CHAPTER XXXI

THAT OTHER LIFE PART III

Soon immediately turned into weeks, and months. And Jessica couldn’t possibly have predicted what tragedy was going to happen to her life and Stephanie’s. And one afternoon six months after she took over her younger sister’s company in San Francisco, a phone call from Yuri came. And it was a phone call she regretted to take.

“Jess, are you at home?” Yuri’s voice was trembling, and something in Jessica’s guts was telling her that something was wrong.

“I’m at the office, Yuri,” She tried to reply casually. “Is there something wrong?”

“Eh, look,” Yuri started to ramble. “It’s probably nothing, and I’m probably over thinking things a bit…”

“But I feel like I should tell you right away, since you told me to contact you if anything…”

“But it’s not like anything is happening, don’t get me wrong…”

“I just… I’m not too sure about this—“

“—Okay, calm down, Yul,” Jessica said calmly, although deep inside she had a bad feeling about this. “Just tell me what’s wrong…”

“Well…” Yuri took a deep breath before continuing. “… It’s Stephanie…”

“… We can’t find her all day…”

“What?” She felt her heart skipped a beat hearing that name. “How could you lose her?”

“I-It’s probably nothing, Jess—“

“—I specifically told you to take care of her and keep an eye on her!” Her blood suddenly boiled. “That’s the only job you have there!”

“I-I’m…” Yuri sounded frightened. “I’m sorry, Jess…”

“When’s the last time you saw her?” Jessica started panicking. “Did you check her parents’ house?”

“Did you check with her sister?”

“We did, Jess…” Yuri hesitated. “…We checked everywhere…”

“Look, it’s probably nothing…” The tanned woman quickly added. “… Maybe she’s out of town or something…”

“Well, did you check her schedule?” The hazel eyed woman slammed her desk. “Did you check with her editor?”

“We did…” Yuri was almost whispering now. “… but maybe she left in a hurry…”

“Look, Jess, calm down…”

“We think it’s probably nothing, but we’re going to check her apartment anyway; just in case…”

“That’s why I’m calling you now; to ask for your permission…”

“… Do it…” Suddenly she felt light headed, and her voice was weak. “… Check her apartment…”

“But your dad probably had surveillance there too—“

“—Check her apartment, Yul!” She almost shouted. “Right now!”

“O-Okay…” Yuri was startled. “W-We’ll give you news soon…”

And with that their phone call ended.

But something didn’t feel right, and Jessica was restless the whole day. It was not a coincidence that Yuri and Yoona, and her secretary Hyoyeon, didn’t follow her back to the US, as much as they wanted to. Jessica had told them, the three persons she trusted the most, to stay in Seoul to watch over Stephanie and make sure no harm ever came to her. And although they were not allowed to make contact with the crescent eyed journalist; because Jessica was afraid her father was also keeping his eyes on her, they were actually doing a really good job. And the news she had gotten were always good.

The first news she received was that Stephanie was back living in her apartment and back to work a week after Jessica’s departure. Her parents must have had heard Jessica was leaving for the US, and allowed Stephanie to resume her daily life. That or Stephanie’s parents were in contact with her own parents all along. And although Jessica couldn’t find out how Stephanie was feeling after she knew about the hazel eyed woman’s sudden disappearance, she was happy to know the crescent eyed journalist was okay; at least physically.

And not long after that Yoona told her how Stephanie had been busy with work, and the ever pretty journalist looked like she was happy with herself. It was a good news to hear; although a part of Jessica was sad to hear how Stephanie moved on from their sudden breakup so soon. But the brunette woman kept telling herself that she should unconditionally be happy for the naïve journalist.

Yuri and Yoona updated Jessica about Stephanie every day after that; filling her in with her daily activities. The hazel eyed woman was hungry for anything about the crescent eyed woman. She wanted to know what lunch Stephanie had, what clothes she was wearing for the day, what article she was working on, and every other tiny details. She even forced her best friends to take pictures of the pretty journalist; just to see what color her lipstick was or how she did her hair that day. And so far Yuri and Yoona had proven to be good spies. Until the former made that call.

All day long she was wondering how could they lose their eyes on Stephanie. And all day long she had this strange feeling in her stomach that she didn’t like. Something was wrong.

Jessica was pacing back and forth in her luxurious home in San Francisco when another call from Yuri came. She rushed to her cell phone and stared at the screen. Somehow she didn’t want to pick up the call. And as her trembling finger pressed her cell phone screen, she could hear Yuri’s panicked voice.

“Jessica!” And the hazel eyed woman took a deep breath; preparing herself for whatever bad news she was about to receive. “There’s something wrong with Stephanie!”

“Look, we checked her apartment and it looked like there was someone else here!” Yuri quickly said when she didn’t get a response from Jessica. “The place looks fine; but there’re shattered glasses and plates!”

“And we found her cell phone broken on the floor!”

“Jess?” Yuri said impatiently when the brunette didn’t answer. “Are you there?”

“What took you so long to tell me this?” Jessica’s voice was cold and stern. There was no doubt that Stephanie was kidnapped, but somehow she sounded like she had known what was happening even before Yuri called her.

But the truth was she was holding her tears at that time. She wanted to scream and cry and hoped that it was all just a dream. But there was something inside of her telling her to calm down and focus on the situation, and get as many information as possible, to decide what to do next. It was probably the result of all the trainings she had with her bodyguard/butler; trainings on how to handle herself in dire situations or emergencies.

“W-We didn’t want to bring you the bad news before we’re really sure what’s going on,” Yoona pitched in; apparently they were on the speaker. She sounded panic and scared too. “S-So we contacted Taeyeon and her other friends just in case they know something about this…”

“And we’ve contacted the police and reported her missing!” Yuri said again.

“Jess…” Yoona’s voice was trembling. “… We’re really sorry…”

“Where are you right now?” Jessica asked. Her mind was working on figuring out the best course of action to take next.

“W-We’re back in her apartment…” Yoona said weakly. “We’ve contacted Taeyeon and the others and they said they’re coming here…”

“Okay, look,” The hazel eyed woman made sure her voice was clear. “I need you to look for clues in the apartment.”

“O-Okay, Jess…” Yuri quickly said.

“Make sure you double check everything,” Jessica said as she walked towards her bedroom. “And wait for my call.”

“What are you going to do, Jess?” Yoona asked.

“I’m going to my dad’s place.” The brunette said as she pulled out some clothes from her drawer and threw them on her bed. “I need to confirm something.”

“D-Do you think your dad’s got something to do with this?” Yoona sounded shocked.

“I don’t know yet.” Jessica stopped to think about her suspicion toward her own father. “But I don’t know anyone else who would her…”

“Stay there,” She said again. “I’ll be in touch.”

The brunette rich woman raced her expensive sport car to her father’s office. She had called his secretary earlier, to ask about his whereabouts; and luckily her father was in his office with her mother. She stepped on her gas pedal and pushed her car to its limit, all the while picturing Stephanie’s face in her mind and praying that she was okay.

Once she reached the government building, she went straight into her father’s office; ignoring the complaints of his secretary.

“Where is she?” She shouted as she slammed her father’s office door open. She could see her father standing at his large wooden desk in the middle of the room, talking with someone over the phone. Her mother was sitting on a red recliner next to a large bookcase on the right side of the room.

“Who are you talking about?” Her mother almost jumped in her seat.

