---

Seungwan took her notes out and set them neatly to her side of the table. Spinning the pen in her hand, she watched as other classmates gradually filled the large lecture hall. There was only about five minutes left, but Irene was oddly running a little later than usual.

She leaned back in her chair and turned around to check the entrance, at the same moment that the older girl finally made it down all the stairs. 

"Unnie, I thought you weren't ever gonna come!"

Irene chuckled as she adjusted her own things and sat down, reaching over to get her notebooks. "Do I actually seem like the type to skip?"

"True. You got me there." Seungwan nodded while wagging a finger. "Oh hold up, there's something in your hair." The younger girl leaned forward as she picked up a piece of lint stuck to the top of her head. The action made Irene freeze momentarily, feeling Seungwan's breath hit her forehead. 

"There you go. It's a piece of lint haha." Seungwan moved back and playfully blew it out of her hand over the table.

Snapping out of her thoughts Irene felt her temperature rise, just a little. She picked up her books and sat back properly in her seat. "Thanks, Seungwan-ah."

"Of course. So, are we still on for dinner this Saturday? I'm planning to go grocery shopping with Seulgi tomorrow to buy everything." Seungwan fiddled with her bangs, twirling the short blonde hair between her fingers. 

"Mhmm. Sooyoung said she's free too. She said she would help me cook, but I think she just plans to be my taste tester." Irene sighed and pouted grumpily.

"Haha, I look forward to meeting her! Based on what you've told me so far, she seems really fun."

"Sooyoung is...a handful at times." The dark-haired girl chuckled softly. "But that's what makes her endearing."

"Seulgi's the same way! We've been friends since forever, but sometimes I even wonder what goes on in her head. You think the plan to get them together will work?"

"What? Oh! Yes. I think they will match well together." Irene was a little startled, just remembering that that was the excuse she had used when inviting them.

"That's good. Seulgi has been single for so long, she's so oblivious sometimes that she can't tell when someone likes her." Seungwan smiled thinking of her best friend, who can be a little slow sometimes in the romance department. 

---

After class ended Irene already packed her things, but stayed by the table to wait for Seungwan so they could exit together.

"Alright, all set. Let's go." They walked up the long staircase and reached the doors. Being the last class of the day for them, Seungwan debated asking Irene if she wanted to eat with her before the older girl went to work. 

"Hey um, unnie. If you have some time, did you want to get a quick lunch together?"

Irene really wanted to say yes. But she had forgotten her work uniform at home and needed the extra time to drive back and change. She bit her lip while thinking. If she goes to get lunch first, it means more time spent with Seungwan which is always good, but, she also can't risk being late.

"Ah, sorry Seungwan-ah. I have to head home first before work, so I don't think I have enough time."

Seungwan pouted slightly, the disappointment evident in the slump of her shoulders. "That's okay, unnie! There's always next time. I'll just order some food to go then."

Irene felt bad about not being able to join the girl, thinking maybe just a quick lunch wouldn't hurt. Before she could reply again, she saw Seungwan get suddenly jolted backward.

Seungwan yelped, feeling arms wrap around her from behind and a head rest gently on her shoulder.

The sudden hug took her by surprise making her stop midwalk. "H-huh? Hello?"

"Hello, Seungwan unnie." The taller blonde smiled while swaying them both side to side.

Irene turned around fully at the new voice and saw Chaeyoung backhugging Seungwan tightly, the taller girl's arms locked around her waist.

"Oh, Chaeyoung! You surprised me." Seungwan laughed while trying to move her head to look properly at the girl, but doing so only encouraged Chaeyoung to try and kiss her cheek again. "Ahh! Please no, you left a mark on me last time!"

"Aww but I thought you looked cute with it." Unable to make the younger girl let go, Seungwan just gave up and waddled them back to catch up to Irene, who had a blank look on her face.

"Sorry unnie, this kid here ambushed me." Irene nodded her head in understanding, although she didn't see why Chaeyoung was still clinging on to the other girl like that. Was the girl not embarrased with everyone looking at them weirdly?

"Hey! This kid here, is trying to ask you out for lunch. You're done with classes for the day, aren't you?"

"Ah, yeah. I was just about to go get some food now actually." 

