Chapter 2 (Irene)

The Obvious Unseen
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Irene

 

~~

 

The thing about being Irene Bae, was that everyone had their own expectations and impressions of her, including herself.

 

It was perfectly normal. Except, when every individual had a relative impression based on a part of her they saw, it created a situation where no one’s impression was necessarily wrong but none of them were exactly right either.

 

She was a dancer, because she was “suited” for their dance troupe. She was selected for the school committee because she “suited” leadership. She had been approached to model for the school magazine and handbook because she “suited” the look. Someone from the broadcast committee had even approached her with an offer to join their club because her voice “suited” program announcements.

 

Irene didn’t know how she could be deemed as suitable for so many labels when she could scarcely find the words to define herself.

 

She’d grown up as Bae Joohyun, a shy girl who, aside from her best friend, kept to herself most of the time.

 

From elementary to middle school, people stayed out of her way and hardly spoke more than two sentences to her. Until the day she came back from her international exchange as Irene Bae and suddenly, everyone knew her name. People still stayed out of her way and hardly spoke to her, but for completely different reasons. Now, when people approached her, it was to give her things. It ranged from compliments, accessories, or invitations to events and clubs.

 

Despite what most students her age would think, she actually cared a great deal about her academics. Her parents already had her life plan laid out for her, right down to the order of companies that she would apply to after graduation. Hence, she could afford no less than stellar grades and a stunning repertoire. However, she had another reason for enjoying her classes.

 

The best part about being in class was that she could be Bae Joohyun again and remain in the background unless she chose otherwise. She didn’t have to live up to any name or title or position while she was Joohyun, and she liked the familiarity of it.

 

English was her favourite module because she could get absorbed in reading and thinking, and no one could fault her for it. She had taken it as an extra class that would boost her GPA, not that she actually needed the help. As it was, she was already on the path to becoming valedictorian for her year.

 

As a child, Irene had always wanted to be a writer. She could build a world with words and thoughts that acted like bricks and mortar; and have its map and blueprint laid out over printed pages. It was like carving out a path into every reader’s mind and letting them form their own interpretation of her words. It was beautiful to imagine that simple words and letters could linger in someone’s mind and construct their point of view.

 

Of course, that wasn’t a feasible dream. Being the eldest daughter in a family that was counting on her to make her education worth the money, she had high expectations to live up to.

 

Her family had been running a restaurant in the small town for as long as she could remember. They hadn’t been well off and the business had been a struggle to maintain during their worst periods, but it was something that they were proud of. It was through time, careful and meticulous planning that the restaurant’s name grew bigger and more established.

 

Things got better, but whenever they did, something always happened.

 

That was when her mother got sick. It was pneumonia, according to the doctors. Common, lethal but also preventable. Those words haunted her as she watched her mother struggle to breathe, lying on a frail hospital bed.

 

Despite gaining recognition, the restaurant profits were barely covering the cost of rent, ingredients, maintenance and school fees. To add on hospital bills and the fact that her father would be managing the business alone, like the very illness that kept her mother in bed, if left without remedy, it would likely be fatal.

 

Then, Irene’s younger sister made the choice to drop out of school and help with running the business. She was a promising student, but she never looked back. She remained there ever since.

 

It threw a wrench in the plan for both their daughters to become successful businesswomen. However, the Baes were planners. Irene’s parents had long since apportioned the sums required for both their daughters’ educations. As the eldest, Irene wanted to reserve the money in case her sister decided to return to school later on, but their parents decided to send her overseas instead.

 

In one fell swoop, the family’s hope for success had been cast upon her. As much as she had her own dreams, she couldn’t be selfish when her family had sacrificed so much for her already. It was her duty to follow the path they painstakingly carved out, especially since she was the only one who had been given the chance to.

 

“Follow the plan and success will follow.”

 

Romance hadn’t been on the forefront of her mind.

 

That being said, it wasn’t to say that she had never considered it. Dating, that is.