“Mr. Jung; I’m sorry but your daughter—“ The secretary said just outside the door. Apparently she had followed Jessica to her father’s office.

“—That’s okay, Marie,” The father gestured her to leave, and the young woman quickly nodded and turned around and closed the door behind her.

“You damn well know who I’m talking about!” Jessica glared at her mother; only to be glared back.

“Don’t you use that tone with me, Jessica—“ Her mother warned her.

“—I don’t remember having an appointment with you today, Jessica.” The father said as he ended the call.

“I’m not in the mood to play games, dad.” The brunette switched her glare to her father. “Just tell me where she is.”

“Like your mother said; I don’t know who you’re talking about.” He said calmly and sat down in his red recliner.

“Stephanie!” Jessica almost lost her patience. “Where is she?”

“I thought you’ve cut all ties with that girl.” The father sat back in his seat; staring straight at his daughter.

“Cut your bull, dad.” The daughter hissed. “Just tell me where she is; right now!”

“Jessica!” The mother immediately stood up. “Is that the way to speak to your father?”

“Shut up, mom!” Jessica shouted. “Just tell me where she is!”

And nobody said a word after that, as they were too busy glaring at each other.

“It looks like you’re still in contact with your ex-girlfriend.” The father said after a while. “And here I thought you’re going to keep your promise and forget about her.”

“I’m very disappointed in you, Jessica.” He said as he took off his glasses to clean them.

“Where is she?” Jessica asked again as she gritted her teeth.

“Do I have to repeat what I’ve said to you a million times before?” Her father said instead. “How your relationship with her could jeopardize my position in the senate?”

“Where is she?” Her tone was raising as she clenched her fists.

“Do you think I’m going to let you go back to that ?” The father hissed. “Do you think I would risk my career over your stupid girl crush?”

“Where is she?!” Jessica’s shout filled the whole room.

“If I wanted to she would’ve been dead a long time ago!” The father slammed his desk with all his might.

“J-Jonathan…” The mother watched in horror.

“So it’s not you?” Jessica’s question was directed more at herself rather than at her parents. “You didn’t kidnap her?”

“Why would we do such a thing, Jessica?” Her mother looked hurt.

“We made a promise not to touch her,” Her father continued. “As long as you do what we ask of you and cut all ties with her.”

“Think what you want about us, Jessica,” He said as he turned his chair to face the large window behind his desk. “But we always keep our promises. No matter what.”

“And your outrage clearly shows that we cannot say the same about you…”

The hazel eyed daughter turned her gaze to her mother, who was back in her seat holding her chest. The mother gave her a hurtful look, like she was not expecting her own daughter to accuse her of something so evil. And at that moment Jessica knew they were telling the truth; they had no part in Stephanie’s disappearance.

Then who is it? Her brain was working hard to figure out who else would want to kidnap her Miyoung.

“Where are you going, Jessica?” Her mother said as she saw the brunette turned around and reached for the door. “We’re not done here!”

“You have to explain your—“

“—I don’t need to explain anything, mother!” She said without turning around. Her head was filled with so much anger and frustration.

“I have to find her.” She said as she opened the door and rushed outside. “You can do whatever you want with me after that…”

Think, Sooyeon, think! She tried to put all her knowledge and brain power to use. Who would want to kidnap Miyoung?

The hazel eyed woman could think of a few people who could’ve had a grudge on the idealist journalist; corrupt politicians and officials Stephanie had written an article about that led to their investigation and prosecutions, remnants of the Yakuzas and mafias she had helped exposed to the world, and many other scums of the underworld that were originally left untouched by the law but then were exposed by her articles. Stephanie was like the Lois Lane of the real world, and Jessica knew all too well that her ideals would led to people targeting her for revenge. The brunette knew all too well because her Stephanie had once planned to write an article about her and her “illegitimate” businesses.

But then Jessica’s mind turned to herself. There were a few people who wanted to take revenge on her as well, and kidnapping Stephanie, the one she loved the most; would be the best way to do so. There were rival CEOs whose companies she had destroyed to make way for her own company to strive. There were also officials she had blackmailed to secure government projects, and lots of other people she had hurt for standing in her way.

Too many possibilities, she thought. Too many leads to investigate, but so little time…

And at the time she regretted having led such a despicable life. If only she had listened to Alfred and her younger sister, if only she had used her power and connection to do good things like Stephanie wanted her to do. If only she had stopped the naïve journalist from writing such exposing articles. If only she had stayed in Korea and fought for their love…

That last thought made her stomach twirled, and she stepped on her brakes and stopped her car. And all the worries of what bad things were Stephanie experiencing right now, the fear of losing her precious Miyoung, and the anger of not being able to protect her most loved one suddenly burst out from her chest. She had been repressing her tears from Yuri and Yoona, and from her parents. But now that she was alone in her car, she let her tears poured out and she screamed as hard as she could. She screamed and wailed and poured her heart out as she buried her face against her steering wheel.

After a while when was sore, she finally stopped screaming and wiped her tears. As she was sobbing her mind was telling her that she needed to quickly calm herself down and figured out what to do next. But she had already known what was next on her plan. It must have been her subconscious that took her to the airport, to her father’s private jet. She slammed the door open and took out her luggage from the trunk of her car, and rushed towards the hangar.

“Miss Jung, is everything okay?” The pilot quickly rushed to her side and took her luggage for her the moment he saw his employer’s daughter walked in.

“Everything’s fine,” She simply said as she put on her sunglasses to conceal her red and puffy eyes. “Is the plane ready?”

“Yes, the plane’s ready, miss.” The middle aged male pilot said. “But I have to ask; does your father know about this?”

“This is so sudden and I think we need to inform—“

“—You don’t have to ask these questions, Robert.” Jessica stopped walking and glared through her sunglasses. “You’d do well to remember that you work for me now; and all you need to do is get me to Seoul as quickly as possible.”

“O-Of course, miss.” The pilot quickly led the scary hazel eyed woman to her plane when he heard those strict and threatening words. “Right away.”

And as Jessica was seated inside the private jet and the pilot made the necessary preparation to take off, he couldn’t stop wondering the reason for this sudden request to fly to Korea. He recalled how one hour ago he received a telephone call from the hazel eyed woman, telling him to prepare the jet and everything to take her to Seoul. And as the airport tower gave him the permission to take off, he thought it would be best to just do what he had been told. Rich people and their wacky requests; he thought to himself.

“Miss Jung, we’re ready to take off now.” He said from the cockpit.

“Very well.” Was the only reply he got as he closed the cockpit door and focused himself to do what he was paid to do for ten years now.

Meanwhile Jessica sat back in her seat and let out a sigh. She was trying hard to hide her worries and sadness before the pilot, but deep down inside she was still scared. And now that she was alone in the cabin, her mind took her back to Stephanie, and her kidnapping. She couldn’t shake all the horrible things that may befall the naïve journalist from her mind. But after a while she shook her head to get rid of the thoughts and tried to focus herself. It was going to be a long flight. Around 17 hour; and she should use the time to figure out the suspects and where could they be hiding Stephanie, instead of crying and whining.

She reached out her hand to the telephone attached on the cabin’s wall and quickly pushed Yuri’s number. It took a while before the call connected, and as soon as she heard Yuri’s voice she immediately asked for an update.

