"I could drive you." / "Let me drive you," Irene and Seulgi said in unison.

Wendy looked at Irene and then turned her gaze to Seulgi, with Yeri mirroring her actions from across the table. The blonde paused for a moment as she contemplated the situation in her mind. How should she respond to this? How could she accept a simple offer without offending anyone? She couldn't care less about Irene's feelings as she suspected that Irene was merely presenting herself as a caring fiancée offering to help her girl with an errand, without genuine intent.

What troubled her more was Seulgi. Despite Seulgi's kind and understanding nature, she was also quite sensitive. Her emotions were often readily visible, and Wendy wanted to avoid seeing the brunette's disheartened expression once again, especially after their two-year separation when Wendy had left for New York, leaving Seulgi with a broken heart.

She was aware that she was overanalyzing the situation when there was no need for it. A big part of her wanted to simply agree to Irene's offer, which she should, considering she was technically in a relationship with her. It was just right to go with her instead of going with an ex. However, doing so would disappoint Seulgi, especially when the least she could do was accept the brunette's help after everything bad she had done to the brunette. There was also the possibility that accepting Seulgi's offer might raise questions from her family. Wendy's head began to throb.

Since her response was clearly taking too long, Yeri decided to break the deafening silence in the room.

"Well, I would offer to drive you too if only I had passed my driving test. I failed the practical test last week," she said jokingly, obviously making fun of Wendy.

"But Irene, honey, we had already planned the day with you. We're excited to tour you around Jeju. Seungwan-ah mentioned it's your first time here, and it would be such a shame not to show you around," Halmi said.

"Right. I think it would be best for Seulgi to give Seungwan a ride, if it's okay with you, of course," her mom seconded.

Wendy started thanking the heavens for these two beautiful women of her life for always making everything easy for her. Now, she didn't have to think of an excuse because they have already done it for her unknowingly.

Wendy watched Irene look at both women and is probably contemplating on how she would say that she really doesn't wanna go with them.

"Is it okay with you, love?" the blonde repeated the question, intentionally adding a sweet endearment at the end to assure everyone that while she may be going with Seulgi, her "love" for Irene should remain unquestioned. Never in her life had it ever crossed her mind that she would use that term to associate with the lady chief. Now she's throwing out the word in the open like it's just the most natural thing to say. She should be cringing, but surprisingly, she's not. An it's weird.

"Oh. Of course," Irene answered, clearly taken aback by her sudden sweet tone. The lady paused for a moment, seemingly collecting herself before speaking again. "It's fine with me, as long as you catch up with us after getting Joy, love."

Now Wendy was getting a taste of her own medicine. This little devil was really stepping up her game. Whenever Wendy tried to catch her off guard, the chief always had a counter-move. They were both really playing this fake engagement so well.

"Will do," she said, to which Irene responded with a nod.

"Well then, we all better get going," Halmi said as the old woman stood up. "We have a long day ahead of us."

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Irene watched as a couple of cabin crew prepared the luxurious yacht for the trip. She was still in awe of its beauty and size. Even though she was afraid of the water, she thought she could live there. She noticed there were other smaller ships that could be used and asked why they didn't use those for the 15-minute boat trip to the port. The lady chief thought it was such a waste of resources to use the yacht for such short trips. Wendy said they could use the smaller boats but insisted on using the yacht while they were here. She mentioned it was because she knew Irene was afraid of the open water and understood what it felt like to confront something you're very much afraid of. Wendy said she wanted Irene to be comfortable.

Irene was unsure how to react, so she retorted with a snide remark, "Well then, I won't ride the small boats either, even if you insist. I deserve nothing but the best." Wendy responded with an eye roll and quipped, "God. Remind me again why I'm marrying Satan's mistress." After that, Wendy went back inside the mansion to change her clothing, leaving Irene alone with her thoughts once more.

The blonde really confuses her so much. Back in the company, she always saw Wendy as this super hardworking employee who followed her around, obeyed her orders, and did everything she asked, as if her rent was due every day. A blonde girl who got flustered easily, even over the smallest things. She was organized, polite, and well-mannered, even though Irene made her everyday job a living hell.

Being Wendy's boss for two years, Irene always noticed how Wendy interacted with everyone in the office, how she treated everyone with love and kindness, and how everybody adored her for that. Wendy was the total opposite of her. Despite Irene despising every human being, Wendy respected her as her boss, and the blonde never once crossed the line as a personal assistant. Wendy never once bragged about her personal life. She excelled at her job, and Wendy's presence made Irene's life considerably more convenient. She was the perfect personal assistant for the editor-in-chief.

But now that Irene is outside her realm, Wendy has shown a very different side of her. Perhaps the spoiled rich kid part of the blonde is surfacing because Irene is in Wendy's territory. Though she's still the same kind Wendy of New York, the Seungwan of Jeju is carefree and bold. What was she thinking when she forced Irene to level up their physical closeness by hugging and caressing her back like that? And calling her 'love'?

Of course, she doesn't want Wendy to get the best of her. She doesn't want the blonde to think that she has power over her, so she needs to counter every attempt at making her feel embarrassed or catching her off guard.

