**

The apartment door creaked open, revealing a tall, slender woman with long black hair that cascaded down her shoulders. The woman's warm expression twisted into a mask of surprise upon recognizing Irene Bae standing before her.

Irene, who instantly recognized the woman, felt a cold shiver race down her spine. Her nervous expression contorted into something approaching fear.

“What are you doing here?” The tall woman's voice carried a sharp, icy edge.

For the first time in her life, Irene felt utterly intimidated.  She was accustomed to being the one dishing out cold words, not receiving them.

A lump formed in Irene's throat, and she struggled to swallow. Every fiber of her being yearned to flee, yet some desperate, stubborn part of her remained rooted to the spot. Finally, she managed a strained, “I wanted to see Wendy…”

"Sooyoung, who's that?"  A hoarse voice, thick with the congestion of a cold, drifted from inside the apartment.

Wendy was startled to see her boss standing awkwardly in the hallway of her apartment, clutching a basket of fruit. She looked terrible right now– a fever had painted her cheeks an angry red, her nose was swollen from the flu, and her normally sleek, short brown hair stuck out in disheveled tufts from a day spent in bed. A wave of embarrassment washed over her, she wished the floor would just swallow her up.

But then, a flicker of defiance sparked. Why should she care how she looked in front of this woman? It's not like they were dating or what. Deciding to maintain her usual composure, Wendy masked her embarrassment with her usual calm demeanor and walked to the front door.

"Ms. Bae, what are you doing here?" Wendy's voice, though raspy, there was a hint of coldness in every word she spoke.

"That's the question I was asking her, Wan-ah...and what the hell is Ms. Bae?" The woman named Sooyoung didn't bother to hide the hostility in her tone.

Irene just winced, remembering how their last meeting at a bar five years ago, where Sooyoung witnessed how her best friend was heartbroken, of course Irene deserved to be treated like this.

Ignoring Sooyoung's question, Irene just gave a tight-lipped smile as she lifted her basket of fruit, "I heard from Yerim that you were sick, so I came to visit..."

Wendy rolled her eyes in annoyance at Irene, she didn't expect her boss to come to her apartment.

"Okay, someone explain now, who's Yerim?" Sooyoung's voice was now irritated, she seemed to have missed out on a lot about her best friend.

"Yerim is my colleague..." Wendy replied curtly, her eyes still darting to Irene, who was busy fidgeting with her fingers and glancing nervously to the left and right.

"Can I come in?" Irene knew she sounded shameless, but she didn't feel comfortable standing in the apartment hallway like this. A few people walking by had started to notice them.

Sooyoung wanted to protest Irene's request, but Wendy also felt like the stares of people passing by were starting to bother her. Although she didn't like Irene, she wasn't a rude person either. With a sigh, she invited her boss in.

**

Sooyoung yanked Seungwan into her bedroom, the door slamming shut behind them with a resounding thud that echoed through the apartment. Irene, left alone in the living room, could hear the muffled sounds of their heated argument.

"What the , Wan? Why is she here?" Sooyoung demanded, her voice laced with fury.

"I told you before that I got a job at Artistry Creative, right? She's the creative director..." Seungwan massaged her temples, her head still pounding from the fever, now made infinitely worse by Irene's unexpected appearance.

"What?! Why didn't you tell me sooner?!!!" Sooyoung's voice rose to an outraged screech. She felt betrayed by her best friend's omission.

"I'm sorry, I just didn't think it was important. I've moved on," Seungwan winced, guilt gnawing at her stomach.

"Have you really moved on?" Sooyoung's eyes narrowed, her gaze piercing through Seungwan's defenses. She knew her friend better than anyone, and she could see right through the lie.

Seungwan's eyes flickered with doubt. "Why would you think that? I've moved on!" she hissed, her annoyance rising at her friend's disbelief.

"Okay, okay...now explain why she's here? You didn't invite her, did you?" Sooyoung pressed, her detective mode fully activated.

"How could I know?! I never gave her my address." Seungwan answered with growing frustration, her head pounding even harder.

"Oh my god! Why did she have to show up now?" Sooyoung's panic rose like a tidal wave.

"Calm down, Sooyoung. Maybe she just wanted to check on me." Seungwan tried to soothe her friend.

"No way, she must have another motive, Wan-ah." She glanced at her watch. "...I have a dinner meeting with a potential buyer in an hour."

Sooyoung felt a knot of anxiety tighten in her stomach. She couldn't leave her best friend alone with Irene Bae. Not after what happened five years ago, when their senior heartlessly broke Seungwan's heart. Sooyoung had witnessed firsthand how Seungwan struggled to pick up the pieces, even going so far as to move away from South Korea to escape the memories. She wouldn't let Irene hurt Seungwan again. She had vowed long ago that if Irene ever hurt Seungwan, she would be the first to haunt that woman down.

She remembered that night when Seungwan came to her crying out loud. She was so ready to land one or two punches on Irene's useless pretty face, but Seungwan held her back, saying it was pointless.

Now that woman shamelessly came back into Seungwan's life after causing so much pain, Sooyoung couldn't help but feel a surge of anger and protectiveness towards her friend

“It’s okay, Sooyoung-ah. You can go. I can handle her here,” Seungwan assured her friend.

