The atmosphere of the court room felt depleted of oxygen as the judge entered, bringing along a pile of papers. No doubt it contained the information everyone present was dying to hear about - from defendants, to witnesses, to victims, to friends and family of either. 

The verdict of the case would be announced in a couple of moments. It would be the end of the excruciating several weeks of being in the same room as the man who'd destroyed her family and everything they'd built. All while he lied through his venomous snake teeth and still tried to blame Bona for everything. The end of having to fight, over and over again, the urge to give up her resolve of not succumbing to anger. Of making him pay the price with her own hands, right then and right there.  

Cheng Xiao took a glance at the two tables at the front of the room, each of them sitting two people who faced the judge.  

On one side, Kim and his lawyer exchanged smug looks among each other, looking unfazed and unconcerned.  

On the other side, was her best friend and her lawyer, Yoo Yeonjung, who held her hand and rubbed her shoulder. Cheng Xiao knew Bona well enough to understand how much effort it took to retain her pride and keep her head held high.  

She exchanged looks with Eunseo and Xuan Yi, who each stood to either of her sides, and held both their hands. Exy and Dayoung, who sat closer to the front, also turned their heads to her and showed her comforting nods. 

"I now declare open the final session of the trial concerning the case against Kim Shi Dae..." The judge started, then entered into the scripted monologue he had to profess. Cheng Xiao, much like everyone else, could only think of how painstakingly slow he spoke. How she couldn't just press the fast forward button to the end. If it was hard for her, it was unimaginable how hard it would be on Bona. And she couldn't be there, sitting next to her and telling her once more how everything would be okay. But Yeonjung had shown herself a great, sensible professional throughout the whole process. She could be trusted on that. 

"I will now proceed to announce the court's verdict on the mentioned accusations against Kim Shi Dae." 

Dozens of heads in the room raised at the judge's announcement. 

"As for the accusation of arson in the Cheng residential property, the court has ruled Kim Shi Dae... guilty." 

The first sighs of relief filled the room, as Kim's serial killer smile didn't budge one inch. 

"As for the premeditated murder of Mrs. And Mr. Cheng, the court has ruled Kim Shi Dae... guilty." 

Cheng Xiao's eyes shot to the sky instinctively, like their parents, wherever they were, would be listening. For sure, they would know justice had been served in their name. Xuan Yi and Eunseo squeezed her hands tighter and smiled at her compassionately. 

"As for arson in the headquarters of WuJu Systems network, the court has ruled Kim Shi Dae... gulity." 

"As for the two accusations of attempted murder of Cheng Xiao Xiao, the court has ruled Kim Shi Dae... guilty." 

And so it went on, the air lightening with each time the judge pronounced the word "guilty". Arson, attempted murder, premeditated murder, sabotage, invasion of property, blackmail, coercion, financial forgery, illegal possession of firearms, ual assault, resistance to authorities... The never-ending list of accusations each ended with that word. And finally... 

"Considering the cumulative penalty of each of the accusations Kim Shi Dae was found guilty of, the court sentences Kim Shi Dae... to life imprisonment, with no possibility for parole, effective immediately. He is also to provide monetary compensation for moral damage to the following individuals, in the respective amounts. Starting with: Kim Bona..." When the list was over, totaling to millions of Won, the hammer hit the table, as collective gasps and whispers formed within the audience.   

Right then, the appointed officers who stood to the side, by the walls, walked to Kim. They cuffed his hands behind his back and dragged him off his chair, without much resistance from him. 

As he stood, he turned his head around to make eye contact with Cheng Xiao, nodding at her with his infamously disturbing smile. Refusing to back down with the provocation, Cheng Xiao nodded back and waved him goodbye.  

He then turned to Bona, the cops now holding him right by the door. 

"You seem very confident, dear Bona. You still might end up joining me." 

Bona straightened herself, put on a smirk and fixed her fierce eyes on him. 

"I am confident. That you can't hurt anyone else anymore. Goodbye, Kim. I won't miss you." She responded, before the judge ordered silence. 

The audience watched in satisfaction, as Kim was dragged away from freedom forever. But the gleeful moment wouldn't last much longer. 

"We will now proceed with the verdict for the accusations against Kim Bona." 

Every single body in the room stiffened. 

"By taking into account the full panorama of circumstances surrounding the case, the court rules Kim Bona... cleared of all charges." 

