Italic text will indicate flahsback

**

The late afternoon sun bled through Irene's office window, casting long shadows across the scattered papers on her desk. Another day swallowed whole by deadlines and endless meetings. Her stomach growling in protest at the lunch she never took. Clocking out at 6 PM, exhaustion clinging to her like a second skin.

"You're 29 now. Act your age. If you think there's unresolved stuff between you two, go talk to her."

Seulgi's words from the previous day echoed in Irene's mind, nudging her to contemplate the unresolved matters between her and Wendy. Was it a sign from the universe to mend their past mistakes? Should she attempt to reconnect?

Leaving her office, Irene headed to the primary team's space, considering the idea of inviting Wendy for dinner. Perhaps a nice restaurant, relaxed surroundings, and city lights, will help her to explain about the past. As she approached, she overheard Yerim's excited voice.

"So, are we going for drinks?" the youngest member chirped, her voice bubbling with post-work excitement.

The unexpected announcement brought Irene's steps to a halt. Upon noticing her boss, Yerim's voice dipped a notch, a hint of sheepishness creeping in. "Ah, Ms. Bae! I didn't realize you were there."

Irene, trying not to be nosy but curious nonetheless, glanced at Wendy. "Are you guys going to a nightclub or something?"

"Oh no, Ms. Bae. We just want to have a welcoming party for Wendy today since we were swamped with work yesterday," Solar explained, providing context to Irene.

"Just a celebratory drink, Ms. Bae. Nothing too wild." Chanyeol added.

Irene hummed understandingly, thinking this might not be the right time to invite Wendy for a personal dinner. However, before she could decide, Yerim suddenly squealed.

"Ah! Why don't you join us, Ms. Bae? It's been so long since we had team dinners!" Yerim her cuteness, a tactic to melt Irene Bae.

Irene observed the surprise evident on Wendy's face when the younger woman saw how Yerim acted cutely in front of Irene. Unbeknownst to Wendy, Irene had a habit of occasionally treating her staff to delightful meals as a gesture of appreciation. Those team dinners were typically enjoyed by the staff, as Irene generously covered the bills and departed early, allowing them to enjoy their time.

Unsure of how to respond, Irene hesitated, “I’m…not really sure about that, Yerim-ah.” She noticed Wendy's discomfort.

Yerim, not sensing the hesitation, continued her plea.

"Oh, come on, Ms. Bae! It would be so much fun if you joined us! Right, guys?" Yerim looked to the others, receiving positive responses except from Wendy.

Before Irene could give her answer, another loud voice joined in. "I heard there's a party? I want to join!"

"Seriously, Seul?" Irene's deadpan expression spoke volumes, silently conveying, "don't join, please," with a mere glance.

But Seulgi, either oblivious or deliberately ignoring Irene's signals, strode directly to Wendy and chirped, "Can I join your welcoming party, Wendy?"

Irene noticed Wendy's perplexed expression before she replied, "Of course, Ms. Kang, the more the merrier, right? Hahaha..." The forced laughter from the short-haired woman sounded a bit awkward to Irene.

However, she didn't want to spoil Wendy's welcoming party. It was Wendy’s opportunity to bond with the team. She didn’t want to be the cause of any discomfort to that woman. So, once again, she attempted to signal Seulgi with a subtle code.

"Seulgi, if you want to drink, we can go together. No need to inconvenience them!" Irene flashed a strained smile, hoping Seulgi would catch on.

But no, the taller girl decided to annoy Irene further. She put on a cute act, trying to win Irene's approval.

"Ah, Joohyun-ah, please! Let's go have fun with the younger ones! Why would I spend time only with you? You're no fun!" Seulgi pleaded, using her aegyo to charm Irene, not caring that their underlings were watching.

Irene shot a glare at Seulgi when she heard Seulgi using her Korean name again, signaling a clear message of "don't call me like that in front of people."

Yerim watched the interaction, feeling sympathetic, and then spoke up, "No worries, Ms. Kang, you can join us! Ms. Bae, please join us as well?" Now, not only Seulgi was pleading, Yerim joined forces with her to persuade Irene.

"Okay, okay, we'll go," Irene agreed with a defeated sigh. She knew she needed to keep an eye on Seulgi, who knows what unnecessary things drunken Seulgi might say to Wendy.

"Alright! Let's go drink tonight! Bills on me," Seulgi looked happy while raising her hand in the air, and the other staff members cheered loudly in response.

As Jennie walked past them, a stack of documents clutched in her arms, Solar spotted her and extended an invitation. “Jennie, join us tonight?” Solar asked.            

But Jennie could only shake her head with a hint of dejection. "I can't, Solar unnie. Ms. Bae assigned me to check on the past client database from three years ago. She needs the data," she explained, her exhaustion evident despite her attempt to maintain a professional demeanor.

"And I still have to file these documents. It looks like I'll be staying late today," she added, gesturing to the pile of papers she held tightly.

Irene wore a not-so-regretful expression. "Oh, sorry, Jennie. I didn't mean to make you stay late. But I need the data by tomorrow."

Jennie, displaying her usual dedication to her work, reassured Irene with a nod. "It’s okay, Ms. Bae. I'll make sure the data is ready on your desk by tomorrow."

Irene flashed a winning smile while seeing Jennie, who was preoccupied with her tasks. Without her awareness, Seulgi caught sight of the subtle victorious smirk on Irene's face.

"Remind me to never make Irene Bae jealous. That woman is terrifying," Seulgi thought to herself, inwardly amused by Irene's childish behavior.