"Perfect! Just eat with me unnie. I came all the way over here just to ask you." The blonde loosened her hold around Seungwan's waist, and held her arm instead.

"Oh! Well, alright." Seungwan chuckled and looked back to Irene. "So, Irene unnie, I guess I'll just see you on Saturday?" 

"Mmm, yeah, Saturday. Then, I'll head off first. Hope you enjoy your lunch." The older girl gave them both a small smile without meeting their eyes, making Seungwan confused by her odd change in demeanor.

---

Irene was dazed.

She never makes mistakes at work, or even in general. But for some reason today, she was completely off her A-game. 
One wrong order after another and getting caught spacing out at the register twice, her boss temporarily sent her to dish duty for the day.

"Clear your mind, Bae Irene! I don't know what's wrong with you today, but after this shift I hope you have it all figured out!"

The dark-haired girl winced at the angry tone her normally kind boss was using. 

What is wrong with me? 

She looks at her pink gloved hands, wet and full of soap. Taking the sponge she resumes her cleaning duties, trying her best to stay focused.

Her concentration however was short-lived. The image of Chaeyoung being all close with Seungwan filled her brain again, causing her to scrub the plates even harder than she needed to.

"Ugh. Why can't she just keep her hands to herself like a civilized person?"

Stacking the soaped plates on one side, she continued to grumble to herself, much to the worry and concern of her coworkers who passed by.

Turning on the hot water to rinse and to maybe try to drown out these thougths, Chaeyoung's voice still wouldn't stop ringing in her ear. "Are interested in her too?"

"Seungwan is mine."

Then she recalled her conversation about Seungwan with Sooyoung, which also kind of irked her. She knows the younger girl tends to be very flirty and playful all the time and probably wasn't being too serious, but it still bothered her to think about it.

In both instances she was probably just feeling protective though. This can't possibly be a sign of jealousy. 

After a good 10 minutes of rinsing and thinking, Irene finally finished cleaning the plates and set them aside to stretch her arms, letting out a deep sigh.

Irene admits that she can be dense sometimes, especially when it comes to recognizing her own feelings. But she is definitely not an idiot, and refuses to be one trying to fool herself.

She leaned forward and rested her hands against the sink counter, thinking deeply before coming to her final conclusion.

Alright so, I'm jealous and...and I like her.

---

Once Irene got home from work she put everything away, took a nice, warm shower, and sat down at her desk to lay out all the facts so far.

She's not sure when it started, or even how it began, but she can no longer ignore the fact that she does feel something for the other girl. A kind of possessiveness that normal friends wouldn't really feel. She loves Sooyoung, of course, but was never bothered about her dating people and making other friends like she was now. 

She also can't stand the idea of Seungwan looking at someone else, or being as sweet and caring, or even telling her greasy jokes to someone that wasn't her. It just didn't feel right.

Irene slumped in her chair thinking back to all the moments that led up to their friendship now. Her heart fluttering at Seungwan's thoughtfulness to lend her her sweater (which she very seriously and meticulously washed with utmost care) to help make her feel comfortable, and to giving away her umbrella and dashing into the soaking rain, just so Irene didn't have to.

The hours they spent just talking and studying together that made her feel happy and warm. Seungwan saving her seat for her every class, sometimes bringing the joyous gift of coffee too, and always cracking bad jokes before lecture.

Every memory she had with the girl, although only knowing her for a little over a month, made her see just how much the girl cared and looked out for her. 

And to think that it all started because we met while I was working at the bubble tea- ah. Wait a minute.

Irene mentally smacked herself in the head, remembering that not every memory with the girl was as soft and comfy as the rest. How could she forget about that?

She looks at Wendy, just relaxing in the afternoon sun. Since the weather was nice, she took the liberty of moving Wendy's cage near the window for the day, letting the natural light seep through.

I freakin named my pet hamster after her. Why didn't I realize it sooner? If it was anyone else, I would think they were a weirdo!

The dark-haired girl leaned over on the window sill. She peeked through her arms, and saw Wendy approach her slowly but a little hesitatingly.

"What is it Wendy?" The hamster sat as close as she could to the wall of the cage, next to Irene's arms. Wendy raised her tiny hand and waved it towards her.