 

She had received numerous confessions over the years, both from people she knew and from people she had never spoken to. Yet, whenever she asked them for the reason of their interest, it was always along the same line of thought. If it wasn’t “You’re beautiful and smart”, it was “I think we’d make a good couple”.

 

She had heard both lines more times than she could count, and it was usually from an overly confident guy that she paid less than two seconds of attention to. Ever since one senior accused her of leading him on by accepting his offer to hold her books, she stopped accepting gestures of any kind from any guys.

 

Rumours of her being an ice queen in the romance department quickly spread after that, and she chose not to correct them. It was better that way, Irene thought. No one could misunderstand her actions.

 

However, there were still people who confessed to try their luck. It didn’t make sense to Irene, to confess to someone whom they didn’t even know. That wasn’t “like”, much less was it “love”. It was probably closer to infatuation with an idea of someone. Five minutes with that person was all it took to gauge their sincerity.

 

Needless to say, it became more of a nuisance than an actual compliment, despite Sooyoung’s insistence otherwise. Sooyoung might mean well but she had a rather different outlook when it came to romance. Hence, Irene always took her advice with a pinch of salt.

 

The younger girl was the closest person she had to a friend in school even though they had opposite personalities. Of course, she had her cousin too, but they were blood related so she didn’t technically count.

 

Sooyoung might be flirty with almost everyone around her but when she fell for someone, she loved wholly and deeply. It was the kind of love that needed reciprocity or it would become overwhelming.

 

Irene couldn’t love like that. She was hesitant and cautious. She was the type who grew in love, instead of fell in love. She didn’t like that phrase because “falling” suggested that the entire act was thoughtless and there was no choice to be made. For her, it was everything but. There was a process. Every action had consequences. So, before any action is done, there has to be thought, a decision and then it was followed by the action.

 

It didn’t mean that she wouldn't give things a chance to develop though.

 

Hence, when she found the letter from one Kang Seulgi inside her locker one morning, she thought twice before slipping it into her bag and walking past the trash can.

 

~~

 

“Unnie, you’re finally away from the witch’s grasp.”

 

She looked up from her book at the familiar voice. Sooyoung loathed spending time in the library unless she had good reason to, like spying on one of her crushes, so it had to be Yeri who had found her. 

 

“Language, Kim Yerim.” She reminded. “We’re in a school library.”

 

“Sorry, I meant to say .” The younger girl retorted under her breath, just clear enough for her to hear. Irene would raise her eyebrows if she hadn’t already heard worse words slip out of her cousin’s mouth on more than one occasion. “But I really wanted to emphasize that she puts people under a spell on good days, and curses them on bad days.”

 

Irene bit back a smile at the comment. It was amusing how often Yeri and Sooyoung fought. They were like two kids on a playground. They would find the simplest excuse to irritate the other, such that it was sometimes difficult to imagine that Joy was a sophomore and Yeri was a freshman. The two of them were more alike than each of them would like to admit.

 

“What did you do to Sooyoung this time?”

 

“Unnie! How could you suspect me of doing something to her?”

 

“Because it’s you, Yerimie.” Irene replied. Her younger cousin was still a first year student, but she acted more like a sophomore student with her devil-may-care attitude. She was sure that Yeri would probably pass off as intimidating if not for her practically raising her cousin. Yeri’s parents were busy with work, so more often than not, they would drop Yeri off at the restaurant. Despite their age difference, Irene would babysit her and coach her with homework. She still looked like a baby to her. In some ways, she always would be.

 

“What happened to your truce?”

 

“Blame the evil woman who broke into my locker and replaced my gym clothes with pyjamas! I was just getting even.” Irene shook her head. She was glad she wasn't a part of the rampant prank wars which plagued her friends.

 

In many ways, she was grateful for Yeri and Sooyoung’s friendships. They didn’t have misguided expectations or treat her differently, so being around them was a breath of fresh air.

