"You sure you're not coming with me?" Wendy pouted as Joy helped her with her travel bag at the departure area of the airport.

"You know I would if I could. But I have a business to run," Joy frowned.

"It's just a five-days trip though."

The tall girl sighed. "I know. The new manager I hired is coming this week. Let me meet her first and make sure that everything in the shop is settled. Then I'll book a flight to come after you, because I bet your family misses me that much too."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. Promise. Anyway, where is your fiancée?"

Wendy scanned the place for the person in question, and her eyes landed on a familiar woman in an elegant black turtleneck neatly tucked into khaki trousers. She wore light gray high heels and sunglasses. The chief was walking towards them. Why did it seem like it was in slow motion? Wendy didn't know why.

Damn.

"Damn," she heard Joy say, vocalizing the word that had been in her head. "You said she's a witch."

Wendy cleared and her thoughts as she watched her best friend ogle at her boss. "She is."

"You didn't tell me she's one in' smoking hot supermodel witch."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Shut up. Close your mouth before you drool all over here."

"You're one lucky bastard."

"I'm the lucky one now? I thought you were my best friend," the blonde narrowed her eyes.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, look at yourself." Joy eyed her from head to toe. She unconsciously looked at herself too.

Her airport outfit is nothing fancy like Irene's. She's just wearing a plaid light blue flannel over a black tank top, black skinny ripped jeans, and black combat shoes. It's simple, and she may look like a peasant next to Irene Bae, but it suits her mood perfectly. She just wants to be as comfortable as possible for the trip.

"You, Son Seungwan, are one hella snack. Scratch that. You are not a snack. You are a full-course meal. Ms. Smexy Boss over there is luckier to have you as her fiancée."

"Shut up," the blonde smiled. Joy really knows how to compliment a person. No wonder a lot of people fall for this gorgeous ball of sunshine. But a lot of people also misinterpret her compliments as flirting. So, even though Joy is a very lovable person, she also unintentionally breaks many hearts too.

"But seriously, you don't have to be insecure just because she's this almighty Irene Bae you've known. I know that for two years, this woman has put you in a box that at some point, you started doubting yourself, but you shouldn't. You are a great person, inside and out, Seungwan-ah. Start giving yourself credit."

Wendy didn't want to argue with that because what Joy said was true. She left their home for a dream and landed a secretarial job to start. It's been two years, and her witch of a boss doesn't even acknowledge all the work she's put into the company. It made her question herself. What if it's not really meant for her? What if she's not good enough for it? There are a whole lot of other 'What ifs' in her mind, and it sometimes consumes her. But she's thankful that she has Joy beside her. She's thankful that when she feels like she's drowning, there's a Sooyoung who saves her from it and keeps her head above water. "I ing love you, Park Sooyoung."

"I love you too. And even though I have a bad feeling about this whole messed-up situation you've gotten yourself into, I also believe you know what you're doing. Right?"

The blonde took a deep breath. "Of course, of course. Just trust me on this, okay?"

"Fine. Just don't come running back to me with your ugly crying when everything goes South."

Wendy knew it was a joke. She knew she could come running to her best friend whenever, wherever.

She was about to say something, but Irene was almost in front of them.

"Did you bring your whole wardrobe?" Wendy said as Irene approached them, pulling a huge LV suitcase behind her. "Or are you already moving in with me and my family?"

"Don't start with me. I needed all of this," Irene responded with a glare.

"If you say so. But I'm not helping you with that. Just to remind you, I am not your personal assistant today. I am your... uh, your fiancée."

"A fiancée who doesn't care about her fiancée? Sounds very doting to me."

"Oh. You guys are so cute together!" Joy clasped her hands.

What happened to you having a bad feeling about all of this?

Wendy saw Irene give Joy a confused look.

"Uh, Irene, this is Joy. Joy, this is Irene," she introduced the two.

Joy offered a handshake, which Irene surprisingly took.

"Joy, the one who wrote on the cup and the one who gave you a kiss mark?" Irene asked curiously, earning a hearty laugh from Joy.

"Oh! That was nothing. We were just playing. You don't have to worry about me getting in the way of your relationship. I'm her best friend," Joy reassured.

