Author’s POV:

 

 

Jessica’s scream surprised Jessicat who had been sleeping near to her. It’s been two months her owner become like this. None of the day she will not get surprised because of her owner's sharp and painful scream. Her owner pants heavily near to her after her short cry. The light in the room is so bright. She could see her owner’s sweaty body clearly. Her owner looks very pale and exhausted. Just like the other and the other night. Her owner always had the same look like this. Because they have been sleeping together in a bright room every night to make her aware about it.

 

One thing that she noticed, her owner will always wake her up with a painful scream before dawn. And it’s her duty to make sure her owner was doing alright. Her owner didn’t understand when she tried to say meow and meow to her though. She can’t communicate with her owner like the other human who released her from the pet shop before. Her owner will pat her head and hug her closer before releasing her to sleep on the spacious bed again. Normally, she will not just go to rest again. She will go near to her owner to rub her head against her owner’s face or body with the hope they can talk more about her owner’s fear. Her owner will pat her head more and begins to talk with her. But her owner always chose to ask about her instead of to talk about herself like why she was having a nightmare almost every night.

 

Sometimes, she would love to have the other human in their house who can understand her. She saw the other human in their house about two months ago. That was the last that she had seen the other human with her owner. The other human didn’t notice her at that time though. During the other human's visit, she had been sleeping on the lower ground in the house which was very near to the kitchen where she could find her food and water easily. She fell asleep because she ate a lot just shortly before she saw the other human. It makes her lazy to do anything and just want to continue her sleep. She regrets her action very badly. When she got into her consciousness again, her owner and the other human whom become the reason why she was free and had been taking care gracefully in the big house were already gone.

 

A week later, her owner starts to bring her to sleep in the same room with her every night. From time to time, she will witness her owner crying before she went to sleep. She will guard and watch her owner every time when her owner awakes from her nightmare. She senses her owner has a fear of something. Could it be the darkness? The room was always bright. The light has always been in every place of the house when it comes to night. And visiting the rooftop with her owner is only can happen before sunset. What really happen to her owner? She just can’t figure out her misery other than the darkness.

 

 

*******

 

 

Sunny takes a sip of the hot glass freshly brewed cappuccino slowly. Jessica was in front of her. She was sitting on the sofa in the living room of the big penthouse. The woman that she met a few times was no longer a blonde now. She had dark hair. Straight and a little wavy at the bottom. Today, she visited Jessica at her condo to talk more about how she knew Jessica's Korean name. The thing that she never revealed to Taengoo yet. However, seeing Jessica's unhealthy figure make her hesitate to talk or to touch on that topic.

 

Did Jessica happen to find out the real thing from TY? Or did Taengoo become the reason why Jessica looks unhealthy like that? She thought Jessica is getting skinnier than the last that she had seen her at the beach. It's only about two months over. Jessica's cheek bone and jaw line was so sharp and visible right now. Seeing Jessica, make her worries. She felt like she wanted to examine her or just give her an IV drip to let her have the nutrition that her body lost.

 

"You look sick." Sunny straightforwardly announced after placing down the hot drink above the coffee table.

 

Jessica obviously doesn't look alright in her eyes. She can’t hide her concern about the woman that have been kept in the same place as Taeyeon, Yoona, and Sooyoung when they got kidnapped. Yoona already confirmed her the story about the third kid. It only happens because Yuri was a big help to make Yoona reveals the thing that they really wanted to know. In order for them to help Taeyeon, they need to know about what really happen to them in the past. Basically, Jessica is the other kid that the media and the public never knew her identity. Only Taeyeon, Yoona, and Sooyoung knew about her. She is Sooyeon. Jessica Jung Sooyeon. The third kid. Or the person who has a lot of nicknames just like Taeyeon's alter.

 

She knew the 10th years anniversary news has truly brought back the tragic story about the six kids who have been abducted in the past come to a light again. When she was seventeen, she remembered to read the article about three kids have been saved, two of them were found dead, and one is still missing. According to Yoona, Jessica or more familiar with the name Sooyeon is the missing kid that no one really knows about. She was the kid who ate fresh flesh voluntarily after seeing Taeyeon was struggling to have it alone and she was the kid who had been tortured mentally while trying to save the others. Yoona told them, Sooyeon had been shot with a handgun by Sooyoung, but Sooyeon had jumped to the cliff to avoid the bullet. Taeyeon whom happened to already develop her alternate personality had jumped together to follow Sooyeon. That night, Taeyeon or her ghost personality have brought Sooyeon's dead body back to the place where they have been stored by the kidnappers. When the other personality regained consciousness, the personality was so angry with them. Because Sooyeon that they thought already dead never try to wake up.

