Wendy was almost sure that it was Soojung walking beside Tiffany. 

 

“Wendy,” Tiffany shot the younger woman her usual smile. “I got the cake. Thank you,” she gave a squeeze on Wendy’s right arm. 

 

Wendy smiled brightly, trying not to focus too much on the woman that looked like her girlfriend’s ex. Which was a bit hard since she knew Soojung lookalike’s eyes were on her. Staring. “I hope you’ll like it.” 

 

“Oh, I will. Trust me.” Tiffany let go of the younger’s arm, pointing her thumbs to the meeting room behind her. “Irene’s there. Have fun.” And with that, the editor-in-chief waved her goodbye.

 

Wendy waved back. “See you later, Tiff.” She took one last glance to the woman next to Tiffany. 

 

Wendy had never met Soojung. The only times she had ever seen Irene’s ex was at Seulgi’s flat. It was during a sleepover in her childhood friend’s apartment. Her best friend had a small projector in her living room, displaying pictures that she took over the years. It was then she saw a photograph of her girlfriend’s ex. 

 

The photo was taken in front of a school building. Yerim was in front, dressed with her school uniform, smiling widely to the camera. Seulgi and Soojung were next to her, each pinch a side of Yerim’s cheek. And Joohyun, with her bangs and chubbier cheek, was smiling widely at the three of them.

 

But then the picture changed. It was Joohyun, sitting on a sofa, her head on Soojung’s shoulder, eyes closed deep in her slumber. The angle of the photograph didn’t let people see the other girl’s face as her long brown hair was down to cover it, but Seungwan knew instantly that it was Soojung. It was definitely Soojung. It had to be her, watching Joohyun slept, her hand gently tugging the older girl's fringe. 

 

Wendy was sure that it was Soojung in that picture, but she couldn’t say that it was Soojung walking past her just now. But if it was, then pictures didn’t do justice to that woman. 

 

That woman was insanely pretty. Short hair, bold red lipstick, confidence written all over her. Dressed in a white shirt and a black suit jacket and long pants that highlighted her perfect figure. She was in a different world than Wendy.

 

It had been a while since someone’s attractiveness intimidated Wendy. She hadn’t felt this way since she met Irene.

 

The clicks of heels at her right made Wendy turned her head, only to find her girlfriend walking to her. 

 

Her girlfriend. 

 

Right. She could worry later. “Ready for our date?”

 

The ceases between Irene’s eyebrow went away as the older girl smiled softly at Wendy. She interlaced her hand with Wendy’s, giving it a small squeeze as she said, “Were you waiting for a long time?” 

 

“Not really. Then again, it’s me who came too early.”

 

Irene still held her hand tight, rubbing small circles at the back of it with her thumb. Wendy realised the glances Irene’s colleagues threw at them and the knowing smirks they shot when they saw the interlocking hands. A bit embarrassed by the attention, she gently tugged the older. “Are you hungry? We should go now before it gets too crowded in the tteokbokki place.” 

 

Irene hummed, letting herself be lead with the younger girl. They were walking towards their car that was parked in front of Irene’s office when the older woman stopped her step. 

 

Wendy turned to her girlfriend, tilting her head to the side as they stop moving. 

 

“Should we walk instead?” Irene muttered. 

 

While she could see the uneasiness from her girlfriend, Wendy decided not to comment on it. Instead, she smiled. “Okay. You've walked there before, right?”

 

Irene chuckled lightly. “Of course.”

 

Wendy followed her girlfriend, matching the slower pace the other woman used. She kept Irene on her peripheral vision, occasionally stealing glances towards her. Irene was unusually quiet, almost silent even, and that could only mean one thing.

 

It was not often Irene was that wordless when they were together. Normally, they would talk about anything and everything. But Wendy couldn’t come up with a topic, especially when her mind was busy pushing back particular thoughts. But of course, the universe wouldn’t make it easy.

 

“That was Soojung just now. The woman you saw beside Tiffany.” 

 

Wendy knew it even before it was said. But hearing them from Irene still somehow caught her off guard. “Oh.” 

 

Irene waited for her girlfriend to respond, to say more, but the younger woman didn’t. So she continued. “She is a social media influencer, working under the name Krystal Jung. She was here for the meeting about the monthly vlog.” 

 

A social media influencer. Big enough to be contacted by the travel magazine. That explained all the charisma the woman had. 

 

“I didn’t know that it would be her. If I knew I would’ve told you,” the older woman muttered, slowly, but now looking at her.

 

Wendy squeezed their intertwined hands lightly. I know, she wanted to tell her girlfriend. But saying so would sound condescending. So she opted for the easier things to address. “She’s an influencer? Woah, it’s not easy to become one.”

