Meant To Be

Three

 

 

Gleeful.

 

That’s what Wendy truly feels, but her stiff composure doesn’t fade as she reluctantly glances at the body next to her; casually eating a slice of pizza, eyes focused on the screen, marvelous and cute. And it rounds back to her contemplating if this was any good, because this feels so domestic as if the other girl has been around forever.

 

“This is so much better than getting dinner at some fancy place.” Irene breathes, smiling at the penguin in the screen.

 

It’s their first hangout yet Irene looks so cozy and comfortable which leaves Wendy to wonder if the latter’s character is build up like that because she’s silently freaking out herself. But plainly, it’s her fault. Irene had invited her to dinner, but being the poor girl she is right now, she modified the plan and invited her to her place instead. All because she could afford some pizzas and sodas from out her lonely pocket.

 

“What’s so interesting about them?” Wendy asks, finishing up the remaining of her homemade lemonade. Irene whips her head around, a look of disapproval clearly visible from the scrunchy brows. “What?”

 

“Did I hear you asking what’s so interesting about penguins? Cause if it is, I’m ready to fight you.” 

 

Wendy loosens herself and leans back at the couch fully, “Please enlighten me.” 

 

“Male penguins gift females rock to ing woo them. Isn’t that the cutest ever?” Irene gestures to the television and Wendy follows her gesture, finding countless penguins huddling around while the narrator’s voice is playing.

 

“So, you like someone to gift you a rock. Got it. Another fact to learn about you.” Wendy gives a bashful smile. They’ve been in the exact spot for like two hours, but it was mostly Irene revealing about her life as a study session to fool her parents, especially the infamous mom.

 

It’s also kind of incredible how Wendy likes to converse with Irene and they kind of have a connection to make this work.

 

“I am not liking that tone, missy. It’s not about wanting a rock, it’s about acknowledging how cute of a creature they are.” 

 

“You’re strange.” 

 

“Coming from a person who is very normal about doing an odd job?” Irene says with a hint of tease and eats the last of the crust.

 

“You make it sound like I’m doing something sinful when instead you should be thinking about how odd of an offer you make.”

 

“You’ll know once you meet my dear mother. And you wholeheartedly agreed to this arrangement.” Irene shakes her head, switching the channel to something else as the screen shows the credit scene.

 

“Okay, now you’ve put an image of an evil sorcerer of your mother in my head.” 

 

“It depends on her mood, she’ll show off her numerous personality based on how she wants the day to go.”

 

“Now she does witchcraft, more information I need to know about her?” 

 

“She’s great at figuring things out so what you mustn’t do when you first meet is be scared.”

 

“That’s not really helpful.”

 

“It’s the only information I have about my own mother, unless you want to know her night care routine?”

 

“Pretty sure I wouldn’t afford it.” Wendy cackles at her own joke and Irene joins a beat later, “That was such a bad dig at yourself.”

 

“And we’re both laughing.”

 

Irene tunes down the television, “Your cat sure is comfortable as hell with a stranger in the house.”

 

“I could say the same about you.” Wendy blurts out and instantly regrets it, she clears , “I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

The room is filled with pretty laughter and Wendy wishes  to hear it more often, “I spent the last two days surrounded by brainy people and some rowdy patients to even feel nervous right now. Though it would be a different scene if I wake up from a very good sleep and you’re the one I wake up to.” 

 

Wendy almost chokes as she observes Irene, who has a sheepish smile and hopes her flushed cheeks don’t give her away. 

 

“I’m joking.” Irene gives a small smile.

 

Wendy cracks, “O—I know.” 

 

“But I’m glad it’s you, Joy did something right for the first time.” 

 

“She still scares me.” Wendy’s glad they’ve moved from the awkwardness there if there was any or she’s the only one feeling it, “Thank you, I’m only doing this for cash so you shouldn’t appreciate me that much.”

 

“You’re nice.” Irene sports a dazzling smile, “We’ll be friends at the end of the week, no doubt.”

