Italic text will indicate flashback.

**

Irene blinked as she opened her eyes, the soft light from her bedside lamp causing her to squint before adjusting to its brightness. Her head felt heavy, as if it had been pounded by hundreds of bricks. She rubbed her temples briefly, mustering all the energy she had left to push aside the blanket that draped over her body.

Her office attire was in disarray, her blouse untucked and her pencil skirt crumpled. She massaged her temples, trying to recall how she had ended up in her apartment. Her last memory was being at the restaurant for Wendy's welcoming party, having had a bit too much to drink and subsequently feeling dizzy. After that, everything became a blur, she couldn't remember anything else.

Spotting her bag and car key on the nightstand, Irene assumed that Seulgi must have escorted her home. Irene reached for her bag, rummaging through it to search her phone. After finding it, she unlocked the phone, and the screen displayed 4 AM, along with several notifications that grabbed her attention. Frowning, she noticed a KakaoTalk message from Seulgi at 12 AM earlier.

12.00 AM
From: Kang Seulgi
Let me know if you're home safely.

She felt puzzled. Why would Seulgi send a message like this? Did Seulgi not her home? If not Seulgi, then who did? Irene's head throbbed as she attempted to remember. With a resigned sigh, she decided to ask Seulgi about it later at the office. Since it was still 4 AM, she had a few more hours to catch up on sleep before returning to work.

**

At 9 AM, Irene stepped into the lobby of her office building, greeted by Yujin's cheerful voice from the reception desk. She smiled back, nodding slightly, and made her way towards the elevator. While her head was feeling better, she still wasn't quite over the aftermath of the last night. Despite feeling a lingering sense of nausea and dizziness, she was determined to push through and make it to the office today, even though exhaustion was written all over her face.

Irene swore to herself that she would never drink on weekday again. "This is truly like hell," she thought to herself.

Upon reaching the 5th floor, she didn't immediately head to her own office but instead walked towards Kang Seulgi's office. She wanted to ask Seulgi how she had managed to get home last night.

Without knocking, Irene quickly grabbed the door handle and swung open Seulgi's office door. Seulgi, who was enjoying a tuna sandwich, was taken aback. She coughed slightly, hastily reaching for a bottle of mineral water beside her.

"What the heck, Irene? Do you know how to knock? What if I'm in the middle of something inappropriate for you to see?" She exclaimed, half annoyed, after managing to swallow the lump of bread in .

Irene, hearing her friend's grumbling, simply smiled without feeling guilty. "You couldn't possibly be doing anything inappropriate. You're forever solo, Seulgi-ah!"

Seulgi scowled in annoyance at her friend's remark, her lips pouting in a sign of sulking.

"So why are you barging into my office this early?" Seulgi rolled her eyes in irritation, "interrupting my breakfast time." She then took another bite of her tuna sandwich.

Irene was once again reminded of her initial intention to ask Seulgi about the last night.

"Last night, during Wendy's welcoming party, who took me to my apartment?" she inquired.

"I initially thought it was you who escorted me home, but then I read your message asking if I got home safely, so if it wasn't you, then who?" Irene continued, her face showing curiosity.

Seulgi, hearing Irene's question this time, smirked mysteriously. Her mischievous side appeared, even as she was busy chewing her sandwich.

Seeing Seulgi's mysterious smile, Irene suddenly felt a sense of foreboding.

"Seul, seriously, who took me home?"

Seulgi replied casually, "If it wasn't me, then why?"

Irene's face began to show annoyance at Seulgi's ambiguous answer. "Well, if it wasn't you, then who? Did you arrange for a replacement driver? But I don't remember how I ended up in my own room?" She started bombarding Seulgi with numerous questions.

Seulgi just grinned, observing Irene's evident confusion.

"Seulgi, seriously? I'm really getting annoyed now!" Irene's patience was wearing thin as she saw Seulgi not taking her questions seriously.

"Okay, okay! You're really like a bunny monster when you're angry," Seulgi surrendered.

"Last night I asked Wendy to take you to your apartment hehehe," Seulgi proudly revealed, flashing her grin again, feeling proud of her idea from the previous night.

Irene, hearing Seulgi's answer, couldn't believe it. She had a bad feeling from the start when Seulgi didn't answer her questions seriously, but she didn't expect Seulgi to be so crazy as to ask her ex to take her home.

“You asked Wendy?!!! Are you crazy or what?!" Irene restrained her voice from shouting, but the tone of annoyance was clearly evident.

Seulgi, who didn't expect Irene to react so strongly, was also surprised. With a slightly stuttering voice, she tried to defend herself.

"W-well, you said you didn't like using a replacement driver, right? Last night, Park Chanyeol also wanted to take you home. Did you want to go home with a guy while you were drunk?"

Anxiety began to overwhelm Irene as she tried to recall last night. Did she do something foolish in front of Wendy? Did she say something she shouldn't have? Irene's right hand pressed against her forehead as she tried to remember what happened last night, but nothing came to mind. She couldn't remember anything at all.

"How could Wendy agree to take me home?" Irene asked again, biting her lower lip nervously.

With a smug expression, Seulgi replied, "Of course she agreed. No one can refuse Kang Seulgi," she said jokingly, adjusting her collar.

Irene sighed in frustration at Seulgi's behavior. "You know about my relationship with Wendy, don't you? You know about my past with Wendy. By doing something like this, you're only making things more awkward between me and Wendy!"

Seulgi furrowed her brows in annoyance, exhaling deeply before speaking again. "Well, then act like an adult! Do you think I'm blind? I can see that you still have feelings for her!" This time, Seulgi's words were firm, showing her frustration with the push and pull game between Wendy and Irene.

"From what I've seen, Wendy still cares about you too! You two are like children bickering, avoiding each other, and being petty!" Seulgi continued her tirade against Irene.

Irene was taken aback by Seulgi's words. She didn't deny it, especially the part about still having feelings for Wendy. Until now, those feelings were still there, strong, even very strong. But she was also too afraid to confront the unresolved issues from the past.

"I...I'm just afraid I did something foolish last night, Seul," Irene said weakly.

Seeing Irene's shoulders slump and her vulnerability, Seulgi softened her tone. "You just need to act normal. If she doesn't show any awkwardness either, then nothing happened, right?" Seulgi tried to comfort her.

"Besides, this might also be a way to open up other paths so you can finally solve your past problems." Seulgi said while gently patting Irene's shoulder.

**

Irene shuffled wearily towards her office, eager to escape from Seulgi's morning lecture. She needed some time alone to process everything before facing another barrage of Seulgi's words. As she walked, she racked her brain, trying to piece together fragments of memories from the previous night. Irene's low alcohol tolerance had caused her to completely forget what had happened.

Taking a deep breath, she massaged her temples again. Her head still throbbed, and it was getting worse with the effort to recall the events of the last night. As Irene passed by Jennie's desk, the young secretary suddenly stopped her in her tracks.

"Morning, Ms. Bae