 

They let the sound of the dancing leaves filled their silence, walking hand in hand as they went. It has been a while since they walked together with the sun still shining. It was a perfect picture - bright sky, warm air, green trees, and Irene. Irene, holding her hand. Irene, walking beside her. Irene, with her.

 

Irene, with her. She could worry later.

 

“Seungwan,” her girlfriend murmured, stopping their steps. “I think we’re going the wrong way.”

 

Irene quickly turned around, dragging Wendy to follow her walk to the other direction only to stop again after a few steps. 

 

“So…” Wendy stared at Irene’s face, widely grinning. “Is this the part where we get our phones out and look for directions?”

 

The older woman pouted and shot Wendy a glare. She said nothing for a while, clearly trying hard to remember where her favourite restaurant was.

 

Wendy had about to let go of her girlfriend’s hand to take out her phone when Irene stopped her. “I know,” she said stubbornly, “You don’t need to look it up. I swear I know where it is. Just — I know. Just give me a minute.”

 

The familiar competitive side of her girlfriend made Wendy laughed. “Are you sure a minute is enough? Knowing you, we will probably eating our lunch at midnight.”

 

Irene narrowed her eyes. The displeasure of Wendy’s words was apparent on her face, but she decided not to say anything. Well, she couldn’t say anything, to be precise. Irene’s sense of direction was as good as a fish’s ability to peel an apple.

 

Wendy shots a toothy grin at her girlfriend. She swung the bag of bubble teas in front of Irene. “Can we do dessert first then?”

 

Her answer came in the form of rolled eyes. “Just follow me. We’ll get there.”

 

Wendy let her girlfriend led their way. She took a glance at their intertwining hand and smiled. Irene is with her. That’s enough. “Aye, aye, captain.”

 

[•••••]

 

She should’ve known not to let her guards down in the office. 

 

“Should I tell your girlfriend that you’re looking at other girl’s Instagram page?”

 

Wendy flinched, trying to close the application on her phone, but the guy beat her from it, as he reached the device from her. Damn him and his long arms.

 

Chanyeol scrolled through the feed and laughed. “Oh. She’s cute. Krystal Jung. Who is she? Your ex?”

 

The word ‘ex’ stirred something inside Wendy, but she pursed her lips, putting on a neutral face, and took her phone away from him.

 

“Krystal Jung? Isn’t she a famous person?”

 

Both Wendy and Chanyeol turned to Kyungsoo, one of the company’s accountants, who sat on the opposite of them. The three of them were sitting in the meeting room, waiting for the board to come.

 

“You know her?” Chanyeol asked, head tilted with curiosity.

 

Kyungsoo nodded innocently. “She even appeared on a web drama not long ago. That series has an average of two million views per episode.” 

 

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow at the specific set of information.

 

Kyungsoo scoffed. “It’s not like that. I read a research paper about her once. The marketing team had considered her to endorse our products before.”

 

Wendy stayed mum as she listened to his co-workers talking about Soojung. The guys immediately stopped once their directors opened the room’s door and got the meeting started.

 

They discussed the ongoing project and the new directions they were going to make. 

 

“Looks like we’re working overtime,” Chanyeol murmured dejectedly beside her.

 

[•••••]

 

It was almost midnight by the time Wendy reached their apartment. 

 

As soon as she stepped inside their home, Wendy was greeted by the sight of her girlfriend, fast asleep, on their sofa. Her tiny body curled, probably to keep her warm.

 

Wendy walked towards her, making her steps as faintly as possible. The light from their television let her see her girlfriend’s face. She sat on the floor, watching her girlfriend sleeping before she tucked a couple of strands of hair behind the older girl’s ear. 

 

“Joohyun,” she murmured softly, putting a hand on the other woman’s shoulder. The light touch managed to wake Irene up. She stirred before slowly opening her eyes. “You should move to the bed. Sleeping here will only hurt your back.”

 

Irene grumbled, stretching her arms and got herself up.  

 

Wendy followed her girlfriend to their room and tucked Irene in once the latter got on the mattress. “Let me wash up first. I’ll join you soon.” 

 

Irene was sitting on the bed when Wendy was finished and walked out of the bathroom. It was clear that the older woman was fighting off her sleep, hugging her knees with her arms. “Why are you not sleeping?” Wendy asked as she got on the bed too. 

 

The older woman only hummed, moving closer to Wendy. 

 

“I’m sorry I get home this late.”

