(Song: Shawn Mendes- "One of those nights" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnQaLm6E7M8&index=17&list=FLRX9FGu_NmU0ATT9kK16XZA)

 

 

 

“Where do we go? We don't know,

Follow the wind where it blows.

Let's make mistakes and don't look back, it's now or never.”

 

 

 

Irene pillows her hands behind the back of her head, and she’s lazily leaning against the headboard of her cold bed. It’s weekend and it’s early morning. And it’s really rare for her to wake up at this time. Normally, she is still drooling hard in her dreamland.

 

 

But today is different, today is a special day. All because of last night, when she kissed Wendy, the girl she has been secretly loving for so long. Most importantly, she said she likes her too. After that, they talked all night, about themselves. Irene didn’t confess that she has actually known most of the information Wendy shared. She didn’t want to scare the little chipmunk. 

 

 

To be honest, she isn’t that sure if she could really start a “relationship” with her since the “confession”. She isn’t sure if Wendy is willing to bear all the pressure collapsed upon her once after they tell the world that they are together. And as the unconfident, sensitive girl Irene has always been, she hides her concerns well from the kind, caring Seungwan. 

 

 

 

As for Wendy, Irene still remains as a mysterious, mythical creature to her. She seriously thinks Irene should never wear caps or hats or anything that would hide her face in the rest of her life. Who would hide it when they got such a beautiful face?

 

 

Wendy isn’t a shallow girl whom only falls for skin-deep beauty. She knows Irene has a beautiful pure soul of a child too, but it’s also hidden in the meantime. She doesn’t know the reason why, but she’s determined to find it out.

 

 

It shocked her much at first when she learned from Seulgi that Irene already has a crush on her even before she accepted Mark’s confession. She asked Irene about it last night and the older girl just shyly nodded. She wanted to tell her maybe she should make her move earlier but it sounds so unfair to Mark, so she swallowed it back down.

 

 

Anyway, she gave her a warm hug as a compensation. And they broke it while Irene suddenly started tickling her sides. Wendy had to beg her to stop and Irene was still giggling when she retrieved her playful hands. But Wendy had to admit that she loves that lopsided grin on her, and she said, “You should wear it every day.” Yet Irene again by retorting, “I thought you’re going to tell me to wear less.” Wendy silently swore she was going to shave Irene’s eyebrows if she kept wiggling them with that teasing grin.

 

 

 

Still, she is happy. She needs not to think of anything else whenever she’s with Irene. When she’s with Irene, it’s about Irene. Things flow naturally around them. And it’s a good sign, Wendy thought. She doesn’t plan to hide anything from her either. She just wants to share everything with her and she hopes Irene could open up more to her too. 

 

 

 

They parted ways as they seriously needed some sleep after a long night so Wendy returned to her dorm. She woke up when it’s early afternoon, and she doesn’t know Irene can’t really sleep. She is thinking of what clothes to wear but someone knocks on her door.

 

 

It’s Yeri. She blinks her big eyes and Wendy lets her in.

 

 

 

“Where’re they?”

 

 

“You mean Seulgi-unnie and Joy-unnie?”

 

 

 

“Hm.” Wendy walks back to her wardrobe as the little squirtle plants herself on her mini couch.

 

 

“I’d prefer not to disturb them.” Yeri casually replies. “You know what condition they were in last night. It’s probably still going on.”

 

 

 

Wendy clears her dry throat, “Oh.”

 

 

“You’re meeting up Irene-unnie later?” Yeri continues to ask since she’s a curious teen.

 

 

“How did you know?”

 

 

“That stupid dummy unnie called me a minute ago and asked for my opinion.” Yeri laughs. “She forgot I haven’t dated anyone yet.”

 

 

 

“She’s a little slow on that. So you dropped by and checked on my progress?” Wendy picks out a pair of short shorts but puts it back within a second. 

 

 

“Sort of.” Yeri swings her legs which are cutely dangling from the sofa. “I just wanna congratulate you and warn you a little that Irene-unnie is a slow ahjumma when it comes to dating.”

 

 

So Wendy chuckles and a light shade of pink creeps up on her cheeks, “How could you say that about her? I think she’s more like a kid.” 

