The alarm beeped at 3:15am, stirring Irene from a deep sleep.

 

She came to the conclusion that since she figured out her feelings for a certain blonde intern, then she was able to sleep with a clear conscience. Feelings she never experience during her very short-lived relationships with the men she dated. A month and a half tops, she hated to end things so early even scolding herself for not giving the relationship the proper time it needed for feelings to develop. 

 

Maybe she was afraid of commitment?

 

She certainly couldn't see herself wasting time in a relationship that was going nowhere while wondering if there was something better out there.

 

The four guys she dated, two in college and two during her early broadcasting years, all fell hard for her. She was flattered but couldn't reciprocate the amount of love and affection in return.

 

She had on two occasions but during it her mind wondered elsewhere. 

 

She was waiting for the spark her girlfriends spoke about from the tingling feeling on your skin to the shortness of breath whenever your crush was near. Her suitors were caring, attentive, and patient but complained how they viewed the relationship as one-sided and left broken-hearted.

 

Irene decided that it was in the past and now she had the answer she was searching for. 

 

She was pursuing the wrong gender.

 

"Wait? Could I be gay? Is that what stopped me from being happy?," Irene ruffled her hair. A trait she picked up whenever she was frustrated or confused.

 

"I wonder if I will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with her today," Irene thought as a blush covered her face. The warm brown eyes and wide smile crossed Irene's mind.

 

"Man I am being so childish," Irene chuckled as she stood up to stretch and smooth out the bedsheets.

 

The blinking light on the top corner of her phone caught her attention. It was a multi text message from her cousin, Yeri.

 

"I hope you didn't forget the baby shower this weekend. Everyone is asking if you are bringing a plus one since you didn't check the box on the RSVP invitation. It is no big deal if you aren't because I will keep you company as I am without a date too."

 

Irene smiled when she read the last line relieved that she wasn't the only family member going solo. 

 

"But wait Yeri is only 17 and here I am a 28 year old woman in the same predicament. Yeri is a junior in high school and I have been working as a meteorologist for 5 years now."

 

Irene was glad no one was around to see the embarrassment on her face.

 

Did she really compare herself to her much younger cousin?

 

"I need to go out more," she murmured as she gathered her beauty care products before heading to the bathroom.

 

 

Wendy was putting the finishing touches on her eye make-up when she heard a rapping of knuckles at her door.

 

Seojeong was leaning in the doorway with a colorful flier in her hands.

 

Wendy glanced at the flier and back at Seojeong, "So which frat or sorority house are we partying at this time?"

 

Wendy like to friend for Seojeong made it her mission to study the bulletin board in the main quad for any student events. Mainly parties and some sporting activities here and there.

 

Wendy once remarked that Seojeong was obsessed with being popular.

 

"I am not!," Seojeong retorted. "We are not in high school anymore and we are away from home so why not take advantage of indulging in some activities we wouldn't want our parents to know about."

 

Seojeong wiggled her eyebrows which made Wendy laugh. She couldn't resist the playful side of her best friend and it couldn't hurt to drink too much, dance to loud music, and make-out with a stranger.

 

Wendy attended every party but acted as the designated driver to Seojeong's sloppy drunkenness. She always scolded Wendy the next day for behaving like a prude at the party.

 

"Live a little!," Seojeong always said before she made a beeline to the bathroom to vomit.

 

Wendy would attend this next party but Seojeong might be disappointed to find out her friend with not partake in any scandalous activities. Wendy had her sights set on one person.

 

"Bae Irene"

 

Wendy thought with a silly grin on her face.

 

Seojeong snapped her fingers in front of her face.

 

"Hello?! Did you hear a word I said? Probably not seeing that you spaced out with that stupid grin on your face!"

 

Wendy frown.

 

"Anyways I found this flier posted on the bulletin board and it says there will be a party at the Phi Beta Phi house! Isn't this awesome we finally have the chance to be recognized! SinB, the queen bee will be there! We can finally rid ourselves of the nerd label we earned in high school!"

 

Wendy scratched the back of her neck, trying to come up with the right words to convince her friend their high school years weren't that bad. 

 

Sure the girls met at a convenience store after school to purchase bubblegum, comic books, and lip gloss. Both played instruments in the marching band, ran track, and sang in the choir. Their friendship suffered a little when Seojeong started dating a fellow sophomore while Wendy kept herself preoccupied with field hockey.

 

"Are you interested in joining the team?," Wendy asked one day on the walk home.

 

Seojeong wrinkled her nose in disgust.

 

"Nah, I will sit this one out," she replied and Wendy sighed. "It seems too violent for me and I am afraid of being steamrolled by the competition."

 

Wendy laughed as she threw her arm around her friend before they entered the convenience store.

 

 

Seojeong was excitedly describing the atmosphere at the sorority house from how her fellow classmates described it.

 

"A pool table! Beer pong! Darts! A swimming pool in the backyard!"

 

Wendy pretended to be impressed but it sounded like every party they attended on campus.

 

Seojeong stopped Wendy by standing in front of her.

 

"Look at it this way, Friday night will be your chance to lose your ity!"

 

Wendy "shhh!" her friend and pulled her closer so the rest of the students wouldn't hear their conversation.

 

"Must you say it so loud!"

 

Wendy narrowed her eyes to show she was serious.

