Chapter 24
My Personal Ahjumma
“Running away won’t solve anything.”
Tiffany stood leaning against the doorframe with her arms crossed. She watched her cousin who is currently busy pacing the bedroom back and forth. Jessica ignores her remark and zips the suitcase close.
Four days ago, Jessica went home looking like a lifeless soul with Jaejoong. He told them what happened and how all of a sudden decided with Jessica to leave the country.
“Jess,” Tiffany enters the room and pulls Jessica to sit down with her on the bed, halting the latter. “Are you okay?”
Jessica shrugs, avoiding Tiffany’s gaze. “I’m fine.”
She looks around her room and lingers her eyes to the luggage on the bed. Feeling a faint knot in her stomach, she automatically presses her hands against it.
Sensing the slight hesitation in her voice, Tiffany holds and squeezes Jessica’s hands together. “You’re obviously not yet fine.”
“I will be once I get away from here,” Jessica musters a thin smile. “I’m just nervous that’s all.”
“Don’t make impulsive decisions. You just came out of the hospital. What about your condition?” Tiffany sternly tells her. “Aren’t you gonna tell Yu-”
“Tiff, please! I don’t want to talk about it any longer. I can make my own decisions.” Jessica withdraws from her cousin’s hold. She frustratedly runs her fingers through her hair and squeezes her eyes shut before looking at Tiffany. “It’s just... I really need space. I hope you understand.”
Jessica stands up grabbing her purse and luggage, heading out the room. Tiffany shakes her head, and follows downstairs.
She and Krystal tried to persuade her not to leave but it was no use. Her cousin is hardheaded. Since the incident, Jessica also became more short-tempered and agitated. They want to help her, but Jessica is pushing them away. Reaching the living room, she finds the Jung sisters talking to each other.
Krystal held her sister’s hand tightly, not wanting to let go. “Unnie, you can still stay.” Jessica looks at her sister and felt bad all of a sudden. “Unnie, please…”
“Krys…” The older Jung touched her sister’s long black hair and caressed her head in a gentle manner. “Please don’t make it harder for me. Okay?”
“Jess! Are you ready? The flight is--” Jaejoong suddenly appears. Krystal looks at the man giving off a glare for interrupting them. She did not like how he seemed to be in a hurry to take her sister away. Tiffany an eyebrow upward at the man.
Jaejoong suddenly feels the tension. Scratching the back of his head, he clears his throat. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay, oppa. We’re just saying goodbyes.” Jessica turns to look at the man, “I’ll be out in a minute. Can you leave us for a while?”
The fair man nods and goes back to his car bringing Jessica’s luggage with him.
Hearing her sister’s words, Krystal hugs Jessica and cries even further like a baby. She has always been beside her sister. Never did she imagine them being separated from each other. “Unnie…”
Tiffany tried to restrain her sobs and approaches the two. “At least let us come with you to the airport,” she mutters.
“No need,” the brunette shakes her head. “I might change my mind if you’re there.”
Her younger sister looks at her with trembling lips, “Then don’t go.”
Wiping the tears trickling off Krystal’s cheek, she shakes her head apologetically with a sad smile. Then Jessica reaches out to pull her cousin as well for a group hug.
“I’m going to miss you both.”
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The ride to the airport was silent. Jaejoong tried to make small talk and Jessica could only nod, answer with either a ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ and then it would be quiet again. She held her mobile phone and absentmindedly browsed through its gallery, suddenly finding an album named Seobang along with a monkey emoji.
The first photo was the one she secretly took of him while he slept. His face looked peaceful and gorgeously handsome. She remembered how she blackmailed the tanned man for it and kept on teasing how his cute little tongue was poking out.
She lets her finger slide on the surface of her phone and finds a lot more. In one photo, Yuri had his arms wrapped around hers while they smiled brightly for the camera, cheek to cheek.
From wacky faces, twofies and stolen shots, her phone had a whole album of memories taken with him.
Tears starts to well up her eyes as she flips to the final photo.
It was them kissing with smiles evident on their faces with the beautiful Eiffel Tower as the background. She recalls how Yuri insisted to have a physical copy developed, giving it
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