But Yuri hadn’t found a clue on who kidnapped the journalist, and Jessica had to hold herself from crying. With her trembling words she then instructed Yuri and Yoona to search the vast city of Seoul to look for clues. Any clues about the crescent eyed journalist. Someone might have seen, or heard about Stephanie.

Both of her friends quickly agreed to the idea, and told her that they would ask for Taeyeon’s and Stephanie’s other friends to help them search. Yoona also told her that the police were already working to find the journalist too, and Jessica was relieved that at least her friends still had good connection to the city’s law enforcer.

And as she ended the telephone call and looked out the window, she prayed that they could find Stephanie as soon as possible. There was nothing she could do now, and her anxiety returned. She grasped her own fingers and tried to calm herself down and told herself that she needed to be strong now; for Stephanie, and for herself. She then closed her eyes and sat back, and prayed to God to take her to Korea faster, and for her friends to find Stephanie. It was going to be a long flight.

The Jungs private jet arrived in Korea two minutes after midnight, 12^th February, and landed on Incheon International Airport runway, before heading into its designated private hangar. Jessica took hurry steps down the plane’s ladder and rushed towards a black sedan parked near the small jet. A wavy brunette lady who had been standing next to the expensive car quickly opened the passenger’s door and waited for Jessica to sit inside the car. Once the hazel eyed woman was inside she quickly closed the door and rushed towards the driver’s seat and hurriedly start the engine. The healthy looking woman looked tired and stressed out.

“Any news?” Jessica said as the wavy brunette beside her stepped on the gas pedal and raced the car outside the hangar and into the streets of Seoul.

“Not yet.” Hyoyeon said without looking to her former employer.

The hazel eyed woman stared at Hyoyeon for a while before turning her sight on the road ahead of her. She wanted to scream and cursed to the wavy brunette lady for bringing her no news on Stephanie’s whereabouts; but she knew Hyoyeon and the others must had tried their best in finding the journalist. She then tried to hide her frustration and anxiety by looking at the streets of Seoul. It had been a while since she was here, and the sights felt a little bit unfamiliar to her now.

“You look awful,” Hyoyeon broke the silence. “Did you get some sleep on the plane?”

“How can I sleep in a time like this?” Her words trembled as she kept looking to the streets to her right.

“Sorry,” Hyoyeon glanced at her. “That was stupid of me…”

But Jessica didn’t say a word, and Hyoyeon knew she was lucky the hazel eyed woman didn’t kill her for asking such a stupid question. The wavy brunette had known Jessica for quite some time and she had seen how the rich and spoiled girl turned changed into a somewhat decent person since she met Stephanie. And deep down Hyoyeon could never show enough gratitude to the crescent eyed woman.

“We’ll find her, Jess.” Hyoyeon said as she floored the gas pedal and the engine roared as it raced through the empty streets of night Seoul.

“You!” Jessica was welcomed by the screams of panicked Taeyeon the moment she stepped inside Stephanie’s apartment. “You did this!”

“Has the police updated you, Yuri?” The hazel eyed woman ignored Taeyeon’s sharp words and looked around the small apartment. She took a deep breath and noticed Stephanie’s faint scent all over the apartment. The scent she had missed the most these few months. Everything looked the same; just like the last time she was in that place. Everything but the fact that Stephanie’s missing, and all her closest friends were there, looking panicked and worried. Meanwhile Sooyoung and Seohyun mustered their last strengths to hold Taeyeon back.

“No…” Yuri weakly replied. “There hasn’t been any news whatsoever—“

“—You did this!” Taeyeon broke loose from Sooyoung and Seohyun’s hold and stormed to the hazel eyed woman. “You dirty little—“

“—Taeyeon, stop!” Sunny managed to lunge at the last moment and captured the slanted eyed woman in her arms. “Jessica has nothing to do with this!”

“It’s all her fault!” Taeyeon kept screaming as her tears were starting to flood her face. “It’s all her fault!”

“I told you that this would happen!”

“I told you nothing good would ever come—“

“—Stop it!” Sunny yelled as she slapped Taeyeon as hard as she could to silence her dearest friend.

“Stop it, Taeyeon-ah…” The shortest woman in the room said gently as she hugged the slanted eyed woman. “We need to find Stephanie and fighting amongst ourselves won’t help us…”

Sooyoung and Seohyun rushed to their side and comforted Taeyeon. Meanwhile Jessica just stood there staring at them. She couldn’t think of anything to say or what to do in that situation. As she breathed in more scent of Stephanie’s apartment, her own tears started to fill her eyes.

Yoona noticed Jessica’s body was trembling, and saw the hazel eyed woman rubbed her arms. The doe eyed woman carefully approached her and put her arms around her.

“It’s okay, Jessica,” Yoona whispered to comfort her. “We’ll do whatever it takes to find her…”

The apartment fell into silence as everyone in the room was not in the mood to say or do anything. They were all now sitting in the small living room; busy with their own minds. Everyone was tired and spent, after hours of searching for clues for Stephanie’s whereabouts. And Jessica was tired too, as she hadn’t been able to sleep on the plane. Everyone was silent, except for Taeyeon who was still sobbing in Seohyun’s arms.

“What do you think we should do now?” Finally, after half an hour Yuri broke the silent with her question which was intended for Jessica.

The hazel eyed woman lifted her head to stare at her tanned friend, but she couldn’t answer the question. Her mind was filled with worry now that she couldn’t think of anything.

“We wait.” Hyoyeon suddenly said, and all heads were turned to her. “There’s nothing more we can do now.”

Taeyeon was about to say something but Seohyun grabbed her hand gently and gave her a tired look and shook her head weakly. Hyoyeon was right, there was nothing more they could do at that moment.

“We should get some rest now.” The wavy brunette woman continued. “Let’s think of an idea in the morning.”

And no one had the will to say no to the idea. Everyone was thinking that they should at least do something, anything to find Stephanie, but their bodies and minds were too tired and stressed out to do anything else. Without words Taeyeon and the others then went into the guess room to rest there, leaving Jessica and her friends in the living room. Yuri, Yoona and Hyoyeon then tried to find a comfortable position on the couch to rest their eyes. No one even thought about resting in Stephanie’s room. It was like they were expecting the crescent eyed woman to come home any minute now and had her bed waiting for her.

After a while Jessica lifted her head once more and saw that her friends were fast asleep on the couch. The hazel eyed woman saw how uncomfortable their positions were, but that didn’t stop them from getting their badly needed rest. As Yuri started to snore, Jessica stood up and walked towards the empty room. She slowly opened the door and saw that the room was still as she remembered it; with white curtain, a tall drawer and a bed. She slowly stepped inside and placed her hand on the light beige tall drawer and looked to the bed across from it. The bed was unmade and the white thick blanket was on the floor. She smiled a little remembering how Stephanie always move around in her sleep, and the blanket would always fall to the side because of it. Jessica then reached out and grabbed the blanket, and held it in her arms as she sat on the edge of the bed. She took a deep breath and could smell a faint scent of melon perfume Stephanie always used. The same melon fragrance she grew to love and missed. And her tears suddenly fell for wanting to see the crescent eyed journalist so much. She felt so lonely and so powerless at the time, and she kept picturing horrible things Stephanie was probably experiencing. She cried for some time, and soon all her strength was gone, and she fell asleep on the bed.