"You...you want me to pet you?" Irene bit her lip. She's never really been able to hold Wendy yet (either of them really), but the adorable look on the little animal's face makes Irene inch her finger closer.

Wendy squished her body against the cage, closed her eyes, and waited patiently for Irene. With a slightly shaking hand, she slipped her finger through the cage and pet the top of Wendy's head. 

In awe, she saw the hamster move its head following her finger. Feeling more courageous, she moved her finger and tickled under its chin, then moving to poke its small cheeks softly. Luckily, hamster Wendy did not really seem to mind, much like the original Wendy from who the hamster received its great name.

This reminded her how Seungwan lets almost everyone touch her cheeks, including that stupid, tall blonde, making her feel all annoyed again. 

"I want to poke Seungwan on the cheek too...and boop her nose..." Irene very carefully tapped on Wendy's small nose, causing it to crinkle up.

The woman let out a deep sigh. "I'm an idiot, aren't I Wendy? She already tried asking me out before...and I just flat out rejected her. But I mean, it was before I got to really know her, so it doesn't count right?" She leaned over on her other outstretched arm, watching Wendy more closely. "In the past, I never really considered anyone else's feelings aside from my own. Pushing them away was always easier, so that I could focus on myself and not get distracted. Ironically, I was the one to find my way back to her."

Before she knew it she was absentmindedly petting Wendy very comfortably, much to the enjoyment of the hamster, until it fell asleep next to her.

How would Seungwan feel about it now, if I told her that maybe I do kind of like her?

Irene's cheeks became red, feeling herself cringe even thinking about it.

Wait, what if she thinks I'm just toying with her feelings? Or she doesn't think I'm being serious? 

She took another look at the sleeping Wendy, her thumb rubbing under the hamster's chin. The last worst-case scenario drifted across her mind.

"Wendy-ah, what if she's already completely moved on from me?" 

She continued to lay next to Wendy, the only sound being tiny content clicks from the hamster's teeth. "I can't believe I'm asking my pet hamster for romantic advice."

---

Seulgi was lazily sitting at the counter, watching the blonde running around the kitchen. The girl was busy adding more frosting to her cake and wiped at any spilled edges. 

"Wannie-ah, stop worrying yourself. I think the cake looks good as is."

"Just one more thing!" Seungwan was fully concentrated on her cake, tongue darting out of to fix it until she was completely satisfied.

They were supposed to leave 5 minutes ago, but the shorter girl just had to notice something "off" about the cake and take it back out of the box.

"Alright! I'm done, for real now." 

"Finally! I'm starving here, you know?" Seulgi rubbed her tummy. Spotting the tangerines sitting on their fruit basket, she eagerly grabbed one to snack on. "And, remind me again why I have to wear this fancy blouse?"

Seungwan finished placing the cake back into its container and quickly cleaned up the table. "Because we need to look presentable! It's our first time over at their place, and you gotta make a good impression on Sooyoung."

The blonde didn't want to admit it, but even though she knows any romantic chance with Irene is already long gone, she still wanted to try and dress nicer than usual. 

With the tangerine neatly peeled Seulgi split it into two, holding out half to give to Seungwan. "Hey, if it's truly true love, then she should love me as I am. Without me having to change anything about myself!" 

Seungwan went to the mirror one last time to check her own outfit, snorting at Seulgi's poetic words. 

"It's just a dang shirt, Romeo! And look, I'm dressed nicely too." She motioned her hands downwards to her own dark blue blouse. "Now come, let's get moving."

She reached out to take the fruit from Seulgi's hand, stuffing them in hurriedly, and then pulled the girl up and out the door.

---

"Unnie, are you sure we're gonna be able to finish all of that?" Sooyoung was salivating. She kept hovering around Irene, waiting for her opportunity to taste everything.

The older girl ignored her as she continued to stir and add seasoning to her stew. Taking a small sip with her spoon, she nodded appreciatively at the spicy taste. Now that the stew was done, she just had to finish the stir-fried pork belly. 

"Oh is it done now? Let me try, let me try!" Irene laughed at the excited foodie, letting her take the spoon. 

"Mmm! It's really good. Why haven't you ever made this for me before?" 

Irene took the spoon back and began preparing the ingredients for her next dish. "Because I'm not your personal chef, Park Sooyoung." 

