Chapter 13

SeulGi has never grown more awkward in life before, until she was to have dinner with the Baes, that is.

“Hyun-ah! SeulGi! Please have a seat.” The excitement in the voice of Irene’s mom covers the accent as SeulGi tries to keep up as it’s still kind of hard to understand.

SeulGi bows once, twice, thrice at Irene’s mom until it was Irene who pulls SeulGi’s collar to stop the taller girl from bending over too much.

SeulGi also sees Irene’s father already sitting by the dinner table and she immediately goes back to bowing.

“Will you stop your curtsy?” Irene whispers, “It’s making the atmosphere weird.”

“JooHyun.” SeulGi hears Irene’s father calls to what SeulGi believes is also Irene’s name.

“Daddy!” Irene obediently goes to him and hugs him tightly.

Even though SeulGi doesn’t want to admit it, she feels happy to see this kind of scenes. She somehow knows that Irene misses her parents so much even if the latter doesn’t admit it.

“How have you been?” Irene’s father asks with a smile on his face.

“I’m okay, Dad.” Irene returns the same bright smile.

“And how have you been SeulGi?” He then turns to SeulGi and SeulGi jumps a little because of her nerves.

“I-I have been fine, Sir. Thank you for asking.” SeulGi bows again which made Irene roll her eyes.

“Good, good. Take a seat, the both of you.” He motions with his hands for them to sit already.

SeulGi doesn’t know where to place herself until it was Irene who yanks her down to sit beside the shorter girl.

SeulGi sees Irene innocently smiles at her parents while her hand does something otherwise to SeulGi.

Irene has her grip strong on SeulGi’s wrist to sit the latter down already.

SeulGi could only innocently smile back at Irene’s parents as well when they noticed how SeulGi looks baffled at Irene first.

“It hurts.” SeulGi whispered angrily at Irene.

“Why do you act like a fool?” Irene says in gritted teeth, her fake smile never leaving her face.

“I’m nervous!” SeulGi whispers back.

“Are you two okay?” Irene’s mom inquires.

“Yes, Mom!”

“Yes, Mo-Ma’am!”

They both said at the same time.

“Alright!” Irene’s mom claps her hand once, “Let’s eat!”

---

“So, JooHyun, how is school?” Irene’s dad asks as he puts food in his mouth so elegantly SeulGi wonders if she’ll even be able to look as graceful while eating.

“It’s fine, Dad. Just a lot of assignments and projects to do, but I manage.” Irene eats as graceful as her dad, and SeulGi just loses her appetite when she realizes she can never be as refined as this family.

Irene’s father simply nods then says, “I hope you are not going home past your curfew.”

SeulGi almost chokes on the water she was drinking and Irene looks at her with open eyes screaming ‘Act cool’.

SeulGi could only forcefully swallow the water she was currently choking on.

“O-Of course not, Dad! That’s one of your rules.” Irene nervously shrugs, and SeulGi can tell.

He plainly nods again then for the nth time that night, SeulGi jumps a bit from shock when he calls her, “SeulGi.”

“Y-Yes, Sir?” SeulGi gulps harder than when she swallows the water earlier.

“How is JooHyun?”

SeulGi looks at Irene who was already looking at her threateningly. SeulGi says, “I-Irene?”

“Yes, ‘Irene’, JooHyun, Hyun-ah.” He says naturally again.

“She’s-OW!” SeulGi stops with what she’s saying because she felt sudden pain in her legs.

When she looks down, she sees Irene pinching her.

SeulGi quickly looks at Irene who was still smiling harmlessly at her parents.

“What the hell, Irene?!” SeulGi whispers furiously again.

“Say one wrong word and you’re dead.” Irene hums with her teeth still clenched together.

“Is everything alright, SeulGi?” SeulGi quickly looks back at Irene’s father. He might have noticed SeulGi’s attention was not on his question anymore.

“Y-Yes, Sir!” SeulGi decides to endure the sting Irene’s nails are bringing upon one of her legs.

“You were saying?” He raises an eyebrow.

SeulGi tries to smile again, “Ah! Yes! Irene!”

She chuckled nervously, “She’s, she’s… fine.”

“Fine?”

SeulGi sees both of Irene’s parents, and Irene herself, crease their eyebrows on how vague SeulGi’s answer was.

“She’s… she’s alright.” SeulGi states a synonym, “I guess?”

“How ‘alright’, SeulGi?” The father asks, “Does she follow rules? Does she listen to you?”

“Does she listen to me?” SeulGi turns to Irene, amusement in her tone, “Now, does she?”

SeulGi sees Irene turn to her while the latter threateningly shakes her head slowly.

“You see, Mr. Bae,” SeulGi starts, not minding the growing number of pinches and slaps on her leg, “Irene is a very very—”

SeulGi was cut off when Irene suddenly coughs.

