Yes.”

“Um… look. About the other day, I….”

“No, Unnie. Um. I’d like to talk to you about that and, uh, other things. But I don’t want to do it over the phone…. So, um… when are you coming back?”

“Maybe tomorrow evening. Depending on the storm and the manager’s foot condition.”

“Okay. I will wait for you, Unnie. We’ll talk then. So, uh, you know, come back safely. I have a lot of to say.”

Irene froze for a moment and then she said, “Okay. I have a lot to say to you too.”

“Love you,” said Wendy and she ended the phone call.

Irene’s heart fell to the floor and she couldn’t stop herself from trembling with mixed emotions.

**

Irene and her team were able to go home around 4 in the afternoon the next day after the storm had completely died down. The plane landed safely back in Seoul and Irene rushed home to see Wendy. But she was disappointed when the girl said they had a schedule and won’t be back for the day. Wendy apologized too. Irene, of course, being a responsible leader, wished them good luck, and also apologized for not being able to go.

Irene checked her schedule and she had one right in the morning. So, when the day changed, Irene had to go before her members arrived at the dorm. She was out the whole day and returned to the dorm around ten. No one was awake, then. Irene peeked into Wendy’s room and found her sleeping. She looked so tired. Irene decided to leave her alone.

Wendy and Joy left at dawn the next day, a few minutes before Irene woke up. Seulgi and Yeri were the only ones left at the dorm. Irene chatted with them and she asked them about what stuff Wendy wanted to talk to her about. The two said they were not sure. But, they also said that Irene should anticipate whatever coming with excitement.

But their schedules were always conflicting and it was not until three days later, when Irene was coming home from her schedule around midnight, that she opened the dorm door and found Wendy was waiting up on her.

Wendy was sitting on the dining table with a hot drink. She stood up when she saw Irene walked into the dorm.

“Hey,” said Irene.

“Hi, Unnie,” Wendy smiled.

The two stared at each other for a long time. Irene locked the door behind her and walked closer to Wendy. “Um. How are you?”

Wendy smiled wider. “Great. Want some cocoa?”

“That’ll be nice,” Irene nodded.

She waited for Wendy to pour her a cocoa. Wendy handed a glass to Irene and then she sat on a chair. Then the two went silent again.

“Um…,” Irene cleared . “Wendy….”

“Wait, Unnie. Sorry. I’m… I’m gathering up my courage here,” she laughed awkwardly.

“Let me say something first, then,” said Irene. “I’m sorry, Wendy. For… um… kissing you in front of your girlfriend, and… I shouldn’t have done that. And um, I am sorry too for blurting out the ‘I love you’ so suddenly, and….”

“Stop,” Wendy said. “Unnie. I’m the one who slapped you. Remember?”

“That was really painful.”

They laughed and went quiet for a few seconds. Irene glanced at Wendy and asked, “So… you like me, huh?”

Wendy laughed louder. “Yes. And it is to my understanding that you like me too.”

“I do,” Irene smiled. “Um. Since when?”

“Oh, for a long time, Unnie. You?”

“Same. I actually can’t remember a day where I don’t love you.”

“We talk like we’re strangers,” Wendy blushed.

“I’m glad…. It was regretful that you had to slap me first before we realize this but I’m glad it turned out like this. I would hate to lose you.”

Wendy smiled. “Yeah. I don’t want to lose you.”

Irene looked down to her mug. Wendy watched the older girl for a long time. Gosh, Irene was ethereal. “So… Unnie?”

“Yes?”

“What do you want to do?”

Irene smiled. What do you mean?”

“Where should we go from here?”

“Oh….”

Wendy frowned. “You seem… confused.”

Irene let out an awkward laugh.

“Are you… okay?”

Irene took a big breath. “I’m… not sure.”

“About us?”

“Yes.”

“But you said… you said we could make it work.”

“I did…,” Irene looked away.

“Unnie,” Wendy leaned closer. “Unnie, look at me.”

Irene nervously turned her head at Wendy. “I’m sorry…..”

“Sorry?”

“I can’t. I meant it when I say we could make it work but now I… I don’t know.”

“What do you don’t know?”

“Can we stay together, Wendy?”

Wendy was utterly dumbfounded.

“I lost you when I said I love you.”

“You didn’t. Here I am.”

“After how many days?” said Irene. “It’s scary for me to not be able to see you, to not be able to know where you are. It’s scary for me to know you lost your feelings for me. I’m scared that if somehow… you changed your mind.”

Wendy was lost for words. She couldn’t understand a word of Irene.

“I don’t think I can handle one more fight… that would cause you to leave me,” Irene said so serenely it made her eyes teary.

“Unnie… I won’t… why are you saying all of this?”

“When you were away, I… I met Jessica-unnie.”

“So?”

“Do you know the real reason she left? It was because of Taeyeon-unnie. Because she chose Tiffany-unnie over her. And now Tiffany-unnie left Taeyeon-unnie for her dreams. They said they promised to stay together but look at them now. Nothing can guarantee us staying together. And if things go south like it did with Girls’ Generation… what would become of Seulgi? Joy? Yeri? The group?”

Wendy leaned back on her chair. Her mind was working so hard to understand what Irene was saying.

“Wendy….”

“Unnie. Are you saying that you don’t want to be with me?”

“I’m saying we can’t date. But we can stay together forever like this. As a group.”

Words escaped Wendy again.

“That way we won’t fight over our relationship and no one has to… get hurt and leave.”

Wendy cried.

“Wendy…,” Irene took Wendy’s hands but the latter girl broke the grasp as she cried harder. “You understand, right?”

Wendy’s shoulders rose up and down along with her rushing breath.

“Wendy…,” Irene’s heart skipped a beat. Wendy was crying but her face was pure anger. She looked deep into Irene’s eyes without blinking. “Wendy. Please….”

“You coward,” said Wendy. “I’ll make it easy for you, Unnie. Don’t ever talk to me again. Don’t touch me. Don’t say my name. Don’t even look at me. Ever.”

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