That morning Jessica woke up to a nice smell of bacon from the kitchen. Her stomach started to growl as she remembered she hadn’t eaten anything since she left San Francisco. Her body was still weak and her head hurts from all the crying, but she managed to get up and walked outside groggily. In the kitchen she saw everyone gathered around the small dining table and a familiar figure was frying some bacon and eggs for them.

“Good morning,” The blonde haired woman said without turning her attention away from the frying pan, while the others were too busy with their breakfast.

“Why are you here?” Jessica slowly walked towards the dining table.

“I heard everything from Hyoyeon,” The blue eyed woman replied calmly as she poured the well cooked bacon on a plate and put it on the table. “And I’m here to help you find Stephanie.”

Jessica stared at her younger sister for a while, questioning her motive in her mind. She was already reluctant to have Taeyeon and her friends helping her, and now Krystal was there too. She could imagine how their father would be furious to know that his precious youngest daughter decided to help her damned older sister to find her lover.

“Eat.” Krystal pointed to the plate before turning and headed to the kitchen once more. “Before you say anything; I’ve made up my mind and you don’t have to worry about dad.”

“He’s going to freak out—“ The hazel eyed woman said as she hesitantly lifted the plate and breathed in the delicious aroma of well cooked bacon.

“—You don’t need to be thinking about him,” Krystal said as she started to wash the dishes. “All you need to be thinking about is how are we going to find Stephanie.”

“Your sister’s right.” Hyoyeon said as she finished her breakfast and stood up to let Jessica sit down.

“And you don’t need to ask why I am doing this,” Krystal continued as Jessica sat down and grabbed a fork. “I’m doing this because it’s the right thing to do, and I don’t have any ulterior motives.”

“And I’m coming too.” Another familiar voice to Jessica’s ears could be heard from the living room. The hazel eyed woman turned around to find a tall well-built middle aged man walking towards the kitchen. The middle aged man with grey hair and moustache walked with such confidence and deep gaze that showed charisma and experience. Everyone could tell right away that the man was someone you could trust your life with, and definitely not someone you’d want to mess around with. A man Jessica had trusted her whole life with. A man who was more of a father to her than her own biological dad. A man she always called Alfred; even if it was not his real name.

“Father won’t let you.” Jessica said to her former bodyguard/butler. When the hazel eyed woman was sent to the US her father made Alfred stay behind and work for Krystal instead. Jessica thought it was because her father was not slightly impressed by how the middle aged man had done his job. “I don’t want you to lose your job because of me…”

“I’ve handed him my resignation this morning.” Alfred’s face and voice were stern, but after knowing him her whole life, Jessica could feel the warmth in his words.

“Why did you do that?” The hazel eyed woman asked; she was worried for the old man.

“Long ago your father hired me to protect and help you in any way that I can,” The middle aged man replied. “And if now he wants me to stop doing my job, then I guess it is rude of me to still be in his payroll.”

“I see…” There was a faint smile on Jessica’s face now, as she felt a little happy that at least the man she had known her entire life wasn’t going to abandon her in this time of need.

“Thank you…” Jessica said as she wiped her tears. Alfred’s presence and words gave her strength, and she was touched by his sincerity and care.

“If you have time to cry then you should use better use it to eat and gather your energy.” Alfred scolded his former employer. Deep down inside he already thought of Jessica as his own daughter. Not just because he didn’t have a family on his own, but also because they had been together for such a long time that he grew fond of the hazel eyed woman. He knew that behind her harsh words and all the glamor and cruel things she had done; there was a kind little princess that just wanted to be loved. “We have a lot of grounds to cover from this moment on.”

“Yes…” The hazel eyed woman nodded and quickly ate her bacon. She knew Alfred was always awkward, and he was bad with showing affection. His words earlier were most definitely his way of saying don’t cry, little Jessica; everything is going to be okay. And now that Alfred was here, Jessica felt like they could even turn Korea upside down to find Stephanie.

But after two days of searching every corner of Seoul to find the crescent eyed journalist and not finding a single clue, Jessica was starting to lose hope. Alfred proved to be the most valuable asset, as he led the girls scouring the vast capital city, leaving no stone unturned swiftly and efficiently. The middle aged man was more capable than even the police; dividing them into two teams to better search the city and save time. But after two whole days, still they couldn’t find Stephanie.

Stephanie’s apartment was now being investigated by the police and Jessica had to stay at a hotel, and they had made the hotel lounge as their headquarters. And when they gathered at that luxurious hotel lounge to share whatever knowledge they had found during their search, there were little to no good news that could be told.

It was almost midnight and everyone was tired and stressed out, and they all sat in the lounge looking spent and spiritless. Yuri and Yoona sat on the long light beige couch against the wall, near the window overlooking the streets. Seohyun and Sunny were sitting on the two seater couch against that window, while Taeyeon, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon sat on the long couch across Yuri and Yoona’s. Jessica was the only person who still had some energy left as she paced around the lounge restless, thinking hard of other places they could search for Stephanie. Meanwhile Alfred was standing outside the lounge, near the lobby busy on his cell phone, talking with the authorities and his colleagues to find more clues.

Yoona’s cell phone rang and everyone’s attention instantly turned to the deer eyed woman. The tall slim Korean beauty quickly checked her screen only to be disappointed.

“It’s my boyfriend,” Yoona said sourly as she rejected the call, and the room fell into silence once more.

But her phone immediately rang again, and Jessica let out a sigh.

“Pick it up.” Yuri said lazily to the deer eyed woman next to her.

“It’s okay,” Yoona rejected the call once more before she turned her cell phone off. “That stupid man is only thinking about himself.”

“He keeps asking if I can spend Valentine’s Day tomorrow with him…” Yoona sighed as she threw her cell phone to the coffee table right in front of her.

“Valentine’s Day, huh…” They could hear Jessica muttered as she started to pace back and forth once more.

“Yoona!” Yuri glared at her younger friend, and the deer eyed woman quickly realized her mistake. She shouldn’t have mentioned Valentine’s Day when Jessica’s girlfriend was still missing. She didn’t want to add more salt to Jessica’s wounds.

“I-I’m sorry, Jessica…” Yoona carefully said to the pacing brunette.

“Huh?” The hazel eyed woman was daydreaming when she heard her name and she stopped and turned to look at her younger friend. “Oh, that’s okay…”

“Even if she’s not missing we wouldn’t spend Valentine’s Day together anyway…” The hazel eyed woman let out a deep sigh and sat down on an empty recliner.

Everyone in the room could feel the sadness in her voice, but they couldn’t say anything to comfort her.

“But I guess not spending Valentine together would be better than her missing…” Jessica said again after a while, and her words pierced everyone’s heart.

“Much, much better.” Hyoyeon said as she sighed and sat up. “But let’s not think about that.”

“Right now we need to focus on finding her.” The wavy brunette haired woman tried to sound optimistic. “Let’s try to think of places we haven’t searched so far.”

“We’ve searched everywhere already.” Sunny said tiredly.

“Well, we must have missed something because we haven’t found her.” Hyoyeon said sternly.

“I know that!” Sunny raised her voice. “I was just saying that we’ve looked everywhere!”

“So do you think we should stop looking now?” The wavy brunette secretary glared.

“I am not saying that!” The shortest woman in the room stood up immediately and glared back.

“Okay, okay, enough,” Yuri lazily sat back and stopped the two from fighting each other. “It’s obvious that we’re all tired and stressed out…”

“… But we can’t be fighting among each other right now…”

“Sunny was just saying the obvious, Hyo,” Yuri continued as she touched her own forehead like she was checking if she had a fever. “And Sunny; Hyoyeon was only saying that we shouldn’t stop looking.”