 

Almost all the lights in their room were off — only a small night lamp was on, located at the right side of their wall. And that only light reflected on the worried hazel orbs, looking at her. “You don’t have to be,” Joohyun said, softly, but stern, leaving no room for argument.

 

Then again, Wendy didn’t have much energy left to argue. A slight curve formed on her lips, sending reassurance to her girlfriend that her words were fully noted. 

 

Even in a poorly lighted room, Irene was still as beautiful as ever. With her face bared from any makeup and drowsy eyes, the sight of the older girl reminded her of the picture with Irene sleeping peacefully at Seulgi’s place.

 

A picture without her in it.

 

Instinctively, she avoided looking at Irene’s eyes. Just in case her girlfriend would be able to see through her thoughts. Wendy opted to close her eyes as if she couldn’t fight the sleepiness away. And just like that, Irene responded in a way she knew the older girl would.

 

“Let’s get you to sleep.”

 

She let Irene handled her until she was under the blanket, all ready to go to slumber. After she made sure that Wendy was all comfortable, the older girl then lied on the bed too. 

 

Although facing the other way, Wendy could feel how close her girlfriend was with her breath on the back of her neck. There was a pause before Irene placed a hand on her, and then circled it around her waist, holding her close.

 

Wendy snuggled back to the woman who was hugging her, putting her hand over Irene’s. And then she waited. Waited until Irene’s arm relaxed and for her breathing paced down into a slow, rhythmic pattern. 

 

Only when she was sure that her girlfriend was sleeping behind her that Wendy let out a big sigh. Then, she let the worry slip in. 

 

[•••••]

 

It had been three full days of Wendy working nonstop at the office. That also meant three times her girlfriend waited for her in their apartment, eating her dinner alone, and letting her see Wendy only after the clock struck midnight.

 

What a terrible girlfriend she is.

 

Her train of thoughts was interrupted as Chanyeol made a ruckus on her office desk. The tall man took all the files and reports on her table and moved them to his.

 

“You look like you’ve been through hell,” Chanyeol stated. “Go home.”

 

Wendy didn’t respond to him as she kept typing her document. So Chanyeol took away her laptop. “Hey!”

 

“It’s eight pm, Seungwan. Go home.” It was clear from his tone that he meant it as an order, not a suggestion. He even used her birth name.

 

“We won’t be able to finish all of these, not even if we pulled an all-nighter. So, stop staying at the office until late at night like what you’ve been doing this whole week and go home.”

 

Wendy gave in. “Fine. Only because you’re playing the rank card here.”

 

Chanyeol finally grinned. “Hey. I might be a horrible friend, but I take good care of my subordinates.”

 

Wendy scoffed, but follow his instructions as she gathered all her things. 

 

“You okay?” Chanyeol asked, only to allow concern in his voice now. “You’ve been very tough on yourself this whole week. It’s like you’ve been trying to finish this whole damn task and set yourself an impossible deadline.”

 

“I’m fine.” Wendy quickly dismissed. She had never been comfortable with people worrying over her. 

 

The guy stared at her until he was sure that Wendy wasn’t going to say anything more. And then, he pushed her out of the office. “Okay, out. Now. I don’t want to see your face until Monday. And don’t you dare email me anything work-related over the weekend because I won’t read them.”

 

The elevator was not empty when it arrived on her floor.

 

“Wendy-ssi,” Kyungsoo greeted. He then pressed the ‘open’ button to keep the doors ajar. “Are you not going in?”

 

“Right. Thanks.”

 

Kyungsoo nodded. 

 

During the ride to the ground floor, Kyungsoo didn’t try to start a small talk, and Wendy was thankful for it. He only spoke when they reached the lobby. “Do you bring your own car, Wendy-ssi?” 

 

After Wendy nodded, he added. “Alright. Good night, Wendy-ssi.”

 

[•••••]

 

Wendy finally entered her apartment — she was greeted by a dark living room like she had been the past days — while feeling like she was carrying bags of bricks on her shoulders. Her eyes immediately went to the sofa in the living room, but it was empty. 

 

This was the first night of the week when she didn’t find Irene sitting there, waiting for her. 

 

She sighed. Was it out of tiredness? Or relief? Wendy hung her coat and the lights, trying to stop her mind from scrutinising every little thing she did. She wanted her mind to stop thinking. 

 

This was what she was doing, right? Diving into an insane amount of work, so she didn’t have any more energy left to think about anything else. 

 

Wendy was about to look for the older woman, but Irene beat her to it. 

 

“You’re home.”

 

Irene sounded surprised, but Wendy understood. She, too, didn’t think that she would come home before midnight. 

 

There was a familiar noise playing at the background. It’s the washing machine. Irene is doing laundry. 

