It was an ordinary day at work and Solar is now ready to go out to have her lunch. She went out of her office and is on the way to the elevator when she glanced upon her friend and boss, with a glum and zoned out appearance while looking at the huge glass window. She suddenly got an idea to ask Irene to accompany her since it’s been a while since the two of them chatted. It’s also apparent that her friend has something bugging her mind and from how much she knows Irene, she perfectly discerned who the reason is. She knocked on the door and once she saw Irene’s attention shifted to her, she gave her friend a small wave and gestures to open the door which the latter did.

“So what brings you here Yongsun?” Irene asked but before she can even hear any words of reply. She felt an arm snaking into hers and find herself being dragged by Solar, who already has her bag in her other hand.

“Hey, where the heck are you taking me?” She tried to protest and take her arm back but since Solar is taller and sports more defined muscles than her petite figure, her efforts are fruitless.

“I’m just taking my problematic and distracted bestfriend to lunch to help her unwind and also to hear her rants and all of the things that are bugging her mind.” That shuts up the smaller woman making Solar smile in triumph at the obvious resignation of her friend.

The two decided, well more like Solar decided and Irene gets dragged to go to their favorite restaurant nearby. They settled in one of the VIP rooms since the two are frequent customers and value privacy. Solar took the initiative to order their food as it is evident that Irene is not in the mood to do so. Her friend has been staring at the menu but seems to be so preoccupied to even pick what she wants to have.

“So care to tell me what happened why are you zoning out a lot today? You did not even pay attention to our meeting earlier which is so out of character. You are so happy these past few days, blushing and all which makes me puke in disgust every time I will see that lovesick glint in your eyes. But you are so gloomy, irritable and sad these days. Not to mention that today is the worst of them all. Heck, you even space out in your office, looking at your glass window and all, when there are mountains of papes in your desk waiting to be reviewed and signed. That is so out-of-character for you Irene and I won’t have any of that “I don’t have any problem”  that you are trying to tell me” She casually asked while sipping the complimentary drink that is provided to them as soon as they arrived in the resto, perks of being a regular.

“I really don’t know what the heck you are talking about there Solar.” 

“Who are you trying to fool here Rene? Me or yourself because I am not buying that from you.” She heard her friend sighed and Solar smile in victory knowing that she managed to breakthrough Irene’s façade.

“You really know me that well.” Irene softly said.

“Of course Rene. So spill” she answered authoritatively.

“Okay so here it goes. You know how I hired Seulgi’s tutor and from what I’ve seen and what my wife told me, she is good at her job. Plus she is also interacting well with her. I mean I am happy that it is the case but at the same time, I felt uncomfortable about it. I mean I am uneasy whenever I see the two of them together. But recently I am starting to see some changes, especially to my wife. Like for the past days, Seulgi is waking up earlier than me. I mean I always tell you how my wife is such a bear when she is sleeping. Even an earthquake can never wake her up. But yeah she woke up earlier than me and when I asked her the reason, she told me that her teacher said that she should get used to waking up early. Also, she is so focused on her studies and her teacher that I am starting to feel out of place. It’s like Seulgi does not even notice me anymore. She started paying more attention to her teacher and barely even see me. And just this morning, I saw a text message on Seulgi’s phone. A message from her teacher saying Goodnight with this kissing heart emoji. Plus both of them have this pet name with each other.” Irene explained before massaging her forehead using her fingers.

“Whoa. You saw a text message like that? Tell me what you did. Did you fire the teacher? Did you blacklist her and made sure no one will hire her ever again. Or did you threaten her family? Tell me.” Solar exclaimed but Irene just shook her head in response.

“I asked Seulgi about it this morning and she just told me that the nickname is just something that her teacher suggested to make them comfortable with each other. While the emoji, she said that it’s nothing but some friendly and non-romantic thing. Plus to answer your questions, it is a No. I already decided not to do any of those things.  I don’t want to appear like a psychopathic who will make the girl’s life a living hell. Plus even if she is making a move at Seulgi, I don’t think my wife is gonna be persuaded like that. ” She nonchalantly said.

