Chapter 24

Three girls were seated at a table in a restaurant, waiting for their meals to be served. The tallest one continuously fiddled with the cutlery on the table in an attempt to mask her nervousness.

“Are you okay?” Sunny asked in concern.

“Yea.” Came the cold, standoffish, one-syllable reply.

“Oh she’s probably really hungry.” Yoona responded as she kicked the shikshin under the table, who tried to act nonchalant. “She tends to get all restless and moody when her stomach's running on empty.”

“Oh…” Sunny giggled. “I see. It'll be here soon yea?” she smiled at the shikshin, unknowingly sending more jolts of electricity down the latter’s spine.

Sooyoung could only half-smile in response.

Sunny got off her seat. “Excuse me while I go to the washroom.” she said as she left the table.

As soon as Sunny had disappeared, Yoona stared at the girl directly opposite her for a good five seconds. 

“What?” Sooyoung asked.

“Will you PLEASE stop acting badass? You’re not yourself today!” Yoona exclaimed, slapping the shikshin on her hand. “And stop touching the knife! What’s wrong with you?!”

“GAWD.” Sooyoung dropped her utensils and buried her face in her hands. “I don’t know!”

Her muffled cries amused Yoona immensely. “People in love.”

Sooyoung brought her hands down and shot Yoona the glare of death. “That’s my line. And I am NOT in love.”

“I didn’t say you were.”

“You…” Sooyoung gritted her teeth. “ARGHHHH. Help me.” she begged.

Seeing Sooyoung like that was a first even for Yoona, as The Great Choi Sooyoung never begs or asks for help. Inevitably, it caused Yoona to break out into her alligator laugh.

“I am so darn serious, Im Yoona.” Sooyoung stated. “Please, help me get through tonight.”

“Friends for so long, and this is a first.” Yoona giggled. “Alright, alright. But please, for godssakes, try being a little friendlier, will you? Stop acting so cool. It doesn’t get you the ladies.”

Scoffing, Sooyoung crossed her arms. “Oh and you sound like you know how this works.”

“Well of course I do. Watched and learned from Casanova Kwon.” Yoona replied with a smile. "Just be dorky, silly and sweet."

Sooyoung huffed. “Fine. You have a point. Speaking of which, how’s Yuri?”

“Sulking.” A voice came from behind.

Sooyoung’s mouth hung wide open as Sunny suddenly appeared out of nowhere.

OMGAWDDDDD

“Oh you’re back!” Yoona hurriedly exclaimed in an attempt to appear normal. “Uhhh… Yuri was with you?” she asked.

The same thing was going through inside both the girls’ heads now: 

Did Sunny hear our conversation?

“Yep, she was one hell of a sour grape sitting in the clinic the whole day whilst Jessica was at work. I had a good chat with her though.” she said while settling back down in her chair. "I can see why Jessica loves her so much. She's really cute, especially when she's all jealous and stuff. Too bad she's Jessica's."

Just then, the loud clattering of metal was heard. Sunny and Yoona immediately turned over to the source of the noise.

"Oops. Sorry." Sooyoung said as she positioned her knife back in place.

Stupid stupid stupid Sooyoung.

 Yoona mentally facepalmed herself.

"You okay?" Sunny asked.

"Yea." the shikshin replied with a half-hearted smile. Her cold replies were getting on Yoona's nerves.

“SO..." Yoona quickly diverted the topic. "Why was Yuri sulking?”

“Well, Jessica’s attending some dinner party tonight with the Henneys. You know, that guy, who hugged…”

“OHHHH.” Yoona understood immediately.

"Didn't Yuri tell you guys?"

Yoona shook her head and sighed. “She has a tendency to go MIA whenever she's with Sica. I haven't gotten in contact with her since last night."

"Well, I get it. They haven't seen each other in years, so... I get it. Which reminds me, they were all over each other in the consultation room. I uhhh... walked in on them." Sunny explained.

"Urgh. Okay spare the details." Yoona said, with a tinge of disgust in her tone. "So where is she now?” she asked.

Sunny shrugged. “I don’t know. She left with Jessica after work. I think they’re meeting Taeyeon and Tiffany.” 

“So that explains why the honeymooners were MIA too." Yoona said. "The married couple’s meeting the honeymooners…” she sighed and pouted.

“Yea…” Sunny nodded. “Leaving us 3 single girls lonely.”

The girls fell silent after that, pondering on the issue of being single. Wanting to break out of the awkward phase, Yoona kicked the shikshin again, which led to the uncharacteristically silent shikshin finally speaking up. “So… How did you meet Jessica?” Sooyoung asked.

“During our senior year. We were both doing our internship at the same clinic.”

“So you’ve only known her for a while?” Sooyoung probed further, following a look of approval from Yoona.

“Almost a year now.” Sunny responded. “But I pretty much know how she’s like. I have an uncanny talent in reading people.” she smiled at Sooyoung, who gulped a little. Across the table, Yoona shot a worried glance at the shikshin. There was an awkward silence again.

Clearing her throat, Yoona began, “Anyway! Thanks for being our tour guide for tonight. We would either have been bored out of our wits or stuffing ourselves to death in the hotel room if it weren’t for you.”

“No problem. I'll be glad to show you guys around.” Sunny replied. “Oh about time! Food’s here! Tuck in girls!”

“FINALLY! Omgawd come to mama!” Sooyoung exclaimed as the waitress served what seemed like Sooyoung's virgin meal. Face fully lit up and finally dropping her cool act, the girl's antics caused Yoona to roll her eyes, half-sighing at the embarrassing shikshin. Sunny on the other hand, broke out into a huge laugh as the tall girl went crazy at the table.

As Yoona carefully observed the entire scene, an expression of revelation slowly dawned on her face.

Stupid Sooyoung. The girl likes you.

-----

“I’m going in.” Jessica said to her taller fiancée, whose eyes were looking elsewhere. It made Jessica slightly unhappy. Crossing her arms, she huffed, “Seriously, Kwon Yul. Do you want to marry me?”

That line caught the tanned girl’s attention. She looked down at the blonde, and was astonished by the girl’s beauty - again. Dressed in a pretty little cream colored gown, she had taken Yuri’s breath away for the umpteenth time that day. It made Yuri picture the day she would see the girl walk down the aisle towards her. 

Slowly, Yuri nodded. “Sorry, Sica. Of course I wanna marry you, but I really don't think that he'll agree to let you go back to Korea. I mean, it's too obvious.”

Jessica fell silent at Yuri's response. She was obviously as unsure as Yuri.

Yuri reached out for Jessica’s hands, grazing the ring on her finger. “I have a bad feeling about tonight.”

Jessica gripped Yuri’s hands tightly and smiled. “Let's just hope he's a man of his word. Don’t worry. Go right back to the hotel alright? I’ll call you.” she reassured, knowing that the girl probably still wouldn’t be at peace. “Now go, TaeNy’s waiting in the taxi. I’ll be fine.”

Very reluctantly, Yuri nodded and turned to the taxi, where a tired Taeyeon and an excited Tiffany was waiting. Before entering the vehicle, she watched as her gorgeous fiancée entered the quintessential building and disappearing behind the magnificent swivel doors.

“Yuri, don’t worry. It’ll be fine.” Tiffany reassured as she went through her numerous buys which filled up the tiny space in the taxi.

Fumbling through the bags to get a glimpse of Yuri, Taeyeon added, “Yea, Daddy Jung might just agree to it, you never know.”

But Yuri didn’t respond. Instead, she kept her eyes out of the window, watching the building become smaller as they went further.

What’s this uncomfortable feeling…

Reaching for her phone in her pocket, she cursed when she remembered that it was still dead. Afterall, Yuri hadn't returned to the hotel since the night she proposed.

"Fany, can you make a call to Sica please? My phone's out."

"Sure, lovesick mush." Tiffany giggled, obviously picking up that term from a certain cynical-turned-lovestruck shikshin. "You just left her for barely a minute, Yuri." she said as she made the call and handed her phone over. "Here. I need to sort out my stuff."

Beside Tiffany, Taeyeon groaned inwardly.

"What, Kim Taeyeon?" Tiffany picked up on the girl's dreadfulness.

"Nothing! Hahaha... Sica's not picking up?" Taeyeon made a 180 and quickly diverted the topic.

Yuri shook her head. Seconds passed, and there was no answer. It only made Yuri feel worse.

Clutching onto the driver’s headrest, Yuri said, “Sir, please turn back.”

“No wait! What are you planning to do going back there, Yuri?” Tiffany asked, finally giving the worried girl her full attention.

"Where should I go now?" the driver asked.

“Just keep driving ahead." Taeyeon told the man.

"Go back with us okay? We’ll call her again later." Tiffany urged the tanned girl.

"No, I need to go back.”

“You’re not gonna just bust in and expose yourself to Jessi’s father are you?! It might ruin things!” Tiffany exclaimed, feeling even more anxious now. “I think it might be better if you let Jessi talk to her Dad first.” 

Unknown to Yuri, Jessica had planned for TaeNy to 'escort' Yuri back to the hotel. Knowing her father, her request to return to Korea would definitely be rejected if he knew the-daughter-stealer was in town. Tiffany could not fail her best friend in this.