 

When she visited them at the place to save them, she recalled to touch all the four kids. But she only managed to bring Yoona and Sooyoung with her. While Taeyeon and the unknown kid, she had dropped them in the forest. All this while she felt guilty to remember back the past. She thought the missing kid was already dead because of her. But now, she was so happy to know the real story from Yoona. To know Jessica was alive is really meant so much to her.

 

"I'm okay." Jessica gave a safe answer. Observing the doctor who hasn't given her the reason for her sudden visit to her parents' house. She wonders if Taeyeon was doing alright or not right now. But she was afraid to ask the doctor. Maybe she should just wait till the doctor talks to her again to reveal about her visit to her place.

 

"You lose some weight. I could tell the difference."

 

"I'm alright, doctor." Jessica affirmably announced. It seems like she needs to ask the doctor now before the doctor inquires more about herself that doesn't look healthy again. Not that she doesn't aware about it. Instead, she had taken multivitamins to fight with her disorder these days. "May I know why you give me a visit today?"

 

"Please just call me Sunny. I prefer you to say my name than my profession. To tell you the truth, I don’t know if I should ask you anymore after seeing you like this."

 

Jessica gave the doctor a little space for awhile to check on her again before giving a reply. "You have been studying well to earn the honorary title. It's only right for me to address you properly. Anyway, if you are comfortable with me to call you with just your name, then I'll do that. I think you concern yourself about me too much, Sunny. To be honest with you, I’m not okay. But I’m doing better. Now, please tell me the reason why you stop by to my house. Is Taengoo doing alright?"

 

"Yes, she's doing okay. I came to ask you about something. But I’m also afraid if it’s not the right time for me to ask you anymore." Sunny tried to disclose about her arrival to the place very carefully.

 

Jessica exhaled lightly, feeling relief to hear the doctor’s confirmation about Taengoo. Somehow, it annoys her when the doctor still wants to play push and pull with her. She tried to stay calm, inhaling and exhaling progressively. It’s not good to be upset so quickly and scare the doctor, she thought.

 

"Since you already come here, why don’t you just tell me? I want to hear it also. Why you give me a visit today?"

 

Sunny can’t delay what she wanted to say again when Jessica becomes eager to know about her visit. She hopes Jessica can forgive her for touching about the topic that maybe Jessica doesn’t want to talk about. Maybe she should start by asking about TY if she can’t tell everything that she already knows.

 

"Can you please share with me what TY had told you when we were at the beach? Perhaps, has he threatened you with something, or anything?"

 

She already heard from Yoona and Sooyoung about the personality that asked them to find the third kid in the past that the two of them thought were already dead. Sunny believed the personality might be either Byuntae or TY. So, she tried to check with Jessica right now if her guessing was truly right. She believed, TY must have said something to make Jessica decided not to see Taengoo anymore. She was confused if TY had threatened Jessica because what is her motive to do that when she was or maybe the personality who asked a favour from Yoona and Sooyoung to find Jessica?

 

 

 

What TY sees in the house is not giving him an ease. He wondered how could that possibly happened? He found the kid. Taengoo’s kid. Unexpectedly. First from the family picture in the house before he met her in real life in the kids’ playroom. Taengoo’s kid has the face that almost similar to Sooyeon when she was younger. How the hell that could happen? Taengoo has been taking care Sooyeon’s kid? Or is just a coincident that Taengoo happens to find a kid that look a lot like Sooyeon. Is the kid from Tiffany’s womb? Because he was certain that none of the other personality ever got pregnant. But why the kid has Sooyeon’s face if the kid is from Tiffany? The item that he tried to search in Taengoo’s room brought him into something else. The child agreement. He saw Sooyeon’s English name ‘Jessica Jung’ on the paper. The child is Sooyeon’s? How can Taengoo adopt the child when he heard from Sooyeon, she met Taengoo for the first time only after she signed up herself from the counselling website? Did Taengoo know Sooyeon earlier than that? But if Taengoo already knew about Sooyeon it will definitely trigger them together.

