One More Time

Chapter 6

I stared at Jessica’s retreating figure, her last words to me clearly resounding in my head. She was an interesting character; seemingly cold and nonchalant on the outside but bearing a strong flame on the inside. Some sort of mysterious, inexplicable force drew me to her, I wanted to see her again soon.

At that moment, I heard Sunny’s voice calling out for me. Thank goodness, she’s alive!

“Tae Yeon! There you are! I was worried that someone accidentally pushed you off the bridge or something ‘cos they couldn’t see you.” Sunny said with a smirk on her face.

“Yah! Don’t criticise my height when you’re shorter than me!” I countered while jokingly raising my fists.

“Woah, don’t mess with the shorties. We pack a punch.”

We burst out into raucous laughter, my infamous ahjumma laughter made an appearance as well. That served to make Sunny laugh even harder as she clutched her stomach. People began giving us looks which effectively put a lid on the racket we were making. Soft giggles still managed to escape from our lips in our attempts to calm down. We decided to link arms with one another to make sure that we didn’t get separated this time as we explored the rest of the site. Once again, I was captivated by the stunning views that surrounded the bridge.

Sunny and I had spent a good couple of hours up on the bridge. It was then that a loud grumble from my stomach gave us a reminder that we had skipped out on breakfast. We were done seeing the sights and headed towards the city in search of a decent looking eatery. Note to self, remember to pack snacks next time.

Jessica POV

My encounter with Tae Yeon was… pleasant. It was nice meeting a fellow Korean in my hometown, it made me think of my life back in Seoul. Was it time to head back? I should probably speak to Soo Young about this. Which reminds me, I need to meet up with her soon. What time was is again?

“Sica, over here.” A voice called out as I felt an arm wrap around my shoulder. I tensed up at first but relaxed into her hold when I realised that it was Soo Young.

“Hey, I thought that I was supposed to meet you at that cafe near your place. What are you doing here?”

“I figured you would lose track of time up here so I came to get you instead.”

“Really, what time is it now?”

“A quarter past nine. We were supposed to meet at nine, remember?”

“Of course I do. Wow, I really lost track of time. Sorry about that Syoung.”

“It’s fine. Shall we get going? My stomach’s going to digest itself soon.”

“Stop exaggerating you glutton.”

“Yes Princess.” Soo Young said as she poked my cheek. I swatted her hand away and gave a slight huff of annoyance. Soo Young chuckled at my actions while she gently linked our arms together.

“Let’s go to that cafe you like so much. C’mon, my treat. It is my duty as your loyal caretaker to treat you like royalty at all times.” The tall beauty said, tongue in cheek, while dragging her unfortunate victim (me) along.

“Hmph, of course it is.” I replied with a smirk.

We made their way off the bridge and into the heart of the city. Soo Young occasionally describing some observations she had made of to me. Even though I couldn’t see what was around me, I have always enjoyed picturing my own fantastical scenery. I would take whatever Soo Young described and mix it in with sensations from my other senses to build my own world. That would probably be the reason I space out so much.

I guess I developed this coping mechanism to deal with my… disability.  I wasn’t born with it. The loss of my sight came to me as a pretty huge blow. Despite that, I somehow managed to get back on my feet with Soo Young’s help as my caretaker. I really don’t know what I would have done without her. Even though I required aid in a number of things, I did manage to hone my other senses since I didn’t want to allow myself to be totally reliant on Soo Young.

“Hey, we’re here. Do you want your usual?” Soo Young said as she led me to my seat.

“Yes please.”

“Ok then, one delicious breakfast platter for the princess coming right up!”

I shook my head at her bubbliness and decided to play the audiobook that I was in the midst of completing to pass the time. It was about to hit the of the story when I felt a light tap on my shoulder. I whipped my head around ready to deal with this interruption so that I could get back to my story when I heard a somewhat familiar voice call out to me.

