CHAPTER 1: THE DIARY'S WORDS

IRENE'S POV

Forgetting things or remembering it, whatever it is, the beginning of my life, March 29th will be just a plain memory for me and to those people who remembered it. My life's turning point had officially started, marriage that I don't want to face, the inheritance of our family's business and building a new life inside me which my parents really thought that I would ever do.

No. There is no ing way I would ever do that, I mean, that person that they wanted me to be with is one of a kind, but I don't want to. I just wanted to be me. Forever.

Last night was a roller coaster ride, the old man dropped me in my office, got myself into a two hour business meeting and ended up sleeping with that old diary. It's weird, it really was. Upon reading the first line of the diary, saying that, "Her monolid eyes, pale skin, dark locks, and everything that surrounds her, I knew she would have done something to make me crazy."

Those were the words that had kept on repeating inside of my head, a woman, from the way how she described her, it really felt so real, as if she really had met her. If I wouldn't knew about her story, I would probably thought that she was making a novel that starred by a lesbian couple.

Well, of course, that wouldn't be as big as the dramas here in my own country, my fellowmen's homophobic side will kill its own art.

If grandmother was really that type of person, I maybe just the only one could accept her from our family, as I knew, my father and the other older generations of our clan doesn't really support that, even just the smallest part of their organization to the point they even roast me to hell when they found out that I invested to do a collaboration with a lesbian model in Europe to start our name there, it even sparked a controversy of me being a part of it.

I mean, what was the problem? I'm a successful and broke grown up lady.

Nonetheless they would keep on doing the same again and again haha. them.

As I was busy signing up some of the important and controversial documents, the door slams opened, revealing a bleach haired minion with her aviator glasses on and was panting the out of her. Son Seungwan, the daughter and the heir of Son Enterprises but most of the time she's jobless and will always be caught flirting her with strangers as she got the hobby of going out of the town without everyone knowing and most importantly, the only trusted person I've ever have, my childhood friend.

And as far as I know, this woman never went to Toronto for a business meeting instead, she went on a vacation in Spain. That's how crazy she was.

"What's the matter?" I kept my head preoccupied with my own business and that diary's thought as I don't want this annoying squirrel to bother the out of me, I swear if she starts doing it, I'll be ending up listening to her in every single word she spits. "There were a lot of things piling up here inside and out of the company Wendy, just go somewhere and find someone you can disturb. I need to finish all of these today, understand?"

Of course, even if she wouldn't answer, I, myself would know what will happen next.

"Does your father hypnotize you so that you forget about today's celebration?" She asked. Of course, Wendy would know about my birthday, she always does everything to make me happy on my own day from doing something funny to memorable.

I'm so glad to have her.

"You're getting married?" No, of course not, Wendy and her eyes for women are much wider than the eagles, she shook her head and pouts. God. "You look like a squirrel who begs for nuts." She really is. We fell into the box of laughter, I also missed teasing her with that. It's been a long time since I've got to meet her. "I swear just tell me straight to the point so I can finish all of these." Oh God, give me an Oscar's for being the best actress for forgetting my own day.

"Stand up, let's grab something to eat outside, I'm craving for a Spanish cuisine." Wendy grabs my hand and I just let her do what she wanted, of course that will be the time where her surprises begins.

I and Wendy got a huge three years gap on our age but still she's the one who lead on everything we wanted to do and I'm just there, on her side enjoying every little game she wanted to do. We stepped out of the lift when a group of female and male employees had welcomed our way, they all bowed down and there's Wendy who asked them not to as she felt uncomfortable to see the employees greeting her like that saying they were just in the same age group like damn, is she really trying to make me feel old with her actions?

"Got a new car 'ey?" I asked smirking as I stood in front of a black Mercedes-Benz G Wagon, a huge car who really made us look smaller.

Aside from having the friendship goals of being the heir of our families company, our heights also went well when we're together. "Of course, I've got to close a deal with the German investor and dad gifted me this." She said as she opened the door for me. "For you, old lady."

Old lady my . "."

As we hit the road, I tried to catch up with the span of months that I wasn't able to hang out with her, Wendy and I weren't that far from each other, I mean, we didn't really like the life we were up today, the medias, the people and others who kept on following us, we just want peace and silence that's all.

And now my father wants me to build my own family? There is no way I would give birth to my own child with the cameras following her every movement. Wait, why am I even thinking of having my own child if I, myself, don't want to have too.

That would be kinda confusing.

"So you've already met him?" Wendy asked as she took a brief glance on my side. She would know about it, of course, we're the huge headlines on business right now and in fact, some of the investors were already paying bets whether we will do it or nah.

They're just wasting their fortune. them.

"I haven't, the old man even told me to drop a call to Mrs. Kim since she wanted me to formally introduce myself in front of her own family like, if they really wanted to know me, they should have just called me not me doing the first move because I swear, never in my life I would be really doing that." I looked at the traffic as I noticed that we just got to pass Las Casas del Fuego, a five-star dining restaurant, it serves the best open house paella that everyone here in Seoul had gone crazy after tasting its mouth-watering dish. "I think we've already passed by to your favourite restaurant." I said while confusingly looking at her. "We're going to your house." Wendy said with a smirk written on her face and at that moment I knew that I've already entered the gates of hell.

"LOOK AT THE SIGNS!"

