Chapter 05

 

Ever since Jasmine told her about the relationship she had with Yuri, Jessica began to trust her cousin more than before. Jasmine had shown Jessica numerous of pictures that they have taken together, and even her family confirmed the fact that the two were truly the closest of friends. She was convinced and would always look to the cousin for answers about her life that she was unsure of. Soon enough, Jasmine helped Jessica reacquaint with some of her other close friends through pictures.

 

That morning, Jessica’s other best friend was supposed to visit her at the hospital. However, for some unknown reason, the friend did not show up even after Jessica had waited the entire morning. While it might have been an unfortunate event for the injured girl, it was seen as an opportunity in the eyes of another.

 

“The weather is nice today, isn’t it?” The young man asked as he placed his patient’s information board inside the wood holder next to the door of the hospital room.

 

“I guess.” Jessica responded coldly. The place, the people, and the lack of memory still scared her, and she did not want to open up to anyone. She did, however, take a look outside through her room’s windows and mentally agreed with the observation her intern doctor made.

 

“Would you like to take a walk outside?”

 

Jessica raised a brow then stared down at her body before looking back at the intern. “How do you expect me to ‘walk’?”

 

The young man chuckled then slapped himself mentally. “I mean, I can push you outside in a wheelchair. Your health is fit enough to do that.” He said.

 

“No thanks.”

 

“Are you sure? You haven’t been outside for more than a month.”

 

The intern was right. She had been hospitalized for quite some time now. With her memory lost, it could really benefit her to be able to see the outside world for a change. But that wasn’t the reason. It was the intern that she wasn’t too sure about. Although they have known each other for about five days now, with him visiting her at least three times a day, she still felt something strange about him.

 

“It’s really okay.” She began to feel annoyed by his persistence.

 

Just when the intern was about to speak again to persuade Jessica, the door knob began to twist and the door started to open. The two people inside the room turned their heads to see who was about to enter. Once they could see a girl with long hair behind the opening door, both of them were confused, one slightly less than the other.

 

“Jessi!” screamed the girl that had just entered the room. Her voice was loud and crisp with a little huskiness to it. She quickly walked towards the bed.

 

“Tiffany…right?” Jessica asked, unsure if she had remembered the face of her friend correctly based on merely the pictures she was given by Jasmine. But the accurate pronunciation of her English name also gave it away, knowing that her friend was Korean American.

 

“Do you remember me?!” Shocked, the friend blurted out in English.

 

Jessica shook her head. “I just know your face from pictures and the fact that you were supposed to meet me today.” She answered back in English. “In the morning…”

 

“Still as impatient as before, aren’t we?” The girl made herself comfortable and sat in the cushioned chair beside the bed. “I would’ve come by earlier if it wasn’t because of that little midget.” Her face fumed lightly at the thought of the incident she had prior to arriving at the hospital.

 

“What happened?”

 

Unintentionally, she ignored her friend’s question as she took notice of the intern. “By the way who’s the handsome boy in your room?”

 

Jessica looked towards the intern and noticed that he was still there inside the room. She gave him a gesture that hinted her wish for him to leave then turned back to Tiffany. “He’s my doctor apparently. But he’s technically only an intern.”

 

Although he was completely confused by the conversation carried by the two friends in English, the intern recognized the look on Jessica’s face. He smiled nervously before he waved goodbye and left the room awkwardly.

 

“He’s cute. I think he likes you.”

 

“I’m sure he’s interested. Which is why it’s so awkward when there is just me and him.”

 

And that was when it hit her. Tiffany truly was a close friend of hers. Jessica realized how easy it was for the two to start talking when it was completely awkward with everyone else who tried to talk to her before. She found herself already liking this American girl. The conversation in English was also rather refreshing. She had never tried using English ever since she lost her memory.

 

“Isn’t it stuffy in here?” Tiffany asked and fanned herself using her right hand.

 

“Would you like to help me get into the wheelchair? I could really use a change of scenery.”