Bona launched herself to Yeonjung in tears, while the three girls at the back had a group hug, showing their relief.  

Cheng Xiao wanted to run to join Yeonjung and hold Bona in her arms too, but it would still take a while until she could. Especially since there were a lot more people involved in the case, whose sentences they'd have to await - mostly his minions and accomplices.  

Mei Qi was cleared of all charges as well. Wonho got 2 years of house arrest, as he was guilty of negligence towards Cheng Xiao. She could have indeed died because he didn't call 119... if only Eunseo hadn't been there. 

As the remaining listened to their fate, some were as fortunate to be cleared of all charges. The rest of the sentences varied in severity, depending on the involvement with Kim's plans and the kind of threat under which they acted.  

When the judge declared the session over, it was but a second until Bona was wrapped in a hug with Cheng Xiao, Xuan Yi, and even Eunseo. They held the girl for a while, then made their way outside the building to get much-deserved fresh air. Exy, Dayoung, Mei Qi, Yeoreum, and Yeonjung, soon joined them outside to express their satisfaction on the outcome of the case. 

"Is this real? As in really over?" Bona had a mix of shock and relief printed on her face. "I feel like I have to actually get used to a normal life again." 

"Over and buried." Yeonjung said, patting her back. "You can now go back to the life you consider normal." 

"Gosh Yeonjung, I don't even know what to say. It's all thanks to you." She pondered and surveyed the faces around her. "Maybe not all of it, of course. If you hadn't believed in me, I wouldn't be standing here today." Bona stole a glance at Xuan Yi, but quickly snapped her head to Cheng Xiao. 

"All that you have to say now is... Let's Celebrate!" Xuan Yi said, abruptly laying her hands on Bona's shoulders and making her jump. "Come on, let's go out for dinner and drinks?!"  

"Are all of us invited or is this something more... private?" Cheng Xiao teased with a smirk, making Bona's face into a mess of red, swatting Xuan Yi's hands from her shoulders. 

"W-we can ALL celebrate whatever we want on Saturday. I-isn't that right, Xiao?!" She straightened her jacket and lifted her chin, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. 

"Of course! It's all set now. Let's just have our much-deserved rest for today, and then we'll party, right?"

The day of the big event was finally here. Cheng Xiao had meticulously prepared every single detail of it. But of course, not without the help of her trusted assistant, who was now back to make the job much easier.  

There would be a public press conference, followed by a dinner party for the company's employees and those they chose to invite. 

The point of it was to clean up the image of the company, as it had suffered a big deal. Starting with the fire that killed the CEO's parents and her resulting erratic behavior, then her memory loss, culminating in Kim betraying the company.  

Not that the dinner and party were that necessary to look good for the press, but everyone was in much need to celebrate and relax. Plus, it was a great opportunity to motivate employees and regain their trust.  

The vast hotel venue filled up little by little, as Cheng Xiao exhaustively received the guests and answered generic questions from the press. Of course some would take the chance to reach into her personal life and her relationship with Eunseo. Some journalists even reached out to Eunseo herself and used the opportunity to question her about her book release.  

So many people she loved had come to support her, so many potential partners and influencers that trusted the company even after everything that happened... But the overwhelming support didn't save her stomach from flipping over itself. 

"What's wrong with me?" Cheng Xiao asked Eunseo in a whisper, as the doors to the venue closed and she prepared to take a seat at the table. On a stage, with a microphone in front of her. "I'm not supposed to be afraid of giving speeches. Bona says I've always been a natural, but that seems to be a part of my memory I won't ever get back. I want to throw up." She covered and furrowed her eyebrows. 

"No, you don't. It's only natural you feel that way. This is probably the most important speech you've given in your life, it's okay to be nervous." Eunseo pecked her cheek. "I trust you to do great. Now go up there and get it started. The photographers seem a lot more interested in our little moment anyway, and that's not what we want."  

Cheng Xiao took a deep breath, nodded, and climbed the stage to sit at the center of the table, between Bona and Dasom, the Financial Director. She took in the sight of hundreds of people about to take their seats, the cameras pointed at her, then finally Eunseo raising two thumbs up from the front row. She made peace with it. She had prepared for this moment for over a month, after all.  