Wendy's cheeks flushed when reminded of what they did. She watched Irene throw another confused look at Joy, maybe wondering what kind of best friends would kind of make out and call it "playing." It is embarrassing. Her once pink cheeks turned bright red.

"Okay, that's enough. We need to board now," she said as she pulled Irene away from her best friend. "You," she turned towards Joy. "Call me or text me or whatever. Don't do anything stupid while I'm away."

"Yes, ma'am," Joy said as she leaned and pecked a kiss on the blonde's cheek. "Have a safe flight. Say hi to Halmi for me."

"Will do." Wendy smiled and left with Irene.

----------------------------------------------------------

WENDY'S AIRPORT OUTFIT

IRENE'S AIRPORT OUTFIT:

*CREDITS TO THE OWNERS OF THE PHOTOS*

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"So, is it your ?" Irene asked the blonde beside her. Wendy had been unusually quiet since the plane took off. She had initially thought Wendy might be hungry, but six hours had passed, and they had already finished a meal and a snack, yet Wendy hadn't said a word. Not even a snide remark. She wasn't even sleeping. The blonde was just staring blankly out the window, as if she were the main character in a sad romantic music video.

Irene is bored. She needs to be entertained. As much as she does not want to disturb Wendy's peace, there is no one else to talk to.

"What?" Wendy looked away from the window to face her with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Is it your ?" she repeated.

"What are you saying?"

"Making out with your close friends? Is that a thing now?"

The blonde was clearly taken aback by her silly question, but it did not fail to bring a prominent blush, just like it did when she and Joy mentioned it earlier at the airport.

"Why are you even asking me this? If it is, it's none of your business."

"Yes, it is if it will be one of the questions at the immigration interview."

Wendy snickered. "They will never ask such an inappropriate thing."

"You don't know that."

"Fine. Just to put a stop to this curiosity, I'm gonna answer your question."

"I'm listening," Irene crossed her arms, adjusting comfortably in her seat.

"Not my thing. We were just intoxicated with alcohol when it happened. We were just... just having too much fun and got carried away."

"So is it like friends with benefits?"

"What? No! Joy has been my best friend since childhood. It was a one-time thing. It will never happen again."

"Hmmm. Okay," Irene hummed, finding entertainment in Wendy's flustered face.

She watched the blonde pull out the booklet she was carrying earlier.

"You know what, let's take a look at the actual questions they might ask. This is a guidebook about the immigration interview. Now, the good news is I know almost everything about you. The bad news is you only have five days to learn all this about me. You should probably start studying."

Irene grabbed the book from Wendy and scanned the questions herself.

"You know all the answers to these questions about me?" Irene asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Scary, isn't it?"

"Hmm, a little bit." It's actually maybe true given that Wendy has been her personal assistant slash secretary for 2 years now and that the blonde is always keen on details. On the other hand, she doesn't know anything personal about Wendy aside from the basic information stated on her curriculum vitae.

"What am I allergic to?" Irene asked, reading a question from the booklet.

"Crustaceans. You also deeply hate chicken too. And the full spectrum of human emotions."

"Ha ha. That's funny," the chief chuckled in a fake manner. "Hmm, here's a good one. Do I have any scars?"

"Not that I'm aware of. But I'm pretty sure you have a tattoo."

"Oh? You're pretty sure?"

"I'm quite sure. About a year ago, your dermatologist called and asked about a Q-switched laser. I Googled it and found out that the procedure is used to remove tattoos."

Irene can no longer deny the information.

"But you canceled it. So which one is it? Vikings tattoo? Korean calligraphy? Or barbed wires?"

Irene narrowed her eyes to the blonde who had a teasing expression on her face. "You know it is exciting for me to experience you like this.", she said in a sarcastic tone.

"Thank you. You're gonna have to tell me where it is though."

"No, I'm not."

"They're gonna ask."

"No, they're not."

"They will."

"We're done with that question, Wendy. We're done with that question." Irene repeated the sentence for Wendy to understand that she doesn't want to discuss the topic anymore. "Let me see another one.", she flipped the page. "Oh. Here's one. Whose place do we stay at? Yours or mine? That's easy. Mine." she said.