“Hey, Jessica right? Looks like I kept up my end of the deal to call out to you if I saw you again.” Tae Yeon said with a childish grin on her face while carrying a tray of food in her hands.

“I said to call out to me but you tapped me on my shoulder instead, not counted.” I replied with an undertone of cheekiness.

“Details, details. Are you having brunch here too?”

“Yes, I am. Would you and your companion care to join me?”

“Oh you noticed Sunny?”

“Yes, her tapping away on her phone is really loud. Quite a heavy texter we have here. Anyways, please take a seat. My caretaker will be returning soon with my meal.”

“Thank you for your offer, we were afraid that we wouldn't be able to find a place in this crowded cafe. Give me a second I’ll introduce the both of you.”

Tae Yeon gestured for Sunny to take a seat next to Jessica while she made the introductions.

“Sunny, meet Jessica. An acquaintance I made when we were separated on the bridge. This is Sunny, my travel buddy.”

“It’s fine Tae Yeon, I can understand Korean perfectly well. It’s nice to meet you Sunny, is it alright for me to call you that? You may call me Jessica if you’d like, no need to be so formal since I’m guessing we’re all about the same age.”

“Likewise, you can call me whatever you’re comfortable with! It’s great meeting a fellow Korean in such foreign land. How long have you been here for?”

“Well, I was born and raised here but I’m actually here on vacation with-”

“Hey Princess, I’m back with your royal meal. The eggs-” Soo Young’s eyes widened when they landed on Sunny sitting next to Jessica. Her speech trailed off as her mind started to process the new additions at the table.

“Stop calling me that in public. Anyways, meet Sunny and Tae Yeon. They’re from Korea too. Do you know them Soo? Your breathing seems to be a little off.”

“Um yeah, Sunny and I are… colleagues. Didn’t expect to run into her here. Nice to meet you Tae Yeon-ssi, I’m Soo Young.”

“There’s no need for formalities Soo Young. It’s honestly such a coincidence that the both of you crossed paths while on vacation!”

“Haha yeah… it sure does.” Soo Young said as she cast a quick glance at Sunny that made her gaze with a look that said ‘we’ll talk later’.

“Since all the introductions are done, let’s dig in. I’m starving!” Sunny let out an exaggerated whine which caused much amusement to everyone at the table as they started eating. Despite some initial awkwardness, the four of them managed to overcome that barrier and enjoyed a rather delightful brunch.

In a secluded plane hangar…

A veiled figure stood in front of three men with their heads bowed. She was dressed in a skin-tight bodysuit with maroon stripes along the seams and a killer pair of wedged stilettos. The imposing enigma crossed her arms across her chest and began circling around them.

“For your first mission I want you to find and capture Kim Tae Yeon alive. Not a single hair on her head is to be harmed. All of the information that you need will be given to you on your flight. You have one week to complete this mission and you depart in one hour. Dismissed” She her heels and left with her entourage of personal bodyguards in a black limousine, leaving the Song Brothers behind.

“I reckon this Kim Tae Yeon has something really important. All of our assignments from her revolve around I Enterprises.” The oldest brother, Han Gil murmured.

“We’d better catch her quick then. I really don’t want to take on that security team she has.” The second brother, Han Sook added in.

“I have a feeling that this assignment is going to get troublesome, let’s get this over with.” The youngest brother, Han Woon grumbled as the three of them gathered their equipment from the room they were in. Danger was on its way.

AN: Hey guys! This isn’t a very content-heavy chapter. I wanted to focus more on the new interactions between the girls. Also, sorry for the long wait, I’ve been really busy with this temp job I got and didn’t have the time to write. I’m done with it now so I’m back! I’ll try my best to give you guys updates once a fortnight. 5 out of the 9 have been introduced and the rest are coming in soon. The plot thickens as the Song Bros are hot on Tae Yeon’s tail. At this juncture, the line between friend or foe has yet to be drawn. Everything will be revealed in time, till then, I hope you enjoy!

Till Next Time :)