The weather outside was warm for Joohyun—quite odd especially in February as it was supposed to be cold at night. Seungwan embraced her shoulder, helping her to stand up while waiting for Sooyoung. Joohyun was actually surprised at first how Seungwan who had the same figure as her could generate a whole body warmth. She could even feel the neighbor’s usual perfume of vanilla and amber. The same one as their first encounter. She felt nostalgic and comfortable with the sweet scent.

Sooyoung finally came and picked her belongings. As Joohyun saw her, suddenly her body got tired and she felt sleepy. She had to go now. She then thanked Sooyoung. Seungwan had asked Sooyoung to join her car but Sooyoung had ordered a taxi. So both Seungwan and Joohyun bid her goodbye and went to the car.

They both positioned themselves on each respective seat and put the seatbelts on. It would take only around 40 minutes to get to Joohyun’s home. They could get even faster but Seungwan drove quite slowly despite having empty streets.

“Did you drink too much? Or were you sick before?” asked Seungwan.

“Probably… And my head was a bit full.”

“Work?”

“Kind of… And some personal things,” Joohyun answered, clutching her head.

“Do you want some water? I’ve got a bottle below. Sealed. Please take it.”

“Thanks Seungwan,” Joohyun gulped it slowly and let out a slow exhale. “And, sorry I didn’t keep up with the new series. I didn’t know you’re some kind of reality star.”

Seungwan laughed, “It’s not that important. To be honest, I did it more for my law firm’s public presence.”

Joohyun was not in her prime condition, but she felt like talking during the night. “Is it really needed? I thought law firms cater more to B2B.”

“True… However, since we’re new, we believe it’s always good to spread our awareness in whichever ways deemed effective.”

“Is it efficient though? I mean I know how the shooting situation for reality shows might be.”

“Well…” Seungwan laughed. “Can’t say for now. It was indeed very hard to squeeze the schedule. I only slept for two hours mosly, I didn’t even have time for my family.”

The last word caught Joohyun aback. She tried to be as calm as possible before uttering any responses, “Ah… you have a kid?”

“What kid? Oh no… what I mean is my parents.”

Joohyun muttered “Ah.” and nodded. She turned to see the window and smiled.

“How about you?”

Joohyun was taken aback, “How about me what?”

“How do you handle your daily schedule?”

“To be frank, I don’t have much to do. After working at KimTae, my life mostly revolves at work, work, work, and rest at home.”

“So before, you do have quite a lot to do?”

“That’s a good question. I was working mostly as an editorial model—”

“I know,” Seungwan blurted out. “Your photos are amazing.”

Joohyun was surprised, “You saw my photos? And you knew I was a model?”

“Let’s just say I’m quite an old soul. I love reading magazines, it’s very useful for my fashion and lifestyle preference being a lawyer. I might not adore the social events but they’re part of parcels within this job, so those magazines are like my go-to.”

“Don’t you ever use… say… Pinterest? I mean it’s kinda old-school.”

“I did for sure. But it’s too scattered for me. No fixed concept. So I would go back to the old style.”

“Okay…” Joohyun got reminded of the previous topic. “Say once again… You saw my photos? Like how do you even identify me? Oh, you also knew me before then."

"I practically know your photos and yes, I remember your face," Seungwan laughed, “Believe it or not, I do remember the names of my favorite models, photographers, videographers, and even the stylists.”

Favorite huh? thought Joohyun to herself. “You’re very unique, Seungwan. And I mean in a good way.”

“I’ll definitely take that as a compliment… Bae Irene.”

Joohyun was stunned to hear her old “public” name. “Been awhile since I heard that name being blurted out.”

Seungwan smiled, “Why did you stop using that name though?”

“No special reasons… I just like my real name more. Besides, Irene seems very godly — as it is indeed a name of the goddess.”

“But…” Seungwan paused.

“But?”

Seungwan shook her head slowly and checked the map application, “Nevermind. We almost arrived, no? Just 400m more and your flat is on the right side.”

“Yeah…” Joohyun prepared her bag and made sure she left nothing inside Seungwan’s car.

As they arrived, Seungwan pulled the car. “So here it is. Please take care of yourself, Joohyun.”

“Thank you, Seungwan. Take care. Let me know if you’ve arrived.”

“I will. Don’t forget to rehydrate.”

Joohyun smiled and left the car. They then bid each other goodbye through the car window. She then turned and tried to walk straight… She failed. She could still feel her head spinning. She could also hear the sound of the car door being opened.

“Joohyun, are you okay?” It was Seungwan. Again. She held Joohyun’s shoulders to support her. Again.

“I feel dizzy… a bit. But I’m fine.”

“I’m going to accompany you upstairs.”

“No worries, Seungwan.”

“No buts. You’re my responsibility.”

I’m what? Joohyun couldn’t believe what she just heard.

“I won’t be sure until you finally arrive home safely. Especially with this condition.”

As much as Joohyun wanted to respond, she chose not to. She was way too tired, her head was heavy, and thus had no will to talk. She was glad she had Seungwan literally by her side. She hated how the universe played her this way, yet at the same time it was like she never felt the happiest before. As they walked slowly to her apartment, they both didn’t talk except for a short conversation about Joohyun's room number. And at that moment, Joohyun just wanted the world to stop. She didn’t want to reach her room just yet. She was counting every second, but at the same time just wanted to enjoy the moment like time had no existence. She forgot how to think.

“Here it is. Finally, Room 2109.” Seungwan said and returned Joohyun, filled with scattered thoughts, back to life.

Joohyun responded with a sudden yet a slow hug, “Thank you, Seungwan. You’re my savior.”

Seungwan hugged back and put her hand behind Joohyun’s head and patted it. “Just take care, okay?”

Joohyun nodded and pulled her face to look at Seungwan. “Also… Happy birthday.”

“Thanks,” Seungwan smiled. “See you later then?”

“Call me when you’ve arrived,” Joohyun realized that there was something odd with what she had said. “I mean… Send a chat… Just let me know.”

“I will.”

“Bye bye, Seungwan.”

“Bye, Joohyun.”

They bid goodbye and Joohyun waited until Seungwan got the elevator. The elevator finally arrived on Joohyun’s floor. The door was opened, and they bid each other goodbye again once Seungwan was inside. The door was then closed and the elevator was going down. Joohyun was glad she arrived safely at home, but at the same time she wanted more of Seungwan’s presence. She didn’t know why but it felt right.

At home, Joohyun directly went to the sofa and clutched her head. Although not long after, she gained her willingness to take a hot shower, clean her face and teeth, then change into proper sleeping clothes. She was ready to sleep and she checked her phone… No message from Seungwan.

Maybe she was too tired. Joohyun then decided to sleep and hoped that Seungwan wouldn’t appear in her dreams.

Author's note: Just a very very very short update. Caught up with work LOL! Thank you for reading <3