“No, it’s not okay! Can’t you just kick her out?” Sooyoung insisted, her voice rising.

Seungwan shook her head slowly. “I can’t be that rude…she’s my boss, after all.”

“Can you just resign right now, right here in front of her?”

Seungwan’s eyes widened. “And pay for the contract breach? No way…I don’t have that much money…”

Sooyoung glared at her friend in frustration. Why was Seungwan always so reluctant to use her family’s power for her own benefit? She knew the contract breach could be easily paid off if Seungwan just asked her parents!

“Just go, okay? I’ll be fine. I’ve been working with her for the past two weeks, and I can handle her,” Seungwan tried to reassure her friend.

**

Irene's gaze swept over Wendy's apartment, taking in the minimalist yet very warm decor. It was so Wendy, with its clean lines and uncluttered surfaces. A small smile tugged at Irene's lips. She remembered how her ex-lover always fussing over every detail.

On a shelf near the couch, Irene spotted a framed photo of Wendy. She recalled how Wendy had encouraged her to start taking pictures of their time together, arguing that it was important to capture memories. Irene had never been one for sentimentality, but Wendy had eventually convinced her to let her decorate Irene's old apartment with their photos.

Irene's fingers brushed over the photo of Wendy as a child, posing with her parents. There was a picture of her high school graduation, and another of her and Sooyoung standing in front of the SNU art department building.

Irene picked up a photo of Wendy's SNU graduation. By that point, their relationship had already ended. She had no memories of Wendy from that time onward. She picked up another photo of Wendy in LA with her foreign friends, and then a more recent one of her graduation from UCLA.

Irene smiled wryly as she looked at all the memories. The only part of Wendy's life that wasn't displayed there was herself. Yeah, she didn't deserve to be there either. Her presence in the past had only hurt Wendy.

The door to Wendy's bedroom slammed open with enough force. Sooyoung marched out, her long legs eating up the distance to the living room in seconds. Her expression was a mask of barely contained fury, and Wendy trailed behind, a hint of exhaustion visible in her eyes.

Irene hastily shoved the photo back into its place on the shelf, she didn’t want to be caught reminiscing.

"Can you just leave?" Sooyoung didn't bother with pleasantries. Her voice dripped with hostility, each word sharp enough to cut glass.

A flicker of anxiety danced across Irene's features. She moistened her lips, the gesture doing little to hide her nervousness. "I have something to talk to Wendy about..."

Sooyoung's eyes widened in a flash of vindication. She spun towards Wendy, a silent accusation of "I told you so!" hanging in the air.  Wendy, however, simply shook her head, a slight frown creasing her brow.

"Sooyoung, you can go. I'll be fine," Wendy said, her tone firm. She didn't want Sooyoung to lose a potential buyer over this.

The tall woman grumbled, a string of curses escaping under her breath as she stalked towards the door.

"Text me later, okay?" she called over her shoulder, hastily slipping back into her stiletto heels. With a final glare aimed at Irene, she paused before exiting, leaning in to press a surprisingly tender kiss to Wendy's cheek.

Irene's eyes widened, a wave of hot jealousy washing over her. Her stomach twisted into a painful knot, a sharp pang shooting through her chest. A cold dread began to settle over her. Were they more than just friends? The ease of their intimacy, the casual affection... It gnawed at her.

Wendy, too, seemed caught off guard but before she could react, Sooyoung winked at her and flashed Irene a vicious smirk.

**

"So? Why the unexpected visit, Ms. Bae..." Seungwan leaned back against the plush cushions of her sofa. She'd been feeling unwell all day, and the incessant pounding in her skull was only making things worse.

"Are you really dating Sooyoung?"

Irene wanted to slap right then and there. Of all the concerns swirling within her, why did that question escape?

Seungwan's meticulously shaped brows snapped together in a frown. "How does my relationship status concern you?"

Irene's lips pressed into a tight line. Her cheeks burned with a mix of shame and jealousy.

"No... I just..." Words stumbled, failing to form a coherent excuse.

"Let us cut to the chase. What truly brings you here? Surely, it's not this mere basket of fruit..." Seungwan gestured with her chin toward the basket on the gleaming mahogany coffee table.

A suffocating wave of tension washed over Irene. With trembling fingers, she loosened the top button of her crisp blouse, seeking a touch more air.

"I was worried... You didn't come to work, and... I wanted to see if you were okay."

Seungwan scoffed at Irene's attentiveness. Annoyance prickled her – why must this woman, her superior slash her ex-girlfriend, insist on this pretense of care?  She had never heard of a boss making a house call for a simple fever. She stared at Irene, searching her eyes for a lie. But she only saw honesty.

"Yeah... I'm just a little under the weather. I'll be back at work tomorrow," Seungwan retorted, deliberately casual as she tore her gaze away from Irene.

“No..no..you can rest as long as you need to..come in only when you're fully recovered.” Irene's voice softened, a pang of guilt twisting in her stomach. She couldn't shake the feeling that her actions had somehow caused this.