 

 

“Trust me. So please take care of her, Wendy-unnie.” 

 

 

 

She turns and only sees Yeri’s looking at her sincerely. “Yerim-ah.”

 

 

“Yes, unnie?”

 

 

“Can you help me to pick my clothes?”

 

 

“Sure, unnie. I’m always happy to help.”

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

Irene is restless all day and she even arrives early, waiting on the streets despite the chilly weather these days. She won’t complain though, she just pulls her coat closer to her petite body.

 

 

She knows it’s useless to call Kim Yerim but she has no one else to turn to. Seulgi and Joy must be busy with “their own business”, she can’t possibly call Wendy to ask about that. She’s not trying to be “guy” in this relationship but she feels like she’s courting her out and she has to take the lead at least at their “first date”. There weren’t assigned roles in her past relationships and she’s comfortable with that. A flexible relationship is a healthy relationship, isn’t it ? 

 

 

 

And she has absolutely “dressed up” for today. Her long brown hair is now freely swaying in the wind, as well as her long coat. She looks at her ripped jeans and her black leather slip-ons, contemplating whether she’s dressed properly for such occasion. She knows she’s screwed if Wendy shows up in high heels. You can say height is Bae Joohyun’s biggest enemy. Apart from that, she got everything you could ask for.

 

 

Then she darts her gaze to her left wrist, a Daniel Wellington Classic St. Mawes she bought not long ago. She doesn’t usually wear wristwatches, she relies on her phone instead. She always goes solo and seldom has personal schedule to attend so she thought she doesn’t need one. But recently, she feels like growing up and perhaps she needs to keep an eye on time from now on. And Wendy is late.

 

 

She doesn’t intend to complain still. She is patient and composed. Although people are staring, making her fidget a little on her spot. 

 

 

Irene isn’t used to getting so much attention, being watched by so many pairs of unfamiliar eyes yet. Now without her cap, for her, they are staring into her bare soul, judging her. Little does she know, they are solely attracted by her outstanding appearance.

 

 

But she remembers she has promised Wendy that she would come out of her shell with baby steps. It isn’t easy. And she’s sure that she desperately needs Son Seungwan by her side along the way.

 

 

 

“Time up in the middle of a daydream,

Call you up 'cause the time is wasting,

Let's drive we got nowhere to go.

 

Fear not, yeah, welcome to the jungle,

Think fast, move quick, don't stumble,

We can't do this alone.”

 

 

 

Finally, Son Seungwan is here. She knew she’s going to be late when she saw the busy traffic. So she shuffled her not-so-long legs as soon as she got off of the bus and thanked Lord that she doesn’t wear heels today. She shouldn’t have used so much time selecting outfits and chatted with Yeri about Irene. Now she’s late by 10 minutes and she’s gonna leave a bad impression.

 

 

She slowly approaches the figure leaning against a wall, “I’m so sorry...... I used so much time search through my wardrobe. I didn’t know-”

 

 

“Why didn’t you text me? I was getting a little worried.” Irene an eyebrow as she’s scanning the young girl from head to toe.

 

 

 

“I totally forgot!” Wendy gasps. “I just ran and tried to get here as soon as possible.”

 

 

“It’s okay. You’re here now.” Irene lifts a smile. She likes her choice of clothes, she would still like it even she wears a rag. “And you look great. I love your skirt, but only if you won’t feel cold later.”

 

 

 

So Wendy’s fingers unknowingly start fiddling with the hem of her skirt, “Thank you. I’ll be fine. Cold doesn’t bother me anyway…... I’m from Canada, remember?”

 

 

“If you say so.” Irene nods and forces the words out from her chest. “And...... do you have anywhere you wanna go, or anything you wanna do tonight?”

 

 

Wendy however suddenly grins towards the shy bunny, “In fact, I do. But first, please take me to dinner. My stomach is rumbling.”

 

 

“S-sure.” 

 

 

 

Then they walk as their shoulders brush.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

“I didn’t know there’s so much good food around!” Wendy excitedly exclaims exiting the diner Irene brought her to.

 

 

“Koreans don’t eat orange spicy food only.” Irene lets out a giggle. “I know there’s a restaurant serving Canadian cuisine a few blocks away. But I haven’t tried it though.”

