“Are you okay?”

“Yes… I’m just nervous.”

“Well, these ladies helped me to fight the case against my father for domestic abuse and won fantastically. I mean they even offered to undertake my case for free; it explains their confidence quite a bit.”

Taeyeon wants to laugh at her own over-confidence, her toes are already anxiously curling in her shoes involuntarily. She knows this arrangement might very well make things hard for her marriage life, and potentially ruin a court case that could be won if proper investigations are carried out. While she does agree that time heals most wounds, it might not apply to everyone or every situation – perhaps a confrontation could be better and open up all the knots. The ultimate solution, however, is if the two of them can temporarily put their differences aside and come up with a durable answer first. In fact, this connection between them might be dead knot – if the lawyers cannot put their personal problems aside, it’ll look absolutely bad on their resume and reputation. Don’t even bring up Irene's place; she has barely any choice in this matter if she wants to continue in this industry. Just because Irene is protected in her company, it doesn’t mean she can control as much of the media as she wants.

“I’m here for you though, okay?” Taeyeon sighs, making sure to give the younger woman’s hand a gentle squeeze. She doesn’t know how else to comfort the latter, since she’s not in the same situation.

Irene carefully turns around and scans the room slowly; she remembers being in this very seat when she was told about her debut as an actress instead of an idol. She knew what she was getting into when her contract was laid out in front of her. It made her more apprehensive because there were clauses that were never introduced to her initially. Her dreams and her life were on the line, with every risk of her privacy getting exposed to the world. The gratitude in Irene’s heart only grows fonder because when Taeyeon was finally elected as CEO; the woman never once too advantage of the contract for her own interests.

“Thank you, Unnie.”

Now all they have to do is wait until the lawyers come with the case files and analysis of the whole situation. Perhaps Irene really is thinking too much into this; furthermore, it isn't like the situation can be reversed and the consequences gone. It’s mostly her fault for sending such private images to someone else; a person who was never in an official relationship with her at that. Her trust was given too easily, and to the wrong people as well.

For a moment, it seems as if there is nothing surrounding them but pure silence and deep thoughts. The two women who entered the industry separately, but eventually came together and became close. There is nothing more important than having emotional and mutual support in times of controversy. Too many modern idols are waiting for each other to fail and disband for fear of competition and longevity in the industry; it's an extreme pity, really. 

“You little ! Come back here!”

Following that stern command, several noises of whimpering and squealing echoed outside the meeting lounge. For a moment, Irene thought it came from the more rambunctious trainees in the company... until she heard a very, all-too-familiar melody being hummed as the door opens. 

“Oh my God... A'-Aren't you S-Seung---”

“Good afternoon, Miss Kim. My apologies for our tardiness,” Wendy sends a glare to her best friend beside her, completely side-eyeing the latter. She covers her sides for protection beforehand, the other rubbing her sore stomach from being dealt a fully-strengthened kick just a couple of hours ago. “Someone couldn't wake up on time and even kicked me off the bed for trying to wake her up.”

While the conversation is going on with the friends reuniting and regaining their familiarity due to a mutual connection, Irene is far too busy taking her time to see how life has been treating her. There is barely any room for doubt that the short-haired woman is none other than the one who got away. No. That woman is definitely Son Seungwan; those chubby cheeks, small dimple on her right side are all key traits. Not to mention the grease that's radiating off her whenever the other lady (what was her name again? Rose? Rosie? Whatever it is, that can wait) starts to fume. In fact, the figure that Seungwan has now? Irene can clearly say that life has gone on without waste for the younger; the baby fat that she used to possess has no sign of existing anymore, except in her cheeks maybe. Her waistline and calves are barely recognizable, and the outline of her defined abs are crystal clear through that translucent sweater on her. 

Good God.

With the way their relationship had ended and with no sign of her residing in Korea for years, Irene thought that would be the end of them. They probably would never meet again, and even if they did, it'd be as absolute strangers that didn't recognize each other. And to think that this is how she presents herself: a mess that got herself into trouble with the media and citizens. 

“Irene, this is Wendy Son and Roseanne Park.”

Now, the blonde-haired woman is fairly friendly and definitely too energetic for her own good, Irene is almost tempted to ask what in the world she ate for breakfast that morning. She can’t help but let her attention drift towards the woman talking to her CEO now – the huge difference in her look now and before, it’s like looking at a different person altogether. The next time Irene actually comes to her senses is when everyone else is already seated except her. 

“So, Roseanne will be your lawyer in case you need to testify in court; but that might not be needed since there will be no trial as long as the culprit has no direct connection with you. Wendy will be the prosecutor for this case so she will not be meeting up with you that often; at least not until the perpetrator or suspect is caught. She will be liaising with the investigation officers that are in charge of this case so don’t worry too much about that…”

And that’s enough for Irene to feel a tiny bit relieved.

At least she won’t be embarrassed anymore.

Have eons passed yet? There is nothing more that Irene wants to hear, especially when it revolves around other alternatives for her already dwindling career. It is normal for most directors and casting crew to stay away from individuals with a shadow over their heads – in this case, it’s a scandal. No one wants to get embroiled in that mess and have low ratings for a production; it's basically natural for them to avoid her at this point. When her mother warned her against coming back home once she was confirmed to debut, Irene was prepared for the worst to hit her. She prepared herself for dating scandals, even finding emergency partners in the case of media play. Never once did she imagine herself to be in a position like this one… Let’s get real at the same time; did Irene ever expect to get involved with a lady of the night? Or did she expect to ever remain in love with a mere ex-girlfriend of a few years?

No. All she hoped for was to never meet her ex-girlfriend again and live a peaceful life but obviously, God doesn’t want things to be easy for her as long as she’s alive.

“Well, I believe my work here is done for the moment. I’ll excuse myself to the canteen for a short break first, Unnie.” Wendy stands with a blank expression, neatening up her files and shoving them into her briefcase. She barely makes eye contact with anyone, simply giving a professional bow before taking her leave.

Perhaps Rosé had given off the impression of being happy-go-lucky without a care in the world during this discussion, but the tension has not escaped her eyes. She can already tell that her best friend was absolutely not in the right frame of mind when speaking to their client. It feels as if they’re wallowing into a memory that shouldn’t be unearthed, and this is her instinct as a pre-psych student. She studied the psychology of human behavior for two years but failed to reach a higher degree of studies, hence chose to become a lawyer.

“Shall we continue?”

“U-Um… is it possible for me to