A lot could change in two years.

Yet, stepping onto the train station platform, the same one she had dragged her heavy luggage across a couple of years ago, her mind could only think of how everything felt the same.

She made her way through the train station, taking note of the stores that had changed since the last time she visited. It had been a while.

It was surreal to be surrounded by the sights and smells of home, with a peace of mind, knowing that she wasn’t going to be rushing back to school after two days. The past few visits were hurried and packed with back to back meetups to accommodate all the people she needed to catch up with. It energised her to see her friends and family again, but it also left her feeling more drained and somewhat lonely on the train ride back to the city.

She made her way towards the main exit. It took less than a minute before she spotted the girl she was looking for. She stood out easily, phone in her hand and glancing around adorably, amidst a crowd of people rushing to return home. She held up a hastily written sign with her initials written on it, which made Wendy chuckle. She had probably seen it in one of those tv shows she had been binging lately.

Seulgi hadn’t changed much over the last few years. Perhaps it was because they video-called every week. Hence, visible changes, if any, were negligible at most.

She originally intended to bask in the feeling of being so close to her friend after only seeing her on screen for nearly a year. Hence, she waded her way through the crowd, her eyes trained on her friend. However, before she could surprise her, Seulgi turned and their eyes met. Wendy felt her lips curve into a smile on instinct.

There was a pattering of feet and two arms were instantly wrapped around her torso. Despite Wendy’s repeated attempts at yoga and stretching while she was at college, she was still that much shorter than her best friend. She remembered a time when their height difference made hugging like that awkward, but Seulgi was a hugger and somehow they always made it work.

Her involuntary “oof” at the impact was overshadowed by an exclamation from the other girl.

“Wannie!!” With Seulgi’s face buried in her neck, she felt more than heard the muffled exclamation. It still tugged at her heart as she laughed in delight. It had been so long since they had been able to do this.

That was the moment when she knew for certain that she was finally home.

After a minute, Seulgi pulled away, only to gasp.

“Oh my gosh, your hair!!” Fingers were ruffling her bangs before she could react. “You were right, it’s so much lighter in person as compared to our video-calls!”

“Is it weird?” Wendy asked, with an uncertain laugh.

The other girl shook her head immediately, eager to reassure her. “No! It looks great. Different, but it suits you.”

Wendy nodded, slightly relieved at her friend’s approval even though she didn’t necessarily need it. Dying her hair platinum blonde had been an impulse decision. She had gone to the hairdresser’s a while ago, when her the ends of her hair had grown way past her shoulders.

It was her own idea to do something different, to celebrate, in a way, her making it through the first year of college. The hairdresser recommended the hair dye for a change of image. She had hesitated, having grown attached to seeing her brown hair when she looked in the mirror. However, part of going to college was for her to discover new parts of herself, and that meant trying new things. Hence, she smiled at the hairdresser and agreed.

Seulgi was still staring at her with wide, which made Wendy smile and ask if something was wrong.

“I just missed you so much.” Seulgi said bluntly. “I’m kind of taking it in, since everyone will be all over you once they see you.”

Wendy burst into another laugh. “Where did that come from?”

She bit back the comment about seeing Sooyoung’s influence on her. The couple had gotten closer over the past two years, and eventually, Wendy convinced Seulgi to ask the younger girl out on an official date.

She had known about Sooyoung’s blossoming crush on Seulgi for a while. In the months when she first left for college, there were calls between them which lasted for hours, but Sooyoung had been asking about Seulgi half the time.

Seulgi, however, seemed a bit more reluctant to start something with the younger girl, considering how her previous relationship ended. It took months for her to even consider that she might enjoy spending time with Sooyoung in a manner that was different from something purely platonic.

After the first date, Wendy hadn’t brought up the topic, but it was obvious that Seulgi was happier than she had been in a while. Her smiles reached her eyes and it didn’t take a detective for Wendy to notice a polaroid of the two of them that had joined the collection on her wall. She had pointed it out during a video-call one night. It was the first time she had seen Seulgi blush like that since she had written that first letter to Irene. Wendy had congratulated her, genuinely elated that her friend had overcome her own insecurities and taken the step forward.

Sooyoung was expressive, passionate and she would never allow Seulgi to feel inadequate. Seulgi was caring, sweet and she would do everything in her power to ensure that Sooyoung never felt like her love was overbearing. In that sense, they worked well together.

After months of pining from both sides, it had been a relief to know that things between them had finally moved forward.

“It’s true!” Her best friend giggled. “You’ve been like the pride of the school ever since you got into the scholarship program.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m sure everyone’s just looking forward to seeing Irene Bae again.”