 

 

 

“Great!” She claps and gets even more excited. And Irene thinks she might be on drugs. “Let’s try it next time.”

 

 

“Hey, back to the present, where are we going next?”

 

 

“Just follow me, would you?”

 

 

“Okay.”

 

 

 

“We're young, live with no fear,

Kids running wild, girls crying drunk tears,

We don't have this time for long.

 

Yeah, we make big plans, spending all our change,

Caught up in the night, oh we missed the last train,

It's our time and we're leaving home.”

 

 

 

And as Irene is following Wendy to their next destination, there’re more thrilled youngsters walking in the opposite direction, more oncoming smiling faces. They are so happy that Irene thinks maybe they’re on drugs too.

 

 

But she soon shakes the random thought off when Wendy gently tugs her hand.

 

 

“Do you know where we are heading to?”

 

 

“Hm… no?” 

 

 

 

Irene gulps as she isn’t sure if it’s appropriate to display such intimacy here.

 

 

“People around me are all blabbering about this place. They all said I should go there and have fun before it ends.” Wendy’s eyes are glued to the front but her hand is locked onto Irene’s wrist. “They said I should go with Mark but I don’t want to.” By then, Irene is officially lost, confused. She could only look at the hand which isn’t hers but is currently on her body.

 

 

 

“We’re getting there.” Wendy smiles again. “You’ll see. And I think you’ll love it.”

 

 

And Irene is silent again. She feels like a kid being kidnapping, or lured to somewhere else she shouldn’t be going.

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

“A carnival?” Irene’s jaw drops as she sees those flashing lights.

 

 

“You haven’t heard?” Wendy is still holding her wrist rather awkwardly. “It’ll be open until next September.”

 

 

“Well, I really haven’t.”

 

 

“So do you like it?” She carefully asks.

 

 

 

“It looks, hm, fun.” She tilts her head and smiles.

 

 

“Then we should have fun tonight.” 

 

 

 

The next thing Irene knows is, Wendy dragging her around trying out all of those games, and, with their hands intertwined. It’s Irene’s turn to praise the Lord that people here are too occupied to give a about that.

 

 

“Let’s ride this.” Wendy brightly points at the huge Ferris wheel.

 

 

Irene is acrophobic, sometimes she got problems walking down the stairs, and this certainly looks scary more than fun for her. “I-I…...”

 

 

 

“Irene, you look so pale.” Wendy finally notices the unusual tension on the older girl’s face. “Are you feeling unwell? Is it the food we ate?”

 

 

She takes a deep breath and looks into her eyes, “I’m afraid of heights.”

 

 

 

It takes Wendy a moment to digest the news. “Kyaaaaaaa You’re so cute!” She bursts out cupping Irene’s cheeks with her small yet warm hands. “You could have just told me. I won’t make fun of you about that.” 

 

 

It embarrasses Irene even more, so she hangs her head low. But Wendy lifts her head back up, “Hey, Joohyun-ah. It isn’t your fault…. We aren’t going if you don’t wanna go, okay?”

 

 

Irene is totally startled by how Wendy called her by her real name. It sounds a little too good, too melodious for her ears. “But … you wanna go, right?”

 

 

 

“You don’t have to force yourself.” She shakes her head lightly, not wanting to turn her hope into pressure to someone she loves. I mean, riding a Ferris wheel with someone you like is a really romantic fantasy, and Irene knows that too.

 

 

“I’ll be fine as long as you’re with me, Seungwan.” She gets a firm grip on her hand and interlaces their fingers delicately. “To the Ferris wheel we go.”

 

 

 

Wendy can’t clearly explain what happened but a gust of warmth just hit her veins. So she returns to her merry state. She thought they would keep linking hands but no. Irene just took off running ahead of her, playfully, right after she finished her sentence.

 

 

“See who gets there first!”

 

 

“You cheated! It isn’t fair!”

 

 

She is left with no choice but chases the older girl. She still feels excited though. She feels energized by everything she’s seeing, hearing, feeling. She feels free, she feels amazed. She is feeling something she’s never felt before.

 

 

 

“One of those nights we felt invincible,

And every glass was full,

One of those nights.