Yuri pondered on Tiffany’s words for just a moment. "Please stop the car." she told the driver, who acceded to her request. "I'll see you guys later." she said as she scrambled through the bags, out of the car and began running back towards the hotel.

“WAIT!!” Tiffany yelled, but to no avail. Grabbing the whole pile of bags on her lap, she dumped them onto her girlfriend and exclaimed, “Tete, stay here with the bags!”

“B-B-But…”

“JUST STAY WITH MY BUYS! DON’T YOU TAKE YOUR EYES OFF THEM!!” Tiffany yelled as she started running towards the hotel behind Yuri.

“Omgawd….” Taeyeon groaned as she pushed some bags to the side. Upon noticing the driver, she flashed an apologetic smile. “Uhhh... I guess I’ll just alight here.” she said sheepishly as she slowly wriggled her way out through the bags, resigning to the fate that she had a serial shopaholic of a girlfriend.

-----

As the blonde passed through the swivel doors, she mentally braced herself. Constructing best-case and worst-case scenarios in her head, she felt uneasy knowing that the probability of things going her way was near zero. 

Am I being too naïve?

Dismissing everything, and recognizing that her one and only aim was to marry Kwon Yuri, she could only move forward and hope for the best. Walking towards the ballroom, she spotted her sister disappearing around the corner.

“Krystal!” she called out.

Her sister didn’t seem to hear, and to top it off, she seemed like she was rushing somewhere. Curious, Jessica followed the girl. Finally emerging around the corner, she spotted Krystal.

Leaping into the arms of another girl.

And then, kissing.

This girl is playing with fire…

 Jessica thought. And just as the worried girl was about to approach her sister, a voice came from behind.

“Jess! Where are you going?”

It was as if fate was playing with them on purpose, because the voice belonged to none other than Daddy Jung. Jessica needed to act fast. Turning around and striding towards her father swiftly, Jessica tried to capture her father’s full attention. “Hey Dad! I’m here! Let’s go in!”

“What's the hurry? By the way, where's your--" 

Too late. Jessica watched helplessly as her father's face darkened in a split second. 

"Is that… your sister?”

Jessica’s heart was nearly beating out of her chest now. “Dad…”

He didn’t respond to Jessica. In fact, he didn't even hear her voice. By now, the man was a headful of irrationality. Swiftly walking ahead, the man rose in fury with every single step as his glares pierced through his daughter. 

Fortunately, Krystal noticed before he approached closer. Breaking apart from her girlfriend, her once lively expression turned into one that screamed fear. 

“D-Dad…?” she said timidly, slightly pushing her companion away.

The man was now breathing deeply, and he wore a look of disbelief. Jessica followed closely behind her father, but before she could even say anything, he had raised a hand and brought it heavily down on Krystal’s face.

Only to be stopped by her sister’s companion right before it landed.

Clutching onto his wrist tightly, the girl begged, “Please, Mr Jung. Think twice.”

"You..." Mr Jung was seething with so much anger that it was fully possible that he could strike the stranger in front of him. "I could do the same to you!" he snapped.

Jessica immediately tugged on his arm. “Please, Dad. Let it go. At least not here.” she urged.

And he knew Jessica had a point; she was trying not to draw unnecessary attention. After all, Mr Jung couldn’t risk a dramatic family feud in the presence of potential clients. At the same time, she wanted to stall time for her sister, hoping his anger would dissipate with time. 

Clutching onto his chest, Mr Jung breathed heavily, “Go home. Now.”

Turning to Krystal’s girlfriend, he threatened, “And you, I don’t want to see YOUR face ever again. Krystal Jung, is off-limits to you.” he poked at the girl's shoulder firmly with an index.

“Dad!” Krystal retorted. The young, rebellious girl stood forward and was all ready to lash out but was stopped by Jessica who pulled her back. “Krys, just go ho--”

“No!" she said firmly, shaking off her sister's grip. "This man here is unreasonable, controlling, and doesn’t even listen to reason. Is this what a real father should be?? I don’t have a father like that!” Krystal exclaimed loudly, shooting offensive glares at their father. 

"Don't say that!" Jessica pleaded as she watched her father taking even heavier breaths.

"I don't wanna end up like you, sis!"

“KRYSTAL!” Jessica yelled, incredulous that all this was happening and desperately hoping that her sister would stop adding fuel to the fire. Their father had been effectively rendered speechless. Krystal’s words rang bells in his head, inevitably leading him to remember events from 2 years ago when Jessica pulled a similar stint. He clutched tightly onto his chest and tried to take steady, deep breaths.

“Please. Just go home for now okay?” Jessica begged, worried for her father's health.

Krystal eventually relented after Jessica’s desperate persuasion. Inhaling deeply, she stormed off, dragging her girlfriend along.

Jessica turned to her father, and saw the man reaching for his cellphone. "Dad, who are you callng?" she asked.

Mr Jung had completely ignored her. Instead, the man took the time to recover and steady his breathing while the phone rang.

"Dad..."

"I have a job for you. My young one, Krystal. I want her closely followed." he told the person on the other line. "Also, you will most likely see her with another girl. I want her details. Address, background, anything and everything you can get me."

Jessica watched in disbelief as her father started giving details on where Krystal frequented, her timetable, and so on. The man had her sister on such a tight leash it was just horrifying.

Jessica panicked a little inside. It was as if the whole fiasco was a warning, because now it became clear that her father was still the same man, with the same beliefs from 5 years ago.

He would have noticed Jessica's swollen eyes countless times.

He would have noticed that Jessica hadn't been the same ever since she came back to the States.

Any father, no matter how principled, would have softened.

She thought he would have changed, at least a little. But for the man in front of her, relenting seemed impossible. In the end, Jessica still had to choose. It was either family or Yuri.

“First you, now your sister.” the man scoffed as he kept his cellphone. “I must be cursed.”

"I think it's a blessing." Jessica replied.

Mr Jung was stunned. "What did you say?"

"I think, that it's a blessing." Jessica repeated, more serious and more slowly this time. "Because now, I realize that what I said two years ago was right."

"What do you mean by that??" her father exclaimed, anger waves rising in him once again.

"Do you really love us, Dad?" Jessica questioned.

"What are you asking? Of course I do! Why else would I try so hard to keep the both of you on the right path?" he stated matter-of-factly. "You girls always think you know better but you don't!"

The man was so self-righteous it was hard to swallow. Jessica shook her head in frustration. "If you really love us, you will want us to be happy, wouldn't you?" she tried to explain.

"I do want you to be happy, Jess." he said. "That's why I've been trying to fix you up with Daniel. He's a good--"

"But I don't love him. He won't make me happy." Jessica interrupted, frustrated by her father's warped ideas. 

"Well it takes time. I'm sure you'll come to love--"

"And I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to go back to Korea. You said you would promise me anything, and I want this." she interrupted again.

Mr Jung was taken aback by her request. "Whatever for, dear? Your family, your career, your LIFE is here."

"I'm not happy here."

Mr Jung huffed. "Jess. Anything, anything material. Just not that."

"Does the term "promise" mean anything to you?" Jessica asked, angered by her father's unheld promise.

"No. Not if it's that." he replied. "I don't feel good letting you out of my sight."

It was as Yuri had predicted. A little part of Jessica had known that asking her father for this was naïve right from the start, but she needed a justification. She needed to know that her father was the same stubborn and unreasonable man. 

"I have just one more question for you." Jessica braced herself to say.

The man sighed. "What is it."

Inhaling deeply, Jessica finally asked, "Will you be happy just knowing that I am? That I have found the one thing that makes me truly happy?"

Mr Jung frowned, questions popping in his head. "Jess, you can be happy here. You don't have to go to Kor--"

"I'm getting married."

"Married??" Mr Jung asked, incredulous. Finally spotting the ring on Jessica's hand, he held up her hand and asked, "Why don't I know about this? Is this why you've been so against seeing Daniel and all the other men? Because you already have a fiancé?"

Technically, "fiancée" would have been the better word, but since it sounded the same, Jessica nodded in response anyway.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" The man literally had sparkles of hope in his eyes. "Who is this lucky man?" he asked excitedly. “I need to meet him!”

"Kwon Yuri."

To the father and daughter, the mere sounding of the 3 syllables brought about entirely different emotions.

Joy vs Anger.

Longing vs Fear.

Love vs Hate.

In an instant, the man's face had totally changed. Intuitively, he had raised a hand, and struck Jessica on her face. Hard. It hurt Jessica immensely; physically and emotionally. The force of the slap was so strong, she realized that she was taking the fall for her sister as well.

"And I thought you had changed. Listen to yourself, Jess. MARRIAGE." he scoffed. "And now, Krys follows in your footsteps. My daughters have both gone mad. What is this world coming to?!"

The lingering stinging sensation on Jessica's cheek only served as a reminder of the man's stubbornness and refusal to listen. At this point, Jessica saw her father for who he was; controlling and selfish.

She was right. Krystal was right. He wasn't a good father.

