All eyes focused on Wendy as SinB extended her arm to join hands for a proper exchange. But just as Wendy was going to introduce herself Seulgi slipped in between the two women.

 

"It is time to do that TikTok dance," Seulgi said as she grabbed SinB's arm to lead her to the center of the circle where the rest of the sorority members were.

 

The deejay cued the track to start once the women were in position.

 

"Say So" by Doja Cat played while the sorority members broke into synchronize dance moves and the dance floor bopped to the track.

 

"Phi Beta Phi has 5k followers on TikTok," Sejeong mentioned close to her best friend's ear.

 

Wendy shrugged as she stood mesmerized by the way SinB would sway her hips, wink at the camera, and flip her long hair.

 

The image of Irene and her locking hands across the lunch table popped into her head so she sipped her beer to block it out.

 

"No I made a promise to myself to forget the stunning, wonderful, generous, and unforgettable meteorologist who sends me mixed signals and attends concerts with her male coanchors."

 

Wendy sneered as she completed her thought. She didn't want to be envious but the concert date really bothered her especially after she had the pleasure of sharing two meal dates with the gorgeous anchor.

 

Wendy jingled the empty bottle so she turned to walk to the kitchen for another beer but Sejeong grabbed her wrist. 

 

"Where do you think you are running off to? The queen of Phi Beta Phi herself SinB is making her way to talk to you," Sejeong turned her around as she found herself rooted in place as SinB strutted close.

 

Wendy gulped and she gripped the empty beer bottle but her palms were sweaty that she almost let the bottle fall to the floor.

 

"Sorry about the interruption, but where were we?," SinB said as she studied Wendy's face. Her eyes slowly moved from her eyes to her nose to her lips.

 

The blonde let her eyes dart side to side, she never encountered this type of boldness from another female. She had crushes on plenty of female classmates throughout school but it was always one-sided because she was afraid to approach her crushes. It didn't help that most of the females she was attracted to were straight.

 

SinB is a beautiful woman and any female would give anything to be in Wendy's place but the blonde found her mind wondering back to Irene. The almost kiss, the dinner and lunch dates, and of course the skinship. Wendy eyed the bottle in her hands contemplating if she would appear rude for excusing herself to refreshen her drink.

 

"Would you like me to get you something to drink?," Wendy asked a startled SinB whose eyes never left her lips.

 

"Sure.....but I have to know what shade of lipstick are you wearing?," SinB asked staring intensely even her pupils dilated.

 

Wendy stepped back a little freaked out but replied, "Ummm I think it is tropical coral by Loreal."

 

SinB stood still but her stare met Wendy's eyes as she said, "I will drink whatever you are drinking."

 

"Okay two lagers coming up!," Wendy remarked as she spun on her heel to walk to the kitchen.

 

Sejeong was hanging all over Sehun who ignored her to talk to his friends. Sejeong let go of Sehun's arm when she caught sight of her best friend heading into the kitchen. She surveyed the room before entering the kitchen to see SinB standing alone scrolling through her phone.

 

Sejeong clenched her fists.

 

"Wendy, what are you doing?," she huffed under her breath.

 

This party is the big event where they can upgrade from nobodys on campus to joining the elite. It wasn't as if Sejeong regretted her high school days but university was a different environment and she longed to reap the benefits of being popular. More importantly maybe if her social status changed than Sehun would see her as more than a friend.

 

Sejeong rushed to the refrigerator where her best friend was leaning in peering at the food. Sejeong swatted her and Wendy jumped rubbing her behind.

 

"What the hell was that for?!," the blonde yelled eyeing her friend suspiciously.

 

Sejeong shut the refrigerator door.

 

"Did you forget why we are here?"

 

Wendy remained silent but she knew the answer.

 

"I refuse to continue to be invisible to the popular crowd especially when I have the opportunity to change it at a party! I understand you don't agree with my obsession with social status but here you are receiving undivided attention from the most popular girl on campus! What do you do? You hid out in the kitchen! There better be a good reason!"

 

Wendy chuckled as she opened the refrigerator and took out two beer bottles.

 

"She wanted a drink and I needed another beer so I offered to get them. Does that satisfy your curiousity?"

 

Sejeong's mouth was agape and she was at a lost for words. Her face appeared red from embarrassment and she blinked a couple of times.

 

"Wendy I'm sorry.....," she started but her best friend held her hand up to stop her.

 

"Don't apologize I know you didn't mean it," Wendy smiled for she concluded her friend was acting out of character from the pressure of party. Wendy stood in the doorway of the kitchen observing the living room.