 

One of those nights, dancing in the stars,

Thought that the world was ours,

One of those nights.”

 

 

 

“Seungwan…. Can you hold my hand for a bit?” Irene mutters as it starts sending them to the air.

 

 

Wendy was originally stuck on the window, busy admiring the splendid night sky. Yet hearing the urgency in Irene’s voice, she turns around and tenderly brings her into her arms.

 

 

 

“Still scared?” She chuckles rubbing her back. “Better now?”

 

 

Irene tries to sound stern but she still ends up sounding whiny, “You are asked to hold my hand, not my whole body.”

 

 

Wendy pulls away smiling rather motherly, “And I asked if you’re feeling better now.”

 

 

“I do.” Irene timidly turns her head away, hiding her flushed face and ears.

 

 

 

“Just remember I’m here with you.” Wendy then eventually fulfills Irene’s request holding her hand and swinging it back and forth adorably. “Don’t be scared if it sways, just look at the view…. Or me.” 

 

 

“O-okay.” 

 

 

Irene quietly presses her own palm against Wendy’s, very tightly, as if they are molding together. And it comforts her when she feels her beating pulse; slowly, she feels their hearts beating at the same pace. They are both completely blown away by the breathtaking bird’s eye view from the Ferris wheel. They can see everything in the city, houses are like little bricks, people are like tiny ants. It’s like they’re on the top of the world.

 

 

 

“Bae Joohyun.” She calls her by her real name again, her full name this time. “Are you scared?”

 

 

“Not anymore.” She softly curves her lips.

 

 

“No.” Wendy guides her face to her. “I mean, are you scared of how others would say about us?”

 

 

Irene is caught. She thought Wendy wouldn’t know. Now, she is really ashamed of herself. “Seungwan, I…... I’m…...” Is she that obvious?

 

 

 

“I just wanna let you know, I’d always be there for you.” The younger girl doesn’t care that they have already reached the top. She is looking at someone she cares much more than any other things you could name, excluding her family of course.

 

 

“I-I’m sorry.” The older girl is staring back, knowing she’s whipped this time.

 

 

“I don’t need your apology, Irene. I need you to be downright, I need you to be brave. Can you do that for me?”

 

 

“Yes, I can.” She tries very hard to control her exploding emotions. “I’ve dragged you into this- I, I would never let you to face it alone.”

 

 

 

“I wanna hold on tight to a little of this,

The kinda night you don't want to miss.

Time of our lives,

One of those nights.”

 

 

 

“Silly, you haven’t dragged me to anything.”

 

 

“You have to know it’s not easy. It’s not accepted, generally. I’ve seen many ugly sides of people. Some of them left me…... Even the ones I loved.”

 

 

 

Wendy runs her fingers across her concerned face, “I choose to love you. I’m willing to face the consequences, with you.” 

 

 

Irene is deeply touched by those simple words, she has lost count of how long she waited for that. Something inside her has been unlocked, has been freed. “I’m glad you finally choose me.”

 

 

 

Without another word, she closes the short distance between them. She has underestimated Son Seungwan. She only thought she was the one giving, she only thought she was giving more love than Seungwan. But she is wrong. She only loves her first. It doesn’t necessary mean she loves her more. She kisses her and she wants to apologize badly. They are literally in the sky right now, and she feels like flying, she’s alated ‘cause she’s with her. “Seungwan-ah, thank you so much for everything.”

 

 

“You’re welcome.” She pecks her cheek and hugs her again. And she realizes she’s slightly shorter than Irene, so that she could rest her head on her shoulder perfectly. It’s a great night. And she secretly makes a wish of there’ll be more nights like this awaiting.

 

 

 

When they come down from the ferris wheel, Irene makes sure that she got a good hold of Wendy’s hand on their way home. She finally knows everything’d be just fine when they’re together.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

---

So I finally updated *throws confetti*

It's been a while since I've been focusing on "Weaving and Straying" before.

Apologies if you've waited for this chapter too long

 

I love you guys so much, always showering me with all the support and love that I don't know if I really deserve them.

It's been a dream for me sharing my writings with people but you guys are so kind to me.

 

SO THANK YOU!!

 

Anyway, see you soon. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

xo