"No daughter of mine is going to marry a GIRL!" he threatened. "Does that EVEN sound right to you? The princess and the princess living happily ever after?" he said with a whole tinge of sarcasm.

"Then,” Jessica said, “I am not your daughter." she said through gritted teeth. The girl had had enough of his tyranny.

Jessica's response worried the man more than it angered him. Sensing that the seriousness of her tone wasn't to be taken lightly, he dropped the mockery and tried to dissuade his daughter. "This is madness! Wake up Jess! She left you years ago for that singer! That brat doesn't love you!" 

"On the contrary," a voice sounded from the corner, "that BRAT just crossed the Pacific Ocean to marry your daughter."

Yuri...???

"Hello again, Mr Jung." the tall, tanned girl said.

"You..." he muttered, obviously shocked. "You..."

"It's You-ree, sir." the girl replied with the silliest smile on her face.

Seriously, cracking a joke in this intense situation?

 Only Kwon Yuri the dork was capable of it.

The slap didn't hurt anymore. Her father's condescending attitude didn't matter anymore. Jessica broke out into a smile as she watched her knight in shining black hair approach her. She had envisaged this a thousand times in her head the past 2 years;

But this, this was now real.

"You okay, Sica?" Yuri asked as she gently grazed Jessica's cheek.

Jessica nodded blankly, too surprised to say anything.

Parking herself beside Jessica, Yuri held tightly onto the blonde's little hand. "I want to marry your daughter, Mr Jung. I am dead serious about her and I am humbly asking you for her hand. Please, try to understand." she stated as she looked straight into the man's incredulous face. Jessica could only watch the taller girl in awe, lovestruck. It just felt awesome to hear Yuri say that.

On the other end of the spectrum, the man couldn't say a thing. Just the entire scene in front of him seemed impossible. He watched, in fear, as his daughter looked at the girl beside her with the most loving gaze; something that resembled her mother on their wedding day.

A part of him saw how true it was.

"BULL****!" he cursed loudly.

It caught the attention of several onlookers. The man noticed this, and hurriedly composed himself, deciding not to cause a scene. He looked sternly at his daughter. "The only aisle I'll walk you down, is one where your husband, a MAN, will wait for you." he stated indifferently.

Jessica stared straight into his eyes, and saw a man who wasn't her father. The kind, loving father she had, had disappeared since high school. This man right here, was someone whom she had no respect for. 

Once.

Twice.

It was the final straw. Jessica wasn't about to let her father ruin what she had with Yuri now.

"Then you shall not be at our wedding." Jessica replied.

The man found it harder to breathe as he tried to pent up his anger. "You will not be marrying this girl, young lady. She will never be the one for you."

"And who determines that?" Yuri asked.

Mr Jung stared her down, unable to give an answer.

"Please. Don't push your daughter away by refusing her the happiness she's entitled to." Yuri sincerely said. "I love Jessica. If you do too, let her have the best of both worlds."

Jessica held onto Yuri's hand a little tighter. At this moment, Kwon Seobang was a hero; suave and noble, saving the damsel in distress.

"Love." he scoffed. "Listen, I don't know how you're doing it but you've somehow charmed my daughter into believing in your twisted philosophy." he ranted, flustered. "YOU, are the one who's ruining her life. If you do love her, as much as you say you do, then let her go, like you did before. That's the right thing and the only thing for you to do now."

"Don't be ridiculous--" Jessica rebutted, but was interrupted by a composed Yuri.

"I did. I listened to you. And look what happened. Didn't you notice your that your daughter hasn't been fine since she came here? Didn't you think, for just a single second, that you may be wrong all these years? As her father, how could you just let that slide past you?"

"You are in NO position to lecture me, young lady."

Yuri huffed. "I loved your daughter since we started high school, Mr Jung. If these 9 years isn't enough to prove it, what else do we have to do for you to believe it?"

Mr Jung stared down Yuri for a while, but decided to ignore her. "Jess, let's go. We have a dinner function." the man ordered. "Your mother wants to talk to you."

"No."

"You promised." the man said.

"But you didn't keep yours.” Jessica said. “Honestly, Dad, I’ve had enough." Jessica coolly replied as she dragged Yuri away.

"Jess!" the man cried out.

But Jessica had given the man a complete cold shoulder. To top it off, she walked briskly ahead, holding tightly onto Yuri's hand, putting herself further and further away from her father. 

Turning back, Yuri noticed that the man didn't give chase. In fact, he looked defeated, which only served to make Yuri guilty. This was the exact thing she tried so hard to avoid 2 years ago; taking Jessica away from her father. 

Only this time, Jessica was taking the lead.

As they walked further on, Yuri turned to the blonde and looked at her worriedly. "Sica... We should talk to him."

Jessica didn't respond. Instead, she continued dragging Yuri along, through the swivel doors, and finally out of the hotel. They came to a stop by the magnificent fountain.

Like the water that was being sprouted into the air, it was liberation. Jessica felt like she could finally breathe.

"Yuri! You're back! And with... Sica??" Taeyeon questioned when she spotted the couple. The girl was panting heavily after having carried about a million shopping bags back to the hotel. Noticing that her girlfriend was missing, she asked, "So where's Fany?" 

"Oh." Yuri rubbed the back of her head sheepishly. "She's probably still looking for me inside there. You might wanna..."

Groaning, Taeyeon dropped the numerous shopping bags in her hands and dumped some on Yuri, who hugged them. "Guard this with your life, Kwon Yul. You owe me at least this." she said before disappearing through the swivel doors.

Turning back to the blonde with her hands full, Yuri asked again, "Sica... Are you--"

Taking a deep breath, Jessica leaned forward and kissed Yuri deeply, catching the taller girl by surprise (and also causing Tiffany's precious buys to fall onto the floor, but that isn't important now). When it dawned on the latter that this was Jessica's answer, she responded with as much veracity. Perhaps more.

When they broke apart, Yuri smiled at her gorgeous fiancée. 

Cream colored gown, beautiful fountain, magnificent backdrop against the quaint hotel. Check, check, check.

Yuri wanted to marry the girl at that instant.

"Kwon Seobang." Jessica called out.

Yuri smiled and gazed deeply into Jessica's eyes. "At your service, Sica baby."

"Let's go home. Our home."

Chapter 25

Jessica meant what she said. Right after taking off from the hotel, the couple were now in Jessica's house to carry out the most essential part of The YulSic Elope Plan;

Packing.

Opening the door quietly, Jessica stepped into the house just in time to bump into Krystal, who was just about to leave.

"Sis?" Krystal looked at her sister with a bewildered face. "I thought you would still be at the hotel."

"I left." Jessica replied.

"Why?"

"Anyone home besides you?" Jessica asked worriedly.

Krystal nodded her head. "Girlfriend. Upstairs. Why are you here, Sis?"

Jessica opened the door wider, revealing Yuri behind it. "Long lost lover. Came for me."

Krystal broke into a huge smile. "Yuri-unnie!" she walked forward and hugged the girl tightly. "I haven't seen you in ages!"

"Me too." Yuri said as she patted the younger girl's back. "You've grown so much taller! Gonna beat your sister in the looks' department soon, eh?"

It earned Yuri an elbow on her side. She winced in pain as Krystal started laughing. "Careful Yuri-unnie. My sister has been exercising a lot since she came back."

"Oh?" Yuri arched her eyebrows in surprise. "Why?"

"To tear you to smithereens when I see you." Jessica replied.

-Awkward Sica Effect sets in-

Krystal coughed a little to break the weird atmosphere. "So when did you get here?" she asked Yuri. "And why didn't you tell me!" she grabbed her sister's hand, only to realize that there was a new addition on it.

"Great. My sister's finally reunited with the long lost love of her life, getting married to her, and I didn't know till NOW." Krystal commented while holding up her sister's hand.

"Well... I only proposed last night, so..." Yuri said sheepishly.

"Ahhh well. Congrats!" the young girl chirped happily.

"Thanks. So my sister's running away from home and I didn't know till NOW." Jessica commented.

"Right! About that... I was just going to tell you. I'm moving into my girlfriend's place. For the summer at least." she responded. "I just cannot live under the same roof as that man anymore."

"Dad's sending PIs to stalk you, Krys."

Krystal frowned. "He'll find me eventually anyway. And that man has serious control issues. This justifies my moving out." 

Jessica sighed. "My sentiments exactly. I'm going back to Korea."

"Really?"

Jessica nodded. "Will you be okay?"

"Of course I will! Don't worry about it." she said.

"Krystal?" A voice sounded from the stairs. Jessica immediately recognized the girl from moments earlier.

"Oh! Come here! Introduction time!" Krystal chirped as her girlfriend came down the stairs carrying Krystal's bags.

"Sis and sis-in-law, Amber. Amber, Jessica and Yuri." Krystal said.

"It's nice to meet you." Yuri extended a hand.

"Nice to meet you too. And congratulations for your wedding." Amber replied as she dropped the bags and shook Yuri's hand. 

"So... When's the wedding?"

"Not yet." Yuri answered. "Sica has to meet my parents, and technically, I've already met hers."

"Well," Krystal picked up her bags. "I'll be waiting then. See you soon, sis and sis-in law."