 

“Kim Yerim! Get your out here!” The sudden commotion at the entrance of the library drew her attention. She turned to her cousin with a suspicious gaze and noticed that she had become a shade paler. She nearly laughed at the sight.

 

“Uh... Good talk, unnie! I’ll catch up with you later!” The other girl pushed her seat back and darted behind the shelves, probably to find a hiding place until she could make her escape.

 

These children, she thought.

 

“Yeri, you’re not going to get away with this! When I find you- oh, hi unnie!” Sooyoung’s head poked around the shelf, her scowl turning into a friendly smile when she noticed her. She stepped fully into view, although she held her computer in a way that strategically covered the front of her skirt. “Have you seen your annoying brat of a cousin today?”

 

Irene shrugged, trying not to stare and wonder if there was a particular reason for her posture. There probably was, but she knew better than to get involved. “She stopped by earlier, but she already left.”

 

Sooyoung huffed in frustration, her lips forming a pout that would have been cute except Irene had seen it being used on an unsuspecting victim more than she could count.

 

She had no doubt that Sooyoung would find Yeri by the end of the day. The older girl was tenacious, if anything. However, by then, she would probably have calmed down to a point where she wouldn’t commit murder at large. Irene preferred not to involve herself in their squabbles unless it was deemed necessary.

 

As the taller girl stalked off, Irene took out a page from her letter writing set. It had been collecting dust since she didn’t have any occasion to use it for, until now.

 

She had read the letter twice.

 

Kang Seulgi was not an unfamiliar name. That was the first reason why she kept the letter.

 

Seulgi was a junior from her dance team and part of the dance committee. Hence, they were acquainted, but they hardly spoke about topics that weren’t related to dance. As far as she knew, Seulgi was responsible, kind and amicable. She could have her pick of girls, or boys, to choose from. Yet, she chose to confess to her.

 

Who even wrote letters nowadays?

 

Well, Irene did. But it wasn’t something that most people knew about her. Yeri already called her “grandma” as a joke, she didn’t need to provide her with more ammunition to further her cause.

 

As for Seulgi, from all the committee meetings they’ve had, she hadn’t struck her as a literary person, although her use of references certainly indicated otherwise. The way she wrote her letter was intelligent and thoughtful, two things which drew her attention.

 

Pablo Neruda was an interesting as well as an unusual choice. Irene had the opportunity to study his poems during he

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Comments

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wenrenes
#1
ah here we go again (rereading this for the umpteenth time)
Irenebaewendy
#2
Sepertinya menarik
Baratie
#3
Chapter 19: Definitely would come back to this. Amazing story!
Mishy12
#4
Chapter 19: I really like how the story was written. Thank you, author-nim. 💙
TaeSicaDaisy #5
Chapter 19: So good 🩵
morphine007 #6
reread💪
saintloost
#7
I'd always come back to this fic.
thequietone
16 streak #8
Chapter 19: <span class='smalltext text--lighter'>Comment on <a href='/story/view/1478538/19'>Epilogue</a></span>
This was such a wonderful and beautiful fic to read. I love how it feels kinda real and also feels like the real wenrene. I love their personalities. Your writing is superb. I love the elements you put into it. Would love to read more of them as gfs tho but still This is seriously good. Thank you.
euieae10 #9
Chapter 19: Your take on “The Half of It” with WenRene is really amazing! You’ve captured both their real-life personalities and placed them in this story like you personally know them. I loved reading every bit. Thank you, author!
Tristwch
#10
Chapter 19: This fic is really so good and imo the best depiction of RPF character that I've ever read. Seungwan in this fic is the closest real life idol 'Seungwan'. Smarty pants, insightful af, spouting some random nerdy , warm hearted but not pushover, has the tendency to help people, greasy/playful and sometimes a fool/clumsy, and lastly genuine. There are so many quotes from her in this fic that I felt the Youngstreet's DJ Wendy would ever say in her radio program. I've been listening to her radio dj program since she became a dj, so it's just crazy that the author of this fic nailed her character so damn right. It's like... the writing of her character is so organic.