Seulgi pursed her lips suddenly. “I would agree with you, if not for the fact that I’ve been seeing too much of Irene-unnie lately.”

“Really?”

She made a noise of affirmation. “I see her around here almost every month, so it’s like she never left.”

Wendy tilted her head in confusion.

It had been over two years since she last laid eyes on the girl who had taken a piece of her heart when she left for college. They hadn’t communicated since the day she boarded the train and Irene wished her a safe journey.

It seemed like the best way to get closure with what had been and what could have been between them. To her, it felt like keeping the line of communication open would have reopened old wounds instead of allowing them to heal. She needed to figure out who she was first. 

Hence, it was just as well that Wendy hadn’t run into the other girl. By the time she finished her summer program, Irene had long left for college. Not long after receiving her acceptance in the spring, Wendy had gone off to start her semester and she barely had time to relax, much less visit.

However, it wasn’t all bad. The distance had given her time to come to terms with what happened during high school. Starting afresh had been good for her.

It had taken a while for her to finally admit that she did have feelings for the senior, and an even longer time for her to accept that it was in the past and she owed it to herself to try and move on. Irene had probably done the same.

She wouldn’t say she hadn’t thought of the other girl at all during her time in college. There were times when she nearly gave in and texted her, especially during the few nights where she was dragged by her roommates or classmates to gatherings and parties. Yet, the thought of Irene Bae’s disapproving stare was remarkably sobering. Those were the moments where she would smile, slip her phone away, and tell her friends she was tired and head back to rest.

She had always thought of Irene as a faraway island, unreachable. She left her out of the conversations with Seulgi, and even her sporadic calls with Yeri and Sooyoung. Since the rest never brought her it up, Wendy had incorrectly assumed that Irene had been living rather independently for the past two years.

However, after knowing that Irene had been coming back to town, not to mention keeping in contact with everyone else, it would seem that she was the one who needed a reality check.

“So, where’s Sooyoung?” She asked, as they made their way to Seulgi’s car.

She knew for a fact that Seulgi had been saving up for professional dance training through giving dance classes for the local students. The car was the first purchase using her own hard earned money. Seeing it in person made her heart swell with pride for her best friend.

“Sooyoungie? She’s busy with the preparations for the party tonight, or she would have insisted on coming along to pick you up.” Seulgi explained. “She was determined to host the party since you’re finally able to join this year.”

Laughter bubbled out from her. “That sounds like her.”

“Of course. She missed you almost as much as I did.” Seulgi declared proudly. She had broken into a grin just at the mention of the other girl. By the looks of things, their relationship was going well.

The ride into town was filled with lighthearted stories and moments of peaceful silence as Wendy gazed out the window. She was immensely thankful for the presence of her best friend; the comfort and ease of conversation being some of the things she missed the most about her. Without her saying anything, Seulgi somehow knew instinctively what Wendy needed.

The brunette opted to take the longer route home, despite the fact that Wendy technically needed time to settle down before the gathering in the evening. As a result, Wendy had time to soak in the changes that had befallen their small town and mentally unwind before having to meet everyone later.

They pulled up to the familiar house in peaceful silence. Wendy wondered if her parents were already waiting for her. She had texted them when she arrived. Knowing them, they would have lunch prepared for her despite her having said that she ate on the train.

Seulgi turned off the engine and turned to her with a closed lip smile.

“Do you still want me to pick you up later?”

Wendy smirked at her obvious reluctance to leave. “Don’t you need to help Sooyoung?”

There was a tiny groan from the girl next to her. “That’s all I’ve been doing for the past two days…”

The puppy eyes and pout that she was receiving from Seulgi made her laugh.

“She’s your girlfriend.” Wendy reminded her with a shrug.

“Oh! Speaking of that,” Seulgi’s disposition suddenly turned mischievous. “How’s things with yours?”

“My what?”

“You mentioned you went on a date last month?”

“Oh, that.” Wendy laughed awkwardly. She had almost forgotten that she told Seulgi about her blind date that was introduced to her by her friend. “It was okay.”

“Just okay?”

Wendy made a non-committal sound and grimaced. Chungha had nothing but good intentions but she really should have reinforced the “date” part before setting it up. It was embarrassing when she realised that the pretty girl had shown up expecting a platonic hangout.

She was fortunate that Sejeong had a good sense of humour, so the potentially awkward situation was quickly diffused once she established that she wasn’t looking for a relationship but they could be friends. Sejeong laughed easily and she was a delight to be around, so they exchanged contact details before parting ways. Despite the date being technically a failure, Wendy had gotten a great friendship out of it. She didn’t see a reason to complain.

However, Seulgi took her silence for reluctance and pat her knee in comfort.