“I know that…” Sunny said slowly as she sat back down.

“Yeah, sorry…” Hyoyeon said too, and the lounge was quiet once more.

“Have we tried to ask everyone?” Yoona said after a while of awkward silence. “I mean, everyone who knows Stephanie…”

“We’ve checked her parents, her colleagues and her editor…” Yuri mumbled.

“And all her closest friends are in this room…” Hyoyeon said as she let out a deep sigh.

“I’ve checked with our other friends and acquaintances…” Seohyun muttered.

“Me too…” Sooyoung sighed, while Taeyeon, as usual, sat quietly and had her fingers crossed like she was praying all the time.

“Arg! I’m seriously out of ideas here!” Yuri messed up her own hair in frustration.

“But there must be someone who knows where Stephanie is!” Yoona quickly said when she noticed Jessica’s teary eyes. She didn’t want the hazel eyed woman to think that they were giving up.

“But even the police haven’t found any clues! And the neighbors didn’t hear or see anything suspicious these last couple of days…” Seohyun grew weary. “… Even the janitors…”

“D-Don’t lose hope!” Yoona said again. “We just need to think of someone else who knows what happened!”

And the lounge was quiet once more.

“If the neighbors didn’t hear or see anything suspicious, that means whoever kidnapped Stephanie was someone familiar…” Hyoyeon muttered; she was thinking out loud.

“…Someone she knew…” She continued. “… Someone she trusted…”

“Yeah, well, the police thought the same…” Yuri sighed. “… And we’ve checked the CCTV too but there was no one…”

“… That means it was someone we know too…” Hyoyeon kept on muttering like she didn’t hear Yuri’s comment.

“Someone we know…” Jessica repeated those words. “Someone we know…”

“Someone-Have you checked with Richard, Jessica?” Hyoyeon suddenly remembered something. “I heard that he’s in town since two weeks ago…”

And that was when it hit Jessica. Richard Wong, her current fiancé, told her that he was going to Korea on business two weeks ago, and she hadn’t heard from him since. Suddenly Jessica felt a twirl in her stomach. Richard was the only one they didn’t question about Stephanie’s whereabouts.

Why didn’t I realize it sooner? Jessica cursed herself as she stood up and rushed outside.

“Jessica?” Hyoyeon and everyone else was startled when they saw the hazel eyed woman ran, and they were late to react and follow her.

“Jessica?” Alfred instinctively ended his call and ran to his former employer’s side.

“I know where she is.” Jessica said without slowing down.

“Where?” The middle aged man had a couple of questions in his mind, like how Jessica got the information, but he knew it was not the time to be asking questions.

“I think I know where she is…” The hazel eyed woman said as they reached her car and quickly jumped into the driver’s seat.

And as Jessica stepped on the gas pedal and raced her car towards the city streets, Alfred did his best to keep quiet and stared at the hazel eyed woman with concern. No doubt that Jessica’s mind was filled with so many things right now, and he didn’t want to disturb her thoughts. He glanced to the rear mirror and noticed Jessica’s and Stephanie’s friends were late to catch up with them, and they were shouting and waving at them from the distance. He then turned his focus to the streets in front of them and prepared himself mentally. If Jessica had gained the information about Stephanie’s whereabouts, then they were now close to finding her, and her kidnappers. It had been so long since he had to prepare himself for a confrontation, but he had already made up his mind; he would spare no one. Not a single kidnapper would escape his clutch. And when he could get his hands on those unlucky criminals, he would make sure that they would die a painful and slow death.

Meanwhile Jessica was busy with her own mind. Her memories were taking her back to the events when she arrived in the US six months ago, banished by her father. Richard had accompanied her to help her settle in and take over her father’s company, which was a joint business with Richard’s father. For so many years Krystal, her younger sister, had been the CEO there and she was actually doing a wonderful job. Something that Jessica was sure she wouldn’t be able to do.

Richard had been so kind and understanding, that he gave the hazel eyed woman time to gather herself from her breakup. Jessica’s father had made her promise to resume her engagement with the Chinese man, but Richard himself comforted her by saying that he would wait until Jessica was ready to get over Stephanie, and ready to accept him back. He even decided to sleep in the guest room in their new luxurious apartment to give Jessica some personal space.

The Chinese man gave Jessica the support and understanding she needed the most at the time. He comforted her saying that her relationship with Stephanie was just not to be. He said that it was just fate, and Stephanie was just not her true love. He said that he was willing to prove that he could make her happier than when she was with Stephanie. He promised her that he would be patient and wait until her heart would open up once more. And he did. He proved that he could be the most patient man in the world when it comes to waiting for Jessica’s heart. He proved so until a couple of days two weeks ago, when he got back home late at night slightly drunk from a company gathering. He went into Jessica’s bedroom and crawled into her bed. The hazel eyed woman was shocked to find him reaching for her private parts and she immediately threw him out of bed.

That was when Richard poured all his feelings out. He yelled at Jessica, saying that she was being unfair, that it was his right as her fiancé to sleep in the same bed as hers. He shouted that he couldn’t wait any longer, and that she should be thanking him that he accepted her back after all the scandal, and she was the one who should be willing and happy to give him her body. The hazel eyed woman was even more shocked to hear the confession, and she felt lied to and betrayed, and her anger got the better of her and she knocked the Chinese man unconscious with the night lamp.

The next morning when Richard came to his senses, he begged for Jessica’s forgiveness, saying that the red wine from the company gathering got the better of him, and that everything he said was not his true feelings. He cried and begged to her, saying that he was having a hard time too; knowing his fiancé left him for a girl, and he asked for her to understand that he had been suffering too from all the scandal and transition. Jessica’s heart was moved when she saw his tears, and she realized she had been unfair to him. And then she cried too. And they both cried for some time, before Jessica finally reached out to Richard, forgiving him, and offered him her apology too. And then she promised him that she would really try to forget Stephanie, and all that happened between them. At that moment Jessica finally opened up her heart to him, and started to give up her love for the crescent eyed journalist.

And everything went back to normal, at least until Richard announced to her that he had to go to Korea on some business, and the trip would take him a couple of weeks. And Jessica had no suspicion whatsoever about his so called “business trip.” Not until now.

“This is your old apartment building…” Alfred was a little confused when Jessica drove the car into the tall apartment complex’s driveway.

Jessica stopped the car abruptly and slam the door wide open. She then ran with all her might to the apartment lobby without saying anything, and Alfred swiftly followed her into the elevator. Once inside the elevator Alfred could hear Jessica’s short breaths and thumping heartbeats. Her face was red now, but the middle aged man knew it wasn’t anger in her face, but rather disappointment. The hazel eyed woman was disappointed with herself, for not realizing where Stephanie was fast enough.

And when her eyes were teary, Alfred put his hand on her shoulder and gripped down hard, like he was trying to tell her to calm herself down and focus on the task at hand. And the warm grip of Alfred’s hand gave Jessica strength to collect herself, and her eyes started to focus and her face showed determination.

The elevator dinged on the top floor, and when the door slowly open Jessica squeezed through and ran outside. She was all too familiar with the red carpeted hallway in front of her, and soon she was standing right outside her old apartment door.

