Jessica woke up with a throbbing headache. Her eyes felt swollen and painful to open. She could feel the hot sunlight burning her cheeks. She was forced to wake up. Her eyes were fluttering before she opened them fully. She stared at the white ceiling; her mind immediately went back to that moment she had with Anna.

She was convinced that Anna was indeed Yoona. But Anna couldn’t seem to have any recollections of her however Anna was reluctant to let go of her when Jessica wanted to leave. The moment she let go of Anna’s hand, Jessica felt her heart breaking apart. Anna’s warmth was so familiar; so similar and it was easy to recognize that touch. Yoona used to touch Jessica in that manner – soft, gentle and almost persuasive. Anna did the same thing.

She covered her eyes with the back of hand; she was holding back her tears. Yoona was back as Anna and she couldn’t remember Jessica.

“Yoona, don’t do this to me. I still love you.”

-

Anna ignored Tobey. The whole morning, they were eating breakfast in silence and Anna was sitting on the sofa watching television while Tobey kept staring at her. It was a mistake to return to Korea. Tobey shouldn’t have agreed.

“Let’s go home.”

He suggested but Anna ignored him completely. 

“Anna, did you hear me?”

“You can go back if you want to. I can’t even look at you now.”

“There you go again. Why are we fighting over some strangers?”

“Strangers? Do you have any idea how rude you were last night?”

“They were asking too many personal questions.”

“And why are you so hung up on that? I don’t mind them asking, so why should you?”

“Because you’re my wife?”

Anna rolled her eyes. Since they got married, Anna felt uneasy. She felt uncomfortable and for some reason, Anna couldn’t convince herself that she loves Tobey. Maybe she did; but her heart was telling her otherwise.

For months, Anna tried to ignore that feeling but last night was the final push for Anna to finally realize that maybe she doesn’t love Tobey the way Tobey loves her.

“I don’t feel like talking to you now.”

Anna got up and went into the bedroom. She changed into some casual clothes before walking towards the door. Tobey ran towards the door to stop her from leaving. He was a little terrified when he realized Anna was not doing his bidding like she would always do.

“Are you mad at me?”

“What do you think?”

“Tell me what I should do. I’m sorry. I won’t do it again.”

“Let me go.”

“Anna, I’m really sorry. I was just scared. I’m scared of losing you.”

“Why? Why must you feel afraid? Why are you always afraid of losing me?”

“I don’t know. I just feel like if I let you go now; I might lose you forever. Ever since you came into my life, I’ve become confident of my own self. I can walk around with my head up high and I really love you so much. I can’t help it because you’re wonderful in many ways and guys often look at you and then at me. They must be wondering what I’m doing with you, but I don’t care. As long as I have you.”

Anna’s heart softened. She sighed before putting her arms around Tobey. She pulled him closer and then hugged him tightly.

“I’m sorry. I just feel that what you did last night was wrong. Moreover, they are ladies; you were not being a gentleman. That’s totally wrong and I want you to apologize to them.”

“Okay, I’ll do it. Just don’t leave me.”

Anna relented.

-

Taeyeon was making snacks when Jessica found her way there. She was wobbling; her head was spinning.  Soo Young managed to catch hold of her before she falls.

“Thanks, Professor.”

“I’m no longer a professor so call me Soo Young.”

“Thanks, Soo Young. And hello to you.”

“Yeah, hello to you too. Are you okay?”

“Too much alcohol can kill you. Mine is.”

“Sit. I’ll get you some hot tea.”

Soo Young settled Jessica down safely before pouring a cup of tea. Taeyeon was still making snacks and then placed one in front of Jessica.

“Eat.”

“I will throw up.”

“Do you prefer cereals?”

“Let me clear my headache first.”

“You need to eat something.”

“Fine, I’ll eat this.”

Jessica gave in quickly and Taeyeon smiled triumphantly. Just then, Tiffany and Yuri joined them at the table; both looked like dead fish.

“What the hell happened the two of you?”

Soo Young was the first to notice them.

“Tired like .”

“Too much ?”

“Too much thinking.”

Jessica was staring at them. She suddenly remembered Taeyeon’s words.

“Fany, did you happen to see a Yoona lookalike?”

