Irene's leaning against the balcony ledge. She holds a cigarette stick in between her lips, and she's about to take in a deep breath when her smartphone lights up with a message.

[From:SeulGom❤️️] Unnieeeee stop smoking it's bad for your health!!!!!

Irene takes it in anyways. Her eyes are half-lidded when she lets it out in chopped breaths, just for the sake of it, and she looks down to see Seulgi standing outside her apartment's lobby even in the midst of strolling pedestrians. She's waving both her hands at Irene's direction, mouthing, Joohyun-unnie, I'm here, I'm here! or maybe she's yelling, Irene doesn't know. Eitherway, Irene jerks her head up, as if to say, "come in", which was unnecessary, really, given that Seulgi's always welcomed in here anyways.

Seulgi's been doing that a lot lately. She often shows up outside her window, or balcony, waiting for Irene to give her some kind of signal to let her in until she actually does. It's kinda endearing, but it always leaves Irene wondering.

The doorbell rings.

"Seulgi, you know my key. Just come in."

The door opens, and Seulgi peeks her head in, "Unnie?"

"Yeah?" Irene finally turns around from looking at the balcony view. Cigarette stick now on the floor, long forgotten.

"Oh! you're still there," Seulgi enters. She places the bags she brought on Irene's countertop, "Anyways, I brought you these, - Taro bread, microwavable pizza, instant ramen,... and I was actually about to buy you chicken until I remembered what happened last time."

Irene lets out a little laugh, "Thank you." She can never bring herself to audibly say she's touched, but nevertheless, she is. She walks into the living room where Seulgi's at and sits on the couch, "Why do you do this, Seul? The food you bought me last time's still all in the fridge, I'm not even sick, and you know I don't eat a lot..,"

This time, it's Seulgi's turn to laugh. And she isn't bitter at all, no, Seulgi would have to be anything but. "Joohyun-unnie, you are sick."

"...Well, yeah. I am sick, but it's– "

"You're toxic."

"Sor–,"

"I love you, though. That's why I do this."

Irene felt butterflies in her stomach, insides twisting into knots whilst blushing a deep shade of red, quite contrasting to the girl who had been planning to drown in nicotine and hopelessness just a few moments ago. She hasn't heard that in a long time. "Really? Even if I've got no job, an empty stomach, and your parents hate me?"

"Yeah, really," Seulgi moves away from the table and waltzes to Irene in long, graceful strides. She gets down on one knee in front of the couch and offers Irene a hand, "Now, Come on and get up, Princess. Get your mouthwash quick, wouldn't want the insides of my mouth smelling like ashtrays and broken dreams later on," It's amazing how Seulgi can say all these with a smile on her face and no ill intent at all. Seulgi is amazing.

"You make me feel like I'm fifteen all over again," Irene takes Seulgi's hand in hers. "I hate it..." Seulgi simply smiles, moves her face closer to Irene's until she can feel the older girl's breathing on her face.

"Maybe today, darling, we can pretend."

"No, that's disgusting,.. I would still be living in my parents' house by then, and you would just be twelve. You're so weird sometimes,..."

Seulgi slowly leans in and captures Irene's lips in a lock. "But you love me,"

"Well... Yeah. I do."