She felt blood rushing to her face and closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Soon she could hear nothing but her own heartbeat. And then there was Alfred’s voice calling her name, but it sounded like he was calling from someplace far away. The voice then echoed in her ears.

And then she opened her eyes and took another deep breath before she took a couple of steps backwards and put all her weight into her feet, and then she dashed forward, almost jumping, and kicked the door open. In a flash she could see two figures standing up, startled by the loud sound made by the door. She could recognize the two figures almost instantly; it was Alex and Dean, two self-proclaimed best friends of Richard, although they were more his henchmen than anything.

The two men saw Jessica, and their mouths hung opened, clearly surprised to see the hazel eyed woman. They were about to shout when Jessica sprinted to her bedroom; she only had one objective in her mind, and it was to find Stephanie as fast as she could. There was no need for her to deal with the two bastards, not when she knew Alfred was right behind her, and she was confident the middle aged man would be more than enough to put those two ungrateful animals down. She reached her bedroom door and at the same time she could hear Alfred fighting with Alex and Dean behind her. The two men were shouting and screaming, but she didn’t even bother to look back or try to understand what they were saying, and kicked the door in front of her.

But she wasn’t ready for what she saw in that room. There on the bed, lying unconscious with her hands cuffed to the steel head bed, was Stephanie. Her hair was messy and looked like it was cut unevenly, and she was . But her condition would not make anyone aroused; her lips were bleeding, her eyes were black, and there were cut and slash wounds all over her body, and there were thick white liquids covering her. The sight could make anyone vomit, and it was far more worse for Jessica. She couldn’t think of anything to say, or do, and her body couldn’t move. It was then she could smell a foul odor from the room, like piss and excrement. And she knew that instant what Stephanie had gone through these past few days. And she was too late.

Her gaze turned to the side and she saw Richard Wong standing there, with only towel to cover his lower body, looking surprised to see his fiancé. It looked like he had just stepped out of the shower. But soon his startled face turned into a huge grin, and he smirked to her.

“So you’re finally here,” He chuckled when he saw tears in Jessica’s eyes. He could see pain and despair in her eyes, and he enjoyed every second of it. “I thought you would come sooner…”

“The mighty Jessica Jung,” He hissed. “What are you going to do now?”

“Y-You…” The hazel eyed woman’s vision was blur with tears, and she had no strength to say anything.

“What’s the matter; cat got your tongue?” Richard laughed. “Don’t you usually have something to say?”

“Is it too painful to see your lover lying there, lifeless?”

“Well then, you’re in for a treat…”

“Because I’m going to tell you every single thing we’ve done to her…”

And Jessica took a step back from fear.

“We beat her…”

“We pissed on her…”

“We ted on her…”

“We her…“ And Richard huge grin was unbearable. “… Sometimes we took turns…”

“Sometimes the three of us at the same time…”

“And guess what?” He laughed out loud. “She loved it!”

“She told me it was much better than she was with yo—“

“—Arrrgghhh!” And before he could finish what he was saying, Jessica was screaming madly and lunged at him.

It was her right fist that first landed on his face; straight to the nose. And then her left knee that landed on his right ribs. And then when Richard lost his balance and grunted in pain, she threw her left elbow and broke his left jaw. The hit caused him to fall on his knees, and Jessica threw another right hook to his left ear, paralyzing him. And when his head finally touched the marble floor, she jumped on top of him and showered him with her punches, screaming like a mad woman all the while.

And she didn’t stop. Not when her strength had abandon her, not when she broke her knuckles, not when Alfred was shouting at her, telling her to stop. And she couldn’t even see anything at the time, not when her own tears were pouring like rain. All she could think of was she needed to kill Richard with her own two hands. The Chinese bastard needed to die, and he should’ve died a long time ago.

Why didn’t I realize it was him all along?

Why did I have to trust him?

Why does Stephanie had to go through this?

Why did I leave her?

Why did I abandon her?

And that last thought, with Alfred’s strong hands, stopped her from landing the killing blow.

“No! No…!” Jessica screamed and wailed and kicked her feet wildly as Alfred grabbed her from behind and dragged her away from Richard. “No…!”

“I need to kill him…!”

“H-Happy… Valentine’s… Day, babe…” Richard still had some strength left in him to deliver the ultimate

“Stay here.” Alfred’s words were cold and stern as ever as he put Jessica down on the floor outside her old bedroom.

And the sight of Alfred’s back heading back inside the bedroom was the last sight Jessica saw before she fainted, from all the exhaustion, the shock of seeing Stephanie’s ill fate, and the desperation of having no power to do anything about her; not until it was too late. It was far too late…

And the rest of the story had already been told. Stephanie was found and saved, but she had lost her mind from all the torture. Jessica tried to nurse her, but eventually had to her to the mental institute. At first the crescent eyed woman was showing a good sign of recovery, but then she tried to end her own life, and the doctors had to restrain her in her bed. And one week after Jessica proposed to her, in tears, and didn’t even get an answer, Stephanie committed a suicide.

It was the evening of Stephanie’s funeral that Jessica found herself kneeling in front of the crescent eyed woman’s grave. It was one cloudy evening, and a quiet one. The funeral was already over, and Stephanie’s families and friends had already left the cemetery. The hazel eyed woman purposely didn’t attend the funeral in the afternoon, not just because she knew Stephanie’s family wouldn’t accept her for being there, because they thought she was the one who caused their precious Stephanie to live and die a horrible fate, but also because she needed the silence. She wanted to meet with Stephanie alone, so she could freely talk to her. First of all, she wanted to apologize, for everything she had caused her. Second was to tell her how much she loved her, and how much she wanted to go with her to the other life. The third, and the reason why she hadn’t kill herself, was to tell her that she was going on a trip. She was saying her goodbye. She didn’t know how long until she could kneel down in front of Stephanie again, because she had planned to travel around the world. She had planned to visit places and countries Stephanie told her before when she was still alive and they were still a couple. Those happy times. Jessica wanted to see the places Stephanie mentioned in her stories; places that touched the naïve and pretty journalist’s heart. She wanted to experience those places, to experience what Stephanie felt when she was there.

And then after that, Jessica told her she was going to travel to places Stephanie wanted to visit when she was alive and well. Places they promised to visit together when they were a couple. The hazel eyed woman told Stephanie that she would keep her promise, and made sure to visit all those places. And in her tears, she told Stephanie that she wouldn’t go alone, but she would carry her in her heart, and in her mind. So when she reached those places, it would be like they were together there, fulfilling that promise. She told the idealist journalist not to worry, that she would always remember her, and they would always be together.

When Jessica finally said everything she could think of, and when her tears got the better of her, and when she was crying and regretting her and Stephanie’s life, Taeyeon stood next to her and tapped her shoulder. Jessica didn’t even hear her footsteps approaching.

The hazel eyed woman lifted her head and her eyes met with Taeyeon’s, who was smiling her best.

“Don’t cry, Jessica,” Kim Taeyeon’s voice was filled with kindness, and Jessica couldn’t say anything but turned her gaze back to the grave. “She’s in a better place now…”

They both stayed quiet for some time, with their minds filled with their own thoughts, until Taeyeon broke the silence.

“I just finished praying for her…” The short woman smiled again, and Jessica tried her best to stop her tears.

“I prayed that she had now found peace and happiness,” Taeyeon continued. “And that she would remember who helped her reach heaven…”

Jessica’s tears suddenly stopped when she heard that, and she slowly stood up and gazed at the slanted eyed woman.