Tiffany’s eyes grew larger. Yuri choked on her jeon.

“How did you find out?!”

“Taeyeon told me.”

“WHAT?!”

Yuri and Tiffany lowered their gaze at Taeyeon but the woman was undaunted.

“Jessica saw her too. It was not my fault.”

“WHAT?!”

The couple then turned to look at Jessica. She nodded.

“HOW?! WHEN?!”

“I saw her at the place where we used to hang out. But she couldn’t remember me.”

“Is her name Anna?!”

Jessica wasn’t surprised at all. She then smiled weakly.  Tiffany went up to her and hugged Jessica tightly.

“I talked to her. She approached me first. She said she saw the photo of us at the restaurant and she wanted to know why she was there and how did we know each other. But I couldn’t tell her. I don’t even know if she can still remember even after I told her.”

“Jessica, actually we felt that Yoona might be suffering from amnesia. And she couldn’t remember because the accident might block her memories out. She must have felt so much fear or overwhelming that she couldn’t remember anything about her past.”

Yuri offered to explain. This was the deduction she got with the girls earlier on.

“And she has a husband. His name is Tobey. That guy threw a glass of wine at my face because I was asking Yoona questions. He felt offended because I asked her personal questions.”

“So, what are you saying? He’s hiding things from Anna?”

Taeyeon was getting it. Soo Young was still watching them. And Jessica’s headache was not getting better.

“Yeah, I think that guy knows something but purposely withheld the truth from Yoona. She’s definitely Korean but she has no surname. She said her name is Anna. No surname. Just Anna. She took her husband’s surname after they got married. Don’t you find it weird?”

“But how did you derive to this?”

“Thanks to your daughter and her hyperactive girlfriend. They must have watched too many detective shows.”

“Irene knows too?!”

“Yeah, they were the first to find out. And look at this.”

Yuri took out a wedding photo of Tobey and Anna.

“Irene got her professor to help her to identify if this woman and Yoona are the same woman. She gave Yoona’s photo to the professor and guess what? It was almost 99.9% match. Anna is Yoona!”

Jessica took the photo from Yuri and ran her thumb over it. She was right. She was so right about Anna being Yoona.

“I know it’s her. When she held me yesterday, it was definitely her. I recognized her warmth. And when she was reluctant to let go, I saw that familiar gaze. My heart ached when I had to let her go. She’s married now.”

“Jessica, she doesn’t know who she is. She’s married but she’s not Anna. She’s Yoona. And for some reason, she was led to you once again. We have to get her back, Jessica.”

“But how? How are you going to do that?”

“I’m going to find Tobey.”

Yuri was determined to bring her cousin home.

-

Anna has decided to return earlier. Tobey was upset and she felt like it was her fault that her husband was unhappy for this trip. But she couldn’t shake off her uneasiness in her heart. She felt like she has something that she has not done yet. Something incomplete and it was weighing her down so much.

Tobey fell asleep after packing up their luggage. Anna was supposed to be sleeping too but she was so puzzled with her heart. What was it?

“What is it? What is it, huh? Why are you feeling so depressed? What do you need, my dear heart?”

She decided to head out again. She couldn’t shake this feeling off and it was getting annoying. She quietly left the hotel room and walked around the area once again. This time, she took her time to look around her; absorbing everything about her birth country and smiled as she felt her heart beating calmly.

She looked around when she was approached by a young lady. Anna was taken aback when she felt dejavu.

“Yes?”

“Can we have a talk?”

“Who are you?”

“I’ll explain to you if you give me a chance.”

“You know me, don’t you?”

“Please, let’s head somewhere quieter.”

“Sure.”

Anna followed the young lady and found herself at the nearby beach. The sky was beautiful that day and Anna was admiring its beauty. The young lady settled down at the nearby café and ordered coffee for the both.

She sat across the young lady with her legs crossed and the young lady was smiling widely. Anna smiled as well.

“Let me introduce myself. I’m Irene.”

“Hi Irene. I’m Anna.”

“Should I give you a background story or just go straight to the point?”

“Whatever is easier.”

“Yoona Omma.”

Anna was taken aback.  Yoona? Who’s Yoona?