“Whoah am I hearing this right? Irene Kang is doing nothing to someone who is making a move at her wife? Is the world ending?” Solar exclaimed while overdramatically placing her hand to her chest. This earned a playful slap from Irene.

“I won’t do that. Hmmm, how can I say this? I…  I promised myself that I would start making an effort in this relationship. I don’t want Seulgi to feel or think that I am letting her do the effort while I am just here, sitting in my throne. I want her to know that we are both in this together. My impulsive actions and jealousy- related violent tendencies would not help in fulfilling that promise. It might cause Seulgi to drift away from me. I wanted Seulgi to know that I trust her.” She sighed which Solar’s eyes did not fail to catch.

“I see… So you are telling me that you already decided to trust Seulgi and do your part to make your relationship work. That’s good. Although…  I see some but in there. You would not zone out if you already sorted your plan. So spill…” Solar probed further earning a small smile from Irene.

“It’s just I know that I promised to do it but I cannot help but be apprehensive and insecure. I am wondering how long can I put up with this or if I can do this at all. I decided to let this petty jealousy issues go but it doesn’t mean that I’m not worried. You know how I am so insecure with myself as well as my relationship with Seulgi. Despite my effort not to.  I am nervous that in my attempt to be understanding and put complete faith in Seulgi, it might backfire at me in the end. Like I might not notice the signs that she is drifting away from me without my knowledge.  Tell me, Yong,  am I making sense and doing the right thing here?”

“Rene, its human nature to worry and be concerned. We don’t want to commit mistakes. I know how insecure you are but at the same time, I can see the effort you are putting in building up your relationship with your wife. I can see how you are trying to overcome your fears and worries and I commend you for it. You know it’s not wrong for you to trust Seulgi. It’s a vital role in every relationship. Most couples do fall apart due to the lack of trust and sometimes because of too much trust. So you should try to balance it out. Trust Seulgi and her love for you but at the same time, do not be too complacent about it. Let her know of your insecurities and let her reassure you while you, on the other hand, should also give the same reassurance to her. You are also right in your promise to work this all out with her. While she is putting lots of effort into wooing you, you can also make an effort to let her know that she is important to you too. Plus think about it this way. Showing her how important she is to you while at the same time staking your claim to her, that’s the way to make this all work. You can let Seulgi know of your feelings and warding off anyone threatening to make a move at your wife, like that teacher of hers. You know what, how about this? Prepare some surprise or some cringe-worthy actions towards Seulgi. I’m sure your wife would love that at the same time, it will be a silent warning to the teacher that Seulgi is yours and that she should back off.” Solar advised her. Then upon hearing what her friend said, a light bulb seemed to have been in Irene’s mind.

“Thanks, Yong. I think I have the perfect plan for it.” She said while the waiter approached them to out the foods they ordered on their table.

***

Irene decided to call the day off much earlier than she usually does. Instead of going straight home, she detoured to the grocery first. It has been so long since she cooked for Seulgi so why not do it again now. Besides isn’t it a famous saying that “The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach” but as for her it’s more appropriate to say that “The way to a bear’s heart is through her stomach”. Irene smiled at the thought as it is the perfect embodiment of Seulgi. It made her imagine how her wife would be so happy once she sees her favorite foods all lined up at their dining table and the fact that she is the one who personally cooked all of it. She blushed at the thought. She even imagined Seulgi getting all flattered and giddy would hug her and she might even receive a kiss from her wife.

“Oh gosh. “ She cupped her cheeks in embarrassment knowing full well that she is feeling delighted at the mere thought of getting a kiss from her wife. She eagerly finished what she was doing so she can finally go home and start preparing for their dinner.

She arrived at a fairly quiet mansion. The maid greeted her and informed her that Seulgi and her tutor is in their study room. She instructed the maid no to tell her wife that she is here before handing out the grocery bags to her.

“Tell the chef that I will be the one in charge of the dinner tonight. “ The maid nod before disappearing into the door leading to their kitchen.

Irene went