"If you've all taken your seats, I'd like to start this press conference. First of all, I would like to express my gratitude to every single one of you, who took the time to be here today. As you may know, my name is Cheng Xiao Xiao, CEO of WuJu Systems Network." She paused shortly, with the applause. "The matters we're about to discuss concern the future of WJSN as a rising company in technology and innovation. As you know, there have been some setbacks in our expansion plans. It's crucial to reframe our goals and beliefs in the best interest of the company. We can only look to the future if we learn with the challenges of the past. Having said this, I would also like to take a more personal approach to today's event."  

She scanned the confused faces of the audience, then proceeded. 

"WJSN was raised from the ground by my parents, who drove it to success with their focus, hard work, and determination. I remember them not only as great parents, but as great leaders, as I'm sure you all do. I have always strived and expected to become half the leader and businesswoman they were. In the most unfortunate circumstances, I assumed their role while I was still immature, inexperienced, and hurt by their loss. I had nothing in mind but honoring their legacy, what they had built and expected me to follow up on. That was one of the several mistakes I humbly admit to making. By focusing only on the business, I disregarded the most essential quality of my parents, what truly made this company into what it is today – humanity. I treated many of you with much less respect than you're worthy of. For that, even though I have no excuse, I would like to offer you my most sincere apologies."  

Cheng Xiao stood from her seat and bowed 90 degrees to the people in front of her. Dead silence took over the venue, along with many dropped chins and exchanged glances. That sort of reaction was only natural – she wasn't exactly popular with her employees as of late. Few of them would have even expected her to take such a vulnerable stance and apologize. She'd feared it, but expected it.  

Though, after a few seconds, the applause started small, then growing into a roar. Cheng Xiao was infused with confidence and gratitude, seeing her apology seemed to have been accepted. Now that she'd tackled the most sensitive issue, it was time to move on. 

"I only did what I thought a great leader was supposed to do to move the company forward. I thought taking care of as many things as I could by myself made me a better CEO. But it only took a toll on my health, and made me terrible at leading and taking part of the team. Adding to that, I was involved in a life-threatening incident that lead me to lose a great deal of my memories. I was absent from the company for a long time, as no matter how hard I tried, my ability to lead it was even worse than before. I had lost essential knowledge I had to spend extra time regaining, effectively slowing down my colleagues and the whole company."  

"The incident took me on a journey to re-discover and rebuild who I am, so I like to think I matured a lot. Spending that much time away from direct management, I realized my parents had already put in place a functional, structured organization. One that worked without all the strict leadership and distrust I thought necessary. Now I understand. Being a great leader is about recognizing people's strengths and shortcomings, creating a team that works in symbiosis."  

"That means I've also reflected on my own strengths and weaknesses, and the path that I must follow to truly honor my parents and WJSN. I will become a human who trusts and is worthy of trust, who is humble in making the decisions that best fit the company's interest, and not my own ego. For that reason, after much internal discussion... I have decided to renounce the position of CEO of WuJu Systems Network, assuming now the part of Chief Operations Officer."  

Her last words barely reached the back of the room, drowned out by the chatter and the journalists shouting questions with no sort of order.  

Bona cleared close to her microphone. "If you would please be so kind to leave all questions to the end of the conference." Then she nodded to Cheng Xiao, who loosened up. The noise subsided at last, allowing her to continue.  

"With this decision, I renounce to some decision power, while still being a core part of management. I will be able to focus on recovering my health and building my skills, learning from a much more skilled CEO – a natural choice, in fact. A choice my parents would undoubtedly support, as this is a person they've always trusted and held dear. Whose skills have been astonishingly underutilized. One capable of much better decisions for the company than I ever could. Everyone, I would like you all to welcome the new CEO of WuJu Systems Network, Kim Bona."  

Bona stood and bowed to the audience, as Cheng Xiao stood with her and hugged her tightly. For a while, it was pointless to stop the noise of the clicking cameras, the journalists, the applause. Bona's popularity was outstanding, so the positive reaction was only to be expected. 

Feeling Bona tremble against her body, Cheng Xiao looked her straight in the eyes. No words were needed to tell her how proud she was of her, how much she trusted her to lead WJSN by her side. They would build a better future together, as a team. 

Other announcements followed, such as the redistribution of Kim's stock among partners and other employees, and changes in staffing. After that, it was a long run of questions about the shocking CEO change, which Bona and Cheng Xiao dutifully answered.   

With the conference put aside, it was finally time change into evening wear. Time to head to the dinner, to enjoy some good food and chatter.  