 

“You’re early. Did you finish all your work?” 

 

Wendy knew Irene would’ve caught the frustration behind her voice, so she kept her answer brief. “No.” Realising how cold it sounded, Wendy forced out a smile. “How did your day go?”

 

“It went alright. We managed to get that sponsorship I told you earlier this week, so Tiffany and I went this noon to finalise our contract.”

 

Wendy hummed. “That’s great. You’ve been working hard on that deal.” She walked to the kitchen to get some water when she saw dishes in the sink.

 

“I didn’t know that you’ll be back early, so I ate already.” Irene said behind her. “Sorry. Do you want to eat now, Seungwan?”

 

“Don’t worry. I’ve had dinner.” Liar. She hadn’t eaten anything since noon.

 

Wendy sat on the kitchen stool, drinking her water while Irene walked to the sink to wash the plates. She decided to check on her phone when she realised there was one new voicemail.

 

Irene must’ve caught the look on her face. “Is something wrong?”

 

“Nothing. It’s from the restaurant we booked for tomorrow. Apparently, they called me today, but I must’ve missed it. They left a voicemail asking about food allergies we might have. Does your mother have any?”

 

There was a pause before Irene replied. “Not that I’m aware of.”

 

“That’s okay. We can ask her once we’re there.”

 

The sound of the water running from the tap filled the gaps left by the washing machine. Wendy watched Irene’s back as the older girl did the dishes. She stood up, about to help her girlfriend when Irene turned the tap off.

 

“You can still back out if you want, Seungwan. You don’t have to meet her.”

 

Wendy paused her steps. Irene had said something similar before when she had just told her about the call from her mother. But that was weeks ago, not when Irene’s mother would come on the next day. 

 

She took a breath, hoping her anxiety wouldn’t slip out her voice as she asked. “Do you not want me to meet her?”

 

Irene furrowed her eyebrows. She didn’t seem to expect the younger girl to respond with that question. She pondered for a while, probably thinking of the softest way to tell Wendy that no, she didn’t want her to meet her mother.’

 

After the silent seconds that felt like a nightmare, Irene finally decided on her words. “I only want you to know that you have options.”

 

Wendy almost scoffed. Instead, she walked back to the kitchen island, took her glass of water, then gulped the content in one go, hoping that it would somehow get rid of the burn in . Hoping it would push down the questions that were about to leave her lips.

 

If you never wanted me to meet your mother, then why come bursting through my office’s lobby?

 

What has changed?

 

What made you decide that I shouldn’t meet your mom?

 

Am I not good enough?

 

Or…

 

Wendy turned to her girlfriend, swallowing all those questions. She didn’t want to argue. Or probably, she just wasn’t ready to hear the answers. “You can tell me what you want, Joohyun. I’ll meet your mom if you want me to. I won’t if you don’t.”

 

This time, Irene’s counter came quickly. “You know it’s not that simple.”

 

Probably if she had enough sleep that week, she would have caught how Irene’s voice shook. Or how her girlfriend’s foot was tapping on the floor, how uneasy the other woman looked. If only she didn’t let her insecurities took over her, Wendy would’ve caught on all those signals Irene sent her for help.

 

But all her mind could see was short hair and bold red lipstick.

 

Wendy only stared but said nothing, so the older woman must’ve thought that she wanted an explanation. “The last time I made my girlfriend met my mother only ended with her leaving me. Probably, once you met my mother, then you too will...”

 

Irene left her sentence hanging, so Wendy finished it for her. “...then I will leave you? Because even Soojung left. Right?”

 

The silence at that time was more than deafening. Wendy stood still, her heart hammering in her chest, but she ignored it and kept her eyes on Irene. She waited. She waited for Irene to deny it, to say that Wendy was wrong, or something, anything. Until she couldn’t anymore. “Don’t worry. I get it. I won’t do anything you don’t want me to.”

 

“I don’t want you to leave me.”

 

It was like something inside her snapped. “Why do you keep saying that I will leave you? I’m not Soojung! Maybe you want me to be her, hell, maybe you want her instead. So, why don’t you go and ask her to meet your mother since she is conveniently back in your life? We all know that it’s you who can walk away from this relationship, especially that now you have a better place to go to.” 

 

It was too late. The words were already out when she finished processing them. She saw it clearly how colour drained from Irene’s face. How her jaw tightened, or how her eyes—

 

Everything after moved quickly. Irene walked past her, took her keys, and walked out of the door. And glued to the floor as she watched Irene go, Wendy didn’t stop the other woman. 

 

[•••••]

 

Wendy sat alone on the sofa. Waiting, just like how Irene had been this past week. Her eyes were trained on the door.

