HERSHE - SEULRENE

SR - Date

It was after Irene got home when everything sunk into her.

Yes, she's going out with Seulgi tomorrow, ALONE.

Irene gritted her teeth. The idea of them being alone again sends her shivering. She's not sure why she's feeling that way. They went for a trip to Haeundae for two days and two nights but she never felt that conscious.

She brought a hand to her chest as she stared endlessly at her room ceiling. They are just going out tomorrow. It's just like going out with a female friend. Yup. A casual hangout.

She stood up from the bed and walked towards her closet. It was after a few minutes of rummaging when the idea finally hit her.

Yup, she just planned on preparing on what to wear for tomorrow.

She ruffled her hair in frustration and sat back on the bed.

"No need to be anxious about it. It's just Seulgi, okay?" she told herself.

She put her fingernail between her teeth when she realized that it is actually Seulgi who she's going out with. The same Seulgi that the girls in the office are swooning over. It's the same Seulgi that made Joy overly jealous of Irene.

Irene plopped down on the bed. Somewhere in her musing, she had fallen asleep.

---

Beep...

Irene's eyes flew open at the sound of her incoming message alert. That's when she realized she fell asleep.

She sat up straight and fished for her phone under the pillows. She opened the text message and smiled.

From: Seulgi

Message: Good morning! What time would the princess be ready for her service? :)

Irene giggled. She typed in her reply quickly.

To: Seulgi

Message: Morning :) Just pick me up around 11 am. Mom's gonna be out for the day so I still need to do some chores.

From: Seulgi

Message: Aight! I'll see you later ;)

She jumped out of bed and headed downstairs. "We're going out, we're going out!"

---

9:57 am.

Irene glanced over at the wall clock while drying her hair with a towel. Another towel is wrapped around her body. She rummaged through her clothes like last night.

This isn't the first time she's going out with a friend but this is the first time that she can't really decide on what to wear.

"Aish. Why do I feel like this is more of a date and just a casual friendly hangout?"

Irene isn't a neophyte in the dating game. She'd gone out with several suitors--some men which she found annoying, turning them down in the end. She doesn't know if the problem is on her part or the boys' but she easily gets turned off once she felt that a certain guy is befriending her with the sole intention of courting her.

But it's different with Seulgi.

Seulgi could be sweet to her at some point but never made her feel she was hitting on her romantically. After learning how Seulgi's charm had shaken the majority of the female population in the office, Irene secretly wished her charm would work on Seulgi too, not because she likes her but because she wonders who could capture Seulgi's attention.

After an hour of checking her reflection seven times and changing her outfit every turn, Irene finally settled with a simple white blouse and a blue plaid skirt that's just a few inches above her knees.