"Take care of yourself, Krys." Jessica walked forward and hugged her sister. "And you, take care of my sister. I will have your head if you ever break her heart."

Amber gulped and quickly nodded while Yuri chuckled. "You don't want to be on her bad side, trust me." the tanned girl said as she put an arm around her fiancée.

"Rest assured I will." Amber replied confidently while Krystal responded happily.

"I'll see you soon, Sis."

The couple watched as the younger couple cheerfully skipped to her Amber's car. Their happiness was almost infectious.

Turning to Jessica, Yuri asked, "Will she be fine when you're gone?"

Jessica felt guilty just at the thought of leaving her sister. "I'll stay in close contact with her." Jessica reassured as she led Yuri into her room.

Jessica wasn't bathing alone in guilt. The tanned girl felt that she alone held the responsibility of taking Jessica away from her family. As she watched her fiancée pack her things, she couldn't resist the urge to question again. "Sica, are you really sure that you want to do this?"

Exhaling, Jessica dropped another couple of clothes in her luggage before walking to the side of the desk to retrieve the wastepaper basket. Handing the full basket to a curious Yuri, she began, "The amount of crumpled paper you see in here is about the amount for just... two weeks. These are the letters that I've tried to write but failed, because I wanted you to come for me. Without me asking you to do so." Jessica said.

"I’ve already waited for years to be with you, Yuri. Please, don't make me wait anymore."

Staring into the contents of the bin in her hands, Yuri's old guilt was now replaced by a new guilt; the one which was indebted to Jessica. And it definitely felt much worse. Putting the basket down, she walked over to Jessica and bear-hugged the frowning girl.

"A few years’ wait in exchange for the rest of your life. I hope you don’t get tired of me, Sica baby." Yuri said.

"Silly." Jessica smiled. "Now put me down and help me with packing."

"Yes ma'am." Yuri smiled back as she put Jessica down. Leaning forward, she attempted to kiss the blonde, who despite being known for her late reactions, avoided Yuri's advance swiftly.

Yuri was bewildered. "Sica?"

Jessica glared at the taller girl. "This is your punishment for asking silly questions. You do not get to touch me until I say so."

Yuri narrowed her eyes. "Oh really."

"Yes, really." Jessica responded as she went straight back into packing.

Utilizing her quick reflexes, Yuri leapt forward and grabbed the blonde from behind, and then pulled her down on her fluffy bed. Jessica of course, squealed a little.

"I'm touching you now, aren't I?"

"You... Argh..." While being pinned down, Jessica tried to struggle out of the tanned girl's grip, but she knew it was futile. Sighing, she succumbed. "Fine. You don't get to kiss me then."

Yuri narrowed her eyes again. "Oh really."

"Yes... Really..." Jessica managed to say whilst still trying to struggle out of Yuri's strong embrace.

Smirking confidently, Yuri grabbed Jessica's arms and pinned them down on both sides above the latter’s head. "Oh really..." she said, and then leaned down towards the girl's neck.

Jessica wasn't able to dodge this one either. In fact, she figured she didn't even need to try. Relaxing on her fluffy comfortable bed, she allowed the girl on top of her to venture around her neck, whilst trying her best to stifle the moans that were struggling to escape from her mouth. Eventually, Yuri made her way up to her lips, and by that time, Jessica was already lost somewhere in it. 

Having Jessica pinned down and to top it off, returning the kiss, Yuri couldn’t help but smirk at her little victory.

“What… are you… smiling at?” Jessica asked in between kisses.

Without responding verbally, Yuri shook her head and kissed the girl even more deeply; indulging in the fact that she had the reins this time. 

The making out went almost forever, and when Yuri finally broke off the hot and heavy session, she released Jessica from her grip and stated breathlessly, "Your punishments... don't work. So... Any other ideas?"

Jessica stared at the tanned girl above her for a moment and then said, "You don't get to go further than kissing."

"Oh really."

Pulling Yuri by the collar back down to close the distance between them, Jessica said,

"Yes. Really."

-----

"Tete, what do you think of this--" Tiffany turned around and asked her girlfriend, only to find her missing - again.

She gasped. 

Oh no! I disappeared again didn't I?

Frantic, she dropped the bag back on the rack and immediately made her way out of the shop. Unfortunately, it was already late into the evening and the only things bright enough to be clearly visible were the shop signs. Then again, those were usually the only things visible within Tiffany's range of vision, irregardless of day or night.

"Victoria's Secret!" Tiffany squealed in delight as she spotted one of her favorite shops. Unsurprisingly, the girl felt herself increasingly drawn to it.

No no no no no!! I promised Tete I wouldn't get carried away!

But the two words on the shop sign were like charms, and soon enough, Tiffany ended up at its front doors.

As she debated long enough whether to step across the border separating "more shopping!" and "find Tete!", the shop assistant of Victoria's Secret emerged through its doors and asked,

"Is there anything that I can help you with, Miss?"

Must... Not... Succumb...

Very reluctantly, Tiffany slightly shook her head and smiled politely, before making a 180 degree turn. Ensuring that her back was against the store's entrance, she decided that "out of sight, out of mind" was probably the best strategy for now.

"Are you Tiffany?" a little boy called out as he tugged on her hand.

Tiffany tilted her head in curiousity as she looked at the boy. Squatting down, she asked, "How did you know my name?"

"This is for you." the boy said as he handed Tiffany a card, and then ran off.

"Wait...!! Argh, oh well…" Tiffany shrugged, and then opened the card.

-----

My dear serial shopaholic Fany,

I'm going to play a little game with you. Since you like disappearing on me, this time I’m returning the favor. Your task is simple; find me. However, to be able to do this, you have to go to certain shops in the area and ask the shop assistants for clues. Just give them your name and they'll lead you somewhere.

You have till 8:30pm or there will be SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES. (so says The ByunTae)

And why don't you start with the nice little pink shop behind you?

See you!

-Tete

-----

What kinda game is this?!

Tiffany's eyes shot open as she read the card. It was obvious Taeyeon was testing her, and she could not let her down. She was determined not to.

Looking at the watch, Tiffany noticed that it was 7:56pm. 

No time to waste,

 she thought.

Inhaling deeply, the girl turned around and rushed into the shop. To curb her temptation of grabbing items from the nearest rack, her head was slanted down at a 45 degree angle as she made her way to straight to the counter.

"Hi! It’s you again!" the sales assistant from earlier had recognized her.

Looking up, "Hi my name's Tiffany and I need the clue!" Tiffany said nervously, keeping her eyes on the person in front of her and being wary not to allow her eyes to stray for even an inch.

The sales assistant understood immediately. Reaching into the counter and handing her a slip of paper, she said, "Here. Good luck!"

"Thanks!" Tiffany hurriedly thanked the lady and went straight out of the shop, exhaling in relief as she stepped out of the doors.

Next location: Saks Fifth Avenue.

Tiffany’s jaw dropped.

-----

(27 gruelling minutes later)

"This should be the place..." Tiffany panted as she made her mad sprint to the final location. A park.

"Tete!" Tiffany called out. She couldn't find the girl and was getting more anxious at the thought of not being able to do so before the time was up.

"Tete!" she yelled again in frustration as she came to a stop in the middle of the park. It was faintly illuminated and finding the short girl was a problem. As she walked down the park’s trail, she noticed that there was a little clearing. And a big red box in the middle of it.

Curious, the girl walked closer and inspected the box.

To: Tiffany Hwang

“Omgawd!!” the girl could barely contain her excitement. 

Big red boxes usually represent big surprises!

Without hesitation, Tiffany went straight into unraveling mode. Untying the ribbon in record time, she opened the lid of the box.

To find another box.

Taking off the second lid revealed yet another red box beneath it.

Seriously, Tete.

 she sighed as she continued the whole boxes-out-of-boxes routine.

After what seemed like a million boxes to Tiffany, it came down to one little bright blue box. Tiffany recognized it immediately. Her flustered expression dissipated as she held the box in her hands.

Probably too engrossed in her duties, the girl hadn’t noticed that Taeyeon had emerged from behind her. "Tiffany's for my Fany Fany Tiffany." Taeyeon said cheekily. Walking towards her, Taeyeon slowly opened the little box in Tiffany’s hands.

It was sparkly, pretty, and unbelievable. Holding tightly onto the box, Tiffany was rendered speechless.

Tete... Is... Proposing... To... Me...

Getting down on one knee, Taeyeon took the ring out of the box and looked straight into Tiffany's eyes.

"Remember when I said that I have 2 things to trust and 1 thing to have no doubt in?" Taeyeon said as she held Tiffany's left hand. "I want to put my words into action. Tiffany Hwang, will--"

"Wait." Tiffany interrupted. "Don't pop the question."

Taeyeon was taken aback by Tiffany's response. "Why?"

"I-I'm not ready..." Tiffany shook her head and wore an apologetic expression. "I'm sorry... We're still young, med school is crazy, and the future's so unpredictable..." She looked down at Taeyeon and instantly saw the disappointment in the girl's eyes. "Sorry Tete... It doesn't mean that I don't want to get married to you it's just--"

Taeyeon stood up and hugged Tiffany tightly. "It's just not now, right? I understand. We don't have to do this now."