The hall could accommodate hundreds of people. Its vastness was emphasized by the high ceiling, from which bright crystal chandeliers hung. The tables and chairs were decorated in velvety dark blue and peach, the company colors. At the front, there was a DJ table and a dancing floor. The gourmet catering also seemed to be cooked in the very heavens. 

Unfortunately, there wasn't much time for relaxing and enjoying dinner, as it turned out to be a follow-up of discussions about the conference. Cheng Xiao was as polite as can be, showing her best efforts to regain people's trust, but she was growing more exhausted of discussing work by the minute. 

But finally, it was time for the open bar and for the music to blast on the speakers – that could only mean party. Hopefully, everyone would at last drink their problems away and enjoy themselves. 

"May I offer you a drink?" Eunseo grinned as she approached Cheng Xiao with two cocktails in hand, extending one to her. 

Cheng Xiao took her drink, ignoring Yeoreum's gagging noises. The host, who was about to make a toast, was the only one still without a glass among the group. 

Everyone she'd come across along her journey was there to celebrate with her. Aside from her beloved partner Eunseo and her best friend Bona, there was Xuan Yi, Yeoreum, and Mei Qi. Then the crazy police officers Exy and Dayoung, Yeonjung, and even SeolA and Soobin. To their surprise, Luda and Doctor Nam had taken the day off to attend the party, too. 

"I would like to share this toast with all of you who crossed paths with me after I thought I'd hit rock bottom. If I was able to go through everything until today, it was because each of you took part in it. I don't have the right words to thank you." Cheng Xiao's eyes surveyed the circle, who eyed her eagerly and cheered when she was done.  

"But wait! Let's also toast to the new CEO!" Xuan Yi interrupted, making Bona hide her face. 

"And winning the case!" Yeonjung winked. 

"And the new Head of Innovation Technology and Security, Mei Qi!" Bona added. 

"Too bad, she would have made a great asset in the police." Exy shrugged. 

"I think I've had enough adrenaline lately, Detective, but you know how much I appreciate your offer." Mei Qi rubbed her shoulder with a sarcastic smile. "Maybe some other time." 

"Oh, and to me and Xuan Yi permanently relocating to the Korean Headquarters!" Yeoreum added. 

"And also to Cheng Xiao and Eunseo's speedy recovery, of course!" Luda smiled. 

"Oh, and Son Eunseo's new book release! Maybe I'll finally get my signed copy!" Dayoung jumped in her place. 

"YES!" SeolA agreed too enthusiastically, raising her glass to the sky. 

"To... hopefully not having to worry about people passing me by and attacking residents anymore?" Soobin joked, making everyone chuckle. 

"For heaven's sake, will we drink already?" Dawon rolled her eyes, then shouted. "TO ALL THIS INCREDIBLY LAME, WHOLESOME CRAP! MAY WE ALL BE ANNOYINGLY HAPPY FOR THE REST OF OUR LIVES!" 

All the girls cheered and clinked their glasses together, chugging down their drinks. 

"Hey minion, are you even old enough to drink?" Exy elbowed Dayoung. "I could arrest you right here." 

"Well, shouldn't you be watching your liver at such an old age?" Dayoung stuck her tongue out. 

"Want to try me?"  

"Game on, grandma!" 

With that, the policewomen disappeared to the bar to have a drinking competition, which Yeoreum, SeolA, Yeonjung, Mei Qi and Soobin somehow ended up joining. The group ended up spreading, taking the chance to have some fun, dance, and chat around. Needless to say the drinking competition was a train wreck. It had now turned into the most embarrassing dance battle in history, happening in the middle of the dance floor. Even some employees had joined them already.  

"How do I let that person edit my writing and sell my books?" Eunseo pointed to SeolA, who was doing the sprinkler dance. Cheng Xiao giggled along with her. "Who do you think's going to win?" 

"Well, it's pretty close, but I'd say the clear winner is Mei Qi. She's actually pretty good, even with alcohol on her. What do you think? Would you like to go join and show them some moves?"  

"I think we need to take some sort of action to stop them from embarrassing themselves even further." 

Cheng Xiao nodded and Eunseo went to the DJ, talking in his ear. He changed the music to a slow tempo song, perfect for couple dancing. The author turned around and walked towards her girlfriend with a confident smile, a hand extended. Cheng Xiao's lips formed a shy smile, as she placed her hand on top of hers and the other on her shoulder. She let Eunseo rest hers on her waist, as their eyes met and their bodies synchronized.  