 

"Besides you have bigger issues to worry about like that underclassmen I believe her name is Jisoo making a move on Sehun."

 

Sejeong's eyes bulged.

 

"What did you say?!"

 

Sejeong stood beside Wendy watching Sehun sipping his drink while he smiled and carried on a conversation with an attractive female who stood to his left.

 

"I didn't come to this party to be upstaged by a sophomore," Sejeong said as she stalked over to Sehun and planted herself in between the two until Jisoo walked away.

 

Wendy laughed at her friend's determination to win the affection of the most appealing guy on campus.

 

"I wonder how she will react to seeing Kai in person," Wendy thought holding both bottles in each hand. "She might faint or scream in his face like Yeeun and Elkie."

 

Wendy handed the sorority leader her beer who shut her phone off.

 

"Thank you," SinB replied taking the bottle from the blonde's hands purposely brushing her fingertips against Wendy's knuckles.

 

Wendy blushed as she mumbled "You're welcome" but directed her eyes at her feet.

 

SinB caressed her cheek which made Wendy flinch from the unsuspected skinship.

 

"Sorry did I startle you?," SinB said as she drew her hand back. "Your complexion was a shade of rosy red and it was too tempting to touch. I couldn't help myself."

 

Now if Wendy's face was colored in rosy red then she was sure it was fire engine red after that compliment. The sorority leader gave her a wink and sipped her beer.

 

A buzz from Wendy's phone in her back pocket alerted her of a new message.

 

I am having a hard time sleeping. Can we talk?

 

Wendy reread the message a second time to clarify it was sent from the right number. "Bae Irene," Wendy whispered clenching her phone to her chest.

 

SinB chuckled, "Who was that? Do you have a  girlfriend already? Am I wasting my time? Because I asked around campus and my sources told me you were single."

 

Wendy's throat felt dry.

 

"I need fresh air I will be back."

 

She dashed to the front door not noticing the death glare Sejeong was sending her across the room for abandoning SinB for a second time. She walked across the lawn littered with yard games and jocks guarding the front porch. She walked half a block before she dialed Irene's number.

 

Irene answered on the second ring, "Helllo, Wendy?"

 

Wendy smiled at the sound of the husky but drowsy voice.

 

"Yeah it's me. I am surprised to find you kept my phone number after our dinner date. I thought you would've deleted it."

 

A few minutes of silence from Irene's end before she spoke.

 

"Wendy I wouldn't do that. I had a great time at dinner and I was hoping we could go on more dates."

 

Wendy's breath hitched as she was pondering what Irene meant by that as friends or lovers.

 

It was too confusing.

 

"I would love to go on another date but what about Eunhyuk? I don't want to make him jealous."

 

Irene sighed into the receiver. She suspected there was more to Wendy avoiding her besides school, sports, work, and the age difference.

 

"He is not my boyfriend. We are attending a concert as friends and he is well aware I don't date coworkers."

 

Wendy paced up and down the pavement before she decided to ask her next question.

 

"Are you attracted to him?"

 

Wendy heard Irene shuffled the bedsheets like she was changing positions.

 

"No he isn't my type........I like females."

 

Wendy almost screamed into the receiver but blocked with her hand. Now it all made sense from the almost kiss to the meal dates to the locking fingers.

 

"There you are! Why did you run away from the party?," Sejeong stood in front of her with her hands on her hips.

 

Wendy covered the receiver with her hand and mouthed, "Get out of here!"

 

Irene cut in, "Oh Wendy I apologize I forgot you were attending a party tonight, I didn't mean to bother you. I will talk to you on Monday but thank you for keeping me company."

 

Wendy was stumbling over her words but it was too late as the other line clicked off. The blonde stared at her phone in defeat for if only her best friend didn't interrupt then maybe the older woman would have exposed her feelings to Wendy. Wendy looked away from the phone and locked eyes with her best friend.

 

Eyes filled with rage.

 

"Whoa what just happened?," Sejeong asked walking backwards but holding her hands in front of her to block an oncoming assault. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

 

Wendy inhaled and exhaled to keep her composure.

 

"Nothing, let's go back to the party."

 

Sejeong smiled as she wrapped her arm around the blonde's shoulders.

 

 

 

As the two friends approached the entrance, the sorority leader was standing on the front porch surrounded by frat guys. She was sipping her beer with her eyes locked on Wendy as they re-entered the house. SinB excused herself to follow the blonde.

 

"Did you sort out your relationship with whatever her name is?," SinB said inches from the blonde's ear with her hand on her lower back.

 

Wendy stiffened from the contact.

 

"I don't have a girlfriend but there is someone I am interested in," Wendy replied swatting SinB's hand away.