 

It had only been half an hour since the older woman went away, but each minute of it felt impossibly long. She had tried doing things to distract herself, like taking a shower or putting all the clothes to the dryer, but nothing helped.

 

She exhaled loudly, clasping her fidgeting hands on her knees instead. She can’t break down now, not yet. 

 

But the panic she had been trying to fight for the past thirty minutes was going stronger. 

 

What if Joohyun really walked away?

 

Wendy shook her head. Her nails were digging unto her knees.

 

What if Joohyun decided that she could do better?

 

“No,” Wendy murmured through gritted teeth. Her hand moved to the sofa, gripping it as if it was her lifeline from falling into a bottomless pit of fears.

 

She turned to the door again, pulling herself together and pushing away all the anxiety back inside.

 

Not now.

 

Not yet.

 

Not...

 

Just then, the familiar tunes slipped through the gaps before the door swung open with a low creak. 

 

Wendy immediately moved her legs to stand.

 

A moment later, Irene stepped inside the room. Her eyes were immediately fixed on Wendy before she moved to remove her shoes. 

 

Wendy walked towards her, wanting to drown herself into Irene’s embrace, but her stride halted when she was reminded of the awful things she had said to the older woman.

 

She then felt a hand tucking back some strands to behind her ear. 

 

“Your hair is wet,” Irene stated, voice dissatisfied but soft. Her hand then circled Wendy wrist, tugging her. “Come. You’ll get cold.”

 

Wendy followed Irene until they reached their bedroom. Once inside, the older woman motioned Wendy to sit on the bed before she rummaged through their drawers to take out the hairdryer.

 

Her eyes were glued on the other woman’s feet as Irene worked her way on her hair. She blinked a couple of times, not wanting her tears to fall. But Irene’s fingers were combing through her hair, and her scent was right in front of her nose.

 

Irene came back even when she did all those horrible things.

 

The older woman ruffled Wendy’s hair a few time. After she made sure that all parts were dried, Irene turned and put away the hairdryer. 

 

When she was finished with everything, Irene knelt to be at eye level with the younger girl. She caressed Wendy’s cheek gently. 

 

“I’m sorry,” Irene said.

 

At those words, all the efforts she had done to keep herself from crying fell apart. 

 

“I shouldn't have left. I’m sorry. It wasn’t fair of me to ask you not to leave me only to then walk out in the middle of our talk.”

 

Wendy vigorously shook her head. 

 

“I-It’s all my fault. I’m sorry,” she murmured, still trying to keep her voice stable although she was failing horribly. “I’m so sorry.”

 

Only when Irene wrapped her in a tight hug that Wendy broke down completely. She clung to her girlfriend, face buried on Irene’s chest, hand gripping on the older woman’s shirt. “I didn't mean any of those words I said. I don’t want you to go.”

 

“I know,” Irene murmured. “I won’t go. I’m staying.”

 

Wendy curled herself into Irene’s embrace as her tears slowly came to a stop and her breathing slowed into a steady pace. 

 

Irene cupped her cheeks and erased the trace of tears with her thumb. “You are not Soojung. And I don’t want Soojung. I want you.”

 

The hazel orbs that were staring at her was filled with warmth. But there were hints of regret too.

 

“I can’t lose you, Seungwan. That’s why I’m so scared for you to meet my mom. Not because you are not enough, but because I’m afraid that you’ll have enough of me.”

 

“But I won’t. Never.”

 

Wendy could felt Irene’s smile as the latter pat her hair. “I know. My insecurities took over me, but I should’ve trusted you. I’m sorry.”

 

Wendy shook her head again. “It’s my fault.”

 

“It’s mine too,” Irene countered, soft, but resolute.

 

It must’ve been the crying, or probably the toll of working endlessly the past week, that Wendy couldn’t stop the yawn that escaped her.

 

Irene chuckled. She stood up and carefully guided Wendy to the bed. The girl was about to protest, but Irene didn’t let her. “You have not been sleeping well these past nights. You need it, Seungwan. You’re tired.”

 

Wendy wasn’t even going to ask how her girlfriend found that out. It’s Joohyun. Of course she knows.

 

Irene tucked the younger woman under the blanket. “I’m going to brush my teeth,” Irene explained before Wendy could ask. “And change into some new clothes. After that, I’ll be back here. Okay?”

 

Wendy hummed. 

 

Irene was at the door when Wendy mumbled. “I moved all the clothes in the washing machine to the dryer. You can check it in the morning.”

 

She didn’t catch what Irene said, but her voice was soothing, And more importantly, her voice was near. Then she fell asleep.