“S-Seul, I-I’m af-afraid.” Even now Bae Irene stuttered. Damn, who was that woman?

I unlocked her car with the remote. “Can I hug you?”

She, who was standing leaning against her car, nodded her head weakly. I pulled her into my arms. After that, she cried uncontrollably. She seemed to have been holding back the tears for a long time. I made a circular motion on her back, hoping it would calm her down.

After shedding her tears until she sobbed, I felt her weakened body in my arms. Her crying stopped. She fainted. I carried her into the car and immediately took her back to her apartment.

As soon as I got to the parking lot of her apartment, I carried her on my back to her place. I put her on her bed carefully, took off her high heels, and wrapped her in a blanket. I looked at her face, which was full of traces of tears.

"What's happening with you, baby?" I asked as I wiped the tears from her eyes. After that, I gave her a kiss on the top of her head, her forehead, and her eyes.

Several times, she sobbed in her sleep, making me lie down next to her. When she was like that, I pulled her into my arms and gently patted her back.

"I’m here and you’re okay, baby." I said those words over and over in her ear until her sobbing stopped and she slept again.

There was the sound of someone pressing Irene's apartment passcode and it made me get up and leave the room. I was surprised when I saw Joy and Yeri enter. Their faces showed concern. How did they know Irene's house passcode?

“How is Joohyun Unnie, Seulgi Unnie?” asked Joy.

Joohyun Unnie? Who are they really? "She is sleeping. How do you know the passcode? Why do you call her Joohyun Unnie? Not everyone knows that name." I looked at them suspiciously.

"She was crying until she passed out again?" This time it was Yeri who asked.

Again? So, it wasn't the first time she had cried herself out? "Yeah, just right in the office parking lot."

Joy and Yeri snorted in annoyance. "Damn! How dare that person show up again?!" Joy looked very angry.

"Who are you?" I asked again because they kept ignoring my questions.

"Kim Yerim, Joohyun Unnie's cousin."

"Park Sooyoung, used to be Joohyun Unnie's neighbor and her junior when she was in college."

"In the office, no one knows that we are close to Joohyun Unnie, except for Seungwan Unnie. The goal is to protect Joohyun Unnie from people who want to get close to her or who have malicious intentions towards her." Yeri explained further.

"We also know that Joohyun Unnie is already dating you, Seulgi Unnie," added Joy with a wide grin.

"Then who was that woman?" I ignored Joy, who was trying to tease.

"In that case, wait for Joohyun Unnie." Yeri answered me. She sat her on the sofa.

Joy nodded in agreement and sat down next to Yeri. "That's right."

I took a deep breath, a little annoyed actually. I sat on the single couch, thinking. Will Irene finally tell me about herself? I didn't even know that Yeri and Joy were among her closest people. What do I know about Irene?

"Unnie, Joohyun Unnie is not a person who is easy to open up to other people, especially her personal problems. She does have a lot of secrets, but that doesn't mean she's hiding it. Maybe she's just not ready to talk." Joy explained, and she seemed to understand what I was thinking.

"But we can see that Joohyun Unnie is comfortable and sincere with Unnie. Yerim hopes Unnie can stay with her because right now she really needs Unnie. Don't let Joohyun Unnie get hurt again."

"If Unnie hurts Joohyun Unnie too, we will intervene," added Joy.

If she meant to scare me, she succeeded. Now more people were watching me: her male cousin, Wendy, Joy, and Yeri. Ah, even Yongsun didn't seem to be reluctant to fight me if I hurt her best friend.

"Okay, thanks for your explanation."

^^^

When Irene got up and left the room, I, Joy, and Yeri were watching television in the living room. Irene looked awkward and nervous when her eyes met mine. I gave her a smile, glad she was finally awake.

"Hey, Unnie! Want to eat?" I made an offer. "We bought burgers earlier."

She nodded. "Yeah, I'm hungry." Finally, she sat between me and Joy.

I stood up from my seat, walked to the dining table, took a burger, and gave it to Irene. "I'm making tea, okay? Wait a moment." I kissed the top of her head and went to the kitchen.

As long as I was in the kitchen, Joy and Yeri acted normally towards Irene. They were busy discussing the drama they were watching. Irene ate her burger silently. I placed the hot tea I had brewed on the table in front of her.

"Thank you, Seul." She said quietly.

I smiled faintly. "Yeah, it doesn't matter