CHAPTER 3

CHAPTER 3

"You sure you're not coming with me?" Wendy pouted as Joy helped her with her travel bag at the departure area of the airport.

"You know I would if I could. But I have a business to run." Joy frowned.

"It's just a week though."

The tall girl sighed. "I know. The new manager I hired is coming this week. Let me meet her first and make sure that everything in the shop is settled then I'll book a flight to come after you cause I bet your family misses me that much too."

"Promise?"

"Yeah. Promise. Anyway, where is your fiancé?"

Wendy scanned the place for the person in question and her eyes landed on a familiar woman in her elegant black turtle neck that is neatly tucked into her khaki trousers paired with light gray colored high heels and sunglasses. The chief is walking towards them. Why is it in slow motion? Wendy doesn't know why.

𝘿𝙖𝙢𝙣.

"Damn.", she heard Joy say, verbalizing the word inside her head. "You said she is a witch."

Wendy cleared her throat and her thoughts as she watched her best friend ogle at her boss. "She is."

"You didn't tell me she's one fuckin' smoking hot supermodel witch."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Shut up. Close your mouth before you drool all over here."

"You're one lucky bastard."

"I am the lucky one now? I thought you were my best friend." the blonde narrowed her eyes.

"Oh don't get me wrong, look at yourself." Joy eyed her from head to toe. She unconsciously looked at herself too.

Her airport outfit is nothing fancy like Irene. She's just wearing a plaid light blue flannel over a black tank top, black skinny ripped jeans and black combat shoes. It's simple and she may look like a peasant next to Irene Bae but it suits her mood perfectly. She just wants to be as comfortable as possible for the trip.

"You, Son Seungwan, is one hella snack. Scratch that. You are not a snack. You are a full course meal. Ms. Smexy Boss over there is luckier to have you as her fiance."

"Shut up." the blonde smiled. Joy really knows how to compliment a person. No wonder a lot of people fall for this gorgeous ball of sunshine. But a lot of people also misinterpret her compliments into flirting. So even though Joy is a very lovable person, Joy also breaks tons of hearts too.

"But seriously, you do not have to be insecure just because she is this almighty Irene Bae that you knew. I know that for 2 years, this woman has put you in a box that at some point, you started doubting yourself but you shouldn't be. You are a great person inside and out, Seungwan-ah. Start giving credits to yourself."

Wendy doesn't want to argue with that because what Joy said is true. She left their home for a dream, and landed a secretarial job for a starter. It's been 2 years and her witch of a boss doesn't even acknowledge all the work she put into the company. It made her question herself. What if it's not really meant for her? What if she's not good enough for it? There's a whole lot of other 'What ifs' in her mind and it sometimes consumes her. But she is thankful that she had Joy beside her. She is thankful that when she feels like she's drowning, there's a Sooyoung that saves her from it and keeps her head above water. "I fucking love you, Park Sooyoung."

"I love you too. And even though I have a bad feeling about this whole messed up situation you got yourself into, I also know that you know what you are doing. Right?"

The blonde breathed heavily. "Of course, of course. Just trust me on this, okay?"

"Fine. Just don't come running back to me with your ugly crying ass when everything goes South."

Wendy knew it was a joke. She knew she could come running to her best friend whenever, wherever.

She was about to say something but Irene was almost in front of them.

"Did you bring your whole wardrobe?", Wendy said as Irene approached them, pulling a huge LV suitcase behind her. "Or are you already moving in with me and my family?"

"Don't start with me. I needed all of this.", Irene responded with a glare.

"If you say so. But I'm not helping you with that. Just to remind you, I am not your personal assistant today. I am your… uh your fiance."

"A fiancé who doesn't care about her fiance? Sounds very doting to me."

"Oh. You guys are so cute together!" Joy clasped her hands.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙙 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙗𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨?

Wendy saw Irene give Joy a confused look.

"Uh. Irene, this is Joy. Joy, this is Irene.", she introduced the two.

Joy offered a handshake which Irene surprisingly took.

"Joy, the one who wrote on the cup and the one who gave you a kiss mark?", Irene asked curiously, earning a hearty laugh from Joy.

"Oh! That was nothing. We were just playing. You don't have to worry about me being a hindrance to your relationship. I am her best friend.", Joy blabbed.

Wendy's cheeks flushed when reminded of what they did. She watched Irene throw another confused look at Joy, maybe wondering what kind of best friends would kinda make out and call it playing. It is embarrassing. Her once pink cheeks turned into bright red.

"Okay. That's enough. We need to board now." she said as she pulled Irene away from her best friend. "You…", she turned towards Joy. "Call me or text me or whatever. Don't do anything stupid while I'm away."

"Yes ma'am." Joy said as she leaned and pecked a kiss on the blonde's cheek. "Have a safe flight. "Say hi to Halmi for me."

"Will do." Wendy smiled and left with Irene.

----------------------------------------------------------

"So is it your fetish?" Irene asked the blonde beside her. Wendy has been unusually quiet since the plane took off. She was thinking maybe the girl was just hungry but 6 hours had passed and they had already finished a meal and a snack but Wendy was still saying nothing. Not even a snide remark. She's not even sleeping either. The blonde is just staring blankly outside the window like she's the main character of some sad romantic music video.