 

Seojeong giggled and patted her friend's cheek, "Don't be upset I was only joking. But seriously you just turned 21 in February so don't you think it is time to give into temptation and let someone deflower you."

 

Wendy's complexion was beet red and she wiped the sweat from her forehead.

 

Seojeong leaned closer and whispered, "Besides aren't you tired of using your hand."

 

She burst into laughter as she ran away in the opposite direction. Wendy reached out to slap her but was too late. 

 

"I don't use my hand every night," Wendy murmured staring at her right hand. 

 

But after she discovered the ethereal beauty that goes by the name Bae Irene, she found her hands in places they shouldn't be while daydreaming.

 

"I have to check my schedule to see what time I get off of work on Friday," Wendy flicked through her phone. "It can't hurt to have a little fun."

 

She noticed the fellow interns piling into the van so she ran to secure her place in line. She sat in the back row this time but the ride was quiet for her fellow interns were staring at their phones. Wendy put her earpods in and zoned out to a murder mystery podcast. In a matter of minutes, the van pulled into the dimly lit parking garage.

 

 

Irene sat in the make-up chair sipping her green tea latte she purchased on the drive over.

 

The two seats to her left where Jennie and Kai sat were empty.

 

"They are probably really wasted," Irene smirked as she continued to sip her drink and scroll through her phone.

 

Her mother messaged her.

 

"Honey, don't forget the baby shower this weekend! Are you bringing a date? If so let Yeri know, she is in charge of the appetizers and beverages! We haven't seen you recently, your father and I were curious to know how everything is going apart from your career. We stay glued to the television never missing a chance to watch you flourish in your profession. Did you eat good yesterday because you looked and sounded relaxed."

 

Irene blushed because her parents didn't know that the blonde intern gave her the confidence to recite the weather report with no mistakes.

 

"Wendy"

 

Irene put her hand over . She was grateful her colleagues had yet to arrive to hear her crush's name slip out of .

 

"Come by to visit when you are not busy, Love your mother," Irene's mouth broke into a bright smile as she read the last line.

 

She cherished every moment she spent with her parents but her anxiety prevented her from enjoying those moments. 

 

Pushing 30 and still not married and childless.

 

No correction married to her job.

 

She was aware of the expectations her family placed on her and she tried to comply. But she refused to be set up in a loveless marriage for the sake of her parents' happiness.

 

Out of all of her short-lived romances, their was a gentleman by the name Yunho who left an impression on her family. They fell fast for his charms and placed bets that it would longer than a month.

 

But as hard as Irene tried to stay focus and play an active part, it was enviable the end was near as one month and two weeks approached. They went out to dinner at a fancy hibachi restaurant during their last date.

 

Yunho watched with excitement as Irene was laughing and clapping at the skilled chef who was flipping the spatula, dicing vegetables, tossing food into the air, and cracking jokes.

 

Yunho laughed a little too much as Irene drew back from the huge flames on the grill. He was riddled with guilt from the announcement he needed to make after they exited the restaurant. But he couldn't back down now as it was eating him alive.

 

For the past few weeks, he decided to start a strict exercise regimen and added jogging in the park to his list. During a morning run he encountered a beautiful woman feeding the birds. He stopped to check his watch to observe his heart rate when the beautiful stranger left the bench but he felt compelled to chase her. 

 

He was only a few inches away when a bicyclist almost ran into her if it wasn't for his quick reflexes to pull her out of harm's way. They tumbled into a grassy pit and apologized profusely to one another also eyeing to see if there were any injuries.

 

Yunho felt a warm feeling in his chest as he examined the woman's face.

 

She returned a suspicious look at him, "Are you feeling okay or do you need to go the hospital."

 

Yunho directed a bright smile at the woman, "No I am fine actually perfect."

 

The woman laughed and extended her hand and said, "Thank you for saving my life but I must know the name of my heroic stranger."

 

Yunho blushed and told her but finished with, "What is your name?"

 

She blushed in return before answering, "Han Hyo-joo"

 

After the day in the park, Yunho and Han Hyo-joo exchanged numbers and went on casual dates. Yunho felt horrible for hiding this from Irene but he pondered for weeks as what he should do. He came to the conclusion that his relationship with Irene was going nowhere and needed to end before anything serious developed with Han Hyo-joo.

 

On the drive home, Yunho turned to Irene and told her everything but what he didn't expect was her calm reaction. He believed she would go into a rage when he revealed he was seeing another woman at the same time as dating her. But she sat in silence and didn't interrupt once, looking at the ground nodding her head now and then. 

 

Yunho concluded that was the easiest break-up he has ever gone through. Irene didn't feel any malice and wished Yunho luck before she left his car to walk to the front entrance. As Yunho drove off, tears spilled from Irene's eyes as the familiar feeling of loneliness hit her. Her fourth failed relationship to count and in the two years that followed, Irene made her career a top priority. Any advances that came her way were quickly rejected. She thought the relationship with Yunho was the answer to all of her shortcomings as far as love was concerned.

 

But now two years later, a class of interns from Seoul University especially Son Seungwan, gave her a glimmer of hope to pursue love even if it was her last shot.

 

"I just have to be patient but I am sure she will ask me out," Irene thought with a smirk.

 

 

Kai, Jennie, and Eunhyuk arrived all wearing sunglasses to co