“Yes, you see,” Taeyeon smiled. “I was the one who gave her the knife…”

“I was the one who set her free…”

“You did what?” Jessica bit her lips to try and control herself.

“I set her free.” The slanted eyed woman repeated her words and looked a little annoyed that the brunette woman didn’t understand what she was saying the first time.

“She was living in agony, Jessica,” Taeyeon explained with a kind and sweet voice. “She was in chains…”

“All she felt was pain, and she was dying to tell us how much she wanted to be free…”

“But no one would listen,” The short woman’s voice turned angry. “Everyone kept telling her to live!”

“Everyone kept telling her to live with the pain!”

“But it was too much for her,” Taeyeon stared back at Jessica. “I know it was too much for her…”

“I was her best friend, and I was the only one who understood her cry for help…”

“You didn’t even realize her tears…” The slanted eyed woman pointed her fingers at the hazel eyed woman. “You only wanted her to live because you’re afraid of being alone…”

“You were afraid that once she was gone, no one would love you like she did…”

“What are you saying?” Jessica finally said.

“I’m saying that you loved yourself more than you loved her!” Taeyeon was getting impatient. She was upset that Jessica couldn’t understand her intentions. “You kept her alive because you needed her!”

“You needed someone to love you!”

“You kept her as a trophy, as a proof that there was someone who loved you!”

“Stop it, Taeyeon, please…” Jessica’s words were weak. She was tired of having to fight the same battle with the slanted eyed woman. “… I didn’t need any proof…”

“Oh, but you did!” The slanted eyed woman laughed. “Everyone did!”

“I was the only one who could see past all that!”

“I was the one brave enough, and kind enough to free her!”

“And so I released her from those dirty straps! And I gave her the knife! And now she is free!”

“Free from all the pain! Free from this evil world! Free from you!”

“Stop it…” Jessica shook her head weakly, but Taeyeon just stood there laughing.

“That’s right, Jessica,” The slanted eyed girl reached out and ran her fingers through Jessica’s hair. “I was the only one who really loved her…”

“I loved her more than I loved myself, and that’s why I let her go…”

“Because if you truly love someone, you have to be strong enough to let them go…”

“And you don’t have any regrets by doing that?” Jessica slapped Taeyeon’s hand away and asked her.

“Oh, no, I don’t!” Taeyeon smiled once more. “I don’t have any regrets!”

“Why should I?”

“She’s in a better place now!”

“She’s happy!”

“Then why are you crying?” Jessica said as she wiped Taeyeon’s tears from her cheek.

“W-What?” The slanted eyed woman was startled and took a step back while holding her wet cheek. “I-I am not crying!”

“I’m happy for her!” She didn’t even realize she was crying for some time now.

“You’re crying,” Jessica said again, she could sympathize with her now. She understood that Taeyeon was hurt too, and she missed Stephanie just like Jessica missed her. Taeyeon was just confused, and she didn’t understand what she had done. What giving that knife meant. And all her hatred for the slanted eyed woman turned into pity. “And it’s okay…”

“Let it go, Taeyeon,” She said as she pulled Taeyeon into her arms. “Just let it go…”

And Taeyeon finally let go. The short woman let her tears flowed from her eyes, and she cried. Slowly at first, but immediately she wailed and screamed, calling her best friend’s name; Stephanie. She was shaking so much and her knees grew weak, and she fell down to the ground. Jessica wanted to help her, but when she saw how hard Taeyeon was crying, how much pain she was feeling, the hazel eyed woman decided to walk away. Jessica thought it was best to leave her alone now, to let her pour out all her feelings. Taeyeon didn’t need a helping hand or a warm hug or comforting words, but just like her, all she needed was silence, and a chance to forgive herself. And so Jessica left her, crying and wailing, begging forgiveness to Stephanie’s grave, screaming the pretty journalist’s name. And so Jessica kept on walking, with her own tears, and she didn’t look back. That was her goodbye.

For years after that, Jessica spent her days travelling the world, trying to keep her promise. She left her home, she left Korea, and left everyone she had known. The only thing she brought with her was her memories of Stephanie, the love of her life. For the first couple of months she was still in contact with her friends; with Yuri, Yoona and Hyoyeon, and even with Sooyoung, Sunny and Seohyun. Somehow Stephanie’s tragedy made them closer, and for a short time Jessica had more friends than she could imagine her whole life.

The hazel eyed woman also received update from Alfred, concerning Richard and his henchmen. The ex-military man had used his connection to persuade the police to hand those kidnappers to him. And he made sure to use his all of his time, now that he’s unemployed, to do the worst to them. The middle aged man informed Jessica how he kept them alive in a basement somewhere, and he used them as some sort of guinea pigs to test human’s capability to endure pain. He said that they had proven to be useful. But Jessica didn’t even want to know. She despised them, of course, but she thought that torturing them or killing them won’t bring Stephanie back to her arms. Nothing would. And so she gave Alfred full authority to do whatever he wanted with them.

The only person she hadn’t kept in contact was Krystal, since she didn’t know what to say to her younger sister. Deep inside she was embarrassed by the way she had been treating the blonde blue eyed girl, when all Krystal had ever done to her was support and help her with the utmost sincerity. All Krystal wanted was for them to bond, like sisters would.

The blonde blue eyed woman helped her during her love scandal, she helped her during Stephanie’s kidnapping, she helped her nurse the broken journalist, she came with her to visit Stephanie in the mental hospital, and she even helped her talk to their parents when Jessica decided to give up her position in their father’s company to help Stephanie get better.

And when Stephanie passed away, when Jessica lost her only source of light, Krystal was the one who showed the deepest grief, who confronted their parents and had the courage to tell them what Jessica had been really feeling. Their parents were shocked at first, to see the ever calm and obedient Krystal went mad, blaming them for all the things that had happened to her dear older sister. And in the end, after witnessing Krystal’s anger and tears, their parents finally let Jessica go. Their father even showed a hint of remorse, like he was sorry for getting in the way of Jessica and Stephanie. But it was too late, like Jessica said that day, there was nothing their parents could do to make things better. And his father’s remorse was far too late, it didn’t even mean anything for the hazel eyed woman now.

But life had to go on, and Jessica soon completely lost contact with everyone in her past. She thought that her friends needed to live their own lives, and communicating with her would only open up old wounds. The hazel eyed woman still posted photos and videos from her travel, but every time her friends commented on her social media page, she never replied to them.

And after some time her friends gave up on trying to talk with the hazel eyed woman, and thought that perhaps Jessica needed time on her own, to figure out her own life. Seohyun was, as strange as it sounded, the only person who kept leaving like notes on Jessica’s pictures and videos. The youngest of them all was the only one who kept checking the hazel eyed woman’s social media page, and loyally waited for her updates. Just to press the like button and comment nice things to her.

Jessica couldn’t possibly know how Seohyun spent her days waiting for her to update her page. The hazel eyed woman couldn’t possibly know how Seohyun always gave the brightest smile and drop a tear whenever she posted an update. Like when she saw picture of Jessica dining at an open restaurant in Venice, with sunset as her background. Or when she saw Jessica posted a video of her walking the beach of San Paolo. Or when she saw Jessica posted a video of her tossing a coin into a wish fountain in Rome, and sightseeing in their Cathedrals.