Irene is bored. She needs to be entertained. As much as she does not want to disturb Wendy's peace, there is no else to talk to.

"What?" Wendy looked away from the window to face her with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Is it your fetish?", she repeated.

"What are you saying?"

"Making out with your close friends? Is that a thing now?"

The blonde was clearly taken aback by her silly question but it did not fail to bring a prominent blush just like it did when she and Joy mentioned it earlier at the airport.

"Why are you even asking me this? If it is, it's none of your business."

"Yes, it is if it will be one the questions at the immigration interview."

Wendy snickered. "They will never ask such an inappropriate thing."

"You don't know that."

"Fine. Just to put a stop at this curiosity, I'm gonna answer your question."

"I'm listening.", Irene crossed her arms as she adjusted comfortably to her seat.

"Not my thing. We were just intoxicated with alcohol when it happened. We were just… just having too much fun and got carried away."

"So is it like friends with benefits?"

"What? No! Joy has been my best friend since childhood. It's a one time thing. It will never happen again."

"Hmmm. Okay.", Irene hummed. Seeing Wendy's flustered face was already entertaining enough.

She watched the blonde pull out the booklet she was carrying earlier.

"You know what, let's just check out the real questions they might actually ask. This is a guide book about the immigration interview. Now, the good news is I know almost everything about you. The bad news is you only have a week to learn all this about me. You should probably get studying."

Irene grabbed the book from Wendy and scanned the questions herself.

"You know all the answers to these questions about me?", Irene asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Scary, isn't it?"

"Hmm a little bit." It's actually maybe true given that Wendy has been her personal assistant slash secretary for 2 years now and that the blonde is always keen on details. On the other hand, she doesn't know anything personal about Wendy aside from the basic information stated on her curriculum vitae.

"What am I allergic to?" Irene asked, reading a question from the booklet.

"Crustaceans. You deeply hated chicken too. And the full spectrum of human emotions."

"Ha ha. That's funny.", the chief chuckled fakely. "Hmmm. Here's a good one. Do I have any scars?"

"Not that I'm aware of. But I'm pretty sure you have a tattoo."

"Oh? You're pretty sure?"

"I'm pretty sure. A year ago, your dermatologist called and asked about a Q-switched laser. I Googled and found out that the process in fact removes tattoos."

Irene cannot deny the information anymore.

"But you canceled it. So which one is it? Vikings tattoo? Korean calligraphy? Or barbed wires?"

Irene narrowed her eyes to the blonde who had a teasing expression on her face. "You know it is exciting for me to experience you like this.", she said in a sarcastic tone.

"Thank you. You're gonna have to tell me where it is though."

"No, I'm not."

"They're gonna ask."

"No, they're not."

"They will."

"We're done with that question, Wendy. We're done with that question." Irene repeated the sentence for Wendy to understand that she doesn't want to tackle the topic anymore. "Let me see another one.", she flipped the page. "Oh. Here's one. Whose place do we stay at? Yours or mine? That's easy. Mine." she said.

"And why wouldn't we stay at mine?"

"Ah. Because I live at Central Park West. And you probably live in some filthy little studio-type apartment with stacks of yellowed Nicholas Sparks novels everywhere."

She can feel Wendy's glare boring through the side of her head as if Wendy is drilling laser beams through her skull.

The annoyed blonde went silent again for the rest of the trip.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seatbelts. We are beginning our descent into Jeju Island.", Irene heard the plane intercom finally announced. After almost a day of travel time including the connecting flight they took, they have finally arrived at their destination. Irene is extremely tired and is having a massive jet lag and is dreading for a rest. As they entered the arrival area of Jeju International Airport, she noticed Wendy was scanning the crowd of people who had placards and were welcoming the passengers disembarking the aircraft.

"There they are.", she heard Wendy mutter. Following the blonde's gaze, she spotted 3 women excitedly waving at Wendy, two of them raising placards that read "𝐖𝐄𝐋𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐇𝐎𝐌𝐄 𝐖𝐄𝐍𝐃𝐘 & 𝐈𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐄!" and the other one is "𝐒𝐔𝐏 𝐁𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇??"

The first woman must be the grandmother as she's way older than the other two. The one in the middle must be the mom or an aunt. The one in the farthest right is way younger, must be Wendy's younger sister. But the blonde did not mention anything about a sister or a sibling and the girl does not look like her.

"There she is!" the lady in the middle exclaimed and Wendy sprinted towards them, not even checking if she's following behind.

"Annyeong!" Wendy greeted the three with the brightest smile, her mood completely different from the one in the plane. As Irene is a Korean as well, she fully understands that the greeting means "Hello".

"Ohhh. It's so good to see you, honey.", the lady in the middle hugged the blonde tightly.

"It's good to see you too, Mom." Wendy answered.

𝙊𝙝. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧.

"You're suffocating her, Seung-ah. Come here, Seungwan.", the old lady said as she gestured for the blonde to give her a hug as well.

"Oh Halmi! I missed you!"

𝙎𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙬𝙖𝙣. She remembered the Korean name from Wendy's records but she was so used to calling her by her English name (as Wendy insisted) that she almost forgot that the name Seungwan ever existed. Irene cannot explain it but hearing someone call Wendy by her real Korean name feels so much different.