"You do?" Tiffany asked. "I just... I don't want to reject you. I want to be able to say a big yes to you when you ask me."

Taeyeon nodded and stroked Tiffany's back. "I know. I would want you to be ready too." She broke apart from the hug. "This ring," she said as held it up. "will be waiting for its owner." she smiled.

"Thank you for understanding, Tete." Tiffany said.

"Of course."

"But what made you want to propose all of a sudden?" Tiffany asked.

"I guess, seeing Yuri and Sica going through so much just to be together inspired me to." Taeyeon said as she kept the ring back in the box. "I don't want to waste another day of not having you as my wife."

"But I already am, Tete. We don't need marriage to prove it."

"That's true." Taeyeon smiled sheepishly. "But just having the word "married" attached to us is so..."

Tiffany put her arm around Taeyeon's shoulder. "I want, more than anything in the world, to be married to Kim Taeyeon. Just, not now."

"For now, you just wanna shop till you drop, don't you?"

In an instant, Tiffany nodded excitedly, eye-smiling at the sensitive "shop" word.

Taeyeon understood immediately. That look in Tiffany’s eyes equaled "I saw something reallyyyyy nice somewhere and I want itttttt"

"Where is it?" Taeyeon asked.

"Where's what?"

"That thing you're eyeing."

Tiffany smiled sheepishly. "You know me so well."

"Of course." Taeyeon replied confidently. "And yes, I'll get it for you if you promise me one thing." she demanded.

Tiffany nodded earnestly. "Anything!"

"Don't disappear on me again."

Tiffany arched her eyebrows, pleasantly surprised by how easy the demands of the promise was. Grabbing onto Taeyeon's hand, she said, "Promise. I'll stick to you like glue." with the biggest smile on her face. It made Taeyeon happy. "So what is it that you want to get so badly?"

"Well, since I went into so many shops, I saw a whole lot of things that I like… There was this really cute bag…" 

And the girl went on and on and on…

That was a bad plan, Kim Taeyeon. A bad bad plan.

-----

After a whole evening of packing and spending "quality" time together, Yuri and Jessica had gone to the hotel to hide out, wary of Mr Jung sending his private investigators to stalk Jessica again. Everyone else was out, aside from Sooyoung.

"Are you sure Sica?" Sooyoung asked. "You're running away from home just to marry THIS dork?" she pointed at the tanned girl.

Yuri immediately slapped the shikshin on her arm.

"OWW!!" Sooyoung winced in pain and then returned Yuri a payback slap, twice as hard.

Yuri glared at the shikshin. "Why you..." she snatched the bag of chips from Sooyoung's hands.

"Give it back!" Sooyoung cried, reaching for the bag with her long arms. 

“No!!” The two girls were now embroiled in a tug-of-war for the bag of chips which wasn't even the topic of the fight.

Jessica laughed at the sight of their childish playfight and held Yuri back by the waist before it turned into a childish brawl. Handing the bag of chips back to Sooyoung, she said, "Yes. I'll do anything to marry THIS dork." emphasizing on the word "this" with a tighter hug that nearly choked Yuri to death. 

“Careful, Sica baby. A dead Yuri can't marry you.” Yuri said, coughing. Turning her attention back to Sooyoung, Yuri put her cocky face on and said, "Heard that? Jessica Jung says she'll do anything to marry me."

Sooyoung shook her head and rolled her eyes. "Sica is making a big sacrifice for you, Kwon Yul. You'd better cherish it."

"Heard that?" Jessica said. "Cherish me."

Yuri laughed cheekily. "Of course I will."

Sooyoung shook her head as she eyed the lovey-dovey couple. "People in love." she muttered under her breath.

"Oh. The pot's calling the kettle black." Yuri stated.

"I'm not a pot." came the reply. It was matched with a troubled expression which said it all.

"Hmpf. This girl right here..." Yuri said to Jessica as she gestured at Sooyoung, "...is in love with Sunny. But she thinks being gay is troublesome, and that's why she's avoiding her, leaving Yoona to go out with Sunny alone with the excuse of 'I'm not feeling well'. The actual fact is, my shikshin friend is afraid of rejection and thus is avoiding her." Yuri shook her head as she explained to her future wife, while Sooyoung remained silent the whole time.

"I'm officially giving the title 'wuss' to you." Yuri joked.

But Sooyoung was solemn, and the fact that the bag of chips was still full worried the couple that she might have taken it too seriously.

"Hey, Yuri's just fooling around with you." Jessica said as she slapped Yuri gently on her head. "Don't get offended."

"Yea, it was a joke." Yuri added in.

Sooyoung shook her head. "It's not that."

"Then?" 

"We're all going to leave San Francisco in two days. There's no point."

"Oh so our Choi Sooyoung really is in love!" Yuri said, albeit too happily for having been spot on.

"There. Is. No. Point." Sooyoung repeated as she dropped her bag of chips.

Yuri turned to Jessica. "Should we?" she asked the blonde, who nodded in response.

Clearing her throat, "Sunny's coming back with us." Yuri announced.

Watching her good friend's response to that statement was probably one of funniest things Yuri had ever seen. The shikshin's already huge eyes widened, and she tried desperately to hide a smile that was blossoming on her face.

And she failed miserably. In frustration, Sooyoung covered her face with her hands.

Yuri and Jessica cracked up, much to the embarrassment of the shikshin. "Hahahaha! Omgawd Sooyoung! Are you THAT happy?" Yuri asked in between bouts of hysterical laughter and catching her breath. Beside her, Jessica was already clutching her stomach.

Highly embarrassed, Sooyoung took her hands off her face and glared at the couple. "STOP. TEASING. ME." she ordered.

But Yuri was still laughing. An already-recovered Jessica grabbed the tanned girl in an effort to make her stop. "Don't you want to know why?" the blonde asked.

Sooyoung had probably been too happy that she forgot. Giving Yuri the death stare, she nodded.

"Seobang, stop." Jessica ordered.

Almost immediately, Yuri did. Sooyoung opened her mouth in shock.

"Benefits of having someone wrapped around your finger." Jessica stated as she flashed her sparkly diamond ring.

"Oh..."

"Anyway, Sunny wanted to come along after hearing my plans. Since her family's in Korea she figured she'd go back for good." Jessica explained. "We're thinking of starting a practice over there."

"F-for good?"

The couple nodded in unison.

Taking a while to digest their reaffirmation, Sooyoung began digesting something else - her bag of chips. Across her, Yuri and Jessica stared at the shikshin as she finished the entire bag in record time.

"What? I eat when I'm happy."

"Oh my. At this rate, she'll turn into Shrek when she hears that Sunny's interested in her." Yuri whispered into Jessica's ears.

-----

The night hadn't gone smoothly for the girls' father; he had failed to clinch the crucial deal with the Henneys, and to top it off, Daniel was seen hitting it off with another girl; a loss of another potential man for his daughter. Cursing that things hadn't gone his way, the man headed straight to his personal bar as soon as he got home and poured himself a drink, hoping to rest easy for the night at least. The intoxicated man wasn't even in the mood to lecture his daughters now.

And he couldn't even if he wanted to anyway.

"Our daughters, David!!" Mrs Jung cried as she stomped down the stairs. "You drove them off, didn't you??!"

"What are you talking about?" the man responded.

"See for yourself!" the frantic mother exclaimed.

The man dropped the drink in his hands and hurried up the stairs to inspect his daughters' rooms. Jessica's and Krystal's room were similar in one way; they were void. Not even a single note nor letter was left behind.

Mr Jung instantly felt his chest tighten up again. Yet another blow of the night added to the list. 

"I want my daughters back, David. Please, just let them be. I'm begging you..." she pleaded with teary eyes. "I just want them back and happy…"

"D-don't worry, I have it covered." he panted, agitation stemming in his veins upon recalling how the tanned girl had whisked his daughter off her feet and took her away from him just a few hours ago.

She caused all this.

"Rest early. I'll get both the girls back." he reassured as he led his devastated wife into the room.

"No, David. I've been wanting to talk to Jessica about it all these years. As a mother... It pains me to see her so upset. And yet she refuses to me about it. Please... Please just let it go. We've always liked Yuri--"

"DON'T." the man yelled. "Don't even mention that girl's name, you hear me?"

"Why are you so dead against it, David?!"

"Because I am, alright??!!" the man yelled. Taking a deep breath, he tried to calm down at the sight of the fear in his wife's eyes. "Go back to the room and rest. I'll... handle it." he ordered.

Frustrated, Mrs Jung threw in the towel and returned to her room. The fact that her daughters were gone had left her even more vulnerable; she barely had the strength to argue with the hot-headed man she married.

Meanwhile, Mr Jung had headed back to the bar and resumed with the drinks. The man could almost literally feel his blood boiling in his veins as he poured the liquid down his throat. Glass after glass, shot after shot, the man was gradually drowning in the intoxication.

She caused all this. She took my daughters away from me.

Taking yet another gulp of the anger-inducing, emotion-heightening substance, the man picked up his phone again.

"Get me... a hitman. I'll... pay well..."

"I want it... to look like an accident." 

Chapter 26

"TaeNy!!!" Yuri yelled, only to spot the couple running into the distance. "Come back here!"

A dozen feet away, she could barely make out the image of Taeyeon with her "Help me" face.

Yoona walked over at the sight of a frustrated Yuri. "Duty free shopping is Tiffany's Achilles' heel. It cannot be helped." she said as she helped Yuri retrieve the umpteenth luggage from the conveyor belt.

Resting the last piece of luggage in the trolley, Yuri sighed and frowned at the little 'luggage mountain' in front of her. As if the luminous pink on the luggage wasn't enough, Tiffany had generously added several more to her collection from her very fruitful San Francisco honeymoon.

"Why did I even offer to help..." Yuri mumbled under her breath.

"As Jessica Jung's Seobang, you'll have to do special favors for her best friend."

"Well... Special favors deserve special rewards." Yuri pouted and looked over at her girlfriend, obviously asking for a reward of that sort.

"Doesn't work this way, Yuri." the blonde responded indifferently.

"I'm waiting, Sicaaaaaaaaaaaaa...!!" Yuri exclaimed through her pouted-lips.

"Silly octopus." Jessica giggled and leaned in towards the girl.

Beside the couple, Yoona shivered in disgust as she watched on. "Urghhh... Enough already!" she exclaimed, closing her arms inwards. "I came to hang out with you two 'cos I felt like a third wheel with Sunny and Sooyoung. In fact, I'm a third wheel everywhere, and this whole coupley-coupley thing is getting on my nerves. So please," Yoona begged with earnest eyes, "Tone it down a notch. Two notches. Three. The last couple I wanna hang out with is TaeNy so you guys are my only glimmer of hope now."

"Awww, Yoong. Don't worry!" Yuri laughed heartily at her friend's plight. "We'll take you in." Yuri declared as she put an arm over Yoona and one over Jessica. "Looks like someone needs some love here. Mind if I take this one, Sica?"

Jessica slapped Yuri's hand gently. "Spread your love if you must." Jessica said.

“No thanks, I don’t need your love, Yuri. It’s mushy.” Yoona added.

“Oh hoho you sound like Sooyoung just before she entered Mushy Love Land.” Yuri laughed sarcastically. 

“No I don’t!!”

“OHH yes you do. Just wait—“

“Stop playing around, Yul. Let’s go.” Jessica commanded.

“Yes ma’am.” Yuri nodded as she pushed the trolley forward. "Feels good to be on the same side of the airport as you are."

The revelation brought a smile to Jessica’s face.

"You guys really came a long way to be here." Yoona said. "But don't mind me asking, won't your father do something?"

Jessica’s smile vanished as she pondered on how her father would respond to her abrupt and silent depature.

"He'll come all the way here to get her back." Yuri said confidently, as if it didn't matter this time. "But he'll have to get through me if it's my wife he wants."

Yuri’s words gave Jessica strength. She knew that this time, neither her nor Yuri will let go. Not without putting up a tough fight.

"Way to go, Yuri." Yoona said, patting the tanned girl on the top of her head. "Finally not stupid."

"The hell you mean by that, Im Yoona!" Yuri rebutted.

"She's right." Jessica added. "Stupid Yuri." she scolded the tanned girl. Beside an incredulous Yuri, Yoona nodded her head, proud of hitting the nail on the head.

"If you had put up a fight years ago it would have saved us the redundant and gruelling 2 years of waiting." Jessica said indifferently.

"Well said." Yoona applauded.

Yuri frowned. "Oh so... Now you two are ganging up against me?"

Yoona put an arm around Yuri's shoulder. "Sorry Daddy, but you know, Mom's right."

"Who's your Daddy?!"

"Hahahaha! That came out funny." Yoona laughed, before swiftly recovering. "You are. You said you'd take me in." Yoona added, then turned to the blonde. "Right Mom?"

Jessica smiled and nodded in agreement. "That's my good kid. I'm gonna be needing you to set your Daddy straight on silly-Daddy days, okay?"

"Of course I will--" Yoona responded with excitement.

"Hey..."

"In fact I'll do more--"

"Girls..."

"I'll KNOCK sense into her--"

"Why are you two ignoring me???"

"And I'll give her that KICK when she's--"

While Yuri sighed and succumbed to her new, unprecedented family system, the trio had already somehow made their way out of the gates.

We're finally back. Yuri smiled.

-----

-wheels creaking-

"Sheesh." Yuri cursed.

"Yea tell me about it." Taeyeon commented. "I'm the one who has to live with these."

The wheels of the infamous "little pink luggage mountain" continued creaking as the two girls dragged them down the hallway.

"Why get so many and all of the same color too..." Taeyeon groaned under her breath.

-wheels continue creaking-

"Finally!" Yuri chirped happily as she released the handles of the two luggages she had been dragging along. "Well, good luck with unpacking!" she patted Taeyeon's shoulder and then she skipped away.

"Yea yea..." Taeyeon groaned.

"Okay! Time to return my wife, Fany. Enough of the girly chatter!" Yuri announced as she skipped towards the two girls who had stopped outside Yuri and Jessica's apartment.

"Tsk tsk. Watch out for possessive girlfriends, Jessi." Tiffany warned the blonde. "I read in a magazine that--"

"Tete's waiting for you!" Yuri declared as she put an arm around Jessica, who grabbed Yuri's hand like a reflex.

Tiffany responded with an eye-smile. "You two are so cute. OKAY. I'll see you guys later! Enjoy your home, Jessi." Tiffany said as she walked towards her apartment.

Standing beside the blonde by the door to their apartment, Yuri looked at Jessica anxiously. "Ready?" she asked like a eager little puppy.

Taking a deep breath, Jessica smiled and nodded.

"Okay..." Yuri replied. Stretching her arms out, she said, "Now come here."

Jessica giggled. "You sure you haven't lost it?"

Yuri nodded with the most confident smile on her face, and almost immediately, Jessica put an arm around Yuri's back and then leapt onto Yuri's outstretched hands forcefully. And deliberately.

It caused Yuri to stumble at the impact. "Sica... You might have... uhhh... gained a little weight."

"No I haven't!!" Jessica exclaimed as she shifted around.

Now that Sica's heavier... It's downhill from here...

"Kwon Yul!"

"H-huh??"

"What are you waiting for??" Jessica asked while comfortably lying in Yuri's arms, i.e. being as much as a deadweight as possible.

"Oh yea... Right..." Yuri managed to say. "In we go...!!" she exclaimed with a gentle kick to the door.

"Welcome home." Yuri smiled as she dropped the blonde.

The girl was at a loss for words. "Omgawd..." Jessica muttered as she walked further into the familiar apartment, the place where the couple shared fond memories. Unlike 2 years ago when Jessica's assets were limited to a loveseat and a bed, the apartment was now fully furnished. The walls were lined with more than enough bookcases for the bookworm, a big closet (which would probably be filled in no time) and a fully remodelled kitchen for Chef Kwon. All in all, very much resembling the Ikea showcases which Jessica fondly remembered.

And of course, the loveseat remains.

Everything, was perfect and beautiful.

"Well I took over the apartment after you left," Yuri said as she dragged their luggage in. "So I did it up a little."

"The loveseat." Jessica smiled as she walked over and sat on it. Tapping on the space beside her, she urged the taller girl to join her. Yuri walked over, and as she settled down, Jessica immediately sat on her lap.

"Thank you, Yuri." Jessica said and hugged the girl tightly.

"For?"

"For making our home perfect."

"It's the least I could do." Yuri said sheepishly, before composing herself and looking straight into Jessica's eyes. "From now on, we'll stay here together. No one's gonna leave anyone."

Jessica nodded in the girl's arms. "Okay." she smiled and cupped the tanned girl's cheeks. "Now go make your wife dinner. I'm gonna invite TaeNy over."

"Not married yet and dishing out orders already?"

Jessica got off of Yuri and proceeded to the front door. "Mm-hmmm. Better get used to it from now on."

Yuri chuckled a little as her future wife disappeared through the doors. Looking around her, she smiled proudly as she admired her little achievement in interior design.

Good job, Kwon Yuri. Good job.

Shortly after, Jessica was back. Yuri grinned like a dork at the sight of the blonde coming through the door; something she had desperately wished for in the 2 years she had missed the girl.

"Honey, I'm home!"

Jessica coming home to her was real now. Yuri giggled at the thought of it.

Hands on her hips, Jessica glared at Yuri. "What's up with that pervy smile?"

It smacked Yuri right out of her trance.

Sica’s angry stance...

"Nothing..."

"Perv."

"Huh?"

"You heard me, perv." Jessica said as she walked over to her luggage, sighing about the ton of unpacking and settling she had to do.

"You're the perv for constantly thinking that I'm one..." Yuri mumbled to herself.

"What's that?"

Yuri cleared her throat and walked over to the girl. "N-nothing!" she chirped. "I'm gonna go prep dinner. Happy unpacking, Sica baby!" she said as she gave a quick pat on the girl's bottom and hurriedly disappeared into the kitchen before the Ice Princess could strike back.

But the blonde didn't even finch. "ByunYul..." she sighed instead as she unzipped the luggage.

-----

Somewhere else, a girl was in the midst of a nerve wreck.

"Sooyoung."

"Sooyoung!"

"H-huh?" the tall girl turned over to a frowning, hands-on-her-hips Yoona.

"Who are you and what are you doing in Choi Sooyoung's body?!" Yoona exclaimed as she threw a pillow towards the shikshin.

The spaced out girl didn't bother to dodge the projectile. The pillow ended up hitting her stomach and falling onto the floor. "What are you talking about..." Sooyoung muttered as she picked up the pillow and dusted it.

"You know what I'm talking about." Yoona sighed and rubbed her forehead. "YulSic’s in love, TaeNy’s in love… You’re in love... Everyone’s in love!!"

Sooyoung threw the pillow back at Yoona instantly. "Keep it down, Im Yoona!" she cautioned as she peeked out of her room. Fortunately for her, Sunny was still in the living room sorting out her luggage while the two girls were tidying up the bedroom. Sooyoung heaved a sigh of relief.

Yoona narrowed her eyes and smirked. "CHOI SOOYOUNG IS IN LOVE!!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Yoona watched as the nerve-wreck's sigh of relief turn into a gasp. It was hilarious.

"With who??" Sunny's head suddenly poked in, curious about their conversation. The faces of the two girls in the room were opposite ends of a spectrum.

Yoona chuckled. "Oh she likes..."

"S-Sica!! I like... her."

Upon hearing Sooyoung's response, Yoona laughed even harder at Sooyoung's epic fail of a cover up. 

"Hmmm... That sucks. But I know exactly how you feel." Sunny said.

"Really? How so?" Sooyoung asked.

"I’m in love with Hyomin, who’s in love with Yuri…" Sunny sighed. “And I’m in love with Yuri too… Who’s in love with Jessica…”

"WHAT?" both girls exclaimed.

"She has this quality that's so cute… Her dark eyes are so charming…" the girl admitted.

Yoona stopped laughing, Sooyoung stopped breathing. Nothing was funny anymore.

"Ahh well, but it can't be helped, Jessica and her are perfect together. And Hyomin…" Sunny sighed again.

The two girls were still frozen to their spots, speechless.

"Okay! Maybe a little too much info there." Sunny tried in vain to break the awkward atmosphere. "Guess I'll go back to unpacking." she said as she left the room.

Yoona took a quick glance at Sooyoung, who had been solemn since.

"She's joking." Yoona stated confidently as she picked up the pillow.

"And what if she isn't?" Sooyoung huffed as she sat back down on her bed. "Casanova Kwon, seriously. Charming girls everywhere."

"Even so, she has no chance with Yuri. And the same goes for you with Sica, by the way." Yoona joked as she threw the pillow back at Sooyoung.

Sooyoung didn't respond, and it worried Yoona a little. She rolled her eyes and sighed. "Whatever it is, she's gonna stay with us from now. And she's taking Yuri's bed, which means she's your roommate." Yoona said with her arms crossed. "Just take care of her will you?"

Sooyoung remained quiet, still solemn about her new discovery.

Her unresponsiveness frustrated Yoona. "Fine, Sooyoung. You leave me no choice. Woman up and chase her. I'm going out."

"Huh?" Sooyoung finally responded.

"Good luck!" Yoona said as she scurried out of the room.

"W-wait..."

"Bye Sunny! Gonna go out for a while. Have fun with Sooyoung!" was all Sooyoung heard before the slam of the main door.

And then came the faint sound of footsteps.

Approaching closer.

Sunny...

Sooyoung swallowed the lump in her throat.

And closer.

...and I...

Sooyoung grabbed the pillow and clutched tightly onto it.

"Soo..."

Alone...

"...young...??"

Wake up! She's calling you!!

"Sooyoung?"

"Y-yes?" Sooyoung managed to say.

"Is the room ready?" Sunny asked.

"Uhh yea..."

"Oh good. I need some rest." Sunny said before sitting on her new bed. "The jet lag is getting to me."

"Sure..."

Sunny blankly looked at Sooyoung as the latter stood by her own bed.

"What?"

"The pillow."

"OH! Right." Sooyoung laughed a little to mask her embarrassment. "Here." she said as she handed the pillow to Sunny.

"Thanks."

"Sure."

The girls fell silent after that. However, Sunny kept her eyes on Sooyoung, which made the latter feel extremely uncomfortable. The girl's heart was almost beating out of her chest now.

"So you're just gonna stand there and watch me?"

"What? Oh no no no. Uhhh... I'll be outside--"

"Can you stay here?" Sunny asked.

"Uhhh..."

"Have a chat with me." Sunny smiled. "Sit here!" Sunny chirped as she patted on the space beside her.

"S-sure..." Hesitating for a while, Sooyoung sat down (albeit awkwardly) as she made sure that there was a little distance between them.

But her conscientious effort to maintain the distance was wasted the moment Sunny inched closer. As if that move didn't surprise her enough, the next few words did.

"I know who you REALLY like."

WHAT?! How did you know?!

"WHAT?! How did you know?!" Sooyoung unintentionally exclaimed her thoughts out.

Sunny smiled a smile of relevation. "I knew it! You were lying about liking Jessica!"

"Uhh... I..." Sooyoung stammered. "How did you..."

"Well it's pretty obvious. I'm good at reading people, remember?"

"I..." Sooyoung was at a loss of words. Her red face did the talking instead.

"Ahhh how cute. You're all red."

"Uhh... So... Do you... Uhh… Yuri…"

"Nope. I was just playing around, since you were doing it too." Sunny chuckled, taking an immense load off Sooyoung's chest. "Yuri IS quite the charmer, though." she added.

"Oh... Hahaha..." Sooyoung faked a laugh, still embarrassed about the fact that Sunny knew of her feelings. 

"So... are you gonna do anything?"

Omgawd... Isn't she straightforward...

"I uhhh... I..."

Sunny laughed out loud. "Seriously, as a first step, you should confess. Be sincere and put your soul in it." she advised. "Go for it."

Go for it...

Go for it...

Go for it...

Go for it... 

The 3 words were echoing in a loop in the shikshin's head now. Sooyoung's heart rate could very well enter the Guinness Book of Records and remain unbeaten for years.

Here it goes...

Inhaling deeply, she looked at Sunny in the eye and reached out for her hand. Squeezing it gently, she gathered up all the courage she could ever garner and said, "I... I like you, and I can't stop thinking about you. It was so hard get you out of my head and then it came to a point where I just realized that I didn't even wanna stop, that's why I couldn't. I don't want to stop thinking about you even if it means that I can't focus on anything else, that I can't give full attention to the food on my plate, that I can't sleep at night. I don't wanna stop."

“…”

Whoa. That whole chunk just came out of nowhere. 

Sooyoung surprised even herself. Even the usually composed Sunny was rendered speechless for a while.

"Wow... Sooyoung..."

Without needing a mirror, Sooyoung could tell that her face was now the color of the spaghetti bolognaise she had had earlier. She scratched the back of her head sheepishly and looked down, avoiding Sunny's gaze.

"Yoona, will say yes to THAT."

Sooyoung dropped her hand immediately. "H-huh?"

"That whole thing you got there, beautiful.” Sunny added, clapping.

"Uhhh... What?"

"Awww... How nice to be in love... And you guys have been friends since what, forever right?" Sunny said, dazed. "Don’t worry bout a thing! If you do that exact same thing with your eyes, and with that OMGAWD beautiful speech, I'm sure you'll be able to melt Yoona's heart. Heck, you'll be able to melt ANY girl with that." Sunny stated, then pondered for a moment. "Except Jessica."

"B-but..."

"No buts. You have my full support, Sooyoung!" Sunny chirped as she put her arm around an incredulous shikshin.

"I…”

"Hmmm?" Sunny looked at her curiously.

“I uhhh...”

C’mon Choi Sooyoung!! Tell her!!!

“Uhh…… Thanks...?" Sooyoung muttered in utter disbelief.

"No problem." Sunny grinned. "Ahh. Now I can finally sleep!"

"O--Okay..." Sooyoung mumbled as Sunny lay under the covers. Getting off the bed and taking another glance at the girl, she scratched her head in frustration as she walked out of the room and sighed.

How am I gonna clear this mess...

-----

“What do you mean, you rejected? She proposed!!” Jessica asked incredulously.

Tiffany wore her most helpless face ever. “This is going to sound extremely silly, Jessi, but hear me out.”

Jessica kept silent and looked at her good friend, waiting for her to speak.

“It’s too perfect.”

“…”

Tiffany stared at a spaced out Jessica who was staring back at her with her usual unreadable expression. “Say something, Jessi.”

“I don’t understand your reasoning.” Jessica responded as she hung up some clothes in the closet.

Tiffany stood up and proceeded to do the same thing. “It’s just… Tete and I have this extremely stable, peaceful, romantic, loving, beautiful—“

“Okay okay, I get it.” Jessica interrupted. “So what’s the problem?”