"And why wouldn't we stay at mine?"

"Ah. Because I live at Central Park West. And you probably live in some filthy little studio-type apartment with stacks of yellowed Nicholas Sparks novels everywhere."

She can feel Wendy's glare boring through the side of her head as if Wendy is drilling laser beams through her skull.

Wendy's irritation was evident, and she remained quiet for the rest of the trip.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts. We are beginning our descent into Jeju Island," Irene heard the plane intercom announce. After almost a day of travel time, including the connecting flight they took, they had finally arrived at their destination. Irene was extremely tired, suffering from massive jet lag, and desperate for some rest. As they entered the arrival area of Jeju International Airport, she noticed Wendy scanning the crowd of people holding placards and welcoming disembarking passengers.

"There they are," she heard Wendy mutter. Following the blonde's gaze, she spotted three women excitedly waving at Wendy, two of them holding placards that read "WELCOME HOME WENDY & IRENE!" while the third one said, "SUP ES??"

The first woman must be the grandmother, as she's much older than the other two. The one in the middle could be the mom or an aunt. The one on the far right is much younger, possibly Wendy's younger sister. However, Wendy hadn't mentioned anything about a sister or a sibling, and the girl doesn't look like her.

"There she is!" exclaimed the lady in the middle, and Wendy sprinted towards them without checking if Irene was even following.

"Annyeong!" Wendy greeted the three with the brightest smile, her mood completely different from that on the plane. Irene, being Korean as well, understood that the greeting meant "Hello."

"Ohhh, it's so good to see you, honey," the lady in the middle hugged the blonde tightly.

"It's good to see you too, Mom," Wendy replied.

Oh. The mother.

"You're suffocating her, Seung-ah. Come here, Seungwan," the old lady said, motioning for the blonde to embrace her too.

"Oh, Halmi! I missed you!"

Seungwan. She had seen the Korean name in Wendy's records, but she had become so accustomed to calling her by her English name (as Wendy insisted) that she had almost forgotten that the name Seungwan ever existed. Irene couldn't explain it, but hearing someone address Wendy by her true Korean name felt significantly different.

"How about me, unnie?" The one holding the 'SUP ES??' placard and the youngest of the three ladies pouted on the side. The girl is pretty much the same height as her and Wendy.

"Ya! You've grown!" Wendy addressed the girl and gave her a bear hug.

"Of course I have. You're the one who didn't," the girl smirked, earning a smack on the head from the blonde.

"Where's Dad?" Wendy asked, scanning the crowd for the man in question.

"Oh. You know your father. He's always working," the mom said. "Never mind about him. Where's your girl?"

"Ah! She's right here," Wendy finally turned towards her, giving her enough space for an introduction.

"Oh. I guess the word 'girl' is inappropriate, huh?" the grandma remarked as she saw Irene.

"Irene, this is my mom, Seung-ah. Mom, this is Irene," the blonde introduced the two.

"Hello," she smiled. Seung-ah was about to give her a warm hug, but Irene wasn't used to hugs, so she nervously offered her hand for a handshake, as if it were a business meeting.

"This is my Halmi, Soonhee."

"Pleasure to meet you," Irene shook Halmi's hand.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Irene," Halmi Soonhee warmly said.

"And this is my cousin, Yeri."

Irene did a handshake with the girl named Yeri too. "Hi."

"So you're Seungwan-unnie's girlfriend, huh? Do you prefer being called Irene or Satan's Mistress? Because we've heard it both ways. Actually, we've heard it lots of ways," Yeri said with a mischievous smile.

Had she been that horrible with Wendy that the blonde had come up with so many awful nicknames for her?

"Ya! Kim Yerim!" Seung-ah scolded. "Don't take her seriously, she's just kidding," the woman forced a chuckle.

"Oh... Alright." But Irene was fairly certain Yeri hadn't meant it as a joke. "Thank you for letting me be part of your family gathering."

"You're very welcome! We're delighted to have you," Halmi replied. "Come on, let's take you two back home so you can have a meal and rest."