"How about me, unnie?", the one with the 'SUP BITCH??' placard and the youngest of the three ladies pouted at the side. The girl is pretty much the same height as her and Wendy.

"Ya! You've grown!" Wendy addresses the girl and gives her a bear hug.

"Of course I did. You're the one who didn't.", the girl smirked, earning a smack in the head from the blonde.

"Where's Dad?" Wendy asked, scanning the crowd for the man in question.

"Oh. You know your father. He's always working." the mom said. "Nevermind about him. Where's your girl?"

"Ah! She's right here.", Wendy finally turned towards her, giving her enough space for introduction.

"Oh. I guess the word 'girl' is inappropriate huh." the grandmom remarked as she saw Irene.

"Irene, this is my mom, Seung-ah. Mom, this is Irene.", the blonde introduced the two.

"Hello.", she smiled. Seung-ah was about to give her a warm hug but Irene is not used to hugs so she panicky offered her hand for a handshake like it was some kind of a business meeting.

"This is my Halmi, Soonhee."

"Pleasure to meet you.", Irene shook Halmi's hand.

"It's so good to finally meet you, Irene.", Halmi Soonhee warmly said.

"And this is my cousin, Yeri."

Irene did a handshake with the girl named Yeri too. "Hi."

"So you are Seungwan-unnie's girlfriend huh? Do you prefer being called Irene or Satan's Mistress? Cause we've heard it both ways. Actually, we've heard it lots of ways.", Yeri said with a mischievous smile.

Has she been that horrible with Wendy that the blonde has made up a bunch of awful nicknames for her?

"Ya! Kim Yerim!" Seung-ah scolded. "Don't mind her, she's just kidding.", the woman forced a chuckle.

"Oh… Okay." But Irene was pretty sure that was never meant to be a joke. "Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of your family gathering."

"Oh, you are welcome! We're thrilled to have you.", Halmi said. "Come on, let's get you two back home so that you can eat and rest."

After getting her LV suitcase at the Baggage Claim Area, the pair proceeded to the waiting black Range Rover outside the building.

𝘼 𝙍𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚 𝙍𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧? Wendy must've taken the time to look for a decent car for her to ride in this small city, but the car rental didn't have to be this luxurious. She bet it cost Wendy a lot of dime and the blonde is probably broke by now.

"You do not have to rent an expensive car just to impress me.", Irene whispered.

"What?"

"I could ride a simple hatchback as long as it's comfortable."

"What are you saying?"

"That I bet you emptied your piggy bank just to rent this car for me."

Wendy let out a laugh. "Well yeah, most likely. Because you're a one high-maintenance girlfriend and I know you won't settle for less."

Irene knows it's a sarcastic remark from Wendy but she couldn't understand why the blonde could still laugh despite the fact that she probably has 0 balance on her bank account.

As she gets into the car, she wonders why Wendy is getting into the back seat with her too. "You're not driving?", she asked.

"I don't…–"

"She doesn't drive.", Yeri, who is comfortably sitting in the passenger seat, answered for Wendy.

"Then who will d—"

A man opened the door from the driver's side.

"He is.", Wendy gestured to the man.

"Good afternoon, Ms. Wendy.", the man greeted as he sat on the driver's seat.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Choi.", the blonde smiled warmly. "How are you?"

Living on a small island, Irene assumes you get to know the community and the people living in it too, especially when you are a resident that was born and raised here because there is no way that the chauffeur is included in the car rental package as it would be too expensive. She's afraid the blonde would be buried in debt while they are in their fake marriage for trying to pull stunts like this.

"I'm good. It's great to see you here again. I hope you have a wonderful vacation."

"Thank you, Mr. Choi."

The driver started the car and drove away from the airport.

"What are you doing?", she whispered to the blonde.

"What?"

"Just because we're together doesn't mean you can borrow or spend my money once you run out of it."

"What the hell are you saying?"

"The pricey car rental. The chauffeur." Irene said, her doe eyes getting big trying to point things out to Wendy.

She heard Yeri's laugh from the front seat. Whether it's because the girl's eyes are glued to her phone and there is something funny on the screen or if it's because the girl heard what she had said, Irene cannot tell.

"Relax, baby. It's been handled." Wendy reassured her, emphasizing the 'baby' word cause the blonde may not want her cousin to think that they are fighting.

She exhaled. She's just worried about Wendy's financial situation. Not that she deeply cares about it but she's worried that it may lead to bankruptcy and it would affect their whole plan. But if the blonde said it's been handled, then she'll let it go.

"Where's your mom and your grandma?"

"They went ahead first. Mom said they're gonna get something from the store. Just relax, okay?"

----------------------------------------------------------

After more than 2 hours of road travel, Irene slowly opened her eyes to check her surroundings. She must've fallen asleep. She panicked slightly, thinking where the hell is she and why is she in a car and in a place that is not familiar to her but she eventually relaxed when she saw a sleeping Wendy beside her. Yeri is still on her phone so Irene thought she didn't take a nap like they did. They entered a road with fewer buildings, houses and cars and the next thing that Irene knew was that they were already in the outskirts of Jeju-do. It's less busier than Jeju City but there are still buildings, restaurants and stores that could be seen. Irene had seen and recognized some of the establishments from the city earlier. It must be a big brand here in Jeju, but Irene still feels that the business names are oddly familiar.