The dance battle group looked slightly disappointed with the sudden change of mood, but it didn't take them long to readjust. Dayoung, Yeoreum and Yeonjung were dancing all three in a circle, holding hands and doing silly moves with no relation to the music whatsoever. Mei Qi and Soobin soon joined them, and SeolA actually ended up paired with Exy.  

As for Luda and Dawon, it had been a while since they'd disappeared to a corner of the room, sitting together in their own world. Now, they danced with each other, an oddly close atmosphere and too much eye contact going on between them. Cheng Xiao had never noticed the subtleties in the hospital, but now, she couldn't help but smile at the thought that they did make a cute pair.  

She also noticed Bona sitting by herself in a corner, drink in hand. But when she was about to go to her, she saw Xuan Yi excusing herself from the group of people she was talking to, headed in the blonde's direction. That was her cue to let things unfold and return her full attention to Eunseo.

"With how much you've been drinking, you would have won the competition dead on." Xuan Yi sat beside Bona, wrapping her arm around her neck. "If only you'd joined them, instead of sitting in the corner by yourself the whole party, like a high school emo kid." 

"How do you know how much I've been drinking? How do you know I've been here the whole time?" Bona's words dragged, the muscles of moving slowly and messily, denouncing her intoxication. "You my mother or something?" 

"I've been watching you, obviously." Xuan Yi winked. "Just wanted to give you some space before I arrived and became the solution to all the problems you're drinking away." 

"I don't have any problems aside from your annoyance, Wu Xuan Yi. I am doing a-ma-zing." Bona laughed manically, poking Xuan Yi at the rhythm of her syllables, and she wouldn't stop. At a point, Xuan Yi could no longer tell whether she was still laughing or actually crying.  

"Kim Bona, we're going to get some fresh air." Xuan Yi lifted her up and dragged her to the balcony, worry in her eyes. 

As soon as they felt the warm breeze of the late summer night, beneath the dark city sky with few stars, Xuan Yi pinned Bona to the wall right next to the entrance. 

"What do you really think you're doing?" 

"Have you seen them dancing?" Bona hiccupped. 

"Do you mean Xiao Xiao and her plus one, by any chance?" Xuan Yi asked, a serious look she rarely wore on her face. 

"Yes. Don't they look sooooooo cute and peaceful?" She tickled Xuan Yi's nose and laughed to herself. 

"So this is about you still not being over Xiao?" 

"Nooooooooo! Nope, nope, nope. I'm way over that. I'm a new person. Who do you take me for, Wu Xuan Yi?" She hit her arm with the playful violence of a drunken person. 

"What then?" Xuan Yi furrowed her brows at her. 

"Well because she's dancing, and she's drinking, and she's having fun, and she's so carefree, and she's celebrating the fact that she's finally getting the life that she wants, and I'm supposed to be celebrating the fact that I am taking her place. And I am about to walk into my doom because I am a complete fraud and incapable of taking that responsibility, and I'm 100% going to disappoint my best friend and everything her family has ever worked for, and I'm about to ruin e-ve-ry-thing. But oh, I'm supposed to be ce-le-bra-ting. When I'm actually a phony, and don't forget, a criminal and a backstabber. Isn't that hi-la-rious?!"  

Xuan Yi listened for the long time it took Bona to finish, when she was having such a hard time articulating any sort of speech. Bona once again broke out into her laughter-crying hybrid, leaving Wu Xuan Yi, of all people, with no clue what to do.  

"Bona, Xiao is smart and insightful and she, out of everyone in the world, is the person who knows best for her company. She made this decision because she trusts you can do the job. Why would she appoint you if she still thought you were a fraud and a criminal?" 

"Because I am so good at fooling people?! First, I fooled everyone for the longest time and nobody suspected anything. Then I fooled everyone that I was a crime genius. So now I'm fooling everyone that I'm capable of this! Who in their sane mind would appoint me as CEO, right?!"  

"I would." Xuan Yi asserted, looking into Bona's droopy eyes. "And you never fooled me, so..." 

Bona squinted at her and poked Xuan Yi's forehead, like she'd come to the ultimate realization. 