 

“Sure! Glad to.”

 

*****

 

While Jessica reacquainted with Tiffany, Yuri was back at her apartment making food for herself along with her little dongsaeng, Hara. She really wanted to see Jessica and had numerous times driven by the hospital. She had even stood outside of her room hours at a time. She was afraid that her appearance might startle Jessica, and all of the waiting she had been doing would go to waste. So in order to rid her constant strain of thoughts about her girlfriend, she allowed Hara and her other best friend to assist her. Spending time with them would help her temporarily forget about Jessica.

 

“Yuri unnie,” Hara called as she set up the dining table with three sets of plates and utensils. “Isn’t Taeyeon unnie supposed to be here like two hours ago?”

 

“Yes she was,” Yuri answered as she continued to attend the hot pan she was handling. She was making pancakes at the moment. The yellow, golden pancakes made her smile a bit. “But she just called and said that she ran into something and will be here a bit late.”

 

The three girls planned on having lunch together before they head out to catch a movie that day. Yuri volunteered to cook since she hadn’t cook for the group in a while due to her busy schedule with work and Jessica. The friends did not complain knowing how good Yuri’s cooking skills were.

 

Minutes after Yuri finished cooking and setting up the table with Hara, the door bell rang. Hara quickly ran to open the door while the older girl continued to set up the table. They figured it was probably only the missing member of their group.

 

“Taeyeon unnie!” Hara gleamed as she widened the door to allow a petite girl through. “We waited forever for you!”

 

“Sorry, sorry. I literally ran into something.” Taeyeon hung her coat on the hanger beside the door then walked towards the dining table to greet her other friend. “Hey buddy,” she paused and took a deep breath. “Smells delicious!”

 

“You came just in time for the food, huh? I see your plot now.” The tall girl joked and sat down at the table. The other two followed.

 

“It was that American girl’s fault!” Taeyeon angrily bit down on the metal chopsticks in her hand.

 

“You had some problems with a foreigner?”

 

“She’s Korean. A Korean American whose Korean is worst than a one-month-old baby.”

 

“Unnie, tell us.” Hara said then started chewing on her food as she prepared for story time.

 

****

 

It was earlier that day when the story began.

 

Taeyeon had just exited from her apartment to walk towards the elevator, excited to spend time with her friend and dongsaeng. However, immediately after she had turned at the corner of the hallway, she noticed a familiar figure walking her way. She knew who the girl was, and she did not wish to be caught by her.

 

“Oh no.”

 

Taeyeon quickly turned back to hide from the other girl before she could be seen. She saw the entrance to the stairway and took her chances with it. After walking five stories below her own apartment, she figured it would be safe for her to take the elevator to the ground floor. She did not want to walk 7 more levels down by the stairway.

 

When she got into the one of the two elevators of the building, she was relieved to find it empty. She breathed heavily from running down the steps as the elevator took her down to the garage level. When the elevator stopped at the level she wanted, she lifted her head up and walked out, feeling proud of her sneaky ways.

 

Unfortunately, the other girl was not as dumb as Taeyeon had predicted. When she reached her car, Taeyeon found the other girl standing next to her pretty black Audi.

 

“Oh...****.” Taeyeon let out as soon as their eyes met.

 

Once again she made a run for it, and the other girl quickly chased after. When Taeyeon saw her newly-moved-in neighbor in her car, she quickly allowed herself in her neighbor’s car without any permission then closed the door.

 

The neighbor who had just moved in only two days ago was unable to recognize Taeyeon. She stared blankly at the stranger who had just gotten into her car.

 

“What are you doing!” she screamed. “Get out of my car! Who are you! I’m going to call the police!”

 

However, Taeyeon stared at her clueless. She did not understand a single word coming out from her new neighbor’s mouth. Surely she had heard from her other neighbors that her new neighbor was Korean American, but she had no idea the girl did not speak Korean. Taeyeon shrugged then ignored it. She clasped her hand together and began to bow and beg.