𝐉𝐄𝐉𝐔 𝐒𝐎𝐔𝐕𝐄𝐍𝐈𝐑𝐒: 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐂𝐎𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐔𝐑𝐁𝐀𝐍 𝐊𝐈𝐓𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐍: 𝐄𝐬𝐭. 𝟏𝟗𝟕𝟎

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐂𝐀𝐅𝐄 𝟐𝟏

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐒𝐔𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐌𝐀𝐑𝐊𝐄𝐓

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐎𝐍'𝐒 𝐑𝐔𝐑𝐀𝐋 𝐁𝐀𝐍𝐊

And a few more others with "Son's" in it.

𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙎𝙤𝙣'𝙨? 𝙎𝙤𝙣… She immediately glanced at Wendy's bag tag to confirm her speculation.

Son S.

𝙎𝙤𝙣 𝙎𝙚𝙪𝙣𝙜𝙬𝙖𝙣.

𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙡𝙡?

"Wendy.", she called the blonde. "Wendy…", but the blonde is still sleeping soundly. She nudged Wendy harshly to get her attention, effectively waking up the blonde with an annoyed expression on her face.

"What is your problem??", Wendy hissed in a whispered voice.

"You didn't tell me about all the family businesses, baby.", she said, calling Wendy with their fake endearment because Yeri might be listening.

"Oh. Seungwan-unnie was probably just being modest.", Yeri said from the front seat.

And here is Irene, thinking all this time that Wendy is one of those people who are just trying to make ends meet just to survive their everyday lives. It didn't occur to her that the blonde's family is quite well-off. Irene does not understand what Wendy is doing in New York with a secretarial job when she can be here with all their businesses and whatnot.

After a few more minutes, the car stopped and they arrived at a dock. Irene watched Yeri and Wendy get out of the car and so she did too. She saw Wendy's mom and Halmi get out of another car as well.

"What are we doing? Shouldn't we check into our hotel right now?", she asked Wendy as the blonde helped the driver to unload their luggage.

"Oh. We canceled your reservation." Seung-ah answered for Wendy. "Family doesn't stay at a hotel. You're gonna stay in our home."

"Oh. Okay…", she said, forcing a smile. "And where exactly is your home?", she turned towards Wendy again.

"It's in Udo. It's another small island here in Jeju."

𝙄𝙨𝙡𝙖𝙣𝙙? "And how are we gonna get there?"

"Boat.", Wendy said as if it is the most obvious thing in the world because they are clearly at the dock.

"No. I don't wanna ride a boat."

"Yes, you do."

"No."

"Then stay here and I'll see you in a few days. Bye, Irene.", the blonde turned away from her, leaving her with her luggage.

"You don't understand. You know I can't swim!"

"Neither can I. So if you're gonna die, I'm gonna die too. Isn't that sweet?"

Wendy's sneers are definitely not helping her feel better about the situation. And what kind of a person is someone who lives on a freaking island but doesn't know how to swim?

"Now, hurry your ass up. I'm starving." Wendy turned and walked away, leaving her with all her belongings.

"Seungwan-ah, help Irene with her things.", she heard Seung-ah tell Wendy.

"I'd love to. But she won't let me do anything. She's all about girl power."

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙧𝙖𝙨𝙘𝙖𝙡.

Wendy must've felt her shooting daggers so the blonde ordered Yeri to help her with the luggages. "Go help your Irene-unnie with the bags."

Irene heard Yeri groan but still did what was told.

"I can handle this.", she said.

"Nah. It's fine.", Yeri said, taking the suitcase. "Heard you don't want to get on the boat?"

"Uh… Yes."

"Oh. You're gonna love it."

"Love it?"

"Yes, the boat. You're going to be fine. Trust me.", Yeri reassured as the girl pointed at the boat they would be riding.

The boat Irene had pictured in her mind is a small, wooden and creaky vessel. Something that could easily be destroyed by big waves. This 'boat' in front of her is nowhere near what she had imagined. It's way larger than a boat. It's way fancier than a boat.

𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙖 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙞𝙣' 𝙮𝙖𝙘𝙝𝙩.

----------------------------------------------------------

"I told you, you are going to be just fine.", Yeri said as the younger girl sat beside her at the main salon of the yacht. She was told that it would be just about a 15 minutes trip so she did not bother settling herself inside a room. The sofa itself is soft and comfortable. She doesn't want to roam around either as she might throw up due to motion sickness.

"Don't tell me this so-called 'boat' is family-owned as well?"

"This? Oh. This is Seungwan-unnie's."

Irene's doe eyes couldn't get much bigger.

"Gifted by her father when she turned 18. She doesn't use it that much so she left it under my care. I usually throw my college parties here rather than having it at home.", Yeri said casually, like it's the most normal thing in her everyday life.

"Wendy did not tell me about all of this."

"Oh. She's the humblest of all. She doesn't brag about the family's fortune."