Intentionally coughs, as if she was choking.

“Honey, are you alright?” Her mother, who was sitting across the daughter, immediately hands a glass of water.

SeulGi only watches in dismay as Irene acts really well.

“SeulGi! Kindly give this to her.” Irene’s mom gives SeulGi the water, “Kindly pat her back.”

SeulGi did what she’s told. She pats Irene’s back.

With force.

SeulGi made sure it was only Irene who notices the extra strength SeulGi puts as the taller girl repeatedly hits the petite girl’s back, “There, there. Take this water.”

SeulGi was internally laughing by how much her smacks on Irene goes unseen.

Irene takes the water and drinks it.

When she finished, she looks at SeulGi and whispers threateningly,

“I will kill you.”

---

SeulGi isn’t that heartless to throw Irene under the bus.

No. Not yet.

So SeulGi says to Irene’s parents the things they wanted to hear about their daughter. Though SeulGi drops subtle hints on how their daughter can be annoying and y at times, earning her a few deadly looks by the older girl at her direction.

SeulGi only smiles back at Irene when the shorter girl throws her daggers.

“Irene,” SeulGi nods, “She’s… she’s a good girl.”

She finishes her description on how ‘alright’ Irene is.

She looks at Irene one last time and sees Irene looking down, blushing.

Or SeulGi fools herself to believe that Irene is blushing. So she lets her blood colour her cheeks as well.

“That’s good to hear.” Irene’s dad seems satisfied with what he heard, “It’s good that the both of you are getting along pretty well.”

SeulGi stops herself from choking once more.

She sees Irene gulp down water.

And it was also Irene who choked on it when her father adds,

“I’m actually surprised you’re the guest our daughter was talking about, the one that she wanted to bring along and attend our reunion.”

SeulGi’s little eyes widened for a split second then narrows as she squints them, “Excuse me?”

“She asked if she could bring someone with her. If she could bring you along with her here.”

When SeulGi hears this, she looks at Irene smacking her own chest for air. Irene was choking this time, for real.

“I most certainly did not,” Irene finally manages to say as she nervously says in gritted teeth and a raising of an eyebrow at her dad, “Dad.”

Irene’s father only scrunches his eyebrows at his daughter, “Why of course, you did. Didn’t you ask permission from your Mom if you can bring SeulGi as well?”

“Yes you did, honey.” Irene’s mom nods in approval.

“I did not!” Irene defends herself as SeulGi is both confused and amused at what was happening.

“I only asked you if I should bring SeulGi along, not if I could bring her along!” Irene starts to explain real fast, “You said that it’s a splendid idea and I should bring her here so you can check up on the both of us.”

SeulGi bites her lip so a giggle would not deceive her. She mentally takes note of this embarrassed side of Irene.

When Irene sees this, she points at SeulGi, “Don’t get the wrong idea, bear.”

“I’m not even saying anything yet.” SeulGi simply shrugs but a smile was already betraying her.

“Well, whatever it is, it’s already done.” Irene’s dad wipes his mouth, “I’m just glad that SeulGi was able to accompany you here. Be good to her and don’t make her feel out of place. She is your guest after all.”

“I did not want her as my guest.” Irene sighs the words.

“Don’t fight it, Irene.” SeulGi says teasingly, low enough for only Irene to hear.

SeulGi finally laughs when she felt the same pain of pinching on her legs.

SeulGi will really mentally take note of this new side of Irene.

---

“JooHyun, I just also want to ask what abomination is that in your hair?” Irene’s dad asks.

“What is it, Dad?” Irene holds some strands closer to her face.

“That hideous colour.”

SeulGi looks at Irene and sees the pink tips. It was cool, but Irene’s dad thinks otherwise so SeulGi didn’t say anything.

“It’s the new trend today.” Irene says with burrowed eyebrows.

“Half-assed dye?”

The comment of Irene’s dad made SeulGi suffocate yet again when her food got stuck on .

“Honey!” Irene’s mom lightly slaps the man as to remind him of his words.

SeulGi sees Irene as the latter’s mouth slightly opened in shock.

“D-Daddy!” Her cheeks were getting the same colour as half of her hair.

“What? It’s true.” He shrugs, and SeulGi really finds him cool, “If you’re going to decide on a colour, just choose one! If you like it black, then just dye it black! If you want that-,” He motioned to the latter half of Irene’s hair, “-that funny colour then,” He shrugs once more, “God bless.”

SeulGi unintentionally laughs, so Irene shoots her glares again.

But then Irene’s mom laughs, and then Irene’s dad laughs. Until it was all of them laughing except Irene.

“JooHyun,” Her dad clears his throat, “I allowed you to dye your hair beca