"That's right! That's riiiiiiiiight. This is all your fault, Wu Xuan Yi. If only you hadn't been such a smartass and annoyed me in jail every day until you got me out of there, I wouldn't be in the middle of this! This is all-your-fault! I should have just stayed in jail. Uhum." Bona nodded slowly, pursing her lips. 

Xuan Yi took her palm to her forehead and dragged it across her face, sighing in desperation. A few seconds passed of Bona's strange cackles until Xuan Yi made eye contact with her again. 

"You could have said no." Xuan Yi smirked. 

"To being CEO? No way, isn't this is everything I ever wanted, to make my mom proud and---" 

"To my visits. You know you can reject visits in jail, but you never rejected any of mine. Doesn't that mean you wanted me to be there?"  

Bona's gaze wandered everywhere, as she was caught off guard. Looking to be in deep thought, she opened to speak a couple times, but always ended up shutting it and returning to her pondering mode.  

Xuan Yi grinned in satisfaction with her victory, as her face unhurriedly leaned in, closer to Bona's. The latter stood motionless, making an effort to focus on Xuan Yi's approaching face despite her blurry vision. Xuan Yi's lips stopped a mere inch away from Bona's.  

"You could always say no." Xuan Yi's whisper grazed her lips. 

"I could, couldn't I?"  

Bona smirked back, then with both of her hands pulled Xuan Yi's lips to hers, wrapping her in a warm, messy kiss. As much alcohol as she had consumed, the taste of her lips felt more inebriating than anything else she'd had. It happened that night, after all the effort to deny and push back the many times she'd secretly enjoyed the fantasy of that moment in her head. She let herself go, embracing that her love had crept away from Cheng Xiao. Now, her thoughts were of someone whom she wouldn't mind bickering and angrily making out with all day long.  

It felt nothing short of perfect, until two just-as-intoxicated figures barged into the balcony, absorbed in a just-as-steamy make out session. Bona and Xuan Yi were startled, their bodies freezing in that awkward entangled position. Except for their heads, which turned to the source of the sound.  

"So...jung?" Bona mouthed in shock, trying to blink away the imaginary clouds in front of her eyes. 

Exy froze, her hands still on the other figure's waist. She turned her head ever-so-slightly, just enough to look through the corner of her eye and see Bona's face, making sure not to make eye contact. 

"And... SeolA?!" Xuan Yi's jaw dropped, while SeolA peeked over Exy's shoulder, her head hanging so low her bangs hid half her face. 

"No way..." Sounded another voice, coming from the entrance, calling everyone's attetion. – Cheng Xiao, who had stepped into the scene, Eunseo by her hand. 

Everyone shared appalled looks among each other. Few seconds later, the girls untangled from their respective partners. They straightened their hairs and clothes as much as they could without tripping over their drunken selves. Not a soul dared to look up. Cheng Xiao and Eunseo, though, broke into a full out belly laughter right in their faces, to worsen their embarrassment.  

"A cop, unnie. A cop!" Eunseo pointed at SeolA, wiping tears from her eyes. "Who could have told you had a kink for handcuffs after all?" 

"Son Eunseo, I can and I will make sure you don't sell a single more book in your life." SeolA uttered under her teeth, her bangs hiding her downward facing eyes. 

"I see you've worked out your differences, you two." Cheng Xiao faced Xuan Yi and Bona. "What a great way to start as CEO. Good to see you..." She made a dramatic pause and elbowed Eunseo. "Kiss and make up."  

"More like... make out." Eunseo answered, before the two bended over once more, cackling. Judging by their enthusiasm, they'd probably had one or two more drinks than usual. 

"Nobody says a word about this. I will get you arrested." Exy said, darting out of the balcony with her eyes on the ground. The three other girls followed suit one after another, each going in scattered directions.  

"Guess our idea wasn't that original." Eunseo said, wiping the rest of the tears from Cheng Xiao's eyes. 

"Right. Let's just go home, and you know... be alone. Actually alone." She chuckled, taking Eunseo's hand. 

"I am drained. I have no idea how I survived today." Cheng Xiao threw herself face-down to the couch, finally at home. With the effects of alcohol wearing off, both girls began to feel the drowsy. The exhaustion of the day had caught up to them. 