Aside from the fact that she's at a loss for words because she was overwhelmed with the new information about Wendy, Irene is not that good with having conversations with people as well so she really does not know how to respond to Yeri and keep the conversation going.

"I'm going to get a refill." the younger girl stood up and left. Irene did not notice the glass of wine she was holding.

----------------------------------------------------------

"Here we are. We're almost home!", she heard Halmi announce excitedly.

Irene wanted to see the view so she made her way to the window. What she saw made her jaw almost drop and she suddenly felt so dizzy. There is now way she is not dreaming right now. The view revealed another small island as Wendy mentioned. But sitting on that small island is a humongous mansion, Crazy Rich Asian-type of shit. Her body must be overreacting because she felt her legs getting wobbly, almost losing balance, when Wendy came popping out of nowhere and caught her just in time.

"Are you okay?", the blonde asked.

"That is your home??"

"Uh. Yeah?"

"Who are you people??"

"Uhm—"

"Why did you tell me you were poor?"

"I never said I was poor."

"But you never told me you were rich!"

"I'm not rich. My parents are rich. My family is rich."

"Ok, you know what? That's something only rich people say."

"Hmmm. Come on, let's get our things. We're almost there."

The mansion became even prettier up close as the yacht came closer to the shore. It is huge and Irene has no idea how many rooms are in there. But unlike the other mansions that look sad and empty, the Son's mansion looks homey and cozy with its warm lights that lit up the whole place. Irene wonders how expensive the electric bill is every month but she guesses these people don't really mind even if the lights or the aircons were on 24/7.

As they unboarded the luxurious boat, Irene can see people around and inside the house. She knows that the grandma's birthday party is not today so she's really not sure what today's event is.

"Hi Seungwan-ah!! Welcome home!!", some people shouted and waved as they saw Wendy.

"Hi!" Wendy waved back. "Mom, what is this? Why do we have guests?"

"Nothing, honey. It's just a simple welcoming party. Is that a crime?" Seung-ah answered.

Irene heard Wendy huffed.

"It's just a few of the family's friends in town. They are all excited to meet you.", Halmi said.

The long plane ride, the 2 hours long drive and the boat trip already took too much of Irene's energy and she just does not have anything left for a party. "Of course, rich people do parties when someone away for so long finally comes home.", Irene rolled her eyes as she looked at her wrist watch. It's past 6pm. It's the perfect time to get a little dinner and then head to bed.

"We don't have to say too long. Just a few greetings and I'll tell mom we need to rest."

The chief let out a groan.

"Let's go. My grandma is moving faster than you."

----------------------------------------------------------

Wendy's head is aching. She didn't expect her family would make her coming home a big of a deal to even throw a party for her. They said it's "little" and "simple" but it never is. Though the party and the ambiance is quite festive, the blonde is getting tired of shaking numerous hands and her cheeks are getting cramps for putting on a fake smile every now and then. Don't get her wrong, she appreciates all the people that came here. All of them are genuine friends of the family and are decent people of the town, but a big party is too much. She's just so tired and she just wants to sleep. She bet Irene feels the same. She is just finding the perfect timing to ditch the party and head upstairs.

"Why didn't you tell me you were some kind of a Korean princess?"

"How could I? All we did was talk about you for the last two years."

Irene pulled her to a corner.

"Okay. Time out. Okay?", the chief said, gesturing a "T" with her two hands. "This bickering Bickerson thing has got to stop. People need to think we are in love. So, let's just stop fighting."

"Well, that's not a problem to me. I can definitely do that. I can pretend to be the perfect, loving fiance. That's easy."

"Great.", Irene nodded.

"But for you, it would require too much of you to act as if you're capable of love. You might even use one of your witch poisons for this."

"That. Those spiteful remarks have to stop."

"Fine. I'll stop."

"Good. When are you going to tell them we're engaged?"

"I'll pick the right moment. Let's not rush it. They may suspect something is up."

"Hey Seungwan-ah!", a lady approached them in a sing-song voice.

"Ms. Han! How are you? Nice to see you."

"I'm good. It's good to see you back, dear."

"Thank you. This is Irene. Baby, this is Ms. Han, my piano teacher in high school."

"Hi. Pleasure to meet you.", Irene did another one of the handshakes they've been doing since they got here.

"Nice to meet you too, Irene. So I always wanted to know, what does a book editor do?", Ms. Han asked.

"Well, that's a great question, Ms. Han. I'm curious to know the answer myself.", a very familiar voice of a man said.

"Hello, Dad." the man finally appeared after being missing at the airport earlier.

"Seungwan."

They hugged. But it was like a formality of just greeting each other. The handshakes and the greetings from all the other people in the place are way warmer than her father's. Son Sanghyun has always been tough with her. The man always says that he's giving the tough love because it is all for Wendy's sake and that he just wants all the best for their only child. He always expects too much from her and Wendy has to always give her best. Two years ago, Son Seungwan realized she had enough.

"This must be Irene?", her father offered Irene a handshake. "I'm Sanghyun. Seungwan's father. Pleasure to meet you."

"Pleasure's mine.", the chief accepted the handshake.

"So why don't you tell us exactly what a book editor does besides taking writers out for lunch and getting bombed?" he chuckled without humor.