“Yoona?”

“Yes, you’re Yoona. You’re my Mommy. Your name is Im Yoona. You work as a GM for a financial company and you got into a plane accident a year ago. We all thought you were dead because they couldn’t find your body. Everyone gave up hope but not me. I have always believed that my Yoona Omma is still alive somewhere.”

“You’re my daughter? Are you sure you’re my daughter?”

Irene took out a photo and placed it in front of Yoona. It’s a photo of everyone – Jessica, Taeyeon, Yuri, Tiffany, Wendy, Sunny and Hyoyeon including Irene. Everybody was in the photo. And Yoona was inside too; standing next to Jessica; hugging her tightly.

Anna picked up the photo and stared hard. She recognized few faces. She has seen them before and, Jessica. She was with Jessica briefly.

“This is a photo of our family, your family.  This lady here is your lover.”

Irene went on to explain the whole situation and Anna was slowly having headache. This was too complicated for her to understand.

“So, you’re saying that I belong to this family?”

“Yes, Yuri Umma is your cousin.”

“Yuri?”

Irene pointed to the photo again. Anna recognized her.

“She’s my cousin? We met so many times, why didn’t they tell me?”

“We weren’t too sure if it was you.”

“What makes you sure that I’m the one?”

“If you are willing to undergo DNA with Yuri unnie, then you will understand.”

Anna was hesitating but it was indeed her in that photo. She wondered why Tobey and his family didn’t tell her anything.

“I guess, Uncle Tobey and his family were not sure either but since they couldn’t assist you with anything, they just took you in and you somehow ended up as their family.”

“But I’m married, Irene. I’m married to Tobey. I can’t possibly leave him.”

“I’m not asking you to. But please, before you leave, can we just go for DNA test to see if you’re Yoona or not. If you’re not Yoona, then we will let you leave. I can’t possibly let you go because if you’re really Yoona, you belong to my mother too.”

Anna was perplexed.

-

Irene was certain Anna would go for the test. Although there was uncertainty in Anna’s eyes, but she knew Anna wanted to find out too. Anna asked for some time as she needed to think things through. Whatever was going on right now was clouding her mind. Irene gave her contact number to Anna. She promised to contact her soon.

Wendy was waiting for Irene on another table. She was in the same café, but she kept a distance. When the conversation was done, Irene joined her girlfriend again.

“How did it go?”

“She was hesitant, but she said she will think about it.”

“You think she will agree?”

“I’m not sure but I hope she will. I really hope she will.”

“Are you going to tell your Mommies about this?”

“I will. But not now.”

Irene took a sip of the coffee as her eyes were fixed at the door. Anna has just left minutes ago, and Irene was uncertain if the lady would agree. She didn’t want to hide anymore. The consequences could be bad, but Irene wanted to give it a chance.

If Anna was indeed Yoona, Irene wouldn’t want to let her slip away. She had enough of her loved ones leaving her or abandoning her. And Yoona was one of those women she loves so much.

“Jebal, Yoona Omma. Please, please don’t disappoint me.”

Irene prayed hard.

-

Jessica had to leave the house. She felt suffocated. Now she finally knew Anna was indeed Yoona. But she’s married to a man and had no recollection of Jessica whatsoever.

How was she going to win Yoona over?

“Jessica, do you need a breather?”

“Can I do that, Taeyeon?”

“Yes, you may. If you need to drink, text me. I’ll join you.”

“I think I need to walk around for a bit.”

“Sure, update me.”

Jessica knew Taeyeon was worried about her, but she was also careful not to stress Jessica further. She could have offered to come along but Taeyeon left her to be on her own.  She made her way to the beach; the beach she used to hang out with Yoona. That very first time they had their first kiss was at that beach. And Jessica regretted not giving her utmost attention to Yoona.

“It’s all my fault.”

She lamented. She should have been tactful; she should have been careful with her relationship with Yoona. After Yoona was missing, Jessica realized how much Yoona meant to her. She should have held on to Yoona; she should have refused to let Yoona leave; if she had done that, then she wouldn’t lose Yoona like this and to someone else.

