Can I? | SEULRENE

Chapter XXIII

Irene's POV

"Are you really okay now?" She asked me again. We're on our way home now.

I did missed my supposed next class. I got too emotional there. It took a while before I got to calm down. I felt really sorry for the people in the restaurant that time, also embarassed.

"I am. You don't have to worry." I said to her. She suddenly drove to the side of the road and stopped the car.

"Joohyun, you cried so much there." I look down, embarrassed of what happened.

"I'm sorry." Is all that I can say.

"Why are you apologizing?" I look over to her. She had the same look she's giving me, since earlier.

"Seulgi..." How is it possible that it was you?

"You know you can tell me anything, right?" I know that. "I'm not pressuring you to tell me what it really is, I'm just telling you that I'm here and I'm willing to listen." I look when she reach for my hand.

"It was me." I said, after I saw her intertwined her fingers to mine. "The girl you were talking about was me."

"W-what?" I took in a deep breath before I start to speak.

"I remember it well enough. I was in this closet, holding on to the door of it tightly, afraid of getting caught. I thought I wo--"

"Stop!" I got startled at the how she raised her voice. I'm not used to it. "Joohyun, you're shaking. You didn't need to explain." She held my hand.

"You wanted to know..."

"I wanted to understand, love. It's different." she said. I look to her side. "I understand now, I do. Don't make it hard for you." she gave me an assuring smile. "I'm sorry for bringing up the past." I shake my head.

"No, why are you apologizing? You didn't know."

"You've been through so much." she brought up my hand and planted a kiss at the back of it. "I won't let anything like it ever happen again. I'll forever make sure of that." I removed my seatbelt and went in to give her a hug. Why is she like this? She makes me fall day by day. "You're so strong, love." I felt my eyes getting teary again, but this time there's no need for me to hold back. I know these tears are not the same as the one's at the restaurant.

"Thank you." I said. "Thank you so much Seulgi." She's been here from the very beginning. She carefully pulled away me, and started to wipe the tears off my face.

"Stop crying now, my love." I smiled at her.

"It was you." I said to her. She nodded.

"And it was you. The cause for all the trouble I got in." My smiled faltered at what she said. This time she's the one smiling.

"It's not like I as---"

"I did it all willingly." I knew she was just trying to lighten up the mood. "I didn't regret a thing." she said.

If all these happened... We met already since years ago. Could it be...

"Do you think our family knows?" It looks like the realization hits her too.

"Grandda and your grandfather..." she said.

"I'm asking Dad." I said. If there's one person who knows this aside from grandfather, it'll be Dad. I move away from Seulgi and find my phone to call my father.

"Dad? Are you free?" I went straight to the point. I needed to know something. "I'm on my way to your office."

"Why?" he said. "I have..."