--

The ride ended Irene's stomach, after she stepped inside her house she abruptly admitted herself to her bathroom wasting her own energy on the sink. "You know what eonnie? You're getting old but your fear never goes with your age." Wendy said leaning her back at the door's frame. She always knew what the outcome would be after the sudden speed up. Guess someone never changes as the time passes by. She rolled her eyes and chuckles as she watches Irene who's withdrawing all the swirls and curves inside her stomach. "Take some deep breath and change your clothes to make yourself comfortable, we're going out maybe 3 or 5 hours from now." Wendy left the older woman in the comfort room or else her friend will kick her out.

"The accounting department will kill me tomorrow if I wouldn't be able to finish reviewing the stocks today!" She shouted as she ped her dress and let it fall off of her body.

"You're the boss er!"

"ER YOUR FACE SEUNGWAN!" Irene shouted back as she looked for some comfortable shorts and baggy tees, she swiftly inserted herself on her clothes before going out of her room while tying her hair into a messy bun. She found herself walking straight to the kitchen since her friend's voice was nowhere to be heard in the living room.

"Sometimes I want to shove my fist to your mouth just for you to stop cursing me, I'm older than you Wendy you must remember than even though we've been friends for a long time you should still res-"

"Blah, blah, blah, I know, I just want to tease you grumpy. Happy 29th birthday! You're old!" Her purposely cleaned kitchen had been filled with her birthday banner with her face morphed in a bunny like character, Irene's eyes landed on her friend who's wearing a party hat while holding a cupcake.

"Yah! I know, I don't have time to bake last night so I ended up buying something on the way here so yeah, happy birthday."

Irene grins widely as she walks towards her friend and hugs her tight. "Oh Wendy." This usual scene had been happening for years, none of her family members had remembered about her birthday and she ended up spending it with her close friend, either inside her home or just going out for a day or two travel and she would rather prefer doing it with Wendy, the person who absolutely understand her from who she really was. "Thank you!"

--

IRENE'S POV

"So you're telling me that after I left earlier, you set foot in then prepared all of these?" I said pointing out the balloons, confetti and the banner that I found somehow terrible since she puts the most awkward photo I have on her phone's gallery, thanks to you small woman. "You're an intruder!"

"Your cute intruder." She winks at me before she proceeds to eat her second slice of homemade giant cheeseburger. "Well after I arrived yesterday, I can read from your face that you didn't know anything about your birthday today, so I made all of these, well it's already been a usual thing for us to do this every year since you know."

Family. My family. Yeah. "Oh yeah, my family doesn't care even a little. Yeah, whatever." Wendy continued to eat her food before grabbing something underneath the table. "What's that?" I asked as she handed me a large size paper bag.

"See it to yourself." She replied and drank her cola, I raised my brow and smiled as I saw a rectangular shaped brown paper who acts as a wrapper with a fixed string on it. "You bought something from Spain for me, don't you?"

She laughed. "Well, I found it interesting and I think you should own it so I bought it for you." I was busy unwrapping her present to be surprised that it was a painting, a painting.

"LLDG, 1921. Mi amor, mi muerte."

"I swear Seungwan, you've got to be kidding me." I observed the painting, it was one of the highest bid auctioned pieces of the famous family in Alcala de Henares, it was specifically owned by the daughter of the late owner of Hacienda de Romero, Sir Alfonso Blanco y Romero who had a daughter who fell in love to a woman in early 1920's. A lot of people had been saying that due to the strict rules of her father, the woman had learned how to be a rebel and had been making a lot of issues with their female worker. The auction was held privately and only a few people had known about it, as far as I know, a Spanish-Korean family had been holding Romero's place after the death of Alfonso in the early 1930's.

"How much is this?"

She shook her head and laughed. "It wouldn't be a gift if you would know the price, just enjoy its art." Wendy said looking at the back of the canvass. "Town people said that they didn't know who owned the initial but there is only one thing they did know that a woman had drawn it for Mr. Romero's daughter, the delicate touch of the artwork is considered as a masterpiece up 'til now and I would really agree with them but I found the four last words intriguing."

My eyes landed to Wendy who kept on eyeing the initials. "Whoever that person is, she already knew that, her love for Mr. Alfonso's daughter was also her death. Mi amor, mi muerte means, my love, my death." She explained as I studied the story of the painting. It was a woman who had her face covered with a pillow and her legs who seemed to be slightly wrapped with a dark coloured duvet, her chest part down to her sensitive flesh was perfectly drawn with some red highlighted colour on her neck whom she thought to be a hickey.

"I like it. I really appreciate it."

Wendy nods and waves her hand. "You don't want to know the reason why I bought it for you?" She asked, grabbing the empty plates. Wendy's question made me wonder.

"Why?"

She chuckled. "She definitely looks like you, unnie."

--

IRENE'S POV

"She suddenly showed up without any warning, she captivated me with her eyes, her cold look that stopped me from thinking about the reality, she's here, she's..."

I woke up from my slumber when I felt something tickling me, I automatically stretched my limbs up in the air as I adjusted myself from the cold atmosphere of my room. "Unnie wake up, she's here." I cracked a brow when I remembered the words written in my grandmother's diary that I've read before I fell asleep earlier.

"Who are you talking about?"

Wendy shakes her head and answers. "I thought you were listening to me earlier, it's my psychologist friend, Seulgi Kang."