While she was in her deep thoughts, someone else was also heading towards her direction. She spotted Jessica first and all those lingering thoughts she had earlier on came to her. And of course, her conversation with Irene. That came up as well.

She should turn around and move away from Jessica. She didn’t wish to complicate matters further especially when her mind was in huge mess. But she was compelled to come closer; to move closer and her heart was strong-headedly pushing Anna closer to Jessica.

“Go to her. Or you will lose her.”

Her heart kept reminding her like a broken record. Without realizing, her balls of feet moved her to where Jessica was. Jessica was surprised to see her again; but this time she didn’t hold back. Jessica ran to her and grabbed Anna before enveloping her arms around the taller woman.

“Yoona!”

Anna’s heart ached. Jessica’s voice was alluring yet painful. And Anna didn’t want to let go either. If Jessica was indeed her lover; then her heart must have been missing her so much. She embraced Jessica tightly.

“I’m sorry. I can’t remember you. I tried so hard, but I just couldn’t.”

Anna was apologetic but Jessica shook her head. She pulled away and then looked up; staring into Anna’s eyes. Gosh, her doe eyes were still as beautiful as they were. Yoona aged beautifully.

“I know you’re confused. And I know you’re probably in a huge mess right now. And I’m sorry, I couldn’t help you either.”

“You must have been hurting too. Your daughter met up with me earlier on and told me everything.”

“Irene?”

“Yes, she said that I’m your lover and you’ve been waiting for him to come home.”

“Don’t worry about that. I made you wait too. I have hurt you as well. So, it’s okay. Don’t feel so bad about it.”

Anna smiled before she cupped Jessica’s cheeks with her palms. She looked at Jessica carefully and then chuckled softly. If this woman was her lover, she must have been the luckiest woman on earth.

“You’re so beautiful. How lucky I was to have you as my lover.”

Jessica smiled and then shook her head.

“No, I’m the lucky one. You’re like a gift from God to me. 20 years I was dead inside, but you came, and I was alive. Yoona, I’ll wait for you. Even if you think that you cannot return to me because of your husband, then let me be your friend at least.”

Anna’s eyes were b with tears.

“I’ll remember you. I know I will. Give me some time.”

-

Tobey was pissed off when he woke up to find Anna missing. He was restless and he wasn’t thinking straight anymore. He had to drag Anna back to their hometown and never to come back here ever again. Anna’s his wife; she should listen to him. He reckoned.

He left the hotel and ran around in the streets. He hates this country. This country was just taking his love away from him. They shouldn’t have return. And Anna wouldn’t have met these people.

And he spotted Yuri in the crowd.  He knew she was here for Anna and he wouldn’t going to let this woman take his wife away. He followed Yuri from behind.

“You’re not going to take Anna away from me!”

He grabbed a nearby stick which he found near the rubbish bin. He quietly followed Yuri and when she was at the corner where there was no one; Tobey strike her from the back.

WHAM!

And Yuri fell to the floor; blood flowing rapidly from the back of her head. And Tobey stared blankly at her; suddenly he got his mind back. He threw the stick down and ran away.

He left poor Yuri bleeding to death on the floor; away from the crowd.

-

“Where is this Kwon Yuri?!”

Tiffany was waiting for her wife. Yuri was supposed to buy some fruits and they were about to head home. But it had been half an hour and Yuri were nowhere to be seen. Tiffany frowned when Yuri didn’t answer her calls either.

Suddenly a crowd came running out from nowhere; they were carrying someone in stretcher as they ran recklessly across the street.

“Make way! Someone’s injured!”

They were heading to where Tiffany stood, and the woman made way for the group of men. But then, the person on the stretcher caught her eye. Her eyes enlarged.

“YURI!”

Her heart was breaking apart when she saw Yuri’s bloodied shirt. It was soaked with blood and it was completely coated in red.

“What happened to her?!”

Tiffany ran after them and one of the guys spotted her.

“Are you related to her?”

“She’s my wife!”

“We spotted her on the floor with her head bleeding so much. She was in a pool of blood. There’s a bat nearby. We called the police and a friend of ours waiting for the doctor to come. But I think your wife cannot wait for the ambulance. She was practically bleeding to death.”

Tiffany felt like dying.

-