"Now that sounds like fun!" Ms. Han laughed, totally oblivious to the fact that her father is not actually joking. "No wonder you like being an editor, Seungwan-ah."

"No no no, Ms. Han. Seungwan is not an editor. She's an editor's assistant. Irene here is the editor.", he said as he took a sip from the glass of rum he was drinking.

"Oh. So you are actually Seungwan's boss?" Ms. Han asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Yes, she is Seungwan's boss." her father answered.

"Well… that's nice… Like in the TV drama." Ms. Han commented.

Wendy heard her father scoff. "I think I'll get a refill.", he said as he left the scene. Ms. Han politely excused herself as well as she went to talk to another woman.

"Wow. That was something…" Irene muttered.

"Excuse me for a minute."

Wendy came trudging after her father, who is now in the mini bar, refilling himself a drink. What her father did was humiliating and the blonde couldn't let it pass. "That's a hell of a first impression dad."

"What the hell, Seungwan-ah. You show up here after all this time with this woman you hated and now she's your girlfriend?"

"We just got here. Can we wait at least two seconds before we throw the kitchen sink at each other?"

"I just never figured you for a person who slept her way to the middle." he said, disappointment evident on his face.

"Actually, I want you to know that that woman in there is one of the most respected editors in town." What she said is true though. And Irene does not deserve that kind of disrespect from the people here. Especially from her father who has no idea what work they are putting inside a publishing company.

"Oh, she's your meal ticket and you brought her home to meet your mother."

"No. She's not my meal ticker, Dad. She's not just my girlfriend. She's my fiance."

Surely, her father did not expect that. The man did not expect Wendy to marry and settle down this early. Sanghyun was clearly taken aback by what she had said and Wendy loved the confusion it brought to her father.

"What did you say?"

"You heard me. I'm getting married."

The blonde proceeded to the main living room of the mansion where most of the guests are.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I have an important announcement to make." she said, raising her voice to get everyone's attention. "Irene and I are getting married."

She scanned the crowd for the woman and she saw Irene spit the wine she just sipped as the woman did not expect the announcement to be so sudden.

"Yes. You heard it right. Baby? Come here.", she called. Irene hesitantly walked towards her with a what-the-hell-are-you-doing look. She doesn't know either. She plans on telling the family over dinner but she was so humiliated earlier that she wants to throw all of this on her father's face.

"There she is. Ladies and gentlemen, there she is. The love of my life.", she held Irene on the woman's waist.

Everyone applauded and congratulated them. She heard whistles from a few others too. Everyone was pretty much happy about the news. Her mother and Halmi hugged her and Irene.

"It's time to celebrate! Let's get the beers and champagne!", her cousin Yeri shouted.

----------------------------------------------------------

"So that was your idea of the perfect time to tell them that we're engaged?" Irene asked Wendy as they stood in the corner, drinking champagne.

"Oh yes. That was the perfect time."

"That's brilliant. That's brilliant timing."

Irene knows she's being sarcastic but it was already said and done. At least they won't have to worry about how they would tell them.

"Seungwan-ah. Hi.", a brunette girl with monolid eyes approached them.

"Seul? Oh my god. Wow. Hi."

They hugged each other tightly. 𝙋𝙧𝙤𝙗𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙮 𝙖 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙., Irene thought. Wendy has been away for so long. It is just normal for the people of this town to miss her so much.

"How are you doing? I didn't know you're gonna be here."

"Oh. Your mom invited me. Probably didn't mention it to you because she wants it to be a surprise. So… surprise.", the girl chuckled, her eyes disappearing as she smiles.

"Wow. I'm glad you came. It's so good to see you again."

"Yeah. It's good to see you too."

Wendy has been putting up a smiling face since earlier that Irene already knew when the blonde was just doing it for the show and when she was not. This is one of the times that the blonde was being genuine about missing someone from home.

"Seungwan-ah, we are completely being rude.", the girl faced Irene and offered a handshake. "Hi."

"Oh. Right. Sorry. Irene, this is my… this is my ex- uhhh…" the blonde say

"I'm Seulgi."

𝙊𝙝. 𝘼 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙚𝙭 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡𝙛𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙙. Nice. Irene shook Seulgi's hand. The name is quite familiar. She thinks she had read the name before somewhere.

"Hi. Wow. Nice to meet you."

"Same. It's good to finally see the person who hit the jackpot by marrying this little hamster."

𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙩𝙡𝙚 𝙝𝙖𝙢𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧? 𝙃𝙢𝙢𝙢.

"Well, congratulations to the both of you." Seulgi said. She can tell that the brunette is being sincere but there is also a hint of regrets and "what-ifs" in her voice. The girl obviously still cares about Wendy.

"Thank you. / Thank you." the pair said in unison.

"So, did I miss the story?"

"What story? / What story?" they both asked.

"About who proposed?"

"Ohhhh. How a person proposes their love says a lot about their character." says Halmi. She probably overheard Seulgi's question and wanted to know the story herself.

"I actually would love to hear the story too, Seungwan-ah. Would you tell us?" Wendy's mom said as she and Halmi got comfortable on the sofa.