"But, you're my mom! How could my own mother treat her beautiful daughter like this?" Sooyoung teased sticking her tongue out. Before Irene could retaliate and hit her with said spoon, she dashed away out of her reach.

"Be quiet, you. I need to focus on the next dish." 

When she saw that Irene wasn't being grumpy anymore, Sooyoung came back into the kitchen and sat on the table to watch her. "So, are you gonna be spilling the beans to Seungwan unnie today or shall I?"

Irene choked on her water. "Excuse me, spill what?"

"Eyyy come on, unnie! You finally realized your feelings. I'm so proud of you for admitting it, and letting me be the first to know." The taller girl got up and went over to playfully poke Irene's arm. "You should've just told me sooner that you were calling dibs."

Irene shook away from Sooyoung's poking. "I now regret telling you, since you won't leave me alone about it." 

"Please, I already knew you had a thing for her. I was just waiting for you to figure it out yourself. Plus, this Chaeyoung girl sounds like a real piece of work. If you're gonna act, you better act soon."

Irene sighed feeling deflated. "How can I act on it? There are so many things that could go wrong. I rejected her last time, and now I'm too scared that she'll end up being the one to reject me. Then, things will become awkward again and ruin our friendship. I don't want that."

Sooyoung made the older girl face her and shook her by the shoulders. "Or! She accepts your feelings, and actually never stopped liking you in the first place! Ever thought about that?"

"I mean...that would be really nice. But I would still have to bring it up first and that is just too risky."

"Come on unnie, you're not sounding like your usual self. Where did my confident unnie go? My Irene unnie who always knows exactly what she wants and will stop at nothing to get it? You even had the guts to invite her over for dinner! That's already a step into the romantic direction." 

The older girl chuckled nervously. "Um...actually Sooyoung, about that. Her friend Seulgi is coming too. And uhh..I kind of said that you were interested in her to get them both to come."

Sooyoung stepped away from Irene and looked accusingly at her. "You what?!"

"I'm sorry! I panicked thinking Seungwan was gonna turn me down. But hey, I'm not wrong am I? Didn't you say you thought she was hot?"

The taller girl gave her own dramatic sigh and leaned on the counter. "I mean, yeah I did. Still do. But...you didn't tell me she was coming too! I tried not to look to desirable today because I didn't wanna steal your boo, but now...this is a whole new story!"

Sooyoung ran back to her room, yelling about changing into a much more "y-cutie" casual fit.

"Aish, that girl." Irene was thankful that Sooyoung wasn't entirely upset at her.

Now she just hoped that seeing Seungwan today would help her officially confirm her feelings, and figure out if there's even a tiny bit of chance that Seungwan still feels the same way.

She turned around and decided to go back to her cooking, when she finally realized she was missing her most important ingredient. 

"Sooyoung-ah! Where did all the spicy rice cakes go?!"

---

"Is that their place?" Seulgi pointed out, while helping to carry their beer out of the car. 

Seungwan cupped her hand over her eyes and squinted to read the address number. "Yep, that's it. I don't see Irene unnie's car anywhere though." 

They shrugged it off and proceeded to walk up to the door of the cozy apartment.

After ringing the doorbell they waited a patiently, slightly worried when there was no answer.

Seungwan was about to try ringing again, when at last Irene swung the door open. The older girl had on a cute bunny print apron, and in her free hand held up in the air were a pair of chopsticks.

"S-Seungwan! And Seulgi!"

"Hey unnie!" Seungwan noticed the older girl's funny stance and just had to point it out. "Um, I don't suppose you're gonna beat us up with those, are you?" She laughed as Irene embarrassedly put her arm down and stepped to the side to let them come in.

"Jeez...I will if you don't get your guys' butts in here sooner." Seungwan laughed loudly while bowing respectfully and taking off her shoes to enter.

Seulgi froze at the threat, covering her with the bag of beer as she stepped in behind Seungwan.

"Are we a little too early? Is your roommate home?" The blonde followed closely behind Irene, wondering where she should place her cake.

"Ah no! I'm uh, just about finished. We were just missing some things so I sent her out to the store to pick it up really quick."

Setting the cake and beer down, the two best friends had a chance to look around. "Oh, you should've told us! We could've picked up whatever you needed on the way."