Two can play this game.

"The yacht is ready. Let's go, babe," she heard Wendy once again approach her, with that Seulgi girl trailing behind.

That Seulgi is another thing. It's obvious that the brunette still has feelings for her fiancée, but does she really need to lurk around like that? Knowing that her ex is already engaged? Is she really that infatuated with the blonde? She doesn't really need to show up every time as if she owns the place. Irene knew they had a history, and the girl seemed close to Wendy's family, but the brunette didn't have to flaunt it in Irene's face.

Irene couldn't care less about whether they still had feelings for each other. What she cares about most is that they don't compromise her plans. With Seulgi around, she worries it could cause problems.

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Riding the yacht seemed fine, and she wasn't getting seasick as she usually did. As she gazed out at the vast sea while sipping on the fresh berry smoothie that Yeri had made for her, Wendy approached her.

"Hey," the blonde greeted.

"What?"

"Can we not fight? It's tiring."

"I'm not fighting with you. I'm just asking what you want."

She observed Wendy let out a heavy sigh through her peripheral vision. "Don't do anything stupid while you're with Mom and Halmi."

Irene met Wendy's eyes with her left eyebrow raised. "Excuse me? I should be the one telling you that. You're the one messing with an ex."

"What? No. It's not like that. She's... Seulgi's a friend," Wendy defended.

"Right. Whatever."

"Look, if you're worried about me messing up this whole arrangement, you shouldn't be. The editor position is the most important thing for me. That's the sole reason why I left Jeju. If I have to up everything and be married to you to get it, I will. We're already here, and we've already started this. There's no going back now. We had a deal."

Irene processed what Wendy had said. The blonde seemed sincere, so Irene tried to feel at ease about it.

"Fine. It's good that we're still on the same page."

"Just try to be nice to everyone, okay? Keep your negative or offensive remarks to yourself. We don't want my family to think that you're truly this heartless witch that I somehow decided to marry."

"Excuse me?"

"Oh, come on. Let's not pretend you didn't make my life miserable for two years and counting."

"Shut up," she gave Wendy a glare, and the blonde responded with a zipping-mouth gesture.

After a brief silence, Irene felt the urge to continue the conversation. She didn't want things to become awkward between her and the blonde while they stood together behind the railings, gazing at the calm sea waves. Besides, she had some questions she was curious about.

"I wonder how life in your enormous mansion functions. Like, how does transportation work? You were heading to the airport, and we're on our way to the city, but the cars I saw back at the mansion were never loaded for shipment to the port."

"We have a private parking lot near the dock. The cars used for traveling around Jeju are parked there and ready for use. Visitors to our home also park their vehicles there, so you just need to take the boat ride to get to our house. Seulgi's car is there, as well as Mom's other car, which you'll be using with Halmi. The cars you saw back at the mansion are the ones used for traveling around the island. Having a separate set of cars for both islands saves the hassle of having to ship the cars back and forth."

"Wow. Just how many cars does your family have?"

"A few. Fifteen maybe."

Fifteen?? That's a few??

It amazes Irene how casual Wendy is about it, as if it's not a big deal at all. Well, all rich kids are basically like that.  They know they have money, but they usually downplay it or remain humble about it. That's when you know they are THAT rich. Wendy could easily have asked her parents to establish their own publishing house and put her in charge of her own company, but she never did that. Instead, she ventured to New York, far from her loved ones, and started from scratch.

Irene deeply admires her for that, for not using her wealth and influence to attain her dreams. The only very spoiled rich kid thing the blonde has done since they arrived here was requesting a driver to drive her. Back in New York, Wendy was the one who chauffeured her around. Whenever Irene needed something, she would turn to Wendy. When tasks needed to be completed, she would ask Wendy to handle them. Now that Wendy is the one asking like a little kid, it's kinda cu—

"Hello? Earth to Irene!"

Irene's thoughts were disrupted by Wendy snapping her fingers in front of her face.

"What?"

"You were spacing out."

"Oh. What were you saying?"

"I said we're here. You're going to be fine, right?"

"Come on, Wendy, I'm a grown woman. I'm not a baby."

"Right. Just a reminder. Don't do anything funny."

Irene could not even count how many times she had rolled her eyes today because she kept forgetting how annoying Wendy is. Wendy does not need to micromanage her to do her part in this arrangement that they have. She fully understands the assignment and she would deliver it with flying colors.

"Irene, honey, are you ready?" Seung-ah called from behind them. Irene smiled and nodded at her.

"Alright, babe. You take care," Wendy said and Irene knew they had to keep up the act, given they were in the presence of the blonde's mother. But what really caught her off guard was when Wendy planted a kiss on her cheek before heading over to her forever-waiting ex.

This just pissed Irene off even more.

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"Did the manager already report for duty?" Seungwan asked as she guided Sooyoung to the airport parking lot where Seulgi had parked. She insisted that Seulgi wait in the car while she fetched her best friend from the departure area to avoid causing any more hassle for the brunette. Of course, the brunette also insisted on accompanying her and offering help, but Seungwan refused. Seulgi had already gone out of her way to drive her to the airport, and Wendy was already taking up much of her day.