They are in trouble. This is something that they did not discuss and now they were like deers caught in the headlights. Irene decided to just get along with whatever Wendy would say.

"You know what? Actually, Irene loves telling this story. So I'm just gonna let her go ahead and do that.", the blonde proceeded to sit on the sofa as well. The spectators looked at her with anticipation.

𝙊𝙝. 𝙂𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩.

Since Wendy wants her to be the one to tell the tale, why not make it more entertaining?

"Wow. Okay. Where do I start?", she paused for a moment, letting her imagination kick in. "Well uhmm... Wendy and I… Wendy and I were about to celebrate our first anniversary together. And I knew that she'd been itching to ask me to marry her. And she was scared, like the little hamster that she is…" she looked at Seulgi at this part, letting the brunette know that she also knew about the "little hamster" nickname thingy . "So, I started leaving her little hints here and there because I knew she wouldn't have the guts to ask but—"

"That's not exactly how it happened, baby.", the blonde interjected, giving her a what-in-the-world-are-you-saying face.

"Hmmm. No?"

"No.", the blonde breathed deeply, ready to say her own version of the story. "I mean, I picked up on all her little hints. This woman's about as subtle as a gun.", Wendy said, earning a laugh from the people. "What I was worried about was that she might find this little box—"

"Oh! The DIY explosion decoupage box that she made where she had taken the time to cut out tiny, little pictures of us, the photos we took through the year. Yes, I remember that. It's an origami box that pops open and as soon as you take the top off, it reveals pictures, messages, and even gifts inside. Ohh… It's so so beautiful. It's the first time someone has given me such a cute thing."

A few ooohs and aaahs can be heard from the crowd. Her acting might be so convincing because the people were so buying the story except for Wendy who is now killing her with a death glare. "So I opened that beautiful, little explosion box and out fluttered these tiny, little hand-cut heart confettis…", she said with the hand-gestures and all. "...and once they cleared, I looked down and I saw… the most beautiful, big—-"

"...fat nothing.", Wendy finished her sentence. The blonde is not really letting her have this little moment. "No ring."

"No ring?" Halmi asked, confused.

"No. But inside that box… underneath all that crap…there was a little hand-written note with the address to a hotel, date and time."

Another ooohs and aaahs from the crowd. This time, it's Irene's turn to give Wendy an angry stare.

"Anyway, naturally, Irene thought… she thought—"

"I thought she was seeing someone else.", Irene continued.

"What?" Seung-ha asked.

"Yes, it was a terrible time for me. But I went to that hotel anyway. I went there and pounded on the door. But the door was already unlocked. And as I swung open that door… there she was…"

"Standing.", Wendy said.

"Kneeling.", Irene corrected. "In a room filled with little scented candles and a bed of rose petals in a sexy black Victoria's Secret dress… Your daughter… Your precious daughter… She was choking back soft, soft sobs. And when she held back her tears and finally caught her breath, she said to me—"

"I said "Irene, will you marry me?" and she said yes. The end. Who's hungry?"

And another ooohs and aaahs from the crowd.

"Wow. That is quite a story.", Wendy's mother said.

"That is gorgeous. Seungwan-ah, you are so romantic.", Halmi said, holding her granddaughter's hand.

"Hey, let's see a kiss from the two lovebirds!" Yeri suggested, and the people started clinking their glasses like they are some kind of a newly-wed.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙣𝙚𝙘𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙖𝙧𝙮.

"Give her a kiss, Seungwan-ah!"

"No. Come on, guys." the blonde politely waves her hand to decline. 𝙔𝙚𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩. 𝙏𝙚𝙡𝙡 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙣𝙤.

But the crowd is not getting no for an answer. They won't stop clinking their glasses and are pushing the two to kiss. Irene does not know how Wendy plans to get out of this situation. They were like pushed into a corner and there was no escape route. The lady chief cannot explain it, but she's feeling quite nervous all of a sudden.

"Okay. Alright. Here we go.", she heard Wendy say.

The blonde held her hand and quickly kissed it. It was lame but Irene hoped these people would buy it and let them go already.

"Unnie, what the hell was that? Kiss her on the mouth like you mean it." Yeri said. This little cousin of Wendy is a big trouble.

"KISS HER! KISS HER! KISS HER!", the crowd chanted. "KISS HER! KISS HER! KISS HER!"

Irene can tell that Wendy is also freaking out about all of this because the blonde's forehead starts to form droplets of sweat. She herself cannot understand what she's feeling. Something is fluttering inside her stomach. It might just be the food she ate but it's totally not helping.

𝘼 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙥𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙝𝙪𝙧𝙩, 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩?

As if the blonde had read what's on her mind, Wendy nodded at her, maybe telling her to get ready because she would lean in for a kiss. And the blonde did. Their lips touched but it was just that. It was quick and it was simple and Wendy's lips are sof—-

"Seungwan-ah! Give her a real kiss!" Halmi demanded. They are not letting them off the hook that easily.

"Yeah, give her a real one!", someone shouted.

𝙊𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙜𝙤𝙙. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩'𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚?

"Why don't we just do it?", Irene whispered to her fiance.

"Yeah. Let's just do it very fast.", Wendy said.