Seohyun was probably the only one who knew the reason behind Jessica’s travels. She was probably the only one who noticed how Jessica always ordered two sets of menu in her pictures, how the hazel eyed woman always put a white rose on the table across from her, how she always carried that special white flower in all her videos. It was because Jessica was travelling with Stephanie. She had always been carrying the crescent eyed woman wherever she goes.

And that fact, caused Seohyun to cry tears of happiness, and sadness at the same time. She grew to respect Jessica’s devotion to Stephanie, and deep inside, she was always waiting for the hazel eyed woman to return to Korea, so she could share all her burden, all her sadness with her. But Seohyun’s wait was for no avail, as Jessica wouldn’t return to Korea. Not until she was an old woman in her late sixties, when her body had been weakened by disease. And Seohyun’s only regret was she had failed to welcome Jessica back, as she had already left this world, and join Stephanie in heaven; like most of her friends.

Jessica was lying in her death bed one summer afternoon, covered by a thick light blue blanket, staring at her younger sister, who was now an old woman too, preparing some meal for her. Her younger sister had been the one to nurse and care for her in her sick days, leaving her own family, children and grandchildren behind. She had heard that some of her long friends had already beaten her to meet with Stephanie, and a couple who were still alive were not in the condition to visit her regularly.

“Do you want some water?” Her younger sister said when she heard Jessica coughed.

“No, it’s okay…” The hazel eyed woman replied weakly as she wiped with a tissue.

“If you weren’t so stubborn you could’ve received a proper treatment in the hospital,” Her younger sister said when she saw blood on Jessica’s tissue.

“You know I hate hospitals,” Jessica leaned back on her bed while her younger sister walked slowly towards her and sat on a chair next to her bed. “And besides, this is my home and I don’t want to leave it…”

“I know…” Her younger sister let out a sigh and glanced around. They were now in Stephanie’s old apartment, which Jessica bought some years ago, but only stayed here after she returned from her travels.

“And I won’t find a nurse like you in the hospital.” Jessica wanted to lightened up the mood when she saw her younger sister’s sad look.

“An old nurse a size of an elephant is hard to find; yes,” Her younger sister laughed as she stared back at her sick older sister. “Sometimes I wonder if you’re doing this just so you can order me around…”

“I’m sorry…” The hazel eyed woman whispered.

“Don’t be,” Her younger sister smiled. “You know I won’t have it any other way…”

Jessica smiled when she heard that comment. She was so happy that at least her younger sister was still the same kind person she had left a long time ago. Even when the blonde haired woman first heard of her return, she went to the airport to welcome Jessica, and gave the warmest hug the hazel eyed woman had ever felt in a long time. There was no question asked, there was no hint of anger or disappointment in her eyes, there was just a warm welcoming hug.

“But I can nurse you better if you’re in a hospital…” Her younger sister persuaded again.

“We’ve had this discussion millions of times before, Soojung,” Jessica sighed. “And the answer is still no.”

“I know…” Her younger sister looked sad.

“Wait a minute, what did you call me?” Her eyes shone and her lips immediately formed the best smile.

“Soojung…” Jessica said lightly. “That is your name, correct?”

“Or has old age robbed you of your memory?”

“I know that,” Soojung laughed happily. “It’s’ just that it’s the first time you call me by that name…”

“You just usually call me hey, or you…” The blonde old woman continued.

“Well, it will be awkward for me to you by your English name,” Jessica smiled. “It doesn’t fit our age, does it?”

“Or do you prefer if I call you Krystal?”

“No, don’t,” Soojung laughed some more. “Call me Soojung again.”

“You’re acting like a small child,” Jessica looked annoyed, but she didn’t want to disappoint her precious little sister. “Soojung…”

And they both laughed for some time.

“Do you want your lunch now?” Soojung asked after their laughter subsided.

“No…” Jessica shook her head slowly. “Maybe later…”

“You need to drink your medicine…” The blonde old lady looked concerned.

“That’s okay…” Jessica smiled weakly and patted her younger sister’s hand.

“Okay…” Soojung understood and just nodded.

“You know, I’ve been wondering,” Jessica stared at the distance. “Why are you so kind to me?”

“After all I’ve done to you—“

“—Haven’t I told you already?” Soojung smiled. “Because we’re sisters…”

“But the way I treated you…” Jessica looked sad.

“It doesn’t matter now, does it?” Her younger sister let out a sigh.

“I never apologize to you…” The hazel eyed woman continued.

“And you’re already forgiven…” Soojung smiled and grabbed Jessica’s hands and raised them.

“Thank you…” Was the only words Jessica could say to her angelic younger sister.

Jessica’s eyes started to get sleepy, but she knew it wasn’t sleep her body needed right now. Somehow she knew it was her time, and she felt it was not soon enough. She turned to her side and saw her younger sister sitting there, humming to the sweetest lullaby she had ever heard. The sun breached through the window and made Soojung’s face glow like she was an angel. But then her face reminded her of Stephanie’s, and she smiled her widest.

“Tell me, Soojung,” She whispered as she struggled to keep her eyes open. “What is true love?”

“True love is when you love someone so much that all you wanted to do is to make them happy,” Her younger sister answered, almost immediately, like she had practiced those words thousands of times before.

“Is it not when you love someone so much that you’re willing to let them go?” Jessica asked again.

“If the person you love the most wanted to go, then they don’t truly love you.” Soojung answered again with confidence.

“What if you know that they would be happier without you?” The hazel eyed woman asked again. “Would you be willing to let them go?”

“If you truly love someone and they love you as much, there’s no place they can ever be happier if they’re not with you…” Soojung said with a sweet smile.

“Then what I had with Stephanie,” Her eyes were half open now. “Is it true love?”

“I don’t know, dear sister,” Somehow Soojung could feel that it was time to say her goodbyes, but she couldn’t bring herself to say those words. “You have to figure it out yourself…”

“Do you think I can still meet her?” Jessica’s eyes were now closed, and her voice was weak. “Do you think she’ll forgive me?”

“I’m sure,” Soojung dropped a tear. “If Stephanie was the person I thought she was; she’s already forgiven you a long time ago…”

“And if you can’t meet her, I know you will search for her, and I know you will find her…” She continued as she Jessica’s grey hair.

“You two belong together, sweet sister,” Her words trembled as she saw Jessica fully closed her eyes, and her lips wore her sweetest smile. “I know God will take you to her…”

“Goodbye, Sooyeon…” The words echoed in Jessica’s ears, as the dark engulfed her entire body.

“I love you…”

And with that, Jessica drew her final breath. She couldn’t see anything but pitch black, and she wondered why people used to say that they would see a light when they die. Everything was dark, but Jessica felt comfortable and safe. She felt relieved. She felt so light.

And then she could see huge lights turning on, and slowly she could see things clearly. She was standing inside a huge theater, with huge red curtains and carpets, and huge golden pillars. She looked around and found that the theater was empty, and she was the only person in the room. She held her chest and found that there was no pain, like her body was cured completely. She walked to the front and noticed that there was only one chair in that vast theater, the one placed in the middle of the room. She slowly walked to the red leather recliner seat and looked around once more to see if anyone was there.

And then she glanced to the front, to the large red curtain in front of her, and then back to the red seat next to her. Taking a deep breath, she decided to sit in that chair, and waited for something to happen.

And once she was comfortable in her seat, the large red curtain slowly open…