After picking up her LV suitcase from the Baggage Claim Area, they made their way to the black Range Rover parked outside the building.

A Range Rover? Wendy must have put some effort into finding a decent car to drive they can use in this small city, but it didn't have to be this extravagant. She guessed it must have cost Wendy quite a bit, and the blonde might be running low on funds by now."

"You don't have to rent an expensive car just to impress me," Irene whispered.

"What?"

"I'd be fine with a simple hatchback as long as it's comfortable."

"What are you saying?"

"That I bet you emptied your piggy bank just to rent this car for me."

Wendy let out a laugh. "Well, yeah, most likely. Because you're a high-maintenance girlfriend, and I know you won't settle for less."

Irene recognized Wendy's sarcastic remark but couldn't understand how the blonde could still laugh, given that she likely had a zero balance in her bank account.

As she gets into the car, she wonders why Wendy is getting into the back seat with her too. "You're not driving?", she asked.

"I don't...–"

"She doesn't drive.", Yeri, who is comfortably sitting in the passenger seat, answered for Wendy.

"Then who will d—"

A man opened the door from the driver's side.

"He is.", Wendy gestured to the man.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Wendy.", the man greeted as he sat on the driver's seat.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Choi.", the blonde smiled warmly. "How are you?"

Living on a small island, Irene assumed you'd get to know the community and its residents, especially when you were born and raised here, because there was no way the chauffeur was included in the car rental package; that would be too expensive. She worried that Wendy would accumulate debt during their fake marriage if she kept pulling stunts like this.

"I'm good. It's great to see you here again. I hope you'll have a wonderful vacation."

"Thank you, Mr. Choi."

The driver started the car and drove away from the airport.

"What are you doing?" she whispered to the blonde.

"What?"

"Just because we're together doesn't mean you can borrow or spend my money once you run out of it."

"What the hell are you saying?"

"The expensive car rental. The chauffeur," Irene said, her doe eyes widening as she tried to make her point to Wendy.

She heard Yeri's laugh from the front seat. Whether it was because the girl's eyes were glued to her phone and there was something funny on the screen, or if it was because the girl had heard what she had said, Irene couldn't tell.

"Relax, baby. It's been handled," Wendy reassured her, emphasizing the word 'baby' because the blonde didn't want her cousin to think that they were fighting.

She exhaled. She was just worried about Wendy's financial situation. It's not that she deeply cared about it, but she was concerned that it might lead to bankruptcy, which could affect their entire plan. However, if the blonde said it's been handled, then she would let it go.

"Where's your mom and your grandma?"

"They went ahead first. Mom said they're going to get something from the store. Just relax, okay?"

----------------------------------------------------------

After more than two hours of road travel, Irene slowly opened her eyes to assess her surroundings. She must have drifted off to sleep. She panicked slightly, wondering where the hell she was and why she was in a car in an unfamiliar place. However, she eventually relaxed when she saw a sleeping Wendy beside her. YYeri was still on her phone, so Irene assumed she hadn't taken a nap like they did. They entered a road with fewer buildings, houses, and cars, and the next thing Irene knew, they were already on the outskirts of Jeju-do. It was less busy than Jeju City, but there were still buildings, restaurants, and stores visible. Irene recognized some of the establishments from the city earlier. These must have been prominent brands in Jeju, yet Irene couldn't shake the feeling that the business names seemed oddly familiar.

JEJU SOUVENIRS: THE SON'S COLLECTION

THE SON'S URBAN KITCHEN: Est. 1970

THE SON'S CAFE 21

THE SON'S SUPERMARKET

THE SON'S RURAL BANK

And several other businesses with 'Son's' in their names.

The Son's? Son... She immediately glanced at Wendy's bag tag to confirm her speculation.

Son S.

Son Seungwan.

What the hell?

"Wendy," she called to the blonde, but Wendy remained sound asleep. "Wendy..."

She nudged Wendy harshly to get her attention, effectively waking her up, and Wendy responded with an annoyed expression.

"What's your problem?" Wendy hissed in a whispered voice.

"You didn't tell me about all the family businesses, baby,"