Time seemed to stop when Seungwan once again captured her lips. This time it was a real one. This time, she can confirm that Seungwan's lips are indeed soft and smooth. This kiss was not that bad. Aside from the fact that the small, fluttering feelings on her stomach became wild butterflies that's doing somersaults, everything seems perfect. Unconsciously, her half-lidded eyes finally closed as she noticed Seungwan did the same, lingering on whatever they were doing right now. Seungwan tastes like a mixture of champagne and peaches and honey and it's sweet and Irene would want to have more of that sweet taste but she can also hear people clapping and whistling. And then it hit her. She then realizes they are in front of so many people and that they are just doing it for a show. Her eyes flung open and broke the kiss. It looks like Wendy was snapped back to reality too.

𝙊𝙠𝙖𝙮. 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩?

----------------------------------------------------------

Wendy coughed to clear her dry throat. She didn't know what just transpired in that kiss but she's pretty sure they were both into it. Well, Irene is a pretty good actress if she's not. 𝙔𝙚𝙖𝙝. 𝙈𝙖𝙮𝙗𝙚 𝙨𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙣𝙤𝙩.

Shaking her cloudy head, she tells herself she should get her head in the game and focus on their plan. 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙖 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚., she reminded herself.

Her grandmother rose from her seat and gave them both a hug. "I am so happy for you two! So happy!" Halmi exclaimed, her voice wavering as if she's about to cry.

"Let's get more booze! Let's celebrate the love of these two!" Yeri cheered.

"Yerim-ah.", she called her cousin. "I'll leave this party to you. I think we need to go and rest upstairs. It's been a long day."

"Sure. Go on. Just don't be too loud. I'll be using the room next to yours.", the girl winked teasingly.

"Shut up. Don't get too drunk.", she smiled as she ruffled her cousin's hair.

Halmi and her mom helped them settle into her room. "Here it is. This is where you'll be staying.", her mom said proudly as Seung-ah opened the door.

It is still the same room she left, except it is tidy. They must've cleaned up the room before they arrived. Wendy personally chose this room among all the other ones because it is spacious and there's a balcony with the perfect view of the sky and the sea. The blue color always calms her down and the full glass doors to the balcony definitely gave justice to the beautiful nature.

"Wow. This is… this is beautiful. The view… it's magnificent.", her fiance said, looking awed as her doe eyes roamed around the place.

𝙀𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙨𝙚𝙙, 𝙝𝙪𝙝?

"And here's the bed.", Halmi boasted about her enormous bed while wiggling her eyebrows.

𝙊𝙝. 𝘾𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙤𝙣.

"Wow. Exquisite bed. It's.. lovely.", Irene said. She can tell that Irene is just coming up with random adjectives that would compliment a freaking bed. "So uhm… Where is Wendy's room?"

"Oh sweetie, we are not under the impression that you two don't sleep in the same bed.", her mom chuckled. "She'll sleep in here with you."

"Oh... Oh great. Cause we love to snuggle. Don't we, baby?"

"Yeah. We're huge snugglers."

Suddenly, a cute tiny barking Pomeranian came into the room, running straight to Irene.

"Oh my god. What is that, what is that, what is that??", the lady chief shrieked, hiding behind Wendy. The blonde remembered that Irene is scared of animals. The terrified look on the chief's face says it all.

"Whoa whoa. You are cute. Who are you?" Wendy picked up the little dog.

"That's Changie. I'm sorry Irene. We just rescued him from the pound and he's still in training. Sorry.", her mom apologizes as she gets Changie from the blonde.

"Just be sure to close the door always and don't let him outside or the eagles will snatch him."

"Oh. Okay."

"By the way there are towels, toiletries and things in here if you need them.", her mom walked towards a cabinet near the bathroom and opened its door to show them the contents.

"And if you get cold tonight, you can use this. It has special powers." Halmi pulled out a thick blanket from the cabinet and handed it to Irene.

"Oh. What kind of special powers?", the chief asked.

"I call it the Baby Maker."

"Oh. Oh. Okay….", Wendy can tell that Irene is giving her all not to throw the blanket away. "I guess we… we're gonna be super careful with this one."

"Well then, we're gonna leave you two so that you can rest. It's been quite an evening. Thank you for partying with the people even though you're extremely tired from the trip.", her mom said. "So… good night everybody."

"Good night, Mom. Good night, Halmi." she kisses both on the cheeks. "Check on Yeri please. Tell her not to get wasted."

Her mom hummed and nodded. "I will. Good night love birds."

"Good night, ladies. Thank you for today.", Irene waved.

The couple exhaled heavily as the door closed.

"So. Let's discuss our sleeping arrangements.", Irene crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh. I don't have the energy to argue with you anymore. I'll sleep on the floor. You take the bed."

"Well, good."

As much as Wendy misses the comfort of her soft and cozy mattress, she just doesn't want to bicker with Irene anymore. The long trip, the party, her father, Seulgi, the kiss. It all took too much of her today. She went out on the balcony as she waited for her fake fiance to finish washing up so she could take her turn. As she inhaled the smell of the sea and the forest that surrounds the island, she once again asks herself, 𝙒𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙄 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙚𝙡𝙛 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤?

𝐄𝐍𝐃 𝐎𝐅 𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟑