Chapter 3

"Morning, everyone! I’m your TA for this semester. For those without lab partners, sit tight. I'll come around and assign one to you." the teacher's assistant had announced.

Yuri sat at her bench and noticed that around her had already formed pairs, reaping the benefits of the orientation activities that she had shunned. Strumming her fingers against the table, she pondered on the possibility of getting assigned to a difficult partner. "I should be pretty easy to work with..." she muttered under her breath.

"Good to hear!" the TA suddenly exclaimed, scaring her a little. “Last name?" he ran his eyes through the clipboard in his hands. 

"Kwon."

"Kwon Yuri. Okay, there’s just one other person who hasn’t been paired up, but she’s late."

Late. Already leaving a bad impression.

Yuri sighed inwardly. "Okay. Her name?"

"Jessica Jung. You can start first if you can handle it. If you need help, I’ll be right over there.”

Yuri pouted as she took a glimpse at her watch. 10:40am.

Might as well start prepping.

Referring to the lab manual, Yuri scanned the checklist of items that she needed. "Let's see, heating mantle, temperature probe, condenser..." she muttered as she retrieved the apparatus from the cabinet and began setting them up. Within minutes, Yuri had switched into over-focused mode; with nothing but the upcoming experiment on her mind. It was very typical of Yuri; bad at multi-tasking.

"Sorry I'm late. You're Yuri?"

However, Yuri had been too distracted to respond to the girl behind her. "Hmm, 10mL of solution A into the round-bottom flask..."

"Uhh, hello?"

"Some boiling chips--"

"YA."

"Maintain a cold water flow through the condenser..."

Irritated, the girl had leaned forward on tiptoes, and then spoke in her ear; "Pervert." 

And that had finally caught Yuri's attention. She turned around, half-dazed.

Mickey Mouse! were the two words that had popped up in her head as soon as she had recognized the girl, who was still donning the “I can’t be bothered with you” face.

Yuri had immediately plastered a big smile across her face, hopeful of friendly relations. "Hello."

"Hi." she answered, plopping her recognizable leopard print bag on the table.

Yikes. One syllable is all it takes to send shivers down my spine. Brushing it off, Yuri extended a hand and introduced herself; "I'm Kwon--"

"Pervert."

That wretched word had now been officially entered into Yuri’s mental burn book. The taller girl shut her eyes and inhaled deeply to digest the negativity, but it didn’t really help. The entire laboratory was overflowing with corrosive gases.

"Actually, the name is Kwon Yuri.” she said, still sounding as friendly as possible. “I know we got off on the wrong foot yesterday, but since we're gonna be lab partners for the whole semester, let's start again shall we, Jessica Jung?"

Jessica looked up at the taller girl, unthreatened and unimpressed. "Jessica will do. Where are you at?"

"I just started the distillation. I've already got everything set up. You could collect the data."

"Okay."

The two girls sat in silence as the heating mantle took its time. Amidst the loud, amicable chatters occurring between new acquaintances throughout the laboratory, their bench was quite obviously, the odd one out.

Seated quietly beside Jessica, Yuri took a clandestine peek at the girl.

Tardy. Hostile. Rude. Prissy. 

But…

Good lab grades, good lab grades, good lab grades. She chanted in her head as she pictured a cocky Sooyoung laughing in her face; beautiful transcript in hand. Taking another deep breath, Yuri began, "I'm really sorry about yesterday."

Jessica took a slight glance at the girl before turning her attention back to the apparatus. "It's fine."

"I'm bringing your cardigan to the cleaners' tomorrow."

"Okay."

Gawd. Does it kill her to manage more than two syllables?

"And about the hoodie I lent you--"

"Boiling." Jessica interrupted as she pointed at the flask.

Another two syllable attack. Yuri bit on her lip. “Awesome." she replied grudgingly as she shot an offensive glare at the girl. That is, until the pendant had caught her eye again.

THE IDENTIFIER. Yuri’s eyes widened as that revelation had struck her. The memories had also begun pouring in.

On that very night, right before Yuri had fallen asleep; she specifically remembered noticing a heart-shaped pendant hanging on the girl’s neck. Alas, being too exceedingly common, it hadn’t been substantial enough. At least, not until she had spotted something else near it; a birthmark. More explicitly, a birthmark that was situated just a little below the pendant, as Yuri had remembered it. 

It was unintentional; Yuri hadn’t set out to be that meticulous that night. There was no inappropriate lifting of clothes, no outrages of modesty; it was mostly attributed to the sleeping positions they had taken that night. Moreover, it didn’t help that the stranger had a disproportionate amount of makeup that night; too much from the neck up, none below.

It can’t possibly be Jessica, can it?

Inching backwards a little, Yuri bit on her lip and tried to get a better look, mentally cursing; Of all places, why is it situated at such an inconvenient area?

Very unfortunately, Jessica had the sensory skills of a radar. She turned to Yuri, arched an eyebrow and sighed. "Could you please take your eyes off my chest?"

"How did you--" Yuri paused and cleared her throat. "I was looking at your pendant. I find it rather unique."

"Really. It’s a heart-shaped pendant."

Afraid to give the wrong impression, Yuri asserted, "No really, I was looking only at the pendant."

"I believe you."

Yuri abhorred her sarcastic replies. "Why would I want to look at your chest? I mean, I have what you have, maybe even--"

Before Yuri could finish, Jessica had turned to her, her two fingers fiddling with the pendant. Inevitably, her little action had clamored the attention of Yuri's investigative eyes.

"You're looking."

"Y-You tricked me!"

"Pervert." Jessica accused for the umpteenth time before turning away; flashing a smirk that Yuri didn't catch.

"Gawd." Yuri muttered under her breath. "I give up."

It definitely isn't her. Total mismatch of character.

With Yuri's decision, the tension between them had thickened. The rest of the time was spent staring at the long and painful experiment process; like a loose tap, the distillate fell into the flask, drip by drip, each one of them raising the animosity between the duo. To Yuri, it was perhaps the longest 45 minutes in her life.

Omgawd, she's making me dread my favorite subject.

The only excitement came about when the TA had made an announcement. “Bonus points will be awarded to the first pair who finishes their experiment!”

As if answering a call to arms, Yuri immediately observed the apparatus for a second, then whipped out her calculator, and began working on something with superior concentration. It had aroused Jessica’s curiosity, but she watched in silence, wondering what was next. 

After a minute or two, Yuri had switched off the heating mantle.

“What are you doing?” Jessica asked incredulously.

“It’s done.” Yuri explained as she turned off the tap to the condenser.

“No it isn’t.” Jessica rebutted. “The instructions specifically say to keep it on heat for an hour at least.”

“I’ve already worked out what we were looking for.” Yuri raised her calculator in Jessica’s face. “Besides, we already have enough data for the lab report.”

“What are you, a nerd? It’s just a few bonus points.” Jessica commented, still apprehensive of Yuri’s judgement.

Yuri sighed. “Yes, I live for bonus points and petty marks. Will that be my new label, by the way? Frankly, I’d like it better than pervert.” she remarked as she left the bench.

Within seconds, the TA had announced; “The bonus has been taken! Better luck next time, guys.”

Yuri walked back to Jessica with a face full of delight, only to be met by Jessica’s unchanging expression. Refusing to let the girl ruin the joyous occasion, she offered; "I'll clean up. You can go if you want to."

"No. You've already done your part. I’ll do it." Jessica said.

Yuri shrugged. "Alright then. See you.” she waved a one-sided goodbye as she left the bench.

Before she had left the lab, she was stopped by a hand on her shoulder. “Wait, Yuri."

It was the TA. “Yea?”

“Not getting along with Jessica?" he asked.

"Why do you think so?" Yuri asked, a little worried that their lack of cooperation had detrimental consequences on their tech marks.

"Well, there was a pretty dark cloud hanging over the both of you. Between you and me, I can make a switch if you want to." he offered.

"Really?" Yuri's eyes had lit up. "Well..."

"Think about it while I tend to some stuff." he said as he walked off.

With that, Yuri commenced her umpteenth observation of Jessica, pondering on making the switch.

I don't think I've worked with someone this difficult before-- what is she doing?

Sensing the imminent danger, Yuri made a dash towards Jessica. "Hey, don’t--"

But it was a step too late. Following a thud, the chemicals had made their mess on the table, and Jessica had scalded herself, her eyes reflecting a breach in her threshold of pain.

"Silly, we kept that flask on heat for an hour." Gently grabbing her wrist, Yuri led the girl over to the sink and turned on the tap. "Leave your hand under the water for a few minutes. It'll bring the temperature down."

A dazed Jessica heeded Yuri's advice while the latter had turned her attention to the mess on the table. Feeling a little guilty about her previous hostility, she decided to speak up; "Careful. It’s corrosive."

Yuri nodded and smiled, pleasantly surprised by Jessica's show of concern.

This time, it was Jessica’s turn to observe her lab partner. In addition to her paramedic-like rescue, the girl had done a meticulous job of cleaning up, making sure that every inch of the table had been chemical-free. It was little things like these that had prompted Jessica to reevaluate her mental construct of Yuri.

As Jessica had unknowingly spaced out in the process, Yuri had reappeared in front of her, holding a burn cream in her hands. "Does it still hurt?" the taller girl asked as she switched off the tap and reached for Jessica's hand; gently patting it dry with a napkin.

"Not so much." Jessica replied gingerly.

"Well, it’ll sting later." she cautioned as she smeared the burn cream over the girl's finger. "When it does, run it under water. No ice."

"Okay."

"There. That should do for now." Yuri smiled.

"Thanks." Jessica said, retrieving her bag. "See you."

"Bye..." Yuri waved as the girl left the bench, slightly disappointed that it was still a one-sided goodbye.

"Hey,” the TA had approached her again. “Still keen on changing partners?"

Yuri heaved a sigh as she watched the brown-haired girl scurry down the hallway. 

"Nah, we’re good."

-----

I shouldn’t be taking out my frustrations on her.

Why did you have to be such a meanie, Jessica Jung?

1:12pm. Jessica pushed the door open and stepped out into the familiar space. Unsurprisingly, the masked serial killer she had hoped to see wasn’t present. 

She reached for a pen in her bag and clicked on it several times. I guess my patience is wearing thin.

1:15pm. Better get going for the next class.

-----

1:21pm.

"Hmm." Yuri sat on the floor and basked in the bright afternoon sun. She contemplated as her fingers ran through the edges of the little slip of paper.

(Hey stranger,

If you’re actually reading this, I should be overjoyed that I'm not the only silly one climbing 4 flights of stairs hoping to meet you.

Let's meet face to face, shall we?

This Saturday, 11am. I look forward to seeing you.

-Stranger)

"Saturday?" Yuri lay on the floor and looked up into the cloudless sky, feeling the glaring sun rays pierce through her eyes.

("You need cheesy love in your life, Kwon Yuri!")

She raised the piece of paper in the sunlight, letting it form a little shadow on her face.

“Cute handwriting,” she smirked.

-----

It was a good morning; serene and peaceful. Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No.2 was lightly playing in the background.

Humming along, the effervescent girl assumed her usual routine; wiping the countertops first, and then the piano, and finally the tables. As she moved along from table to table, she took extra care to place a little decorative flower on each of them. 

Everyday, a fresh flower. 

Everyday, a different colored napkin. 

Everyday, a different arrangement.

"Good morning! Welcome to Tiffany's!" she greeted energetically as her first customer had walked in.

It's her again...

Tiffany smiled, placing the last flower. "The usual, today?"

The girl nodded and smiled a little as she settled at her table.

"I will be right back." Tiffany said, making her way behind the counter. As the whirring sounds of the coffee machine filled the cafe, she couldn’t help but direct her curious eyes onto the girl.

Everyday, she would settle at the same table.

Everyday, she would order 2 cups of coffee; one with milk, one without.

And everyday, she would sit alone and read her book quietly.

Tiffany and her were like 2 ends of a spectrum; one stagnant, one constantly in motion.

About a month ago, Tiffany had taken over the cafe from her father, who under Tiffany's persuasion, had left for the States to care for her grandmother. It was about the same time that the girl had appeared, but even after some time now, they never spoke much. Aside from the usual greetings and thank yous, she would hide in a world of her own which Tiffany had been too polite to intrude. 

In addition to the girl’s air of mystery, she would habitually leave her milk coffee untouched. It was as if it was specially reserved for someone; someone important, someone missed.

"Kim Taeyeon!"

The sudden yell had caught Tiffany's attention. It was the very first time the girl had company. She wondered if the second cup of coffee was reserved for the brown-haired girl who had just entered.

"Why are you bumming around?" she interrogated, tugging on the girl’s arm. "Let’s go."

"But I just got here."

"You have a class to attend.”

“I do?”

“This is why Uncle Kim told me to keep a watch on you. Please don't make things difficult."

Eventually relenting, the girl approached Tiffany. “Sorry, but I have to go. You can have the coffee."

"Wait." Tiffany said. “Here, take it.” she handed her the coffee in a paper cup.

The girl took it in her hands and looked into the cup absent-mindedly.

“Don’t worry; I know you don’t have it with milk.” Tiffany smiled.

“Thank you.” she said politely, avoiding eye contact.

“You’re welcome.”

"Let's go, Sica.” she told the brown-haired girl and then left with her.

The café was empty again. Tiffany stood by the coffee machine, waiting for the milk coffee to brew to perfection.

"Kim Taeyeon, was it?" she muttered under her breath.

-----

By the end of the week, Yuri and Sooyoung had already grown accustomed to their college life. Lunch in a chaotic school cafeteria was now a part and parcel of their everyday; when they could catch up on the day’s happenings, most of which one-sided. Needless to say, when it came to food, Sooyoung would devote no more than 2% of her attention to anything else.

"What should I do?!"

Sooyoung stared at Yuri, wide-eyed. “You might be bipolar, Yul. One moment you were spazzing over rooftop girl and now, you’re freaking out over this." Sooyoung said as she swallowed her food. "It's just a freaking cardigan, gawd."

"You have no idea how freaking scary she is. How should I break the news? I'm gonna get killed, Sooyoung, killed!"

"So why keep her as a lab partner in the first place? I would’ve dumped her right from the start." Sooyoung remarked, already annoyed. “Oh yea, Yuri. You really should stop staring at every single girl who wears a pendant. You’re giving them the wrong idea, boss. FYI, it’s also a pretty creepy thing to do.”

“Well to assume they’re being ogled at reflects their level of ego.” Yuri defended. “For instance, Jessica obviously has the ego of Narcissus.”

“Your flawed argument escapes me.” Sooyoung shook her head. "And are you eating that?"

Yuri didn't respond to Sooyoung. Instead, she broke into a chain of incoherent mumbles, fearful over her upcoming death sentence. 

"Omgawd..."

"I take it that you're not?" Sooyoung asked again.

"I’m gonna be stared down to death..."

“And she’ll continue throwing unnerving two-syllable replies at me…”

"Omgawd..." 

Your noodles are mine, Kwon Yuri. Sooyoung smirked as she readied herself. Sensing the opportunity, the food thief lunged forward; straight for the bowl until Yuri suddenly shrieked. "OMGAWD."

"What, what?" Acting innocent and making the most out of her outstretched arms, Sooyoung pretended she was doing some stretching exercises. The noodles would have to wait for now.

To her relief, Yuri hadn’t noticed. "Jessica's here!" the girl whispered frantically as she switched her seat, positioning her back against her worst nightmare.

"The one who just came in?" Sooyoung raised her head high and peered into the crowd.

Yuri nodded. "Stop looking at her! She’s a freaking radar."

"Hmm. A pretty radar." Sooyoung commented as she continued checking out the girl, and realizing that she wasn’t the only one to do so. "Boss, forget the rooftop girl. Your lab partner seems to be hot property."

"Stop staring, please!" Yuri begged as she pondered on the ideal escape route.

“Oops. I think she caught me.” Sooyoung arched an eyebrow. "Heads up, Narcissus is coming. Now would be a really good time to compose yourself."

"Not funny, Sooyoung!" Yuri reprimanded.

Exit, exit exit… That one!

In one swift move, she crept up and made a maneuver towards it. 

“Kwon Yuri.”

After rotating about 60 degrees clockwise, Yuri found herself coming face to face with Jessica; or more specifically, Jessica's bangs. It was inevitable, Yuri, being the taller one, had performed a perfectly timed turn which had coincidentally bridged the socially-acceptable distance between acquaintances.

In other words, Yuri was this close to giving Jessica a kiss on the forehead.

"Wow..." Sooyoung muttered, obviously enjoying the show.

On the other hand, Yuri was an inch away from a land mine, a rather sweet-smelling one. Figuratively. 

OH, MY.

Okay. Stay calm. Calm.

Left foot back.

Easy...

Without letting a single breath escape her nose, Yuri calmly took a step back and smiled. "H-hi."

"I have been looking for you for the whole week." A typical Jessica wore her most typically indifferent expression ever. "I want your number."

"Pardon me??" Yuri exclaimed, while Sooyoung shot her yet another cheeky look.

Jessica sighed as she handed her Blackberry to Yuri. "I need help with my lab report."

"Oh. S-sure." Yuri said, rather sheepishly.

"And also, when will my cardigan be done?"

"About that..." Yuri stammered as she returned Jessica's phone. Beside her, Sooyoung had lowered her head and concentrated on her food.

"Is something wrong?" Jessica asked, catching onto Yuri’s sudden apprehensiveness.

“Good luck, Yuri…” Sooyoung muttered under her breath.

"Why don’t you come with me for a second?" Yuri requested.

Once outside the cafeteria and away from Sooyoung’s prying eyes, Yuri faced Jessica’s scary face and began, "About your cardigan..."

With 3 words, Jessica's indifferent expression had vanished. Her once impassive eyes had turned helpless. "It can't be salvaged?"

Oh gawd, guilt trip. Reluctantly, Yuri nodded. "The stain seems to be permanent."

Jessica kept silent, eyes now on the floor.

"I'm terribly sorry, I'll pay for it." Yuri apologized sincerely.

"Forget it."

"But--"

"What's done is done. Forget it." Jessica asserted. "In return, you'll help me with my lab report."

"Of course." Yuri said gingerly, wondering if it was an order or a request. Whichever it was, the fact that Jessica looked almost upset had served more than just an eye-opener to Yuri.

If Mickey Mouse means so much to me, perhaps her cardigan…

“Hey, at the very least, let me make it up to you over dinner.”

Jessica shook her head. "I'll call tonight." she merely said as she turned away, her tone carrying a tinge of sadness; only to leave Yuri drowning in a pit of guilt. 

"Bye..." Yuri muttered, waving her one-sided goodbye for the third time.

-----

Chapter 4

A frantic Tiffany was having a little difficulty with handling Tiffany's. It was typical of a Friday night, when customers came in droves. Inwardly, she wished she had more help...

"Fany!" Yuri yelled as she emerged through the door.

...aside from relying on a college student who wouldn't pull her head out of the books.

"You are late!" Tiffany exclaimed from behind the counter as two girls had come running towards her.

"Yuri's fault!” Sooyoung rebuked. “She dragged me across the whole freaking city today for--"

"I am so, so sorry, Fany." Yuri apologized sincerely, throwing in a pout for better potency. “It was something important.”

“Oh gross. Do NOT fall for her idiosyncratic charms—“

"Well if Yuri says it’s something important, then it is.” Tiffany replied amidst the taller girl’s protests, too busy with her duties to give them her full attention. 

Sooyoung hung her mouth open while Yuri shot her a little victory sign. “I can’t believe you’re—“

"Do you want your free dinner, Sooyoung?” Tiffany had interrupted.

"YES!" Sooyoung yelled shamelessly.

"YA. Stop being a freeloader and help out." Yuri reproached, elbowing the girl on her side. "Look how busy it is. We need all hands on deck."

"I am gonna!" Sooyoung defended herself. "After dinner."

"By the time you're done, we'll be home sleeping." Yuri remarked.

"I am GONNA. After DINNER." Sooyoung reiterated, sounding oddly like a whiny toddler. “I WANT—“

“Already prepared and waiting for your metabolism.” Tiffany announced. Without protesting further, Sooyoung had quietly retreated into the kitchen. Yuri could only shake her head in shame.

“Oh by the way Yuri, Table 9's having a birthday celebration today. I know it’s not piano night, but…”

“Ahh. Sure, I know what to do." Yuri replied, stretching her fingers a little.

"Good." Tiffany said, patting the taller girl on the head. "Anytime you’re ready."

-----

“Bye Taeng!”

The two girls watched worriedly as Taeyeon walked off alone, amidst the dissipating crowd of students that had just spilled out of the lecture hall. Sighing, Jessica turned in the other direction, ready to leave. “See you tomorrow.” she had told the girl beside her.

“Wait.” the girl spoke up, grabbing onto Jessica’s arm. “Where are you going?”

“Home.”

“Follow Taeng instead.” the girl had ordered.

“Why?”

“Because there’s really no point in going to the rooftop when you’re meeting her tomorrow.”

Jessica exhaled, crossing her arms. “I swear you’re psychic sometimes, Sunny.”

“We are people of Science, Jessica. I’m just intelligent.”

Jessica almost barfed at the girl’s pompousness. “I’m just gonna go catch Taeyeon before she disappears.” she replied, ready to dismiss herself. “Are you not coming?”

“I still have classes. Watch her, please.”

“I will.”

Sunny sighed. “Does it make sense that the youngest worries over the both of you...?” she uttered as the girl had run off into the crowd.

-----

"Taeng."

"Taeng!"

Taeyeon could recognize Jessica’s voice even from miles away. Inwardly groaning, she stopped walking. “What?”

"Where are you going?"

"To dinner." Taeyeon answered; resuming her walk down the pavement.

Jessica tagged along closely behind. “Great, cos I'm starving."

"Then eat." Taeyeon advised as she quickened her pace.

"I am going to." she replied as she followed suit.

A little frustrated, Taeyeon halted again and turned to face the girl. "Sica, I’m fine. Seriously, go home."

Jessica smiled. "I know you are. I’m just going over there for dinner, like you."

"Where do you think I’m going?"

"Tiffany's, where else?"

Inhaling deeply, Taeyeon resumed walking again, not saying a thing.

“So why the obsession with Tiffany’s?” Jessica questioned.

“I just like that place.”

“So much that you’d skip classes?”

“I genuinely forgot.” Taeyeon stated.

“But you never forget. Especially not things like these.”

“But I did. Okay?”

Jessica wasn’t convinced; knowing that it wasn’t in Taeyeon’s nature. Frustrated, she had broached the topic, as much as she’d preferred not to. "It isn't just you. We all miss her, Taeng." Jessica began, only to be met by Taeyeon’s silence. The latter continued walking, choosing not to engage in the conversation. 

Persistent, Jessica kept up with the shorter girl, still hoping to reach out to her. "But you can't stay stagnant. Don’t you remember what she said to you?"

“…”

Taeyeon’s importunate unresponsiveness was gradually getting on Jessica’s nerves. "Taeng."

"..."

"Are you even listening to me?"

"I don't want to talk about this now." Taeyeon had walked ahead.

"Then when?" Jessica asked. It was pointless. Jessica could only watch as the shorter girl walked ahead, closed up in her shell once again. It was a wrong move; and Jessica could only blame herself for broaching the topic, despite knowing that it would end in silence more often than not.

Tonight, was no exception.

There’re many types of people in life, as we know it. They all exist in a spectrum; 2 extremes, but mostly moderate. Everyone fits nicely into that bell curve, some struggle to find their right spot, while some fall into it naturally. Kim Taeyeon; was the former. To speak of her as an extremist would be unjust, and yet as a moderate; inapt. She was the sort of person who never spoke of her feelings; and anything that was emoted had been a polite gesture. In the girl’s view; feelings were internal, feelings were private, and they granted a special status; a privilege of knowing yourself better than anyone would ever would.

And it was precisely because of that stubbornly upheld principle that had led to regrets. Irreversible regrets.

Somewhere in the recent months since that fateful day, the shell she had been encased in had been fortified into a stronghold, and those principles; strengthened. Jessica and Sunny was already beginning to succumb to the obtrusive fact that they had lost two friends since then.

But every dark cloud has its silver lining, and there was always some truth to clichéd phrases. In this case, the little upside came in the form of a particular person at a particular café.

Taeyeon smiled a little, appreciating her friend’s concern. “Let’s just go for dinner, okay?”

Amidst the crisp evening air and the hustle and bustle of downtowners heading home after a day of work, the two girls walked on silently; just pondering, just reminiscing.

-----

"Busy busy busy!" the sandwich artist complained as her hands went into auto-pilot mode. "CHOI SOOYOUNG! Are you done with dinner?"

Garnering no response, Yuri muttered, "One day. One day, I’ll find something that you don’t eat and stuff it in your--"

"Shove those evil thoughts away." Tiffany had knocked Yuri on the head. "Sooyoung isn't obligated to work here."

"Well in exchange for free dinners so frequently, I see the obligation." Yuri said as her hands finalized the last order in lightning speed. "There! Break time!"

"Thank you.” Tiffany said as she picked up the last order and exited the kitchen. Precisely at that moment, the chime to the door had sounded; like a reflex, it had signaled to Tiffany to greet her next customer.

"Welcome to Tiffany's!" she said enthusiastically as she served the tentative last order for the evening.

Kim Taeyeon?

"Table for 2?" Tiffany asked, noticing Jessica from that morning.

"Yes, please."

"Well you're in luck. Your usual table just opened up." she commented as she led them to the table and handed the menus. “Would you… like the coffees?”

“No, not for the evening, thank you.” Taeyeon answered, barely looking up from the menu.

"Okay. I'll be right back when you’re ready."

Taeyeon watched as Tiffany retreated into the kitchen, while the inquisitive Jessica observed her surroundings. Tiffany’s was a quaint café with a cozy touch; well-situated near school, and perfect for quiet afternoons with a novel or two. "I can see why you frequent this place. If the food's good I'll be coming here often."

Taeyeon groaned, dreading having another potential stalker in her life. "Fine. But get your own table."

"Selfish."

Shortly after, Tiffany had come back with glasses of water. "All ready?"

"Any recommendations?" Jessica asked.

"Hmmm. Since our sandwich artist is in tonight, I'd recommend our signature sandwich. She invented it."

"Okay I'll have that. Without cucumbers, in case there are any." Jessica requested.

"And I'll have the same." Taeyeon said, still avoiding Tiffany's gaze.

"With cucumbers?"

"Yes." Taeyeon replied, ignoring Jessica’s look of disgust.

Tiffany smiled. "Okay. I'll be back with your orders."

"Thank you."

(15 minutes later)

"This sandwich is soooooo good; I could marry the sandwich artist." Jessica described in awe. "I can't believe you're eating it with cucumbers."

"It's better with cucumbers actually." Taeyeon replied as she deliberately picked out a piece of cucumber and ate it in Jessica's face.

"Urgh. Could you not--"

"Hi everyone!" Tiffany announced, "We have a birthday girl in our midst tonight, so as a little gift, Tiffany's is dedicating a little performance!"

“What kind of performance?” Jessica muttered.

“Probably by the girl you wanna marry. She does piano nights every Tuesday.” Taeyeon explained as she chomped on her sandwich.

“The sandwich artist is a girl?” Jessica asked.

"Without further ado, I’d like to present our sandwich artist," 

The café immersed in silence whilst Jessica waited with the utmost anticipation to catch a glimpse of her sandwich goddess. She watched as the door to the kitchen opened revealing the figure behind it; inch by inch.

"Kwon--"

Oh.

"Yu--"

My.

"--Ri!!"

Gawd.

"IT’S HER?"

Alas, everyone's attention had been stolen by an incredulous Jessica, including Yuri’s. In an effort to salvage the embarrassing situation, the latter acted indifferent and calmly proceeded to the grand piano. There was a momentary silence before it began.

(Chopin's Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2)

As the melody started, everyone's attention had been recaptured by Yuri. In the several minutes of the recital, the rowdy little café had diminished to a silent audience. Little by little, everyone present had gradually immersed in its mellow. As for Jessica, the girl was perhaps, best described in one word; overwhelmed. There were already a dozen of emotions that had accumulated from her previous mental construct of Kwon Yuri, but this had only added to the list. Aside from the obvious denial of admiration of Yuri’s talents, she had been more disturbed by something that had arisen out of nowhere; 

Sympathy.

She wasn’t sure if it was oversensitivity on her part, but she could almost sense a certain heaviness on Yuri; a certain sadness.

When it was over, Yuri bowed to her breath-taken audience.

"Kwon Yuri, everyone!" Tiffany announced proudly, inciting applause from the customers as Yuri had retreated into the kitchen.

Jessica sat in silence for moments after, indulging in her pit of mixed emotions: 11% envy, 37% admiration, 46% curiosity, and of course, the remaining 6% that had belonged to anger; culminated as a result of a very petty attitude. As evident from the results, Jessica was undoubtedly, intrigued by Yuri's hauntingly depressing aura that had surfaced just minutes ago.

Maybe I'm being oversensitive. The girl’s a dork half the time.

"Sica." Taeyeon had snapped her fingers in Jessica's face.

"Huh?"

"You're spacing out again." Taeyeon said. "Anyway, what was that just now?"

Jessica frowned, unwillingly admitting, "She's my lab partner."

"The one who also ruined your precious little cardigan?" Taeyeon asked with a tinge of sarcasm, never being able to fully understand Jessica and her attachments to certain articles.

“So Sunny told you.” Jessica remarked.

"Yep. She also told me about your little rendezvous with a masked serial killer too." Taeyeon added, only to induce the girl’s silence. It left Taeyeon suspicious, and she smiled a little with an all-knowing look. “Wow Sica, and it’s only been a week since school’s started.” she teased. 

“I don’t get what you’re implying.”

“Really.” Taeyeon replied sarcastically. “Oh and by the way, any news about--”

“No.” Jessica interrupted, seemingly upset.

“Well maybe no news is good news.” Taeyeon consoled, checking her cellphone. “Anyway, I'm leaving.”

"But I'm not done with dinner."

"So you stay, and have fun with fate!” Taeyeon chirped, pointing at Jessica’s sandwich. “And between fate and serial killers, I think you’d probably stand a better chance with fate."

"Kim Taeyeon!" Jessica called out but to no avail. Taeyeon had always made hasty exits.

"We're not fated..." Jessica mumbled as she took a huge bite of her sandwich.

"Actually, we are." a voice from behind had startled her, almost causing her to choke. Looking up, she looked straight into the eyes of her very own sandwich goddess.

Wait. I meant cardigan destroyer.

"May I join you?" Yuri asked with a cheeky smile, obviously still eager to make up.

"Noughff." Jessica replied with her mouth full.

"What's that? Didn't hear you." Yuri feigned ignorance and proceeded to settle opposite Jessica.

I was wrong. She’s a full-time dork. Jessica sighed. "What do you want?"

"To make amends."

"I already said it's okay."

"But it isn't okay for me." Yuri said as she placed a paper bag on the table. "So, I got you a gift."

The girl shot Yuri a suspicious look. "What is it?"

Yuri gestured at the paper bag with her eyes, preferring Jessica to find out for herself. Albeit hesitantly, a curious Jessica took the bag and warned Yuri; “It better not be some practical joke—“

And it wasn’t. Inside the paper bag, was the exact same cardigan, but spanking new.

"I was gonna give it to you during the lab next week, but since we're strangely fated, it's yours today."

"How in the world did you find this? Did you comb the whole city?"

"Hee." Yuri smiled sheepishly.

Despite displaying otherwise, Jessica was definitely touched by Yuri’s gesture. From the Cardigan Destroyer to the Medic to the Sandwich Goddess to the Brooding Pianist, Kwon Yuri was earning brownie points way too quickly.

The 6% anger had vanished. Whatever’s filling that 6% is still left to be known.

Too prideful to show an enthusiastic appreciation, Jessica managed to squeeze out a little gratitude at the very least. "Thank you."

"No worries. But in return, can I have my hoodie back?”

Jessica pondered for a second as she looked straight into Yuri's hopeful face. "No."

Yuri’s once bright expression had darkened in a second. "Why? What did you do to it?"

"I'm keeping it."

"But you won't even wear it!"

"I just wanna keep it." Jessica reiterated. In actuality, it wasn't about the hoodie, it was just how Jessica had found pleasure in bullying the tanned girl; unknowingly paving their relationship dynamics.

"B-but..."

Jessica arched an eyebrow, amused. "Why do you like Mickey Mouse so much?"

But before Yuri could answer, someone had approached their table. "Hi, Miss Kwon?"

Yuri turned to the girl, still wearing her sad face. "Yes?"

"Hi..." she extended a hand and began to introduce herself. “I just wanted to thank you for the performance just now."

Snapping out of her little misery, Yuri stood up and greeted the birthday girl enthusiastically. "Oh, hi! Nice to meet you! And happy birthday!"

"Would you like to join us at our table?" she asked, a little bashfully.

"Oh, thanks, but I'm with--"

"I was just leaving." Jessica interrupted.

"You are?"

"Yes." Jessica stated as she retrieved her purse.

But Yuri had stopped her. "Don't, it's on me. I was supposed to buy you dinner, remember?"

"Fine. Thanks." Jessica said as she picked up her bag and then swiftly made her exit.

What's wrong with her? She was fine just a minute ago.

The girl smiled politely as she held up her hand, "I didn't introduce myself--"

Blowing hot and cold on me. What does she take me for?

Yuri absent-mindedly returned the handshake, too distracted to pay any attention to the girl. 

And just because of a silly cardigan. What else does she want from me? I bought her a new one, I bought her dinner, and I'm helping her with her lab report— OMGAWD.

"I'm Park--"

"Omgawd!" Yuri suddenly exclaimed, scaring the girl a little. "I'm sorry, Park-- Miss Park, but I just remembered that I have work to do."

The girl, now officially known as Miss Park to Yuri, shook her head and smiled. "Oh, another day, perhaps?"

"I'm really sorry." Yuri apologized sincerely. "Have a good birthday!"

-----

It was late in the evening when Jessica had left the cafe. She took a stroll down the pathway, letting it lead her anywhere. Huffing, she delivered a forceful kick to a little rock that wasn't particularly in her way. It hit a lamp post a short distance ahead. 

Wait. Why did I do that?

Why am I even taking this sappy stroll in the first place?

Jessica rubbed her temples. "What the hell am I so bothered about?" 

It didn’t take her long to figure it out; upon feeling a little disconcerted at the glance of the paper bag in her hands. But somehow, the revelation had only served to fire her up even more. Fiercely denying it, she folded the paper bag down and stuffed it in her own bag, keeping it out of sight. Inhaling deeply, she then resumed her stroll down the pathway, refusing to believe that the dork had the power, the audacity to occupy her thoughts.

I'll just focus on… tomorrow. I’m meeting the stranger tomorrow! the thought of it had brought a little smile to her face. Fiercely anticipating her little meeting, she began humming random tunes as she walked down the pathway, feeling a little less sappy.

It went on for a little while, until it suddenly struck her that she had been humming to the tune Yuri was playing earlier.

"Urghhh!" Jessica roared as she kicked another rock out of her path. Only this time, it ricocheted against the lamp post and flew past Jessica on its way back, hitting something.

"Owww..."

Or someone.

"Yuri?" Jessica muttered as she turned around. It hit her like a boulder; the audacious, irksome head occupier was right behind her...

...wincing in pain like a little puppy.

"Omgawd, Jessica... What did that innocent little rock ever do to you?"

Jessica stepped closer to the girl and examined her face. "You're bleeding!"

"I know." Yuri had already positioned 2 fingers to her forehead in an effort to stop the bleeding. "It's just a shallow cut."

"You have to get it cleaned! Let’s head back."

"Don’t worry, my apartment's nearby." Yuri told her as she began walking, fingers still on her forehead.

Jessica walked along beside her, feeling a little guilty. "I'm sorry, I had no idea..."

Yuri chuckled. "Don't worry about it. The rock will take full responsibility for its actions."

It lightened Jessica's guilt a little. "Why were you creeping around behind me? Stalking?"

Yuri scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, Miss Jung. This is my way home. And I wasn't creeping; I was just about to catch up with you when Mr Rock came outta nowhere."

"Weren't you supposed to grace that smitten birthday girl with your presence?" Jessica said, immediately regretting it for fear of sounding sour. Or worse; jealous.

Fortunately, Yuri hadn’t detected anything along that line. Instead, she frowned at Jessica's sarcastic remark. "I have something more important to do."

"Like what?"

"Helping you with your lab report. You said you'd call tonight."

Jessica's eyes widened, and she felt momentarily guilty for neglecting her work. "Honestly, I forgot about it."

"Well I didn't." Yuri replied, inwardly sighing in relief. She gently brushed on her wound as it stung a little. "Hey, do you wanna work on it together? I mean, since we're together now and I live just right there..." Yuri said as she pointed at the building a short distance ahead.

Jessica pondered for a moment, wondering if she was digging her own grave by spending time with the head occupier. Deep down, she knew she'd already taken an interest in finding out if Yuri had really harbored a darker side. Rationalizing that this was the most probable reason as to why the dork had invaded her thoughts; she figured that satisfying that curiosity was the only way to begin eradicating her from her head. 

Now, the only problem was to find a less eager version of the word "yes".

Yuri watched Jessica inquisitively as the latter had unknowingly spaced out throughout her thought process.

"Silence means consent?" Yuri asked cheekily.

-----

Chapter 5

"Where's your first aid kit?" Jessica asked.

"Second cabinet from the right!" Yuri yelled from the bathroom where she was washing her wound. Gazing into the mirror, she muttered, "Damn, I hope this doesn't leave a scar… Or everyone’s gonna think I’m a Harry Potter fanatic."

When she was done, she exited the bathroom to find Jessica seated comfortably on her bed, with the first aid kit on her lap.

"Sit." the brown-haired girl ordered.

Yuri gulped. I feel like a stranger in my own house.

Obediently, Yuri settled beside Jessica on the bed. Facing Yuri, Jessica swept the girl’s hair aside and examined her wound before reaching into the first aid kit. She retrieved the antiseptic lotion and some cotton buds, and then began disinfecting the little cut. In an effort to suppress any expressions of pain, Yuri began gritting her teeth, resulting in even weirder expressions. As usual, the omniscient Jessica knew. 

"It stings, huh?"

"A little."

"Bear with it alright? This might take a while." Jessica said, giggling a little at Yuri’s expressions.

What Jessica didn’t know, however, was the edginess Yuri was experiencing as a result of being in close proximity with Jessica’s face. Aside from that, it was probably the first time she had seen Jessica express any sign of positivity on her face.

Nothing had hurt anymore. Yuri’s focus had entirely shifted to the little smile on Jessica’s face. Scary and indifferent Jessica; was gone.

"You know," Yuri began as she fiddled with her own fingers, "You're a lot more attractive when you're gentle and-- OWW!!"

"And why should I care about being attractive to you?" Jessica asked, her tone reeking of hostility.

Scary and indifferent Jessica; was back. Yuri could only afford a meek chuckle. "Nevermind." 

With things back to “normal”, Yuri was once again, a little fearful of Jessica. Throughout the rest of the disinfection process, she had kept quiet, focusing instead, on anywhere else other than Jessica’s face. And perhaps, her chest too.

When the painful disinfecting process was over, Jessica slapped a little band-aid of her choice on Yuri's forehead.

“Why Mickey Mouse?” Yuri asked, a little worried about the character being prominently plastered to her forehead.

“It’s cute.” Jessica remarked.

But not on my forehead… Yuri pouted as she gently ran a finger on it. "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Jessica said as she packed up the first aid kit. "So let's start work, shall we?"

-----

The rest of the night had been spent working on their lab assignment, and it had been surprisingly fruitful despite the little bouts of awkward tension between them. Jessica was the combination of the things Yuri didn’t appreciate; a pretty substantial ego and a mouthful of sarcasm. Moreover, she seemed to derive pleasure in poking fun of Yuri, and the latter, being big-hearted, could only let her get away with it, whilst silently lamenting about it. And this, unfortunately, had become the very definition of their relationship dynamics. 

On the flip side, as the night had progressed, Yuri had managed to see a different side of the girl. Jessica was harmless, good-natured even, and to Yuri, she was really a sheep in wolf’s clothing. Once Yuri had her all figured out, it wasn’t difficult to establish a good working relationship. The girl could now look forward to the good lab grades, and eventually, the congenial satisfaction of beating Sooyoung. 

And speaking of which, somewhere in the midst of discussing about the lab report, came Sooyoung who had just returned from her feast.

"I'm home, Yuri Kwon!" the loudhailer announced the moment she had entered the apartment. Walking towards Yuri's room, she continued blaring; "Dinner was awesome! Why did you leave soooo--OOOHHHH."

Yuri shot the intruder a glare. The latter was standing at Yuri's doorway, wearing a face which Yuri abhorred.

"Hi Jessica." Sooyoung waved.

"Hi," Jessica smiled graciously. “I’m sorry; I don’t think we’ve met…”

"Oh Yuri told me about you." Sooyoung proclaimed. "She talks about you all the time because she secretly has the hots for--" Before the shikshin could finish, Yuri had slammed the door in her face.

“—YOU!” came the rest of the sentence; in an offended tone obviously.

Once the door was locked, Yuri turned around and sighed. "That was Choi Sooyoung. Trash goes in and out of her mouth on a minute-basis."

"So, you have the hots for me?" Jessica asked, arching an eyebrow.

“And that, was a classic example of trash out of her mouth."

"You don't?"

"Well, not everyone has to have the hots for you just because you're pretty."

"Oh. So you think I'm pretty." Jessica reiterated, a little cocky.

Yuri sighed, already regretting for feeding into Jessica’s ego. "Yes you’re so pretty. No, I don't have the hots for you." she emphasized.

"Uh huh..."

"Anyway, I've been meaning to ask, why were you taking that stroll just now?" Yuri asked in an effort to change the topic. "And with that depressing vibe all over you..."

Jessica had immediately turned back to her work. "Why do you care?"

"Why can't I care? You're my friend."

"But you aren't mine."

Yuri made a sad face as she approached the desk. "Ouch, meanie. You really know where to hit where it hurts. What am I to you then?"

"Hmmm.” Jessica raised a palm out. “Cardigan destroyer. Pervert. Annoying lab partner." she stated as she began counting with her fingers.

Yuri chukled, taking no offence. "I'll take number 3; annoying lab partner. So meanie, tell me why you were depressed."

"Fine." Jessica huffed. "I'll share information if you share yours."

"Deal. Let’s do this fast.” Yuri responded excitedly. “So, reason for sappy stroll?"

"Don't know."

"That's not an answer!"

"Take it or leave it." Jessica stated. "My turn. How long have you been playing the piano?"

"Since I was 7. Uhh... Where's my hoodie?"

"In my closet. Where did you learn to make sandwiches?"

"Tiffany's father taught me. Remember that sweet-looking girl who served you earlier? That’s Fany. Why aren't you giving my hoodie back?"

"I told you, I wanna keep it. Why are you working anyway? Judging from your apartment and your car, you seem financially secure."

Yuri crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. “How did you know I had a car?”

“A Mini Cooper. The key’s hanging right there.” Jessica pointed towards Yuri’s shelf.

“My my, aren’t you observant…”

“Answer the question, Kwon Yuri.”

"Well, I work because they're close friends of my family and they've been taking care of me. Why would you want to keep my hoodie? You hate Mickey Mouse!"

"For the record, I don't hate Mickey Mouse. And, your hoodie keeps me warm at home. So, where's your family then?"

"Argh…” Yuri suddenly exclaimed as she stretched her limbs. “Are you hungry?" she asked.

It was obvious to Jessica that she had unknowingly ventured into a forbidden area. "Why, are you?"

"Yea, my mouth's itching for something." Yuri replied as she got off her seat. "Want anything?"

Is this about the hoodie or does she have family problems?

"Sure." Jessica played along, now fairly certain that Yuri wasn’t that simple. Still, she decided not to push it since Yuri was obviously avoiding the issue. "Anyway, are we done yet? I would like a break."

"Yea, almost."

"Can I borrow your bed?"

"Sure. Make yourself..." Yuri said as she watched Jessica retrieve a book from her bag, approach the bed and lie down on it. "...at home. Wow, you sure look comfy."

"Hmm. This is pretty comfortable." Jessica remarked as she commenced reading.

Curious, Yuri sat beside Jessica on the bed. "Star-crossed. Sounds all tragic and sappy. You like romance?? That's surprising, considering that you--" she immediately stopped talking once she had noticed Jessica's glare. Swallowing that huge lump that had formed in her throat, she climbed out of the bed whilst Jessica kept her glare on her. "I... I was just getting us something to eat."

“Meanie.” Yuri muttered under her breath as she left the room. Swiftly heading to the kitchen, she was hindered by the second intimidating glare of the night; courtesy of a highly inquisitive Sooyoung.

"I see Jessica lying in your bed."

Yuri inhaled deeply. "Yes. Your eyes seem to be perfectly fine." she said as she tried to enter the kitchen.

Sooyoung raised a hand to block the doorway. "Ain't you two progressing a little fast? What about the rooftop girl?"

"What about the rooftop girl?" Yuri asked back, arms crossed.

Sooyoung cleared her throat a little, before beginning; "As your best friend and personal assistant, your schedule indicates that you're meeting the rooftop girl tomorrow. It is therefore frowned upon to have another girl in your bed tonight, Miss Kwon." Sooyoung said with a look of disapproval.

Yuri sighed. "With a heavy heart, I regret to inform you, that Miss Choi, you're fired. But before you go, could you call Miss Im Yoona? I’d like her back--"

“What has gotten into you? I didn't peg you for the player type.” Sooyoung stated, ignoring Yuri’s snide remarks. 

"You know what? Me neither." Yuri stated as she continuously attempted to enter the kitchen, only to be obstructed by Sooyoung's long, irksome limbs. Finally relenting, she huffed in frustration. "Urghhh! Jessica's just here to work on our lab report. We're taking a break now, so she's relaxing with her little cheesy romance novel on my bed. Entry to kitchen, please."

Sooyoung narrowed her eyes. "That's it?" 

"Yes, that's IT. What exactly are you expecting?"

"Hey, don’t get me wrong, but you brought a pretty girl home and she’s in your bed…”

“Entry to kitchen, PLEASE.”

“Fine, bossy. Anyway, it's getting late; you should send her home soon. Your car's in a desperate need of a spin. We’ve been walking around too much."

“Damn. It’s 11pm?”

Realizing that Sooyoung was right, Yuri dropped her plans in the kitchen and headed back to her room, only to find Jessica dozed off, with her book laying half-opened on her chest.

Yuri sat on the bed beside the girl. "Hey, Jessica?"

"Hmmppffff..."

"It's late, you should go home." Yuri said as she casually removed the book from her chest. “I’ll drive you back.”

"Hmmppfff... Pervert."

"What the hell? I'm just packing your stuff for you!” Yuri exclaimed. “Wake up." she said, with a tone a lot less gentle than before.

"..."

Frowning, Yuri tapped on her shoulder. "Wake up."

"..."

"..."

There was utterly no response from the girl since the word "pervert". Maligned and upset about it, Yuri shook her shoulders, but to no avail either.

"Jessicaaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

"..."

"Sicaaaaaaaaaaaa..."

"..."

"Sssssiiiiiiiiiiii... Cccaaaaaaaaaa..."

"..."

"Caaaaaaaaaa..."

"..."

“…”

"...meanie."

"..."

"Ungentle."

"..."

"UNKIND.”

“…”

“RUDE, COLD, SELFISH AND MEAN."

"..."

"OMGAWD." Yuri facepalmed in frustration. "If you're intending to spend the night here, at least have the courtesy to save me some--"

Probably mistaking Yuri for an annoying alarm clock, Jessica had reached forward with an arm, unintentionally slapping Yuri on the top of her head, before hooking the poor girl by the neck down onto the bed.

"--bed space…" Yuri muttered, frozen on the bed. She was now literally several inches away from Jessica's face; the warmth from the latter's breathing sending shivers down her spine.

What’s this weird numbing feeling?

Snapping out of it, Yuri tried to wriggle her way out, only to realize that Jessica had possessed an iron grip. Is Jessica this strong??

To make matters worse, her struggle had led to a tightening of that grip; from several inches...

Omgawd stop stop stop!!

...to three.

Crap. If I struggle again...

Yuri gulped at their impossible proximity, feeling that numbing feeling travel throughout her whole body. It had made her extremely anxious initially, that is, until Jessica's gentle breathing had somehow calmed her down.

For the next few minutes, Yuri had done nothing but look at Jessica's face. And in some way, she treasured it. In Jessica’s little peaceful sleep, she wasn’t ungentle, unkind, rude, cold, selfish or mean, she didn’t blow hot and cold, but most of all, she looked the exact opposite of it.

"You know, you would be a lot more endearing if you showed your softer side." Yuri mumbled.

And as they fell deeper into the night, Yuri continued watching Jessica's sleeping face, eventually joining the girl in dreamland; both girls breathing in synchrony.

-----

"Hmm..."

Jessica shifted a little as her body's natural clock (or lack thereof) had prompted her to wake up.

My bed seems exceptionally fluffy today…

She raised her arms out and indulged in the comfort of the bed as she slowly opened her eyes. The first thing that her eyes met; was the clock. 11:06am? Hmm. That's a nice clock... When did I...

A big red clock. One that delivered a wake up call to Jessica.

Omgawd. I'm on Yuri's bed.

She sat up instantly and carefully scanned her surroundings.

Okay. Yuri's not in here.

I was reading my book and... Why the hell did I doze off??! She blamed herself as recollections of the night had appeared in her head. She promptly hopped off the big fluff and began pacing up and down the room, contemplating on her apology for unintentionally spending the night uninvited.

"Ahhh whatever!" she reached for her bag, only to find a little note on it.

To my distinguished guest; Miss Jung,

Good morning! (Or good afternoon, depending on when you'll read this) If you would proceed to your right, you'll find a whole range of necessities for your stay. There is breakfast in the kitchen for you (provided that Sooyoung hasn't gotten to it already) and loads of entertainment in the living room should you decide to stay a little longer. We have an Xbox360, a Wii, tons of movies, and etc.

I hope you'll have a lovely experience at the Kwon Bed and Breakfast.

Yours sincerely,

Kwon Yuri

P.S. Despite how huggable I am, I'm not a bolster, darling.

Jessica's eyes shot open upon reading the last line.

"Did I... Urghhhhh!!!" She could feel the blood rush up to her face at the thought of having mistaken Yuri for her beloved cushion for quite possibly the entire night. Embarrassed, she headed to the bathroom, and was greeted by Yuri's promised range of necessities - sprawled out neatly on the bathroom counter. It only made her more embarrassed than she already was.

Huffing, she grabbed the towel and washed up. Albeit angrily.

When she was done, she exited Yuri's bedroom, only to be greeted by a big smile on Sooyoung's face.

"Good morning, Jessica."

Gawd this whole place just riles me up…

"Morning." Jessica composed herself as Sooyoung continued shooting her weird looks.

"I suppose you had a good sleep?"

Jessica nodded. "I-I dozed off last night..."

"I see..." Sooyoung muttered, still shooting suspicious looks which had only caused Jessica more discomfort. "Your breakfast is in the kitchen."

"Okay." As Jessica proceeded to the kitchen, the nosey-parker had gotten off the couch and followed suit. 

"You should really stay more often." Sooyoung suggested.

"Huh?"

"Because..." Sooyoung retrieved Jessica's breakfast from the table and handed it to her. It was a breakfast muffin made by Jessica's very own sandwich goddess. "I only get this once a year. I repeat, ONCE, on my birthday. Damn it, Kwon Yul and her favoritism. Are you trying to steal my best friend?" Sooyoung accused.

Jessica widened her eyes, dumbfounded. "N-no, not at all!"

Sooyoung broke out into laughter at Jessica’s naivety. "I was kidding about that last part. But to be honest, Yuri's a really sweet friend. And she's been feeling like crap over your cardigan, so this is probably Get Into Jessica's Good Books Attempt Number 221."

Jessica giggled along. "She tells you everything, doesn't she?"

"Pretty much. Takes a little probing, though."

"So, where is she?" Jessica asked as she took a bite out of the muffin. Oh gawd. I hate you, Kwon Yuri. For the next few seconds that ensued, Jessica's taste buds had overwhelmed all her other senses, quite literally. She was almost giddy with pleasure. 

“—date.”

Jessica looked at Sooyoung, still looking a little dazed. “Pardon? I didn’t catch what you said.”

Sooyoung flashed an evil smirk. "She’s at a hot date."

Hot date. It was amazing how those two words could render the heavenly muffin dull and tasteless. "Oh. She is?"

"Yup. With someone she met during orientation. And it's really weird cos she doesn't even know how that girl looks like--"

Jessica kept silent and focused on her muffin, preferring not to listen to this part of their conversation. Unfortunately, human ears were never designed to block out noise, and Jessica really didn’t have a choice.

"--but apparently, they had this amazing night together on the rooftop of the library--"

Rooftop… Crap! What time is it— Wait.

"--and today's the Big Reveal or something. Crap. I'm talking too much again. Don't tell Yuri that I told you--"

Rooftop… Big Reveal… Yuri…

The 3 terms repeated in a loop in Jessica’s head. Immediately dropping the muffin in her hands, she scrambled for her Blackberry. 11:12am.

No. It can't be that much of a coincidence. No no no no no.

But she knew she had to see for herself. Grabbing her bag, she made a dash for the main door.

"You okay, Jessica?"

"I-I gotta go..." Jessica stammered. 

“Where are you going? I have orders to send you home.”

But Jessica already had one foot out of the door. “It’s fine, thank you.”

Sooyoung watched Jessica’s hasty exit with much interest. Tapping a finger on her chin, she contemplated hard, making sense of the little puzzle pieces in her head.

Something's fishy here...

-----

11:21am. The tanned girl sat patiently against the afternoon sun, cross-legged, fingers caressing the little band-aid on her forehead. She wondered if her 8:2 parted hair was any good in covering it.

"She's late..." Yuri muttered as she glanced at the clock tower in the distance.

The entire morning had left the tanned girl a little flustered. She had woken a little later than she had liked, and had been heavily involved in the task of being a good host to her guest. Inwardly, she wished that Jessica had picked a better night to crash.

Still, Yuri had slept extremely well the night before, despite having Jessica - and Jessica's claustrophobia-inducing, iron grip in her bed. In a warped way, she had attributed the precious sleep to the anticipation of meeting the mysterious stranger, and it amazed her to no end how she had such an effect on her.

Working through the equations was simple;

Rooftop Girl = Good Sleep

Jessica Jung = Rooftop Girl

Therefore, Jessica Jung = Good Sleep

But of course, it never occured to the genius, who never got past the second step of the math.

Her bouts of nervousness diminished as time passed. Random thoughts began invading her head; random paranoid thoughts.

What if she backed out?

What if she saw me, decided that I wasn't her cup of tea, and then bailed?

Is this band-aid ugly?

What if...

"ARGHHHHH. Stupid thoughts, Kwon Yuri!" she exclaimed as she stood up and began pacing back and forth.

-----

11:22am.

Yuri.

Kwon Yuri.

Jessica stood by the little window on the door. Her eyes followed a seemingly frustrated Yuri prancing back and forth across the rooftop.

(“If we’re fated, we will somehow.”) Her very own words had been dead right.

Cardigan destroyer. Annoying lab partner. Sandwich goddess. And now, the stranger at the rooftop. Her heart raced at the epiphany, the coincidence; at how the person she had longed to meet had turned out to be the very same person she had wished not to think about. Taking a glance at the cardigan in her bag, Jessica finally broke into a bright smile. If she had been in a dilemma over having two people simultaneously occupying her head before, it was now a sort of blessing; a convenience.

"Where are you?!" she could make out those words coming out of Yuri's lips. It amused her to know of Yuri's anticipation, but the thing that mattered most, was perhaps a possible reciprocation.

With a hand on the handle, she pondered on her next move as she watched Yuri for a little while more. But for some reason, she couldn’t bring herself to deliver that critical push to the handle.

(“You're a lot more attractive when you're gentle…”) 

Yuri’s words from the night before had found their way into her head. She started worrying excessively about the overbearing persona that she had exhibited to Yuri since Day 1. Before she had realized, her little pride had crept out of the woodwork and conquered her head, enforcing a strong influence on her final decision.

A minute later, Jessica had released her grip.

“Definitely not now.”

-----

An hour after their designated meeting time, Yuri was still patiently waiting. Inevitably, time had been slowly fighting against the hope she had harbored, gradually reducing it to nothing but a little glimmer. Moreover, the noon sun had been scorching, as if pushing her to give up. Eventually, she decided to seek shade at the stairway to the roof, and as she approached the door and opened it, she had found the answer to her burning question; in the form of a note left by the stranger.

So she came. Yuri frowned as she picked it up.

(Hey stranger,

I cannot see you today. I've fallen ill, I look terrible, and I definitely don't want you to catch my virus.

But I'm glad - because you turned up. I know we'll meet face to face someday soon. Just, not today. I'm really sorry.

But for now, let’s exchange letters, shall we?

-Stranger)

"That's it??" Yuri held the piece of paper up and scrutinized every inch of it. But when's that someday? 

The note had only left more questions unanswered. In her deepest fears, she wondered if it was all an excuse, and that the “someday” was actually an underlying meaning to “I don’t think we should meet.” Unnecessarily bothered, the girl reached for a pen in her bag, and composed a reply on the back of the note that the girl had left behind.

"Here goes nothing..."

-----

(Dear stranger,

I'm sorry to hear that you're sick. But I'll be looking forward to the day when you get better. 

To be frank, I can't even begin to describe the impact that you've left on me from our pseudo-date that night. I really wish to meet you. I’ve never felt this incessant desire for something before, but I have to see you again. And when I do, I promise to tell you that long story.

I’ll be coming up here everyday in anticipation of your reply.

And to prove my sincerity, I’m signing off with my name.

-Kwon Yuri)

The girl held the note in her shivering hands as she read it word for word. It was evident. Yuri was longing for this girl. 

For the first time in her life, she was crushed.

-----

The girl had been a regular at Tiffany's for months. It started out from the alluring charm of the little café, but it had eventuated to her most precious discovery ever; Kwon Yuri.

She wasn’t sure how the attraction had come about, but it had been something along the lines of “love at first sight”, as idealistic as it sounds. Day after day, she frequented Tiffany’s, contented with just short glimpses of the girl. Some days, Yuri never came out of the kitchen, others; it was only for short moments whenever Tiffany had needed help. Tuesdays however, were exhilarating. Tiffany’s held piano nights every Tuesday, and with Yuri spending 30 minutes on the piano weekly, she wouldn’t miss it for the world.

Infatuation aside, these frequent visits had led to the uncovering of Yuri’s dandy façade.

That very night, Tiffany had left early, leaving Yuri the responsibility to close up the café. Naturally, being the last customer, she figured it was only polite to notify Yuri of her exit, and at the same time, take the opportunity to finally strike up a conversation with the girl. After conducting a futile search for Yuri in the kitchen, she had finally found the girl in the dark alley behind the café.

It wasn’t the scenario she had pictured. Yuri was bent over, crying uncontrollably, and there was something in her hand. There was little question about it; the way the object had shimmered in the moonlight, and the way Yuri had nicely positioned it along her forearm, it had screamed for an interception. 

She had saved Yuri that night. 

Without thinking, she had run forward and forcefully snatched that tiny blade from Yuri’s hands, and then run off before the girl could react. Seeking refuge at a corner nearby, she threw the blade onto the ground and took flight when Yuri had come looking.

But running away from Yuri for fear of being seen as a stalker may not have been a good idea after all. Unbeknownst to her, Yuri had been nothing but grateful to this mysterious person, especially after having found that blade a few days later, with dried blood on it; blood that she knew, hadn’t belonged to her.

As the days passed, the girl found herself getting pulled into Yuri's darker side, and never being able to figure out why she had it. She shouldered the secret responsibility of watching over her, not once minding her culminated stalker-like behavior. Deep down, she longed to be a haven for the girl, or at the very least, one that Yuri knew of. But being the shy person she was, it had never been easy to make the first move.

And everyday, Yuri would just pass her by; not noticing, not looking. She was just another customer, another passing face, fading into the backdrop of Tiffany's.

Still, she harbored the belief that they were strangely connected somehow; like how she had spotted Yuri running hastily up the stairs of the library this morning. If she hadn't decided to head to school on a Saturday morning, if she hadn't taken the table near the stairs, if she hadn't looked up from her table at that very precise moment, she would have missed Yuri running past her.

This morning, she watched as Yuri sat patiently on the rooftop. This morning, she watched as the brown-haired girl penned the note. This morning, she had figured it all out.

Distraught, the girl held onto the note tightly, slightly crumpling it.

It's unfair.

What did you do to deserve this?

I can't. I-I'm sorry...

Taking a deep breath, she folded the note in half and placed it in her bag before leaving the rooftop.

And her name, which Yuri had established a while ago; was Miss Park.

-----

Chapter 6

Wait, I shouldn't do this.

The guilt was more overpowering than she'd thought it would be; it ate at her as soon as she had taken that first step down the stairs. Stashed deep within her bag, the letter had been begging to be released, to be put back into its rightful place, back to its rightful owner. It was grueling to ignore. 

After a round of pacing outside the library building, she finally resolved that dilemma. She scoffed at her silly mistake. It was petty, jealous, harbored ill intentions and it scared her to know of the person she was just moments ago. Without hesitation, she made a 180 and advanced straight back into the library building. But before she could go through those doors, someone had come through it.

“Miss Park?”

“Yuri…”

“What a coincidence! You go to college here?” Yuri asked.

The girl’s heart was already thumping uncontrollably at their abrupt meeting. She managed a smile. “Yea... I’m in arts.”

“That’s great. By the way, are you intending to settle in there? I just checked. All the cubicles are taken.”

Miss Park gripped onto her bag tightly, her overactive imagination conjuring ridiculous images involving the letter crawling out of her bag. “Oh, then I guess I’ll just head somewhere else. See you around.” 

“Hey uhh, I feel bad for running out on you last night. Do you wanna head over to Tiffany’s together? We could have lunch.”

She couldn’t believe her ears. It was an opportunity she could never pass up; no more stalking, no more watching in secret. It was an invitation, from the girl herself, into her life.

“Sure, that’ll be great.”

As for the letter, she figured it could be returned a little later.

-----

A quiet afternoon at Tiffany's had never felt more different. It was perhaps, the first time the girl had spent this much time outside the kitchen. Yuri was now sitting across her, engaging her in a light conversation over the aroma of coffee beans in the air. There was no need to be a part of Tiffany’s backdrop any longer; Yuri was looking back at her, and better yet, getting to know her.

"I hope you had a good birthday last night." Tiffany approached the duo and served their coffees.

"It was a very nice surprise, thank you." Miss Park replied politely.

"Well that's good. I'll leave you two to talk. Cute band-aid, by the way."

Yuri caressed the Mickey Mouse band-aid on her forehead sheepishly. “I’ll be back in the kitchen soon, Fany.”

“Don’t worry about it, Sooyoung’s coming.” Tiffany smiled brightly, giving Yuri a little wink before she excused herself.

"So...” Yuri began, stirring her coffee. “You just started college this year?"

Miss Park nodded. “You too?”

Yuri smiled. “Chemistry.”

“You’re pretty all-rounded, aren’t you?”

Yuri laughed in response. “You flatter me too much. I just know a little of everything. Jack of all trades; master of none. I’m sure everyone else has something they’re good at.”

Miss Park shook her head. “I’ve watched you play the piano, and it was really good. In fact, I’ve always wanted to learn…”

Upon hearing it, Yuri had stood up. “Come with me.”

Curious, Miss Park followed along as Yuri led her to the piano. The latter ushered Miss Park to the seat and then settled beside her. “Now, try to emulate.” Yuri said as she tapped on a few keys. 

There was an immense sense of joy when she realized Yuri’s intentions. Suppressing it, Miss Park focused hard and followed suit, accurately matching the notes Yuri played.

“Good, now this.”

Miss Park observed carefully, and then played them.

“Wow, you’re good. That’s good. See? You’ve learned something new today and I’ve officially become a piano teacher.” Yuri praised, shamelessly proud of her somewhat minor achievement.

Miss Park had found it difficult to contain a giggle. “It’s really nothing…”

“Well everything has a first step.” Yuri encouraged. “More?”

Miss Park nodded and smiled earnestly in response.

In the midst of their smooth-sailing interaction, they were interrupted by a phone call. “Excuse me.” Miss Park excused herself as she retrieved her phone and took the phone call outside. 

The up and coming piano teacher Kwon Yuri strode back to the table whilst waiting for the girl to be done. Sipping on her coffee, Yuri watched Miss Park through the windows of the café. As first impressions go, she had found the girl’s personality to be rather pleasant; along the lines of polite, kind, and good-natured – a complete opposite of Jessica.

Yuri scoffed. “That reminds me…” Yuri groaned as she gently massaged her neck which hadn’t stopped hurting the entire morning. That meanie with the iron grip… 

“Yuri, could you help me out for just a second?” Tiffany had yelled from the kitchen.

“Yup!” Yuri answered as she stood up, still massaging her neck. But as soon as she had taken the first step away from the table, the klutz had stubbed her toe against Miss Park’s chair, and the girl’s bag had fallen to the floor.

What came next; was the inevitable. Everything had come to light.

“I’m here!!!!” Sooyoung had announced her entrance fabulously at that moment. “Why are you squatting on the floor, Yul?”

Yuri could hardly believe her eyes. The throbbing pain in her toe was entirely secondary to the staggering piece of paper on the floor. A dozen questions begging to be answered had arisen in her head, but she decided to play it safe. Swiftly stashing the letter back in the bag, she placed it back on the chair, where it belonged – right before Miss Park had re-entered the café.

Nervously fiddling with her fingers, Yuri quickly excused herself as the girl came in. “I gotta help out in the kitchen for a bit. You okay?”

“I’ll be fine, go ahead.” the girl had answered, smiling.

“Come with me, Sooyoung.” Yuri had dragged the bewildered taller girl into the kitchen.

Once in the kitchen, Yuri looked down at the ground, already panting. “Omgawd omgawd omgawd…”

“You okay, Yuri?” Tiffany asked in concern.

“I think that’s her… Omgawd…”

“Who?” Tiffany and Sooyoung both asked.

Yuri was still looking down, almost hyperventilating. “She’s the rooftop girl…”

“Huh?” Sooyoung exclaimed.

“Calm down, Yuri.” Tiffany gently patted the girl’s back. “Tell us everything.”

“I was supposed to meet her today but for some reason she didn’t show up and instead left me a letter I wrote a reply on it and left it behind at the rooftop but now it’s in her bag she definitely knows I’m the stranger at the rooftop because I confessed in the letter but I don’t understand why she doesn’t want me to know that it’s her!!”

Yuri’s long train of incoherence never escaped Tiffany, who couldn’t help but giggle. “Well it’s still good news, Yuri.”

“Hold on. You found the letter, with your handwriting, in her bag?” Sooyoung questioned.

Yuri nodded, grabbing herself a glass of water to calm her nerves.

“That’s odd. I could’ve sworn Jessica was the rooftop girl.”

“Can you stop it with the Jessica jokes?” Yuri reprimanded in frustration. “I’m being serious here!”

“Well so am I. The girl left in a hurry this morning without even finishing your breakfast muffin. I repeat, without even finishing your breakfast muffin.” Sooyoung emphasized.

Yuri rolled her eyes and exhaled violently. Turning to Tiffany, she asked. “What should I do??”

“Fine, don’t believe me…” Sooyoung muttered under her breath as she walked to the other end of the kitchen, probably to find something to soothe that itch in her mouth.

Tiffany looked excitedly up at Yuri. “Whatever reason she has, it doesn’t matter for now. Just get to know her better.”

“Without questioning her about it?”

Tiffany shrugged. “If she wants to remain anonymous, respect that.”

“But I want her to reveal herself.” Yuri whined.

“Give it time. You were saying something about a letter?” Tiffany asked.

“Yea, we’re supposed to exchange letters at the rooftop.”

“Aww how romantic!” Tiffany swooned. “I’d say, just look forward to her reply.” she advised.

Shoulders slumped; Yuri looked back down at the ground. “So meanwhile, I’ll have to play dumb?”

“Yup.”

-----

Like typical people on their first dates, Yuri had been on the edge ever since. Stepping out of the kitchen, she strode, albeit weirdly, back towards the table.

“Sorry, Miss Park.” Yuri apologized as she settled anxiously back at her seat.

The girl giggled as she watched Yuri in amusement. “Why are you still addressing me in that way? I’m sure we can drop the formalities by now.”

“I don’t know, I like addressing you in this way. I’m weird, really.” Yuri replied nervously, looking down at her coffee cup.

“Sure, if that’s what you like.” Miss Park said. 

“Hahaha. Yea…” Yuri answered fiddling with her coffee cup continuously.

Catching onto Yuri’s sudden weird behavior, she leaned a little closer to Yuri’s face and asked, “Are you okay?” 

Oh gawd… Come to think of it, she is quite pretty.

“…pretty.”

CRAP! Did I just voice out my thoughts again???

Miss Park shifted her gaze away right after Yuri’s unintentional compliment. All the blood in her body had gathered, in a congregation, at her cheeks. She hadn’t exactly thought of herself as a stunning lady, but to hear Yuri’s compliment, was somewhat like blasting a rocket in her confidence department.

“I-I’m sorry, I sometimes say things unwittingly.” Yuri admitted, half laughing. “Uhh, m-maybe I should let you get to your work, I might be needed in the—“

Before the girl could leave the table, Miss Park had reached for her hand. “Uhh…”

“Is it okay if you stay?”

Yuri smiled, settling back down on the chair. “Of course.” 

-----

And then it goes; a week had gone by since that momentous day, and the letter was predictably, still not in the rightful hands. In the end, Miss Park couldn’t find it in her to do the right thing. 

Alas, one stolen letter coupled with a hectic school week was all it took to bring about dire repercussions. Simply put, neither Yuri nor Jessica was receiving replies from each other, and they still weren’t running into each other at the rooftop, leading to two unfortunate circumstances:

1) Jessica continuously and foolishly finds excuses to explain why Yuri hadn’t replied; something along the lines of Yuri being a workaholic and pushing it off. In addition, she hadn’t had a chance to see Yuri since the morning at the rooftop, further justifying her excuses. By the end of the week, she was still harboring the foolish hopes of seeing Yuri’s reply, though with a tinge of pessimism.

2) Yuri gets the mistaken notion that her letter had come off too strong, scaring Miss Park a little in the process. She believes that Miss Park intends to establish closer relations before revealing her identity, and strives to do just that in order to speed up the process. One thing she couldn’t understand though; was why Miss Park never replied. Eventually, her futile trips to the rooftop had decreased, and she had chosen instead to focus on the girl herself.

As unfortunate as they were, Miss Park was at the receiving end of this whole thing. But of course, this didn’t come easy. Like the two girls, she risked the rooftop several times, struggling to cover up her tracks. Fortunately for her, neither of them had left a second letter throughout the week. However, the very decision of keeping that one letter had transcended into a downward spiral; and it was difficult not to feel like a criminal on the run, a compulsive liar spewing ten lies to cover up one, or just plainly the antagonist.

She was fearful. As most stories go, the antagonist never gets the happy ending.

True enough, karma always finds a way; and it had been subtle in this case. On the surface, Miss Park and Yuri seemed to be progressing steadily through their nightly phone calls, but there was just something amiss that Yuri couldn’t put a finger to; the lack of chemistry.

Still, Yuri’s week had been plagued by assignments to notice this disturbing fact. Being the typical competitive academic that she was, it came as no surprise that all this was secondary, for now.

-----

“It’s awfully nice of you two to be opening up the café with me this morning…” Tiffany uttered as she watched Yuri and Sooyoung enthusiastically position the chairs in their rightful spots.

“We feel bad for not helping out for a whole week.”

“It’s fine.” Tiffany reassured. “The regulars are mainly students who vanished too. In fact, it’s been a little too cold here.” Tiffany sighed, inwardly wondering about Taeyeon’s disappearance as well.

“I guess people in this college actually take their work seriously.” Sooyoung commented.

“Yea, Jessica studies really well too.” Tiffany commented.

“Jessica?” the two taller girls had turned to Tiffany in surprise. “You know Jessica?” Yuri asked.

Tiffany nodded. “She’s been coming here for a few days now. I guess you can say she was my only steady source of income for last week. Oh and Yuri, she did ask for you once, I forgot to tell you.”

“Oooohhhhhhhh.”

Yuri shot the shikshin a glare. “Well I’ll be seeing her later during the lab.”

“I’m telling you, Jessica’s the rooftop girl.”

Yuri continued glaring at Sooyoung, roughly shoving a chair around. “You really can’t tell incriminating evidence even if it hits you in the face, Sooyoung. I literally, saw the letter in Miss Park’s bag.”

“Maybe she replicated it. Maybe she STOLE it!” Sooyoung accused, albeit dramatically.

Yuri closed her eyes and inhaled deeply. “Look, Fany. Witness the birth of trash in Sooyoung’s mouth.”

Sooyoung shrugged. “To be honest, I find Rooftop Park a little creepy.”

"She has a NAME, Trash Choi." Yuri chided.

Tiffany sighed, and decided not to get involved with her childish companions. “I’ll just… get the coffee machine going.”

Yuri stood by the chair she had just placed, still staring at Sooyoung.

“What?”

“You’re nutty, you know that?” Yuri said. “I know you’ve always been a screw loose, but this is getting serious.”

“Tsk.” Sooyoung narrowed her eyes and approached the tanned girl. “If this really turns out to be some huge mistake and Jessica is really the rooftop girl, you’d better get down on your knees and worship me.”

“Fine.” Yuri replied confidently. "The same goes for you."

“Good morning, welcome to Tiffany’s!” Tiffany had greeted at the sound of the chime.

“Jessica! We were just-- Owwwwww!” Sooyoung cried in agony as Yuri had pinched her arm.

“Ahh, Jessica!” Yuri skipped towards the girl, wearing a silly smile on her face. “You look beautiful today!” Yuri babbled, making an attempt to divert her attention.

Having not seen Yuri in a week, the brown-haired girl was utterly nervous; though it was also mixed with a ton of elation at Yuri’s compliment. She smiled a little at the taller girl and said; “Morning… What a coincidence…” 

Sooyoung narrowed her eyes at Jessica’s sudden change in attitude.

Yuri chuckled. “Are you kidding? I work here. Anyway, what brings you here early this morning?”

“Uhh, coffee.”

“Coffee it is!” Yuri announced as she ushered a dazed Jessica to her seat. “Will that be with or without milk, Miss Jung?”

“With. Uhh do you wanna—“

“Excellent choice.” Yuri chirped distractedly. “I’ll take over, Fany!”

Generously flashing eye-smiles as per usual, Tiffany approached Jessica whilst Yuri prepared the girl’s morning fix. “Please bear with Yuri. She might be a little insufferable at times.”

“How so?”

“She’s plagued with a severe denial syndrome.” Sooyoung commented.

This time, even Tiffany shot a glare at Sooyoung.

“Oh come on, people don’t take jokes for breakfast?” Sooyoung defended.

Ignoring Sooyoung, Tiffany turned back to Jessica. “Well, when she focuses on something, her mind just shuts out everything else. It can come across as rude sometimes, but it’s really unintentional. Also, she talks to herself a lot, but that’s just how she processes the thousand and one things in her head.”

Jessica had found these little traits rather amusing, having already witnessed some herself. “Don’t worry, I’m fine with her.”

Tiffany smiled, glad that Yuri was getting nicely acquainted with new people. That aside, she figured she could enquire about Taeyeon’s disappearance the past week. “By the way, your--“

The chime sounded, and in came Kim Taeyeon precisely at that moment.

“W-welcome to Tiffany’s!” Tiffany stuttered, taken aback by her “speak of the devil” moment.

“Sica? What are you doing here?”

“Coffee’s here!” Yuri had proudly announced as she approached the four girls. “Fany, take over!”

“Have a seat while I get you your coffees.” Tiffany told Taeyeon. “I’ll talk to you again, Jessica!”

“Thank you…” Taeyeon said.

“I uhh… Coffee.” Jessica had pointed at the cup in Yuri’s hand.

Inevitably, the café had been meshed in chaos as everyone was talking to everyone. 

Bleah, these couples. I’m retreating into the kitchen. Sooyoung thought. It wasn’t jealousy or anything; Sooyoung had a hundred concubines in the kitchen at her beck and call.

Taking a glance at her watch, Yuri gasped. “Crap! We better get going for our lab. Sorry, but I’ll have to take her away before we lose tech marks.” Yuri told Taeyeon as she grabbed Jessica’s hand, the other hand still holding onto her coffee. 

“Sure. You have some explaining to do, Sica.” Taeyeon uttered as she shot Jessica a look.

But before Jessica could throw a glare attack, Yuri had already whisked her to the door. “Bye Jessica’s friend, bye Fany!”

“B-bye, everyone!” Jessica shouted.

Within seconds, the once robust café had died down tremendously, leaving just a coffee machine to fill the silence.

But today, today was going to be different.

As Tiffany watched Taeyeon for the umpteenth time, she resolved to finally take that first step.

-----

2 coffees. One with milk, and one without. The usual.

“Morning.”

In her typical fashion, Taeyeon didn’t look up at the girl. “Thank you,” she shyly said, as Tiffany laid the two cups of coffee down on the table.

“Hi, I’m Tiffany.”

Taeyeon took a little glance at her, bowed a little and smiled politely. “Kim Taeyeon.”

“May I join you?”

“Sure.”

Settling in the seat across Taeyeon, Tiffany flashed the friendliest smile she could manage. “You weren’t here last week…”

“Oh, I was loaded up with work. School’s been a little hectic.”

“Do you go to the same school as Jessica?”

Taeyeon nodded. “Yes. How did you know Jessica?”

“Well she’s my new regular.” Tiffany proudly announced. “Which is good too, since all my regular customers are students who have now disappeared.”

“Well, if it’s any good, I’ll still be coming too.” Taeyeon consoled.

“That’s great!” Tiffany chirped, feeling a great sense of relief. That is, until she noticed the two cups of coffees; they were begging for Tiffany’s attention.

No it’s too soon to ask…

“By the way, do you own this place?”

It distracted Tiffany for the moment. “In future, I guess? Right now it belongs to my father. I’m just taking over till he comes back from the States. I can’t wait to start college.”

“I see.”

The coffees were still staring up at Tiffany, still begging for a chance to be in the spotlight. Inwardly sighing, she succumbed. There just weren’t any excuses to put it off any longer.

“I hope you don’t mind if I ask this, but… why the other coffee?”

“Oh.” Taeyeon smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. “The other one’s in honor of someone important to me. I must seem a little creepy ordering two coffees and only having one…”

“Oh no, not at all.” Tiffany said, wondering if she should pursue it any further.

There was a momentary silence, before Taeyeon had spoken up. “She was my best friend. Passed away about a month ago.”

And there it was; the answer that Tiffany wanted. It was like breaking a hole in that huge wall and seeing light for the first time. There was definitely more she’d wanted to know, but for now, practicing empathy was more ideal. “I’m really sorry.”

Taeyeon plainly shook her head, smiling. “Seems like I have a little trouble coping. Evidently.” she gestured at the other cup and smiled.

Tiffany smiled back, already feeling her natural care-giving instincts springing out. “Take all the time you need.” she encouraged. “It’ll get better.”

Taeyeon arched an eyebrow, a little curious. “You sound like you’ve been through this.”

“A friend of mine, actually.” Tiffany said regretfully. “Because of her, I’ve been reading up on this.”

"Is she better now?"

"I’m tempted to tell a white lie, but no, she isn't.”

“It just takes time, I guess.” Taeyeon consoled, surreptitiously knowing that it wasn’t the case.

“It’s been years.” Tiffany replied sadly. 

“Years?”

Tiffany nodded. “I’ve read from somewhere that there are essentially 5 stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. It takes overcoming the first four before reaching acceptance. As for her, I don’t think she can get past her anger.”

“Does she talk about it?”

Tiffany shook her head. “It’s unfortunate. Some people are strong enough to handle them on their own, but some aren’t. She’s definitely the latter, but she acts like she’s alright all the time.”

Taeyeon remained silent, pondering on the hopelessness of it all.

“Still, no matter how long it’s been, I’ll always hold the belief that she'll be fine. She just needs something extraordinary to happen."

"Extraordinary?"

"Like love, maybe?” Tiffany shrugged a little. “Gosh, I know how cheesy this must sound to you…"

“No, it really doesn’t.” Taeyeon denied, shaking her head. "I actually appreciate your optimism a lot."

Tiffany smiled. "It doesn't hurt to be."

Taeyeon nodded, feeling strangely encouraged by Tiffany's words. "Well, I’ll have something to look forward to then."

“Then I guess—Welcome to Tiffany’s!” Tiffany had suddenly exclaimed.

“Welcome to Tiffany’s?” an incredulous Taeyeon arched her eyebrows.

“Sorry, reflex.” Tiffany sheepishly explained as she reached over for the menus on the counter. “I’ll be right back with you.” she told the customers as she handed them the menus. 

Swiftly making her way back to Taeyeon, she said;

“I was going to say, I’ll be looking forward to the day the extraordinary happens to you.”

Taeyeon smiled earnestly, never having felt the sensation to do so before. Tiffany’s raw optimism was undeniably, strongly influential. “Thank you. Go get busy.”

“It’s nice meeting you, Taeyeon!” the eye-smiling girl chirped as she retreated into the kitchen.

“Likewise…” the girl muttered, before retrieving her notebook.

5 stages of grief; denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. 

“Something extraordinary; like love.” -Tiffany

-----

Jessica barely had time to react to Yuri’s abrupt grabbing. The two girls had walked on for quite a distance with Yuri just holding onto Jessica’s hand, like it was something that they have been accustomed to. If this was Jessica several days ago, she would have swept Yuri’s overzealous hand away in a split second, but the Jessica now was blushing to her ears and perhaps, enjoying it a little too much.

“Oh, your coffee.” Yuri suddenly realized.

“Thank you.” Jessica reached out for it, but Yuri shook her head.

“It’s hot; I’ll hold it.” she said as she lifted the cup to Jessica’s lips, her other hand still holding onto Jessica’s.

It was nerve-wrecking; the hand-holding, the feeding, even the strolling. Jessica was about up to her neck with anxiety, mixed with a ton of emotions she couldn't make sense of. Slowly, she took little sips off the cup, feeling Yuri’s eyes on her.

“Why are your ears all red?” Yuri asked, concerned.

Crap, Jessica mentally cursed. She quickly used a hand to fan herself. “It’s a hot day.”

“Well then we’d better get to the lab soon.” Yuri said. “Seriously Sica, in that case, you really shouldn’t have coffee.”

“Did you just call me Sica?”

“Oh. Can’t I? Your friend addressed you by that just now. It sounds a lot—“

The girl’s once lively expression had transformed all of a sudden. 

“Yuri?” Jessica tried to catch her attention, but to no avail. She turned to where Yuri was looking at, but couldn’t make sense of anything due to the amassed morning crowd.

“What’s wrong?”

Yuri didn’t respond verbally. Instead, she released her grip on Jessica’s hand, and took her very first step towards the crowd, followed by another, and then another. Step after step, the next one faster than the one before, eventuating into a sprint. 

“Yuri!” Jessica could barely catch up. She chased the girl for a while, ultimately losing her to the crowd. 

Where is she??

Perturbed, she began aimlessly searching around the premises. In the midst of the crowd, she stood on tiptoes, feeling a disconcerting worry about the girl’s sudden take off. Her search was fruitless; giving up, she stationed at a particular spot just scouting for Yuri, hoping that her height would at least make her stick out like a pinhead.

Thankfully, it did, but only several minutes later. Accosting the girl, she grabbed her by the arm, demanding an explanation. “What are you doing??” she exclaimed frenetically.

It took Yuri a little while to answer. “Nothing...”

“You’re a terrible liar, you know that?”

“I thought I saw someone familiar, that’s all.”

“Who?”

“Just someone I haven’t seen in a while.” Yuri explained. Flashing an apologetic smile, she said, “Let’s go.”

Yuri’s little act of indifference was obvious to Jessica, but she had decided against pursuing it any further, sensing that Yuri didn’t want to talk about it. Walking alongside the taller girl, she remained silent, wondering if she knew Yuri at all. It seemed that as the days went by; knowing one more thing about her had only raised two more questions. Inwardly, she couldn’t help but feel a certain worry; a fear of a potentially unbearable weight on Yuri’s shoulders.

There was definitely more to Yuri behind that dorky cover up.

“Your coffee.” Yuri said solemnly, handing the cup to Jessica.

“Thanks.” Jessica took it in her other hand, leaving the hand nearer to Yuri empty. 

“We’ll be late if we don’t hurry.” Yuri remarked, picking up her pace.

“Okay…” Jessica said, catching up with the taller girl; her eyes taking a little glance at her empty right hand, which Yuri had held so tightly onto just moments ago.

-----

Chapter 7

“Late! Both of you!”

“Aww c’mon. It’s just 7 minutes.” Yuri defended.

The TA narrowed his eyes and shook his head. “Get over to your bench and start work. It’s a long one today.”

“Darn it.” Yuri cursed under her breath as the two girls scrambled to the bench. “I think he’s gonna deduct tech marks after all.”

“Don’t worry; it’s just a few marks. Make up for it with a good lab report.”

But unsurprisingly, Yuri was displeased. Grudgingly, she began setting up the experiment, muttering little complaints under her breath, and shooting the TA offensive stares for his miserly judgement. Jessica on the other hand, was more upset that Yuri hadn’t noticed how she had shelved aside that cold, scary personality since morning.

Stubbornly hovering over pathetic marks…

As the experiment ensued, Yuri noticed that the TA had been stealing a couple of glances at their bench; specifically her lab partner. She dismissed it as oversensitivity initially, but a couple more glances later, she was just about sure.

She arched an eyebrow as she caught him yet another time. “I think we might not be penalized after all…”

“What do you mean?"

"You have a little admirer." Yuri gestured towards the TA with her eyes.

"Not like I care for it." Jessica said, still maintaining that softer tone in her voice.

"But he’ll be totally partial to us!" Yuri exclaimed. "All you need to do is charm him to death."

As if a whole morning of nonchalance to Jessica’s “softer” persona wasn’t enough, the words “charm him to death” only served to spark off a spontaneous combustion somewhere within Jessica. Snapping right back into the ol’ Jessica, she asked sarcastically, "Charm? Meanwhile, should I go out on dates with him too?"

Yuri shrugged. "Well, if you're interested in him... I don't see why not."

Yuri's obliviousness. Wham.

Suggesting that she “charms him to death" for pathetic lab marks. Wham.

Not getting her sarcasm. Wham.

After that triple whammy, Jessica wanted to hit Yuri so hard, so freaking hard.

Crossing her arms, Jessica exhaled. "So you don't care if I get involved with someone if it’s just for YOUR gain."

The clueless dork sensed that Jessica was upset. "Technically it’s OUR gain, but I realize that I was being insensitive, and I apologize."

Jessica ignored Yuri, having already switched her focus to the experiment in an effort to shelve her murderous thoughts away.

"Wait..." Yuri leaned in front of Jessica’s face and tried to recapture her attention. “Do you already have someone? That’s why you’re so offended!"

Jessica shifted her gaze away as Yuri kept her eyes on her. "I'm not obligated to tell you."

"So you have..."

"Presumptuous."

"Hardly. Knowing you, you would've said no if you didn't. Tell me about him!" Yuri demanded.

"We have an experiment to carry out. Don't you want more pathetic lab marks?"

“Oh c’mon tell me just a little.”

“Pathetic lab marks, Kwon Yuri.” Jessica emphasized again.

"Fine. I'll dig it out of you sooner or later, Meanie Jung." Yuri threatened, half-laughing.

And so, the duo finally proceeded with the experiment. Unfortunately, a combination of Yuri's persistent bugging and getting on Jessica's nerves throughout had resulted in unfinished work by the time was up. As if it wasn’t bad enough, the Jessica admirer had appeared to check on the duo before they could think of a plan. 

"So you guys aren't done?"

"Uhh... Nope." Yuri replied sheepishly.

"That'll cost you both tech marks again. You know that right?"

Upset, Yuri had made puppy eyes at Jessica, as if prompting her to do something about the situation. The latter sighed as she found herself unable to resist Yuri's pleads.

"Let us off this once will you." Jessica said coolly.

Yuri frowned immediately. In what way is that charming??

"S-she meant it in the nicest way--"

"Sure." the TA smiled a little.

“Huh?” Yuri’s eyes had lit up.

“This once.” he stated indifferently as he shot Jessica a look before walking off. 

As soon as he did, Yuri turned to Jessica in disbelief. "Seriously, Sica. How’s "let us off this once will you" in any way charming?"

"I wasn't planning to charm him."

“Really, it would kill you to give him at least half of the gentleness you displayed this morning.” Yuri commented as she began cleaning up.

Jessica was astonished. Yuri had actually noticed, despite displaying otherwise. “I…”

“But well, good to have you back, meanie.” Yuri patted Jessica’s back. “To be honest, I was beginning to suspect if you were Jessica Jung at all.” Yuri joked, half-laughing. “You’re probably the only person with a hostility that I actually appreciate. And I mean that in a good way.”

It was perfect. Yuri’s unwitting confession had inundated Jessica with relief. It was a step closer to the eventual confession, but she had decided against it; not now, not yet. The very fact remains that Yuri hadn’t replied to her letter, and it was daunting.

Does she even care for the rooftop girl?

Will she be angry if she found out that I knowingly hid my identity?

And what’s gonna happen after I tell her?

Awkward, it’s definitely gonna be awkward.

She stood and watched as Yuri washed the flasks, wondering if confessing was even a good move.

“Don’t you have a class after this?”

Snapping out of her thoughts, Jessica took a glance at Yuri’s watch. “Yea, I’m gonna be late…”

“Go, don’t worry. I’ll clean up.”

“Thanks." Jessica began packing her stuff, persistently avoiding eye contact with the taller girl. She refrained from pondering too much on the issue for now; for fear that it would somehow dig the truth out of her lips.

Though deep down, she knew she’d wanted Yuri to know it was her. Just not now.

“Hey, if you need help with today’s lab report, we could do it together.” Yuri suggested.

“Okay.”

Right before Jessica had left the bench; she clutched her bag tightly and looked down. Unable to resist the little temptation, she braced herself for a confession; albeit, just a little one for now.

"I… do have someone that I care for."

For just a moment, Yuri felt an almost uncomfortable weight on her chest as she watched Jessica scurry down the hallway.

“That lucky someone…” Yuri smiled and shook her head.

-----

Friday afternoon. Library building.

Many a times, people just don’t recognize how amazing the concept of coincidence can be; it takes defying probabilities and winning over chances. Most people actually don’t realize how astonishingly frequent it can occur, because unless there is a physical meeting, or some sort of communication ensuing it, it would be impossible to know. 

In everyday life, it is often possible to cross paths, be in close proximity or just simply exist in the same area as someone else, but not realize it. And sadly, this happens too many times.

4:35pm: Jessica sits at the rooftop, penning her second letter.

4:35pm: Yuri is five floors down, on the ground floor, seated at a particular cubicle in the main hall, buried in books. She is nodding off.

4:41pm: Jessica glances towards the clock tower, inwardly knowing that there’s nothing to wait for.

4:41pm: Yuri stretches her limbs and yawns. She ponders on taking a break.

4:43pm: After placing the letter in the usual spot, Jessica leaves the rooftop, and takes the first flight of stairs down. Level 5. She visits the washroom to freshen up before her next class. “Freshen up” in Jessica’s context would mean something along the lines of fixing her hair and makeup.

4:43pm: Yuri strolls along the corridors of the ground floor, trying to fight the sleepiness.

4:48pm: Jessica leaves the washroom, and begins her descent down the stairs. Level 4.

4:48pm: Yuri decides that climbing the stairs would help in waking up. She ascends. Level 2.

4:48pm: Jessica continues her descent. Level 3.

4:48pm: Yuri continues her ascent. Level 3.

4:49pm: Level 2.

4:49pm: Level 4.

4:49pm: Jessica reaches the ground level through Stairwell A.

4:49pm: Yuri reaches Level 5; through Stairwell B.

4:50pm: Jessica leaves the library building and heads to her next class.

4:50pm: Yuri pushes the door open and steps out onto the rooftop.

4:57pm: No letter. Yuri heads back downstairs.

-----

Naturally, coincidence isn’t a concept that is limited to just two individuals. Simultaneously, many things could happen at the same time. For instance; during the time frame aforementioned, Sooyoung was having classes in the building next to the library, Taeyeon and Sunny were in the midst of their lab session which was nearby as well, but these could hardly count. 

One more girl was in school at that time though, specifically in the library building.

4:43pm: Jessica enters the washroom. A girl is in it, but leaves in a hurry. Jessica recognizes her from that night at Tiffany’s, but doesn’t think much about it.

4:43pm: Leaving the washroom, the girl sprints up the stairs through Stairwell A, and then straight towards the rooftop.

4:44pm:

(Dear stranger,

You got my last letter, didn’t you?

I’m sorry. I had my personal reasons for not revealing myself to you; reasons that you would probably understand if you knew who I am. If this is your way of getting me to reveal myself, then you’re obviously winning.

Shall we try again? No more letters, just face to face. 

Next Friday, 7pm. I’ll see you then. If I don’t, I’d take it that you don’t care anymore.

-Stranger)

The girl reads it over and over, over and over, over and over again. The letter in her hands is begging for an interception, but at the same time, begging to be left alone. She knows she couldn’t stay up here for too long.

4:48pm: For the second time, she folds the letter back down, stashes it in her bag and then leaves the rooftop.

4.49pm: Through Stairwell A, she reaches Level 5. Walking back towards the washroom, she spots Yuri at Stairwell B. Out of fear, she hides.

4:50pm: Yuri sits at the rooftop, waiting. She watches Yuri in secret through the window on the door, her hands clasping tightly onto Jessica’s letter.

4:53pm: Yuri is still waiting.

4:53pm: Knowing that she was at a point of no return, she leaves the rooftop, once again immersed in guilt. 

4:53pm: Leaving Yuri behind; waiting for nothing.

Coincidence; is amazing.

-----

Unbuckling her seatbelt, Miss Park turned to the tanned girl. “Thanks for sending me home.”

Yuri shook her head. “Thank you for giving me an excuse to use the car.”

Burdened with their respective schoolwork, the two girls had spent an entire evening studying together. Coincidental Friday had been a reminder to Miss Park that Yuri was still hovering over the rooftop girl, and with the presence of the second letter, there was an imploration, an urgency to get more closely acquainted with the girl.

Like all typical study dates, they usually never worked out, but for some reason or another, this one did, and it had been bothering Miss Park the whole time. Although, unbeknownst to her, Yuri was bad at multi-tasking and she took studying a little too seriously. Moreover, they were doing two totally different subjects and there just wasn’t anything to discuss about.

But still, the fact remains that they had been polite to each other, albeit too polite, that their conversations never penetrated the surface. She was beginning to worry that her mind had been too overly focused on her guilt rather than on Yuri.

Aside from that, there was still a big step to overcome.

(flashback)

It was one of the nightly phone calls they shared. Miss Park gripped her phone tightly, her other hand grasping the first letter in her hands. As her eyes scanned through the piece of paper, she found herself constantly staring at one particular line;

“And when I do, I promise to tell you that long story.”

Long story. The two words have been bugging her since she had stolen the letter. It was perhaps time to snake her way to it.

(“…but despite her attitude, we worked pretty well, amazingly.”)

“She’s lucky to have you as a lab partner.”

(“Nah, I don’t think she thinks so.”)

“Yuri, tell me something else about you.”

(“What do you wanna know?”)

“Your background?” It was the most generic term she could use.

(“Well, you know where I live; you know where I work, you know what I major in, what else do you wanna know?”)

It suddenly hit her; the one thing that Yuri never mentioned. “What about your family?”

There was silence on the line for several seconds. Yuri was obviously hesitating.

(“My father was vice-minister Kwon.”)

It came as a huge shock to Miss Park. “I’m sorry… You never talked about them so--”

She could hear an almost forced chuckle from the girl. (“Don’t be, I’m fine.”)

“Is there a reason why--”

(“I’m fine, really.”)

(end of flashback)

After that conversation, nothing pertaining to that topic had been discussed again, nor brought up. Yuri had seemed so reluctant to talk about it that Miss Park didn’t dare push it, wanting to respect the girl’s wishes instead. Time, she figured, would be her best bet for this. For now, she would focus on taking their friendship further. It required more than a cup of coffee, more than silent study dates, and more than casual conversations over the phone.

Still clutching on the seatbelt, Miss Park asked, “Would you like to come upstairs?” 

Momentarily, Yuri looked almost nervous. 

“Sure.”

-----

“Your house is really neat.” Yuri commented, brushing a finger against a surface. “Look, not a speck of dust!” she added in amazement. Her expression had amused Miss Park immensely, who couldn’t help but break into a smile. Aside from that, having Yuri in her apartment was perhaps, something she couldn’t be more happy about.

“You live with someone?” Yuri asked as she held up a photo frame.

“Yup, but she’s staying at her parents’ tonight.” Miss Park answered and handed Yuri a glass of water.

“Oh. Thanks.” Yuri took the glass in her hands and sipped on it, feeling Miss Park’s eyes on her.

This is a little… Awkward.

“Did you put something in the water?!” Yuri suddenly questioned dramatically.

Miss Park’s eyes had never been any wider. “N-no!”

Yuri broke out in laughter at Miss Park’s reaction. “I was just playing with you! You were looking at me like drinking water is a sacred ritual.”

“Oh…” Miss Park laughed along, embarrassed at being caught. “Sorry, I just wanted to be a good host…”

“And you’re doing great so far. The water tastes good and the glass is nice.” Yuri joked, resuming her little tour of the apartment. “Wow, you have a keyboard!” she chirped excitedly.

Miss Park nodded. “I bought it not long ago.”

“You’re really keen in learning this, aren’t you?” Yuri commented as she brushed her fingers against the keys. “Wanna be a better host?”

“Of course.” Miss Park nodded, approaching the girl who began setting up the keyboard.

“Lesson 2.” Yuri announced, stretching her fingers a little.

-----

As the night progressed, the girls were slowly warming up to each other, figuratively and literally. Sharing a small bench, the distance between them gradually shortened as the piano-teaching had inevitably become a little more intimate. Moreover, the limiting size of the keyboard had led to several bouts of inadvertent physical contact. The brushing of fingers had never felt more electrifying, and more intense. Inwardly, Miss Park was exploding in anxiety.

“Can you play something for me?” Miss Park had requested in the midst of it.

“Sure. Any requests?”

“Chopin.” Miss Park answered. “The piece you played during my birthday.”

Yuri hesitated for a second, before acceding with a slight smile. “Okay.”

And so, the soft mellow of the keyboard had gradually filled the atmosphere. Miss Park sat beside the girl, watching as her fingers danced across the keys. It was almost surreal. Just months ago, she would sit at the corner of Tiffany’s watching Yuri, drowned out in a sea of audience. Never once did she dare to hope for a moment as such. The reality was exhilarating. Yuri was right by her side now; there were no other audience, just the two of them. Every single note that was being played was exclusive; and she, was the privileged.

In the midst of it, Miss Park did what came so naturally to her. Looping an arm around Yuri’s, she gently leaned on the girl’s shoulder, watching Yuri’s fingers. Yuri never stopped playing. The duo sat in silence for as long as the melody lasted; and just for those few minutes, Miss Park felt like she had everything.

When it ended, Yuri inhaled deeply, sniffling a little.

The girl’s apparent sadness had finally caught Miss Park’s attention. “Are you okay?”

“Yea.” Yuri had dismissed with a slight smile. Standing up, she stretched a little. “Anyway, it’s late. Maybe I should get going.”

“Could you stay the night?”

The thought of the girl leaving suddenly seemed extremely dreadful. It was too soon for Yuri to leave. In fact, a part of her wished that Yuri would just serenade her with the piano for as long as she could.

“It’s late and honestly, I’m scared to be alone.” she added, sensing it might support her suggestion.

Yuri was once again, disturbingly hesitant. She then looked across the living room and glanced at the couch. “Well that looks comfortable enough.”

“Silly, the couch isn’t a bed.”

-----

A queen-sized bed.

A sole night lamp that was responsible for the dimly lit room.

An air of repressed tension.

And the distinct smell of lavender.

Approaching the bed, Yuri lay beside Miss Park, consciously keeping a friendly distance between them. Deep down, she couldn’t deny that she had felt a little uncomfortable about the sleepover, despite the night at the rooftop. 

Having known Miss Park the past 2 weeks, it was now more apparent to her that their interaction had been on an entirely different level than that one night she had held so tightly onto. She wondered if it was a regression of some sort, or if Sooyoung had been right all along. Naturally, acknowledging that Sooyoung was right would mean dire consequences, and Yuri was more inclined to take it with a pinch of salt.

In the end, perhaps Sooyoung was right about Yuri’s “denial syndrome” after all.

Foolishly, Yuri harbored the hope that a little more time was all it took to regain that amazing connection. Aside from all that, she wondered how long the “respecting Miss Park’s anonymity” act had to last.

“Are you comfortable?” Miss Park had asked.

“Yes.” Yuri answered, patting the space around her. “You have a pretty big bed for one person, mine’s a double and I’m already displeased with it.”

“Why?”

“I never really liked the idea of big beds; it just feels a little lonely.”

“But it’s a lot less lonely if there’s someone with you, isn’t it?”

“That’s true.” Yuri agreed.

Like that night Sica dozed off on my bed…

Unfortunately, thoughts of Jessica had lasted as soon as they were conjured, the moment Miss Park had snuggled up to Yuri. The latter felt her body tensing up, and was immediately reminded of the night when the rooftop girl made the same move.

It was baffling. Here they were, in an impossible proximity, but with secrets, hidden identities and a run-of-the-mill connection. Yuri was about up to her neck with agony by now, but there was no way to go about it besides going with the flow. 

As if to make things a little lighter, Yuri broke out in a forced giggle and casually remarked, “I’ve been hugged to sleep pretty often these days…”

In the normal world, one usually chooses their words carefully when they’re around potential partners. But in the clueless world of Kwon Yuri, a painfully honest comment like that was just plain… honesty.

“Really?”

Yuri nodded, still indulging in her goody two-shoes.

“Oh…” Miss Park said, a little upset. “You must make a good bolster.”

“Hahahaha, I guess.” Yuri commented, once again reminded of Jessica. 

Strange, she hasn’t contacted me in a while… I wonder if she’s doing fine with the lab report.

She made a mental note to make a call to Jessica tomorrow to check on her progress.

Miss Park lay still beside Yuri, observing how the girl’s hands were stiff on both sides of her body, not reciprocating to the cuddling. She had felt a little disheartened; throughout this whole time, Yuri had been taking the back seat, the more passive role in their friendship. Figuring Yuri out was an onerous task; she wondered if Yuri was exclusive to the rooftop girl, or if she was being too polite. Be it her personality, or the signals that she was sending, Miss Park could never fully decipher them.

She had succumbed eventually, deciding to face the truth once and for all. “Yuri.”

“Yea?”

“Do you already have someone?”

Yuri paused, wondering if she should come clean. Exhaling, she answered, “No. But I do have something for a particular person.”

It was a strike on the chest. Miss Park could almost predict Yuri’s answer by now. “Who is it?”

“Someone I met on the last night of orientation.” Yuri admitted finally, hoping it would speed up Miss Park’s revelation. “I was locked in with her at the rooftop of the library building.”

“It was a silly horror party that I had escaped from. And somehow, I ended up on the rooftop of the library building. That was when I saw her; horribly disfigured face, razors where her fingers were, and an incredibly high pitched shriek. I was scared; I backed away and hit the back of my head. It was embarrassing enough, and then she laughed; a girly, prissy little giggle. I thought she was mocking me, but she came over and rubbed the back of my head - something that my mother used to do for me. And then we lay down beside each other and watched the night sky, the stars and all the big and tall buildings around us. And at that moment, as I was looking up at all this space around me, I felt so small, so weak, so fearful… Until she held my hand and told me that I was gonna be okay.”

Yuri paused and scoffed, feeling an uncomfortable lump in her throat. “I never believe it when people say I’ll be fine, because I know it’s never gonna be the case. But that night… That girl whom I’ve never met before, with her naïve optimism, and her pompousness and her arrogance…” Yuri paused, chuckling a little.

Choi Sooyoung… You might just be right. It’s the beginning of a cheesy love story.

Yuri took a glance at the girl and saw that she was already fast asleep. “It’s a good bedtime story for you, isn’t it?” 

“Good night…” Yuri uttered as she closed her eyes.

It was. It was a beautiful story; dreamy, quixotic, and just meant to be. It was more than enough to affirm her worst fears and once again, deliver that blow to her chest. With her eyes still shut tight, she gritted her teeth and bore through the intensifying discomfort in her eyes, struggling to suppress the tears that were trying to escape. 

Deep down, she knew that the brown-haired girl was irreplaceable to Yuri.

Laying in the comfort of Yuri’s shoulder, she strived to indulge in moments like these as much as she could; having Yuri by her side, teaching her the piano, or just simply looking back at her. Nevermind that Yuri was thinking about the stranger at the rooftop, or even if she was just a friend to Yuri.

Perhaps the only thing she could do now; was just to hold Yuri silently to sleep.

-----

2:21am. 

“Be safe, my dear Yuri.”

Bang. Bang.

Yuri’s eyes shot open. Panting, she stared right up at the ceiling, with eyes wide open and body drenched in cold sweat. She took a glance at the girl right next to her. She was soundly asleep.

It was yet another recurring nightmare, another potentially sleepless night. Now more awake than ever, the feral thoughts had been unleashed, and Yuri was terrified. She removed the girl’s hand over her waist and sat up on the bed, furiously inspecting her surroundings.

He’s not here… He’s not here… He’s not here. she chanted endlessly in her head.

The magical effects from the night at the rooftop had all disappeared. The calmness, the comfort, the connection, everything was just different from that night. The sense of helplessness was overwhelming, and she was once again, reduced to nothing but fear.

Kwon Yuri… You’ll be fine. You'll be fine. You'll be fine.

Thankfully, the vibration of her cellphone had distracted her momentarily. Inhaling deeply, she composed herself and reached over to the nightstand half-heartedly, wondering who it was at this hour. 

(Lab report. Arrange a date.)

It was the first text message Yuri had ever received from Jessica, and despite the inability of mere alphabets to convey emotion, it reeked of Jessica’s typical hostility. Amazingly, it was an effective break to all that trepidation, and Yuri found herself smiling a little, finally finding the familiarity of Jessica’s not-so-soft side extremely endearing.

Sure, meanie. Why are you up so late? she texted, using another hand to wipe the sweat off her forehead. Gently getting off the bed, Yuri made her way out of the bedroom, making sure not to wake Miss Park.

(Lab report.)

She settled on the snug couch in the living room. It really kills you to elaborate, doesn’t it?

(Yes.)

Jessica’s replies had her shaking her head in amusement. In her typical endeavor to irritate Jessica, she called the girl. It took barely one ring before the girl had picked up.

(“What.”)

Yuri found it hard to resist a chuckle upon hearing the girl’s monotonic monosyllable. “Hi Sica.”

(“What do you want?”)

“Say hi.”

She could hear the girl sigh. (“Hi.”)

“Better.”

(“So?”)

“Nothing, really.” Yuri pouted as she stared up at the ceiling, picturing Jessica’s bored face on the other line.

(“Why are you up this late?”)

Yuri immediately fell silent, reminded of the nightmare she just had, and the helplessness of the whole thing.

(“Can’t sleep again?”)

“What do you mean ‘again’?”

There was a slight hesitation on Jessica’s part. (“Uhh, Sooyoung told me about it.”)

Yuri frowned, already brainstorming on the many ways to end Sooyoung’s life. “What exactly did she tell you?”

(“That you suffer from insomnia. Why are you getting so uptight?”)

“Nothing. Sooyoung’s a little bit of a blabbermouth, that’s all.” Yuri inwardly heaved a sigh of relief, unknowing that the girl on the other side of the line was doing the exact same thing. 

“But you’re right, I can’t sleep.”

(“Okay. Are you lying down?”)

“Yea.”

(“Close your eyes.”)

“Why?”

(“Just do it, Kwon Yuri.”)

“Okay.”

(“Are they closed?”)

“Yes.”

There was a little pause on the other end of the line. (“Lab 2: Synthesis of 1-bromobutane from 1-butanol.”)

Yuri broke out into laughter instantly, using a hand to muffle its potentially loud volume. “Are you seriously dictating your lab report to me?”

(“Stop laughing. I’m helping you out here.”)

It took a little while for Yuri to recover from the hilarity. Jessica was quirky, but her method of putting a person to sleep was definitely one of a kind. “Well you really could use a better bedtime story.”

Jessica had ignored Yuri’s side comments. (“…the experiment involves an SN2 reaction…”)

(“…in the presence of concentrated sulfuric acid…”)

Yuri’s laughter had eventually diminished into a smile. She closed her eyes and listened intently to Jessica’s voice, not paying particular attention to the content, but rather, on the soft and gentle quality of her tone. It had calmed her down immensely.

Thank you, meanie.

(“…potassium bromide and 1-butanol are used as the primary reagents…”)

(“…an undesirable byproduct, dibutyl ether…”)

(“…Yuri?”)

There was mostly silence on both sides of the line for a long time, until the audible slow, peaceful breathing sounds had emanated from Yuri’s side.

(“Good night, stranger.”)

-----

Chapter 8

“Is it me, or did I just hear you whistle?”

Without turning to look at Jessica, Taeyeon shrugged as she packed up her belongings.

Jessica narrowed her eyes at the girl and picked up her bag. “You also seem a lot more cheerful these days. Did something good happen?”

Immersed in packing her stuff, Taeyeon shrugged again, not saying a thing.

“Stop playing the mysterious card, will you? Are you heading home? Don’t shrug.”

Chuckling, Taeyeon zipped up her backpack and slung it over her shoulders. “Tiffany’s.”

“Oh.”

Taking a couple of steps towards the exit of the lecture hall, the girl turned back to look at Jessica. “Aren’t you coming?”

“What makes you think so?” Jessica muttered, walking towards the exit as well.

“Because you’re Tiffany’s regular customer?”

It caught Jessica’s attention. “Are you friends with Tiffany now?” Jessica asked, eyes bright. “Don’t—“

Taeyeon shrugged.

“--shrug…”

Laughing a little, Taeyeon eventually admitted as they walked out the hall. “Yes, I am.”

“Well, how do you find her?”

“She’s nice.”

“And?”

“Friendly.”

“And?”

“Makes good coffees.”

“And?”

Taeyeon turned to Jessica wearing a face of indifference. “And?”

“Cute, right?” Jessica questioned eagerly.

Taeyeon shrugged for the umpteenth time, causing Jessica to break into a giggle almost immediately. “Kim Taeyeon! You’ve been crushing on Tiffany, haven’t you? Sunny told me everything!”

Taeyeon frowned. “What did she tell you?”

“She’s speculating that you’re in love.”

“Hmm.” Taeyeon shrugged.

Jessica narrowed her eyes as she observed the girl for tell-tale signs. “So this explains why you’ve been so much chirpier these days…”

Walking ahead, Taeyeon had completely ignored Jessica’s accusations. “Enough about me. What’s up with you and Yuri?”

That two syllable word that began with the letter Y was just the perfect thing to shut Jessica up. There wasn't even a need to look at Jessica to know that she was deeply troubled about it. Exhaling, Taeyeon clutched on the two straps of her backpack. “If there’s anything I’ve learned from losing someone, it’s to say anything and everything before it’s too late.”

“What do you mean? I have nothing to say to that girl.”

“Really. I could’ve sworn that you had something for that serial killer. Doesn’t it occur to you how amazingly fated you are with her?”

“How did you know that Yuri was the serial killer?”

Taeyeon immediately looked away for fear of ratting out on the tattle-tale.

Widening her eyes threateningly, Jessica asked, “Lee Soonkyu again, right?”

Taeyeon shrugged again. “You know, we really should work on our friendship.”

“Yea. But have we really been close at all?” Jessica asked bluntly.

“That’s true.” Taeyeon acknowledged, half-laughing. “Wanna start?”

“Does that involve confiding in each other about Yuri and Tiffany?”

Taeyeon pondered for just a moment. “Good point.” she replied as she walked ahead.

Jessica giggled, catching up. Wrapping an arm around the girl’s shoulder, she began, “It’s a good thing we’re not close.”

“I agree.” Taeyeon laughed as the duo continued their stroll to Tiffany’s.

-----

The sleepover was just another dish of guilt; served cold. There was just so little she could hold on to before she would eventually break; that little bit that had renewed itself each time she saw Yuri. Like a staunch individual upholding a ritual, Miss Park never failed to frequent Tiffany's whenever Yuri was working; as if to assuage herself, to serve as a reminder of why she had fallen into this road in the first place. 

It was all good superficially; every now and then, Yuri would sneak off from her kitchen duties to skive off at her table, only to be pulled away by an apologetic Tiffany. Though the interactions were brief, Yuri always seemed bubbly, and it was good enough. Everyday, she looked forward to the next when she could see Yuri again, holding the undying hope that Yuri would open up to her, bit by bit. And in time, she would sum up enough courage to confess to Yuri of her feelings.

That, and perhaps of the unthinkable things she had done. If she was confident enough, of course.

"I'll bring your coffee in a minute." Yuri said.

That particular evening, she had sat at Tiffany's harboring the same hope for progress, only to have it shot down the moment she spotted the brown-haired girl entering the cafe.

"Jessicaaaaaaaaaa!" Yuri chirped as soon as the girl had entered.

Jessica? The lab partner that Yuri had talked about?

The old guilt was back; and piercing. As if that wasn't bad enough, the way Yuri called her name just seemed enthusiastic - too enthusiastic. She watched the girl named Jessica make her way to Yuri; every single step amplifying the fear in the pits of her stomach. It was also particularly disconcerting to notice, for just a split-second, that look Jessica had in her eyes as she looked at Yuri; it emanated anticipation.

"Working alone today? Where’s Tiffany?" Jessica asked, trotting her way in.

Yuri nodded, dramatically ushering the girl to her table as if she was of royalty. "The boss is out running errands. What can I get for my distinguished guest this evening?"

"The usual." Jessica stated as she casually settled at her seat, inadvertently just across from Miss Park.

"Coming right up, Princess." Yuri playfully bowed whilst reversing into the kitchen like an unworthy servant, inciting a chuckle from the girl.

It was heart-wrenching. Jessica had seemed to be on very friendly terms with Yuri; albeit too friendly that it could come across as flirty. It was difficult not to feel jealous, to say the least. Still, the most disturbing part of all this was the fact that Yuri was longing for her – the rooftop girl. Miss Park sat from the comfort of her table and observed Jessica intently; trying to get a glimpse of how the girl was like. And then the plague of endless questions had come: Why was Jessica still concealing her identity? Does Yuri suspect that Jessica was the girl at the rooftop at all? How close were they?

In the midst of Miss Park's contemplation, the two girls had made eye contact. Jessica’s unintentional icy gaze was akin to a judge passing a sentence; and Miss Park had never been more terrified. In the latter’s wildest imaginations, it was as if Jessica knew of the crimes she had committed. Fortunately, the sound of the opening kitchen door had broken their uncomfortable connection, and Yuri had emerged with their orders in hand. 

"Coffee and sandwich, cucumber-free-- OH. Star-crossed. Still reading that?" Yuri asked as she leaned closer towards Jessica’s face to get a glimpse of the book.

Jessica narrowed her eyes, not bothering to widen the intimate distance between them. "Yes. You have a problem with that?"

"Nope, I always find it fascinating that you enjoy romance novels."

"Don't you have orders to serve?"

"Oh yea! That reminds me." Yuri said as she grabbed Jessica's wrist and led her to Miss Park's table. "Sica, this is Miss Park. Miss Park, this is Jessica; my terribly annoying lab partner." Yuri said as she placed Miss Park’s coffee down on her table.

"My hand, Kwon Yuri."

"Hehe, sorry." Yuri released her grip, and Jessica raised her hand out, flashing a friendly smile.

"Nice to meet you. What's your first name?"

“Sunyoung.” Miss Park replied as she returned Jessica’s handshake.

“Is there a reason why this girl still addresses you so formally?” Jessica had pointed at Yuri, who, in her typical playfulness, had leaned forward and attempted to bite Jessica’s index. Jessica’s finger immediately retreated and she had smacked Yuri on her arm. “Stop playing.”

The chime of the door had sounded then, and in came Tiffany and Sooyoung.

"Oh hi everyone..." Sooyoung flashed a creepy smile and an equally creepy wave. It was particularly entertaining to catch Yuri in between the two women.

Yuri groaned immediately. "I thought you were running errands, Fany. Why did you bring a stray back?"

"Well at least she's kind enough to feed STRAYS, Kwon Yul."

"Cut it out you two, and help me in the kitchen." Tiffany had ordered as she made her way in. “Sorry girls!” she apologized as her two helpers had marched along behind her, with Sooyoung grabbing Yuri in a headlock.

With the trio busy in the kitchen, Miss Park was left alone with Jessica.

"You were here the other night too. Do you come here often?" Jessica asked.

Miss Park nodded. “Usually after school. You too?”

“I drop by for a coffee before classes, if I can wake up in time. So I guess I'll see you around?" Jessica replied, smiling.

"Sure." Miss Park managed a smile as she avoided making eye contact with the girl. The amicability that Jessica exuded had made her extremely uneasy, and while she considered excusing herself from Tiffany's, two girls who had just entered the cafe had coincidentally, saved her from doing so.

"Sica!"

"Sunny?!" Jessica's eyes widened as if she had seen a ghost. In an almost parallel situation to Yuri just moments ago, she looked incredulously at Taeyeon and asked, "I thought you went to get something, Taeng. Why did you bring her here?"

"I ran into her." Taeyeon replied innocently. "She insisted on tagging along."

The petite girl flashed a bright smile as she skipped towards Jessica. "Well since Taeyeon was coming here I figured I’d drop by to see Yu--"

"Let's go." Jessica immediately interrupted her as she reached for her bag, exchanging a nervous glance with Miss Park.

"Go? I just got here!" Sunny whined.

"I-- I have something important to tell you."

"But I wanna meet Yu--"

"DINNER will be my treat, okay?" Jessica said, already pulling Sunny to the door.

"Oh sounds good." Sunny chirped, accepting the bribery in the twinkling of an eye. "But what about Taeng?"

"Go. Shoo." Taeyeon waved her hand. "By the way, can I have your sandwich?"

"Take it!" Jessica snapped as she literally dragged Sunny out of the cafe.

The chaos had died down as soon as it had arisen. For moments more, Miss Park sat in the comfort of her seat, pondering on every single word, every single expression that had been exchanged. It didn’t matter if it was Yuri’s, or Jessica’s, or their friends’, everything played a part in her eventual judgement. And after forcefully digesting the whole scene that evening, she left the café being almost certain of one thing;

Rooftop girl or not, Jessica had the upper hand.

-----

“Taeyeon?” Tiffany exclaimed as she stepped out of the kitchen, pleasantly surprised.

Taeyeon was seated comfortably at her usual table, accompanied by Jessica’s uneaten sandwich. “Want some?”

Tiffany shook her head and smiled as she tended to another table. She then came back to Taeyeon with two glasses of water and settled at her table. 

“Busy evening?”

Tiffany nodded as she gulped down the glass of water. “This is nothing compared to other evenings, you should know. I can barely handle.”

“What about Yuri and Sooyoung?”

Tiffany pointed towards the kitchen as she continued sipping on the water. “Thank goodness they’re here today, those hardcore academics. Do you know they hold bi-annual competitions based on their GPAs? I feel bad that they have to dedicate their time here.” Tiffany sighed, fingers tapping against the edge of the table. “Oh, did you want your coffees? I’ll be right back.”

“Hold on.” Taeyeon began. “I have a proposition.”

“Hmmm?”

“I’ll… help out too.”

Though taken aback by Taeyeon’s suggestion, Tiffany couldn’t suppress the delight that had arisen shortly after. If anything, it was a perfect opportunity to establish a better relationship.

“On two conditions,” Taeyeon added, raising two fingers in a victory sign. “Free flow of coffee, and free meals.”

Tiffany giggled at her simplistic requests. “But you have classes…”

“And so do your two other helpers. I’ll just help out when I can.” Taeyeon proposed earnestly. “Besides, it might help with the 5 stages of grief you were talking about…”

“But…”

“No buts, just a nod will do.” Taeyeon smiled.

It was too good to pass up. Eventually agreeing, Tiffany nodded eagerly. “Then I guess, great to have you on board, Kim Taeyeon.” she raised a hand out.

“It’s my pleasure.” Taeyeon replied as she returned Tiffany’s handshake. The hand-contact had lasted perhaps a little longer than usual handshakes do, and with perfect synchrony, the two girls had released their grips at the same time. 

Tiffany gazed downwards shyly whilst Taeyeon had stood up. “So… where do I begin?”

“Right now?” Tiffany asked.

Taeyeon nodded, approaching the counter where Tiffany was frequently stationed at. “Why wait?”

-----

“So it’s something like that.” Tiffany instructed, teaching Taeyeon to work with the coffee machine.

“I’ll try.”

Tiffany watched intensely as Taeyeon mimicked exactly what she had just demonstrated. Impressed, she nodded her head. “You’re good.”

“To be honest, I watched you do this a couple of times before.” Taeyeon admitted sheepishly as she watched the coffee drip into the glass.

“Oh, I see…” Tiffany uttered, picking up random glasses at the counter and wiping them unnecessarily.

The two girls didn’t make conversation for a while; with Tiffany nervously wiping glasses over and over and Taeyeon just plainly staring at the coffee drips. Bashfulness was unfortunately, the devil in this case.

“Fany Fany Fany…” Sooyoung had suddenly emerged from the kitchen singing. “Oh, hi Taeyeon!”

“Say hi to our new barista.” Tiffany proudly introduced.

“GREAT. That way, I have more time for studies and finally be able to kick Yuri’s ass this semester.” Sooyoung uttered. “Kwon Yuri! We have a new family member!”

“Who?” Yuri had emerged from the kitchen shortly after. Spotting Taeyeon, she smiled. “That’s great! I’ll be able to focus on my studies a little more.”

Tiffany shook her head and sighed. “See what I mean?” she asked Taeyeon, who giggled in response. Noticing that the glass was finally full, Taeyeon poured the coffee into a cup and served it to Tiffany.

“Here, try it.” she offered earnestly.

As Tiffany sipped on it, she could feel the pairs of eyes watching her in anticipation. Maintaining an indifferent expression for as long as she could, she finally succumbed to the richness of the coffee. 

“I see eye-smiles. Lots of eye-smiles.” Sooyoung described. “You pass, Taeyeon.”

“Maybe I should create a Staff of the Month contest.” Tiffany suggested.

Sooyoung immediately protested. “Oh no no no, c’mon, don’t do this.”

“Why, are you threatened by me?” Taeyeon asked.

Sooyoung nodded. “Boss is extremely stringent especially in coffee-making. And I absolutely cannot stand losing. I’ve lost to this girl enough.” she pointed at Yuri, who had been a little distracted since a while ago.

“YA, Kwon Yuri.” Sooyoung nudged the girl, whose eyes were constantly scanning the cafeteria.

“Oh yea, I think Sunyoung left.” Tiffany told Yuri, only to be met with her silence.

Taeyeon observed the tanned girl for a little while, before speaking up; “Something came up last minute, and Sica had to leave too.”

“Oh.” Yuri uttered, before turning to Tiffany. “So how’s Taeyeon’s coffee?” 

Almost immediately, the 3 girls stared at Yuri with eyebrows furrowed.

“What?”

“Let’s head back to our kitchen duties, shall we?” Sooyoung had broken the atmosphere. “And drop the silly idea, Fany!” she babbled as she dragged Yuri back into the kitchen.

When the duo was gone, Taeyeon looked towards Tiffany and asked; “It’s Yuri, isn’t it?”

“Hmm?”

“The friend who lost someone.”

Tiffany placed the coffee cup down on the counter and nodded. “Yes.”

“Don’t worry, she’ll be fine.” Taeyeon consoled, commencing another round of coffee-making.

“You think so?”

“Yep.” Taeyeon said, smiling. “Something extraordinary; remember? It’ll work.”

Tiffany watched Taeyeon for a long time as the girl focused on her task at hand. Feeling a great sense of anticipation, she managed to garner the courage to ask; “Has it happened for you?”

Keeping her eyes on the coffee machine; Taeyeon giggled and shrugged.

-----

The newly hired help meant less work for the sandwich artist and the freeloader. Bored out of their wits, they both sat at opposite ends of the kitchen, staring into space.

“Fany’s gonna ignore us from now on.” Yuri pouted.

“Why do you care? You already have two girls in your hands.” Sooyoung replied mockingly. Rolling her eyes, she browsed through the snacks stashed in a cabinet like a kid in a candy store.

"Not again, Sooyoung..."

Sooyoung sighed as she reached into the cabinet. "Seems like you have a tough choice.” Grabbing two packs of chips, she held up one of them in her left hand and said; “Stalker Park…”

“…or Meanie Jung?” she pondered as she held up another pack of chips in her right.

Yuri rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Are you gonna do this for as long as you live?"

Sooyoung smirked as she raised the chips in her right hand. "Ahh, I prefer this one! Sour cream!"

“In what kind of world would Sica be even REMOTELY interested in me?”

Sooyoung arched an eyebrow. “Note that your first reaction isn’t an explicit denial of attraction to Jessica Jung.”

Yuri turned away and rubbed her nose. “I’m denying now.”

“Seriously, Yul.” Sooyoung shook her head as she sat on the counter. “Your defensive body language is so telling.”

Exhaling, Yuri faced Sooyoung with two hands on her hips.

“Okay fine, you know body language too.” Sooyoung said as she struggled to open the bag of chips in her hand.

“I’m taking an aggressive stance because I just remembered something. You blabbermouth. Why did you tell Sica that I had insomnia?”

“I didn’t.” Sooyoung replied as she tore open the “Jessica” bag of chips.

Yuri looked at Sooyoung for a moment, eyebrows furrowed. “Do not even lie. Sica told me.”

“I’m not lying. I swear upon this bag of chips.”

“So how did she know that I have trouble sleeping?”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes as she stuffed a chip in her mouth. “Because she’s the rooftop girl?”

Yuri sighed, rubbing her temples. “Are you that desperate to get me to worship you?”

“Kinda.” Sooyoung answered, swinging a chip in the air like a paper plane. “But it makes sense, doesn’t it? There’s no way Jessica would know. PLUS, she lied that she got the information from me.”

“I don’t even know if I should trust that you aren’t lying.” Yuri accused.

“Okay, then answer this.” Sooyoung began, hopping off the counter. “Remember your one night stand with Stalker Park?”

“SLEEPOVER.”

“Whatever. Did you find that birthmark on her chest?”

Yuri frowned and crossed her arms. “Maybe I didn’t make it clear enough. It was a SLEEPOVER, with clothes.”

“So basically, you’re still unsure.”

Yuri hung her head down and huffed. “Why, are we even talking about this again?” she asked, a tone of dread in her voice.

“Have you even seen her wear a pendant at all?” And that question had rendered Yuri speechless.

“Just saying. Remember how you ogled every girl’s chest during the first week of school? Now even if the rooftop girl didn’t have the habit of wearing pendants, she’s bound to at least once in the past few weeks, right?” Sooyoung questioned as she stuffed a pile of chips in her mouth.

“Maybe she’s not wearing it on purpose. She’s worried that I might suspect.” Yuri defended.

“See that’s the part I don’t get. Why hide, but at the same time, try to hit it off with you? Why detach herself from that rooftop girl identity when she knows you’re so in love with it? It just doesn’t make any sense.”

Yuri dismissed Sooyoung’s words abruptly. “You’re over-thinking this. Miss Park isn’t even hitting on me.”

“Are you kidding me, Kwon Yuri?”

Sooyoung had undoubtedly made a strong point. Rationalizing the whole situation in her head, Yuri couldn’t deny that there were parts of the scenario that just didn’t add up.

“But I saw the letter in her bag.”

“I don’t know what to make out of that, but I’m just warning you, you may have been knocking on the wrong door.”

Yuri shook her head and exhaled. “I beg to differ.”

“Why are you so painfully insistent that Park Sunyoung is the rooftop girl? Is my analysis of this whole thing so unbelievable to you?”

Yuri looked at Sooyoung for a while, before gazing at the floor in solemn. “It isn’t.”

“Then why?”

“Because if I believe you, that’s like putting blood in Miss Park’s hands."

Sooyoung nodded, finally seeing the implications and understanding Yuri’s dilemma. “But there may be more to people than what they seem, Yuri. Just look at yourself.”

Yuri sighed. “Whatever it is, she’s an extremely good-natured person and I like her a lot. For now, I’d like to take the safer assumption.”

Sooyoung shrugged. “Whatever floats your boat.”

“And just so you know, Sica already has someone.” Yuri added, approaching Sooyoung. “So stop playing matchmaker because you’re just gonna make things awkward.”

“She told you that?” Sooyoung asked in astonishment.

Yuri nodded as she reached into Sooyoung’s bag of chips.

“What were her exact words?”

Yuri frowned as she glared at Sooyoung. “Why does it matter? It is what it is. Case closed.”

Sooyoung pouted as she glared back. “Pity. You two would make such a good match...” Sooyoung muttered under her breath.

Scoffing, Yuri snatched the bag of chips off her hands. "Why are you so painfully insistent on putting us together?"

"I like Jessica." Sooyoung admitted, snatching the bag of chips back. "She makes you tick.”

“You like Sica?” Yuri asked, shifting her gaze elsewhere.

“Did you not hear what was said after those 3 words?” Sooyoung smirked, inwardly amused about how obvious Yuri was. “Relax. She isn’t my type."

"Huh. I didn't know you had a type." Yuri replied with her arms crossed.

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." Sooyoung stated. "Tiny… and cute… with the perfect curves and..."

"Urgh..."

"...sour cream. Mmmm..." Sooyoung licked her lips as she held up one chip gloriously in the air.

Yuri shook her head and snatched the chips from Sooyoung’s hand. “Just so you know, Sica’s coming over this Sunday to do her lab report. I’m warning you; no Jessica jokes then.”

"OOH. Yuri's gonna spend lovely Sunday with her girlfffuunnnnggghh--" 

Yuri had stuffed Sooyoung's mouth with chips in frustration. "Have your girlfriend, Trash Choi."

"Ghirlfunnngghhhh...!!!"

-----

Friday evening, 7pm.

The night scene was still beautiful. It really wasn’t any different from the very first night, when she was standing here, contemplating on love and its selfishness. That is, until the machete-wielding, masked intruder had come along.

Sighing, she sat down on the floor at the very same spot they had slept in each other’s arms.

Waiting.

Waiting.

Waiting.

It had been countless nights, and Jessica had been a little more pessimistic as the days had passed. She wouldn’t deny that she liked Yuri, perhaps a little more than she’d liked, but that was where she drew the line. She was careful not to cross that border, especially not for someone whom she had hardly known. Yuri held too many secrets and it was hapless; there was just no way to get to know her better other than relying on the role of the rooftop girl, but even that was ambiguous.

That was why tonight was of importance. Tonight held the final string of hope she could clutch onto.

Footsteps…

She listened intensely, making sure that her ears weren’t playing tricks on her.

They were undoubtedly real, and they got louder with each passing second. Jessica stood up immediately and preened herself, before bracing herself for the grand entrance of the person she’d longed to see.

The door creaked open. 

“…Yuri?”

“I knew you’d be here.”

It was too difficult to swallow her disappointment, not to mention hide it. Exhaling, she picked up her bag and walked towards the shorter girl. “I was just about to go.”

“Whoa, hold on. Are you okay? You look upset.”

“I’m fine, Sunny. Let’s go.”

“What’s the hurry? It’s nowhere near 10.” Sunny casually said as she walked forward and settled on the ground. “Wow, it IS quite a view from up here.”

Reluctantly, Jessica sat beside Sunny, not saying a thing. The silence went on for moments longer as Sunny gazed into the night sky, whilst Jessica kept her eyes on the ground, contemplating on giving up.

“You really like her, don’t you?”

“No.”

“And in Jessica Jung’s dictionary, that’s a ‘Yes’, isn’t it?”

Jessica remained silent, not acknowledging or denying Sunny’s claims. “I’m gonna take your silence as consent then.” Sunny said.

Jessica immediately turned to Sunny, eyebrows furrowed. “How do you like someone you hardly know? Someone who gets nightmares at night, runs off into a crowd for inexplicable reasons, gets all depressed when playing the piano, has this long and supposedly tragic history, and then puts on this happy-go-lucky persona with her stupid puppy eyes and irritating laughter? How do you like someone like that? She’s just a huge mystery that I can’t figure out.”

“So?” Sunny asked. “What’s stopping you?”

“The fact that she isn’t replying my letters. She isn’t even here now. It only shows that she doesn’t care about this whole stupid thing.”

“So she’ll only confide in the stranger at the rooftop but not Jessica Jung?” Sunny asked.

Jessica’s silence was an affirmation of Sunny’s words. Sighing, the latter leaned backwards and continued gazing into the night sky. “You’re so silly. YOU are the stranger at the rooftop, Sica. What do you have to worry about?”

The girl never spoke, her gaze fixated on the night skyline. At the very least, Sunny’s words were getting into the girl’s head, and that had been comforting. “Stop hiding behind the letters. Stop using them as an excuse. If Yuri was capable of establishing that connection with rooftop girl, I’m sure she’ll have no problem having that with you.”

“It isn’t just about that.”

“Then?”

“It’s just a sense of disappointment. I don’t know why, but I was under the impression that we really had something that night. Or at the very least, it wasn’t one-sided.” Jessica explained. “I actually took the initiative to get closer to her that night; and you know I never ever do that. The fact that she isn’t here now… it just feels as if everything was my own wishful thinking.”

Sunny listened intently and gave thought to the situation. “You know, something feels wrong here. Your letters aren’t here anymore, right?”

“Yea.”

“So she actually bothers to climb 5 floors to get them. Doesn’t that count for something?” Sunny questioned.

It struck Jessica hard; she had never thought about it in that way. “Still, she didn’t write back.”

“Judging from your impression of Yuri, does she seem like the kind who can’t even afford a reply?”

Jessica gave some thought to it, finally understanding what Sunny was putting across. “So you’re suggesting that she didn’t get the letters?”

“It’s a possibility, and one that I’d prefer you to hold on to.” Sunny said. “The ball’s in your court. Maybe you should put all that insecurity aside and just come clean already.”

Jessica scoffed. “Easier said than done.”

Sunny chuckled. “Of course it is! ‘Hi Yuri, I’m that horrendously disfigured girl you met at the rooftop that night. Not so horrendously disfigured now, am I?’ and then she’ll go ‘Really? That’s great!’ and then hug you and you guys can live happily ever after.”

“And what happens if she doesn’t?”

Sunny made a pained expression. “Happily never after?”

“Hahaha.” Jessica laughed sarcastically. “It’ll be one whole semester of awkward lab sessions and avoiding each other.”

“C’mon, you’re downright gorgeous. No one would say no.”

Jessica groaned, burying her face in her hands. “Urgh if only that scholarship came, I wouldn’t have to face all this.”

“No news is good news, Jessica Jung. And be careful what you wish for.”

Jessica sighed, her eyes finding their way to the clock tower. It had been more than 40 minutes since their stipulated meeting time. “Let’s go.” she stood up and said.

“Not gonna wait any longer?”

“If she didn’t get my letters, why would she even come?” Jessica asked, already walking towards the door.

Sunny smiled, mostly pleased with herself for making sense in Jessica’s stubborn head. “So what are you planning to do then?”

“We’ll see.”

-----

Chapter 9

Sunday evening. Kwon-Choi Residence.

(knock on the door)

Yuri spun around on her swivel chair. "What."

"Oh nothing. Just checking if everything's okay." Sooyoung said.

"What could POSSIBLY, go wrong?" Yuri asked, undoubtedly annoyed.

"Well, that's good to hear." Sooyoung fiddled with the glass in her hands. Holding it up, she asked, "Can I get you girls any drinks?"

"No."

"How bout you, Jessica?"

"No, thank you."

"Okay..." Sooyoung muttered as she took her leave.

(a minute later)

“Urghhhh!!” Sooyoung exclaimed as she walked past Yuri’s room, stretching her limbs.

(another minute later)

“I wonder when Fany’s coming over…” Sooyoung muttered audibly as she walked past Yuri’s room once again.

(and another minute later)

“Is there anything good on TV tonight—“

“CHOI SOOYOUNG.”

Sooyoung had stopped by Yuri’s door conveniently. “No need to scream, dear. I’m right here.”

Yuri groaned, goaded by Sooyoung’s antics. "You are hindering our progress."

"Oh. I could close the door, I'm sure you'll have a hell of a PROGRESS then."

Yuri shut her eyes and inhaled deeply. "Yes quickly, because we sure need that PROGRESS."

"Well then..." Arching an eyebrow at the duo, Sooyoung closed the door gently behind her as she stepped out of the room. "…PROGRESS ahead."

Don't kill Sooyoung don't kill Sooyoung don't kill Sooyoung… Yuri repeatedly chanted in her head as she edged dangerously close to the other side of the border which involved her hands and Sooyoung's neck. Taking a breath, she said; “Sorry about Sooyoung. She’s painfully embarrassing.”

Jessica shook her head, seemingly focused on her lab report. “Does she do that to everyone you hang out with?”

Yuri was reluctant to confess. “Uhh, no.”

“I see.” Jessica replied, fiddling with the pen in her hand.

The ensuing silence was just the perfect thing to enhance the awkwardness in the air. Sneaking a glance at Jessica, Yuri cleared her throat a little before beginning, “Please don’t let things be weird between us.”

“It isn’t weird.”

“It is, right now…” Yuri muttered under her breath.

Spinning on her swivel chair to face Yuri, Jessica asked. “Then what do you suggest we do?”

The swing of Jessica’s pendant had caught Yuri’s eye, as if begging for the girl’s investigation. For fear of getting caught under Jessica’s omnipotent radar, she quickly looked away and babbled, “Uhh n-nevermind. Back to work.”

And then came the familiar silence again. There was the slight shuffling of papers, the scrawling of pens across paper, and an inevitable increased awareness of each other in the confines of a work desk. This time, Jessica had spoken up, albeit nervously. 

“Is there some reason why Sooyoung teases you about me?”

Yuri hesitated momentarily and then gave an uncomfortable chuckle. “She gets a kick out of it. Since we’re close it’s just convenient.”

“So you don’t have someone?”

“What do you mean?”

“Someone whom you like?”

Reluctant to answer the question, Yuri had chosen to respond ambiguously. “Uhh… I’m not sure.”

"Elaborate." Jessica said, wearing her poker face.

“Are we gonna trade information like we did the last time?”

“No.”

“That’s unfair! I’m not saying anything then.”

“Why are you so reluctant on sharing?”

“Ask yourself that. Why do you wanna know anyway?” Yuri asked, the glimmer of Jessica’s pendant suddenly catching her attention again.

“I’m telling you, Jessica’s the rooftop girl.”

Damn it Sooyoung, why do you keep haunting me?!

"Well since I'm gonna be stuck with you for several weeks more--"

“I’m telling you, Jessica’s the rooftop girl.”

“--I figured I should get to know you better."

“…Jessica’s the rooftop girl.”

“R-really…?” Yuri muttered distractedly; Sooyoung’s voice still looping in her head.

“…THE ROOFTOP GIRL.”

Ahh screw it!!

In a moment of desperation, Yuri had leaned over towards Jessica and, relying on the wheels of the swivel chair, pulled the girl into her big embrace.

"O-omgawd, Sica! I’m so glad you think so!" she babbled, sounding overdramatically touched.

Birthmark birthmark birthmark… Exceedingly impatient, Yuri had resorted to the most direct way of finding out if the rooftop girl was really Jessica at all. Unfortunately, the most efficient way had involved sneaking peeks down the girl’s chest, and the opportunistic hug; was the best way to go about doing it. It was a risky mission, one that required courage and skill; and Yuri could only pray hard for Jessica’s omniscient radar to malfunction for that moment.

On the other hand…

Jessica was frozen stiff. Every single part of her body was rendered dead, all except one thing; that red, thirsty, blood-pumping organ in her chest. It dominated her senses. With every beat, the adrenaline bolted across her body, sending signals to her brain; ordering her to raise her lifeless arms and wrap them around the tanned girl's waist in reciprocation.

And Jessica was just about to do so, that is; until her aforementioned radar had picked up on Yuri’s overzealous eyes.

So instead of wrapping her arms around the taller girl’s waist, she had put them to better use: Pushing.

"Pervert!!"

Yuri had been pushed quite a distance away. “W-what?!” she exclaimed whilst scrambling back to her original position.

“Pervert!!!” Jessica reiterated, retreating a little as Yuri had come closer.

And in this do-not-try-this-at-home, worst case scenario, Yuri’s efforts had gone down the drain. Not only did she come out of it without an answer, she was now being labeled with the ever familiar nickname once again.

“It's a friendly hug! Notice that I hugged you around your shoulders? If it were your waist it might mean something else." she reasoned, furiously hoping that Jessica was only mad about the sudden hug.

"You were staring down my chest!" Jessica exclaimed, incredulous that Yuri wasn’t admitting to her wrongdoing.

Damn it!!

Okay apologize sincerely, but do not admit to ogling her chest.

“Okay okay, I’m sorry! But I was looking at your pendant!” 

“And you expect me to believe that AGAIN?”

“Y-your pendant… is fascinating…”

“You tricked me into a hug just so you could ogle, you pervert!”

“Why would I ogle when I have my own?”

“That’s a question you should ask yourself!” Jessica exclaimed.

Yuri exhaled, frustrated about the whole situation. “Let it go, let it go, Yuri. It was your fault anyway…” she looked down and muttered under her breath.

“What did you say?”

Yuri raised her head up, and with all seriousness, she said; "I’m sorry. I won't go close to you, I won’t hug you anymore, and I won't even touch you, okay?"

Upon hearing the ultimatum that Yuri had put out, Jessica had immediately regretted her overreaction. But being typically prideful, she had chosen to stubbornly continue down the road. 

"Then make sure you don't!"

From a viewer's standpoint, the whole situation resembled a typical lovers' spat. The couple was now immersed in a pool of silence, both fuming mad; stark, raving mad. And the irony? It wasn’t even about the hug or the ogling anymore.

And at this point, both girls had gone back to work, full-force. The room was also back to its deafening silence.

-----

“I’m about halfway done, how about you?” Yuri asked.

“Almost.”

“Did you draw out the mechanisms already?”

“Yea.”

Yuri groaned. And here come the monosyllabic replies again…

As Yuri's clock counted down to the night, the air between the girls had remained hostile. Fortunately, they were still professional enough to sustain a working relationship and eventually finish their lab reports.

"I'm going home." Jessica stated as she packed her bag, intending to get out of the whole bad atmosphere as soon as possible.

But in actual fact, Yuri's soft-side had won over about 5 seconds after their spat. "Okay. I'll send you home."

“No, it’s fine.”

“Please?” Yuri asked, chasing Jessica out of the room. 

They caught the attention of Sooyoung and Tiffany, both of whom were lazing on the couch. The latter stood up and approached Jessica. "Were you just leaving? Why don't you stay a little longer?”

“Come on, we have alcohol." Sooyoung added.

Jessica took a little glance at Yuri, who was looking back at her with once again, the most compelling puppy eyes she’d ever seen. She sighed, knowing that she couldn’t be angry with Yuri for long. Figuring that it might be a good way to ease the situation, she accepted Tiffany's invitation.

The night went by smoothly; especially when alcohol was incorporated into their friendly, light conversations, most of which only involved Tiffany and Jessica. For some reason, Yuri had been uncomfortably silent the whole night, and if it wasn’t bad enough, she was drinking excessively.

"Yul, stop drinking." Sooyoung warned, confiscating Yuri’s glass. "We have classes tomorrow morning."

Is she okay? Jessica thought as she looked worriedly at Yuri.

"Can I ask you something?" Tiffany asked, catching Jessica's attention.

“Yea?”

“Can you tell me more about your friend who passed away?”

"Taeyeon told you about it?" Jessica widened her eyes in surprise. "She doesn't typically open up to people this fast..."

"She doesn’t?" 

"Yea, she’s a pretty tough nut to crack..." Jessica acknowledged, albeit distractedly. Taking little glances at Yuri, the latter was now downing glasses as if she had just run a marathon.

“Kwon Yuri!” Sooyoung grunted in frustration as Yuri had stolen her glass. “What’s wrong with you?!”

"So what exactly happened?" Tiffany delved; ignoring the duo’s little spat.

"She…” Taking her eyes of Yuri, Jessica turned to Tiffany. “…was best friends with Taeyeon. When she passed away, Taeng was devastated. She became withdrawn, and she didn't hold a proper conversation with me for weeks." Jessica explained, unintentionally revealing more than what she had wanted.

"How is she coping?" Tiffany asked. “Is she the sort who acts like she’s fine?”

“She can be pretty hard to read.” Jessica shrugged. "But I guess she’s a lot better now. Regardless, with time, she’ll be fine. I believe she’ll snap out of it soon."

Unfortunately, Jessica's optimism was met with Yuri's scoff. "Easier said than done."

Yuri hadn’t talked the entire time that night, but as soon as she did, her first words had been along the lines of rude and mocking. Inevitably, Jessica was once again plagued with a case of The Angries. 

"What is your problem?"

"I don't have a problem."

"Then why are you being so negative?"

"Okay, relax people... No one has a problem with anyone." Sooyoung attempted to mediate the situation. Putting an arm around Yuri, she tried to drag the girl away. “C’mon, that’s all for tonight.”

Wriggling out of Sooyoung’s arm, Yuri approached Jessica and stared at her. "I'm just saying, losing someone to death isn't something to 'snap out of'." she stated, snapping her fingers. "It's a freaking tedious process and it's tiring. I'm sorry to burst your rainbow-colored bubble, but she has a looooooooong road ahead--"

"Yuri!" Tiffany exclaimed whilst Sooyoung had pulled the girl back forcefully. "She says stupid things when she's drunk! Don't take it to heart, Jessica!"

But in the heat of the moment, nothing usually works. Jessica had already taken offence. Moreover, the digesting alcohol only served to fuel her anger. "And why is it wrong to have a rainbow-colored bubble? Should I have that dark and sappy bubble of yours then? What do you think I’m gonna achieve with that?”

"Jessica, don't..." Sooyoung shook her head and pleaded.

"Nothing!”

The living room was now filled with an almost uncomfortable silence. Tiffany and Sooyoung watched in horror as Yuri slowly wriggled out of the latter's grip, stood up and made her way to her room.

"You're right. Nothing."

(Door closes)

Jessica exhaled violently as she downed the contents in her filled glass. "What the hell is her problem?"

Tiffany shook her head sympathetically while Sooyoung rubbed her forehead in frustration. "Yuri has... some problems." 

"Like what?" Jessica asked, still furious.

"She lost her parents 3 years ago."

The anger had dissipated immediately as the impact of those few words fell heavily onto Jessica. Right there and then, she knew that she had crossed the line, unintentionally or not.

"I don't mean to make it sound worse, but it was... a complete nightmare for her."

"What happened?" Jessica asked, the curiosity burning up inside her.

Sooyoung turned to Tiffany immediately. “Do you think Yuri will mind?”

Tiffany shook her head. “If it’s Jessica, she won’t.”

-----

(flashback)

One minute.

60 seconds.

A relatively short time frame.

Yet long enough, to bring endless possibilities.

A marriage proposal.

The birth of a child.

The first tremor of an earthquake.

A decision to go to war.

A minute could set the difference between before and after.

A minute could change a life.

A minute, is all it takes.

"KWON YUL! Are you done?"

Yuri laughed as she put the finishing touches on the cake. "Yea!" she yelled excitedly as she ran towards her mother.

"Okay, lights off! Now hide!" her mother announced as she flipped the switch.

The whole house sank into darkness immediately. The mother-daughter duo hid in the kitchen, waiting in anticipation for the only man of the house to return.

“Hold on! Chopin, Chopin!” Yuri exclaimed, running out to the living room.

“Oh gosh, how could I forget…” her mother said, feeling a little guilty.

"That’s what Kwon Yuri is for, Mom.” Yuri asserted proudly as she put on the music. Turning up the volume to an optimum level, Yuri exclaimed excitedly; “He's gonna love this! And by the way, I'm heading over to Uncle Hwang’s once we’re done with the surprise."

"That's my gooooooood Yul." her mother smiled as she came running back.

11:07pm. 

(Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No.2)

The big red clock persevered through its countdown. A few minutes had gone by since the duo had hid in the kitchen. The duo was contained with excitement; it was soon.

“I just heard footsteps coming from the front." Yuri reported. "Anytime now..." she added as she watched the front door closely from her vantage point.

"Remember to wait till he gets the lights." her mother reminded.

11:08pm. The door gently swung open. 

“I’m home, girls!” 

Like an eager child during Christmas, she anticipated her father’s loud bellow; his trademark of announcing that he was home.

But there was nothing.

Instead, it was the mere whisper of a footstep; one that didn’t match her father’s typical assertive walk. She watched in disbelief as an unknown man had entered their home, a face void of emotion, just plain indifference. His eyes continuously scanned the premises, as if looking for intruders. He had seemed almost too accustomed to the place.

“Mom…”

“Shh.” her mother had cautioned, putting a finger to her lips.

11:09pm. The man left the house momentarily, only to appear again with two other men; one of whom, was Yuri’s father.

Blindfolded, gagged, and held at gunpoint by another intruder.

Before Yuri could even react to the crisis, her mother had dragged her by the arm, across the kitchen and into the confinements of the pantry, where they could hide for now.

Yuri could barely even speak. Her throat was dry, and her stomach was on fire. It was raw, unadulterated fear crippling her whole body, and it was burning. She watched in absolute speechlessness as her mother retrieved her cellphone and made a phone call.

“Hello? This is Vice-minister Kwon’s wife. We are in danger.”

It was unfathomable to Yuri how her mother had seemed so calm, like she had seen this coming all along. Everything was illusory. It was like being transported to an alternate universe, one which she couldn’t make sense of, and she had abhorred it.

“2 men…”

“…armed…”

“…at gunpoint…”

Her mother’s words were fuzzy, but they made absolute sense, as much as she wished they didn’t. Looking up at her, she tugged on her arm.

“What’s going on…??”

“Your father is a good man, Yuri.” her mother whispered, looking at Yuri in the eyes. “Listen carefully. There is a safe in my bedroom, and there is a file in it. I want you to give that to Inspector General Lee.”

“I-I don’t understand…”

“Inspector General Lee. You got that? This is important.”

Very slowly, Yuri nodded her head, trying her absolute hardest to register everything.

“Good… good.” her mother had looked at her for several moments more, before turning away.

“W-wait… Where are you going?” Yuri tugged on her mother’s arm.

"I have to get to your father." she said, her tone gentle and mellow.

“N-no wait… Please…”

Her mother turned to Yuri and cupped her cheek in her hands. “I have to get to your father.” she stated, the overwhelming fear emanating through her eyes. "You know that, don't you?"

Yuri swallowed that huge lump in her throat, tears already welling up in her eyes. She hated it; she hated her mother’s stubbornness, her obstinacy. Her mother wasn’t one to be swayed when she had made her mind up on something, and for now, just for now, Yuri abhorred it immensely.

"Don't worry. It'll be fine." she reassured again, knowing Yuri was incapable to stop her.

It was a blatant lie. One that she knew her mother had to make. "Mom... Please...!!"

"Just stay here, okay? Don’t worry." she said, smiling a little as her quivering hand had unlocked the door.

“Mom… Please…”

“Don’t leave me here alone…”

She hadn’t looked back despite Yuri’s persistent begging. The latter watched helplessly as her mother opened the door gently, and with a little hesitation, took her first step out the pantry.

“Mom…”

Right before the lady had shut the pantry door, for just a moment, a brief moment, she had looked her daughter in the eye.

11:12pm. "Be safe, my dear Yuri."

Time passed a painful second after another right after the door had shut. Yuri sat alone in the confines of the dark and tiny pantry, shaking uncontrollably, feeling absolutely powerless.

They'll be fine.

They'll be fine.

They will, they have to be...

They're good people; bad things don’t happen to good people…

They will--

11:13pm.

A loud, crackling sound resounded in the air, slicing through the thickened atmosphere.

No…

Followed by another.

"...!!!!" She bit on her hand hard to resist the urge to cry out; sinking her teeth into her skin. The blood had found its way out, and she could taste it. Her stomach had also begun churning, making her nauseous. The sensation lasted for several seconds as she bent over and leaned her head against the wall, before an immense wave of despair had hit her. She shut her eyes tightly with her hand still at the mercy of her teeth, feeling the tears creep through her fingers and fall onto the ground, mixed with her own blood.

It was getting difficult to breathe. Shaking vigorously, she inhaled deeply and let out a forced chuckle.

“It isn't them... No. It isn't.”

“…I'm being silly.”

The police were supposed to be here, weren't they?

“The gun-- The gunshots were theirs...”

They've apprehended the intruders.

They've made contact with Mom and Dad, who are probably safe by now. 

And they're smiling.

Whispering sweet nothings to each other.

Discussing about their eventful night.

Hugging.

Kissing.

To the point where their mushy behavior would put me off.

But I wouldn’t mind. Not tonight, I wouldn’t.

Yea, that's definitely it. That's what's happening.

And soon, I'll be reunited with them--

Huh. It's bright.

The door's opening...

("Miss Kwon! Are you alright?")

(“Miss Kwon!”)

(“Miss Kwon, this is Inspector General Lee. You are safe now.”)

I was right. The police are already here. 

We’re safe… We’re safe.

They're... Leading me out of the pantry...

("Quick! Get her outside!")

Out of the kitchen...

("Secure the second floor!")

There's... 

Blood.

There's blood everywhere...

Body bags...

2 body bags...

("Second floor's secure!")

("Damn it, he got away! Bring this ******* back to the station!")

Huh.

*******.

Those *******s.

Even though Mom and Dad taught me never to have a dirty mouth.

Mom and Dad…

Mom… Dad.

I miss you two already.

("Miss Kwon!!")

(“Get help! On the double!!”)

Yuri collapsed in the middle of the living room, her eyes blankly staring at the cake that she had spent an entire afternoon on, as Chopin’s Nocturne Op. 9 No.2 played in the background.

Happy 22nd Anniversary, to the mushiest parents in the world.

Time of deaths: 11:13pm.

A minute, is all it takes.

(end of flashback)

-----

“It was all over the news then.”

“Vice-minister Kwon? Wasn’t it a burglary?” Jessica asked.

“Huh, hardly.” Sooyoung scoffed. “Everything you read in the news was a cover up; else it would be a shame to the government. Apparently, there was some sort of conspiracy going on that Mr Kwon had broken, and they put a hit on him when he was about to expose it. With that file that Mrs Kwon was referring to, they eventually caught the mastermind and everyone else embroiled in it, all except for that other hitman.” Sooyoung said regrettably. “He’s destined for hell, that man.”

Tiffany looked at the floor, upset over being reminded of it. "My family had been close friends of Uncle Kwon for years, and we took her in. We sought therapy for her, but Yuri’s a genius; she managed to get every single psychiatrist to believe she was fine. She never fooled us, though. After all these years, she's still haunted by it almost every night. On the good nights, she just springs up. On the bad nights, she wakes up screaming. That’s why she usually insists on sleeping alone.” Tiffany explained, tears forming in her eyes.

“But we hear it almost all the time." Sooyoung sighed. "And she always presents this wholesome, dorky, I'm-fine-and-dandy façade. Not just to those incompetent psychiatrists, but even to us. I don't think I've seen her cry since the funeral.”

“Me neither.” Tiffany said.

“Still, I get a sense that she's been a little better since school's started." Sooyoung added. "A new environment is good. So, we're hopeful. It'll take a long time and a lot of figuring out, but we'll be around."

It was like pieces of a jigsaw coming together. Jessica never said a thing; she digested each and every word that the duo had said, feeling the full impact of the revelation raining down on her. 

“But why doesn’t she talk to anyone about it?”

"Well, it's just typically Yuri. She hides everything. In a way, it sorta protects her; the world can be unintentionally cruel at times. During high school, word got out that she was Vice-minister Kwon’s daughter, and when they looked at her, all they saw was her huge emotional scar. It was pretty alienating." Sooyoung explained.

Jessica had heard enough. Standing up, she downed another glass of alcohol while Tiffany and Sooyoung watched in curiosity. She then walked straight towards Yuri's bedroom.

"Also..." Sooyoung began, "Mickey Mouse was the last gift her parents got her."

Jessica looked towards Sooyoung for a moment, as if to achieve a silent understanding, before turning back to the door. Inhaling deeply, she knocked on the door and opened it.

-----

Yuri was lying on her bed, with her back facing the door. She didn't seem to notice that Jessica had entered. 

Biting on her lip, Jessica approached closer and managed an apology. "I'm sorry."

The girl sat up almost immediately and smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of her head. "I'm sorry too. It was my fault; I was being insensitive..."

Yuri was putting up her act again. But this time, it was more than obvious to Jessica, who could read Yuri like an open book. "No. I was." Jessica replied.

"So they've told you."

Jessica nodded solemnly.

"Great." Yuri sighed, rubbing her forehead. "Now, even you’re gonna treat me like I'm like an injured animal.”

“You’re the only person who doesn’t treat me like one and the last person I want to.”

Remembering what Sooyoung had said earlier, Jessica crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. "And who do you think you are to deserve my royal treatment?"

Yuri blanked out and gazed at Jessica for a while, before bursting into a chuckle.

"I like you, Sica. I really do."

Those 3 words hit Jessica like a wave; an exhilarating one. No matter what context the word "like" was used in, it was still a good word.

"And I still don't." the ever so prideful Jessica replied sternly. "You'll always be the pervert who fancies staring at my chest while using my pendant as an ex--"

But right at that moment, Jessica's rant had been abruptly interrupted. Yuri had gotten off the bed and hugged her, again.

But this time, with arms around Jessica's waist.

Jessica finally understood what Yuri had meant. A hug around the waist was somehow different; it was like a sort of unspoken, implied intimacy, perfectly disguised in a simple hug.

Stop… Stop doing things like that you pervert...

But those words never came out of her mouth. The strong-willed Jessica was beginning to crumble, bit by bit. The physicality had emanated a certain warmth; a warmth so addictive that it had sucked her into a never-ending spiral. And the alcohol, that wretched substance that lessens inhibitions, had done nothing but pull her in even quicker.

"I miss them everyday..."

Little wet patches had formed on Jessica's shoulder. The girl could literally feel all of it; Yuri's insufferable pain, the intensity and the rawness of the excruciation, along with the crumbling of Yuri's cheerful façade. Slightly pulling apart from the taller girl, Jessica had connected, for the first time, with Yuri's eyes and the deep, unspeakable sadness within them.

The girl's eyes were teary, too teary.

"I don't think I've seen her cry since the funeral”

"I'm sorry." Yuri smiled a little through her tears. "This is freaking embarrassing."

And as it turned out, Jessica had been invited into Yuri's world; one that even Sooyoung and Tiffany hadn't been into. The proximity, the hug, the sad eyes; together, they concocted the perfect formula for the things that were coming after.

Jessica’s hands had found their way up to Yuri's face.

With her hands cupping Yuri's cheeks, she slowly guided Yuri’s face down, closer to hers.

And within seconds, the two girls were literally breathing into each others' faces.

No wait... What if she thinks that I'm doing this out of sympathy?

Jessica jolted up all of a sudden as that wave of worry came over her. Her hands had also stopped bridging the little gap that's left between them.

Maybe… I should tell her now…

"Yuri... I’m--"

But before anything could be said, Yuri had stolen the moment with a gentle tug on Jessica's waist.

It was their first physical connection. It was just a simple kiss, a simple peck, a mere adjoining of their lips. Just a kiss; a kiss that was seemingly mild on the surface, but so unspeakably electrifying beneath that there was an insane need to go beyond its simplicity and its restraint, to challenge the borders of propriety.

Yuri’s arms were supporting Jessica up ever so firmly, whilst the latter’s hands had found their gentle rest on Yuri’s face. It was the perfect, dramatic first kiss that people had always dreamt about.

And it was intense. Way too intense for two girls who seemingly hated each others' guts.

We kissed…

As they slowly parted, Yuri had kept her eyes on Jessica. The latter hung her head down, feeling her face burn up in an instant.

We… KISSED???

Unfortunately, the one which won the race for Jessica’s immediate response was her innate defense mechanism. The moment it kicked in, her two hands that were holding Yuri’s face had found their way to her shoulders. Gripping them tightly, she shoved Yuri away.

"Why the hell… did you kiss me?!"

Yuri's eyes widened and her face had quite literally, a thousand "what the hells" written all over it. "What do you mean? YOU kissed me!"

"You..." Jessica huffed. "YOUR arms were around MY waist!"

"YOUR hands were on MY face!"

The room went silent for a while after that realization, leaving just sounds of their heavy breathing to fill the awkward atmosphere.

Dealing with the situation in the best way she knew, Jessica turned away. “I’m going home.”

Yuri immediately followed behind her. “W-wait… Shouldn’t we talk about this?”

“What’s there to talk about?”

“We kissed, for goodness sakes!!” Yuri exclaimed.

“Okay, fine.” the brown-haired girl stopped and turned back. Looking up at the taller girl, she took a breath and asked, “Do you have feelings for me?”

The straightforward question posed by the girl was perhaps, the one big dilemma that had been plaguing Yuri for a while now. Ironically, after all this time of suppressing that question just so she could face Jessica on a normal basis, the girl herself was now shoving it right in her face.

1…

2…

3.

3 full seconds of silence. It was enough to prove Yuri’s uncertainty and bring forth Jessica’s pessimism.

She attempted a little forced chuckle. “Why are you taking it so seriously, Kwon Yuri? I’m just playing around with you. It was just a kiss, no big deal.”

No big deal…?

But the response from Yuri’s eyes indicated that she had known better. Unable to look into them for fear that she might crumble, Jessica had turned away again.

“I better get going…” she managed, trying her hardest to mask the solemnity in her voice.

It had jolted Yuri out of the inner chaos for now. "But it's late. Spend the night here."

“No.” Jessica replied, picking up her bag.

“You can have my bed all to yourself. I’ll sleep on the couch.” Yuri immediately suggested, furiously hoping Jessica would relent.

"It’s fine, thanks." The girl had already turned to Yuri's door and opened it.

It was apparent now to Yuri that the girl’s pending departure was dreadful. For some inexplicable reason, she had yearned for Jessica to stay. Her icy demeanor, her monosyllabic responses, her hot and cold treatment, nothing had mattered now.

But in the end, Yuri was the one who relented. "Okay hold on, I'll drive you home." she offered as she followed Jessica out of the room.

Without turning to look at Yuri, Jessica said, "You drank. I'll see you during the next lab."

“Sica…”

At the mere hint of dejection in Yuri’s voice, Jessica finally stopped in her tracks. She then turned to face the taller girl, expecting her to say something, anything.

The two girls stood a little distance from each other, just looking at each other’s face for those several seconds. Yuri’s sad eyes were too prominent to ignore, and somehow, it craved and begged for Jessica’s concern, or anything that had involved Jessica’s attention.

Flashing a little smile, Jessica walked over to Yuri and caressed her cheek gently.

“Good night, Yuri. I’ll see you, okay?”

-----

Chapter 10

("Sica, do you have any idea how late it is? Of all people, you’re the one I least expected to take my energizer bunny nickname so literally...")

"I kissed Yuri."

("HUH?!")

Jessica gripped her cellphone tightly as memories of the incident plagued her mind. "I... kissed Yuri."

("Oh my-- okay. Uhh… Why don’t you tell me what happened?")

"I don’t know where to begin."

(“You okay? You don’t sound so good. Did she reject it?”)

Jessica exhaled as she lay back down on her fluffy bed. “She… kissed me back. But I pushed her away and scolded her. Sort of."

("You scolded her when you kissed her??")

"I don’t know why I did that either."

She could an audible sigh on the other end of the line. (“We could talk about your insecurity issues till the sun rises, my dear.”)

“Sorry for waking you up.”

(“Don’t worry about it. This is really juicy, by the way.”)

“Huh.” Jessica scoffed as she shut her eyes, trying to shut out the memories of the night in vain.

(“So what made you kiss her?”)

Jessica opened her eyes and stared straight into the ceiling. “I don’t know.”

(“Well you have to give me something to work with or I can’t advise you on anything.”)

Jessica kept her eyes on the ceiling, just staring blankly at the dimly lit spot where the moonlight had streamed in. Carrying a tone of disenchantment, she said, “It doesn’t matter. She doesn’t have feelings for me anyway.”

(“And how did you arrive at that conclusion?”)

“I asked.”

(“And she flat-out denied?!”)

“She didn’t respond for 3 whole seconds.”

(“That’s great!”)

Jessica immediately frowned. “Excuse me?”

(“I get the vibe that she does have something for you.”)

Jessica sat up immediately, incredulous about how confident Sunny had sounded. “How in the world does it lead to that?”

(“Look. I don’t know what happened, but the 2 things that you’ve told me so far are; one, she kissed you back and two, she didn’t respond to your question. Her responses have been positive or at the least, ambiguous, you worrywart.”) 

“…so why didn’t she just say yes?”

(“Do you think it’s easy? I mean just look at yourself. Even confessing to ME about your feelings for Yuri is synonymous to taking your life.”)

Jessica pondered hard on everything as she bit gently on her lips. The scene from hours ago was etched deeply in her mind, frozen at the three seconds of the kiss like it lasted forever. In retrospect, it was akin to a child’s first experience with candy, leaving Jessica with a somewhat forbidden craving. More importantly, the fact lies that her very first kiss had been taken by Kwon Yuri, someone whom was simply put; deserving. Aside from these giddy repercussions, it was also apparent that Yuri had so naturally offered her the privilege of being her confidante, a title that even her closest friends hadn’t risen up to.

Still, there was something else Jessica was worried about.

"It’s gonna be awkward the next time I see her!" The brown-haired girl groaned as she lay back down and hugged her bolster tightly.

(“You sure spaced out for a long time there. Anyway, there’s one way to resolve it.”)

“What?”

("CONFESS. But before we get to that, I wanna know every detail that happened tonight.")

-----

In a parallel situation, the night had been nothing but a chore to the tanned girl. If Yuri had trouble sleeping before, this took the cake. As her clock counted down minute by minute to the following morning, Yuri had barely gotten any sleep; being equally disturbed by that weird sensation she had experienced in the short three seconds.

How the hell did it happen?

“Stupid alcohol, stupid stupid alcohol...” Yuri muttered and buried her face in her pillow, feeling the onset of headaches coming her way as the hangover had set in.

Images of Jessica’s face had continuously flashed in her mind. In addition, the cosseting hug that they had shared, and the feeling of Jessica’s hands on her face…

“Arghhhhhhhhh whyyyyyyyyyyyyyy…” Yuri groaned as she continuously bashed her face against the fluff.

What the hell is this weird unsettling feeling?? Is it the hangover or something?

Whatever. Just sleep, Kwon Yuri.

It was fairly predictable that the girl wouldn’t get any rest that night. She tossed and turned in bed several times, unable to get that disconcerting sensation off her chest.

“I’m telling you, Jessica’s the rooftop girl.” 

Moreover, Sooyoung’s words had once again popped up in her head in the midst of her agony.

“She already has someone, Choi Sooyoung!” Yuri yelled into her pillow, hearing her muffled voice resonate back in her ears; as if to remind herself of Jessica’s unattainability.

There are only 2 scenarios.

One, if she’s the rooftop girl and she has someone…

Or two, if she isn’t the rooftop girl at all…

…it’s a catch-22, isn’t it?

“Arghhhhhhhhh….” Turning over on her back this time, Yuri blanked out for several minutes just staring at the big red clock hanging on her wall. 

But that wasn’t the only thing that was bothering her. Reaching for her phone on the nightstand, she brought it to her face and looked at the screen. Her eyes squinted at the sudden brightness as it had come on.

“Still nothing…” she muttered in disappointment.

The nightly phone calls that she had shared with Miss Park had stopped for a few evenings since that afternoon at Tiffany’s, and the girl hadn’t returned any of her calls for days. It was just another thing to add the whole mess.

Is she avoiding me?

…is she the rooftop girl at all?

It seemed that as the days had passed, all these questions had never failed to plague her head. With absolutely no definite answers to any of them, Yuri had been unconsciously digging her own grave with more questions, creating what was now an entire pit of internally conflicting dilemmas that had done nothing but wore her out.

She laughed and scoffed at the whole hopelessness of the situation. “Am I supposed to strip the both of them down? Stupid birthmark. Stupid letters. Stupid rooftop.”

Not knowing how to reconcile with everything, she figured she’d just lie in bed and force some rest upon her. Forget the feelings that had surfaced since that kiss. Forget the whole rooftop issue. Forget the two girls.

After all, there was something more important coming up.

Mom and Dad, what would it be like if you guys were still here?

Mom would probably terrorize the both of them and then embarrass me deeply.

While Dad would just sit and smile in his good, gentlemanly self.

In the end though, they wouldn’t help much. Yuri thought as she giggled a little.

And as the hours passed, the alarm eventually rang; signaling another day of school. Bolting out of bed, she resolved to give everything a clean break - significant to the start of the new week.

Whoever the rooftop girl was; Yuri would wait patiently for her to confess.

-----

"Morning!" Yuri chirped as Sooyoung sleepily trudged out of her room.

"Morning... You're pretty energetic for a Monday." Sooyoung yawned as she walked towards the kitchen.

"I love Mondays. Start of a new week, a new--"

"Gawd I hate Mondays." Sooyoung interrupted. "So what happened last night?" she probed as she retrieved the milk in the fridge.

"W-what happened?" Yuri stammered as she fiddled with her glass of Ma juice.

"I mean that big fight you had with Jessica. Did you guys make peace?"

"Yea. We're fine."

"That's good. You know, that fight was HUGE. And embarrassing." Sooyoung said as she settled with her bowl of cereal opposite Yuri at the table. "What happened though? You guys kissed and made up?" she asked as she scooped her first mouth of cereal.

Like a curse, the word "kiss" had caused Yuri to choke on her Ma juice.

Seeing Yuri's response, Detective Sooyoung’s spoon had fallen into her bowl, the impact of it splashing milk on the table. Aside from dropping the spoon, her jaw had also dropped, quite literally; causing her to forego that mouthful of cereal. Apparently, that revelation was just about as important as her first mouthful of food that morning.

"Y-you better clean that up." Yuri ordered as she coughed.

"You guys… kissed and made up." Sooyoung said, her voice shaky.

"Uh huh. Yea." Yuri answered indifferently, furiously hoping that Sooyoung didn't get it.

But, she did. "Literally?"

"What? No! What are you talking--"

"OMGAWD KWON YURI." Sooyoung stood up and exclaimed; completely ignoring her bowl of cereal. "You guys KISSED and MADE OUT-- UP??"

"It was nothing!!"

"Who kissed who?" Sooyoung probed, pointing an accusing finger at Yuri.

"She... I... I don't know!"

"MUTUAL?! OMGAWDDDDD!!!" exclaimed Sooyoung, with both hands on her head.

"Stop it!! It didn't mean anything!"

"You guys KISSED when you HATE each other! Doesn't that mean something?? Didn't you suspect for a second, that all that tension between you two meant something??"

"No, not at all!"

"Liar! It’s written all over your face, Kwon Yuri!" Sooyoung accused, once again pointing a finger at Yuri's face.

Yuri huffed in agony, having had enough of Sooyoung's badgering. "That's it. I'm heading to school without you. See you in class." she stated as she left the house.

"Stop living in denial, Yul!"

-----

“Darn it Choi Sooyoung,” huffed Yuri as she embarked on her walk to school. “When will she ever give me a break?”

“Urghh and she’s gonna bug me about the kiss for the rest of my life…”

And so, plans of starting anew on that Monday morning had been thwarted. Instead, the girl had been thrown back into the whole pit of dilemma that she had dug for herself. Huffing in anger, she stomped her way to school, trying to shut out every single thought in her head. In her anger and frustration, she had reached school a little too early, and there was nothing to do except wait around for class to begin.

Monday morning. Hall 2A.

“Gawd it’s so freaking cold in here.” Yuri complained as she picked up her bag and left the hall, figuring that she’d do better waiting outside. 

And as coincidences go, that was when she ran into someone.

“Miss Park!”

The girl turned at the sound of Yuri’s voice. Hesitating momentarily, she smiled a little. “Sorry… I have to go, I have classes.” she said as she began walking away.

“Wait…” Yuri had immediately run forward and grabbed the girl’s arm. “I haven’t heard from you in a while, is everything okay?”

“Yea...” Miss Park replied, not looking at the girl. “Uhh I really have to go...” she said as she patted Yuri’s hand gently, signaling the girl to let go.

“Why are you avoiding me?”

Miss Park fell silent at Yuri’s interrogation. She had also continually refused to make any form of eye contact with the girl, and it was nothing but baffling.

“You never returned any of my calls. What’s wrong?”

“I was busy.”

“Okay,” said Yuri, a little skeptical of her excuse. Still holding onto Miss Park’s arm, she asked, “Will you be coming to Tiffany’s tonight? I’m working.”

Miss Park shook her head, persistently avoiding eye contact. After a little pause, she began, “Listen… I don’t think we can see each other so often anymore.”

“But why?”

“I’m going to be really busy.” explained Miss Park, feeling a little dampness at the edge of her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologize, I understand.” Yuri reassured, bending a little lower to look at the girl’s face. “But come to Tiffany’s when you can, okay? We haven’t had piano lessons in a while.”

“Okay,” said the girl softly, her head still lowered.

“Are you alright?”

Miss Park nodded immediately, gritting her teeth. “I’m fine,” she managed, a stray tear escaping her eye as she forced a smile through it.

Spotting it, Yuri immediately reached up for the girl’s face and wiped it away with her thumb. “You’re crying?”

The warmth from Yuri’s hand was perhaps the most difficult part of the whole thing. She had wished to stay cosseted in it for moments longer, but deep down, she knew it wasn’t hers to enjoy.

In response, she gently swept Yuri’s hand away, continuously forcing smiles through it. “I have to go.”

“You’re not intending to see me anymore, are you?”

Feeling the tightening grip on her arm, Miss Park finally looked up at Yuri and got the very answers that she had feared. She had wished that Yuri would be indifferent, unbothered or at the least, oblivious to this; it would make her disappearance a little easier. Instead, it was an expression of anxiety, one that had signaled that Yuri didn’t want this.

She wondered if Yuri would still look at her in the same way if she had known of the things she’d done. But it was good enough; for now, she would allow herself the selfish luxury of donning the ever good-natured image in Yuri’s eyes, one that did no wrong.

“You’re avoiding me, aren’t you?”

“Silly. That’s not true.”

“Really?” Yuri asked, wearing the most naïve expression in her face.

The white lie was inevitable and heartbreaking; and perhaps the most difficult thing that she had ever had to do. Smiling at Yuri’s ever trusting face, she had leaned forward and very gently, kissed her cheek.

Yuri was frozen to the ground by the girl’s sudden act, unable to respond to the girl in any way. Right there and then, she had known of the girl’s intentions, though unable to fathom why. One thing she knew for sure however; was that she didn’t like the feeling that was associated with Miss Park’s impending departure.

The girl had lingered for a second or two before pulling away. With her head hanging down and tears now flowing at their free will, she inhaled deeply; not witnessing Yuri’s saddened eyes on her.

“Bye, Yuri.”

-----

Yuri stood still and watched as Miss Park had briskly disappeared around the corner.

I don’t understand…

She couldn’t make heads or tails about it. There was the inkling to give chase and demand an explanation, or at the least, offer some relief to the girl’s tears. Urged by the nagging instinct, she did just so. It was albeit too late; whilst Miss Park was already nowhere to be seen, she had instead, spotted something prominently familiar as soon as she had turned at the corner.

Mickey Mouse?

The girl dressed in her beloved hoodie was walking away, seemingly in a hurry. At that very instant, Yuri had felt a sort of surge in her chest, an inexplicable sensation that she had decided to put off.

“Sica!” Yuri called out, and Jessica had turned around in response.

She's putting on her mean face again…

As if the earlier event hadn’t dealt enough damage, Jessica’s forthcoming show of hostility was extremely wrenching. Yuri took a few steps forward and looked at the girl, suppressing her disappointment for now. "Why didn't you say hi?"

"I didn't see you." Jessica replied without even looking at Yuri, her attitude icy as usual.

"But I was right there--"

"I didn't see you."

“Okay,” she bought her story eventually, sensing that the girl wasn’t a morning person. Bending a little lower, she leaned a little closer to Jessica's face in an attempt to make a more sincere connection. "Are you okay? You seem a little--"

“Yea.” replied Jessica, taking a step back to widen their distance.

“Okay…” said Yuri gingerly.

"I have classes, bye."

"Wait..." Yuri muttered, but it was futile; with just 4 words, Jessica had effectively dismissed herself. She stood anchored to the ground as Jessica had stridden off, completely giving her the cold shoulder.

What’s wrong with her?

What the hell is wrong with everybody?!

Like a tinder nest catching onto its first spark, Yuri was now more indignant than ever. Grudgingly, she stormed her way back into the lecture hall, doing what she deemed fit; giving up.

“I can’t be bothered anymore...”

-----

(“I don’t think we can see each other so often anymore.”)

("I have classes, bye.")

But by the evening, Yuri hadn’t made much success with her plan, and predictably so. As she sought refuge at Tiffany's and pondered over her plate of spaghetti, she went through the scenes in her head, trying to make sense of the attitudes she had received this morning.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Excuse me?" Sooyoung asked with her mouth full, a strand of spaghetti hanging out of her mouth.

"Urgh. Not you."

"So is it Park or Jung?"

"Both." Yuri groaned, too angered to engage in dinner.

“Well, let’s discuss about Park first. I’m sensing that she’s playing the part of the noble lover.”

“What does that even mean?”

“Meaning: she’s pushing you to Jessica. And what awesome timing, too…”

Sooyoung’s remarks had only made the girl more flustered. “Why do you always act as if you’re omniscient? Like you know everything?”

“I am omniscient. I know everything.” Sooyoung stated confidently.

Yuri groaned and held her head up with both hands. “Can you please--“

“Listen.” Sooyoung interrupted, pointing her fork at Yuri. “Whatever it is, Park has made the decision for you. Now go for Jung. This is your chance.”

“What chance?!” Yuri exhaled, ruffling her hair in frustration. “I get the sense that that girl, who was entirely rude to me just hours ago, freaking HATES me. She probably thinks the kiss was so disgusting that she can’t even look at me in the face now.”

“You REALLY don’t get it, do you?” Sooyoung stared at the girl.

Yuri crossed her arms and leaned back against her chair. “Enlighten me.” she said meekly.

Sooyoung groaned, putting aside her plate of spaghetti for the moment. "Urgh, all that IQ for nothing. Now I have a whole theory for this, and I want you to listen carefully and do not, I repeat, DO NOT, interrupt me, you understand? I’m so serious that I’ve actually put my dinner aside just to tell you this."

Like a lost puppy, Yuri nodded her head in agreement.

“Okay. Jessica has feelings for you.”

“What? You’re being ridi—“

“Uh uh uh! Zip it!” Sooyoung pointed a finger at Yuri’s lips. Abiding by Sooyoung’s order, the latter pouted and settled back on her seat peacefully.

“So I was saying, she has feelings for you. After the kiss last night, she asked you straight up if you had feelings for her, and you didn’t even give an answer. You have to realize that in circumstances like these, when you don’t say ‘no’, you’re actually saying ‘I do love you, oh sweet Jessica, but I’m just too much of a wuss to admit it’. So you, Heartbreaker Yul, had already left her hanging. AND THEN, the first thing that greeted her this morning was Sunyoung giving you a big peck on your pretty little face,” said Sooyoung as she reached forward and pinched Yuri’s cheek.

“You think she saw?”

“Most likely, which would explain her hostility this morning. And don’t even get me started on the part where she’s the rooftop girl. It’d fit so beautifully into my picture.”

“But it just seems so impossible that Jessica even likes me to begin with. She always seems so irritable around me.”

“Well you’re irritating to me too. I’m just too used to it.” Sooyoung stated, only to be met with Yuri’s glare. “Okay now, I want your side of the story. The one you like is Jessica, isn’t it?”

“The one I like is the rooftop girl. I’ve been perpetually stuck in the memories of that night.”

Sooyoung crossed her arms and sighed. “So you still don’t believe that Jessica is the rooftop girl.”

“I might be willing to believe that Miss Park isn’t, but for Sica… Innocent until proven guilty. I don’t want it to end up like what it is now with Miss Park.”

“Fair enough. Then let’s just put aside the rooftop girl for a second. Jung or Park? Humor me.”

“I…” Yuri paused. “I don’t know how to judge. I get entirely different feelings when I’m with each of them.”

Sooyoung nodded and sighed. “I get it.”

Yuri arched an eyebrow questioningly. “You do?”

“Of course, it happens too many times in dramas. Look, it may not be obvious to you now, but deep down, and you’ll know this eventually, that there'll always be that one particular person who just gets to you, who has the ability to make you feel this entire spectrum of emotions, and ultimately, preside over everyone and everything else. And that, my friend, is the person who matters."

On a normal day, Yuri would scoff at Sooyoung’s well-intended passage or dismiss it with a scientific fact or two, but today was different; today, Yuri was a different person. The girl remained quiet for a long time, giving deep thought to Sooyoung’s words.

"I'm gonna tell you something, but promise me; no dramatic reactions."

“Okay.”

“I broke down in front of Sica last night.”

Sooyoung’s eyes had widened enough to signify her level of surprise. “You know what this means, don’t you?”

“But that’s the problem. I’m not sure if Sica kissed me only out of symp--”

"Jessica KISSED you?!!" Tiffany gasped as she walked past the duo.

"I love dramatic reactions." Yuri groaned, burying her face in her hands.

"Yuri!" Tiffany exclaimed in disappointment. "Aren't you seeing Sunyoung?"

"No...” Yuri’s muffled voice sounded through her fingers.

Tiffany pried the girl’s hands apart. “But you’ve been hanging out with her, haven’t you? What about the phone calls, the piano lessons, or the fact that she comes here almost every other day?” Tiffany interrogated, sounding almost too upset. “For a moment I thought you guys had something going.”

“Yea, but… doesn’t it involve a sort of verbal agreement or something?"

“What, like the Unbreakable Vow?” asked Sooyoung sarcastically. “Hand me my wand, somebody.”

“Okay, were there any magic words exchanged?” Tiffany questioned.

“What magic words?” Yuri asked, more bewildered by the minute. “You’re not actually speaking Harry Potter to me, are you?”

“Tsk. Specifically the one that starts with an L.” Sooyoung sighed.

“Oh that. Uhh, no.”

Tiffany crossed her arms and sighed. "Whatever it is, Sunyoung is the sweetest girl I’ve known and she's been crushing on you for the longest time. If you don’t feel the same way for her, don’t lead her on."

"For the longest time?"

“She's been a regular for months, and she comes every Tuesday evening, without fail, just to listen to you play the piano. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but the way she looks at you just says it all. Why do you think I asked you to play for her birthday?” Tiffany asked, frowning albeit too much.

"You were trying to set us up?” Yuri asked in surprise.

“She was too shy to approach you, so I helped!”

Sooyoung broke into a big smile instantly. "I love triangles.” she joked as she put two hands together to form one. “Beautiful shape."

"Okay whatever it is, Park’s avoiding me, Jung hates me." Yuri huffed. "No one likes anyone, okay?" she declared as she left the table.

"Where are you going?" Sooyoung asked. “And your spaghetti?"

"Take it. I'm going to the rooftop to wait for MY rooftop girl, whoever she is."

-----

“I like you, Sica. I really do.”

“You like me.” the girl whispered, her head on the table.

What does the word “like” mean?

A casual term? Something that hangs freely on your lips?

Do you like Sunyoung too?

More than the girl at the roof top?

More than… me?

The self-blaming and loathing had begun its course. She hated herself for carelessly letting her guard down, for allowing herself to succumb to the sad stories, the sad eyes, and the sad persona. It was their fault, it had left her hanging onto the possibility that she had been special, extraordinary, that she had held the esteemed status of being the sole confidante to the girl who never allowed anyone in. But in the end, it was but a fleeting naivety. 

Today, everything was back to its indefiniteness and its harshness.

It was definitely a kiss, a longing, pining kiss. The little grab on the arm, the look Miss Park had in her eyes, and the reluctant goodbye; it had transcended anything beyond the “just friends” region.

That’s why she never bothered to reply my letters all this time, isn’t it?

She never thought that the romance novels had actually made sense, at least not till today. Like how the countless descriptive passages of sorrow and heartache had put out, there was quite literally, a pain somewhere deep within her chest, a heavy sensation in her stomach, an uncomfortable lump in her throat, and a helplessness that was numbing. Every single part of her consciousness had screamed a sort of discomfort that was so raw, it was entirely grueling.

(Sica! Where are you?)

With a tap of the button, the girl had switched off her cellphone. She didn’t want to be bothered, to be advised, to be counseled. She needed the reclusion, the luxury of having just her and her thoughts alone.

Although the hard truth was, there really wasn’t anything left to think about.

A tear had escaped her eye. She quickly wiped it off; furiously resisting the imminent wave. She would never allow herself to yield, to succumb, or to go even remotely close to that emotional dump; she wasn’t a person characterized by weakness and fragility. No one, not even that tanned girl who had tugged at her heartstrings so fondly, had the right to break Jessica Jung.

Putting a final stop to the internal chaos plaguing her mind, she buried her head comfortably in her arms as she lay on the table; just one cubicle amongst the many in the library. It was a perfect substitute for the rooftop; a place she could no longer find the courage to step into.

Because she knew for sure, that Yuri wouldn’t be there anyway.

-----

Miss Park hadn’t been better off. The prospect of giving up on Yuri hadn’t been easy the past few days; ignoring Yuri’s calls, avoiding Tiffany’s, and putting a stop to thoughts about the girl had been nothing but onerous, demanding tasks. But what was most excruciating now, was perhaps the kiss.

Kisses weren’t supposed to be this painful.

The unforeseen parting kiss had been digging into her chest for the entire day, leaving her with an immense amount of longing and a comparable amount of regret. The only rightful resolve to have now was perhaps to divert her attention to her studies; it would be a good distraction from the heartbreak, to say the least. Thus, when she was done with her classes that afternoon, she had chosen to stay behind for a little revision.

And the thing about everyone studying in the same school; the world is too freaking small.

Hoping the solace of the library would at least help with the accomplishment of some work for the day, she was surprised to find Jessica doing just the same thing that evening, seated just a few cubicles away from her. She watched the girl from her own inconspicuous cubicle, wondering if she should go up to her to say hi, but for reasons pertaining to her guilt, it had been difficult to do so. Instead, she hid in the succor of her own space and tried her hardest to focus on the right things.

It didn’t really work. Ultimately, coming to the library was a counterproductive measure; as time passed, she hadn’t done much work aside from observing Jessica.

And to make things worse, Jessica, the ever potent radar, had made the first move.

“Sunyoung.”

Miss Park froze to her seat as Jessica had approached her at her cubicle.

“I know you’ve been watching me.”

Miss Park was dumbfounded. She didn’t respond. The truth was; she couldn’t give an explanation as to why she’d been watching Jessica either. She sat in the comfort of her seat, looking up at Jessica’s reddened eyes, getting a sense of masked sorrow in them. Jessica was upset, but for reasons unknown to her.

“You’re in love with Yuri, aren’t you?” Jessica had asked bluntly. 

There was only one answer to it; one that she could say out in all honesty. “Yes.”

“I see.” the girl replied, solemnity in her voice.

“You too, aren’t you?”

("The library will be closing in 5 minutes. Students are advised to leave.")

It was a timely distraction, one that had given Jessica the time to build up on her act. The girl scoffed, momentarily gazing down. “I’m just her lab partner. We’re hardly even friends. I don’t even like Kwon Yuri as a person.”

Lies. All lies. Miss Park wasn’t fooled. 

“She’s oblivious and gets on my nerves all the freaking time.” Jessica added, her voice shaky. “And her laughter… I hate it. It’s annoying.”

Jessica wasn’t just upset. She was frantically clutching at anything and everything to mend her fissure, or at the very least, conceal it. It was a pathetic and shoddy attempt, and it was all in Miss Park’s plain view.

She wished she hadn’t witnessed this. She wished she hadn’t known of the consequence of her actions. But it had caught up with her, bringing back that familiar, unbearable weight on her shoulders. The ball was solely in her court now; she could come clean and bring the two girls together, or continue playing the escapist. This was the fork in the road; the next step was critical, and shouldering the full burden of it was suffocating.

“Jessica…”

And as it got to that point, the library had already emptied out; leaving just the both of them. The resounding classical music signaling the impending closure of the library was akin to a time-bomb; putting a deadline to her decision, and counting down every second she took.

“I’m sorry for everything...”

With a very heavy heart, Miss Park turned and left. She had lived with the guilt long enough.

There was only one person she wanted to see now.

-----

Chapter 11

What was she apologizing for?

As if figuring out the tanned girl wasn’t difficult enough, Miss Park’s apology had only raised more questions. But Jessica could care less now; having already exhausted herself in senseless thoughts the whole day. Despite having spent a whole day buried in books, nothing had really worked. Suppressing thoughts of the kiss was a rhetorical task; one that only cried for attention each time she focused on something else.

She stood by her cubicle and packed her things distractedly.

I really shouldn’t take it out on Yuri.Maybe it was my one-sidedness all along.

But still, why the hell did she kiss me back?

“Urgh, stupid Kwon Yuri--eeekkkk!“

The lights around Jessica had gone off in synchrony, leaving her all alone in the darkness. Panicking, she fiddled blindly with the rest of her items on her table and threw them into her bag, feeling a sense of trepidation about her upcoming situation.

“Oh no…” she muttered as she made a mad dash towards the exit.

-----

Miss Park waited with baited breath as she knocked on the door, being pushed closer to the edge with each passing second. There was a part of her that had advised her against coming clean, that furiously warned her about the consequences, but she knew she had to do the right thing.

The door eventually opened, but it wasn't the person she had wanted to see.

“Sunyoung?”

She managed a polite smile in the midst of her anxiety. "Hi…"

"Yuri will be back soon. Would you like to come in and wait?" asked Sooyoung.

"Sure..."The girl answered as she stepped into the house.

"Make yourself at home. And that’s Yuri’s room right there, if you’re interested."Sooyoung indicated as she walked towards the kitchen. "Will tea be fine?"

“Yes, thank you."

This was the first time Miss Park had stepped into the apartment, let alone Yuri'sroom. It was like getting a little glimpse of Yuri's life, one that she had only heard about in their casual conversations. She recognized a few things that Yuri had described; the red, trusty alarm clock, her fluffy double bed, the work desk which she was enslaved to, but there was just something too strikingly noticeable to ignore:

Two toothbrushes, seated comfortably side by side in a glass. And on the handle of one of them, were the words; “Meanie Jung’s”.

The possibility that Jessica had spent the night at Yuri’s only served to further reinforce her title as the loser in this race. The rooftop, the letters, the longing and waiting for each other, there was no way she could fit into this beautiful picture that they shared. She was the one who was watching from the sidelines, forever wishing she could have a part in all of this.

"Your tea’s ready in the living room," said Sooyoung, poking her head in.

"Thank you.” The girl replied, exiting Yuri’s room. She settled on the couch of the living room, facing the television screen. It was paused in the midst of Sooyoung’s drama, noticeably at a kissing scene.

“Oh oops.” Sooyoung had made a dash into the living room, grabbed the remote and switched off the television. Laughing sheepishly, she explained, “It was a good scene; the lovers finally realized that they were meant for each other. I almost cried!”

Miss Park sipped on the tea silently, swallowing that uncomfortable sensation in her throat as she did so.

“You okay?”

Miss Park nodded, focusing on the tea cup in her hands.

“Hey uhh, I don’t mean to be intrusive, but you shouldn’t avoid Yuri.” Sooyoung advised. “She really does like you a whole lot.”

Miss Park shook her head. “I did something bad, Sooyoung.”

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

The burden of this entire crime was slowly wearing the girl out, and very timely, Sooyoung had jumped on the perfect opportunity. Inhaling deeply, Miss Park admitted, “…I stole things that were meant for Yuri.”

“Does it have to do with a letter at the rooftop?”

Miss Park’s immediate reaction didn’t come as a surprise to Sooyoung, who had been spot on all this time. The latter exhaled. “Yuri found it in your bag on the day she was supposed to meet the rooftop girl, but she never confronted you about it. She’s been mistaking you for her all this time, and she refuses to believe me when I tell her otherwise. That’s how highly she thinks of you.”

There was no way things could end prettily now; Yuri was going to be brutally thrown into a world of disappointment. Ironically, Miss Park had just found her place in that beautiful picture she had wanted to be in - as the villain, the evil witch, the antagonist who tore the destined lovers apart.

The look on Miss Park’s face had spoke volumes about the mounting fear in her. “She’sgonna hate me…”

Sighing, Sooyoung consoled; “Don’t worry, I know Yuri. It’ll be fine.”

“…”

“Here.” Sooyoung had handed Miss Park a box of tissues. The whole living room was gradually being immersed in a heavy atmosphere as the girl’s snivels had manifested into insuppressible bawls. Sooyoung sat quietly beside the girl, stroking her back in an effort to calm her down, empathizing with her situation. The girl was after all, primarily harmless.

“I’ll talk to Yuri, okay?”

Miss Park nodded, wiping her tears. “Thank you.”

Sooyoung nodded sympathetically whilst still offering comfort to the girl. They sat in silence for moments more until the doorbell had rang. 

"That’s odd, didn’t Yuri bring her keys?" Sooyoung muttered under her breath as she approached the door. 

It opened to a shorter girl glaring up at her. 

"Tall and tanned..." the girl muttered as she eyed Sooyoung up and down.

"Uhh, can I help you?" Sooyoung asked, incredulous that there was a second uninvited visitor within a short span of time.

"Where's Sica?" the girl demanded.

"I don't know. Did something happen?"

"She's been upset the whole day because of you! Get your sorry ass out of this house and look for her!"

"Excuse me?" exclaimed Sooyoung, bewildered.

Glancing into the house, the girl gasped upon spotting Miss Park, vaguely remembering her from her short visit to Tiffany’s just days ago. "Is that... Park Sunyoung?”

Sooyoung was getting increasingly baffled at this point. “You know her??”

“So it's true; you and her?” she pointed at Sooyoung’s face with an index. “How could you do this to Sica, you insensitive, heartless, two-timing--"

"STOP." Sooyoung raised a hand in the girl's face. "You got the wrong person."

"You...You're not Kwon Yuri?"

"No, I’m way more attractive than that."

"Oh…Uh hahahaha!" the girl immediately burst out in girly giggles, tilting her head and fiddling with her hair. “I was just playing around with you!”

Sooyoung narrowed her eyes. “I don’t fall for aegyo.” 

The shorter girl huffed. “Fine, I’m sorry.”

“Accepted.” Sooyoung acknowledged with a slight raise of her hand. “Why is Jessica missing?”

"Ask your friend." the girl muttered. "Where is she anyway?"

"She’s been in school since evening. Speaking of which, she should have been back by now…" Sooyoung estimated. “Do you wanna come in and wait?”

“I have to look for Sica.”

“Just come in for a second while I call Yuri, okay?” Sooyoung insisted as she dragged the girl into the house, and then grabbing the phone on her way to the kitchen. “Can I get you tea too?”

“Thanks.” the girl answered. As a polite gesture, she smiled at the red-eyed Miss Park, who had seemed to recognize her as well. Gingerly, the girl followed closely behind Sooyoung into the kitchen, wanting to avoid any sort of confrontation.

Supporting the phone on her shoulder, Sooyoung reached into the cabinet for a teabag, albeit uncomfortably; the shorter girl’s eyes were fixated on her, as if watching her every move. Frustrated, she stared down at the girl. “Yes?”

“Why is she here?” the girl whispered.

“Looking for Yuri.”

“Why wouldn't she know her girlfriend’s whereabouts?”

Sooyoung frowned as she dispensed hot water into a cup. “Because she’s not her girlfriend? By the way, I didn’t catch your name—“

“So Yuri just HAPPENED to get kissed by a non-girlfriend? Do YOU kiss her too?”

Sooyoung’s eyes widened. “Does Jessica tell you everything?”

“Pretty much.”

“Damn, I can’t get through…” Sooyoung complained, handing the teacup to the girl. “So tell me this, is Jessica in love with Yuri?”

The girl sipped on her tea indifferently. “Is Yuri in love with Jessica?”

“I asked you first.” Sooyoung rebutted. “And you still haven’t told me who you are—“

“I’m willing to trade valuable information with you, deal?”

“Deal!”

“Sooyoung?” Miss Park had popped her head in, taking the two excited girls by surprise. “I think I better get going.”

“Don’t you wanna wait for Yuri?”

"It’s a little late, so…” she smiled a little sad smile. “Thank you for the tea."

“Sure, no problem.” 

Whilst Sooyoung ushered Miss Park to the door, the shorter girl had again, followed closely behind. They both watched inquisitively as Miss Park scurried down the hallway, then disappearing into the elevator shortly after. 

As soon as Sooyoung had shut the door, they both turned towards each other, and with exceptional synchrony, said one thing;

“Yes.”

“Yea.”

“Really?”

“Really?”

The synchrony was too perfect to ignore. Taken aback, they both kept silent right after, until it dawned on them that their simultaneous silence was just another addition to the synchrony.

Sighing, Sooyoung faced the shorter girl with a hand raised out. "Choi Sooyoung. Yuri's best friend. You?"

The girl held her teacup in one hand and returned Sooyoung’s handshake with an earnest smile. "Jessica's go-to person; Lee Sunny."

-----

“Crap, I actually dozed off...”

Yuri groaned as she sat up absent-mindedly, making sense of where she was. It was all too familiar, the cool concrete, the starry night sky and the smell of the night breeze. Everything was reminiscent of the calming intensity, the comfortable discomfort, and the incomplete faultlessness of that very night that she had held so tightly onto. Subconsciously, she had spent the past three weeks with Miss Park in anticipation of something close to what she had felt that night, only to come out empty. She sighed as she scratched the back of her head, finding herself back at square one. 

Who and where the hell are you, stranger?

And in the midst of stretching and snapping herself awake, her eyes had met the clock tower in the distance.

9:59pm... OMGAWD.

She ran as fast as her legs could take her, and exited the rooftop just right before she had heard the soft, audible locking sound of the door. But that was unfortunately, just Obstacle Number 1. Swiftly making her way down Stairwell A, she braved through the darkness of the library building, fearing Obstacle Number 2: Exit the library building before it locks you in.

Well unfortunately, her fear did come to pass.

"Damn it!" she cursed as she roughly pulled on the door handle. “What is it with this school and automated security systems?”

Conceding to cutting-edge technology, she reached for her cellphone, only to find herself conceding to another 2 things:

1) Terrible reception.

2) Murphy’s Law.

"Anyone out there?" she shouted as she pounded on the door.

"ANYONE??"

I’ll try the second exit, thought Yuri as she made her way into the main hall of the library.

-----

Darn it. The library looks exceedingly scary at this hour. 

Yuri gulped as she crept across the hall filled with bookshelves that were twice her height. Furthermore, it didn’t help that the famous stories revolving around the library building had quite deliberately popped up in her head at that moment. Aside from the ones involving its century-old history, one in particular, had involved a distressed female student, a noose, and her neck. It was told that she would take a self-guided tour of the library every night, crossing bookcases, tricking the excellent students whom she was jealous of by taking the form of someone they had trusted, and then ultimately lead them to their deaths by a cruel hanging.

Despite being the painfully scientific student that Yuri was, just for now, she wished she hadn't gotten all those As.

Regrettably, human senses were always exceptional in situations like these. At the slightest unfamiliar sound, a paranoid Yuri had backed into a wall, halting her advance towards the second exit for now. 

"Who's there?!" she shrieked.

There was a figure slowly approaching from the darkness. "Yuri...?"

"Ahhhh!!" Yuri screamed, her heart pounding in her chest. Welding her eyes tight, she stuttered, "H-how did you know my name?!"

"Why would I not know your name?"

That voice...

Curious, Yuri slightly opened an eye. Upon confirmation of the figure’s identity, a slightly opened eye had developed into two wide-opened eyes. 

The ghost!! She's taking Sica's form!!

"What are you doing here?" Jessica asked.

"I-I'm terribly sorry about your plight! But please, leave me alone! I need good results for a better future!!"

"What are you talking about?!" exclaimed Jessica incredulously as she approached even closer.

"S-stay away!!!" Yuri screamed again, this time frantically waving her hands in front of her. It was right there and then that she realized how her hands hadn't gone through this "ghost" like it should have; instead, they had landed perfectly on her nice, warm chest.

"Strange..." said Yuri as she began feeling around the area.

It's fleshy, definitely fleshy.

Ghosts aren't supposed to be this warm... are they...?

"Uhhh...Oops?" Yuri muttered, her hands retreating a little.

"PERVERT!!"

Slap.

Push.

Bang.

"I-I'm sorry!! I thought you were a ghost!" Yuri immediately recovered from the impact of her wall slam and started giving chase.

"Stay away from me, you pervert!!" Jessica shrieked as she ran ahead, highly embarrassed.

"It was an honest mistake!!”

“HOW?? You SAW my face!!”

“Precisely!!” Yuri exclaimed as she closed the distance. “The ghost that haunts this place is known to take the form of the people you trust most! Besides, I have what you have!"

Jessica had stopped running suddenly. The tanned girl came to a halt a little distance behind her, puzzled by her abrupt solemnity. "S-sica...? You okay?"

Without turning to face Yuri, the brown-haired girl asked softly, "So you trust me?"

Yuri bit on her lip, suddenly realizing the implications of her words. "I… I do."

“And you won’t have any problems being perfectly honest with me?”

“I won’t.”

"Then tell me the truth, are you with anyone?"

"What does that mean?"

Jessica exhaled, aggravated. "Do you already have a girlfriend?"

“No."

You freaking liar. I can’t believe...

"Huh." Jessica scoffed. "I see." she then began walking ahead.

Incredulous about the whole situation, Yuri resumed her little game of chase. "Wait... Where are you going?"

"Where can I possibly go?!" Jessica exclaimed, increasing her pace. "Just leave me alone!"

"Why?" demanded Yuri, tagging closely behind. Like two hamsters sharing a wheel, the two girls had begun circling the main hall of the library in an endless race.

“Sica!!”

“Stay…away!!” Jessica yelled.

In the heat of the moment, tempers flared, and the tanned girl had begun raising her voice. "Why should I? Why are you running away from me? Why did you ask if I had a girlfriend?"

"Stop following me!"

"Why? Why are you so mad? Why are you even wearing Mickey Mouse anyway? You hate it!"

Alas, it was the straw that broke the camel’s back. Once again, Jessica had come to an abrupt stop; this time almost causing Yuri to collide into her. Huffing, she then turned around to face Yuri, reached for the bottom edges of the hoodie, and in one swift move, freed herself from the fabric.

Leaving almost nothing to the imagination.

"I-I d-didn't mean..." Yuri muttered as she struggled to look away, until something in particular, had caught her eye.

Using just one arm to cover up, Jessica roughly shoved the hoodie into Yuri's hands. "Here."

But Yuri just stood still, blankly gazing at a particular spot on the girl’s body. Naturally, it only made Jessica even more uneasy. 

"Now stay away from me," stated Jessica as she began distancing herself again.

"W-wait... Why are you running away again??" exclaimed Yuri, finally coming to her senses. Garnering no response, she commenced The Great Chase for Jessica Jung, Phase 3.

"Sica!!"

"We need to talk about something!!"

“I’m so freaking serious!! It’s very, very important!!”

“Jessica Jung!!!”

"A-at least take the hoodie back, it's cold in here!"

Unsurprisingly, Jessica had completely ignored the girl’s incessant babble and in one full sprint, had headed straight for the bookshelves. Not far behind was contender Kwon Yuri, consciously striving to close the distance whilst screaming her head off.

“Sicaaaaaaaaa!!!”

Inevitably, the old frustrations had found their way back up again. Like a volcano on itsbrink of eruption, Yuri had finally reached her limits. Persisting behind Jessica down a row of bookshelves, she yelled; "Why are you ALWAYS leaving as and when you want to? Why don’t you wanna talk to me properly for ONCE? Why do you always have to be so cold? Why are you only sickeningly hostile towards ME and ME ONLY? You don’t even treat the others this way! Do you hate me so much? Then why the hell did you kiss me?! Are you just sympathizing--"

"Because I'm in love with you, you idiot!!"

And with that, Jessica had finally confessed.

It might have been a rash decision, but the words were already out, and there was no taking them back. With her back now against the wall, surrounded by tall bookshelves on her left and right, and a fuming Yuri standing right in front of her, she stood still, facing and baring all of herself to the girl. Jessica had never felt more vulnerable, more defenseless.

But, a vulnerable and defenseless Jessica was just what Yuri needed. She looked straight into Jessica's teary eyes, finally figuring it out. There were no dilemmas anymore, no big questions, and no confusion. Everything; was crystal clear.

Instinctively, she walked forward and held Jessica's face in her hands, her thumbs wiping the stray tears that were escaping through the edges of her eyes.

And then, without hesitation, kissed her.

This time, it was different.

This time, it wasn't just three seconds.

This time, it wasn't sweet and polite.

Jessica had to summon every ounce of strength in her to fight her bodily reactions towards the kiss. Pushing Yuri away, she begged softly with what little will she had left. 

"Please…don't do this...”

"It’s you." Yuri replied breathlessly, their faces still painfully close.

Keeping her eyes on Jessica’s, she slid a finger down the girl’s neck and stopped by her birthmark. “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jessica could feel herself crumbling under Yuri’s unwavering gaze. “What are you talking about?”

“You are the stranger at the rooftop.” Yuri tapped on the birthmark gently with a finger. “This is the reason why I’ve been staring at your chest.”

Cutting herself off of Yuri’s gaze, Jessica slapped her hand away. “So what if I am? You already have a girlfriend--”

“No I don’t.” Yuri interrupted.

“I haven’t finished—“

“No, I don’t.” Yuri maintained, wrapping Mickey Mouse over Jessica's body.

Jessica exhaled, having built up enough frustration in her to activate her defense mechanisms again. Anxious to make her point, she raised her arms out to keep Yuri at bay. “I met her just minutes ago.”

Yuri frowned. “Miss Park?”

Jessica nodded solemnly, still refusing to look at Yuri.

“It’s all a big mistake.” Yuri explained earnestly. “But I assure you, it isn’t what you think it is.”

Jessica stared at the ground. “Not like I care.”

“I mistook her for you all this time. She stole the letter I wrote to you.”

Forever the prideful person Jessica was, she maintained her eyes on the ground and reiterated; “Not like I care.”

Jessica’s stupid security system is back, Yuri mentally cursed. Insanely aggravated, she took a step forward and slid her arms around Jessica’s waist.

Jessica retreated back against the wall again, her hands holding Mickey Mouse as a shield. “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

“Self-explanatory,” replied Yuri as she tightened her grip.

“Let go of me.” Jessica ordered, feeling her body tense up.

“I will, once I’m done saying my piece. I need you to listen.”

Under the mercy of Yuri’s arms, Jessica huffed. “Fine.”

Tilting her head a little lower to capture Jessica’s full attention, Yuri stated, “Me too.”

“Huh?”

"What you said just now." Yuri said.

It was amazing what words could do, for they’ve taken an impossibly unbearable weight along with them as they were said. Jessica hesitated momentarily, getting an overwhelming, relieving sense of what Yuri meant. "I said many things…" Jessica murmured; still feigning ignorance whilst Yuri’s arms lay comfortably around her semi-bare waist.

"You... said you were in love with me." Yuri reminded, pulling Jessica awfully close to bridge whatever’s left of that irksome distance between them.

Jessica looked up into Yuri’s eyes, finding herself crumbling again. "So what?"

"So… rightfully, I should be kissing you right now, but you’re choosing to act dumb."

The girl had eventually found it hard to resist a little smile. "Why would you wanna do that?"

"Because," Yuri began as they faces drew even closer. And right before their lips had touched, the magic words were finally spoken: 

"...I'm in love with you, stranger."

-----

Peace, serenity, calmness. Yuri could whip out a thesaurus of synonyms to describe her emotional status. Seated beside Jessica on the floor, she leaned back against the wall, looking straight ahead into the stillness embedded throughout the main hall. Jessica, on the other hand, had her head down. Her eyes focused on their intertwined hands, she marveled at how comfortably their fingers had sat, like it was perfect. A head full of thoughts and no specific place to begin, Jessica had chosen, instead, to cocoon in this meaningful moment.

The two girls had remained silent for a long time; preferring to indulge in the mere presence of each other.

“It really is you.” Yuri had spoken up. “This was the exact feeling I had felt that night.” she continued, a little smile blossoming on her face.

“That’s funny; I was just thinking the same thing.” Jessica admitted.

“Hehehe.” Yuri giggled, leaning her head back against the wall. “Look at you, sounding all soft and gentle… Oww.” In the midst of it, Jessica had slammed their intertwined hands against the hard ground, of course, with Yuri’s hand receiving the full impact of it.

But Yuri had continuously laughed it off, fully appreciating everything that was primarily Jessica Jung. She then sighed upon being reminded of something.

“I’m doomed, Sica.”

“Why?”

“I made this bet with Sooyoung about the identity of the rooftop girl, and the loser has to go down on their knees in worship. And I… just lost.”

Jessica scoffed, swinging their intertwined hands a little. “Well you deserve it.”

Yuri pouted. “If you had just told me who you were from the beginning, I wouldn’thave to.”

“Well it’s not like I liked you very much in the beginning.”

Yuri arched an eyebrow and leaned closer to Jessica’s face. “Reallyyyyyyyy…”

In return, Jessica shot the girl her finest icy glare. “Kwon Yuri.”

“Of course, of course.” Yuri retreated back against the wall, smiling graciously. Sighing, she shook her head as she predicted the next course of days. “Omgawd, the things that Sooyoung will make me do…”

“So would you rather worship her and have me, or not?”

Upon hearing Jessica’s question, Yuri turned to her, wearing an earnest smile as she gazed upon the girl’s pretty face. “So… you’re my girlfriend now?”

Jessica broke into a giggle. Yuri’s eyes sparkled with so much sincerity and innocence that it was hard not to be soft-hearted to her little request. “Is this your way of asking me out, Kwon Yuri?”

“Well we've already said the magic words to each other…”

“Magic words?”

“The L word.” said Yuri gingerly, bolting the word to sacredness. 

In response, Jessica broke out into a hearty laugh and shook her head, too amused for words.

“Am I being rejected?”

Jessica shrugged, finding it impossible to conceal a smile. “Maybe.”

“Hmm.” Yuri bit on her lip and went quiet for several seconds. “Wait here.” she then told Jessica as she got on her feet.

“Where are you going?”

“Give me 10 minutes. Just stay here, alright?”

Jessica pouted as she obediently stayed in her position whilst Yuri had swiftly disappeared down the bookshelves. Looking down at Mickey Mouse, she casually asked; “Just what is she up to?” 

Probably got that from Yuri, thought an incredulous Jessica, shaking her head at her own silliness.

(Exactly 10 minutes later)

“Sica!” Yuri’s audible shout had resonated across the main hall, sending waves of echoes of the name that Yuri had so fondly called out.

“Where are you?” 

“Take 12 steps forward!” Yuri instructed.

Without questioning, Jessica had done so, curious to uncover what Yuri had been up to. Upon taking the 12th step, she had emerged out of the bookshelves, spotting Yuri at the other end of the hall. Narrowing her eyes, she quickly made her way towards the girl.

“Hi.” Yuri smiled cheekily as Jessica had stopped in front of her.

“What are you up to?” asked Jessica. It was difficult to figure anything out in the bad visibility.

“You’ll see.” Yuri answered as she stood beside the girl. “Now, watch.” she said as she directed Jessica’s attention to a cup in her hands.

“Please work…” Yuri muttered under her breath as she gently tilted the cup in her hands, allowing its contents to flow onto the ground. Jessica watched intensely as a slight sizzling sound was first produced, followed by a few sparks, and then flames - flames that had grown from an initial faintness to an eventual brightness, flames that had burned brilliantly in the perfect shape of a heart.

Stunned speechless, Jessica had turned to Yuri, wanting to be certain that all this was real. The taller girl only smiled back enthusiastically as she positioned her hand on a lamp that was placed on a table beside her.

“Keep your eyes on that.” Yuri instructed, seemingly excited over her little project.

And with a flip of the switch, the lamp shone on the ground, illuminating two distinct characters on both sides of the heart.

Yul and Sic.

The two words glowed in fluorescent yellow on both sides of the burning heart; its message loud and clear in its literalism.

“I’m not good with romance, but I do know a little Chemistry.” chirped the tanned girl, still wearing the silly smile on her face.

Jessica could only watch, teary eyed, as the big, bright gesture did more than scream Yuri’s feelings towards her. It had yanked at her heartstrings, it had rejuvenated her, and just like how the cheesy romance novels had described it to be, it was getting harder to distinguish realism from idealism.

“How…”

“Hmm? Oh, I broke into the Science archives and stole lithium. As for the fluorescence—“

Before Yuri could proceed into her potentially endless, nerdy babbling, Jessica had wrapped her arms around Yuri’s waist and buried her face in her neck, catching the taller girl off guard.

“I don’t understand…” 

“How is it possible that I have all these feelings for you?”

Yuri secured a teary Jessica in their embrace with an arm, while the other stroked the back of her head gently.

“Uhh… Oxytocin?”

Yuri’s little joke had eased the heaviness in the air. Giggling amidst her tears, Jessica delivered a gentle punch against Yuri’s chest, her face burying deeper into Yuri’s neck. “You dork. I hate you.”

“Literally?” Yuri asked, sounding a little worried.

Despite the tears, the tiring day she had been put through, and the surrealistic atmosphere she was in, Jessica was, most austerely speaking; happy - the one universal word that could embody anything and everything positive in its 5 letters. Smiling, she broke apart from the hug and took a good look at Yuri’s face. 

“I hate you for turning me into a needy and mushy person, Kwon Yuri. You’d better do a good job as a girlfriend.”

Yuri heaved a little sigh of relief, allowing herself to fully indulge in that other magic word - girlfriend. Despite relishing in its responsibility, it was not a title Yuri had worn before, nor had any clue as to how it was supposed to be worn, leaving her to fret over it quite considerably. 

Alas, an overly-analytical mind wasn’t one to be needed in the fields of romance. For instance, that moment had seemed timely for another kiss, but Yuri wasconfused; was she supposed to ask for it, or just sweep Jessica into her arms and plant one on her?

Eventually, she figured to go with the former; one that was polite and respectful, a gesture that she thought Jessica had deserved.

Arching her eyebrows at the shorter girl, she asked, albeit awkwardly; “Wanna… kiss again?”

Silly Yuri, Jessica thought, highly amused by the girl’s quirkiness. Hesitating for just a little while to tease the taller girl, Jessica wrapped her arms around Yuri’s neck and fell back a little as Yuri had caught on her waist; ala classic romance style.

“In future, don’t ask.”

In the end, Yuri had pulled it off. Just like the night at the rooftop, the chemistry that they shared was fiercely undeniable, and to top it off, everything had fallen so naturally in their places; Jessica Jung, was the right half of her embrace, the right half of her kiss, but most importantly, the right half of her entire person.

And as the night progressed, the two girls embraced, joined in perfect harmony, until the fire gradually died down, leaving just two words glowing in fluorescent yellow, faintly igniting all of the darkness in the hall;

Yul, and Sic.

-----

Chapter 12

A precious night had gone past in the twinkling of an eye, one that was almost reminiscent of the very first night they had met, but only better; for they had woken up in the presence of each other. The dawn of the following day brought with it the bright sun rays that shone through the windows of the library, and for some reason, Yuri had found them particularly beautiful that morning; just as how she had found the bookcases to be majestic, and the chandeliers magnificent. She found neither fault nor flaw in everything around her – especially so for the young lady that was shifting around in her embrace. 

The little body aches accumulated from Jessica’s infamous iron grip didn’t matter, for everything and anything seemed worth it now. It was like living in utopia; where nothing remotely close to sorrow existed.

“Good morning, Sica.”

“Morning…” Jessica greeted back, albeit gently, albeit bashfully. She kept her face buried in the comfort of Yuri’s neck, not moving an inch. “Were you up for long?”

“Just a little before you,” said Yuri. “I wanna see your face.”

“Later.”

It had aroused Yuri’s curiosity, who had been dying to see her girlfriend the moment she had awoke. Forcefully wriggling out of Jessica’s grip, she arched her neck far to the side and caught a glimpse of Jessica’s reddened cheeks, right before the girl had retreated into the comfort of her own palms.

Yuri laughed out loud as she propped herself up on an arm. “You are so adorable.”

“Stop teasing me,” ordered Jessica, her muffled voice sounding through her hands.

“I wasn’t,” Yuri defended. “And I love your hands, but I’d really like to see your face,” she reached for Jessica’s wrists and gently urged it aside.

It was as picturesque as Yuri had imagined it to be. As her eyes finally landed on the girl’s face, she took in every single detail, from the girl’s hazel eyes, to the little mole on her upper left cheek, to her perfect nose; and with the embellishment of the coincidental morning sun rays shining brightly on her, it was suffice to say that this image of Jessica would be etched deeply in her mind.

Pretty... 

Jessica delivered a slap on Yuri’s arm. “You’re quite a sweet-talker, aren’t you?”

“Did I just…” Yuri muttered, suddenly realizing that she had vocalized her thoughts again. In the midst of it, Jessica had leaned over and planted a kiss on her cheek.

“I get rewards for praising you?”

“No, it’s just because morning kisses are customary.”

Yuri had found it impossible to resist a big, wide grin. The little gesture had given her a surge of energy, and consequently, she sprung up on her feet. Offering a hand to Jessica, she invited, “Come on princess, I don’t wanna get caught for vandalism.”

-----

“Arghhhh…” Sooyoung stretched her limbs as she shifted around in bed. Ruffling her bed head, she peered at the clock by her bed and delivered a huge slap to it.

She gently nudged the girl beside her. “Fany, wake up. You have a café to open.” 

“What are you talking about…?”

Sooyoung’s eyes jolted open upon the unfamiliar voice. “WHY ARE YOU HERE?!”

“Gawd you’re even louder than the alarm,” remarked Sunny as she sat up and stretched her limbs. “Did you forget? We binged and drank last night away.”

Sooyoung gasped loudly and endlessly as she sat up. “Why are you on my bed then??”

“Because you invited me to. And can you quit the overreaction?”

“I… I’m not accustomed to sleeping with someone I just met for hours, just so you know.”

“Correction. You were sleeping BESIDE someone, not with.” Sunny stated. “I’ll have you know that I’m not so easy. Plus, I’m a fantastic drinker. I wouldn’t say the same for you though.”

Sooyoung heaved a sigh of relief, before shooting a glare at the shorter girl. “And thank gawd for that.”

“Ditto.”

“Urgh. Make yourself at home. I’ll get you a toothbrush.”

Drinking, binging, random girls coming over… Gawd. This house is a frat house. Sooyoung made her way out of the room, inwardly sighing about the spate of guests in her house as of late. Walking towards the storage closet, she was timely distracted by the craved, desired and familiar smell that had awakened all her senses. 

Yuri’s breakfast muffin!

Making a swift turn to the kitchen, she was just about ready to show her utmost appreciation to the tanned girl; only to negate her decision almost immediately – it was the second blow that rendered her speechless that morning.

Her best friend.

Her best friend in the kitchen.

Her best friend in the kitchen, standing by the stove.

Her best friend in the kitchen, standing by the stove, with a girl behind her.

Her best friend in the kitchen, standing by the stove, with a girl behind her, who’s wrapping her arms around her best friend’s waist.

Or to put it in perspective:

Yuri in the kitchen, standing by the stove, with Jessica behind her, who’s wrapping her arms around Yuri’s waist.

OMGAWD!!! 

Sooyoung suppressed a potentially deafening yell, feeling like she was about to implode from the inside. She then made a swift elusion and headed straight back to her bedroom.

Sunny gasped. “You scared me. Why do you look so excited?”

“Jessica’s here!!”

“Oooo-kay—“

“Hugging Yuri!!” the taller girl frantically hugged air to prove her point.

“Really??” Sunny exclaimed as she got off the bed.

“What are you doing?” Sooyoung stood by the door with her two arms sprawled out to the sides, hindering her exit.

“To see my friend.”

“Wait.”

“Why?”

“I wanna spy on them,” said Sooyoung, a glint in her eye.

“Oh come on. How old are you? Now move, or I’ll make you.”

Sooyoung stared her down menacingly. “Oh yea? How are you gonna do that?”

In response, Sunny raised two hands out and reached forward for the both sides of Sooyoung’s waist. Consequently, the fragile Sooyoung had burst out into laughter, and taking the first opportunity she could get, Sunny reached for the door knob.

“Sicaaaaaaaaa!”

“Sunny?!” a startled voice had emanated from the kitchen.

Sunny had stationed herself right in middle of the hall, arms on her hips. Arching an eyebrow, she took a good look at the taller girl who had emerged from the kitchen behind Jessica.

“Not bad,” she remarked, smirking.

“Uhh, she is?” Yuri leaned towards Jessica and asked whilst smiling; ventriloquist-style.

“30% friend, 70% nosey-parker.”

Just then, Sooyoung had emerged from her room with a beam on her face. “Oh what a crowd!”

Yuri sighed upon seeing Sooyoung, bracing herself for the end of her life as she knew it.

“Morning, Jessica!” Sooyoung greeted, waving her hand a little. “What a delight to see you early this morning! And with Yuri, too!”

Ignoring Sooyoung for now, Yuri approached Sunny with an outstretched hand and a fortuitously attractive smile. “Hi, I’m Kwon Yuri.”

Sunny returned her handshake enthusiastically. “Hello, Kwon Yuri. My name is Sunny Lee, and my number—“

“Is not of our interest.” Jessica had completed her sentence.

“I’m sorry, did you say OUR interest?” Sunny narrowed her eyes at Jessica.

And so it goes; in the main hall of the Kwon-Choi Residence, stood four people; a romantic coupling, a troll partnership, and one staring match. Eventually, Sooyoung got bored and succumbed to the delectable fragrance wafting from the kitchen. She marched towards Yuri and with an arm over her shoulder, dragged her to the kitchen.

“Breakfast muffins today?”

With the taller girls out of the way, Sunny burst into a big smile and skipped towards Jessica. “I expect an expatiation, and I want every single detail, from cover to cover.”

Jessica sighed, finding it hard to conceal a smile. “What are you talking about?”

“Your lying is impossible, Sica.”

“Fine, smarty. Why are you here anyway?” 

Sunny had walked to the living room and settled on the couch. With a smile, the girl urged, “Come, sit.”

-----

“Something you wanna tell me?” Sooyoung stared at Yuri, arms crossed.

“Nothing…”

“Oh, so who was that back-hugging you so tightly just minutes ago?”

Yuri was perhaps a little too happy now to put up an act. Giggling, she turned to Sooyoung, holding a frying pan in one hand and a spatula in another. “Sica said the L word to me.”

Sooyoung laughed in amusement. “You look absolutely ridiculous right now. So you guys are official or something?”

Yuri’s persistent giggling had delivered all the answers. “Is it normal that I’m this happy?”

“Yes, but not for long. I believe you have something else to tell me.”

“Uhh… I don’t.”

“Really? Or should I call your spanking new girlfriend here for some clarification?”

Yuri groaned and turned back to the stove. “You were right. There was no Rooftop Park. It’s always been Rooftop Jung.”

“Thank you for your honesty.”

There was a short period of silence, before Sooyoung had stood up straight and placed her hands on her hips; undoubtedly taking an aggressive stance.

“SO KNEEL DOWN TO THY MASTER, OH UNWORTHY ONE.”

Yuri groaned as she flipped a patty in the pan. “Look, I’m making you the--”

“You shall address me by Great Master Choi, worship me on your knees every single day, kiss the ground that I walk on, bring me offerings of food, food, oh glorious food…”

“Urgh.” Yuri ignored the girl as she indulged in her endless babble.

“KNEEL, UNWORTHY.”

“Breakfast muffin, Sooyoung…” Yuri held up the frying pan as an offering.

Sooyoung took a little whiff of the delicacy. “I’ll have that and the KNEEL, thank you.”

GAWDDDDDD…

Inhaling deeply, Yuri went down on her knees grudgingly, still holding a spatula in one hand. 

“Oh unworthy, say something would you? Address me.”

Inhaling deeply again, Yuri shut her eyes. “Great Master Choi.”

Sooyoung placed a hand at her ear and leaned down towards Yuri. “I CAN’T HEAR YOU, UNWORTHY.”

“Great... Master... Choi.”

“Maybe I should call Jessica in here—“

“GREAT FREAKING MASTER CHOI!!” Yuri shouted, inevitably garnering audible giggles from the living room shortly after. In addition, Sooyoung was already giddy with laughter and could barely even stand up.

“HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!”

Quickly getting back on her feet, Yuri went straight back to cooking. “Awesome. Just plain awesome. My first day with Sica and she has to witness this.”

Grabbing onto the kitchen counter for support, Sooyoung repeatedly patted her chest to calm herself down. 

“Oh this… is one of the… milestones… of my life!!”

“Hahahaha!!”

“Every day, Yuri Kwon. Every single day!”

“Oh I should catch this on film and show it to Yoong!”

“Hahahahaha!!!!”

“Ahh, life’s good, isn’t it?” Sooyoung asked, letting out a relaxed sigh as she finally calmed down a little. 

“Awesome,” said Yuri sarcastically.

“You know, you could make a romance novel out of your love life.”

“Very funny.”

“And by the way…” said Sooyoung, deciding to broach the more pressing issue; “Sunyoung came here last night looking for you. I spoke to her briefly,” she paused, waiting for Yuri’s response. 

When there was none, she continued, “She wanted to confess about the letter, I think.”

Still met with Yuri’s silence, she added, “She was bawling, Yuri. It wasn’t like crocodile tears or anything.”

The response from the girl was a mere adjusting of the frying pan.

“Can you say something?”

“I don’t have anything to say.”

“Your face says otherwise. Now speak freely, unworthy.”

Yuri sighed, eventually relenting. “If it was just once, it wouldn’t seem so bad. But Sica wrote a second letter, and that disappeared too. You know all this time, I rejected your theories because I refused to believe that she was capable of such a thing. It’s just… a huge sense of disappointment. Why would she do this to me?”

Sooyoung understood where Yuri was coming from, but being a good friend also meant being objective to the issue, and she had to speak up for Miss Park. “Simply put, the girl’s head over heels in love with you. It probably justifies why she did what she did.”

“I don’t see how.”

“She really wanted to be with you, Yuri. What she did was selfish, but it’s really human nature. Sunyoung’s a good person, and you should know that better than all of us. Doing such a thing just shows how much she wanted you.”

Yuri exhaled. “I just want to focus on Sica right now.”

“And you have all the time in the world for that. I’m just saying, you’ll have to face Sunyoung really soon and you know it. Just… try to put yourself in her shoes, okay?”

Yuri solemnly nodded as she sprawled out the food onto the plates. “By the way, was Sunny sleeping with you?”

“BESIDE,” corrected Sooyoung, scaring Yuri with her deafening voice.

“Whoa. Relax, it was just a casual question. Why was she here anyway?”

“To look for Jessica. You know we were talking about you guys last night, and we had all these plans to bring you two together… but apparently, they’re not needed anymore. Oh I’m such a good friend.”

Yuri chuckled. “Why thank you, Great Master Choi. In return, a breakfast muffin for you.” she said as she held up a plate.

“This pleases me, unworthy.” Sooyoung nodded as she received the plate and took two others. 

“Excuse me, those are for—“

“Oh my, we have guests to entertain, unworthy! Is that single, miserly breakfast muffin all that you’re serving them? This shan’t be tolerated. Cook more! Quickly!” Sooyoung ordered as she left the kitchen, hogging the 3 plates in her hands.

-----

“Can he please stop staring at you?” muttered Yuri as she gripped an Erlenmeyer flask albeit too tightly.

“Well you’re the one who asked me to charm him to death.”

“Oh that’s what you’re doing now, isn’t it?”

“Yes.” Jessica replied indifferently as she flipped her hair a little, only to add in that extra effect.

Glaring at Jessica for a second, Yuri then shifted her gaze towards the apparatus, her heavy breathing just about audible amidst the laboratory. Yuri’s adverse reaction was entirely entertaining to Jessica, who in return; rested the flasks on the bench, stood on tiptoes and leaned forward to deliver that peck on her girlfriend’s cheek.

The taller girl had been frozen to the ground. Along with the others who had just witnessed it.

“There. Better?” asked Jessica, a pretty smile blossoming on her face. 

“Y-yea.”

“Want more?”

Yuri gulped, head in the clouds. “That’ll… be nice.”

Acceding with Yuri’s request, Jessica had leaned forward with a second kiss, but this time, with lips plastered to the girl’s cheek for several seconds more. 

“That’s all for today, Kwon Yuri.”

And for some reason, Yuri had thanked Jessica for it. “T-thank you.”

“You’re very welcome,” said Jessica, giggling.

Damn it Kwon Yuri, focus! Resisting the urge to turn to look at Jessica’s face, Yuri kept her eyes on the equipment ahead of her, only to realize moments later that she was just plainly looking at it without really doing anything.

“Is it bad that I can’t concentrate on the experiment?”

“Yes it is,” was the answer. It wasn’t Jessica’s voice, however.

“Crap.” Yuri muttered.

“This laboratory is for scientific-Chemistry, not romantic-chemistry,” the TA emphasized as he towered behind both girls.

“It’s all about experimenting chemistry anyway...” Yuri mumbled whilst Jessica shot her a little smile. 

“What did you say?”

“Nothing...”

“Get cracking. I will deduct tech marks if you fail to finish the experiment,” he stated.

As soon as he had walked off, Jessica shook her head and sighed. “If you weren’t so sensitive, we probably could have gotten away with everything.”

“It’s just tech marks.” Yuri replied, grudgingly reading the lab manual for the next step of the experiment.

Jessica arched an eyebrow at the taller girl. “What about your little contest with Sooyoung?”

“So I’ll lose. It doesn’t matter. You do.”

Jessica bit on her lip to resist a smile and elbowed Yuri on her side. “Stop being mushy to me.”

“Was that mushy?” Yuri asked, totally clueless. “I was being honest.”

Jessica chuckled as she looked at her. “Nevermind.”

Fortunately, the couple hadn’t lost their functional working relationship despite their blooming personal relationship that had arisen since the previous night. At the end of the lab, the lovers had to part as Jessica still had classes for the day, and after being physically together for more than 12 hours, it had felt more than dreadful. To Yuri, it was a totally new sensation; one that she couldn’t make sense of. The only thought in her head was when she would see Jessica again, and she’d wished it would be soon.

“I’m working tonight. It’s piano night.”

“Okay,” said Jessica, engrossed in packing her bag.

“I thought you might be interested in coming.”

Jessica shrugged. “We’ll see.”

“Okay.” Yuri replied, seemingly disappointed.

Silly, Jessica thought. “See you,” said Jessica as she “experimented chemistry” with Yuri for the third time in the lab.

“See you…” Yuri could only wave, bemused, as her girlfriend had strode off.

“Bye…” she continued uttering and waving, watching as Jessica disappeared around the corner.

“Seriously, you two; I won’t tolerate it for the next lab.” the TA declared as he walked past the dazed girl.

“Yea yea…” uttered Yuri as she packed up her own stuff.

-----

On an equally happy note, the past few days have been nothing but wondrous to Tiffany. If tending to Tiffany’s was a little bit of a chore before, it was now a blessing. Day by day, Tiffany and Taeyeon had gotten a little friendlier, a little closer, and Taeyeon had been noticeably happier.

It was just another morning at Tiffany’s, and another round of prep work. Routinely wiping the tables that morning, Tiffany was greeted by the chime, albeit a little too early. Old habits die hard, they say, and she had absent-mindedly greeted her first customer again. 

“Morning, welcome to—Taeyeon?”

The shorter girl broke out into a chuckle. “I believe it’s called Tiffany’s.”

“You’re early today.” Tiffany stood up straight and fiddled with the tablecloth nervously, embarrassed about her little slip-up.

“I don’t have classes till the afternoon. I figured I’ll clock some hours.”

“You didn’t have to,” uttered Tiffany as she wiped the table. She peeked as Taeyeon made her way to the coffee machine. “I already feel bad enough that we’re not paying you a salary.”

“You know, all this has been really good for me. It’s better than a salary.”

“Really?”

Taeyeon nodded, smiling a little. “I like being here. Just being here makes me feel a lot lighter.”

“I’m glad to hear that. Well you can come over more often if you’d like to.” Tiffany smiled, still wiping the table. “N-not just for work of course,” she quickly added.

“I’d be glad to work anyway.”

“Okay…”

“And I think that’s good enough.”

“Pardon?”

“The table,” Taeyeon pointed at it. “You’ve wiped it several times now.”

“Oh.” Tiffany smiled sheepishly as she proceeded to another table, hoping she could suppress the inner klutz that always appeared at the most timely of times – whenever Taeyeon was around.

“A penny for your thoughts.” Taeyeon eventually said.

Tiffany continued wiping the table, wondering what to say. Truthfully, there was just one burning question in her head since she’d known Taeyeon; one that she’d wondered endlessly about. 

“Can you tell me more about her?”

Just 7 words, but it hadn’t been easy. Despite already knowing a little of the story from Jessica, Tiffany wanted Taeyeon’s version of it; in her own words, in her own expression. Unfortunately, her hopeful request had been met with a disheartening response: none.

“Sorry, I was just curious.” Tiffany apologized, directing her focus back to wiping the table. 

I shouldn’t have asked…

Whilst Tiffany was bathing in regret, Taeyeon had suddenly appeared in front of her with a tray of food.

“Could we open a little later today?” Taeyeon had asked, placing the tray down on the table.

“What’s this?”

“Breakfast at Tiffany’s,” she plainly answered, pulling a chair out for Tiffany. The latter hesitated momentarily before accepting Taeyeon’s invitation, feeling a little more optimistic than just seconds ago. 

“I made this at home,” explained Taeyeon as she served the food. “Just one more thing. Wait here.”

Tiffany looked blankly at the food sprawled across the table, momentarily distracted by its delectable fragrance. Shortly after, Taeyeon had re-emerged with 2 coffee cups in hand.

“Two black coffees today?”

“The other one’s for you. We’re both black coffees, right?”

Tiffany nodded, surprised by the little gesture. “Thank you.”

Taeyeon settled in her seat, and then held up the sugar canister. “Sugar?” To which Tiffany nodded shyly. It was perhaps the most nervous breakfast she had ever had, and she fiercely pondered on what she should say, or at the least, what topics she was allowed to broach.

There was just a momentary quiescence before the girl had looked towards Tiffany with a polite smile. 

“She was my best friend. We’ve known each other since we were really young, we attended the same schools, and we did almost everything together. That was until, she was diagnosed with leukaemia. It sort of changed everything. Morning jogs, afternoon coffees, sleepovers… everything gave way to hospital visits. And as she got weaker, we couldn’t even hold the conversations we used to have…” Taeyeon shook her head as she held her coffee cup. “…I hated her for leaving me.”

“And I’m ashamed about it.”

As Taeyeon and Tiffany sat on opposite ends of the table looking at each other, there was an innate connection, a silent understanding that all the words that had just been said didn’t come easy. Inwardly, Tiffany knew that there was no time like now to delve deeper.

“You were in love with her, weren’t you?”

Taeyeon chuckled a little. “I cared a whole lot about her. Since we spent so much time together, it feels weird that she isn’t around anymore. It’s like she took something away when she left and I’m being forced to get used to not having it. I’m coping with that, but right now, there’s this huge sense of regret; because I never really told her anything. She was a really vocal person, but I could never match that.”

Tiffany remained silent for a short while, trying to decipher Taeyeon’s answer. Fortunately, the girl had made things a little easier for her.

“And to answer your question; no, I wouldn’t call it love, I guess.”

“Why not? She seemed important to you, to say the least.”

“She was,” Taeyeon nodded, sipping on her coffee. “But I don’t even know what the word means, or what’s supposed to constitute it.”

Tiffany smiled, appreciating the fact that Taeyeon had felt the need to respect that sacred L word. “I think everyone would have their own definitions for it. It’s really up to you to determine if it is.”

Taeyeon gave a moment’s ponder, before beginning, “I’d think that if I ever felt romantically interested in someone, I would want to be vocal about it. Something like, stepping out of my usual self,” she explained. “How about you?”

Tiffany shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I’ll know it when it hits me.”

“By instinct?”

“Well there are a lot of things in this world that nobody’s sure of, but I’m assuming that when I do fall in love, I’ll feel something so intensely that it’ll be completely obvious to me.”

“Like something extraordinary?”

The girl hung her head down. “Oh my gosh, you remembered. It’s embarrassing…”

“Not at all, it makes sense actually. If you don’t mind, I’ll use that as a gauge too.”

Smiling, Tiffany shook her head as she raised her coffee cup. “Here’s to hoping we get it.”

“And soon,” added Taeyeon as they brought their cups together. “Tuck in, before the food gets cold.”

-----

The light piano music in the background. The smell of coffee beans in the air. The soft chatter of people all around. She held this place dearly, along with the memories of the past few months, which were still as vivid as ever. 

Tuesdays were the days she would arrive a little earlier, just to capture the luxury of this table, where she could watch, in intrigue, the girl at the piano from their comfortable distance. Today’s Tuesday, wasn’t an exception. She took a little glance at her watch, noticing that she was a little earlier than usual, but it didn’t matter. Yuri had always come in early on Tuesdays, to help out in the kitchen, goof around with Sooyoung, or on the better days; to practice a little before her performance.

“Sunyoung!” called Tiffany. “I haven’t seen you in a while.”

She managed a little smile in response. “The workload’s getting heavier these days.”

“Well drop by when you can. Can I get you anything?”

“Actually, I’m just waiting for Yuri…”

“She should be coming soon. Coffee while you wait? It’s on the house.”

Miss Park nodded. “Thank you.”

As she sat in wait that afternoon anticipating Yuri’s arrival, she had felt a little calmer. Maybe it was the atmosphere of Tiffany’s, or maybe it was the constant reminiscing of the memories in this place, regardless, that relief was welcoming, and it was much needed; considering what she was here for.

“We’re here, Fany Fany Tiffany!”

It wasn’t lasting, however. At the sound of Yuri’s voice, she had been forcefully yanked out of that calmness and thrown into a pit of anxiety. She stood up from her seat and turned to face the girl, and right then, she was certain that things wouldn’t bode well.

“Hi!” Sooyoung greeted, shoving Yuri towards Miss Park’s table. “Uhh, since Taeyeon’s here I’m sure you’re not needed in the kitchen. Have a good chat, you two!”

Despite the chatter abound in Tiffany’s, the silence between the two girls was deafening. They stood a little distance apart; their only interaction diminished to nothing but a one-sided eye contact from Miss Park. It was akin to the days when Yuri hadn’t even known of her existence.

“Yuri…”

“Hi,” the girl plainly said as she settled opposite Miss Park.

A sleepless night spent entirely on worrying had already taken its toll, and seeing Yuri now hadn’t made things any better. The girl had taken on a straight sitting posture, seemingly at unease. Miss Park’s gaze had remained unreciprocated, and she hadn’t been acknowledged in the way that Yuri always did – with a tender smile and eyes that were kind. This wasn’t distracted Yuri or dazed Yuri. This was hostile Yuri, a side that was painfully unfamiliar.

“Do you have anything to tell me?” Yuri spoke up; her cold and distant tone only adding to the heartbreak. 

“You might want to tell me before I ask you about it.”

The tone of voice was too much to bear, and Miss Park had taken her eyes off Yuri’s unreceptive face; for fear that she might break. Without saying anything, she reached into her bag and retrieved the two letters; the two mistakes that had inevitably led to this downfall. 

She gently placed them on the table. “I’m sorry.”

Yuri looked down at the letters briefly. “Were you planning to hide this forever?”

For the umpteenth time, the tears had found their way out of Miss Park’s eyes. She was worn out, and there was really nothing left to say. She shook her head. “I’m sorry,” she said again.

“I really don’t understand why you did it.” 

The girl’s tone wasn’t cold anymore. Instead, it reeked of disappointment, and it had only pushed Miss Park to the end of her tether.

“You could’ve just come up to me. You didn’t have to do that.”

More tears had run down the girl’s cheeks. “I’m sorry…” she said again, her hands shivering as she clutched them tightly together, trying to suppress the immense heaviness in her chest.

But Yuri wasn’t one to be hard-hearted, especially not to Miss Park, whom expectedly, had held a sort of special place in Yuri’s heart after all this time. Witnessing the tears leaving their trail down Miss Park's face, any trace of negativity within her had dissipated. She immediately reached into her bag and retrieved a pack of tissues.

Handing it to the distraught girl with 2 hands, she gingerly said, “Don’t cry...”

Miss Park didn’t take the tissues, she merely sat in her seat; watching Yuri in all of her wholesome, good-natured self. Kwon Yuri was impossibly kind, and her intentions had only served to be counterproductive.

“Don’t cry, please…?” Yuri begged in a little whine as she leaned forward and dabbed a piece of tissue across Miss Park’s eyes. “It’s okay… I forgive you…”

Reaching for Yuri’s hand by her face, Miss Park held it tightly.

“Come with me.”

It was a request that wasn’t rejected. Yuri was led away from the table, through the kitchen of watchful eyes, and eventually out of Tiffany’s. The two girls stood at the back alley behind the café, at a particular spot that Miss Park had remembered so vividly.

Wiping her tears, she began, “Do you remember that night you tried to cut yourself?”

Yuri stood still in disbelief as Miss Park held tightly onto her hand. “…it was you?”

Miss Park nodded a little as she looked at their enjoined hands. “I’ve been… in love with you all this time.”

The girls stood in silence for moments after, the emptiness of the back alley surrounding them.

“I made a stupid mistake, and I would do anything to make up for it and maybe, make you fall in love with me…” she tightened her grip on Yuri’s hand, before continuing, “…but I know you’re already in love with someone else.”

Yuri had remained silent, as if verifying Miss Park's statement.

“It doesn’t matter,” the girl said as tears had streamed down her face. “I just wanted to let you know that every night, there’s someone out there who worries if you had another nightmare, or if you couldn’t sleep at all… There’s someone out there who appreciates your enthusiasm towards people despite how much you’re hurting within, and there’s someone out there who will be around if you ever feel the need to crumble—“

Crumble - the girl herself was convulsing as a result of her cries, and crumbling in front of Yuri. There wasn’t a need for more words; Yuri had fully understood now. She pulled her into her arms to provide comfort; for it was only the rightful thing to do. Her chest tightened a little at the girl’s inconceivable sorrow, and she had felt responsible for all the damage that was done. The letter-stealing had been long forgotten, and the only thoughts in Yuri’s head were now good ones - their nightly phone calls, the piano lessons, the study dates, and the fact that she had a special fondness for Miss Park.

The two girls had stayed in embrace throughout, until Miss Park had calmed down relatively. 

“It’s Jessica. The girl at the rooftop.”

“I know.”

And she had known then, what Yuri had implied. It was the release that Miss Park had needed, albeit forced down on her. This was her swan song.

“That’s good…”

“Thank you, for that night. I knew you hurt yourself then, and I never did it again because of you,” she paused a little, before saying, “And whatever it is, don’t avoid me. I can’t find it in my heart to blame you because I really do like you. A lot. And that’s all you should know.”

Miss Park returned a little smile, noticing that Yuri was teary-eyed. The two girls gazed at each other for a little longer, but it had come to an end at some point. Looking down, Yuri said, “I gotta get back in there. Stay for dinner?”

Miss Park shook her head. “I’ll be leaving.”

“Okay. See you,” said Yuri, turning away. 

As she did so, the sinking sense of abandonment had set in. With every step that Yuri took, the distance between them had seemed to amplify. As if it was their final parting, she felt the instant need to have Yuri’s eyes on her for one last time, Yuri’s attention on her for just one last moment, and Yuri by her side for just one last second.

“Would it have been different? If I had approached you earlier?”

Yuri turned back to look at the girl, eyes as earnest as they come. 

“Maybe.”

-----

Chapter 13

Tuesday nights were piano nights, they were the nights when Tiffany’s would experience a full house, when customers poured in to enjoy the amazing sandwiches, to indulge in the ambience of Tiffany’s, or simply, to ogle the pretty girl at the piano. To the general crowd, it was aesthetically pleasing, but to Yuri, it was something else. Despite the little fanbase Yuri had earned, no one had really understood, that with every touch of a key and every strike of a chord, a certain sorrow had leaked through those fingers. No one knew, nor even suspected; aside from the girl at the piano.

But that was what it was before. Tonight, someone else knew and empathized; someone in the audience, someone who had showed up that Tuesday night just to watch Yuri work her magic on the keys.

Someone; like Jessica Jung.

-----

“Aren’t you tired? It’s been a hectic week. Let me take over,” said Jessica, concerned.

Yuri shook her head and smiled, eyes focused on the road. “It won’t be long till we get there anyway.” 

“I am fully licensed to drive, just so you know.”

“I do know and I do trust your abilities, but I’d rather drive you around.” She reached for Jessica’s hand and gently held it in hers.

Jessica gazed at their intertwined hands and smiled ever so blissfully. Placing the girl’s hand back to where it should be, she instructed, “Two hands on the wheel, Yuri.”

“Of course, of course. I’m driving precious cargo after all.”

“Sweet-talker.”

-----

That Tuesday night, the girl took her bows and retreated to the kitchen; finding Jessica already in it, anticipating her arrival. The sight of her girlfriend’s face was just the thing to bring that smile to Yuri’s face, to trivialise what little distress there was left in her. She gleefully skipped towards the girl and embraced her with perfection; being neither half-heartedly gentle, nor chokingly tight.

“You came.”

Yuri’s very natural embrace was uplifting. It was little things like these; hugs around the waist, the look Yuri had in her eyes when they met, and the little childlike skips towards Jessica, these were the things that mattered most, that spoke most about how Yuri had felt towards her, and to the latter, it meant more than flowers, chocolates and all the gestures that were traditionally romantic.

Jessica had returned the hug enthusiastically, perhaps a little bit more. “Did you think that I wouldn’t?”

“Well you didn’t give me a straight answer,” said Yuri, burying her face in Jessica’s hair. A long afternoon of not seeing her girlfriend had taken its toll.

“You have to learn to be a little less naïve, silly.”

“I prefer the word ‘trusting’, Sica baby,” Yuri said, burying her face further into Jessica’s neck. Aside from its ticklish sensation, the endearing term that Yuri just made up had left Jessica cringing a little. She delivered a gentle slap on Yuri’s back.

“Enjoying yourself much?”

“Totally,” Yuri had replied without hesitation, once again making Jessica ticklish. The two girls indulged in their share of giggles as they embraced, and when things had died down, Jessica had broached the topic.

“Yuri.”

“Hmm?”

“If playing the piano is painful, then stop.”

The look of surprise was written all over Yuri’s face as she released Jessica from her grip. “How did you…”

“I don’t know how either. I sensed it since the first time I heard you play,” answered Jessica, reaching for Yuri’s hands. “I’m here now. Talk to me. Tell me everything.”

“Well, I was about to ask if you were free this weekend.”

Jessica nodded as she looked at Yuri inquisitively. “Why?”

“It’s my parents’ death anniversary, and I would like you to come with me.”

-----

“Looks pretty big…” Jessica muttered as Yuri had pulled over by the driveway. 

“Dad likes big open spaces. He was very into minimalistic architecture, so basically it’s just a ton of space and nothing else,” explained Yuri. Alighting from the car, she grabbed their bags from the back and then opened the door on Jessica’s side. Raising a hand out to the girl, she flashed her best smile.

“The Kwon Residence awaits you, princess. May I?”

The prospects of this little getaway were entirely exhilarating. They were going to live in the presence of each other, with no one else in the whole scene but themselves. Elegantly resting her hand in Yuri’s, an eager Jessica was consequently led into yet another part of Yuri’s life. Everything that had made and broke Kwon Yuri had taken place here; her childhood, growing up, and ultimately, her parents’ demise. 

“This place is huge!”

Yuri chuckled as she dragged their bags in. “Well Sooyoung, Fany and another friend used to come over often so that sorta fills the house up. Make yourself at home yea?”

“Let me help you.”

Yuri smiled and shook her head. “Nah, I’m good. Be a good guest, okay?”

Acceding with Yuri’s request, an inquisitive Jessica began exploring the place whilst Yuri held the task of the bellboy. The house hadn’t looked like anything she had imagined it to be; Sooyoung and Tiffany’s narration of the tragedy had inevitably led her to anticipate a more dismal environment, but on the contrary, it had looked just the exact opposite of it. Despite its modernistic architecture, it exuded a cosiness that was warm and convivial. The Kwons were definitely affluent, but they didn’t live ostentatiously. The only lavish item was perhaps the grand piano; strategically positioned right by the full-length windows in the hall, raised on a little platform where the moonlight had streamed in. There were family portraits abound, some of her parents, but most of them documenting Yuri’s childhood:

A young Yuri on the swing

Riding a bicycle for the first time

Being carried by her father

Holding a puppy in her little hands

Playing the piano

Helping her mother in the kitchen

Throughout history, photographs have been excellent tools for capturing memories; every single smile, frown, and expression was captured in the limits of one single frame. Jessica went through every one of them, revisiting every single memory; memories of a once complete family that Yuri could only look back on ever since.

Yuri had reappeared shortly after. “What’s wrong?”

Without realizing, Jessica had teared up. “I was just wondering how hard it must have been for you…”

“Ahh,” Yuri chuckled a little as she wiped the tears away. “But now I have you.”

“I don’t even do anything.”

Yuri looked down at Jessica, a disapproving look on her face. “What makes you think that there’s something to be done? Look, after spending the past few days with you, I have surmised a theory.”

Jessica frowned in amusement. “Tell me about it.”

“You just have to be around.”

“Si—“

“Before you call me ‘silly’ again, I have proof. Come,” said Yuri as she reached for Jessica’s hand. She led her to the grand piano and sat her on the bench, before settling beside her.

“Are you sure?” Jessica asked as Yuri lifted the fallboard.

Without saying a thing, Yuri merely smiled as she positioned her hands on the keys.

The same old melody, the same rendition. Only this time, it was different. The sorrow, the anguish, and everything else that Jessica had previously sensitized from this piece were gone; if anything, it was a lot lighter. The brown-haired girl sat silently and listened intensely, just watching Yuri’s hands as they ran up and down the keyboard.

In the midst of playing, Yuri had spoken up. “This was my father’s favourite piece. He owned many renditions of it; the cello, the guitar, orchestrated… but still the piano was my mother’s favourite. She insisted that since Chopin composed it for the piano, it would sound perfect only when played on it, and then she would go on to banter about her philosophy of how everything in this world has just one thing that they’re meant for; like bread and butter, peanut butter and jelly, milk and cookies… she was hilarious,” said Yuri, her eyes still focusing on the keys. “You know, Dad used to play it for Mom on every anniversary, and she often joked that this piece was an unorthodox charm because he had looked extraordinarily handsome each time he played it,” she said, chuckling a little.

Jessica smiled along, just listening to the bittersweet narration.

“I hated this piece right after they died. I hated my parents for getting involved, and I especially hated my mother for leaving me all alone in that pantry. I couldn’t understand her need to be with my father that night… It had felt like she was being selfish, that all she thought about was how she couldn’t go on without him, like I wasn’t even significant in her life. The anger went on for a long time, until Uncle Lee made it clear to me that she was only trying to protect me that night. She knew they would come after her, and she had to distance herself from me… or I would have died too.”

“…I felt so stupid.”

When the melody came to its eventual end, Yuri plainly stared at the keyboard and caressed it gently. “So… even though it’s painful, even though it reminds me of that night, I find the need to do this. I have to honour what they shared.”

It was an indescribable feeling, to be at the receiving end of all these stories. Having earnestly listened to everything that was played and everything that was said, Jessica reached for Yuri’s hands and intertwined them with her own. Amidst the fresh silence in the air, Yuri turned towards Jessica just a little, only to feel the latter’s lips resting gently on her cheek.

“Your mother was right. It is an unorthodox charm,” said Jessica, resting her chin on the girl’s shoulder. She reached up and caressed the hairline on Yuri’s forehead. “You’re a good person, you know that?”

“And look who’s the sweet-talker now?”

“You influenced me.”

Yuri giggled as she lowered the fallboard. “Well I’m pretty sure of being a good influence. You have nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t know about that yet. I’m still in the midst of my evaluation of you,’ stated Jessica as she stood up and headed towards the stairs.

Yuri gave chase immediately. “An evaluation? Really? How am I doing so far?”

Jessica shrugged as she walked up the stairs. “You’ll know when I know, Kwon Seobang.”

Yuri paused for a moment, then narrowed her eyes at Jessica. “…Seobang?”

“I want to be the woman,” the girl had stated indifferently. “Which room’s yours?

I’m more of a woman than you are, but still… Yuri smirked as she followed closely behind. Henceforth, in a very typical Kwon Yuri behaviour, she had grabbed Jessica from behind, and with arms around her waist, lifted her up; obviously hoping to score big points on Jessica’s evaluation card.

“What are you doing?”

“Being Kwon Seobang,” replied Yuri as she brought Jessica into the bedroom.

-----

A refreshing bath at the end of a long day was extremely welcoming. Sitting comfortably on her good old bed, Yuri waited, like an eager child at Christmas, for Jessica to be done with her bath, which regrettably, was going to go on for a long, long time. Eventually, the anticipation had died down, and she started getting bored whilst waiting.

And when one is bored, one’s mind drifts off into space.

(flashback, a few hours ago)

“My my, unworthy, Friday’s already here in the blink of an eye…”

“Yup.” Yuri squatted down by her bag, inspecting its contents. “Hey did I miss out on anything?”

“Maybe…”

“What?”

“Some…” Sooyoung coughed a little. “…knowledge.”

“What knowledge? Is there a quiz next week that I don’t know about?”

“You nerd. I was thinking, since you two are officially seeing each other now... Two lovers, all alone in one big house--”

“Huh?” Yuri frowned, her innocent mind not catching anything Sooyoung was implying.

“Do you know what to DO?”

Yuri sat on the bed, a look of inquisition all over her face. “Do what?”

“I hope you’re not acting dumb.”

“Am not. Get straight to the point, will you?”

Settling on the bed beside Yuri, Sooyoung wore an expression akin to a mother having a serious discussion with her child. “My dear Yuri Kwon, in life, people fall in love. Sometimes, they find their right partners—“

“STRAIGHT to the point, please.”

Sooyoung glared at Yuri for a second. “Fine,” she huffed. “Many things happen when two people are in love. One of which, can be further encouraged with the help of a comfortable mattress--”

“Oh gawd, Trash Choi.” Yuri whined.

“It’s Great Master Choi, unworthy. And come on, are you saying it’ll ONLY be ‘good night, sleep tight’?”

“I’ve only just started seeing her for goodness sakes!”

Sooyoung arched an eyebrow at Yuri’s defensiveness. “And yet you guys have been so incredibly touchy.”

“That’s… different.”

“Right. Totally different,” said Sooyoung sarcastically. “You’re telling me that you never thought about it?”

“I really didn’t!”

“Liar!” Sooyoung accused as she stood up. “All I see is that repressed tension hovering above the both of you. Trust me, it’s bound to—“

“No…!” Yuri immediately got off the bed and cupped Sooyoung’s mouth before she could go on. Exhaling, she explained, “Lately, EVERYTHING that you predicted has been coming true. So please, Choi Sooyoung, Great Master Choi, think twice about what you’re saying. Honestly, isn’t it way too early for something like that? I want things to proceed slowly and nicely.”

Sooyoung arched an eyebrow at Yuri, still not fully convinced.

Gazing down, Yuri stuttered, “A-and besides… I haven’t gotten that knowledge you were talking about…”

Sooyoung sighed as Yuri’s infamous puppy eyes had emerged again. Eventually, the Great Master Choi finally nodded in relent.

“Sure?”

Sooyoung nodded again.

“Okay,” Yuri sighed in relief and then shifted her attention back to her bag. “Now what else haven’t I packed—“

“YOU TWO ARE SO GONNA DO IT TONIGHT!” Sooyoung yelled as she ran out of the room.

“CHOI... SOOYOUNG!!!”

(end of flashback)

Nah, Sooyoung can’t be right all the time. That just defies simple mathematics. The girl reassured herself as she fiddled with her fingers, making sure she kept her gaze away from the bathroom door that was strategically positioned right in front of her.

It then occurred to her that the room was completely silent, except for the sounds coming from the bathroom.

The sound of water running through the pipes. Some light splashing. Jessica’s indistinct humming.

She smiled as she pictured the girl singing her heart out in the shower, but that smile had faded quickly when it struck her that people don’t actually wear clothes when they’re bathing. She shook her head hard as her face began burning up like a stove.

“Omgawd, Sooooooooooyoung. It’s your freaking fault!!” Yuri whined as she lay on the bed and buried her face in the pillow.

And when the hell will she be done??

Her answer had come quite timely; just as she heard the closing tap. The sounds of running water, the light splashing, and Jessica's humming had also come to an abrupt stop. Yuri didn’t understand what she was building up all this anticipation for; it seemed as if it was part of a natural process, and she wasn’t in any position to fight it. Sighing, she succumbed to her rapid heartbeats and waited patiently for Jessica to be out.

With her face still buried in the pillow, she continued relying on her sense of hearing to gather everything that was happening behind her.

The clutching of the door knob. The sound of the door creaking open. 

Jessica’s voice. “Yuri…”

Jolted to awareness, Yuri pushed her face further in the pillow. “HMM?”

“Do you have a hair dryer?”

“Uhh yea.” Yuri immediately scrambled off the bed and fetched one, constantly directing her eyes away from the girl. She then plugged it into the socket by the side of the bed and placed it down, before retreating into her pillow again.

“Sleepy, are you?” asked Jessica, her voice travelling to the other side of the bed where the hair dryer was.

“Yea…” 

As Yuri felt the bed sink a little, her heart had contrarily, skipped a little. She found it insanely difficult to fathom these weird sensations, though she knew clearly that they were all figments of her wild imagination, and it was purely up to her to put them to an end. Going about this logically, she figured that distraction would do the trick, and hence, she had turned to face the wall, mindlessly focusing on the minute roughness of its texture.

When it didn’t work, she began observing her hands and the intricate lines on them. She also gave a moment’s ponder about palmistry and whether there was any truth in it at all.

When that didn’t work either, she hummed little innocent nursery rhymes.

“Kwon Yuri.”

“…hmmm?”

“Why are you facing the other way?”

Yuri bit on her lip hard as she plainly stared at the wall. “A-are you covered up?”

“About 70%. Does it matter anyway? Didn’t you always say ‘I have what you have’?” chided Jessica.

“Uhh, yea…”

“So turn around. It’s rude to talk like that.”

Urghhh…

“Okay, Kwon Yuri. You can do this…” she muttered under breath. Gritting her teeth and forcing her eyes open, she rolled over to the other side of the bed.

And then swallowed that lump in her throat, hard.

A thigh. All I see, is a thigh.

Regrettably, she had underestimated the size of her bed and made too generous a turn, ending up just several inches from Jessica. It was then that Yuri had learned some fun facts about her girlfriend:

Fun fact 1: Jessica’s exuding scent was innate and was neither a result of soaps, nor lotions. 

Fun fact 2: Her skin was flawless and had very oddly, shimmered under the light. Not in the immensely exaggerated, Edward Cullen way, but just… shiny.

Fun fact 3: She was exceptionally mediocre at estimating proportionality; i.e., 70% covered up? You’ve gotta be kidding me.

Consequently, Yuri channelled all her energy into her face; forcing a smile on her lips and her eyes upwards on Jessica’s highly amused face.

“I always knew you were a pervert. Since day one.”

“I’m just not used to seeing a semi-naked person,” Yuri maintained, turning back to her side of the bed. “And it’s Sooyoung’s fault; she kept drilling ideas in my head…”

Jessica narrowed her eyes. “What kind of ideas?”

“Uhh nothing, just stupid ideas--”

“Elaborate.”

Yuri groaned, knowing she had no choice but to confess. “Oh gawd how do I say this? Uhh… C-consummation?”

Jessica tilted her head as she continued blow drying her hair. “So that’s a stupid idea?”

“No, it’s just we barely got together and…”

“You think it’s too soon for that?”

When Sooyoung had posed the question, Yuri had said yes without hesitation. But tonight, she learned that it was fully probable to have a different answer when the party whom you’re answering to is in question; specifically Jessica, who pouted as Yuri had remained silent for some time. 

“Actually, I’ve been wondering if we would do it tonight.”

Yuri arched both eyebrows, turned to face Jessica and stared at her, wide-eyed. SHE DID NOT JUST SAY THAT.

“But I guess, if you think it’s a stupid idea--”

“It isn’t!” exclaimed Yuri unwittingly.

“Really.” Jessica brushed her fingers through her hair as she continued drying it. “Too bad.”

“But…”

“Too bad.”

A chest full of agony, Yuri turned away once again, knowing that the sight of the girl, in all of her “70% covered up” glory, would made things worse. “Come to bed when you’re done,” she said, giving up. 

I’ll just try to get some sleep. Yuri thought, figuring that it might solve her problems. Well it did, for a short while. When she woke just moments later, it was to Jessica snuggling up to her in bed. She smiled meekly, ruffling Jessica’s hair as the girl had leaned closer. 

“Good… night...” Yuri mumbled, half-asleep.

Jessica had buried herself snugly in the nook of Yuri’s neck. “Are you really sleeping?”

“Mm hmm...” Yuri answered with her eyes closed, her hand still atop Jessica’s head.

“Really?” Jessica asked again, using a finger to jab Yuri’s side.

Yuri chuckled a little and she brushed Jessica’s hand away. “Don’t…”

Unfortunately, it was fairly predictable that Jessica would do the exact opposite. With both hands sneakily positioned on both sides of Yuri’s waist, she did a mental countdown and then, with the right amount of pressure, dug her fingers into the girl’s flesh.

“ARGH!” Yuri jolted to awareness whilst Jessica broke out in hysterical laughter. Eyes fully opened and conscious fully awakened, Yuri turned to the girl beside her. “Oh you wanna play?”

Jessica was still laughing hard, having a ball of her own. She could only shake her head in response. One way or another, it was also fairly predictable that Yuri wouldn’t abide by her girlfriend’s request. From then on, it was revenge; served ticklish. Scrambling under the covers, she snuck a hand over Jessica’s waist and commenced with Tickle Intensity: Level 1.

“Kwon Yuri!!” Jessica screamed, furiously trying to brush Yuri’s hands off.

“I’m gonna make you regret for ruining my beauty sleep,” Yuri stated, eyes glowing. “Oh and why are you wearing Mickey Mouse again? You thief! DOUBLE!” she declared as she put both hands to work.

“What’s yours… is mine!” Jessica protested, grabbing Yuri’s wrists and desperately trying to pry them off. “Why… are you… so strong?!!” she continued wriggling under Yuri’s grip, struggling the hardest she could. Remarkably, Jessica wasn’t that weak herself, and it was apparent that she was gaining control soon.

“That’s cos I am…!” 

In an attempt to regain the upper hand, Yuri scrambled on top of Jessica, grabbed both her wrists and using one hand, pinned them above her head. The other hand however, had a more important task; Tickle Intensity: Level 2.

“Stop!! Please!” Jessica begged. At the end of her tether, the girl was left with no choice but to unleash her secret weapon.

High Pitched Shriek: Level 1.

It sent mind-blowing sound waves through Yuri’s ears and effectively rendered her vulnerable for several seconds. Furiously shaking her head, Yuri cringed and threw the weight of her body down onto Jessica, pinning her down.

“TRUCE!”

The shrieks had been silenced, and the both of them had stopped moving. 

The clock was now ticking audibly in the background.

The gentle howl of the wind had crept in between the windows.

The silence, was agonizing; 

And the tension; was running high.

The only thing that was apparent was how the both of them were panting in each other’s faces, how a hand of Yuri’s had pinned Jessica’s arms above her head, how her other hand was on Jessica’s waist, and how Jessica had looked up at Yuri with eyes that screamed anticipation.

In other words, so darn suggestive.

The adrenaline just wouldn’t die down; if anything, there was an accumulation from the tickle war. Yuri swallowed the lump in her throat, wondering if she should break the overbearing tension by doing something dorky, or dive headfirst into the flow of things.

In the midst of her pondering; Jessica had spoken up.

“Truce?”

“Hmm.” Yuri nodded a little, her heart racing a little more at the soft quality of Jessica’s voice.

“Are you gonna keep me like that forever?”

Yuri gulped. “No.”

Jessica wriggled her hands that were pinned above her head. “So…?”

But Yuri remained motionless, not wanting to release Jessica from her grip. She hovered above the girl for seconds more just staring at her lips, finding it impossible to take her eyes off of them for some reason. Being extremely perturbed by the new and odd sensation, it seemed as if she was gradually losing control of herself, and everything that was going to happen after was the result of her physical body having a mind of its own.

Leaning down swiftly, she caught Jessica’s lips in a little peck.

And it lasted for barely a second. Yuri immediately retreated upon feeling an electrifying sensation reverberate through her body, so intense that it made her afraid of any further contact with Jessica. It was intriguing; how this particular kiss, a simple peck on the lips, could conjure such an extreme reaction that was so markedly different from all their other kisses. Releasing her grip on Jessica’s, Yuri hovered above the girl, suppressing the insane hankering. It was akin to having just tasted a forbidden fruit, one that left her craving for another bite and drove her to lunacy just to resist it. Her weak attempt at a restraint had only crumbled further under Jessica’s gaze, which momentarily, had given the impression that the girl had known every single thing that was going through Yuri’s head. 

So while Yuri was fighting it to the very end, Jessica, on the other hand…

With regained freedom in her hands, the girl had wrapped them around Yuri’s neck, entreating her back towards the forbidden fruit. The latter was no match for Jessica’s infamous iron grip, or to put it more accurately, Yuri hadn’t exactly made effort in a resistance. After all, the very fact lies that Jessica had initiated it, implying a grant of permission, or a sort of invitation.

The adjoining of lips have been traditionally, deemed so sacred that the mere incidence of it had made lovers, cheaters or just simply draw upon the chemistry of two individuals. To Yuri, this had transcended all of that. A mere kiss was but a physical act, a kiss with this particular girl however, was a connection on an emotional level so deep it had sealed her fate - Jessica Jung was to be her first and her last. Evidently, the whole traditional philosophy of being exclusive to someone had been something that had persisted down the Kwon bloodline.

As first times go, Yuri could only let her instinct guide her, inwardly regretting not accumulating that “knowledge” that Sooyoung had talked about. In the midst of the lingering and all the action above, her hands, which she surmised, had minds of their own, had crept down to Jessica’s waist and snuck under her hoodie, the beloved article that only served to make Jessica that much more irresistible.

And that was when Jessica’s attention was caught. She immediately grabbed onto Yuri’s overzealous hands and stopped them before they could venture any further.

Smiling in the midst of their steamy session; Jessica asked, albeit teasingly, “So is this still a stupid idea?”

The insane pounding in Yuri’s chest was becoming unbearable right about now; there wasn’t even time for breathing, and obviously hardly any for verbal communication. “No...” she muttered as she frantically tried to recapture Jessica’s lips.

Still smiling, Jessica broke out of the kiss and, gripping Yuri’s hands, pushed her down onto her side of the bed. Leaning close to Yuri’s face, she smiled again. “But I’m ruining your beauty sleep…”

It was impossible to tear Yuri’s eyes off Jessica’s lips by this time. “…I’m not sleepy,” she panted as she leaned forward into them. However, she had been stopped by a mere finger, one that had created a little barrier between them. Jessica stared right into Yuri’s eyes, her other hand intertwining Yuri’s and resting on her waist. The look in Jessica’s eyes indicated that she was about to say something important, and Yuri in response, had looked back into them sincerely.

“It’s our first time but I want this to be perfect,” she stated, looking to Yuri for acknowledgement. 

The latter smiled a little, her one free hand cupping Jessica’s cheek.

“We’re perfect, that’s all that matters.”

Jessica had felt that rush of blood as soon as she heard it; it wasn’t mushy, it wasn’t sweet talk, but only an actuality, and when that mutual acknowledgement had been established, Jessica removed her finger whilst Yuri pulled the girl towards her; once again adjoining, once again perfecting.

Tonight, the two lovers had taken that big leap of faith. 

Or, to put it in a more obvious manner; Sooyoung had been right again.

-----

And in just the short span of that one night, the house and all of its painful tragedies were slowly being replaced with a set of completely different memories. Unlike the previous ones, they weren’t painful, they never carried a trace of demise, and they never left any distress. Instead, they were just mere images of a brown-haired girl wandering around in the house, scanning through old photographs, sitting beside her whilst she played the piano, and ultimately, sharing her bed.

There was less suffering, less anger, and less trauma. Yuri was finally getting better, and it was solely attributed to someone: someone who now possessed the prerogative of a despot, having the authority to will her through this entire ordeal, someone who was the bread to her butter, the peanut butter to her jelly, and the milk to her cookies.

Someone; like Jessica Jung.

-----

Chapter 14

The morning after was always the answer. It was perhaps, the best indicator of how, in retrospect, how the previous night had been. Waking up that morning, Yuri had quite literally felt like she had the world in her hands. If this were the movies, this scene would ensue into one where she, the protagonist, breaks out into song, attracts the birds to join her in melody, dance into the streets and give complimentary high-fives to passersby. 

But well in this reality, she merely plastered an inerasable grin on her face, and basked in that feeling of accomplishment, as literal as it may come across. 

Reaching towards the side of the bed, she retrieved Mickey Mouse from the floor and wrapped Jessica in it. The latter, with an arm raised, didn’t even flinch, seemingly soundly asleep. Refusing to get out of bed for now, Yuri stared at the girl’s sleeping face for moments longer, indulging in the whole sensation of waking up next to a loved one. Contrary to her earlier beliefs, sleeping alone was now the more undesirable option.

I could get used to this from now on…

Alas, this whole idyllic scene was about to be ruined shortly after, and the first sign of it, were the faint sounds of several footsteps trotting up the stairs.

Yuri sat up immediately. What’s that?

And then, the audible sounds of several footsteps trotting down the hallway.

We’re being burgled?! was the first thought in her head, until a distinctive yell had come after.

“YULSIC!!”

Wait. Sooyoung??

The silencing of the footsteps, noticeably right outside her door, had followed before Yuri could even properly react.

Wait, it’s not locked!!

“NO NO NO DON’T COME IN!!”

“SURPRI—AHH…“

“WOW.”

“Oh my goodness!”

“Holy…”

Etcetera, etcetera. Yuri didn’t have the will to spot how many voices there were exactly. Seeking refuge under the covers, she cowered in embarrassment, hugging the comatose Jessica tightly. 

“Out out out!!” someone sounding like Tiffany had exclaimed, and within just seconds, everyone had left the room. Everyone, except for two.

“Wow, and I thought I was the surprise,” one of them said, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

“Yoong?!”

“Surprise, Yul,” stated Sooyoung, shaking her head. “So my prophecies have come true…”

Yuri stayed still beneath the covers, shaking Jessica a little in an effort to wake her up. When she found it to be useless, she slowly peeked out of the covers, and glared at the two girls settling, albeit too comfortably in different parts of her bedroom. 

“Some privacy would be REALLY lovely now, thanks.”

Completely ignoring Yuri, Sooyoung leaned against the door and fiddled with door knob. “Seriously, if you were doing important business like that you really should’ve locked the door.”

“And why the hell would I do that when there was supposed to be just two people in the whole house? How the hell did you guys come in?”

“Your spare keys.”

“Why are you guys here anyway??” Yuri exclaimed, periodically taking glances at Jessica.

“Why not? We’ve accompanied you every anniversary so far,” Yoona replied, tugging the covers a little. “I heard Jessica’s pretty! But my, is she sleeping well…”

“Yuri must have tired her out,” Sooyoung playfully remarked. “I guess Ma juice is really a good thing.”

“Out, you two!”

“C’mon Yoong. We gotta unpack anyway.”

As soon as the door had shut after the two girls, Yuri groaned endlessly as she buried her face in the pillow, overwhelmed with embarrassment. Jessica had finally shifted a little in her sleep right then, but only to put an arm and a leg over Yuri, her ever comfortable bolster.

“How is it that you’re still sleeping?!”

-----

The cruel truth was delivered to Yuri as she reluctantly trotted down the stairs, with each step a little harder than before. Everyone was lounging around in the living room, crowded around the television.

Choi Sooyoung

Im Yoona

Hwang Tiffany

Kim Taeyeon

Lee Sunny

Oh gawd, all five of them. Yuri groaned as she took her last step off the stairs, catching everyone’s attention at that point.

“Morning everyone, and thanks for coming.”

“Sure.”

“No problem.”

“Of course.”

The responses she had garnered all carried a tone of awkwardness that only aggravated the embarrassment.

“Sorry about… just now,” Yuri apologized, smiling sheepishly.

“Don’t worry about it!”

“I barely saw anything…”

“We shouldn’t have barged in the first place…”

“Yuri has a good body.” Yoona asserted.

At that instant, the room fell into an uncomfortable silence, and everyone’s eyes had been directed towards the object of interest. Yuri had never in her life felt more intruded; she stood incredibly still, and for the first time in her life, pondered hard on the beauty of her physique. 

In aid of Yuri, Tiffany sprung off the couch and dragged her away. “Let’s make breakfast!” To which Yuri had agreed, and she followed her into the kitchen, still a little self-conscious.

“I invited Taeyeon and Sunny. You don’t mind, do you?”

“Nah, of course not. You’re closing Tiffany’s for the weekend?”

“Yup, I think we all deserve this break.” Being the usual caretaker that she was, Tiffany stared into the refrigerator and construed a mental plan of the meals for the day. “That’s for tomorrow…” she mumbled as she arranged the items. “And oh, I’ve been meaning to tell you guys; I’m planning to incorporate one of Taeyeon’s recipes into our breakfast menu. I tasted it and I think it’ll be a big hit. It’ll be called Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Doesn’t it sound amazing? She came up with the whole thing!”

Yuri was slightly taken aback by Tiffany’s outburst, but it had contained all of the obvious signs that the girl was in actual fact; highly infatuated. She arched an eyebrow at the chirpy Tiffany. “Yes, very very amazing.”

“Yea…” Probably realizing her own sudden mirth, Tiffany quickly got to work, slightly embarrassed.

“So…” Yuri began as she turned on the stove, “…Taeyeon’s been a big help, working so often lately.”

With her back now turned towards Yuri, Tiffany hesitatingly replied, “Yea...”

“She seems a lot happier these days, doesn’t she?”

“Yes.”

“She’s a pretty funny person actually,” added Yuri. “Quite a dork, now that I’ve gotten to know her better. It’s cute.”

“Yes.”

“Does that yes apply to ‘dork’ or ‘cute’?”

“Uhh… dork.”

Despite Tiffany’s one syllable replies, Yuri was unfazed. Having learnt a thing or two from the Great Master Choi, she weaved into the topic she’d wanted to talk about – by being straightforward about it.

“You can drop the act, Fany. Even to me, your infatuation’s so—Hi Taeng!” exclaimed Yuri.

The shorter girl had entered the kitchen just then, much to the utter surprise of the two girls. Flashing a smile, she stood straight, pulled her shoulders back and said, “Reporting for work.”

Tiffany chuckled. “You don’t have to—“

“Good timing!” Yuri approached the girl and pulled her towards Tiffany. “Fany needs help!” she exclaimed, silencing Tiffany immediately. Pleased with herself, Yuri had went back to tending the stove, only to realize moments later, what being a third wheel had felt like.

“Hey can someone pass me the pepper in that top cabinet please?”

“Hey…” Yuri turned towards the duo, only to see Taeyeon leaning towards Tiffany, taking over the latter’s chores.

“…I’ll do it.”

“Be careful, the knife’s sharp,” Tiffany had warned.

Yuri chuckled as she walked over. “Seems like our work dynamics don’t change regardless whether we’re in Tiffany’s or not…” she sighed as she reached into the cabinet. But the couple paid no attention to her; contrarily, they were both very oddly, too focused on slicing a tomato.

“Omgawd, I don’t have a presence anymore!” exclaimed Yuri, missing Jessica all of a sudden.

“Huh?” Taeyeon looked up absent-mindedly upon Yuri’s remark.

“Careful!” Tiffany exclaimed, snatching the knife from Taeyeon’s hand. Once the disaster had been adverted, she turned to Yuri with an almost-too- angry stare.

Yuri’s puppy eyes had emerged again. “Sorry…”

Taeyeon smiled. “I’m not even hurt. Fany’s being dramatic,” she teased.

“You could have cut yourself!”

“I’m fine,” she reassured again, smiling at Tiffany. And in just a matter of seconds, the duo had reverted back to their business – the tomato. Yuri sighed and shook her head, once again being left out of the kitchen. But it wasn’t all bad for her either, for she had been timely distracted by her Achilles’ heel.

“Morning Sica!!” came several, kid-like voices in the hall. 

Responding to the call to arms, Yuri immediately dropped whatever she was doing and bolted out of the kitchen. This time, it caught the couple’s attention and Tiffany had exclaimed; “You’re not done with that bacon, Yuri!” but predictably, to no avail. Fortunately though, their new family didn’t just consist of two cooks anymore. In this circumstance, Taeyeon had stepped up to save the damsel; in this case, the bacon, in distress.

“Sous chef Kim Taeyeon to the rescue,” she chirped as she took over the stove.

-----

Back to the chaos outside, Jessica was dazedly trudging down the stairs, a huge contrast to the chipper face of Mickey Mouse donned on her body. “What’s going on…? Why’s everyone here?”

“Hi Jessica!” Yoona stood up and greeted enthusiastically.

“…hi?” Jessica waved back, before spotting her girlfriend running towards her like a charging bull. She made a meek attempt at a smile before falling very conveniently into the bull’s arms.

“Still sleepy, are you?” asked Yuri as she struggled with Jessica’s weight.

“Mm…”

With much effort, Yuri dragged Jessica over to the couch and sat her down, much to the stares of the 3 other girls in the room.

“They sure look comfortable…” Yoona commented as she watched Jessica cuddle up to Yuri like a little child on Santa Claus’s lap.

“Yea they always are,” replied Sooyoung. “May I introduce to you the new Kwon Yuri series, comes with a complimentary Jessica Jung attached to it.”

“You jealous?”

Sooyoung stared at Sunny. “Totally. I love that feeling of clinging onto someone like my life depended on it.”

“Good for you,” Sunny smiled and nodded.

“Do you not understand the ways of sarcasm?”

Sunny arched an eyebrow. “Do you not?”

“Why are you directing my question back at me?”

“Because you didn’t seem to notice my sarcastic reply to your sarcastic remark.”

“You sounded like you meant it!!“

Wow, I can’t choose which channel to watch, thought Yoona.

Drama? She thought as looked at Sooyoung and Sunny.

…or romance? She then turned to Yuri and Jessica. And speaking of which, the couple was pretty much immersed in their own world, oblivious to everything that was going around them.

“Are you really sleeping?” Yuri whispered in Jessica’s ear.

“Mm hmm.”

“Really?” Yuri asked, discreetly jabbing a finger into Jessica’s side, who in turn giggled a little.

“Don’t… Haven’t you learned your lesson from last night?”

“I’m not worried,” said Yuri as she buried her face in Jessica’s neck. “I’m sure we have public restraint at least.”

“From the looks of it, I doubt so.”

The couple turned over to the voice, only to be greeted with a wide grin. “I prefer romance to… whatever’s happening behind,” she pointed behind her. Sunny and Sooyoung were now immersed in silence, engaged in a childish, mindless staring war which was inevitably boring to watch.

Sighing, Yuri began, “This is Im Yoona, somewhat equivalent to Choi Sooyoung but a little less irritating. Just a little.”

“A little less irritating, and a lot prettier.” 

“I heard that, Yoong!”

“You lost, Sooyoung!”

“No I didn’t! Again!”

“This is stupid, why am I even doing this?” Sunny complained as she reached for the remote.

Ignoring the little drama behind Yoona, Jessica had meekly reached forward to offer a handshake. “Nice to meet you.”

Yoona returned it enthusiastically, still excited about the fact that Yuri had someone. “Me too. So… during the journey here I heard your whole story. Fancy you not saying anything, Yuri. I would have been a better advisor than Sooyoung.”

“I heard that too, Yoong!” Sooyoung yelled amidst the noise from the television, the perfect mediator to any fight or squabble.

“It’s true anyway!” Yoona yelled back.

Yuri pouted. “I agree. I think things might have turned out differently if you were around.”

“How so?” Jessica asked, getting off of Yuri and settling on the couch properly.

“Well for one, she would get to the bottom of this. Sooyoung’s too laidback and the only thing she’d actually work for is if it’s edible.”

“Or if it involves competing against us,” added Yoona.

“Damn it, choose your alliance, Yoong!” Sooyoung yelled.

“Always your twin trooper, Yul.” Yoona saluted playfully.

“You were the other half of our shikshin duo just this morning!”

“You’re too noisy, Sooyoung!” Sunny had slapped the girl on the arm.

Switching back to the romance channel, Yoona said, “So Jessica! What is it about our Yuri that you like?”

“Uhh, should I even be anywhere near this conversation?” Yuri asked, standing up.

“Yes,” Yoona replied, pushing Yuri back down into her seat before looking back at a half-dazed Jessica for answers.

“Nothing,” Jessica replied with her usual tone of indifference. “There’s nothing likable about her. She’s nerdy, greedy for petty marks, romantically-dense, has an annoying laughter, and she tried to fool me with her dorky front when she has that whole past underneath.”

Yuri turned to Jessica and smiled graciously. “Have I ever told you how much I adore your mean streak, sweetie?”

“Wow,” Yoona smirked as she looked towards Sooyoung. “I now know why Jessica has your seal of approval.”

Shooting a mere glance towards Yuri, “So is there anything else I should know about this bag of mysteries?” Jessica asked, putting an arm over Yuri’s shoulders.

Yoona pondered for a moment. “Let’s see. She talks to herself.”

“All the time.”

“She drinks Ma juice every morning.”

“Spilled a whole cup on me on the first day of school.”

“So I heard. Oh, and she sticks her tongue out when she sleeps.”

“Gawd! Am I invisible?”

“I noticed last night,” Jessica stated, to which Yoona began chuckling, both leaving Yuri completely out of the discussion.

“Well you’ve pretty much seen the real Yuri. In fact, you now know something that all of us in this house don’t.”

“What?”

“Her skills in bed.”

Yuri choked on air, Sunny and Sooyoung tore their eyes off the television screen, and Jessica, despite her persistently cool front, had blushed up like a tomato in its ripened goodness. She gazed towards Yuri momentarily, finding the latter too caught up in breathing for dear life to pay attention to her. That aside, the other three pairs of eyes were now intensely eyeing her as if she was food.

“Breakfast is served!” Tiffany had announced delightfully.

“Ooh!” Jessica squealed in delight as she bolted out of the couch and dragged the breathless Yuri over to the dining table.

“Awww!!”

“No!!” 

Were the various responses as Tiffany had quite coincidentally ruined the moment.

“Is something wrong?” Taeyeon had emerged from the kitchen with a tray of food, successfully distracting the girls. They proceeded to the table, dropping the juicy topic almost immediately.

“Nope. Thanks for breakfast!” Jessica chirped, knowing full well that one certain pair of eyes was still on her. Turning to the girl, she raised an eyebrow.

“Yes?”

“Nothing…” Yuri muttered, noticing that everyone else was already getting busy with the food. Grudgingly, she grabbed a piece of bread and began nibbling on it. Seeing this, Jessica chuckled, and then leaned towards her and whispered;

“Mind-blowing.”

What ensued after those mere words; was a shiver down her spine, followed by a mandatory choking on her food. Yoona patted Yuri’s back in comfort. “You okay?”

“Yea, just… I have this cough, you see…” And as she recovered, she sneaked a little glance at her girlfriend, who was back to her face of indifference.

This girl is going to be the death of me…

-----

In contrast to the vibrant morning however, the afternoon had been mellow; accompanied by a sky partially covered with clouds, which provided an avenue for the gentle peeks of the sun rays. There were no birds chirping, no crickets calling, just the rustling of leaves and the sound of wind caressing against grass. The girls gathered in a little circle around the tomb, shared by the two departed unsung heroes. No one conversed; everyone lowered their heads in respect and observed a moment of silence.

One by one, they lay a bouquet on the tomb, and as they past Yuri, they offered the complimentary consoling eyes or shoulder pat. The girl however, was void of expression; it was but a face of stone, a face of solemn as she looked on at her parents’ names, carved neatly on both sides of that shared tomb.

Tightening her grip on Yuri’s hand, Jessica led the girl forward and together, placed a wreath in the middle of the surrounding bouquets. They stood side by side, intertwined in their fingers for moments more, just gazing at the smooth marble.

Yoona had approached the couple and stroked Yuri on the back. “We’ll wait at the car.”

“Thank you,” said Jessica as the crowd of people had dismissed. When there were just the both of them left, Jessica reached up and wiped the single tear off Yuri’s cheek. “You shouldn’t have to act in front of your friends. They’ve been with you through all of this.”

Yuri smiled a little as she looked down, another tear falling into the grass. “It’s embarrassing.”

“Silly,” Jessica had wrapped her arms around Yuri’s waist, locking her in an embrace. “You’re my big cry-baby and it’s a fact,” she said as she gently stroked the taller girl’s back.

Unable to hold back any longer, Yuri cried hard in Jessica’s arms. Having the brown-haired girl present that afternoon was entirely surreal, and the reassurance of her company had been nothing but igniters to her long awaited breakdown. The girl was her haven, and it was relieving; the years of suppressing and withholding had given way to the reprieve that her girlfriend had brought. She could never understand how this all worked, but it was innate, and it would be the only thing that Yuri would latch so dearly onto for a long time.

Jessica held her cry-baby for a long time, letting a tear or two slip through her eyes when Yuri’s sorrow had gotten the better of her. She stood quietly, not withholding her own tears, nor Yuri’s, and excelling in what she did best: being the latter’s girlfriend.

-----

“What are you thinking about?”

Taeyeon pursed her lips as she leaned against the car door. “I think Yuri has it worse than me.”

“You can’t compare this. It’s all the same,” said Tiffany, leaning beside her.

Taeyeon shook her head a little. “I watched her fade away, Fany. I knew she was dying. But Yuri lost them on a normal day, unexpectedly, when things were supposed to go normally. It has to be a lot more painful, and yet on a daily basis now, I look a lot more wounded than she does.”

Tiffany sighed as she looked ahead at the couple locked in an embrace. “There’s nothing wrong with that. Everyone has their own coping mechanism, and I never approved of Yuri’s from the beginning. It’s a good thing she’s found her outlet.”

“Outlet…” muttered Taeyeon. “Having someone by your side really helps, does it?”

Tiffany shook her head. “It isn’t enough. Yuri had all of us by her side all these years, but she’s only significantly different now.”

“So what is it that made the difference?”

“Letting someone in.”

Taeyeon smiled. “And how do you do that?”

Tiffany turned to Taeyeon, and shrugged with a smile. “You’ll know when you’re ready to.”

“You really rely on your instinct a whole lot, don’t you?”

“I think we all do, it’s just that we don’t realize it. And my instinct tells me that you,” said Tiffany as she jabbed Taeyeon’s shoulder with a finger, “agree with me.”

Taeyeon laughed. “Looks like Sooyoung isn’t the only prophet around here.”

“So…” Tiffany began, “…are you ready to let someone in yet?”

Taeyeon turned to the girl with an almost too cheeky look. “Why don’t you let your instincts answer that for you?”

And in response, Tiffany could only pout; inwardly wondering if her instinct to that was right, much to Taeyeon’s amusement.

-----

When things had quietened down and Yuri had been composed enough, the two girls had taken their final bows and left to rejoin the group.

“I saw him.”

“Who?”

“The one who escaped. I saw him that morning.”

“That morning when you ran off without a word?”

Yuri nodded. “He’s in Seoul. He might have been here all this time, I don’t know.”

“Did you notify the Inspector General?” Jessica asked worriedly.

“I did,” Yuri sighed. “But I haven’t received any news so far. It’s not an easy task for him either; the man’s a professional who’s totally under the radar--”

Flustered, Jessica tugged on Yuri’s arm. “You’re in danger, aren’t you?”

Yuri giggled a little and patted the girl’s head. “Silly.”

Jessica stopped in her tracks and tugged on Yuri’s arm again. “This is serious, Yuri. You’re the only one who recognizes his face!”

Yuri’s smile had faded upon noticing Jessica’s agitation, and the anxiety written all over her face. “Request for protection from the police. Or why don’t you stay somewhere else… somewhere not so close to the city? Why don’t you stay in my house?”

Yuri held onto Jessica’s hand firmly, as if to offer reassurance. “Calm down. I don’t think he’ll do anything stupid.”

“I can’t be calm if I know you might be in danger.”

“But I’m not, silly.”

“He’s a killer and a fugitive. You’re the only one who’s capable of sending him to jail!”

“Look.” Yuri stated as she halted their advance. “He disappeared for 3 whole years. If he wanted my life, he would’ve already taken it,” Yuri explained, earnestly looking into Jessica’s worried eyes. 

“But what if—“

Smiling, Yuri leaned down and pinched Jessica’s nose. “Jessica Jung.”

The girl remained silent, finally paying full attention to Yuri. “If there’s one thing that’s killing me right now, it’s your sad eyes. I’m fine, and I’m not going to leave you.”

It wasn’t easy to calm Jessica’s nerves to begin with, and Yuri had just barely pulled it off. Relenting, Jessica smacked Yuri’s hand and grabbed it tightly. “Promise it.”

Yuri pouted. “If I do, doesn’t that mean I’ll have to marry you or something?”

Jessica looked up and stared at the girl. “Aren’t you gonna marry me eventually?”

“Hahahaha...” Yuri laughed heartily as she let go of Jessica’s hand. “Who knows?!” she yelled and ran ahead. “Maybe someone prettier will come along!”

“I dare you to say that again, Kwon Yuri!” Jessica shrieked as she gave chase.

-----

Fortunately, the gloominess from the afternoon didn’t pass on to the evening. For the first time in years since her parents’ demise, that particular date was no longer reserved for the despondence and the melancholy. Where it used to be just a family of 3, the group of 7 was now gathered around the dining table, immersed in their umpteenth feast; which meant of course, that no one was a happier person than The Great Choi Shikshin that evening.

“Pass the lettuce!”

“Grab it yourself.”

Sooyoung turned to Jessica incredulously. “What kind of friend of yours is that, Jessica?”

“A friend that values manners,” Sunny answered. “And if you would just put down that bowl for a second, you could use your infinitely long limbs to reach for the lettuce.”

Sooyoung had ignored Sunny completely, being more focused on the plate of greens instead. “Unworthy!”

“Urgh,” Yuri groaned as she placed her chopsticks down. She then stood up, grabbed the plate and walked over to Sooyoung, albeit grouchily. Only acknowledging the lettuce, Sooyoung grabbed a chunk of them and then dismissed Yuri with a wave of her chopsticks, leading to a highly amused Yoona bursting out in laughter amidst her full mouth.

“What happened to our twin trooper alliance, Im Yoona?”

Shaking her head, Tiffany chided the bullies. “Sooyoung, Yoong, prep the rest of the food in the kitchen. You guys ate the most.”

“No,” Sooyoung coolly rejected. “Yuri Kwon, go.”

“Yuri’s not going anywhere,” stated Jessica, staring at Sooyoung. Oddly, it had caught everyone’s attention, and they all looked towards Sooyoung, anticipating a clash of some sorts. 

Without saying anything, Sooyoung plainly nodded, shocking everyone at the table.

Scoffing, Sunny commented, “I think we all know who’s boss here.”

Yuri’s face had lit up with glee. She put an arm around Jessica and confidently asked, “Who dares order me around--“

“You still serve Sooyoung, by the way. I just didn’t want you to leave the dinner table for now,” said Jessica.

“All hail Queen Sica!” Sooyoung proclaimed, bowing her head a little.

“Hail hail!” Yoona had chipped in.

“You are freaking kidding mehrggg--” Smiling, Jessica had stuffed a piece of meat in Yuri’s mouth. “Didn’t you say you were hungry, my dear?”

Sighing, Tiffany volunteered herself for the kitchen duties. “At this rate, we’ll never get any food.”

“Hold on.” Taeyeon wiped her mouth as she got up. “I’ll come along.” And as the two girls made their way into the kitchen, Sunny watched them with much interest.

“Ahh Jessica. I always approved of you,” said Sooyoung, a look of esteem on her face. “She makes a fine addition to our family, doesn’t she ughhh--” This time, Sunny had stuffed a piece of meat into Sooyoung’s mouth; much to the latter’s rude surprise. However, it was quickly resolved in a second upon tasting the delicacy.

“You guys,” alerted Sunny, catching everyone’s attention. “I have a proposition.”

-----

“Can you manage?”

“Y-yea…”

Flashing a knowing smile, Taeyeon rested her tray back on the counter and approached Tiffany’s side. She then placed a hand under Tiffany’s tray, providing that much needed support.

“Thank you.” said Tiffany sheepishly as the two girls proceeded out of the kitchen, shoulder to shoulder.

And as it turned out, Sunny’s proposition was basically a disappearing act - the two girls had emerged from the kitchen to an empty table. Aside from dirty dishes and the disturbing fact that Sooyoung had probably gorged down all the food in a short span of minutes, there was a note left behind.

Resting the tray down, Tiffany held the note up and read it together with Taeyeon.

-----

Dear TaeNy,

With heavy hearts, the 5 of us have taken our leave for the night.

Do not seek us. Do not wait up for us.

Your jolly good friends,

SunnySooyoungYoonaYuriJessica

P.S. Taengoo, I’m sleeping with Sooyoung and Yoona tonight. –Sunny

P.P.S. Fany, we’re kicking you out of our room tonight. Find your own room to sleep in. We heard that there’s an extra space at Taeyeon’s. –Great Master Choi & Yoong

P.P.P.S. Don’t come anywhere near our room, thanks. –YulSic

P.P.P.P.S: Just know that we love you both. Together. You guys are so slow! YulSic’s already done it!

-----

What Tiffany needed now, was a hole in which she could disappear forever. She could hardly even look towards Taeyeon, not to mention say a word. The latter had laughed it off, however. “Well looks like we’ve got all the food to ourselves,” she declared as she distributed the plates neatly on the table. 

Pulling a seat, she made a complimentary gesture of ushering the red-faced Tiffany to it. 

“Shall we?”

Nodding slightly, Tiffany settled in as Taeyeon took the seat next to her. The duo continued their meal in silence, albeit awkwardly, avoiding the nagging content in the note that their friends had so kindly put across.

They just have to ruin things, Tiffany groaned inwardly.

“Here, it’s the biggest piece.”

“Thank you.”

“So…” Taeyeon began, “Are we gonna talk about it?”

Tiffany swallowed hard and shifted in her seat as the nerves had gotten the better of her. “Oh… Is it okay if I crash in your room tonight?”

“Yea, of course,” replied Taeyeon, staring down at her bowl of rice. Tiffany smiled a little in response as she too, had looked down at her bowl of rice. And thus ensued the beginning of a silent movie; where the two lead actresses did nothing but stare at rice grains and take occasional peeks into the other plates sprawled across the table. In the midst of all this, Taeyeon had stolen a glance at Tiffany, only to find the latter doing the same at the same time. Within a split second though, they simultaneously broke the eye contact, both inwardly cursing about getting caught, and once again reduced to the mundane task of glancing into their bowls.

At the end of this silent movie, we are brought to the end of their dinner, and we witness an anxious Taeyeon resting her chopsticks gently on the table, inhaling deeply.

“Wanna hear a story?”

Tiffany nodded, anticipating what she was going to say next. Instead, the girl had stood up and left the table, before shortly re-emerging with an envelope in her hands.

“I’m not good with verbalizing it, so I wrote it down,” said Taeyeon. “I’ll just leave this with you.”

Taeyeon then disappeared up the stairs, leaving Tiffany caught in a daze, staring blankly at the envelope in her hands. Once alone, she walked over to the couches in the living room and with hands slightly shaking, retrieved the letter.

There was once a girl, and like anyone else, she had stories of her own, both good and bad. Amidst the many of them, she was unhealthily attached to one particular sad story – a loss of a treasured friend; one that had left her encased her in a little shell of her own. Since then, she sought in the security of the shell, and allowed the days to pass her by insignificantly.

On one particular day, and it was just a really normal day, she forced herself out of the house, and by a stroke of luck, had been enchanted by a little café. She walked into it and settled in at an unassuming table, basking in its solitude, with no intention to be bothered. Shortly after, the lady of the café had approached her, and with the kindest smile she’d ever seen, asked her what she’d liked. The girl, being just a little nervous then, had ordered two cups of coffee, one with milk and one without; a reflex she knew she had to rid eventually. When the coffees were served, she politely thanked the lady, and then sipped on her coffee whilst staring at the other cup, immersed in memories of the past. It had been a particularly upsetting day, and she was just about to lose herself in mindless thoughts, until the voice of the lady had distracted her time and again. Each time a customer had walked in, she would greet them with merriment, and each time she interacted with them, she would be boisterous. She was loud, albeit too loud, that it was quite frankly, a little irritating. When the girl eventually left the café though, she found herself saddened once more, and for reasons unbeknownst, she had felt the necessity to return, believing that the café was a good place for her.

Day after day, she found herself revisiting the café, sometimes settling with a book, sometimes accompanied by mere thoughts, and like a ritual, she never failed to order the other cup of coffee, finding it significantly difficult to give up on. Gradually, she had become acquainted with the place; the smell of coffee beans in the air, the soothing melodies of the piano and most notably, the people in it. The lady, with her unwavering kind smile, had never failed to greet her with the same cordialness; and with her two amicable workers, had never failed to brighten up the atmosphere; it was after all, a huge part of the café’s charm. The girl was needless to say, drawn to the lady, a little envious even, for she seemed to face everything with a positive disposition, one that persevered regardless of how busy the evening, or how unreasonable the customer.

One fine afternoon, the lady had approached her, and with the usual beam on her face, had asked politely for a glimpse of the girl’s stories. Inexplicably, the girl, who was so used to being in her shell, had taken that unprecedented big step out of it, and told her about her sad story. The lady of the café listened intently, only to respond with words of encouragement which were strangely uplifting. From the day onwards, they became properly acquainted, then a little closer, even to the extent of working together. In time, the girl found something inside her changing, where it used to be sorrowful thoughts of her old friend, she found herself strangely occupied with thoughts of the lady, that it made her a little guilty about it. She definitely had feelings for the lady; be it love, or just a strong liking. To figure that out though, she would have to take another big step, however, her character would never allow her to act on these feelings, not at least until she was better. Needless to say, with passing days she eventually was, and she knew for certain ever since the day she had found the courage to discontinue the milk coffee. 

The only matter was now to act on them, and, being the unvocal person she was, had devised a plan; she would write a story, a short story, detailing her journey thus far, and through it, she would let the lady know of her magnanimity, her genteel, and her pulchritude, and she would ask politely, to have the pleasure to bask in all of it. She would hand her story to the lady in all her sincerity; to which the lady would willingly receive it, and grace her by sparing her the time of her day. And then

The letter had come to an end right then, its last words stopping by the edge of the page. Tiffany frowned as she rechecked the contents of the envelope, but there was nothing.

She forgot the next page… Tiffany chuckled a little as she shook her head. With much ado, she got off the couch and proceeded to the second level.

Taeyeon was seated on her bed, reading a book of her own. Knocking gently on the door, Tiffany had made her way in.

“You forgot page two,” said Tiffany as she stood by the bed.

Looking up from her book, Taeyeon smiled and shook her head. “There isn’t a second page.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know what happens next.”

Tiffany stood frozen as she gazed at Taeyeon, finally understanding her intentions. It was by far, the biggest gesture she had received from anyone, and she was vastly overwhelmed - suffice to say, almost melting into a puddle. Sitting by the edge of Taeyeon’s bed, she fiddled with her fingers and focused her eyes on them. 

“So... what do your instincts tell you about page two?”

Taeyeon smiled brightly at Tiffany’s response, and then inched towards the girl. Very gently, she reached for Tiffany’s hands and held them, catching the latter’s gaze. And without any big gestures, or loud declarations, she plainly said;

“That it’ll be something extraordinary.”

Hence began the humble beginnings of their relationship, which, despite had taken its time to blossom, was unmatched in their level of sincerity; and to the lady of the café, it was nothing but the perfect second page. In time, she knew she would share her own story with the girl; one which had also coincidentally began the very first day she had stepped into the café.

And there would be nothing else in that story but the two of them, the two black coffees, and the coffee machine.

-----

Chapter 15

“That was… freaky.”

Everyone in the car nodded in response Yuri’s comment. Jessica sat quietly in the front passenger seat, whilst the trio squeezed in the back of Yuri’s Mini Cooper, with Yoona wedged in between Sooyoung and Sunny, inevitably. Everyone was almost pale with fright, but the most unfazed was perhaps Sunny, who was more focused on looking out the window.

“This is why I didn’t want to watch it in the first place,” Jessica smacked Yuri on the arm, to which the latter could only flash an apologetic smile in response. “It was really good though. One of the better horror movies that I’ve watched.”

“I agree,” said Yoona. “I especially loved that scene when they were in the bedroom and that thing was just up there the whole time, hanging from the—“

“Lalalalala!” Sooyoung interrupted, sticking her fingers into her ears. “No need for a recap!”

“Do you think Taeng succeeded?” Sunny asked, diverting the topic.

“Probably,” answered Yuri. “Fany’s obviously too in love to say no.”

“So is it safe to go back? We don’t want another situation like the one we just had with these two.”

“Why don’t you use your prophetic powers to answer that for you?”

Sooyoung stared at Sunny. “And here you go again, being sarcastic to me.”

Sunny scoffed, crossing her arms. “I’m glad that you actually caught it this time.”

Yoona sat in the middle of this crossfire, continuously directing her eyes left and right towards the both of them.

“Oh of course I would, since everything you say seem to border on sarcasm. Which makes me wonder, how would you sound like on a normal day? Normally sarcastic? Or sarcastically normal?”

“A little bit of both, actually. But with you around, I am nowhere near a normal day.”

“Then I sure am special to you, it seems.”

Sunny turned to Sooyoung with a glare, her tongue prodding in her cheek. “Indeed.”

“Okay!” Yoona exclaimed. “So is it safe to go back, or not?”

“Instead of speculating, we could ring the doorbell,” suggested Yuri.

“Good suggestion,” said Sunny. “I fully approve of your girlfriend, Sica. Polite and intelligent. Unlike a particular someone I know, who would just barge into the house uninvited.”

“I’ll have you know that I’ve been barging into that very house uninvited for years.”

“Wow, so your lack of manners IS innate.”

“Innate, like your—“

“Enough, you two.” Jessica chided. “I want some peace in this car.” And with Jessica’s command, the car was immersed in an instant silence. Yuri took a little glance towards Jessica and smirked, who in return, leaned over to find rest on Yuri’s shoulder.

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “I want some peace in this car,” she had mouthed in pettiness.

“Choi Sooyoung.”

Sooyoung’s eyes had widened immediately, much to Yoona and Sunny’s amusement. “How did you…”

Yuri let out an audible sigh as she tilted her head a little onto Jessica’s. “Haven’t I told you about my girlfriend’s radar?”

------

And to answer the doubts of everyone in the car, the couple in the house hadn’t even been bordering on the line of impropriety. With the whole house to themselves, they lay claim of the couch in the living room and spent the rest of the night with a movie. Unlike another couple that we fondly know of, this duo was awfully shy around each other, even though deep down, they each held the hope of bridging that little gap in between them; and in the midst of all this hoping, none of them were particularly paying attention to the movie.

So the plan was; being the one holding onto the bag of chips, Taeyeon would subconsciously inch a little closer to Tiffany. The latter, would also then, very conveniently lean a little closer with each time she reached into the bag. In time, the gap had been resolved, and the girls were sitting shoulder to shoulder. Through this natural course, Tiffany’s head had ended up on Taeyeon’s shoulder, to which Taeyeon had stopped chewing momentarily.

“This is probably the closest we’ve gotten so far.”

Taeyeon chewed on the chips a little as she nodded. Swallowing it forcefully, she then raised her arm and wrapped it around Tiffany’s shoulder.

“I just invalidated your statement,” said Taeyeon.

Tiffany giggled as she reached into the chips. “I give you an inch and you take a mile.”

“How is this, a mile?”

Tiffany looked up at Taeyeon. “So what’s a mile to you?”

“Definitely more than just a hug on the shoulder,” replied Taeyeon with her mouth full. Swallowing hard, she stated; “But I guess, we should travel slowly down that mile.”

Tiffany couldn’t help but giggle at Taeyeon’s suggestion. “What are you laughing at?” the latter asked.

“Just thinking about the note,” answered Tiffany. “We’re slow, and YulSic’s already done it.”

“Well we’re not YulSic. I thoroughly enjoy just putting my arm on your shoulder for now.”

Tiffany just couldn’t stop smiling; finding it particularly amazing that Taeyeon had shared the same beliefs as she did. It was just one of those little things she learnt about Taeyeon; and this particular discovery had been enthralling, as it was with all the little things she had learnt about the girl she had been so curious about through the past months. There was never a particular need to hurry. As Shakespeare had put it, “these violent delights have violent ends”, and there was always a danger in falling into someone too hard and too fast.

“And I’m equally good with just resting my head here for now.”

So for the rest of the night they stayed; a head on one shoulder and an arm over the other shoulder, leaning against each other and sharing a packet of chips. With the growing comfort, the physical distance hadn’t been an issue any longer, and they had been more focused on the movie. Eventually, the rest of the girls returned, and following Yuri’s suggestion, they rang the doorbell.

“They left without the keys?” 

Taeyeon got up to answer the door. Naturally, Tiffany had picked up the remote intending to pause the movie, but her very careless finger had narrowly missed the pause button, only to end up switching channels.

And as luck would have it, the five girls entered the house only to be greeted by a woman in a state of undress and doing unspeakable things; all in the television’s 42-inch glory.

“Oh my!”

Tiffany’s face had blushed up into the brightest shade of her favorite color, while Taeyeon’s face had paled dramatically, blessing her with a complexion 2 shades lighter. The faces of the rest of the five girls though, were probably best summed up in the expression: I see what you did there.

Swiftly switching back to the right channel, Tiffany frantically explained, waving her hands in defense, “N-no! We were watching Avatar, I swear!”

“Right. That skimpily dressed woman totally had blue skin,” said Sooyoung, reaching for the remote and switching back to that channel. “Omgawd, Female Secretary?!”

“Seriously, you two!” Yoona had chipped in.

Sunny turned over to Taeyeon and shrugged. “Even I can’t help you this time, Taeng.”

The commotion had been a little hard to handle. Sighing, Taeyeon walked over to Tiffany and held her wrist. “C’mon, let’s go to bed.”

“Bye, Secretary Hwang!” Sooyoung exclaimed, inciting outbursts of laughter abound as they watched the couple head up the stairs. 

Tiffany struggled a little amidst Taeyeon’s grip. “Tae-Taeyeon! They’re misunderstanding this whole thing!”

“Doesn’t matter.”

“But…”

Having conquered the stairs, Taeyeon turned around and gave a little smile. “Just let them have their fun, Secretary Hwang.”

Tiffany’s jaw fell and she attempted a meek glare at Taeyeon. “I swear those kids are infecting you!” she exclaimed as she followed Taeyeon into the room, dismissed for the night.

-----

“What.”

Moments later, two girls stood by the dining table with arms crossed and eyes boring holes through Sooyoung. “Stop doing the twin trooper thing,” chided Sooyoung as she munched on her umpteenth pack of chips for the day. “I’m not threatened.”

“Okay, we have to keep this short while Sunny’s taking her bath,” said Yoona.

Sooyoung sighed. “Good. As short as possible please.”

“Can you please try to get along with Sunny?” begged Yuri.

“Why should I to get along with someone whom I can’t get along with?”

“Because we’re a family now,” said Yoona.

“But we’ve been a perfect family right before this. Why get all excited about ‘merging’ just cos YOU,” she pointed at Yuri, “got hitched to Jessica and Fany’s getting hitched to Taeyeon?”

Yuri sighed. “Bound to happen. When you find someone—“

“One simply does not need companionship to be full. Unlike you, I am unable to live on love alone. I live on food and water,” Sooyoung interrupted.

“Yea, like lots of it,” Yuri remarked.

“Anyway, it’s not entirely my fault. She’s always telling me off.”

“You always needed someone to put you in your place, and I’m glad you’ve met your match. Honestly, why wouldn’t you get along with her?” Yoona asked. “She’s a really nice person.”

“To you guys. She always has a bone to pick with me.”

“Look, whatever it is, someone has to take that gracious first step,” said Yoona. “And it should be you.”

“Yada yada.”

Sighing, Yuri dragged Yoona away. “Come on, our words are falling on deaf ears.”

“It isn’t as easy as you think,” muttered Sooyoung as the two girls left her alone. With the entire group back in their respective rooms dismissed for the night, it was all quiet for minutes after, leaving only an eerie silence in the air to accompany her.

“Gawd, that freaking movie...” Feeling just the usual paranoia one does after horror movies, she abandoned the tidbits and headed straight to the bedroom to end the night as well.

-----

“Sooyoung…”

“Sooyoung…”

The girl tossed in bed angrily upon being awakened. “What?!” she grunted.

“I need to use the bathroom,” said Yoona.

“Then use it!” answered Sooyoung as she turned away.

“But I’m scared! Accompany me will you?” Yoona begged in a whine as she turned Sooyoung back towards her. “Please…”

“Please…”

“Please…”

“Argh fine!” grunted Sooyoung as she grudgingly got off the bed, still half-asleep. “Seriously, why did you guys choose that movie?” she muttered under her breath. Like a frightened puppy, Yoona clung on her arm and dragged her out of the bedroom, down the hallway, and eventually to the bathroom at the end of it.

“Wait here and don’t leave, okay?”

“Yea yea.” Sooyoung yawned as she stationed outside the bathroom, arms crossed. She stared into space, feeling the sleepiness catch up to her; that it only dawned on her after a while that she had already waited for several minutes. Her impatience had taken over, and she pounded on the bathroom door.

“Yoong!”

(“Be patient!”)

Sooyoung groaned, rubbing her arms in light of the chilly night air. She walked over to the window down the hallway and shut it tightly, only to be greeted by the howls of the wind as she did so. A little paranoid then, she made the decision to do a quick turnaround, and right then, she froze in horror: Down the hallway, right at the other end of it, was a figure clad in a white robe, with dark black hair strewn all over its face. It stood extremely still, with two hands to its side, just facing Sooyoung.

“AHHHH!!!!!!”

The girl immediately took flight towards the bathroom and desperately pounded on the door, constantly directing her eyes away from the figure. In her most wishful of thoughts, she’d hoped that it would disappear when she looked back up.

Well, it was still there when she did eventually.

“YOONG!! YOONG!! LET ME IN!!!”

(“Are you nuts?! I’m in the middle of it!”)

“G-GHOST!!!”

(“Haha, very funny. I’m telling you, you’d better still be around when I’m out or--”)

“AHHHHH!!!!!” seeing that the figure had drawn just a little closer than before, she made the decision to abandon Yoona and head straight to the closest room – Yuri and Jessica’s. She gave one hard knock as she clutched on the door knob, only to realize, to her horror, that it was locked.

“ARGH!”

Without further ado, she ran to the next nearest refuge; Taeyeon and Tiffany’s, and without knocking this time, she reached for the knob. But it was regrettably, also locked.

“DARN YOU HORNY COUPLES!!”

“Gawd…” Sunny muttered as she emerged from the bedroom, looking extremely irritated from being awakened. Spotting Sooyoung in the middle of a nervous breakdown, she approached her and tapped her on the shoulder. 

“AHH!!” Sooyoung had screamed in fright upon being touched.

Sunny leaned back a little. “You’re seriously a screw loose, Sooyoung.”

“SUNNY!!” Sooyoung cried, teary-eyed, making no hesitation to turn around and embrace her tightly. “G-ghost!!” 

“Choi Sooyoung. I’m the last person in this world who falls for pranks.”

“GHOST!” Sooyoung shrieked, pointing frantically in the direction of the end of the hallway.

“WHAT ghost?!”

Very reluctantly, Sooyoung took just a peek towards the end of the hallway, and then frowned immediately. “I-I saw it, I really did!”

The girl’s face was too pale with fright that Sunny had to believe her. Sighing, she gave two pats on her back and walked her back into the bedroom; with Sooyoung clinging onto her like a frightened child would to a protective mother. When they were safe in the room, the taller one lay on the bed, still gripping tightly onto Sunny’s arm.

Having no other choice, Sunny sat on the edge of Sooyoung’s bed. “Wuss.”

Sooyoung grunted as she released her grip. “I REALLY saw it.”

“I believe you.”

“Can you quit your sarcasm for just once?”

“But that wasn’t sarcastic at all.”

Unfortunately, Sooyoung had taken it the wrong way. “No seriously, if you continue being sarcastic, you’re just being plain mean.”

“I really wasn’t,” Sunny answered. 

Sooyoung stared at her for a second just pondering. “How do I know you’re not being sarcastic again?”

“Believe what you want. And I’m tired, go to sleep, quickly.”

Reluctantly, Sooyoung shifted closer to the edge of the bed. “Sleep here.”

“But you’re a really bad sleeping companion. I’d prefer sharing Yoong’s bed.”

Sooyoung groaned inwardly. “Fine. I’ll try to persuade Yoong to share my bed. But… uhh…” she paused, unable to vocalize the request.

“I’ll just sit here a while longer,” stated Sunny indifferently.

“S-suit yourself.”

Their conversation had stopped right then, and with the deepening of the night, Yoona still hadn’t returned; leading the two girls into slumber eventually, with Sunny dozing off on Sooyoung’s bed and once again, at the mercy of Sooyoung’s not too glamorous sleeping habits.

But was there any truth in the ghastly thing at all? It was perhaps, best left as a mystery to Sooyoung for good.

-----

“Sica...” the girl spoke softly as she knocked on the door.

Jessica recognized Yuri’s voice immediately. She unlocked the door, pulled the two girls into the room, and then looked towards them eagerly with a sparkle in her eye.

“The twin troopers never fail,” Yoona said with utmost confidence.

“Yea, it went better than we thought,” said Yuri, undoing the white robe on her body. “Sunny came to her rescue, and right now, they’re sleeping together on the same bed.”

Jessica giggled as she adjusted Yuri’s hair. “All thanks to you, you scary ghost.”

“Hey it was my idea!” Yoona complained, staring at Jessica. “Also, I’d better head back to my room.”

“What if you wake them up? Sleep here with us.”

Yoona narrowed her eyes at them, inwardly recalling what Sooyoung had said about the couple’s less-than-appropriate behaviors. “Are you kidding me? I’m not in the mood for rated movies. And besides, it’ll arouse their suspicions if they don’t see me there in the morning. They’re really sharp.”

“Hmm. Good point.” Yuri had nodded. “Oh and before you head back, let TaeNy know that it’s over.”

Yoona merely smirked as she walked towards the door. “I’m sure they can leave their door locked for the rest of the night.”

-----

The weekend getaway had to come to an end eventually, and despite its duration, was a well-spent one; one that had formed new bonds and reinforced existing ones. It was perhaps, the very first time Yuri had left her home feeling a lot lighter, and with a whole new perspective. And even though happiness was said to be short-lived, Yuri had felt like the burning rebuttal of it.

“Home sweet home,” announced Yuri as she pulled over by Jessica’s driveway. 

Jessica had worn a face of reluctance as she tugged on the seatbelt. “Do you wanna come in?”

“It’s a little late now, isn’t it?” replied Yuri as she reached over to unfasten Jessica’s seatbelt. “Wouldn’t wanna get on your parents’ bad side.”

“But I don’t want to leave you,” said Jessica as she reached for Yuri’s hand.

“I’ll see you tomorrow morning, won’t I? Hall 2A?”

“It feels so far away.”

Smiling a little, Yuri tapped on Jessica’s glasses. “Take delight in knowing that you’ll see me tomorrow, nerdy. Now go in there and do your favorite thing.”

“My favorite thing?”

“Sleep, what else?”

With utmost reluctance, Jessica nodded, and as customary for the couple, every parting deserved its goodbye kiss. While Yuri was expecting something along the lines of longing, it had turned out starkly different - Jessica had leaned over and looped her arms around Yuri’s neck, before capturing Yuri’s lips with her own; in a very voracious manner. 

Giggling, Yuri pulled apart and leaned back into her seat, still under the mercy of Jessica’s grip. “Is this a good night kiss? It seems a lot more suggestive than the usual ones.”

“I was just wondering if I could change your mind.”

Yuri had laughed it off. “Through a hungry kiss?”

Without saying anything, Jessica had abruptly climbed over to the driver’s seat, and straddled Yuri in response.

“Sicaaaaaa…” Yuri whined in complaint as she leaned far back into her seat for a little distance. Jessica, on the other hand, had swooped down like an eagle towards Yuri’s ear.

“Have you changed your mind yet?” she whispered.

“What if I haven’t…?”

“Then…” the girl said as she rained kisses down on Yuri’s neck, whilst shifting around in the confines of the seat. Inevitably, their bouts of struggle had led to an accidental sounding of the car horn, courtesy of Jessica’s behind.

“That was loud!” Yuri exclaimed and delivered a butt slap. “Get back on your seat this instant, Jung Sooyeon.”

Jessica smiled as she cupped Yuri’s cheeks. “So?”

“No.”

“Hmm.” The brown-haired girl then ran her fingers down Yuri’s arm, before reaching for something at the side of the seat. 

“Oh no you don’t.”

The willful girl’s response was merely a smirk and a clandestine tug on the lever, catching Yuri completely off guard. With that, the seat was inclined all the way back, leaving Yuri pinned down, i.e. even more powerless/at Jessica’s mercy. Leaning forward towards her, Jessica removed her glasses and wore them on Yuri, before shooting her a knowing stare. “You know, I think I might prefer this to sleeping.”

“Really…”

She leaned even closer to Yuri’s face. “But if I find out that you’re doing this on purpose…”

A grin had formed across Yuri’s face, and Jessica’s glasses had fallen a little, resting clumsily on the bridge of her nose. “No ma’am. I wouldn’t dare.”

“Well then…” Jessica said as she got up, “I won’t force you—“ and timely enough, she was interrupted by a tug, causing her to fall ever so conveniently onto the tanned girl. 

The latter snaked her arms around Jessica’s waist. “We don’t really need to go in there, do we?”

“It’s a Mini Cooper, Yuri,” Jessica said, placing much emphasis on the word which aptly described their cramped situation.

“Why do we need all that space anyway?”

Jessica smiled as she ran her fingers through Yuri’s hair. “You know, just 2 days ago, you wouldn’t even dare to--” 

“The past is past,” and she made her point by tightening her grip around Jessica’s waist, taking on the task of carrying on what Jessica had started. It was all perfectly hot and steamy, as it always was with new sensations, but just as things were about to take off, figuratively; in came the desistance – a knock on the window.

The two girls turned to their left in synchrony, and with hair and clothes equally disheveled, they gasped in synchrony as well.

“I believe that’s my daughter on top of you,” stated the muffled voice outside the car.

-----

He’s scary.

Just like his daughter, but scarier.

“Here, have some tea,” said the lady, a distinct motherly tone in her voice.

Sitting up a little too straight, Yuri immediately bowed in thanks as Jessica’s mother had placed the cup on the table. “Thank you, Mrs Jung.”

“You’re welcome dear,” the lady responded with a kind smile, one that resembled Jessica’s when she was nice. However, the atmosphere was distinctively cold, also reminiscent of the painfully intense aura that Jessica had exuded when they first acquainted. Though this was nothing short of a familiar sensation to Yuri, it was albeit, a notch higher, more advanced, and to put it in perspective; it was like having ten hostile Jessicas in one room. Seated quietly beside Jessica who was, very untimely, spacing out; Yuri kept her head tilted downwards, as if in shame, whilst the man of the house had kept his unwavering eyes on her.

“Sorry for disturbing this late,” she managed to say.

“Drink,” he merely said, his one syllable sending shivers down her spine. Abiding by his order, Yuri immediately retrieved the cup and held it in her hands, despite its less-than-comfortable temperature.

Is hostility a dominant genetic trait? Yuri pondered inwardly as she took little sips off the cup.

“Stop it, Dad.” Jessica had spoken up, hugging Yuri from the side as she did so. Feeling the fear seep through her bones, Yuri immediately tapped Jessica’s arm repeatedly and shot her a look that basically yelled: 

WHAT ARE YOU DOING, JESSICA JUNG?

Jessica didn’t budge. Instead, she merely rested her head on Yuri’s shoulder. 

OMGAWD NO.

And by this time, there was hardly any will to look up. “Sica…” Yuri whispered, frantically tapping on the girl’s arm without subtlety now.

“Assess your situation, Kwon Yuri.”

Taking heed of Jessica’s advice, Yuri finally looked up, only to be met with his sudden mirth – the man shaking his head in amusement. In addition, Mrs Jung was already at the brink of containing her giggles. That instant, Yuri understood. She had been fooled.

I guess mischief’s a dominant genetic trait too?

“So you’re the infamous Kwon Yuri whom my daughter speaks so highly of,” said the man, still laughing heartily. “Ahh, the daughter of Vice Minister Kwon must be something.”

“Not at all, sir,” said Yuri as she shot a little glance at the girl lying on her shoulder. 

“My parents know everything, by the way.”

“Yes we do,” said the man, a warm smile blossoming on his face. “Sorry for the scare, my dear. You looked so terrified, I couldn’t resist.” Yuri had giggled along as she rested the teacup back on the table, still suffering the aftereffects of that huge scare.

“Would you like to stay the night? It is a little late.” Mrs Jung invited, matched with an eager expression written all over Jessica’s face.

“Well please do,” implored Mr Jung, “else my daughter freezes everyone to death tonight with her ice-cold disappointment. We spoil her too much. And that little one too. She’s sleeping now, I apologize for her rudeness in not receiving our guest.”

Yuri shook her head. “It’s my fault for intruding this late…”

“So you’ll stay?” Jessica asked eagerly.

“If it’s not too much trouble…”

“Nonsense,” the man stood up and walked towards Yuri. “You’re always welcome here,” he assured by patting her shoulder, the prevalent fatherly figure in him which Yuri fondly missed.

-----

“Dad has a lot of respect for your father,” explained Jessica, leading Yuri towards her bedroom.

“Then I have Dad to thank for the free pass.” Yuri smiled as her eyes wandered about her surroundings. She held the understanding that one could tell the relationship dynamics of people living under the same roof through observations of how the house was kept; and the Jungs, she gathered, were definitely a meticulous bunch.

“Silly. He likes you because you’re such a lovable, naïve dork,” she reached up and poked Yuri’s cheek, before adding, “Plus, I have been putting in nothing but good words.”

Yuri arched an eyebrow at Jessica. “Really…”

“Aside from the first day of school, of course. It was my favorite cardigan!”

Finally arriving at her bedroom, Jessica pulled Yuri in and announced, “And now, say hi to my other lover.”

Without hesitation, Yuri leapt and plopped face-first onto the comfortable fluff. “Hi…”

“Comfortable, isn’t it?”

“Totally…” muttered Yuri as she buried her face into the mattress and shut her eyes, worn out by the day’s activities. “This is the only exception,” she added, “no other lovers aside from the both of us, Sica.”

“Yes, Seobang.”

The bed was filled with Jessica’s comfortable scent, only serving to accelerate Yuri’s journey to Snooze Land. However, it was abruptly interrupted when Jessica had conveniently fallen on her back. With the full weight of her body atop Yuri’s, she used the latter’s head as a little table to go through the mail that had accumulated throughout the weekend.

“Isn’t it nice?” asked Yuri, being the best table she could be for her girlfriend. There was no greater bliss than just being around Jessica, and Yuri was happy, albeit too happy that a part of her held the inexplicable, unadulterated fear that too much of it could jinx everything.

“What is?” Jessica asked, removing her glasses and shuffling around the envelopes.

“Whatever we’re having now. I feel so happy I could explode. I never understood when people talked about ‘the one’, but I think I’m getting a better picture of it now.”

Jessica smiled as she put away her first letter, a marketing gimmick which was destined for the trash. “You’re not being subtle in your implication, Yuri.”

“I tried,” said Yuri, giggling a little.

“Didn’t you say that a prettier girl will come along? That destroys all your ideas about ‘the one’ since there’s always going to be someone prettier,” said Jessica, putting a second letter aside.

“Ahh, I sense my girlfriend’s offended, seeing how she’s still harping on that joke I made.”

“Not really.”

Yuri smiled, raising her head a little and looking ahead at the headboard. “Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, Jessica Jung. No one can be prettier than the person I’m in love with, no matter the algorithm.”

But upon receiving no response from Jessica, Yuri laughed. “Sorry, was that mushy?” When there was still no response, she turned back and noticed the sudden change in the girl’s expression. “What’s wrong?”

The girl merely handed the letter in her hands to Yuri. It didn’t take the latter too long to figure it out. “A scholarship in the States?”

“I applied for it before I started school here,” she explained, her voice solemn. 

“In fashion design?”

“Yea,” Jessica sighed. “Dad didn’t allow me to pursue this, so I made him promise to let me if I could get a scholarship. He only agreed to the promise because he was sure I couldn’t get it.”

“Oh,” Yuri gazed away momentarily, still suppressing her very first response to the news. 

“I just had to prove him wrong, huh?”

Forcing a smile, Yuri reached for Jessica’s behind and patted it repeatedly. “Congratulations!”

“Stop acting.”

“I really AM happy for you. This is what you really want to do, isn’t it?”

“Urgh…” Jessica groaned, gently knocking her forehead against Yuri’s head.

“So it’s gonna start next semester…”

“I’m not taking it.”

“Are you kidding? It’s a scholarship!”

Jessica exhaled, still leaning her forehead against the back of Yuri’s head. “Do you know why I refused to tell you my name that night at the rooftop? And why I disappeared the next morning? I was afraid of getting involved, just in case I had to leave everything behind,” she paused momentarily, before continuing, “And now that I’ve chosen to get involved, I’m not leaving you behind.”

“But why did you change your mind?”

“I have no idea,” she admitted. “I came home, changed out of my costume, washed off the hideous makeup, and then for some reason, went straight back to the rooftop. That’s why I was late for classes, and because of that, I bumped into you outside Hall 2A on that very same morning.” she explained. “And what’s more surprising, is that the next morning, I found myself going back to the rooftop again, and then being late for the lab, and then that’s how we became lab partners. Come to think of it, it’s like the decisions I made somehow just led me back to you.”

Yuri smiled a little at the realization. Fiddling with the letter, she asked, “So what do you have to worry about?”

“Everything. It’s 3 years living an ocean away from you.”

“Silly. It’s a rare opportunity,” said Yuri, turning around on her back and encircling Jessica’s waist as the latter lay on top of her.

“I don’t wanna be away from you.”

“I won’t let you give up a scholarship for me. We’ll be fine. Don’t you have faith in us?”

“It’s not about faith. I couldn’t even leave you tonight. What makes you think I can take 3 years? Also, I’m not even sure that you’re safe--”

But Yuri had silenced the girl with a kiss. She feared Jessica’s power of persuasion, because deep down, she knew that their fears had overlapped. Over the short course of weeks of having known the girl, she had subconsciously formed a sort of dependence on her; even in the most minute of moments, such as the wait for her next phone call, or their next meeting, had left her writhing in anticipation. Such were the problems of falling into someone too fast, and too furiously, though regrettably uncontrollable. The thought of Jessica leaving her side had never crossed her mind, and now that the possibility had arisen, Yuri was at a loss of how to deal with it, though she knew for sure, that she would never keep Jessica behind just because she was afraid. It was selfish, and Yuri just wasn’t that person.

“I’ll be safe, I promise you. And then we’ll take turns visiting each other in the summer. We’ll have late night phone calls, we’ll send letters, emails—“

This time, Yuri was interrupted by Jessica’s finger. “I don’t wanna talk about this now.”

Jessica’s tone carried an air of solemnity, and Yuri had known better than to push it. The latter nodded in response as she removed Jessica’s finger and pulled her closer, allowing their lips to adjoin once again.

And for the rest of the night, Yuri stayed awake; not because of insomnia, or any of the problems that she had been facing all these years, but just to delve in the simple pleasure of having Jessica in her mere sight for as long as she could; because she knew one way or another, that she had to get used to not having Jessica around.

-----

Chapter 16

In the next course of days amounting to weeks, things proceeded as per normal. The little sarcastic bickers between Sooyoung and Sunny ensued, and as fate lends a hand so lovingly, they were running into each other in school more often now. Taeyeon now worked at Tiffany’s almost every day, and though it was economically speaking; free labor, there were definitely other intangible benefits to reap, courtesy of Tiffany herself. Their new creation, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, was predictably well-received, and as the mornings saw customers flocking in by multitudes, Tiffany saw the need to hire yet another extra hand to her crew. However, the popularity of Tiffany’s was bordering on skyrockets, and finding that perfect fit for the little family that Tiffany had envisioned had been challenging. It was only after sifting through countless applications that Tiffany had finally taken a liking to a particular candidate; a girl who was academically excellent, had adequate cooking skills and was brilliant on the piano. But most of all, it was ultimately her sensibility that had earned her the job, and as a formal introduction, her name was Seo Joohyun.

All that merriment aside, there was also that one thorny issue between Yuri and Jessica. It was almost clear to Yuri by now that Jessica had set her mind against taking up the scholarship, and each time it was brought up, she had been met with Jessica’s less-than-happy countenance. Forever the willful girl that Jessica was, she would never hear of it despite Yuri’s constant persuasion; and in time, Yuri would only seek to give up, being ultimately the less stubborn one.

“Koala bear,” said Yuri as she smacked Jessica twice on her behind. “I’m gonna be late for class.”

Grudgingly, Jessica released Yuri from her embrace. “I’ll see you tonight.”

Yuri pouted. “I have to work.”

“I know. I’ll see you at Tiffany’s later.”

“But I’m in charge of closing up tonight, Sica. It’ll be a long wait.”

Jessica smiled. “Well, I have to wait anyway.”

“Because,” Seeing Yuri’s raised eyebrows, she declared whilst she poked her shoulder, “I’m going home with you after that.”

Yuri’s eyes brightened up immediately and her hands had slipped back around the girl’s waist. “You’re staying over?”

“Mm hmm. But on one condition.”

“Anything, ma’am.”

“You are not allowed to bring up that topic.”

“But—“

“Not, allowed.” Jessica had emphasized, placing two fingers to the taller girl’s lips. Conceding, Yuri smiled and leaned forward to convey her peck of appreciation.

“Hello lovebirds.”

The couple turned to the shorter girl, who walked a little closer to them. “I don’t want to be a downer, but you girls are catching way too much attention for my liking.”

Yuri giggled as she pushed Jessica forward to Sunny. “Ahh, just in time. I’ll leave my koala bear with you for now. Please deliver her to Tiffany’s safely tonight.”

“Sure,” Sunny smiled, receiving a pouty Jessica in one arm. “But wait, will Sooyoung be there?”

“Yea.”

“Urgh. Leave me out for tonight then. I’m sick of our repartees, it’s tiring.”

“Then don’t engage her in one,” stated Jessica.

Sunny shrugged. “I don’t, it just happens. Anyway, say your tearful goodbyes, quickly.”

Following Sunny’s order, Jessica immediately hopped like an eager bunny into the taller girl’s embrace, leaving Sunny to roll her eyes in discreet.

I guess it’s understandable why Sooyoung’s constantly whining about them... she inwardly groaned.

“Have fun in class, I’ll be waiting for you.”

Yuri smiled and patted the girl on the top of her head. “I’ll see you tonight.”

With another goodbye kiss, Jessica watched as Yuri turned away. She’d always enjoyed seeing the taller girl depart from her, not for that reason, but it was particularly because in her departure, she could observe. Her steps were quick and definite, and her tall stature was dignified and beautiful. It stood out in any crowd, and each time, Jessica would just stand, watching until Yuri disappeared from her sight.

Sunny had made enough observations to notice this phenomenon. After Yuri had disappeared around the corner, she approached her and put an arm around her shoulder.

“Come on, you lovesick creature. You’ll see her tonight.”

-----

And so ensued another hectic day for Yuri; another day of school, duties at Tiffany’s, and being Jessica’s girlfriend. It was just another normal day, where Yuri had taken that very same route out of school, at the very same time, in the very same manner.

Except, it wasn’t.

Often times, it’s expected that daily routines entail similar outcomes, and as such, embeds an impression of complacency, that nothing out of the ordinary would happen. It is a safe assumption nevertheless, aside from the little hiccups that arise at the most random of times. But, if little changes were made to routines, would it make any difference? 

It is never known for sure, but sometimes, our very choices, no matter how minuscule, no matter how insignificant, inadvertently play into the big picture in the end.

7:13pm. Having exited a bakery wielding a little box in her hand, Yuri swiftly rejoined the usual route to Tiffany’s, being just a little late that evening. She was excited about Jessica’s stay over that Friday night, and the box in her hand, held a little treat to tide the girl through whilst Yuri worked through her shift at Tiffany’s for the evening. Being just that little late then, Yuri had run into someone on the way there.

“Miss Park!” she called out, recognizing the girl from a distance. She turned and smiled like she always did when she’d met Yuri, her eyes emanating that little bit of excitement, and that little bit of longing.

“I haven’t seen you in a long while,” said Yuri, returning a smile as she caught up with her.

“I’ve been hoping to run into you at school, but looks like you beat me to it.”

“So how have you been?”

“So how have you been?”

They both laughed for a little while, basking in that nostalgic comfort of being with each other again. It was inevitable that Yuri did miss her, for there had been that little bit of romantic tension between them since the beginning.

“You first,” said Yuri.

“The usual. I actually went over to Tiffany’s once some weeks back, but it was closed.”

“Oh, we all had a little weekend getaway at my house.”

“It was your parents’ anniversary, wasn’t it?”

“Yea.”

“I see.” Miss Park gazed down, watching their synchronized footsteps. “Your turn.”

“Right now, I’m just looking forward to the end of the semester. The workload’s only getting heavier.”

“Have you been sleeping well?”

Yuri nodded. “Aside from the occasional nightmares, I’ve been sleeping a little too well lately.”

“That’s good…”

The one burning question in Miss Park’s head had been desperately finding its way out since they met. Walking a couple steps more in silence, she finally asked, “And how are things with Jessica?”

Yuri merely smiled as she looked ahead, shaking her head a little.

“You can tell me.”

“…we’re good.”

“You usually say a lot more than just 2 words, Yuri.”

“I’m just trying to be sensitive.”

“Even when I did what I did? You know, it worries me sometimes that you’re too nice a person.”

“I am selectively nice,” stated Yuri proudly. “To the right people, I am.”

Despite the little nagging fact that this only further justified her feelings for Yuri, Miss Park was comforted to say the least, that she had been classified her under “the right people”; it had said everything about Yuri’s forgiving nature.

“But I would really want us to be able to talk like we used to.”

Yuri had maintained that smile on her face as she looked down at the box in her hands. “We can, but if it comes to topics about Sica, I’d be more inclined to say a little less.”

“Alright, nice person. So where are you headed?”

“Tiffany’s. Gotta help out tonight since it’s Friday. Are you free for the evening? Come over.”

“Actually, I was just heading over. I do miss everything about that place.”

“And you really don’t have to avoid it.”

She kept her eyes on the ground, looking down at their shadows which were stretched by the orange sunset. “Honestly, it’s mostly because I don’t know how to face Jessica. If there’s anyone whom I’d feel guilty towards for a long time, it’s her. But I do owe her a long-overdue apology. She’ll be there tonight, won’t she?”

“If looks could kill, you’d be dead in a second.” 

But upon seeing Miss Park’s reaction to her little lie, Yuri broke out in laughter. “I was joking with you. Sica’s all bark and no bite, and I can vouch for that.”

Miss Park heaved a sigh of relief as she looked towards Yuri. “That was mean.”

“Sorry,” Yuri smiled sheepishly, “There was a little truth to that though; since she’s perpetually donning that scary face. But underneath all that… she’s unexpectedly warm.”

Miss Park politely laughed along, suppressing that little discomfort that had arisen from Yuri’s unintended appraisal of her girlfriend. She was more than familiar with this trait of Yuri’s; the girl was the sort who would go on and on, blabbering about the things that she liked.

“That’s good.”

-----

“Unnie,” the girl approached and rested a cup of milk coffee on the table. She stood by Jessica’s table and observed her for a second or two, and seeing no response from Jessica whatsoever, she scurried back to the kitchen.

“Hey,” Taeyeon had approached shortly after.

“Hi.”

“Okay you really have to quit being this scary,” said Taeyeon as she settled at Jessica’s table, “Joohyun’s starting to develop Sicaphobia.”

“Huh?”

“She came running into the kitchen worried as hell because you didn’t even acknowledge her. Look, she brought you coffee on her own accord.”

It was only then that Jessica had noticed the piping hot coffee in front of her. She sighed and rested her head on her hands. “I was spacing out.”

Noting the furrowed eyebrows, Taeyeon asked, “Something bothering you?”

“Didn’t Sunny tell you?”

Taeyeon shook her head, puzzled.

“Been too busy with Tiffany, huh?”

Taeyeon’s cheeky grin had said it all. “Come on, tell me.”

“I got the scholarship,” said Jessica as she picked up the cup and held it in her hands.

Taeyeon’s eyes widened, and judging from the situation, she understood that it wasn’t exactly congratulatory messages Jessica was seeking to hear. “So you’re caught in a dilemma.”

Jessica raised her cup and sipped on it. “I’ve already made up my mind, I’m not taking it.”

“But you wanted this so badly. Remember all those times you got into fights with your father for this?”

Jessica’s silence thereafter only affirmed the quandary she was in. Being friends for a long time, Taeyeon had known how much this scholarship had meant to the girl. Giving it up was definitely a difficult decision, but at the same time, it only proved how significant Yuri was.

“Yuri’s persuading you to take it up, isn’t she?”

Jessica sighed as she rested her cup down. “Are you Sunny disguised as Taeyeon?”

“Well I’ve been working here long enough to understand things a little more,” she answered. “Besides, Yuri seems like she’s completely selfless.”

“She is. It’s as good as it is bad.”

Taeyeon sighed as she nodded. “My advice is, seek Soonkyu.”

“I did. Even she was at a loss.”

Taeyeon shrugged. “Well… I would be in a fix too.”

“You have it so good with Tiffany that you don’t know how to solve problems anymore.”

Taeyeon laughed. “I won’t rebut that. It is an amazing feeling to be able to have that someone to look forward to everyday. It’s like literally, getting out of the pits for the very first time. I’m sure Yuri feels that way about you too.”

Jessica pondered for moments as she stirred her coffee, then looked towards Taeyeon and asked, “If Tiffany was to leave, would you be okay?”

-----

In the midst of dusk, the two girls carried on into the casual conversations that came so naturally to them, as they always had in the past. It was amicable enough to prove that Yuri hadn’t harbored a single trace of grudge, and Miss Park was more than thankful that they could maintain the level of closeness that they had before. Likewise, Yuri had enjoyed this friendship and wished to maintain it, though she was a little unsure about how Jessica would feel towards it.

“I ran into Miss Park and we’re walking over together. Sorry that I’m late, but I have a surprise for you! And also, just in case you’re getting worried, I LOVE YOU.” 

And in a typical Kwon Yuri behavior, she dropped an honest message to Jessica, knowing the girl had a tendency to be a little… paranoid.

So like any other day, on the usual route to Tiffany’s, Yuri had made the choice to proceed a little more slowly, just so she could have a little more conversation with Miss Park. She gathered that despite being late for work, being excused from her tardiness would be a breeze. She could escape Tiffany’s wrath with ease since Taeyeon, the ever Tiffany-appeaser, was present that night, and as for Jessica; there were always her natural puppy eyes that the latter couldn’t resist.

But as mentioned, the most minute of choices can lead to different outcomes than say, the most typical of days. Where it was a night that was supposed to lead to work at Tiffany’s and going home with Jessica; tonight, in the midst of her usual route, in the midst of her casual conversation, came the other unforeseen circumstance.

7:33pm. The one who escaped unscathed, who haunted her every night, had passed her just meters ahead. 

She was certain it was that man; the face of whom she would never forget - how his emotionless eyes never twinkled, how the many human expressions were reduced to just one on his face. He was a person characterized by stone cold death, markedly swift and deadly; and the trepidation that he had induced in Yuri hadn’t changed despite the years.

He was right there, within her grasp again.

“I have somewhere to be, go over to Tiffany’s first,” the girl said, already dashing ahead.

“Yuri!”

-----

“How long?”

“3 years.”

“3 years…” Taeyeon shook her head. “That’s too long.”

“So you wouldn’t be okay?” Jessica asked again.

Taeyeon looked at the girl’s hopeful face for a moment, and then plainly answered, “Not even for a day.”

Jessica laughed in response, breaking the seriousness in the air. “Our Kim Taeyeon has changed. You used to be so cool.”

Taeyeon shrugged. “Life’s too short. Live the way you deem fit.”

“I’m glad you found the one that fits.”

Taeyeon laughed, and then shot Jessica a knowing look. “The pot’s calling the kettle black.”

“Taetae!” a voice called out from the counter, to which Taeyeon responded immediately.

“Urgh, I still haven’t gotten used to your mushy new nickname.”

“As if you two are any better,” Taeyeon scoffed as she stood up. “Your Kwon Seobang’s late and we need hands in the kitchen.”

“Hmm,” Jessica looked up at the clock and noticed that it was already 7:33pm. It was just then that the vibration of her cellphone had caught her attention.

Seriously…

And as Yuri had already deduced, Jessica was just the perfect jealous girlfriend. Where it was a message to notify Jessica of the surprise and of the sacred L word, Jessica had found difficulty in detracting from the fact that Yuri was with Miss Park, and it had caused her some level of discomfort.

So that’s why she’s late?

What are they talking about?

Does Yuri talk to her about me?

Does she tell her things that she doesn’t tell me?

Does she find Sunyoung attractive? I mean, she’s pretty… and much gentler than me.

Etcetera, etcetera; and these endless questions were just the tip of the iceberg.

“Kwon Yuri…” she groaned, akin to a kitten starved for attention. She pouted as she sipped on her coffee, and made a mental note to resist the girl’s puppy eyes later.

-----

7:36pm.

“Quickly! I’m looking at him right now!”

(“Do NOT confront him, Yuri. Do you hear me? Stay somewhere safe.”)

“Just come quickly! I’ll turn my GPS on so track me,” said Yuri as she ended the call.

The evening’s sunset had commenced rapidly, leading to the night and all of its darkness. The road wasn’t particularly crowded, with just a row of streetlamps for illumination. She persisted behind the man for minutes, making her best attempts to be inconspicuous, and never once taking her eyes off his back. The way he walked, the shape of his body frame, and the aura of silence that engulfed him, everything was more than familiar to her. 

He was within reach again. After all these years of sorrow, of nightmares, of fears that she was next on the guillotine, he was within reach, and she was determined not to let this chance slip through her fingers.

-----

7:42pm.

“Yuri’s late?” exclaimed Sooyoung as she walked into Tiffany’s. Jessica nodded with a pout, obviously getting a little impatient amongst all the other petty jealousies she was enduring.

“Come on, you just saw her in school this morning and you’re already lovesick?” said Sooyoung, settling opposite Jessica.

“She’s with Sunyoung right now,” she replied, making her best attempt at an indifferent tone of voice.

“Oh,” Sooyoung arched her eyebrows knowingly. “Damn, she’s probably gonna get killed later isn’t she?”

Jessica shot Sooyoung a glare, to which the latter laughed. “Seriously, Jessica. Learn to take a joke. And anyway, you really have nothing to worry about.”

“Yuri’s a nice person. Too nice, sometimes.”

“I understand your fears and yes, I agree, Yuri is nice. But no matter how nice she is, she’ll always be the NICEST to you. That’s the one distinct difference you need to focus on. I mean come on; you get breakfast muffins so often! She used to make them only on birthdays.”

Jessica’s pout had persisted as Sooyoung blabbered on about Yuri’s unfair treatments. Not paying any particular attention to her, she continuously sipped on her milk coffee, her mind overly focused on how Yuri had felt towards Miss Park.

-----

She’d never taken her eyes off him, not even for a fraction of a second.

There was an immense burning in her body, an unspeakable anger, an emotion that could trigger the most irrational of actions, but this was Kwon Yuri, and she had known better than to act out of line if she’d wanted justice. He eventually disappeared into a deserted alleyway, a region that was marked by its darkness and menace. It brought Yuri to an abrupt halt, and she was now faced with the dilemma of whether to pursue any further or give up.

“Yuri!”

The sudden call had scared her a little. “I asked you to go straight to Tiffany’s,” she chided, venting a part of her frustration on the girl.

“I was worried, you just ran off! What are you doing?”

Yuri had been almost blinded by the momentum of the chase to care about anything else. Exhaling, she apologized, albeit half-heartedly; “I’m sorry. Just… go to Tiffany’s, okay?” she quickly instructed as she turned away from Miss Park and took that step into the alleyway. 

And that one step was just one of Yuri’s many choices that day. But of course, choices of different individuals often interplay with one another; and in a similar fashion, Miss Park had made her choice that night to follow Yuri into the alleyway, despite her ignorance in the whole situation. The only thing she was certain of was the panic in Yuri’s eyes and the stiffness in her movements, which were characterized by fear. There was an inexplicable, ominous feeling about all this. She’d known better than to let Yuri be alone then, and consequently, she followed along, staying a distance behind the girl, curious about what all this was leading to.

-----

7:45pm.

“I’m not gonna spend the whole night alleviating your fears, Jessica.”

Jessica ignored Sooyoung’s remark. “She’s never talked to me about Sunyoung. What kind of a relationship do they have?”

Without hesitation, Sooyoung replied, “A polite one.”

Jessica narrowed her eyes. “Elaborate.”

“A polite, respectful one. Very, very, very different from the one you share with Yuri.”

“Like TaeNy’s?”

Sooyoung threw her an incredulous look. “Now you’re just being insecure.”

“No I’m not,” Jessica defended. “I’m just curious about how Yuri feels towards her.”

Sooyoung sighed and rested her head on a hand. “Yuri does like Sunyoung, in the same way as how all of us normal humans like people who are nice to us. And that’s it. You know what; you should talk to her about this. You have a whole night later to do that, provided that you two don’t prematurely engage in your little bedroom activities again.”

The pout on Jessica’s face hadn’t worn off and she had ignored Sooyoung’s little remark at the end. “She’s late…”

“Then punish her, Queen Sica. You’re good at that, aren’t you?”

-----

Where the hell is he…?

It was darker once Yuri was inside, and the man was already nowhere to be seen. She ventured deeper, her obstinacy ruling over her head. There was less fear now, just blind rage driving her further into the alley, but minutes into the chase still saw no trace of the man.

“Damn it!!” she writhed in rage as she continued pursuing the path.

I can’t lose him… I can’t…

The long alleyway was cramped, stuffy and had led into obscurity; and despite her persistence, there was just no optimism in pursuing any further.

“Damn it!!!” she yelled again as she came to an eventual halt, panting as a result of the futile chase. 

I lost him...

I lost him again...

The tears were already making their way out of the brim of her eyes. She bit on her lip and clenched her fists tightly, only to have the box in her right hand catching her attention then, reminding her about the one person that should have mattered more. 

Should, have.

She lowered her head to take a moment’s breather, and then made the choice to head straight back to where she was supposed to be headed, to rejoin that everyday path, and to retreat into the only person she’d wanted to see right then.

But regrettably, as a result of her many little choices that day, she’d lost the right to that one last, critical choice.

Someone had locked her in a chokehold. Someone taller; someone with an undoubtedly strong grip. A gloved hand had muffled any chances for calls of help, and there was something uncomfortable prodding against her upper back. It happened systematically, like it was practiced a million times before, and without hesitation - fast, too fast that there hadn’t been room for any form of resistance nor defense. The discomfort had swiftly intensified into a prominent sensation of a foreign object plunging into her flesh, and there was the distinct breathlessness that had taken over, coupled with a numbness crippling her body; the involuntary bodily reactions that signaled a breach in safety.

The box had fallen onto the floor.

-----

7:47pm.

“Jessica.”

“Jessica!”

The girl dazedly looked up at Sooyoung. “What?”

“Did you just space out in the middle of my very kind pep talk?”

Jessica shook her head. “I don’t feel so good.”

“Oh pfft. Please do something about your insecurity issues,” Sooyoung jeered. “And I’ve been meaning to ask… you’re serious on giving up that scholarship?”

Jessica sighed as she looked straight into Sooyoung’s face. “If you’re trying to persuade me against it like Yuri does, it’s futile.”

“On the contrary… as someone who’s seen her through all these years, I don’t want to see her fall back into that person she was. I don’t know if you see it, but we all do. Yuri has been significantly different since you appeared.”

Jessica looked down and stirred her coffee, deriving yet another round of assurance from what Sooyoung had just said.

“Just saying, the unworthy needs you,” Sooyoung quickly added, throwing in the complimentary name-calling for fear of sounding mushy.

-----

The feeling of submission had overwhelmed her, and bit by bit, as the blade sank into her back, inching more closely to the rapidly beating organ, the life had been sapped out of her, weakening her with every passing millisecond. She had thought that this was it, this was the end of her as she knew it, and there was a sudden rush of fear and of regret, for there were still many things that had been left undone and unsaid; and people that she just couldn’t leave behind. 

But it was unexpectedly short-lived, fortunately. Following an audible thud, the object had retreated in a mere second, ripping out of her skin; that chokehold around her shoulders had loosened, and there was a distinct grunt, plausibly belonging to the perpetrator. He was down, his guard was down, he was vulnerable for those meager seconds, and as much as Yuri had wished she could do something about it, she couldn’t - her physical body hadn’t complied. Ruled by her very basic instincts, Yuri fell back one step, and then another, eventually falling onto the floor, rendered powerless in light of this circumstance. With the gaping wound now open and raw, the pain was excruciating, on a level distinctively different from anything she had felt in her entire life. Her body was now motionless, her hands clammy, and she was erupting in cold sweat. 

But these physical sensations were all but lasting. This nightmare wasn’t about to be over.

Run…

Run, you idiot!

The metal gleamed in what little stream of light there was in this dark alleyway, her own blood dripping down its edge, only to emphasize on its sharpness and its lethality. It was the only thing most visible in this ominous atmosphere, and it had one destination.

“Sunyoung…!”

Another thud.

No…

This isn’t happening…

The girl had fallen, her eyes never taking off of Yuri’s face. And though it was just a split second before they were not seen again, those eyes, that had always emanated anticipation and longing whenever Yuri was in sight, that spoke so much about how she’d felt towards her, had willfully persisted.

“No…” Yuri cried meekly, crippled in horror as the girl had slipped into unconsciousness just a little distance from her. The blood, now mixed with hers, had made their mess on the floor they surrendered on, and within seconds, Yuri’s vision had become fuzzy, restrained to the visibility of silhouettes.

The man’s boots.

So…

A footstep.

This… 

And another.

…this is it?

Yuri remained still, capitulated, as the silhouettes now dwindled into shades of darkness.

“Pervert!”

It had stopped being fuzzy then. Everything was crystal clear now, and they were just mere images – memories; flashing quickly before her eyes.

"This is my favorite cardigan and you've just... urgh..!"

“I'll never be caught dead in a Mickey Mouse hoodie.”

“Because I’m in love with you, you idiot!”

“If playing the piano is painful, then stop.”

“I’m here now. Talk to me. Tell me everything.”

“You’re quite a sweet-talker, aren’t you?”

“Your mother was right. It is an unorthodox charm.”

“It’s our first time and I want this to be perfect.”

“It’s like the decisions I made somehow just led me back to you.”

“Maybe one day, you’ll stop being haunted by it.”

The flurry of images had inaugurated their appearance, but they were fleeting, and they were brief, perhaps far too brief. Yuri found herself missing these little scenes all of a sudden, she had wanted them to stay longer, or frozen forever; but one by one, they flashed and disappeared, not lingering as long as she’d liked. The sense of despair was unspeakably huge, and amidst these many images, she had found tears in her eyes.

She missed her so much then.

The fleeting images had eventually transitioned to just one in particular; and unlike the others, this was vivid, vibrant, and it stayed the longest.

Chandeliers, bookcases. Streams of sunlight. 

Her nose is casting a little shadow on her face, and there’s a little mole on her upper left cheek. Cute.

Her eyes are hazel. I’ve always liked them.

Ah, she’s smiling. Blushing.

That’s good... 

I’ve always liked that too.

I guess, that’s all it takes to make my day, isn’t it?

The initial fluster and the entire chaos had swiftly died down to calmness. Yuri smiled a little, basking in that particular image of that one person.

“Good night, stranger…”

7:48pm. And very slowly, her eyes had drawn their final close.

-----

7:48pm.

“Don’t worry,” Jessica smiled as she looked confidently towards Sooyoung. “I need her as much as she needs me.”

-----

Chapter 17

The hallway was empty. 

A couple of people had walked through it - doctors, nurses, patients. Curious ones took a glance, two glances, while others bowed their heads as a form of respect. But they eventually passed, returning to their own duties, and their own lives. Beside her, all around her, people were crying. No one was spared from the reddened eyes, the wails and the convulsions, and everyone held each other for support. There were two people by her side – she didn’t notice who they were; one on her left, one on her right, and they both held her tightly, providing support, receiving support. Everyone was under the cruel hands of sorrow; everyone was present that night.

But the hallway was empty.

Because Yuri wasn’t there.

-----

Bright.

Two eyes fixated on the ceiling and a head emptied of thoughts. She had felt awake, and there had been a lowered sense of consciousness despite her efforts. There were no thoughts, no emotions. She turned to her right. It wasn’t particularly sunlight through the window, just an odd glow beneath the drawn curtains. She gazed towards her nightstand. There wasn’t a clock.

She got out of bed, feeling the odd lightness in the air. It hadn’t felt like she was walking, but instead, floating – as bewildering as it had seemed, though met with her utmost indifference. There were no memories of the night before, nor any thoughts pertaining to where she was supposed to be headed. She made her way to the closed door, and clutched the door knob, barely feeling it in her hand. Without any trace of effort at all, it had turned, and the door had swung open, seemingly on its own accord.

She stepped out onto the hallway.

The weightlessness had persisted as she travelled down the long hallway, and she had found all the doors to be closed. 

Am I supposed to be somewhere?

There was just one thought in her head now; one question that she couldn’t find an answer to. She never stopped observing her surroundings, finding everything oddly symmetrical, and the hallway to be exceptionally lengthy. Despite this, there wasn’t a trace of fluster, nor panic, nor disorientation; only a calmness. A neutrality.

“Kwon Yuri!”

The voice was familiar, and it had invoked an emotion in her, one that she couldn’t make out of. The only thing for certain, was that it had broken the nothingness in the air.

“Kwon Yuri!” the voice called out again. The lengthy hallway had also come to an end, and she had emerged at the top of the stairs.

“Mom?”

-----

“She’s lost a lot of blood. The knife missed her heart, but there’s still a fair amount of damage to her lung.”

“I told her not to go after him. She had to be so stubborn. Just like her mother, she is,” the man remarked, the look of anxiety written all over his face.

Sooyoung took a quick glance towards everyone else before approaching closer to the Inspector General. Softly, she asked, “How is Sunyoung?”

He shook his head a little, sighing. “She was stabbed in the shoulder, and some nerves were severed. The doctors have reattached them, but there is a possibility that she might lose full control of her arm.”

“How…” Sooyoung choked, “How did all this happen?”

“He had been lying in wait ever since everyone else got arrested. Yuri was the only one who recognized his face and she was a huge threat to him. It seems like he managed to dig out Yuri’s identity despite my efforts.”

“Even after all these years?”

“The man’s a professional killer who’s capable of lying in wait for years to execute a mission. I’ve failed her parents,” he sighed, rubbing his forehead. “He got to her before I got to him.”

“But you saved them both, Sir.”

“Thank that other girl. If she hadn’t intercepted, Yuri would’ve died.”

Sooyoung lowered her gaze upon that revelation, worrying if the others had heard it as well.

“Least I could do now is to make sure he stays behind bars for the rest of his life.” He took a quick glance at his watch. “I gotta head back to the station. Keep me updated about Yuri.”

Sooyoung bowed as the man had taken his leave, before settling back on her seat. 

“Yuri will be fine,” she tried to comfort everyone scattered across the hallway. No one had paid any particular attention to her.

“You heard the nurse, the knife missed her heart. She’ll be fine--”

“Stop acting like the world’s ending—“

“Yuri’s stubborn as hell, and stubborn people are the last to die—“

They were mere words - useless, frittering words. She didn’t want to hear of them, nor anything else that wasn’t that silver lining. She sat quietly in her seat; and unlike the others who had derived a little comfort out of Sooyoung’s words, she had shut everything else out, focusing on nothing but the sounds of her own breathing. 

Her head was bowed down, her hands were clasped tightly with each other, and her own fingers intertwined.

Drip.

It had fallen into her fingers, and gotten lost somewhere in the midst of them. 

She had heard everything. Every single word exchanged between Sooyoung and the Inspector General.

Drip, and another one lost. 

The conflicting emotions in her were too much too handle, and she did all she could to focus on Yuri’s well-being for now. She looked plainly at her own hands, her intertwined fingers, finding them imperfect. The counterpart of her left hand wasn’t her right anymore. They didn’t fit - for some reason they just couldn’t, not when they weren’t those particular hands that possessed the belonging she yearned for.

Drip.

But she wouldn’t break. She wouldn’t, because she was Jessica Jung. She wasn’t that sort of person.

She clasped them even more tightly now. No matter how mismatched her hands had been, she struggled to put them together, searching within herself for that little bit of strength, and that little bit of hope.

-----

“Why are you dazing around up there? Come down.”

Abiding by the order, Yuri made her way down the stairs, spotting the grand piano by the full-length windows. A man was seated in the living room, a leg propped up on another, and he was reading the daily papers. As she walked past him, he turned, and with the kindest smile and warmest eyes she’d seen, he greeted;

“Morning, dear.”

“Morning, Dad.” Yuri had replied without hesitation, returning his gentle smile with hers as she proceeded into the kitchen. Her mother was standing by the stove.

“You’ve been waking up late, Yuri,” her mother remarked as soon as Yuri had stepped in.

“Really? What time is it?” asked Yuri, to which she received no answer. There wasn’t a clock in the kitchen, despite her vague impression that there had been one. “Wait, what day is it today?”

“Could you pass me the sauce to your right, sweetie?”

“Uhh… sure.”

“Medium heat…”

“Mom…?”

“2 teaspoons of this…”

“Let stand for 10 seconds….”

Standing beside her mother, she watched as her mother diligently prepared her father’s favorite breakfast. Her methodical for cooking hadn’t changed; every step was calculated and carried out with precision, and she was particularly careful with the measurement of sauces; a trait that she would pass down, that would be particularly useful for Yuri in her Chemistry experiments later.

Wait… That’s right, I major in Chemistry.

Don’t I have school today?

“Mom, what day is it today?”

Her mother still hadn’t responded, but Yuri hadn’t been inaudible either. Frowning, she leaned forward and tried to catch her mother’s sight.

“Mom—“

She looked up at Yuri with a little excitement in her eyes. “Breakfast is almost ready. Let Dad know.”

For some reason, she’d immediately acceded with her mother’s request, and then shortly after, found herself at the dining table, seated with her parents. The food was sprawled across the table; her mother’s generous servings unchanging. 

Yuri looked towards the food and chuckled a little. “Sooyoung and Yoong will clear this up in a matter of minutes. Will Fany and Uncle Hwang be joining us too?”

Her questions had remained unanswered as her parents merely focused on their food. The only interactions thus far had been reduced to one-sided ones towards Yuri, and for some reason, they hadn’t exactly been listening, just talking. It then struck Yuri that the food was completely lost in her senses; she couldn’t smell anything. Grabbing her chopsticks, she picked up a piece of meat and placed it in her mouth– only to have it disappear the very next moment.

The fluster had now set in, an emotion marked by its distinctive reality.

“Eat up, dear.” Her father had encouraged.

“What… What’s going on?”

“Dad…”

“Mom…”

They weren’t responding to her, only eating silently within themselves, and making small talk with each other every once in a while. Her presence had been acknowledged, but that was as far as it went. She reached out to touch her father, feeling her hand on his arm, and yet, not feeling it at all. He had felt like an impenetrable bubble, one that could be barely felt nor grasped, and yet its presence definite.

The fluster had heightened to unspeakable levels, and she could feel a distinct pounding in her chest, as if reminding her that she was definitely organic.

“What the hell’s going on?!” she intended a loud yell, but what came out was only a meek whimper.

It was only just moments later, when the sounds of the piano had emerged. It was soft, but distinctively audible amidst her parents’ chatter.

Chopin…

That particular piece was unmistakably, especially significant to her. It wasn’t played perfectly, with mistakes occurring every now so and then. Its loud volume had eventually drowned out her parents’ voices, and in some sense it had sounded exceptionally realistic to Yuri; the one thing that she needed in this bewildering atmosphere.

She stood up from the dining table and made her way to the grand piano.

And there sat a girl; brown-haired, bangs that concealed her forehead, a cardigan she found strangely familiar, and an aura that had aroused her curiosity. She was seated prissily on the bench, her slender fingers running up and down the keys, albeit clumsily, but her expression unchanging, and one of determination. The odd glow beneath the windows had gradually transitioned into streams of distinct sunlight, falling gently onto her.

Hesitantly, Yuri inched closer to the girl, trying to get a better glimpse of her face.

She was pretty, and Yuri had felt incredibly drawn to her for inexplicable reasons. She had found it particularly difficult to take her eyes off the girl, finding her immensely enthralling. Being just a little shy then, she stayed at a little distance away and watched her, giggling a little whenever the latter had missed a note or fumbled on some.

The melody had eventually come to an end, followed by the lowering of the fallboard. The girl shut her eyes, her head lowered. The atmosphere had turned into one of mellow, the sunlight had ceased, leaving just the glow to illuminate the environment.

The natural care-giving instincts in Yuri had prompted her to approach her.

“Hey, are you okay?”

The girl looked up in response, her hazel eyes reddened, and her cheeks stained with tears. She looked directly - piercingly, into Yuri’s eyes. It was a stare unlike her mother’s or her father’s; it was one that seemed to pass right through her. She then stood up, startling Yuri just a little with their sudden proximity. Her eyes never wavering, she drew closer to Yuri’s face; to which the latter closed her eyes in response, feeling the warmth of the girl’s breathing, and eventually, the electrifying sensation of her kiss.

Sica…

-----

Another nurse had emerged through those doors, her footsteps loud, too loud. It was the only thing Jessica could hear now, despite the sniffles and cries in the air of despondence around her. Her head still bowed down, her hands still clasped imperfectly; she listened intently, unsure if she’d wanted any news at all. 

The footsteps had come to a halt in front of her. The sobs around her had momentarily dwindled to silence, and everyone seemed like they had stopped breathing altogether.

The nurse’s voice was the loudest now; it was the only audible sound in the atmosphere. Her tone was assertive and void of emotion, inevitably hard-trained throughout the years to deal with situations like these.

“Miss Kwon—“

Jessica’s clasped hands had loosened, her eyes had shut, and she had let out that held breath.

-----

The kiss had lasted for several seconds, and it had felt too short. As they parted, Yuri looked back anxiously into Jessica’s familiar glare. 

The latter had reached up with a hand and cupped Yuri’s cheek. “Kwon Yuri.”

Her name had matched perfectly with the sound of Jessica’s voice, despite its rather stern tone.

“When are you gonna come back to me?”

“I…”

Jessica then turned away, her eyes taking off Yuri’s as she did so. Yuri followed closely behind her as she slowly made her way to the stairs, but came to a halt when the latter had eventually ascended it. There was a strange beckoning then, a desire to follow the girl, until the clattering of chopsticks had caught Yuri’s attention.

“The biggest piece of meat for the man of the house!” her mother had exclaimed, bringing the delicacy towards her father’s mouth.

And as Yuri stood by the stairs, she smiled, and then chuckled, watching her parents engaged in their little meal. A tear had slipped her eye, a bittersweet one.

I’ll see you two soon…

She watched them for just a couple of seconds more, and then turned away.

Just… not now.

She ascended the stairs with much haste, and then down the hallway, which strangely, hadn’t felt as long as it was anymore. 

She knew exactly where Jessica was.

Smiling, she entered her bedroom and lay down beside the girl, just watching her face. Jessica’s eyes were closed, and her cheeks blushed. Yuri reached up and very gently, wiped that stray tear off the girl’s cheek, before eventually joining the girl in slumber.

-----

Beep. Beep. Beep.

She opened her eyes, adjusting her vision to the bright lights. The feeling of lightness was still there, accompanied with a distinct warmth on her left; the brown-haired girl was laying vigil by her bedside, using one arm as a headrest, whilst the other was firmly intertwined with Yuri’s. Too weak to move, Yuri could only remain still, lying on her side, and feeling that uncomfortable numbness throughout her whole torso. But it was all secondary to the simple knowing that she was able to hold Jessica’s hand and feel the girl’s gentle breathing against her skin again.

“You’re up?”

Sooyoung’s voice carried a tone of gentleness never heard before, and as amusing as it would be on a normal day, it was oddly comforting that night. Turning her head, she spotted Sooyoung standing by the end of the bed, and Sunny sleeping on the couch. 

She smiled a little. “Yea…”

Sooyoung whipped out her cellphone, and snapped a photograph of Yuri right then.

“What are you doing…?” grunted Yuri as she shifted a little, never releasing Jessica’s hand. The effects of the morphine continuously pulled her away from full consciousness, and it was a little hard to focus.

“Don’t move around,” Sooyoung stated as she fiddled with her cellphone. “I’m letting everyone know you’re awake.”

A frown had emerged on Yuri’s face upon the restrictions imposed by her heavily bandaged torso. She barely had the strength to engage Sooyoung in conversation, her mind too fatigued to focus on anything else but the girl lying beside her. She cosseted in the familiarity of Jessica’s sleeping face, and then ran her fingers through her hair, finding it amazing just to be able to feel the softness of the girl’s locks and the warmth of the girl’s forehead.

“You’re an idiot, you know that?” chided Sooyoung as she gripped the railings of the bed tightly. 

Yuri shut her eyes and pulled Jessica a little closer to her. “Not now, Sooyoung…”

“I’m not going to let you enjoy your whole thank-god-I’m-alive moment, because you’re an idiot. You were irresponsible, and you were brash. What the hell were you thinking, endangering yourself and her like that?”

Sooyoung’s reproach only served to deliver that dose of reality, and Yuri had been kicked into panic almost instantly. She turned to Sooyoung with a face that spoke everything about her fears. “Miss Park…?”

Sooyoung remained silent, only keeping her glare at Yuri.

“Tell me!”

“She’s resting in her ward. I just visited her a while ago.”

There was the slight relief that Miss Park was alive, but Sooyoung’s tone hadn’t been exactly optimistic. “How is she?”

“Not exactly fine,” stated Sooyoung.

“What… Why?”

Sooyoung exhaled, looking down. “Look, just rest for now, okay?”

“Tell me,” Yuri begged, “please.”

Sooyoung pursed her lips in hesitation, more familiar with Yuri’s stubborn side than anything. “She was stabbed in the left shoulder. You should be able to predict the consequences of that,” she said, a tone of dread in her voice. “Why did you have to go after him? If Mr Lee didn’t get to you two in time--”

“Where is she?” asked Yuri, forcing herself to sit up.

Sooyoung reached out and stopped the girl. “Does it matter? You’re not going anywhere.”

“WHERE, is she??”

Inevitably, their little commotion had woken Sunny up. “Yuri…? You’re awake?”

“Yea she is,” Sooyoung replied, looking towards Yuri worriedly. Wary of being heard, she then leaned closer to Yuri and spoke softly; “Listen, I’ll bring you there, but I want you to know whose hand it is that’s holding yours right now.”

In response, Yuri gazed at Jessica momentarily, tightening her grip a little as the girl lay asleep.

Sooyoung sighed. “I’ll get a wheelchair.”

-----

The journey to the girl’s ward was a dreary one. Sooyoung took the task of wheeling the girl there, with Sunny in company, just walking silently alongside. No one talked, and despite the many thoughts each of them had in their heads, they were best kept as thoughts for now. At the brink of fragility, Yuri lay back in the wheelchair, her mind plagued in chaos amidst the effects of the morphine.

When they arrived, Sunny knocked on the door gently before proceeding to open it. There were a few people in the ward, assumed to be Miss Park’s friends and family. It suddenly dawned on Yuri that to this date, she hadn’t known Miss Park all that well; the girl hadn’t talked much about herself, and Yuri hadn’t exactly asked either. There was a sudden guilt about it, and it only served as an appetizer to what came afterwards: The girl was lying on the bed, and just like Yuri, she had been covered in bandages, the frailty marked distinctively on her sleeping face. The eyes of everyone in the ward were fixated on Yuri, of which almost all exerted blame; but they had been magnanimous enough to not admonish her in the state she was. Most of them left the ward as a result.

Yuri reached forward and held Miss Park’s hand, catching her attention upon that sensation. With the ever familiar gaze, the girl greeted her with a little smile. “Yuri…”

“Hey…”

“I’m glad to see you. I was worried.”

“I’m fine,” Yuri said, forcing a smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Not well, thanks to you.”

The voice stemming from a corner of the ward had carried a tone of reproach to it. Miss Park looked down and took a breath, before turning to a guilt-stricken Yuri with that smile. “I’m fine.”

“You lost an arm because of her!”

“Eunjung!” Miss Park meekly yelled, securing the silence in the air. In frustration, the girl had left the room, not before offering Yuri the complimentary glare.

Miss Park took a moment to regain her composure. “Can I talk to Yuri in private?” 

It was a request that wouldn’t be turned down. Everyone took their leave, with Sooyoung giving Yuri a little squeeze on the shoulder as she did so; as if to remind her of the girl waiting back in her own ward. When there was just the two of them, Miss Park gazed at Yuri for a little while, understanding everything from the way the latter had her head held down.

She reached out and patted Yuri on the top of her head. “It’s okay, Yuri. What matters is we’re alive.”

Yuri merely shook her head, her head still down.

“I don’t even blame you; don’t be so hard on yourself.”

Yuri finally looked up, her eyes a little teary. “Your arm…”

“It’s not gone forever,” the girl replied, her voice a little shaky. She tried to move it, only to find it an almost impossible task. Suppressing the overbearing helplessness, she merely said; “I’m determined to make it work again. I’ve already scheduled physiotherapy sessions… I’ll be fine.”

The single tear that ran down Miss Park’s cheek had been nothing but a clear giveaway of her false front. Forcing herself up on her feet, Yuri embraced the girl as tightly as she could, in spite of her vulnerability. But Miss Park remained still; though vastly overwhelmed, she found herself unable to respond to the hug fully, and it only made her feel that much worse. She shook her head as the tears had streamed down her face, falling onto Yuri’s shoulder. But still, as if to assure herself and the girl hugging her, she repeatedly said, “I’ll be fine, Yuri… I’ll be fine.”

Yuri bit on her lip hard, suppressing the insane need to cry. She merely shook her head as she never once, not even for a second, loosened her grip. 

“You saved me… So let me save you.”

And just for that little moment, just for a little while, Miss Park raised her only good arm and encircled it around Yuri’s waist in reciprocation, wanting nothing, but just the affirmation of Yuri’s presence around her.

-----

“Here.”

“Thanks.” Sunny received the cup of coffee from Sooyoung, who settled beside her on the waiting chairs along the corridor.

“I heard everything that you told Yuri just now. And I didn’t like what I gathered from it.”

Sooyoung didn’t respond and merely sipped on her coffee.

“I know the dilemma she’s in, but--”

“You don’t know the dilemma she’s in,” Sooyoung interrupted. “I don’t know the dilemma she’s in. No one knows exactly how she feels, except herself.”

“So you won’t stop her if she decides to be with Sunyoung? Even if it’s out of gratitude?”

“Who said anything about her being with Sunyoung? It’s just… I know Yuri. She’s gonna hold herself responsible for everything, and I’m not sure how far she’ll go to make it up to her. And then there’s Jessica, who hasn’t cried nor spoken at all the whole night. I have no idea what’s going on in her head.”

“It’s not gonna bode well,” Sunny said, shaking her head.

“What do you mean?”

“I know Sica,” Sunny sighed. “One word; insecure.”

“But Yuri’s totally exclusive to her. You know that, right?”

“It’s not about that. Just imagine her situation: your girlfriend almost gets killed, and someone loses an arm in the process of saving her. That someone should have been you, but instead, it turns out that it’s your love rival who obviously cares for her as much as you do. Or who knows, maybe even more.”

Sooyoung frowned. “So you’re saying Jessica’s gonna give up on Yuri?”

Sunny shrugged. “I really hope not.”

“What should we do then?”

Sunny leaned back on her seat, sipping her coffee. “What can we do? It’s purely up to them to sort this out.”

“And if they don’t? We’re gonna just sit here and watch them fall apart?”

“I don’t know,” Sunny sighed. “Who are we to step into all this anyway? Do our words even matter? We can dish advice, but ultimately, it’s their own lives and their own relationship.”

Sooyoung scoffed. “You know, this is one of the rare times that I actually agree with you.”

“Huh. Which means it’s also one of the rare times that you’re right.”

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “Don’t start.”

“Shutting up in process,” Sunny said as she sipped on her coffee. For moments that ensued, they never conversed, both inevitably worn out by the events. They stared blankly at the door to Miss Park’s ward, until someone’s appearance had broken them out of their trance.

“Crap. Sica’s here.” Sunny alerted Sooyoung as Jessica had come running towards them.

“Where’s Yuri?” she asked, the look of anxiety written all over her face.

“Relax, she’s fine.”

“Where is she?”

Sunny responded, with a little hesitation on her part, “In there.”

There was an inkling right there and then; the way Sunny had that look in her eye, the way Sooyoung had been abnormally quiet. Regardless, Jessica had brushed it off, for her only priority was to see the girl. She made her way to the door, and then gently knocked on it. 

Yuri was seated in her wheelchair, and Miss Park was lying on her bed, facing her. They weren’t particularly conversing or seemingly in the midst of a conversation, but it could have been due to Jessica’s entrance. Despite all the little summed up fears that had accumulated since her awakening, that smile on Jessica’s face naturally blossomed as soon as she had seen Yuri. 

“Sica…”

The girl walked over and leaned down to embrace Yuri without hesitation. “I woke up and you were gone.”

Yuri placed a hand over Jessica’s head and patted it gently. “I didn’t want to wake you.”

Jessica took in those words for now, finding more comfort in Yuri’s waking presence. Releasing Yuri from the embrace, she then looked towards Miss Park, suppressing every other thought in her head. “How are you feeling?”

“Better, thank you.”

“You,” said Jessica as she placed a hand on Yuri’s shoulder, “…saved her life.”

Miss Park shook her head. “Don’t make it out to be so heroic.”

Jessica smiled a little in response as she looked towards Yuri. It was difficult not to notice the anguish in the latter’s eyes, hidden behind her frailty. Right then, there was an incredibly disconcerting sensation in her chest, and a nagging impression that she had been the third wheel in this scene. 

She was the healthy one, the one who didn’t save Yuri, the one who wasn’t there for her.

There was an unbearable tension in the air now with the three of them merely in the presence of each other and not particularly conversing. It was getting torturous for Jessica, and as much as she’d wished against it, the thoughts had already dealt their damage.

“You should rest, Yuri.” Miss Park said, taking the initiative to ease the tension.

Yuri nodded solemnly, while Jessica looked towards Miss Park and afforded an apology at the least. “Take care. And thank you.”

-----

The mood had persisted throughout the journey back to Yuri’s ward, with Jessica donning her expressionless face, maneuvering the wheelchair, and Yuri seated in the confines of it, fatigued. The only break in this tension had come when they had returned to the ward, with Sooyoung being the ever mood lifter.

“Argh,” she groaned as she stretched her limbs. “I guess we should leave the couple to themselves now, shouldn’t we? I’m sure they have lots of catching up to do. In private.”

Sunny took Sooyoung’s cue; and despite her usual resistance to her jokes, she nodded and dragged Sooyoung by the arm towards the door. “Have a good evening, girls.”

“Good night,” Yuri smiled, giving a little wave.

“Oh uhh, you might want to lock the door,” Sooyoung playfully suggested before shutting the door behind them.

“Come here koala bear,” Yuri invited, patting on the little space beside her.

Climbing onto the bed, Jessica buried her head into the nook of Yuri’s neck, and for several seconds, they both said nothing. Yuri closed her eyes, her feeble body demanding some rest out of her. It wasn’t until moments later when she noticed that Jessica was shaking. She placed a hand over the back of Jessica’s head, stroking it gently. 

“I’m sorry for making you worry,” she said, her voice cracking.

Jessica hadn’t spoken, though it could have been a consequence of her devastation; leading also to the worsening of her convulsions, and the exacerbation of sobs to wails. She cried hard, feeling the repressed sorrow from the day being unleashed mercilessly; and gently enclosed her arms around Yuri’s waist, delving what little reassurance she could from that mild embrace. She knew she had to be careful with Yuri’s fragile state, even if it was at the expense of a comfort she had needed throughout the entire day. 

But there was a tacit understanding, for Yuri had reflexively responded to Jessica’s cries with a firm embrace, one that Jessica needed, and one that reaffirmed everything - that she was here, that she had survived, that Jessica needn’t worry any longer.

“You promised you wouldn’t leave.”

It pained Yuri immensely just to think about what Jessica had been through. But there was really nothing to make up for it, aside from the very fact that she was fine now. 

“I’m sorry.”

She kept Jessica in that reassuring embrace for a long time, and even when things calmed down eventually, their grips hadn’t. Jessica ran her fingers on the rim of Yuri’s bandage, feeling the rough edges of it trace along her fingertips, whilst the latter just watched her, fighting a losing battle against the morphine.

Yuri closed her eyes eventually, and smiled a little as she did so. “I dreamt about you. I was back at my old house with Mom and Dad, and then I saw you playing the piano. Chopin. You were clumsy.”

Jessica didn’t respond, and it had worried her a little. “Sica?”

The girl looked up at Yuri as she did so, and for several seconds, did nothing but look at her face, letting yet another tear or two slip her eyes. There was a sudden inexplicable fear manifesting somewhere inside Yuri, and she’d felt sick to the stomach right then.

“I’m accepting the scholarship.”

Yuri’s immediate reaction could have been apt, could have been strikingly huge, could have been an honest expression, and could have been the very words that would make Jessica change her mind.

Could have, should have.

Jessica had taken her eyes off Yuri’s face upon being met with her unresponsiveness. And though the next few words were said softly, it delivered a starkly different sensation; so great that it jolted her out of the morphine.

“Let’s break up.”

-----

Chapter 18

"Break up?"

"...yes."

"But..."

"I can't take the distance."

"How do you know you can't?"

"We both know it, Yuri..."

"But..."

"...rather than us falling apart badly when we're at two ends of the world, I'd rather we part now, amicably."

"Sica--"

"If you love me, respect my wishes, Yuri."

-----

Sooyoung stood by Yuri’s bedroom door, biting a toothbrush in her mouth. “Going out this early?”

Yuri plainly nodded as she tightened the watch on her wrist.

“Where to?”

“Miss Park’s. She has a session in an hour.”

“And I believe she has no problems getting there on her own. You're not fully recovered yourself.”

“I’m fine. Definitely in a better condition than her at least.”

“Look, I get that you feel responsible and that you’re trying to make it up to her, but don’t overdo it. You might send the wrong signals.”

Yuri didn’t respond. She pretended to fiddle with the items on her desk, constantly avoiding any form of eye contact with Sooyoung to conceal her puffy eyes. Yuri had been crying again, and Sooyoung knew just why.

Exhaling, Sooyoung removed her toothbrush and asked bluntly, “Have you met Jessica since your discharge?”

It earned a little hesitation on Yuri’s part. “No.”

“Do you know that she’s leaving in a few days’ time?”

“Yea. She told me.”

“Aren’t you gonna see her before she leaves?”

It didn’t come to as much of a surprise that Yuri offered silent treatment. The girl merely picked up her bag and grabbed her aviators. “I gotta go. I don’t want her to be late.”

“Kwon Yul,” Sooyoung called out, “I said this before, and I’m gonna say it again. Don’t let Jessica go. You’re gonna regret it.”

Yuri scoffed as she made her way out of the room. "That’s not up to me to decide.”

-----

It had already been a few times that she’s accompanied Miss Park to her physiotherapy sessions, and it was gradually becoming more of a routine now. Pushing her aviators up onto her head, she flexed her facial muscles before ringing the doorbell. It was a warm up for the bouts of smiles that she would put up thereafter, an acting skill that she had undoubtedly honed throughout the years.

“Hey,” she greeted as Eunjung answered the door. The girl never returned her smile, and today wasn’t an exception.

“She’s not ready.”

Yuri proceeded to Miss Park’s room, finding the door closed and locked. She knocked on it gently. “It’s me.”

There was then a gentle click of the door, and following a look of approval from Eunjung, Yuri made her way into the room. Miss Park was seated on her bed, her back turned towards Yuri. The latter shut the door behind her, and donning that complementary smile on her face, settled beside her. 

It wasn’t the first time she’d found her in tears.

“What’s wrong?”

Miss Park shook her head slightly, a tear slipping off her cheek and falling onto the bed. “I can't do anything. I can't even tie my hair up.”

Yuri reached for the girl's hair and held it up in a ponytail. “Why didn’t you ask Eunjung for help?”

“I can’t be asking for help for every little thing. I have to learn to do it on my own.”

Miss Park’s circumstance was something that a normal healthy person could never comprehend. For the umpteenth time, Yuri had forcefully swallowed that guilt. She knew that Miss Park hadn’t sought out to make her feel worse about it, but there was a responsibility that only seemed to latch deeper onto her each time she’d seen the girl. Reaching for the tissues on the nightstand, she wiped her tears and tried to catch her gaze. “Take your time. For now, we're your slaves.”

Yuri’s words had always been magic to her, and this had calmed her down enough for a little hopeful smile.

“Better,” Yuri chirped. “I await your orders.”

Miss Park looked a little hesitant. “Uhh... Could you get Eunjung in here, please?”

“But you have a slave right here.”

"I was going to change."

"Oh," Yuri paused, "I can help you, if you don't mind."

Miss Park shook her head, her anxious eyes left uncaught. On Yuri’s part, it was a genuine offer of help and she hadn’t thought that much into it, but in the ensuing several seconds she would find it apparent that there was a sort of tension between them. Positioning herself behind Miss Park, she reached for the bottom folds of her top and very gently lifted it up; being careful with the girl’s bandaged shoulder in the process. They had been silent throughout, for there was really nothing to say, subsequently adding an air of indescribable awareness of each other. In an attempt to break out of this, Yuri let out an almost forced chuckle as she faced the girl’s bare back; her eyes tracing along the girl’s bandages.

“In future, wear one of those button-up shirts. It’ll make life easier.”

Miss Park had responded with a chuckle that matched Yuri’s, and it only further reinforced the awkwardness between them. Despite the fact that they were both girls after all, Yuri had been respectful and particularly careful with Miss Park, to which the latter had appreciated immensely.

“There. You’re all good.”

“Thank you.”

Yuri smiled, a little relieved that it was over. “Ready to go?”

-----

The days had passed one by one since Yuri's discharge, she'd spent them juggling Miss Park and daily routines - work at Tiffany’s and academia, which served as timely distractions. Things had been different ever since. The dynamics in the “family” had changed since their break up; after all, it was difficult to take sides when everyone was in the same circle, and more so, difficult to fix. Moreover, no one knew the full story, as both Yuri and Jessica had been equally tight-lipped, leaving everyone with mere assumptions and no opportunity for interference. But the truth in all this; was that Jessica was probably the main penner of the story ever since. She had her reasons, reasons she would never put up for discussion, as per her character. And Yuri, being the selfless person she was, would never stand in her way if it involved the scholarship.

It was a pity; the break up had forced the two girls into total strangers.

Yuri was back to her facades, though her attempts this time were substandard, at best. And as for Jessica, she had vanished. By the time Yuri was well enough to return to school, Jessica had stopped attending classes; and Yuri had to work on her labs alone, leaving her at the receiving end of the TA’s insensitive sarcasm and accomplishing lab reports for long hours on her own. Jessica had also stopped visiting Tiffany’s ever since; and aside from the short, hostile text messages that Yuri had exchanged with her pertaining to superficial topics regarding the latter’s health, there had been no other form of contact. Yuri hadn’t heard the girl’s voice nor seen her face ever since. Despite this, no one had taken the initiative to reestablish that contact, and for the simplest underlying reason: it was far too weird, too unnerving, too painful to even act as friends.

But of course, with Jessica’s pending departure, Yuri eventually gave in.

“Mr Jung.”

“Ah, Yuri.” In spite of the man’s cordial greeting, his eyes had been particularly sad that night, a consequence of Jessica’s pending departure. He led her into the house, but never engaged in any conversation about it.

“How are you recovering?”

“I’m doing well, thank you.”

“That’s great,” he said, donning the usual fatherly smile on his face as he patted her back. “Jess is in her room.”

With heavy footsteps, Yuri ascended the stairs before coming to a halt outside Jessica’s bedroom. The girl was crouched over her luggage, presumably occupied with last minute packing. It was almost surreal looking at her after weeks of being apart, and at that instant, it hit her hard that she’d missed her greatly.

“Sica.”

The girl looked up upon being called, her usual indifferent expression fazed for just a moment. “Hey.”

"Hey." A monotonic, monosyllabic greeting which Yuri could never be accustomed to.

She shut the door behind her and leaned against it, suppressing everything she was feeling at the moment. “Were you not planning to see me even once before you leave?”

“I’ve been busy,” the girl answered, her primary focus back on her full luggage. It was the most generic of excuses, one that had been overused. She quickly diverted the topic then. “You’ve fully recovered?”

“Almost. Just hoping that it wouldn’t leave too obvious a scar.”

“The scar will probably fade in time.”

“Will it?”

Jessica retrieved a folded top from the luggage and folded it again. “Everything fades with time.”

“But some things don’t,” Yuri argued. “Not for me.”

Jessica exhaled. “You don't know that for sure.”

Every passing second in that room had been a little more painful. Jessica was back to her old unaffectionate self, and had been so cruel as to not afford the courtesy of looking at Yuri when they conversed. Yuri clasped her hands tightly behind her back as she watched Jessica’s dispassionate face, desperately seeking a little warmth from the girl.

“So you’re all set on leaving?”

Jessica paused just momentarily. “Yes.”

“Leaving all of us behind?” Yuri asked, her eyes a little teary. “Leaving me behind?”

Jessica lowered her head. “If you’re here to stop me--“

“I just wanna know, why the sudden change of mind?”

“I don’t want to talk about this anymore. I’m leaving tomorrow.”

Yuri swallowed that lump in her throat and nodded her head a little. “Why can’t we at least try? I have faith it’ll work out.”

Jessica hadn’t responded, being stubborn enough to avoid discussing the topic.

“You’ve been so different since the incident. It’s about Miss Park, isn’t it?”

Jessica’s head was still down, her eyes perpetually fixated on her luggage. “Believe what you want.”

It was becoming more unbearable for Yuri, who had been continuously fiddling with her fingers to distract herself from Jessica’s hostility. “You… You can’t just leave me hanging here...” she managed, a tear escaping her eye.

“I wanted this all along, even before I met you.”

It was direct and straight to the point, and it made Yuri seem secondary to everything else in Jessica’s life, like she hadn’t mattered enough. Gritting her teeth throughout, Yuri looked down and nodded a little, swallowing the waves of tears as they had come. “I’ll come pick you up tomorrow.”

“Yuri…”

Reminded of how perfectly Jessica’s voice had matched her name, she looked up at Jessica with that bit of optimism, only to be met with the girl’s cruel words. “Maybe we should just part here.”

It was a heartbreak after another, and a few tears had slipped Yuri’s eyes right then. “You’re going to be this cruel to me?”

Jessica still hadn’t spared a glance at Yuri’s face. Taking just a short pause, she stated; “It’ll be easier for us this way.”

Easier…?

Yuri scoffed as she turned towards the door. “I’m fetching you to the airport tomorrow, whether you like it or not.”

And with that said, she ran out of the house, not once noticing Jessica’s reddened eyes.

-----

“Yuri?”

Yuri smiled a little as she stood by the door, her eyes too puffy to be left unnoticed. “I’m sorry for disturbing this late.”

Miss Park shook her head and smiled. “I wasn’t sleeping anyway. Come in.”

“Hey.”

Yuri responded with a polite smile to Eunjung as she followed Miss Park into her room. There was no will to converse, not even in small talk, despite the need to improve on their strained relationship.

Miss Park shut the door after Yuri, who sat on the bed quietly. She settled on Yuri’s left, leaving just a little space between them. She had the inkling of what Yuri was here for, though it had come to as a little bit of a surprise that Yuri had sought her.

The room was too silent, only leaving the sounds of Yuri’s deep breathing to fill the nothingness in the air. There was a little whimper, and it had taken Miss Park aback, for she had never seen Yuri come even remotely close to a snivel before. Very slowly, she reached for Yuri’s face and brushed her hair aside, tucking it behind her ear. She stroked her cheek gently, feeling its distinct warmth, and noticing its little flush. There was nothing to say, nor any comforting words to provide, just an implicit understanding of what the girl was going through. 

She kept her empathetic gaze on Yuri’s face, her breathing becoming a little wispy, and the lump in her throat becoming a little overbearing. Yuri was breaking down in her presence for the first time; and it had been for Jessica. It was painful to watch, especially so for Miss Park. With a gentle tug on Yuri’s arm, she pulled the girl into her embrace.

“This is the biggest hug I can give you right now, it’s not much but it’s the best I have,” she said, making a little attempt at a joke as she stroked Yuri’s back.

Despite being the person who would afford a polite smile at every joke, Yuri hadn’t done so. She merely leaned her head against Miss Park’s shoulder, her little sobs manifesting into breathless, distressful wails. It just wasn’t possible to put up a front any longer.

Jessica was already gone.

For the rest of that night, Yuri sank further into that familiar abyss. She couldn’t make any rhyme or reason as to why things had taken such a drastic change ever since that tragedy, and there was a helplessness that accompanied her sorrow – that everything she’d gone through in her life wasn’t a matter of choice; they were just thrown at her and she had to accept it, regardless. It wasn’t fair. Her parents had left her, Jessica had left her, and it was all out of her control. It just wasn’t fair.

She can’t just come and go like that…

There was no silver lining in this cloud, and no light at the end of this tunnel.

And perhaps Miss Park was the best shelter for now, being one who understood a little about how all this had felt. As the night progressed, they both lay still in her bed, and she did nothing but watch silently, empathetically, as Yuri eventually cried herself to sleep.

-----

“Morning.”

It wasn’t Jessica’s voice. It was astonishing, how in the very first second of her awakening, she had hoped for that familiar voice, or that familiar scent, or anything that had felt remotely close to what she was accustomed to in the past. It was something she still hadn’t gotten used to. 

She tossed in bed, feeling a little sore everywhere. “Morning…”

Miss Park smiled, sitting on the bed. “I made breakfast.”

“Thank you,” said Yuri as she rubbed her eyes. “I’m really sorry for imposing on you.”

“Don’t say silly things like that,” she said, brushing Yuri’s hair aside. “Now go wash up.”

When Miss Park had left the room, Yuri sat up on the bed, feeling the exact sense of loss she’d felt the night before. A night of sleep hadn’t worked at all, and Jessica never left her mind, nor retreated into the back of her head. Before the tears could come though, she forced herself out of the bed and into the washroom, only to be met with her own swollen eyes the moment she had looked into the mirror. It was disparaging, and she wondered if this was to be her life in times to come.

“Come, sit.” Miss Park had invited. “By the way, I told Sooyoung that you’re here. She was freaking out about your disappearance.”

Yuri merely scoffed as she joined Miss Park at the table.

“She said you haven’t been home for two nights. Where were you before this?”

Following Yuri’s silence, Miss Park asked, “The rooftop?” and when there was still silence, she understood. “Just make sure you keep warm. It’s getting colder these days.”

Yuri managed a little nod at least. “Where’s Eunjung?”

“She has classes.”

“She’s not avoiding me, is she?”

Miss Park could only smile sheepishly. “Just ignore her. She has a bad temper. Anyway! I made Ma juice. I’m not sure how your usual recipe goes, but this is my concoction. Try it.”

It smelled and looked different, and despite Yuri’s reluctance to experience the unfamiliar at this time, it was only polite to give it a try. To her pleasant surprise, it was oddly refreshing. “This is really good, what did you add?”

“I won’t tell you. Come over if you want it,” she replied as she tucked into breakfast.

Yuri gripped her glass of Ma juice tightly, recalling what Sooyoung had said about sending wrong signals. “I uhh… want to be clear about something…”

“You just came out of a relationship all torn apart. I’m just doing as a good friend should.”

Yuri looked towards her upon hearing her reply, a little relieved.

“So come over whenever you need to. Go to the rooftop a little less. If you ever feel the need to—“

Yuri smiled and shook her head politely as she looked down towards the breakfast that Miss Park had prepared. “Thank you, but I shouldn’t.”

“Then why did you come here last night?”

Her question had rendered Yuri speechless. The truth was, she hadn’t exactly known why either. There had been no form of privacy in her own apartment, nor at Tiffany’s, but there had been a sense of comfort here, just enough for her feel at ease. She would never admit that Miss Park was the main attributor to this comfort, for it would seem as if she had granted Miss Park a special status, and that, in Yuri’s terms, was deemed as a betrayal to Jessica.

She fiddled with the food on her plate, not exactly knowing what to say. “Miss Park--”

“You know…” Miss Park interrupted, “...that night, right before I passed out, I heard you call my name.”

Yuri could only vaguely remember the incident, her strongest memory of it being the numerous flashbacks of Jessica before she had slipped into unconsciousness. Still, she did recall having addressed Miss Park that way, and to her, it had been nothing but a weird coincidence of some sort.

“This might sound totally ridiculous, but I kept hearing it in my unconsciousness, and I believe that it somehow helped me pull through.”

Yuri laughed a little. “It isn’t ridiculous at all. I went through something like that myself.”

“Let me guess, Jessica?”

The mere three syllable word tugged at Yuri’s heartstrings almost immediately, and it was already a little unbearable. She nodded and focused on the Ma juice in her hands, swallowing the lump in her throat as she did with the juice.

“I still don’t understand why—“

“How’s your arm?”

Swiftly interrupted, Miss Park held the understanding that she shouldn’t pursue that particular topic, at least not for now. “You always ask that question when we meet. It’s getting better. Look,” she said as she raised her arm a little.

“Careful,” Yuri reached out to stop her. “Don’t overdo it.”

“I know my limits. And I can’t wait to recover. There are so many things I want to do.”

“Like what?”

“Playing the piano, for instance.”

“Hmm. We haven’t been having lessons in a while, have we?”

“And we’ll have to wait even longer now.” Miss Park sighed.

“No we don’t,” said Yuri as she stood up and made her way to the keyboard. “Come here.” 

Acceding with Yuri’s request, she sat beside her on that little bench they used to share, feeling the whole nostalgia already setting in.

“Now,” Yuri reached for Miss Park’s right hand and guided her along on the keys. “Just keep playing these.” 

The latter followed Yuri’s instructions closely, and then shortly after, Yuri joined in with her left hand. “This counts for something, at least. You play the right, and I’ll handle the left.”

She smiled in response whilst focusing on getting the right keys. And as she reminisced past piano lessons and basked in their present one, she sneaked little glances at Yuri like she always did; appreciating the fact that they were just side by side, leisurely running their fingers across the keyboard. At this precise moment, there was just the two of them, accompanied by the light melodies of the piano, and everything else - no matter how hurtful, no matter how daunting, was pushed aside.

“You saved me… So let me save you.”

It was impossible; not to fall for this girl even deeper.

-----

Ignored emails, unreplied text messages, unanswered phone calls. Jessica had disappeared from the face of the Earth.

The next course of days hadn’t been easy. Every day, Yuri woke up feeling the exact same sensations that had plagued her since Jessica’s departure, and as the days passed, she seemed to get worse. Every day only added a little bit more time between them, a little bit more distance, and a little bit more hopelessness.

Time heals all wounds – physical ones maybe, but emotional ones require a will to do so at the least; and Yuri lacked just that. She religiously latched onto every single memory every day, reliving them, refreshing them, as if fearing that they may fade with time. The reminiscing is a painful process, but she never minded it, despite feeling that indescribable sense of loss each time. It was the simplest of memories that made it that much worse: the way Jessica walked, the way she held her pen, the way she slept with an arm over her head; these little things that made Jessica Jung uniquely herself, were reduced to nothing but just mere memories to hold on to.

That aside, time still passed, life still went on; and as it sometimes turn out, the silver lining in the clouds had emerged amidst the melancholy thus far.

“Ahh, Yuri!”

“Uncle Lee.”

“Are you two recovering well?” the man asked, his tone ultimately one of relief as he approached her and Miss Park.

“Yes,” Yuri answered, before reaching out to hug him.

“You two are the little heroines here,” the man patted her back and returned her embrace, his low-pitched laughter ever familiar to Yuri. “My job is to make sure he won’t come even close to the prison gates.”

She nodded in his arms, feeling almost as reassured as the man was. “Thank you for everything.”

“I’m still on your speed dial, I hope?”

“Always.”

Justice was finally served, and the killer had received his due sentence – a life imprisonment. There was a sense of relief everywhere, amongst Yuri and Miss Park, their friends, and the general police force, which had been under constant pressure since his resurface on the radar months ago. The two girls walked out of the courtroom after they were finished with their testimonies, with Yuri back to her disturbing self again; hiding behind her aviators, and taking glances at her phone every now and then.

“Has she replied?”

“Who?”

“Jessica.”

The momentary quiescence before Yuri slipped the phone back into her bag had justified Miss Park’s guesses. “No.”

“Maybe she’s busy. You know how it is, going to a completely new country and settling there for the first time…”

“Where are you headed?” Yuri had interrupted as she searched for her car keys.

It was yet another blatant avoidance of the topic, but Miss Park would never push it, giving Yuri the suitable time she needed before fully opening up to her. She shrugged. “Nowhere in mind. Are you going somewhere?”

“Yea. I’ll send you home.”

“You’re going to the rooftop again?”

Yuri never answered that question, merely settling in the driver’s seat. Miss Park had dismissed it again, knowing just how stubborn the girl could be. Even if it was just a wishful thinking on her part, she was more than content to be with Yuri as much as she could – just watching her hide her sad eyes under the aviators, watching her put up a good front, and watching her struggle to get past day by day. These little aspects of Yuri had gradually become more visible to Miss Park, and she was getting a better understanding of her - something that she’d wanted since the beginning.

Smiling, she settled in the passenger’s seat, before pulling something out of her bag. “Here.”

It was a scarf. “What’s this for?”

“It gets cold up there.”

Yuri looked towards the scarf and smiled a little, before wrapping it around her neck. “Thank you.”

-----

Another visit to the rooftop meant another round of reminiscing. She lay on the cold hard ground and gazed up at the starless night sky, running through memories of the day they parted.

“It gets cold in the winter, doesn’t it?”

“I guess.”

“Will you be coming back in the summer?”

“It depends.”

She remembered how unnecessarily silent the whole journey in the car had been, despite the urgency, and the need to say everything that needed to be said. For Yuri, it was the one regrettable ride in her life; too short for a dramatic interception, too little time to build up the courage for.

Most of that fateful day had already deteriorated into a fuzzy memory for Yuri, which was pardonable, in such a circumstance. Nothing is really remembered vividly, for the emotions at the moment will muddy our heads, blur our senses, and ultimately take over every aspect of our physical body, leaving only those very strong, intense, often heartbreaking, emotions to latch onto our memories, haunting us in times to come.

Everything had happened fast. In the most common of dramas and tragedies, there would be that mandatory painful parting, or a longing one, or one that sparked the possibility of reconciliation, ultimately leaving the departure of lovers bittersweet. But that, that had been far too swift, like a sharp knife slicing through the most delicate of things. It was clean, and it was quick.

“So this is it?”

“Yes.”

And all Yuri could remember now; was how they had both stood by the departure gates, how Jessica, with her usual face of indifference, took a measly gaze at her before finding more interest in her passport. There were no tears, no longing embrace; just mere last words.

“I know you too well, Yuri.”

She shut her eyes as yet another tear had found its way out.

“You don’t…”

“We don’t know each other at all…”

And for the umpteenth time, she sank into that abyss.

But only this time, she found a little comfort in the cosset of Miss Park’s scarf.

-----

"I know you too well, Yuri."

You'll let me go because that's who you are. Forgive me for being insecure, for being selfish, but I cannot face up to what's ahead of us. I have to leave now, before I see us crumble and fall apart eventually.

I’m sorry for pushing you away, I'm sorry that it's gonna hurt.

I love you. And I can only hope that this decision will lead me back to you somehow.

And the rest of those last words; had been sadly, left unspoken.

-----

Chapter 19

It was an orange-colored evening, and the sun was just about to vanish into the horizon, leaving the row of lamps with the task of illumination. The trees had looked a shade darker as they ventured further in. There were just a few people around and they were scattered sparsely; with each pair taking claim of their own space, and there was a tacit understanding amongst everyone not to intrude into another's territory.

“Taetae…”

“Hmm?”

“What are we doing here?” Tiffany asked as Taeyeon had finally pulled over at a particular spot.

“Well,” she tried to suppress a laugh as she glanced at her dimly lit surroundings, “this is the perfect place to commit murder.”

“Don’t joke around,” Tiffany gently slapped her on the shoulder. “Aren’t we having dinner?”

Taeyeon merely flashed her creepiest smile ever as she unbuckled her seatbelt. Frowning, Tiffany watched as the girl retrieved something from the boot, and then reappear in front of the car. Utilizing the headlights as a spotlight, she held up a basket and announced, “Dinner!”

“You made all this?” Tiffany asked as she alighted and joined Taeyeon, who was already setting up the picnic mat in front of the vehicle. She nodded distractedly as she laid out the food items in the girl's plain view. 

“We have Tiffany chicken, Tiffany beef, Tiffany pork…”

“Is there a reason why they’re named after me?”

“Not all of them. There’s also Taeyeon lettuce and Taeyeon rice.”

Tiffany placed her hands on her hips and arched an eyebrow. “So why are they named that way?”

Taeyeon casually arranged the items on the mat, avoiding Tiffany’s suspicious glance. “Lettuce and meat go well together, rice and meat go well together.”

“So…?”

"So... Taeyeon and..." With a reluctant face, Taeyeon muttered, “And I can't bring myself to say the rest of it.”

"Who taught you to say that?"

Taeyeon sighed. "Soonkyu."

Tiffany's hearty laugh thereafter only served to intensify Taeyeon’s embarrassment. “I really shouldn’t have taken tips from someone who has no experience in this area. I knew it sounded weird.”

“No it doesn't!" Tiffany defended, recovering from the hilarity. "But it's not like you to be mushy, Taetae."

"I have to keep up with you."

"That's sweet, but too much mushiness is overkill, don't you know that? Just leave the mushy stuff to me." Tiffany reassured, patting her chest proudly.

"Alright," Taeyeon sighed. "Let's commence with dinner, shall we?"

"Sure," Tiffany smiled, settling closer to Taeyeon. "Could you pass me some Taeyeon rice please? I think it goes well with my Tiffany meats--" and as Tiffany said them, she couldn't help but burst into a giggle fit.

"Fany..." Taeyeon groaned, hanging her head down.

"Honestly," Tiffany laughed, "it sounds a little less cheesy and a lot cuter now. It grows on you."

Though still painfully embarrassed, after seeing how her failed attempt at sounding a little more affectionate had coincidentally translated into an amusement to Tiffany, she joined the girl in laughter, taking pride in how she had made the girl's eyes curve like little rainbows.

"Now eat your Taeyeon rice."

It could have been just another evening that would blend into the 364 other evenings, but it hadn't. The two girls had chosen to take a well-deserved break from Tiffany's for the night, and it had been a spontaneous decision, fueled by their shared ideals of how romance shouldn't have to be reserved for special dates. There was after all, an element of surprise and a certain novelty in spontaneity; and with which, keeps the relationship exciting. Henceforth, tonight; marked by its chilly evening air and its pre-winter, November sunset, was just another Valentine’s evening out of the many they have decided them to be.

Unlike other couples who were engaged in conversations in separate areas of the park, they hadn’t conversed much. It was typical of the two girls; whilst some couples preferred the ease of engagement in a continuous banter about anything and everything in the world, they preferred the comfort in light chatter, and even more, the intensity of quiet gazes. Through this, there was never the awkwardness that typically accompanied silences, and never a moment of distaste when they were merely in each other's presence. Conversation was secondary to chemistry; as it had been for their past months. They had cultivated an even deeper form of communication with each other; sharing inside jokes was simply accomplished with the arch of an eyebrow, and sending a message was done with the look of an eye. It was the epitome of a polished romance that was prevalent in age-old history; dreamy and idealistic, and all the more, deeply treasured.

Naturally, Taeyeon had acquired a little tact for anything with regards to her girlfriend. In the midst of their dinner, she'd noticed the little anxiety in Tiffany's eyes. "Something on your mind?"

Tiffany arched her eyebrows as she chewed on her food. "Are you an extremely sensitive person or am I too obvious?"

"A little bit of both?" Taeyeon said, feeding Tiffany another mouthful of rice. "So what are you bothered about?"

"Yuri."

Taeyeon lowered her head. "I figured."

"Jessica's avoiding Yuri like the plague. And now she's asking us for that favor... just what is she up to?"

"I’m sorry for pulling you into this.” 

"I'm not blaming you, Tae.” Tiffany reassured. “Yuri just seems to be getting worse every day."

"I told Sica that," Taeyeon sighed. "She isn't coping well herself either."

"Even more so, I can't understand why she's so adamant about keeping Yuri away."

Taeyeon shrugged. "She keeps saying it’s for the better. I have no idea what she means, but knowing her, she’s probably just running away from her problems like she always does. The scholarship's either a good opportunity, or a good excuse to not have to face up to it. I can’t blame her though, just imagine being put in her situation. Sunyoung puts nobility to shame."

Tiffany sighed. "That's true. Even I would be insecure if someone like her is in your life."

"Oh that goes without saying."

Tiffany frowned. "So you'd break up with me if that happened to you?"

Taeyeon gave a moment’s ponder, and then nodded. "Mm hmm."

Tiffany's immediate change of expression right after had earned her a snigger from the latter. "I was asking you a serious question!" Tiffany chided, hoarding the plates of meat. "No Tiffany meats for you."

Taeyeon gasped, and then hoarded the rice. "No Taeyeon rice for you."

"You're the one who deserves the punishment!"

"No, you. It was a rhetorical question."

Tiffany frowned, her voice a little louder now. "I know! But I just wanted to hear you say--"

"I wouldn't leave you. Ever."

Tiffany's bout of silence thereafter had slapped the familiar embarrassment back onto Taeyeon. The latter sighed as she scooped a mouthful of rice. "Mushy and Taetae doesn't mix, huh?"

Noticing the flush on Taeyeon's cheek, Tiffany sat a little closer to the girl and rested her face on her shoulder. "It kinda does and doesn't..." she trailed off with a little giggle.

"Regardless," Taeyeon began, shifting a little to cover up her embarrassment. "That's the truth to your question. There's no un-mushy way about it."

And in return, Taeyeon's rosy cheeks had received their rightful peck of appreciation. Whilst Taeyeon began fanning her face, Tiffany pouted. “I’m so happy right now, but at the same time I feel guilty about it."

“Silly, it's out of our control. Let’s just hope that this will be a good thing, and that Jessica comes back a new person with a new perspective."

"She's coming back?"

"She didn't say anything, but she would be, I guess."

The uneasiness in Tiffany had resurfaced. “But… what’s gonna happen then?"

"I don't know. But let's just take it a day at a time for now, okay?"

Tiffany sighed. "I just want Yuri to be okay for once."

"Like I said, it's out of our control, Fany. We'll just have to let things run their course."

Tiffany sighed and gave her worries another moment's ponder before letting them be dismissed for the night. "Alright, no more YulSic talk. Tonight's our night."

-----

With Tiffany and Taeyeon taking their leave for the night, it was left to Yuri to hold the fort. Oddly, this particular Monday night saw only very few customers, and she had been able to manage with the help of Sooyoung and Joohyun; of which only the latter really mattered, of course. Predictably, Sooyoung had spent most of her evening raiding the food cabinets instead.

“It sure is busy in here.”

“It isn’t,” replied Joohyun as she peeked out of the kitchen. “There are hardly any customers.”

“Sarcasm, SARCASM, Joohyun.” Sooyoung chided. "Note my tone of voice and my expression when I say it."

"Oh... Okay."

Sooyoung sighed. “Fany disappears from Tiffany’s for one night, and all the customers follow suit.”

“Oh… it’s probably because it’s exam season.” Joohyun answered, and then carried on with her silent task of wiping the kitchen counters, much to Sooyoung’s frustration.

“I’m bored, Joohyun. Talk to me.”

Joohyun looked up at Sooyoung as she clutched her tablecloth in both hands. “What should we talk about?”

“I don’t know. Entertain me, I’m bored.”

Joohyun tilted her head in curiosity. “How should I entertain you?”

“Arghhh,” Sooyoung groaned as she picked up her fork and resumed eating, forgoing yet another predictably futile attempt to get to know the girl better. “Nevermind.”

“Should I ask Yuri unnie to come in?”

“Leave her be.”

Still fiddling with the tablecloth in her hands, Joohyun spoke up, “Uhh… Can I say something, unnie?”

“Please do!” Sooyoung threw a complimentary bow, “I’m DESPERATE for you to.”

With a straight face, Joohyun advised, “Her behavior isn’t healthy, staying distant from all of us and bottling up emotions may lead to depression.”

Sooyoung sighed, having already witnessed the way her best friend handled problems for years. She focused her attention back onto the plate. “Yuri’s stubborn like that.”

“But it’s really not healthy—“

“That’s why,” Sooyoung interrupted, “we’re leaving her outside.”

Joohyun looked towards Sooyoung for a moment, and then nodded; getting a sense of what she meant.

-----

“Go a little longer on that note.”

“Like this?”

“Yea.”

The semi-empty café was filled with piano music, courtesy of yet another one of Yuri's piano lessons with Miss Park. The minimal number of customers had consequently brought about a rather dull evening, leaving the girls to pass time in the best way they knew. 

Arching her back a little, Miss Park said, “This is the first time I’ve seen this place so empty.”

Yuri looked towards the tables and then shrugged. “It’s always the case when winter comes,” she muttered as she played a few keys.

“It’s gotten a lot colder these days, hasn’t it?”

“Yea.”

“It’s probably really cold up on the rooftop too,” said Miss Park, to which Yuri's only response came in the form of random notes on the piano. Exhaling, she stood up, knowing that the girl wasn't going to talk about it. “Anyway, I should get going. Thanks for the impromptu lesson.”

It caught Yuri’s attention. She lowered the fallboard and looked towards the girl. “Going home?”

“The bookstore to get some stuff, before it closes.”

“Wait for me,” Yuri said, and then headed into the kitchen. Poking her head from behind the kitchen door, she asked, “Hey, can you guys close up for tonight?”

Joohyun nodded. “Sure. You’re leaving?”

“Yea,” Yuri replied, already turning away. “Thanks guys.”

“Are you coming home tonight?” Sooyoung asked; the only response being garnered was that of Yuri’s hasty exit. Exhaling, she rested her plate on the counter. “Sometimes I wonder if this is the right thing to do.”

“What do you mean?”

Sooyoung scratched her head in frustration. “It feels like a betrayal to Jessica that I allow them to get closer to each other.”

“But they’re just friends.”

“At the rate they’re going, it’s gonna blossom into something more.”

“Even if it does, Sunyoung unnie seems like a really nice person.”

“And that’s the problem,” Sooyoung sighed.

Joohyun frowned. “I don’t see how that’s a problem.”

Shaking her head, Sooyoung brought her plate closer and resumed eating. “Well then you have a lot to learn.”

-----

The whole night had seemed like an impromptu date altogether; dinner at Tiffany's, the piano lesson, the little stroll in the late autumn's cold, and then topped with shopping at the bookstore. It was getting increasingly hard for Miss Park to draw the line between them, but she had her place and she knew she had to stick to it. At the very least though, she allowed herself the guilty indulgence in the present surge of opportunities where they could be alone together...

"There's hardly anyone in here," Yuri muttered. "Just us?"

...or perhaps cherish it while it lasts, so to speak.

“Cos it's late, that's why. I hope you won’t be bored here.”

“Not at all,” Yuri chirped, already busy browsing through the countless shelves. “I haven’t been here in ages. I should find a good book to read.”

“Good.” Miss Park smiled. “I’ll be over at the crafts section.”

“Do you need help?”

“Don’t worry, I’ll be fine,” she said as she walked off.

“Hmm…” 

Yuri pouted as she ran a finger across a row of books. For moments that ensued, she’d found herself to be rather disinterested in anything at all. It was just another effect of the break up; a reluctance to do something different, a resistance to change.

Maybe I should try fiction.

It was a considerably large section; filled with books abound and no particular good way to start. Determined not to emerge from the bookstore empty-handed, she decided to go about this randomly – with her head lowered, she snaked through shelf after shelf, making sure she wouldn’t look up enough to spot which particular section she was in. Shortly after, she came to a halt in front of a shelf, and with an arm outstretched; she ran her fingers along the countless spines of books, before stopping at one and picking it out.

“Let's see.” She turned it over and read its back cover.

Aliens… Guess not.

Should I try again?

She placed the book back into its spot, turned around and then hung her head down again, only to spot something on the bottommost shelf. She stood still for seconds just staring at the book, and then scoffed.

I can’t escape being reminded of you, can I?

“Yuri,” Miss Park had approached then, curious about Yuri’s odd standing posture. “Found anything?”

Squatting down, Yuri picked the book up and held it with two hands. “Yea.”

-----

The road to that house was more than familiar to her. There would be a little slope to conquer before she would arrive at a row of houses, and there would be a deciduous tree on the left which loomed over the narrow road that came after. She came to a halt by the roadside, the very same spot she had always bid her goodbyes to Jessica when the latter had overstayed at her apartment. 

Inhaling deeply, she stood by the gates and rung the doorbell.

“Yuri unnie?”

“Krystal,” she smiled at Jessica’s little sister, “Just you at home?”

The girl nodded and invited her into the house. “Can I get you anything to drink?”

“I’m good thanks,” said Yuri, jumping straight into her purpose of visit. “Uhh… have you been in contact with Jessica?”

Krystal’s little downward glance had given her the answers she needed. “So she’s avoiding me on purpose,” muttered Yuri.

“She’s probably busy with school and settling in.”

Yuri exhaled, inwardly knowing better. “May I go to her room? I might have left some stuff behind.”

“Sure.”

Jessica’s room had been almost emptied, aside from the shelves of books that she couldn’t bring along. Yuri browsed through the room for a little while, feeling a disconcerting little lump in her throat yet again. Contrary to what she expected, that sense of longing and missing had only aggravated since she’d been there.

"Did you find your stuff yet?" Krystal asked.

"Not really... Did you see a hoodie..."

"Mickey Mouse?"

The sheepish smile on Yuri’s face had blossomed as she nodded, a convenient cover for the things she was really feeling underneath.

"She wore it around the house a lot, so I wouldn't be surprised if she brought it along with her. Did you want it back?"

"No that's fine." Yuri looked down, finding a little consolation in that at the least. “Did she leave anything for me?”

Krystal’s neutral expression had diminished into an observantly negative one. She shook her head slightly.

“Not even a message?”

“I know my sister well. She can be really stubborn when she wants to.”

“Did she tell you anything then?”

Krystal hesitated for a moment, her face clearly reluctant. “No.”

There was a lot to infer from the younger girl’s hesitant responses, but she refrained from making things difficult for her. “I’ll just… get going now. Thanks.”

Krystal shook her head, her eyes those of consoling ones. “Yuri unnie,” she called out before the latter made her leave, “for what it's worth, she would have lost an arm for you too.”

Yuri smiled. "I know."

-----

Winter had arrived eventually, bringing with it the beginning of the end; the grueling semester, the exams and any academic competition that came with it were now in full force. 

It was another one of those nights when Yuri had come home late, leaving Sooyoung to wonder if she should be waiting up for her at all. The apartment had been mostly empty, with Tiffany already coming over less often and Yuri sometimes not coming home at all. There were only two other places she knew of where Yuri could have spent the nights; Miss Park’s or the rooftop, and she could only wonder where Yuri had spent more time at. Jessica’s departure had somehow pushed Yuri deeper into the oblivion she was already heading towards, and it was painful, as a friend of many years, to just watch from the sidelines, and never be able to pick Yuri back up in some way.

But tonight, Yuri did come home.

“Hey,” Sooyoung jolted up with the sudden opening of the door. It was already late into the night, and she had dozed off amidst her intensive revision.

The girl stumbled into the house, her cheeks flushed and her hand tightly clutching onto something. Sooyoung sprung up from the couch. 

“You were drinking?”

Yuri didn’t respond. She merely removed her coat whilst swaying a little back and forth, barely even able to stand still. Catching hold of her, Sooyoung dragged her over to the couch, to which the latter plopped down on.

“You always knew your limits,” Sooyoung chided, pouring her a glass of water. “What the hell is wrong with you? It's examination period!”

When Yuri had responded to neither her question nor the glass of water, Sooyoung grabbed her by the shoulders. “Hey,” Sooyoung shook her roughly. “I’m talking to you. Talk to me.”

“Everything… everything’s wrong,” the girl meekly cried as she threw something on the ground. “This freaking book, it’s totally wrong…”

Sooyoung took a glance at it as she picked it up and placed it back on the table. “It’s just a fictional story.”

“And it’s all crap!” Yuri shouted, kicking the table roughly. “What waiting? What painful parting? What letters? There’s none of them…” she said, tears streaming down her face. “No one fights for the relationship, no one tries to work it out… There is no commitment, no promise, and no freaking forever. People leave. They just leave and they don’t turn back. They pretend you don’t exist. They forget everything that you shared with them. They forget that you let them in, that you trusted them enough to let them in. They forget how much they mattered to you, and they don’t give two hoots about what happens to you thereafter. They just vanish...”

“They don’t care… not at all.”

Yuri had been torn apart again; and she had broken down in front of Sooyoung for the first time. The latter leaned forward and stroked her back in comfort, not saying a thing. Yuri just kept crying, once again sinking into the helplessness of it all.

“She never replies any of my emails, my phone calls, my messages. She didn’t leave anything for me… No messages, no letters, no form of contact. She took my hoodie, she took a part of me with her... But I'm left with nothing, NOTHING."

"She just left, just like that... And I'm supposed to hate her...”

“...but I miss her so much…”

Sooyoung had heard enough. She grabbed both sides of Yuri's arms firmly and stared right into her eyes. “Stop it, Yuri.”

Yuri shut her eyes and shook her head. “I can’t…”

“You have to. You don’t have a choice,” Sooyoung stated, trying her best at a reaffirming tone. “It’ll get better. Trust me, I know it’s hard now but it’ll get better. But first, you have to stop revolving around her.”

Inhaling deeply, Yuri scoffed. “I practically built my life around her the past few months…”

“So tear it apart, and build it again.”

Yuri shook her head, and it had frustrated Sooyoung a little. "So what are you gonna do? Wallow in misery every day and night? Forsake everything and everyone else around you?" 

Softly, Yuri said, "I wanna look for her. When the exams end I'll--"

"And then what? Drag her home? Away from her scholarship?" Sooyoung interrupted. "Listen, I’m not going to sugar coat it for you. It’s obvious that she’s avoiding you on purpose. It doesn’t matter why she’s doing this. The fact is; she just doesn’t want to keep in contact. So stop moping around and have some pride. Or at the very least, respect her wishes.”

“And meanwhile, stop shutting all of us out. You have no idea how much all of us worry over you. Yoong calls every day, TaeNy takes turns to bug me day and night, Joohyun's giving me all this psychiatric advice because she doesn't dare approach you, and don’t even get me started on Sunyoung. Even I," she patted her chest, "threw my pride aside and seeked Sunny for help. We’re all here for you, so USE us, for goodness sakes. Why choose one girl when you can have all seven girls who love you?”

The words have finally earned a little tinge of positivity from Yuri. The girl lowered her head a little, the final round of tears spilling from her eyes as she chukled. “I didn’t know you were this mushy, Sooyoung.”

“Oh pfft.” Sooyoung rolled her eyes. “It’s a fair trade for your tears.”

Finally smiling, Yuri plopped back on the couch, letting out a deep breath as she did. “Thank you.”

"You're welcome." Sooyoung exhaled, settling beside Yuri on the couch. After several seconds of silence, she held up her unfinished bag of chips and as indifferently as possible, said; “And by the way..."

"...happy birthday.”

Yuri smiled as she took the bag of chips. “You didn’t forget.”

“No one did,” Sooyoung said, getting on her feet. She walked into the kitchen and then reemerged with two boxes in her hands. “Fany baked a cake for you. We were hoping to surprise you at Tiffany’s tonight but you didn’t show up for work.”

“And the other box?”

“Another cake. From Sunyoung. She came over, also intending to surprise you. It's HAND-baked," Sooyoung asserted, munching on her chips. “Can you imagine how much effort that must have taken?" She sighed. "You're lucky this many people care for you, Kwon Yul.”

Yuri lowered her head, once again scoffing. “Sica doesn’t care. I wonder if she even knows.”

“I repeat: you're lucky this many people care for you.” She leaned forward and retrieved two forks. “Okay enough of your little whiny self. Tuck in. We have a lot of cake to finish.”

“All you care about are the cakes.”

“Why shouldn't I care about the one thing that legitimately keeps me alive? Live to eat and eat to live, Kwon Yul. Love is secondary,” Sooyoung declared, already helping herself to an extra large serving. “Oh and before I get too infatuated with the cake and lose myself, a present from TaeNy." She pulled out a box from underneath the table.

Yuri giggled as soon as she tore the gift wrap. "A chemistry set. For kids."

"Comes with your own test tubes? Wow!" Sooyoung chirped. "I wish they were made of Pyrex glass though. But meh, it's for kids."

Yuri scoffed and shook her head as she examined the box.

"Well don't blame them if the strongest impression you've been leaving is that of a mad scientist."

She shook her head. "I really wanted this. How did they know?"

"Wow. You really ARE a mad scientist."

"EAT UP, mad glutton."

And with that, the two girls ate their time away; quite literally. In the midst of this, an overeager Yuri began exploring her new toy, whilst Sooyoung engaged herself in the book. But after spending a couple of minutes on it, the latter threw it back on the table and pointed at it in disdain.

“What author would write this kinda crap anyway? Burn it.”

The mad scientist had been too absorbed in mixing two colored chemicals in a test tube to respond to Sooyoung, but when the resulting fluorescent product was formed, so did that huge smile on her face.

“Ditto!” She yelled and then took a big bite off Miss Park's cake. It then suddenly struck her that the taste in her mouth had been so intense, that it nullified all of her other senses. She quickly took another bite to be awed again, and then held up her plate in glory.

"Omgawd..."

Sooyoung merely looked at Yuri with a face of indifference. "Live to eat, eat to live." 

-----

"So did she like it?"

("I don't know. I left it with Sooyoung last night. She didn't show up at Tiffany's.")

"Oh."

("What are you doing, really?")

"What do you mean?"

("What are you planning? Are you even planning anything at all?")

She held her phone tightly in two hands, not knowing the answer to that question either.

("Hello? Are you still there?")

"Yea."

("Anyway, I gotta go for classes. It's pretty late over there now, isn't it? Rest early.")

"Taeng..."

("Yea?")

"Thanks."

There was a little sigh on the other line. ("If you can, just give her a call. It's her birthday after all.")

-----

"Argh..." Yuri yawned as she stretched her limbs. "Studying in school always makes me sleepy."

Miss Park reached across the table to shut the enormous textbook that Yuri had been buried in for the past hour. "Birthday girl, you should take a break. Go for a walk or something."

"I was just thinking about that," Yuri said, standing up. "Do you want anything? I'm probably going to the canteen."

"Coffee, thanks."

"Sure."

"With--"

"With milk and less sugar, I know," Yuri declared as she walked off.

Miss Park had found it difficult to conceal the merriment on her face; the simple fact of how Yuri had known how she liked her coffee had given her the blast out of the mere level of contentment she had grown accustomed to. She was careful though, not to fall out of line with where all this was going. She returned to her own academics in an attempt to distract herself. It wasn't until moments later that she, and probably several others in the main hall of the library; had been distracted by something else - the ringing sounds of Yuri's iPhone.

The caller ID was listed as an unknown number. She immediately picked it up.

"Hello, Yuri's not at her phone right now, can I take a message?"

There was nothing on the other line, except the fuzzy noises of bad reception.

"Hello?"

"Hello?"

The call had disconnected right then, leaving Miss Park just a little perplexed, but not quite enough to alert Yuri about it. When Yuri had come back shortly after, it was casually brought up, only to be brushed off as a misplaced call.

But right then, somewhere, several thousand miles away, that misplaced call was the one vital call that would dictate the times to come.

And somewhere, several thousand miles away, someone had cried herself to sleep.

-----