 

“Here I thought we were past that already.” Wendy slyly smiles.

 

“I just met you yesterday…though it feels like I’ve known you for longer.” Irene admits and there’s a warm bubbling inside Wendy which automatically makes her grin, “Thank god, I wasn’t the only one feeling it.”

 

Irene giggles, “Doesn’t that make us long lost friends?”

 

“But I would have remembered you,” Wendy simply says, Irene smirking a little bit but it falls out after, “No one forgets a weirdo who loves pineapple on pizzas.” 

 

“We are not having this argument again.” Irene scoffs, clearly wanting to avoid the thirty minutes of banter they had earlier due to the pizza preference to happen again.

 

And that’s about how they spent their first strategy hangout together; getting comfortable and learning about eachother. Few days later they find themselves having lunch at the famous cafe around the area and Irene playfully pays for it, even though Wendy had reluctantly stated to split the bill but she only got a lazy grin in return, ‘this is me flattering you so you could join the pineapple pizza club’ 

 

Two hangouts and Wendy glowing is what Jisoo notices one fine morning . They’re panting as they settle down on the bench, Jisoo producing coherent sounds which is brutal to listen if you’re near the almost passed out body. 

 

Wendy twists the cap from the water bottle and hands over to the side, “You sound like hyenas.” 

 

“I don’t know why you do this to yourself every morning!” Jisoo’s voice is low, grumbling while she drinks the water, rather forces it down .

 

“I didn’t invite you, you invited yourself.”

 

“I wanted to live up my fantasy of being a hot sweaty running girl.” Jisoo grits.

 

Wendy gives a mocking smile, “A myth. No one looks hot sweaty, it’s gross.”

 

“Lisa looks the hottest with those sweaty face.”

 

“God, thank goodness I’m leaving tomorrow away from all your bed information of Lisa.” Wendy barfs herself, looking at her watch, “It’s 7, your fault for slowing me down, I always beat that perfect 6:30.”

 

“Not everyone is crazy to wake up at 5 every morning to run like a maniac.” 

 

“It’s healthy.” Wendy says as a matter of fact, “But you wouldn’t know since you always missed your health classes.”

 

“Oh, forget about being healthy when you’ve snatched a freaking doctor.” Jisoo smirks this time, totally catching Wendy off guard.

 

“Pretense.” Wendy reminds.

 

“And you’re willingly doing it? Or did that cop find something about you to blackmail?” 

 

“This was much better option than finding a sugarmommy…or stripping down.” 

 

“You can give that little show to your fake girlfriend, you know. She’ll be so delighted.”

 

Wendy grunts, “I don’t know why I give you any time of my day.”

 

“Cause you momentarily hate everyone resulting to only having me and you’re too broke to shut me down.”

 

“I do it for free dinner.” 

 

“Do you realize that this doctor of yours is literally a sugarmommy…one way or another?”

 

“It’s too early for me to decipher your words.” 

 

Jisoo’s calls fill out the morning breeze as Wendy ignores her and starts to jog back to her apartment. She can feel her sweat trailing down her back as her mind shifts to those captivating eyes, that smile when she’d tried to use a pickup line but miserably failed, and that head tilt when informing about the crazy oriented family as some hard judges. Before she’s completely drowning in this strange yet comfortable pool of feelings, she is engulfed with the familiar aura of loneliness as if seething at her for even thinking about happiness.

 

She doesn’t want to dwell on the past but it occasionally comes around to her up leaving her shattered but she desperately wants to fight it off so she could do one job right.

 

“It’s all an act anyway” She mutters.

 

                                        ———

 

 

“Fancy seeing you here, with how busy you’ve been with your girlfriend I thought we had to book an appointment to see your face.” Seulgi looks at the door with a smirk but Irene gives her the finger. 

 

“I have a massage appointment later, do you want to tag along?” Irene asks as she goes into to the kitchen to grab a glass of water.

 

“I like how you didn’t correct me there.” Seulgi yells out.

 

“What’s the point of doing that? I have to get used to that term before the real starts….” 

 

“I can’t wait to see how that turns out for you…but I trust that y ’s judgement.” Seulgi scoots over to let Irene sit even though there’s enough room for four of them.

 

“Are we ing about Joy now?” Irene quirks.

 

“She blew my offer to go hangout with that from the fire department. Talk about loyalty here. Next time her drunk throws up, I’m going to shove her face inside the toilet bowl.” Seulgi mutters.

 

“What was your offer?” 

 

“Having as Santa and Elf.” 

 

Irene rolls her eyes, “I truly wonder why she blew you off.”

 

“Hey! At least that’s better what you did to Doyeon.”

 

“That was middle school. And she didn’t talk to me after that.” Irene says with embarrassment.

 

“I mean, that girl invited you but you show up to her Halloween party in a mothering inflatable cat costume. What did you expect to happen?” 

 

“For the matter of fact, she said that she wanted me to be a cat!” Irene fights.

 

“She meant catwoman! For a doctor, you’re really dumb.” 

 

“You’re telling me this after sixteen years?” Irene scowls as she fumes.

 

“I am a human and I have human tendencies such as curiosity, so I let it happen to see the next chapter.” Seulgi shrugs.

 

“I am revoking your title of bestfriend,” Irene finishes her glass of water and checks her phone, “have you packed yet?”

 

“Not everyone’s crazy like you to pack a week earlier.”

 

“We are flying tomorrow Seul, more reasons to get your ready, I don’t want you whining about leaving your minnie mouse hat for the entirety of the flight.”

 

“It’s my travel buddy that keeps me sane, but go off, be y about it.” 

 

“But, with all due respect, when am I gonna meet your girlfriend?”

 

Irene corrects this time, “Fake girlfriend.”

 

“Whatever you oldies are calling it these days.” Seulgi smugly says, and Irene slaps her arm rather hardly, “You’re only a year younger than me.”

 

“You’re thirty, I’m still at my golden line of twenties.” 

 

“She’s flying with us in the same plane so I think not meeting is unavoidable at any cost.” 

 

“Fair enough, so you’ve hung out with her…uhm….I’ve lost counts actually.”

 

“Two times only.” Irene sternly says, scrolling through her gallery mindlessly, never realizing how many pictures she took while she hung out with Wendy. Pictures of everything; the food, the sky, the cobblestones  and one of Wendy talking with the waiter. 

 

Irene Bae is not a photo person at all.

 

“Sounds like you want to hangout more.” Seulgi slides over, pressing her chin on Irene’s shoulder and invading the small space to look at the pictures. Irene doesn’t fight back, slowly smiles, “She’s a great company.”

 

“Better than me?” 

 

Irene nods, “Far more better than you.” 

 

“I’m snitching on you to Taeyeon.” Seulgi says.

 

“All jokes aside, you’ll like her. She’s smart, knows what to say but…there are times she’s funnily shy, it’s kind of cute.” 

 

Seulgi doesn’t say anything as she moves away, grinning at her friend with a slight glint of softness in her eyes. Irene’s far more shocked to not find Seulgi talking for once so she looks up to her, “What?”

 

Seulgi repeats, “What?”

 

“I know that look, Seul. Spit it out.” 

 

“Nothing!”

 

“Stop lying.” 

 

“I’m just excited for this trip after all. I know it’s gonna be hella good.” Seulgi chirps. 

 

“Take some lying lesson, will you?” Irene jabs at her.

 

“I’m really eager to meet your girlfriend now.”

 

“And I am so not ready to meet mom and her group.” 

 

“Shut up, her group is such a delight.” 

 

“You don’t really mean that, do you?”

 

Seulgi sneers, “Delight? My ! Of course, I didn’t mean it. They’re a ing cult!”

 

Irene barks out a laugh, almost falling from the couch, “I can still hear them sing that song.” Seulgi dares her to speak further but Irene isn’t intimidated and does what she wants, as always, “Sooyoung and Seulgi, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G.”

 

Cushions are thrown around with lots of chasing and running,