"That's okay. She took my car so she'll probably be back in a few." Irene was starting to sweat a little, not expecting them to actually get there on the dot. 

She hadn't even had a chance to change, her clothes now probably smelling like a spicy broth. And even though she wasn't entirely alone with Seungwan, just being in the close proximity of the younger girl made her hyperaware of the effect she had on her. Especially seeing her wearing that fancy nice blouse that exposed her collar bones.

"Well, I guess I'll wait to show you guys the cake until she comes back then. Oh, and we also brought some beer!" Seungwan cheered while bringing out the cans.

"Great, let me just put everything in the fridge for now then." Irene took the box and beers to the kitchen while calling back out to them. "And don't come in here to peek at the dishes either, since they're not finished yet!" 

The blonde-haired girl stood straight up and saluted. "Yes ma'am!"

"Aww. But everything smells so good..." Seulgi whined as Seungwan pulled the girl away and to the living room. 

Seungwan let go of the bear and rested her hands on her hips as she looked around. "Wow, it's a nice place you guys got here! It's really spacious, good lighting, and so much cleaner than our apartment." 

"Hey, I know you're trying to throw shade at me Seungwannie. I told you I would get better about leaving my clothes everywhere." Seulgi tried to defend herself.

"Pfft, and the snacks too? And your leftover dishes in the sink? And you forgetting about expired food in the fridge?" Seungwan was counting off all these bad habits on her fingers, causing the taller girl to shrink under her playful glare.

"...Yes I will..."

Trying to change the subject, Seulgi pointed at something in the corner of the room. "Oh! Wannie! Look over there!"

"Nice try. Not falling for that one Seul."

"No, seriously look! It's a hamster!"

Irene's ears suddenly perked up at this. Oh . I forgot.

Being an animal lover, Seungwan turned and followed her best friend. "Oh my gosh, you're right! Unnie, you didn't tell me you had a pet hamster!"

The blonde-haired girl crouched to get to eye level with the little animal, it becoming a little nervous at seeing all these new faces.

Irene came into the living room thinking about how she was gonna explain the big question. She couldn't lie to the girl, but saw every other option leading to her own embarrassment.

"Oh yeah. We just got her a little over a month ago. I have a bad fear of animals, so Sooyoung surprised me with her hoping it'll help me get over my fears."

The older girl started fiddling with her fingers, wishing for Sooyoung to come home right this moment and interrupt them.

"Aww that's so adorable! She's cute, very nice fluffy cheeks." Seulgi leaned closer to try and let her sniff her hand, but Wendy felt intimidated by the girl's bear-like features and backed away.

"S-Seungwannie...she doesn't like me..." 

"You dummy, she's probably not used to us since we're complete strangers. See?" Seungwan also slowly reached her hand forward, but this time Wendy approached on her own and allowed the blonde to pet her. "Oh. Haha! That tickles."

Seulgi pouted. "No fair! I love animals too but they're always either afraid of me or bully me!" Looking longer at the hamster, she noticed something interesting.

"Hey, you know Wannie. She kind of reminds me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it."

Seungwan furrowed her brows, tilting her head as she examined the hamster a little closer as well. "Really?" 

Irene held her breath. Sooyoung please get home now.

"Yeah, now that you mention it. She does look kinda familiar, no?"

The two stared at Wendy, as the hamster just looked back and forth between them. Seungwan suddenly broke the intense moment and looked back to Irene.

"We forgot to ask! What's her name, by the way?"

Irene panicked when the dreaded question she was hoping to avoid actually dropped. Luckily, the sound of keys and a door turning open was here to save her.

Sooyoung! Thank god...I'll just drag this out and then change the subject.

"Ohh~ her name? Oh..um..it's...it's uhhh-"

"Wendy, baby! I'm home!"

Park Sooyoung, I'm going to kill you

---

AN: Haha 4000+ words! That was fun to write. At what point do you guys think Irene actually started to fall for Seungwan, I wonder? 

As usual thanks for reading and commenting, I really enjoy hearing what you guys have to say. And if you haven't seen it yet, I lost my patience and have already put chapters up for To Serve and Protect as well as My Love from the Sea so do check those out too :)