"Nah," Joy answered shortly as she forced a grin. Wendy could tell that her friend was physically exhausted from the trip.

"Then what are you doing here?"

"I closed the shop."

"What? Why?"

"Why not? I realized that I don't want to miss out on all the fun of your little escapade with your fake fiancée in your hometown."

Wendy stopped walking, and so Joy did too.

"Sooyoung-ah, this is the last time you'll be saying it's fake. Please, I don't want to get in trouble. It might slip out of your tongue for God knows when, but please, try not to mention our little arrangement."

"It's only been like, what, your second day? And you're already having a hard time playing your role, huh?"

Wendy heaved a deep sigh. Pretending to be an actress was something she had never been cut out for.

"Please? You're the only person who knows about this because you're the only one I trust enough to know. Even Yerimie doesn't know. Let's just have fun and pretend it's real, okay?"

"And now you're including me in your little game because now I have to pretend too? Son Seungwan, your spoiled is asking for too much."

"Just a few more days. A few more days and this'll be over. So, please?" She added a little pout to her pleas.

"Should I pity your situation because you're giving me that famous puppy look of yours? You should know by now that you just look cute doing that."

Seungwan pouted even more, with her sad, cute little eyes looking straight into Sooyoung's soul.

"Oh, God. You're cute. Fine. Just stop it," the tall girl said as she facepalmed Wendy.

"I love you, Sooyoung-ah."

"I hate you. You know it'll work every time."

"But still, you love me."

"I hate that I love you."

"Alright, Rihanna."

Both laughed as they reached Seulgi's car. Wendy knocked gently on the trunk to signal Seulgi to open it. After loading Sooyoung's luggage into the trunk, the two best friends got into the vehicle.

"Seungwan-ah. You didn't tell me you hired a hot driver to drive us around," Joy said from the backseat.

"Shut up. This is Seulgi. Seul, this is Joy," the blonde introduced. The two ladies hadn't had the chance to really meet each other in person despite both playing significant roles in Wendy's life. She met and dated Seulgi in college when she was studying at Jeju National University, while Sooyoung has always lived in America. She visits South Korea for vacations, but her family is based in the US.

Despite not having met each other yet, Sooyoung knows about Seulgi, and Seulgi knows about Sooyoung.

"You mean Kang Seulgi? Like Seulgi, the ex??" Joy exclaimed excitedly as she poked her head in between Seulgi and Wendy.

"Oh my god. You're loud," Wendy scolded. "I'm sorry for her behavior," she sent an apologetic look to the brunette.

"Don't mind it. I like her energy," Seulgi said as she faced the excited Sooyoung. "Nice to finally meet you, Joy-sshi," the brunette offered her hand.

Joy accepted the handshake with her eyes widening in bewilderment. "OH. MY. GOD. Seungwan is totally right. You are so gorgeous. OH MY GOD. Are you even human?"

Seulgi chuckled at Joy's remarks, a pink blush starting to show on her cheeks. "Oh. Seungwanie said that?"

"No, I did not... I mean, yes, but that was before, you know... when we..." Now, Wendy's cheeks were flushing too. "Ya! Sooyoung-ah! Shut your mouth or I'll have you stay in a hotel."

Joy retreated in the backseat with both hands up in the air, showing her surrender. "It's just so unfair why you always get all the hot and pretty people and keep them for yourself."

"That is so not true."

"Park Sooyoung, Kang Seulgi, and now, Bae Irene. All freaking smoking hot women."

Wendy watched Seulgi's face turn into a tomato as her eyebrows scrunched up in confusion, perhaps wondering why Joy was like this and why Joy was even on the list.

"Park Sooyoung, I swear to the Higher Being, if you don't shut your mouth, I'll—"

"Fine! Fine! Sorry! I'll shut up."

Wendy let out a heavy sigh as she lightly massaged her aching head. She loves her best friend, but Joy can sometimes be too much.

"Are we good to go?" Seulgi asked.

"Yes, take us home, please."

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3:30 PM

Irene stared at the basic temporary phone that Wendy had lent her as she waited at one of the tables inside The Sons Café 21. The two elder Son ladies had gone into the back kitchen to fetch some freshly baked pastries and freshly brewed coffee for their afternoon snack. Irene was still quite full. They had had their lunch at one of the family's restaurant businesses, and it had been a feast. The food was actually excellent as well. If Irene hadn't stopped Halmi from bringing out every dish on the menu, the head chief would probably have had indigestion. This café marked the fourth stop on the family business tour that the ladies had planned for her today. The Son family probably owned a bunch of other businesses, and visiting each and every establishment in Jeju in a day or two was an understatement. It would probably take a week. They had that many. They were that rich.

3:35 PM

Irene checked the phone again, as if she were anticipating something.

"Seungwan hasn't called yet?" Seung-ah asked as she placed a tray with two cream cheese garlic breads and two hot café lattes on their table.

"Uh, not yet. Where's Halmi?"

"Oh, she's in the kitchen, helping with the baking. Most of the pastry recipes are hers, so she enjoys baking here herself from time to time. Don't worr