 

“Puh ree jeee (Please) !” She pointed with her index finger out the window to the other girl who was looking for her.

 

The neighbor was patient enough to follow Taeyeon’s finger and looked outside of the car. She saw the girl searching desperately for someone.

 

“I don’t care. Get out!”

 

“Puhreejeee!”

 

In the midst of the argument inside the car, a few knocks was heard on the glass window from the passenger side. When Taeyeon and the neighbor turned their heads to see who was interrupting them, they found the other girl grinning at Taeyeon.

 

When the neighbor gave Taeyeon the eye to get out of the car, she had no choice. She then exited the car. But as soon as she was finally able to stand up straight after removing herself from the car, a cold breeze of wind and a burning sensation swept across her face.

 

“What the hell, Jiyeon!” screamed Taeyeon as she touched her red cheeks.

 

“How dare you cheat on me!” The girl fumed as her index finger pointed at the new neighbor inside the car.

 

“It’s not called cheating if we broke up already!”

 

“I never agreed to the break up. So yes, you are cheating.” Jiyeon reasoned and her eyes showed no room for argument. “Who is that girl? How long have you known her? Is she the reason why you want to break up with me?”

 

“Calm down, will you? She’s just my neighbor!”

 

“You think I’d believe that? Why would you be in your neighbor’s car? Huh?!” The angry ex-girlfriend quickly walked over to the driver side of the car. “Get your behind out here, you witch!” yelled Jiyeon. She wasn’t going to let this go.

 

When the neighbor refused to exit from her car, Jiyeon immediately resort to banging the glass window of the car. “GET OUT!”

 

Fearing the violent girl was going to damage her expensive Mercedez, the neighbor stepped out.

 

“What is your problem!” the American neighbor screamed back in English. She then turned around to check if there were any damages to her car.

 

“What is the meaning of this?” She scoffed as she stared at Taeyeon. “You want to break up with me over this American girl?” She glared at the neighbor.

 

Then within a blink of an eye, Jiyeon surprised both Taeyeon and the neighbor. Her hands were in the American girl’s hair, her purse was swinging against the American girl’s head. It was a hot mess.

 

“How dare you try to steal my girlfriend!” She continued to yell and pull the hair of the neighbor.

 

“Yah, stop!” Tayeon yelled and tried to get in between the two girls. Eventually she managed to push her ex away from the innocent neighbor.

 

“Now you’re protecting her against me?!”

 

“Enough!” Taeyeon finally couldn’t stand it any longer. “I have already told you. She is only my neighbor.  I was in her car to hide from you! You are always like this. Getting jealous over nothing. Please leave me alone.”

 

“Kim Taeyeon. You will regret breaking up with me.” Jiyeon backed her steps then walked off furiously, leaving Taeyeon with the neighbor by themselves.

 

When Taeyeon turned around to check on the neighbor, she found her to be in a big mess. Her hair was all over the place, her make up was smeared, her shirt was ripped in some places, and her face did not look entirely happy either. She swallowed as she approached the neighbor to apologize.

 

But before she could say anything, the neighbor had reached into her car and pulled out her coffee mug. She coolly took a quick sip then splashed the rest entirely on Taeyeon from head to toe.

 

“Yah!”

 

The neighbor said nothing. She grabbed her purse from inside the car then shoved Taeyeon to the side as she walked back towards the elevator of the building.

 

***

 

“So it was your fault, not your American neighbor’s.” Yuri began to pick up the finished dishes from the dining table.

 

“If she would’ve just let me stay in her car, Jiyeon would’ve never found me!” exclaimed Taeyeon, trying to defend herself.

 

“Unnie, even I wouldn’t let someone random into my car.” Hara spoke as she helped Yuri with the dishes.

 

“Well, she didn’t have to splash the coffee all over me!”

 

“You deserved it, kid Taeyeon.”

 

“I’ve already said not to call me ‘kid Taeyeon’ many times!”