**

Seungwan couldn't pinpoint exactly when her simple welcoming party, initiated by Yerim earlier that morning, had unexpectedly gained two additional, somewhat unwelcome guests (at least from Seungwan's perspective).

She recalled how Kang Seulgi had suddenly asked if she could join, and of course, Seungwan couldn't reject that request. After all, Seulgi was her boss. However, she couldn't help but feel a bit irked when Seulgi acted cutely in front of Irene, calling the older woman 'Joohyun'.

Not long after, the ahjumma arrived, serving food and drinks to the team. Seungwan observed as Yerim eagerly dove into the fried chicken, wasting no time in indulging herself.

"Ms. Kang, Ms. Bae, try this fried chicken! It's the best in Seoul," Yerim offered, extending the plate of chicken toward their bosses.

Seulgi, being a big food enthusiast, quickly grabbed a piece of the drumstick and indulged in its deliciousness. Meanwhile, Irene remained impassive, appearing uninterested in the delectable chicken.

Yerim, sensing something amiss with Irene, quickly asked, "What's wrong, Ms. Bae? You don’t like chicken?"

But before the creative director could answer, Seungwan, who was in the midst of pouring a bottle of soju into her glass, said nonchalantly, "She can't eat chicken. She has an allergy to chicken."

Suddenly, the table fell silent upon hearing the revelation from the new graphic designer. Their faces displayed expressions of surprise and curiosity, silently questioning how Seungwan knew about Irene's allergy.

Realizing that she had just revealed an unnecessary detail, Seungwan became flustered. "Oh? Ah... I haven't mentioned it earlier?" she pretended to be surprise, adding, "Ms. Bae and I went to the same university, she was my senior," hoping their colleagues would buy her explanation.

"You must have been close to Ms. Bae back then, right?" Solar asked with genuine curiosity. "You even know about her food allergy!"

Before Seungwan could respond, Yerim added another question, "How did you two get close? Ms. Bae, you graduated from the business school, right?" Without waiting for confirmation from Irene, the youngest turned her head to Seungwan, "And unnie, you were an art student?"

The atmosphere at the table became a mix of curiosity and anticipation, with the colleagues eager to hear more about the connection between Wendy Shon and Irene Bae.

Seungwan cleared , “We met while volunteering on some environmental project during our college years,” she answered, offering a tight smile, her eyes flitting away as she answered, hoping the topic would drop.

 After a few moments of uncertainty, they seemed to accept Seungwan’s explanation and stopped asking about their past.

Seungwan sighed in desperation. She had hoped to enjoy the night with Yerim, Solar, and Chanyeol only, but now she couldn't fully relax because of Irene’s presence.

She also scoffed, remembering her answer about how she met Irene. Smiling bitterly, she took a sip of soju from her glass.

A lie.

She just lied about the first meeting with Irene.

**

(7 years ago)

Seungwan had just been accepted into Seoul National University (SNU) as a fine arts student, at first a fresh-faced freshman filled with the eagerness to immerse herself in every aspect of university life. She determined to make the most of her time at one of South Korea's most prestigious institutions.

However, as the months passed, the 19 years old girl began to feel the weight of academic pressure bearing down on her. The rigorous coursework and demanding schedule, leaving her feeling exhausted and overwhelmed.

One afternoon, Seungwan sat on a bench in front of the central library, she just finished working on Prof. Yoon’s assignment in her free time. As she sighed and stretched her tired muscles, her phone suddenly began to ring. With a wide smile, she glanced at the caller ID and answered eagerly.

“Hi unnie!” Seungwan greeted cheerfully

The voice on the other end of the line responded with annoyed tone, "Hi unnie what?! You rascal! You didn’t contact me at all!"

Laughing at Taeyeon's angry tone, Seungwan quickly reassured her, "Oh, don’t be angry, Taeyeon unnie! I've been swamped with coursework after the freshman orientation.”

She continued to complain, “I have no idea being a university student will be this hard! How do you manage to survive the workload?!"

Kim Taeyeon, Seungwan's close neighborhood unnie, was three years older than her. She was now in her final year, set to graduate in the upcoming year, which were only a matter of months away. As both were the only children in their families, it was natural for them to become close. Especially Seungwan, who truly adored Taeyeon. When she was a kid, she followed the older girl everywhere because Taeyeon doted on Seungwan like her own sister.

However, after Taeyeon graduating from high school, Kim's family moved to another neighborhood. Despite this, Seungwan and Taeyeon remained in contact, though their meetings became increasingly rare as Taeyeon entered university and became busy with her studies.

Now, they were in the same university and Seungwan couldn't help but feel a surge of excitement at the thought of reconnecting and reminiscing about old memories with her Taeyeon unnie.  But, after the freshman orientation week came to an end, the bunch of assignments made it challenging for Seungwan to find the perfect time to contact Taeyeon. Thankfully, it was Taeyeon who reached out first.

Ignoring Seungwan’s complaint, Taeyeon asked Seungwan over the phone, "you know Chicken Hut, right?"

Seungwan was familiar with Chicken Hut, a popular chicken restaurant in her campus area. "Yeah, I know. Why?"

"Come join me at Chicken Hut! I’m dead bored with this one person beside me!"

"Uh, you’re with your friends right now, unnie?" Seungwan asked, genuinely confused. Why would Taeyeon ask her to come if she already had company?

"Yeah, but this person is too busy to listen to me, so I remembered we haven’t caught up in a long time!"

Seungwan hesitated. She didn’t know any of Taeyeon’s friends, and she wasn’t sure if she would be welcomed by them.

Sensing Seungwan