Coffee. The warm caffeinated liquid that Seulgi loves to drink every morning. Nutty and aromatic that makes her senses tingle everytime she takes a whiff and a sip of it, which makes her alive and alert for a short amount of time. The one that saves her from fallinh asleep while finishing her plates and projects.

Coffee...

Isn't that what Irene asked for?

"Do you want to grab a coffee with me?" were her exact words, wasn't it?

Seulgi wasn't hallucinating nor hearing things when she agreed after that weird encounter in the cemetery, right?

Coffee... how divine it would taste while she swirl it inside , her taste buds relishing the flavor and warmth after getting drenched in the rain.

She held in a sigh because instead of that heavenly drink, Seulgi was nursing a glass of something pungent and strong. Too strong for her weak self and body.

But she couldn't speak what was on her mind while staring at the girl infront of her. The retort and sarcasm were stuck in while playing with the cold glass in her hand.

She looked around and nothing changed much. Instead of the usual classical music that's played inside a café, a loud bass was resonating inside, enough to drown away her thoughts. Instead of warm lights and soft shadows, strobe lights dancing infront of her eyes were enough to blind her.

Seulgi forgot this wasn't her scene but she didn't want to leave- no, she couldn't leave.

With her face resting in her upturned palm, Seulgi watched silently as her companion drown one drink after the other. A loud hiss and groan escapes her lips after every shot of the burning liquid while travelling down .

But Seulgi didn't stop her. Seulgi had no right in whatever the older was doing and she knew that Irene might've needed something after seeing her in the cemetery looking so somber and alone.

The gold liquid sloshed around Seulgi's glass, letting some of it spill in its tip but she paid it no mind. Her eyes and attention were solely focused on Irene- in her expressions and her demeanor.

Probably sensing the look that she was receiving ever since they got inside the familiar bar, Irene took a pause in pouring another shot and glanced at the silent girl infront of her then resumed filling her glass.

"You don't like it?"

"What?"

"You haven't taken a sip,"

As if on impulse, Seulgi took a huge gulp. The golden liquid immediately burned its way down and she coughed and coughed.

. That's nasty!

She was still grimacing at the foul taste when she heard a cough from Irene. When she looked up, she saw that Irene was refraining so hard not to laugh at her poor state. But after seeing her scrunched face, Irene let out a hearty laugh.

The loud bass was forgotten. The jeering drunk crowd in their background was forgotten as she was transfixed at the sight and sound infront of her. 

When Irene's laugh died down and only a fit of giggles escaped her lips, Irene finally turned to her and offered her a wad of tissue, "You don't really drink much, do you?"

Seulgi reached for it and wiped down the remnants of the devil's drink, slightly nodding her head. Glaring at the glass, she muttered a few incoherent curses about who invented that drink and why it should be banned in existence, earning another laugh from Irene.

She looked up and studied the woman. Hearing her laughing twice in a short span of time was weird yet refreshing since their usual meeting and conversations usually held bitterness and anger and pushing each others buttons until the other would walk away or explode.

Maybe it's the alcohol in her system, Seulgi noted. Maybe it's finally kicking in, making this woman a little bit crazier. A little bit bolder. A little bit more... mellow.

"Who told you where I was?" Irene asked suddenly while toying with her glass.

"Was it Seungwan?" she continued. 

Biting her lips, she pretended not to know who the Korean name belongs to. "S-Seungwan?"

"Wendy." Irene noted. "Was it her?"

She bit the inside of her cheeks and held her tongue.

Calling each other using their real names...

Her heart pricked at the thought.

"Ah. Of course you wouldn't say who it was but it must be her." She downed another shot. "She's the only one who knows where I was... well, maybe Joy too but that chick didn't know what day it is today. She's bad at remembering dates, you see."

Seulgi didn't confirm nor deny but she listened as Irene talked. "It's her birthday today."

Her... birthday?

"I'm assuming you've heard stories about... my family."

Seulgi involuntarily nodded which earned a small smile from Irene. Small and bitter, like the woman sitting infront of her.

"Our family's... messy so my grandmother became my mom and my dad at the same time. I grew up with her since my parents were usually away. At first, I didn't want to be with her. My mom said that she was strict with her and that she forced her to do a lot of things she didn't want like piano lessons and all that crap. And I believed her so I was scared."

Another shot. Another grimace. "But when she saw me hiding behind my dad, she scolded my parents for saying nonsense and opened her arms to welcome me. My parents never did that you know. They were never like that and so I immediately ran to her and she enveloped me in the warmest hug I've ever felt."

Her breathing became ragged and she choked on a few words but there were no tears. At least not yet. "She pampered me and followed all my whims so imagine me when I heard she was sick... and dying."

"And money could only do so much. We paid a lot to keep her alive... we- I sacrificed a lot to keep he beside me but even with all our money... we couldn't buy more time for h-her."

The urge to hold Irene's hand to bring comfort and stop her from speaking further was strong but Seulgi couldn't move a muscle from where she sat. She just stared while Irene took a few big gulps of uneven breaths.

This was probably the longest conversation she's had with the older girl and the first time Irene opened up to her.

It's true that she has heard stories about the Bae family, especially from her own parents who seek the latter's approval but she didn't know how much of it was true.

Seeing Irene having difficulty in uttering the next words, Seulgi cleared and shook her head. "You don't have to tell me this."

"I know."

"So don't force yourself. I-I don't need to hear this from you."

Irene lowered her head and an audible sigh was heard by Seulgi. "But I want you to know. I need to."

Need...?

No one spoke after that. Irene's heard was still lowered, gazing at the glistening liquid infront of her, seemingly lost in her own bubble. And Seulgi- having nothing else to do only stared at her.

Irene felt being watched and she looked up to capture the inquisitive gaze of Seulgi. The dark orbs held Seulgi a prisoner but she didn't do anything to escape or look away.

If she were to pick her favorite thing about Irene, the answer would be no doubt her eyes. It's powerful enough to make grown men quiver in fear and make women taller than her feel small and Seulgi was no different.

She thought that it was what made her like Irene's eyes, that she didn't need to speak to intimidate people because one look could already convey that Irene was above them all. One look can already show her beauty, brain and status was nothing compared to theirs.

She was wrong.

Because tonight, or from the moment she saw her awhile ago, Seulgi realized that those eyes held something deeper, something other than to dominate or cause fear. Something more human than Irene intended to sh