 

"I need to ask you about something." TY announced seriously after taking Sooyeon really far from the doctor who happened to be there watching them. He moved a little backward when Sooyeon moved a step ahead to close their distance. Making sure they have a good gap and he was far from Sooyeon's reach. "Don’t go near me. I don’t want you to hear what’s on my mind anymore. I will let Taengoo appears back if you can answer a few of my questions. This is my promise to you." His jaw flex after his statements.

 

"What is it?" Jessica doesn't feel right with the question that she's about to receive. TY's voice was stern with his eyes that glaring sharply at her when she happens to look at him for a few good seconds. Something is telling her, it doesn't seem right with TY's cold behaviour. Indeed, he always had this serious look on him for the past hours they have spent together, but this time is more than usual. She could feel it in her heart. "What do you want to know?"

 

"Where have you been or what have you been doing when you were seven years old?"

 

Jessica furrowed her brows. What makes TY interested to know about where she was or what she had been doing when she was seven, she argued mentally. "I was in Japan. My father had a business in there. Me and my family moved there together for almost a year."

 

"Japan?" TY thought that was pretty fast to move Sooyeon to Japan after what happen to them.

 

Their injury is not considered normal. Sooyeon's body was almost like a skeleton and needs time to recover. At least a month or two. There was no record of a kid like her physical has been transferred with private jet or commercial airline during that year when he tried to find her record by using Taengoo's famous identity as the first youngest female captain in the world when they reached adulthood. Not even in any hospital he could find her record. The TV never broadcast about the third kid. Like Sooyeon was never existed. Or like a ghost. She had completely been forgotten. Only the story of the three kids that he could find on the internet. That’s not included Sooyeon. Only them. The 10th years anniversary news happened because Victoria found him. Victoria was interested to cover the story for him by sharing the story to her parents' news agency.

 

He knew Victoria was Jiwoong's friend. So, he didn’t share with Victoria the whole truth though. He did what’s enough to make Yoona and Sooyoung scared with him by reminding them there is another kid with them in the past that everyone trying to forget. With his limited time to appear, he had no choice than to ask a favour from Yoona and Sooyoung to help him to find Sooyeon. However, they were convinced Sooyeon was already dead after she got shot by Sooyoung and fell from the cliff. Their feedback and less effort in trying to help him left him no choice than to threaten them – about the two of them that almost kills Sooyeon by listening to the inhumane kidnappers' order that he will reveal in the second decade anniversary.

 

He felt remorseful to remember when Sooyeon had been tortured mentally almost the same amount like what he received. He was abused physically more than any one of them, and Sooyeon always tried to help him whenever that happened till she became the target of the lunatic kidnappers. The reason why he has a faith that Sooyeon is still alive because he was the reason for it. Sooyeon is alive. He believes his guts. Sooyeon has awake when Sunny dropped them in the forest.

 

Sooyeon is too precious to him. She is not like Yoona and Sooyoung who just witness the cruelty that he had to deal. And Victoria was really a big help to him when he was just seventeen. Regretfully, the story can’t help him much. The story died again with the interference from Tiffany’s grandpa who doesn't want the media to find their new name or identity as Song Taengoo. Yoona and Sooyoung never gave a cooperation to him since then, even if after he threatened them for the second time.

 

"Have you ever been to Korea when you were at that age?" He threw another question.

 

"I was in Japan the whole year." She answered confidently, still remember her mid-thirty Japanese teacher who always came to visit their place to teach her almost everything that a kid in her age should know. Mostly, in Japanese. Beside Korean, Chinese, and English, she is very fluent in Japanese language till these days. Her teacher had taught her a lot. Because they talked a lot. But she can’t remember the details about what they have talked about other than studying Katakana and Hiragana. "Why you ask?"

 

"So you have been enrolled to a Japanese school?" He ignored Sooyeon's question to investigate more.

 

Did Sooyeon really not remember about him? Is that why she doesn't know about the kid that he mentioned always ? The kid that he tried to find at the beach? And is that why she doesn't like the earthworm anymore? The fairytale books that he read in the library not even caught Sooyeon's interest. Like she doesn't remember about the books that she always shared with him when they have been kept in the same place together.