“It’s too perfect!” Tiffany exclaimed. “What if getting married spoils it? You know how 50% of marriages end up in divorce, and how people change after marriage, and—“

“Omgawd, Tiffany Hwang.” Jessica muttered as she grabbed a couple more clothes from her luggage.

“What?”

“Statistics, do not apply to you and Taeyeon. Don’t be silly, there’s no such thing as too perfect, and even if there is, you should hold on to it.” Jessica stated with her hands on her hips.

Tiffany looked down, playing with her fingers. “I-I’m just scared…”

Jessica put an arm around her best friend. “No one is ever sure of anything. You never know what will happen tomorrow, next week, 2 weeks later… But if you’re scared of everything, nothing will happen. Look at Yuri. If she remained scared, I wouldn’t even be here talking to you. And you have no idea, how envious I am of the smooth-sailing relationship you have.”

Tiffany gave deep thought to Jessica’s words. If there was anyone to reprimand her for feeling insecure; Jessica was the best person for the job. She turned and hugged the blonde, feeling the insecurity vanish by the second. 

“Thank you, Jessi.”

“Do what you have to do, Tiff. And soon. Before Taengoo goes crazy waiting for you.” Jessica smiled.

-----

"So... How did it go?" Yuri asked as Taeyeon sliced the carrots.

Taeyeon's shoulders suddenly slumped and she sighed as she shook her head.

Yuri understood immediately. "What?! But why?"

"She says she isn't ready." Taeyeon replied solemnly. "Guess I'll just wait."

"Hmmm." Yuri pondered for a moment. "Well just give her the time she needs. Either way, you do know that she'll still end up marrying you right?"

Taeyeon nodded, albeit sadly. But she couldn't deny that Yuri had a point. Tiffany and her shared a rock solid relationship and she of all people knew that. Taking comfort in Yuri's words, she smiled a little. "Well, sooner or later right?"

Yuri nodded. "Just a matter of time."

"Yuri! I'm hungry!!" a high pitched yell came out of nowhere.

"Me too!!" another voice joined in.

"It'll be ready soon!" Yuri shouted back to the 2 girls who were busy with unpacking Jessica's stuff. 

"Married life..." she sighed. "Future wife's already acting like a sergeant."

Taeyeon laughed. "Sica has ALWAYS been ordering you around, since high school. You should be used to it by now."

Yuri laughed back. "Hehehe. Good point."

"So, how's the planning for the marriage coming along?" Taeyeon asked.

"Taking it slow." Yuri replied as she tasted the soup. Reaching for the salt in the cabinet, she said, "Sica's gotta meet a few people in my life first."

"OH. The Kwons."

Yuri smiled as she sprinkled a pinch of salt into the pot. "Yep."

"Gawd, why am I suddenly worrying for the girl..." Taeyeon shook her head as she threw the sliced carrots into the soup.

"Nahhh. She'll be fine, I guess. Dad's totally cool, it's just mom she needs to worry about. Minnie really made it hard for anyone else to top my mother's list." Yuri replied, feeling a slight tinge of worry for the blonde all of a sudden.

"Speaking of which, how's Hyomin?" Taeyeon asked.

"Busy busy busy. She doesn't even have the time to chat on the phone." Yuri said as she stirred the pot of soup. "But I'm meeting her this week. I owe Sunny her T-ara stuff too."

"Oh my..." Taeyeon shook her head. "I wonder how Sica's gonna react when you two meet up. You know, the bad memories from the past might catch up..."

Yuri pouted as she pondered on the issue. "I'll do something about it. Minnie's still a good friend afterall."

"What are you gonna..."

"Seobangs! Dinner time yet?" Jessica and Tiffany popped their heads into the kitchen and exclaimed.

With their shoulders slumped at the same time, "Yeaaaaaaa..." Yuri and Taeyeon replied simultaneously.

-----

That evening, the 4 girls sat by YulSic's new and pretty dining table, enjoying a good, scrumptious meal cooked by Chefs Kim and Kwon.

"Oh my gosh!! Really??" Tiffany shrieked in happiness.

Jessica and Yuri nodded.

"Maid of honor????" Tiffany asked again, face as bright as a light bulb.

"Of course, you're my best friend." Jessica stated.

"Tete! This is awesome! I gotta go find some pretty dresses!!" Tiffany shrieked in excitement as she tugged on Taeyeon's arm.

Taeyeon laughed sarcastically as she struggled to steady her spoonful of soup. "I'm sure you'll have no problem with that, Fany." she said as she tried in vain to bring the spoon closer to her mouth.

"Ohh this is sooooo exciting! Let's all go pick your dress soon, Jessi!" Tiffany exclaimed, still tugging onto Taeyeon's arms, causing the girl to give up on the soup for good. Getting out of excited mode was seemingly impossible for Tiffany now and Taeyeon understood that.

"Yea sure... On one condition." Jessica replied. "Kwon Yul and Taengoo doesn't come."

"Huh? Why?" Yuri asked.

"Yea. And why can't I?" Taeyeon questioned.

"Because you'll most likely turn into Yuri's little spy." Jessica told the shorter girl, before turning to the tanned dork. "As for you... No reason. Just because."

Yuri frowned and was about to rebutt, when Tiffany suddenly chuckled. "Your bride wants to surprise you on the big day, Yuri."

Jessica silently ate her food in her usual indifferent manner while Yuri broke into her biggest smile. "Ahhh... I see. Okay then!" she chirped as she took a few glances at the blonde, already conjuring bridal images of Jessica in her head. 

"Eat your food. I want dessert later." Jessica scolded as she slapped Yuri's thigh.

Dessert?!

Choking on her own saliva, Yuri started coughing, and struggled to compose herself as she stared at Jessica with her eyes wide open.

"You okay, Yuri?" Taeyeon asked.

Jessica put down her utensils and glared at Yuri as she patted her back. "Pat bing soo." she said indifferently.

"OH! Hahaha. S-sure..." Yuri quickly responded and went straight back to eating, highly embarrassed, as Jessica kept her glare on the girl.

"So what are both of your plans now that you're starting your life together?" Tiffany asked.

"I'm applying to a veterinary hospital, while Sica's setting up a practice with Sunny. And of course, there's a marriage to--" Yuri replied.

"Eeeeee!!!" Tiffany shrieked, catching the attention of the other 3 girls. Flashing her best eye-smile, she explained, "Sorry, I'm just so happy for you girls! I mean… I've seen you two through all these years, since high school… And now... Now that you're finally together..." she paused and looked as if she was about to cry. "I feel like... a proud mother..." she sobbed.

Taeyeon attended to her girlfriend immediately. "There, there."

Tiffany's little emotional moment took the couple by surprise. The fact was, her words rang true; and it dawned on Yuri and Jessica at that moment that their friends had been by their side, watching their ups and downs and providing comfort throughout the whole time. Smiling, Yuri sneaked her hand below the table and grabbed tightly onto Jessica's.

"It's thanks to all of you that we can be here now." Yuri told Tiffany and Taeyeon, holding back her tears.

Her response only made Tiffany burst into tears. "We're friends, and friends will always be there for each other...!!" she sobbed.

And similarly, Tiffany's response flipped the crying switch in Yuri, who ended up sobbing in Jessica's arms. "I know...!! Let's all be friends forever, okay???" she cried as she reached out for Tiffany’s hand.

Tiffany nodded and reciprocated. "Friends forever...!!!"

And that night, while Yuri and Tiffany engaged in their crying spree, Taeyeon and Jessica sighed as they comforted their emotional girlfriends.

-----

The lady stood by the hallway, glancing blankly into what were once her daughters’ rooms. 

It's my fault. I've failed as a mother...

Her eyes were teary; the bags under her eyes were evident of the sleepless nights since her daughters left.

"I'm sorry."

She turned towards the voice. "David? When did you come home?"

"I'm sorry. For shouting at you that night, for everything. I've been thinking about it... And I..."

Mrs Jung kept silent as her husband apologized with his head hanging down.

"I just couldn't accept it... I just couldn't. But... I knew they loved each other. I saw it in her eyes. And yet I..." Mr Jung paused, and took a deep breath.

"I just couldn't."

"You pushed our daughters away and you know that. No one took them away from us." Mrs Jung stated. "You, pushed them away. And now they’re gone…"

"I'm sorry..."

Mrs Jung scoffed, disbelieving in her husband's apology. "What's the point of saying this now? They're gone!"

Taking a deep breath, Mr Jung stated, "I'm gonna get them back--"

"How?" Mrs Jung cried. "HOW? How are we gonna fix this--"

"We're going back to Korea. We'll go back to the life we used to have."

Taken aback by his response, Mrs Jung went solemn, waiting for the man to elaborate on his intention.

"I just tendered my resignation. I... I just have a couple more things to settle for the company, and then we'll go get our daughters. We'll go back to Korea."

“Why the sudden change of heart?” she questioned.

“I just want our daughters back. I don’t care anymore.” Mr Jung explained, his tone speaking volumes about his exhaustion.

"What about Jessica's marriage? What about Krystal? You're gonna be okay with that?"

Mr Jung sighed, before holding onto his wife's hands. "Give me time. Eventually, I'll be fine with it.”

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