 

SinB patted her , "I like when they play hard to get. The chase is always fun."

 

She kissed Wendy's cheek before walking to the kitchen.

 

Wendy touched her cheek looking around to see if anyone witnessed the exchange. Sejeong signaled a thumbs up from the other side of the room while latching herself onto Sehun's arm. Wendy stormed across the hard wood floors to the coat closet to grab her jacket.

 

She had enough and she was leaving.

 

She couldn't stand another minute being a pawn in Sejeong's master plan of becoming popular. She wasn't going to fake feelings for the sorority leader when her heart belonged to a certain meteorologist. The lunch date from earlier played before her eyes and her heart skipped a beat.

 

She had her arm through the sleeve as she turned to rush out of the sorority but paused as she saw SinB standing at the end of the hallway. 

 

""

 

What was she suppose to do now? Her clear cut escape plan was blown to pieces.

 

SinB started walking toward her.

 

"Leaving so soon?," SinB stood so close it was as if their bodies were melting together. She pulled on the collar of Wendy's coat and planted a hard kiss on her lips. Wendy's eyes grew wide and she was struggling to breath. She swore she was blinded by a flash probably one of the partygoers taking a picture.

 

The room exposed into cheers and applause as SinB released her grip. 

 

SinB had a chesire smile on her face as she said, "Sorry I couldn't let you leave without a goodbye kiss."

 

Wendy wiped but cut her eyes as she run out of the house. She stalked to her car with Sejeong behind her bragging how wonderful it was how her best friend helped her exceed her expectations by kissing the sorority leader. Wendy brushed it off but offered her friend a ride home to which Sejeong refused to stay longer. The blonde figured Sejeong would leave the party once her crush left.

 

The two friends hugged goodbye.

 

Wendy sat in the front seat gripping the steering wheel in anger. She leaned her head against the head rest. 

 

"What was that? Thank God none of the interns were at the party."

 

She held her chest to control the rapid beating of her heart and started the car to drive to her apartment.

 

The moment Wendy unlocked her front door, all she could think about was the six pack of beer she didn't plan to devour in one night. She stripped her clothes and showered before returning to the kitchen in an oversize tee and swim shorts. She opened her first bottle of beer while sitting with her legs crossed on the couch watching the last night edition of the local news. 

 

The commercial break ended with the start of the traffic segment. Jin read the teleprompter without emotion, mispronouncing some words.

 

"And to think the viewers criticized Irene but not Jin," Wendy murmured at the hypocrisy of the viewing public. 

 

Jin threw up a finger heart at the camera to end his segment. Wendy chuckled at how cheesy this anchor was.

 

Irene appeared on the screen with the colorful dress she wore earlier with the Prada belt. 

 

No matter how much time Wendy spent with the raven hair woman, she found herself breathless from her appearance. Her flawless looks, the graceful movements, and the soft spoken tone she spoke with.

 

Wendy sat mesmerized only moving her arm to takes sips of her drink while watching with uninterrupted interest. Irene ended her segment with a smile as she directed the program back to Kai and Jennie. Wendy shut the TV off and she glanced at her phone to see the time read 1:40am. She groaned as she recalled the field hockey game at 1:30pm tomorrow and prayed she wasn't to sore from partying.

 

She drank two beers from the six pack and washed it down with a tall glass of water and Advil. She dragged her feet to her bed where she lifted the covers and sank in to sleep on her side. She shut her eyes but popped them open worried that gossip would spread throughout campus about the kiss. Her eyes darted left to right picturing strangers walking up to her shaking her hand and patting her back.

 

"No I should stop over thinking this it will all be forgotten by Monday," Wendy whispered as she turned in to fantasized about Bae Irene.

 

 

In a penthouse on the industrial district of Seoul, Irene was observing the night sky with her third glass of wine in hand.

 

After she ended the call with Wendy, she was plagued by this nagging feeling of Wendy becoming intimate with a female at the party. She panicked when she overheard a woman's voice on Wendy's side of the call.

 

What was Irene saying?

 

Wendy didn't belong to her in fact she is obligated to spend time at the news studio to receive credits in order to graduate.

 

But the lingering stares to the jealously Wendy projected whenever Irene and Eunhyuk interacted.

 

That was something that Irene couldn't ignore.

 

She knew the signs as she was a jealous person too. 

 

Before Wendy's companion interrupted their conversation, Irene was going to confess to her attraction to the blonde.

 

"No save it for another day," Irene mumbled as she downed the last drop of wine from the glass. She set the glass in the sink as she tied the cream colored silk robe close. Her phone buzzed with a new message.

 

The t