 

"I have never been to any Japanese school. I studied from home when I was in Japan."

 

The environment doesn't give him any muse even more. He can't hear the sound of waves hitting the shore anymore. Did Sooyeon's parents lie to her by saying she was in Japan when she was not?

 

"Have you travelled anywhere in Japan with your parents?"

 

Jessica tried to recall, but can’t get the image of them travelling anywhere to explore Japan. All that she knows thunder and lightning was making her scared to even leave from the third-storey house that her parents rented. She always stayed indoors. Never even dare to step her feet out of their house. Her place has always been in the center of the house. She has never been any nearer to any window because of her astraphobia. The thing that she knows, she was already in San Francisco hospital after her last passed out because of the loud thunder that gave her an electric shock feel. That’s how she sees the world again. Her parents convinced her that she can’t get electric shock at that time because the weather at there is fairly consistent throughout the year. Her parents have been right. The weather in San Francisco never scared her compare to when she was in Japan. Not until when they were caught in tornado and thunderstorms weather that pushed her family to leave to another city for a short break.

 

"Not that I remember."

 

"I want to ask you one more question." He changed to the other question when he finally got the answer. He was certain that Sooyeon never knew about what happen to them in the past. It broke his heart for knowing they should not get any nearer to her. Being with them will eventually make Sooyeon recalls to the painful memory that maybe she had already forgotten. It might invite unwanted trauma if Sooyeon ever remember them. He thought really sadly about that. "My next question might be sensitive to ask… but I want you to be honest with me despite of maybe you can't tell me the whole story. When you were engaged with your fiancé, have you, maybe expected a child together with him?"

 

Jessica’s face changed. Taken aback or bewildered to receive that kind of question. How did TY know? She hesitates. She was afraid to tell the whole story to Taengoo's alternate personality. About what Donghae did to her till she has the babies. Perhaps, she should not share more in details if she ever wants to share it. Obviously, she doesn’t want to share her dark secret so openly.

 

"Why do you want to know?" Jessica returned a question back, trying to stay calm for this kind of topic.

 

"You know that Taengoo has a child. So, I want to know about you. Please be honest with me. It meant really a lot if you can answer me the truth."

 

Jessica nodded her head very lightly, giving a confirmation about she has a kid. "I have twin daughters. Unfortunately, both of them died an hour after I gave birth to them."

 

He got shocked again. Sooyeon's confirmation makes him eager to know more. If the kid that he met in the house was really Sooyeon's kid, he might need to make Sooyeon stay away from them even more. He just doesn't know how to fix it anymore. Sooyeon thought her twin babies were already dead when he saw the document with her signature and the kid almost has a look like her when she was a kid? Mean she didn't aware that she had surrendered the kid? How about her other twin kid? Is her other kid really dead or had been given to other people also? But before jumping into his own conclusion, he might need to ask more to get the certain answer that he hopes to get it now.

 

"May I know where you delivered the babies?"

 

"Okay, you really need to tell me why you were asking me all these kinds of question?"

 

"I will tell you why if you answer me the truth."

 

She remembers when she was in her six months pregnancy, she had moved to work in Jeju where her other spa branch was located. But she stayed mostly in the house to sign the paperwork that Wendy sent every two weeks. Not until when she needs to go to the labour room. There she found Donghae’s mom unexpectedly. Well, it was so unexpected she thought because Donghae’s mother show up at the place at the right time when she got the contraction. Her ex-future mother-in-law told her that she already knew about their story from Donghae. Donghae was the person who sent his mother to accompany her for the delivery. That’s how everything happened.

 

"In Jeju."

 

"Are you sure your babies are dead?"

 

"Do you want me to bring you to the charnel house in Jeju so you will believe in what I’ve said? Or maybe to the hospital to meet the doctor who announced their death time?" Jessica’s mood dropped drastically when she had been doubted by TY.

 

"Did you mourn during their funeral?"

 

"What do you want to hear? I just gave birth to them and then shortly I found they were already dead from my ex-future mother-in-law who happened to look after me. You have no idea how it drove me like nuts for the first a few months after losing them. Whenever I saw my ex, it reminde