“Well, you’re still single. Who knows if anyone will catch your eye while you’re in town.”

Wendy gave her a scathing look. Seulgi wasn’t being very discreet with her implications.

“Don’t even think about it.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Seulgi said in a sing-song voice.

Then, there was a chime on her phone, which made Seulgi frown and sigh. She turned to Wendy apologetically.

“I’ve gotta run. Sooyoung just asked me to pick up more plastic cups and tape from the store.”

“Whipped.” Wendy teased as she got out of the car.

“Shut up. ” Seulgi rolled her eyes fondly as she reversed the car. “See you later. Don’t be late.”

~~

She wasn’t late.

She had only reached a few minutes later than the time Seulgi had given her, but the crowd was already starting to arrive. The bulk were people Sooyoung knew, which basically included more than half the cohort. There were familiar faces amongst them; Jisoo and Chaeyoung among the few she recognized first.

Before Wendy could feel nervous at the amount of people around, she was yanked into the living room by Sooyoung.

“You’re finally here!” Sooyoung squealed gleefully. Wendy anticipated the hug so she swiftly moved the box she was holding out of the way to prevent her efforts from getting crushed. Seulgi, who had followed behind Sooyoung, kindly took the box so that Wendy could return Sooyoung’s hug enthusiastically.

“What’s this?” The curious brunette cracked the lid open slightly to take a whiff of the contents. Her eyes lit up in wonder. “Cupcakes!!!”

“Yah! Don’t touch those! I have to take a photo of them first.” Sooyoung slapped her girlfriend’s hand away before Seulgi could grab one. “A present from my favourite unnie…”

“I thought I was your favourite unnie.” Seulgi raised her eyebrows.

“You’re in a different category.” The brunette said, her arms still loosely wound around Wendy. Seulgi was still pouting, so Sooyoung rolled her eyes.

“Fine, you’re also my favourite.” Seulgi’s answering cheer was so endearing that Wendy just had to smile. She caught a quirk in Sooyoung’s lips before she tampered it down with feigned indifference.

“I’m going to put these away for later. You can get Seungwan-unnie settled in.” Sooyoung directed, taking the precious box of cupcakes away from Seulgi.

Wendy took the chance to look around the living room. The space was dimly lit, to emphasise on the fairy lights dangling around the walls. There were drinks in the kitchen and food lining the table. She reached for the punch, only for Seulgi to stop her hand before it reached .

“It’s probably spiked.” She explained, taking a small sip from the cup. She held it just out of Wendy’s reach with a frown, looking around the room as though she wanted to track the culprit down.

Her caution wasn’t unfounded. Wendy barely remembered the last time she had drunk at a party in high school. It was the first time she had gotten embarrassingly drunk. She had gotten a lecture from Seulgi when she woke up the next day, but she knew her best friend had just been concerned for her safety. Even Jisoo had texted her in the morning to make sure she was alive.

Since going to university, she had been informed of Seulgi’s not-so-secret attempts to build up her alcohol tolerance so that she could drink with her at parties and ensure she got home safe.

“I’ll be fine Seul. I know my limits now.” She reassured the other girl.

It was just a party. She had gone for a number of them, some even more rowdy, in college. If anything, she was here for Sooyoung. She wasn’t going to do anything that would inconvenience her.

She wasn’t counting on Kim Yerim to burst through the door in that moment, dragging a wide eyed Irene Bae behind her.

Wendy downed the glass of punch just as Seulgi muttered “here we go” under her breath.

It was going to be a long night.

~~

She really should have known that she would make a fool of herself the moment she was faced with Irene.

A few years had passed but Irene was as gorgeous as ever. Wendy wasn’t sure if it was possible for her to look even more beautiful than she remembered, but Irene did. She had an ethereal air about her, despite wearing just a simple white sundress. Her hair was curled in gentle waves that fell past her shoulders.

Probably noticing where her gaze had ended up, Seulgi pat her on the back with a pitying stare.

“Now instead of pretending you’re not curious about how she’s doing, you can ask her yourself.” Seulgi whispered, nodding to the recent arrivals.

She forcefully tore her gaze away from Irene and snatched another cup of punch, despite her best friend’s disapproving stare.

As if nearly choking on the amount of vodka inside the punch wasn’t bad enough, Yeri spotted her instantly due to her movement. Her sharp eyes brightened as she made her way over, her cousin still trailing along behind her. She watched as a cat-eyed girl, who had been latched to Jisoo earlier, break into a smile as she approached Irene.

Jennie Kim, she realised.

What surprised her was Irene’s genuine beam as she waved the other girl over and gave her a warm hug. The action broke her contact with Yeri. Wendy heaved a secret sigh of relief when Yeri left he