"Please remind me again why are we working on a Saturday," I trudged my feet to the direction of my swivel chair and slumped perfectly on the soft chair.

"Because you signed that trap contract in this trap Company and now you are trapped with us," Joy chuckled.

8 am. It's freaking 8 am on a Saturday and thank goodness we were renting an apartment nearby or I'll definitely die before I could come to work.

"You'll get used to it in no time Wendy. This is your first busy season and I'm sure it'll be a memorable experience," Seulgi grinned from ear to ear and I just planted my face on my desk from the remark.

"Just how long is this so-called busy season again," I asked in muffled breaths not really moving in my position.

"4 months."

"Ughhh, for the love of all employees, just kill me!!!"

True to its name, busy season is busy. And it's a season. I cannot imagine that my everyday busy life could be even busier. Going home past midnight had become an everyday routine and working till you drop is not an uncommon sight. Everybody is moving around. Most were deployed to clients, some got mountains of paperwork and some just vanishes to who knows where.

I can’t even remember the last time me and Irene had talked about things outside of work. She’s literally arm reach and I can easily start a topic of conversation but curse all these reports and I am even barely a person who can speak coherent words.

“The client demands the report at lunch time tomorrow Wendy. I think we can finish this, but I doubt it if we can go home.”

I turned my head to Irene and found her fixated to the report on her hand, making tick marks here and there.

“That report is no less than 50 pages,” I stated as I glance at the thick pile of paper.

“Yeah, it is,” Irene paused, dropped her pen and turned to me with full attention, “do you want some donut?”

The way to the donut stall and all the way back to the office was a quiet one. Irene don’t need to speak any word for me to know how much thoughts she has inside that brain.

She’s spacing out a lot and I can’t fathom how many clients she’s juggling as of the moment. I’m actually thankful that I’m currently an associate or else I would’ve been included to those employees who suddenly vanished.

We’re currently awaiting for the elevator to arrive and Irene had already started munching on her strawberry flavored donut while I saved mine to be eaten inside the office.

“Have you taken your vitamins already?” Irene said in between bites.

“Yes, I already did,” I said and gave a short smile.

It had been an everyday routine. Our Company has supplied us with free vitamins to support our health system fully knowing that the amount of workload they are throwing us is slowly killing us. It’s funny to think how they kill and resurrect us with those supplements.

Ever since then, Irene would ask me everyday if I had taken my vitamins. I don’t know if the superiors were all given instruction to check on their staff but I’d like to think it was not the case. I haven’t heard anyone being asked by their superior if they had taken their vitamins for the day by their superior other than Irene.

I can’t help but smile just by the mere thought of it.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Irene tilted her head in wonder.

“Huh? Uh, nothing. I just remembered something,” I said and gave a sheepish smile.

To my surprise, Irene took steps closer to me, too close for my poor heart to beat calmly. She suddenly cupped my right cheek with her left hand while the other is holding her strawberry donut.

I widened my eyes in shock and froze like a statue displayed in the grandest museums.

‘Oh gosh, her hand is so soft. I want to lean more to it.’

“I think you’re losing some weight Wendy,” Irene commented as she let go of my face and pressed her donut close to my lips.

“Eat,” she commanded.

I absentmindedly parted my lips and took a small bite to her half-eaten treat.

‘I can taste her lipstick in it.’

“You should eat a lot and take your vitamins well. You’re losing your fluffy cheeks,” Irene said in a serious tone and I can’t really decipher the emotion behind that sentence.

The elevator came and Irene went inside first as I was still shock from the sudden skinship. I touched my cheek and suddenly realized how lucky my cheeks are for receiving a lot of touches from Irene including the friendly kiss in the bus on our way home.

“Wendy! Why are you still standing there? Get in!” I saw Irene holding the elevator door open and immediately rushed forward to get inside.

‘Oh, how I wish I am just a cheek.’

Irene is always true to her words. We were left alone in the office and all the other members of the team had gone home. I opened my phone and checked the time. 4 am. I winced and grabbed the side of my head to focus my vision. I think I already drank 5 cups of coffee during the entire day.

I continued typing on my laptop as I effect the correction on the report passed unto me a while ago. Now I truly appreciate all the vitamins I’ve been drinking until now. I glanced at Irene as she took a sip from her iced coffee. She doesn’t look stress at all. She still looks flawless and perfect even at this time of the day or night or whatever it was.

I didn’t realize I was staring too long and caught Irene’s attention.

“Do you want some coffee?” she passed me her drink and I absentmindedly took it. I suddenly remembered the donut she pressed on my lips earlier. I felt my cheeks heating up again at the thought.

“Don’t even think about reporting for work later once we finish this,” Irene said as I returned the drink to her with a simple thank you.

“But I still have other reports to finish,” I argued.

“So, you’re planning on getting some ample of sleep and return later? You’ll only go home at midnight or morning again and it’ll turn into a cycle until the weekends.”

Irene has a fair point. I’ve seen employees do work like that and I just realized I had been doing the same. We’re literally at the office for 16-20 hours a day.

“How do you do that?” I scooted closer to Irene. I don’t know if it was the effect of all the nights with less sleep or because it’s wee hours in the morning but somehow, I felt the sudden urge to be clo