"Don't say that! It was a day to celebrate after all. We can finally be safe together, and now that your life is going to be a little bit less chaotic, you can spend more time with me. Plus with the both of you in charge, the company is in as good hands as it could." Eunseo sat on the arm of the couch and patted her head. "Come on, sit up or you're going to fall asleep right on the couch in a sparkly and expensive evening gown. Not an optimal sleeping condition. Don't forget about everything we need to pack tomorrow, we need to have some good rest." 

"What?" Had she forgotten something? 

"The construction work to join our apartments starts in two days. You know, big house? We need to pack our bags to go stay at the hotel, remember?" She teased. "Unless you'd rather have zero privacy and a population of soot in your lungs." 

Cheng Xiao grunted and rubbed her eyes before complying to her request. When she sat up, she noticed her girlfriend looking out the window, a dazed look in her eyes. She stood with her knees on the couch and hugged her from behind, following her gaze. 

Right in front of their window, in plain sight, stood a magnanimous billboard. Its warm tones, in red and orange, looked all the more enticing with the artificial lights illuminating it beneath the dark of the night. On it, was the photo of a book cover, with a fiery design, matching the intense coloring of the ad. On the cover, it read "Through Fire and Flames", and right below it "Son Eunseo". Beside the book cover, in big, bold letters, "Available this Fall."  

"It looks awesome." Cheng Xiao hugged her tighter. "I am so proud of you. I tell you that all the time, I know, but I want to make sure you don't forget it." 

"I wouldn't have made it without you. I didn't think I'd get past that pit until you came along." 

"No, the merit is all yours. I only gave you a little push because I knew you could do it. You've always had it in you. You're talented and you believe your own work. That was only a minor setback, and I'm sure therapy helped a lot more than I did. I'm glad you listened to me and went."  

"So am I." Eunseo held Xiao's hands on her chest. "But I don't know... releasing a book always wrecks my nerves. I keep thinking... What if people don't like it and they find out I'm a fraud and my success was out of sheer luck so far? What if people have just been fooled and I'll never write anything meaningful in my life? What if I don't really make a difference in the endless sea of people in this world?" 

"Everyone's going to love it, because it's Son Eunseo who wrote it, and you don't disappoint." Cheng Xiao pecked her cheek. "Besides, no matter what happens or what other people think, you've already written something meaningful. And you have and always will make a difference."  

"What do you mean?" Eunseo raised an eyebrow. 

"You've rewritten my life." Cheng Xiao climbed further over Eunseo's shoulder, in a way her lips could meet hers. "And also your own, with me. Our story." 

---

A/N: Am I really marking this story as "Completed"? It feels unreal to me. I sure do hope you liked the ending! I noticed it's been roughly one year since I started publishing this story, and although it took longer than I originally planned, I am so grateful for this journey, because it's my first completed story, which I worked so, so hard on. I finished my first baby. Wow. Reading my first chapters now, I see so many things I would have done differently, but nonetheless I'm proud of the whole process, because I like to think I evolved and grew as I wrote this.

And to think so many of you guys have followed this from the very beginning... a year! I can't begin to thank every single one of you who commented, voted, read, and overall supported me in one way or another. It means the world to me. If I know that reading my stories makes even if one person's day better, I am happy. I write because I want my stories to reach people and their emotions, to take them on a journey with me, to make a difference (did I just self-insert my imposter syndrome in Eunseo's last paragraph? Yes, I totally did.)

I know I haven't been answering your comments, for the sole bad excuse that I am shy and I never know what to say. But now, if you have any comments, questions, feedback, thoughts, on the story, I will be more than happy to chat with you either through here or my twitter @SS_Sundae. Please do talk to me, because I love you all.

If by any chance you're wondering about future stories, please go to my profile and follow my stories, and also follow my twitter, once again @SS_Sundae, as I'll be updating about my future works there. I have some ideas in mind, and I do intend to keep writing frequently and very soon, but right now I am a bit lost on what exactly I want to do next. If there's anything you'd like to read about, themes, ships, groups, any sort of requests or suggestions, I'd also love it if you shared them with me!

Obviously, I want to give special thanks to LeonaMarli, who some of you may know as a Twice-writing person, and also my girlfriend, who constantly bounces ideas with me and helps me edit my chapters. (pretty much a glorified cheerleader) She's out of this world really. If she ever tells you she's human, she's lying.

Once again, thank you, thank you, thank you for all the love and support you've given Rewritten. I hope you continue to love the story and hopefully what I do in the future.

Universes of love,

Seong-So