HERSHE - SEULRENE

SR - Tears

It was the night of the party.

Amber, who looked exquisitely handsome in her suit, drove Irene and Krystal to the grand ball. Irene wore a simple black off-shoulder dress while Krystal wore something extravagant, a full-skirted red cocktail gown curving the shape of her body.

Taemin brought his boyfriend along while Yeri and Taeyong, who are almost done with their internship, came in together too.

Seulgi and Wendy came in together too. Although limping a bit, Seulgi can walk now without a crutch.

Wendy is wearing an elegant green dress while Seulgi wears simple smart casual attire: black slacks, v-neck shirt inside, and a gray wool coat. They went first to greet Irene's team, where a little punching battle happened between Seulgi and Amber, then they went straight to sit at the graphics team table.

Irene watched Seulgi and Wendy as they walk away from them, determined to do one thing tonight.

---

Irene's mood is ruined but this certain couple from the other table.

She's trying to stay calm by pretending to be happy, talking to her team. But she can't stop herself from looking at the Graphics Team's table and see 'them' happy and sort of sweet.

The feeling Irene thought would go away lingered instead, and it went worse as the night passes by. It's like a poison that slowly builds up in her chest, gradually getting heavier, making her feel like she just wants to explode.

"Hey. You sure you're all right?" Krystal asked her for the third time that night.

"Yeah. I'm just not feeling quite well, maybe getting a fever or something," said Irene.

Krystal checked Irene's forehead with a hand. "Do you want to go home now? I could ask Amber to drive you."

"No. I'm fine. Let's just enjoy tonight."

Out of the blue, a burst of loud laughter from the Graphics Team caught some attention. Irene couldn't control herself from looking again, only to see Wendy laughing with the entire team, one hand on Seulgi's thigh.

Irene quickly averted her gaze and sighed.

"Are they together yet?" asked Krystal, looking at the same table.

"I don't know." Irene shrugged. She sliced the chocolate cake on her plate and took a bite. "Maybe Amber knows something?"

"Uh. No." Amber made an 'x' sign with her arms. "Seulgi isn't the type of friend who shares things like this."

"But I thought you were the best buddies?" asked Krystal.

"Yes, we are. But Seulgi isn't a fan of confiding about girls unless she's having a problem. Unless there's no issue yet, I don't think she will share details about her thing with that Wendy."

Irene bit the inside of her cheek, thinking if Amber already knows what happened between her and Seulgi.

"I could ask her straight if you two are curious," said Amber.

"Let's just assume that they are together," said Irene, not wanting to hear more about them. "Even if they aren't official yet, it's obvious now that's where they'll head, right?"

"Maybe," said Krystal, glancing one more time at the other table. "But I thought Seulgi is in love with another girl?"

Irene and Amber looked at each other quickly.

"Uh. That. I don't know what happened to them." Amber scratched her head. "The last time we talked about that girl was before the Seulgi's accident."