Chapter 2

It feels good.

It always feels so good when her mother sways her from side to side like this. Gently, lovingly, like she's her mother most precious belonging.

She waits, closing her eyes, for the best part that yet to come. A Lullaby. A song for her to sleep. Her mother always sings her a lullaby before bedtime.

But the lullaby doesn't come. Not even after she closes her eyes for so long. She hears rolling thunders instead. And waves, crashing waves, loud and annoying. The rocking feels unsteady too.

She forces her eyes open, eager to protest her mom for the discomfort.

It's not her mom. The face Jessica sees upon waking up doesn't belong to her mother at all. And she's not in her bedroom full of toys just like she's not a little kid anymore.

Where is she right now?

She blinks to see better. She knows that face. That hesitant smile. That messy short stubble. Those gorgeous eyes. Who is he? Who is the man hovers over her?

Her head hurts. Something is pulsating in there somewhere and it's painful. Jessica tries to rub the top of her head but a hand stops her hand. His hand.

“Don't touch your wound.”

Wound? She's wounded? Jessica tries to stand up but the man sits behind her pulls her shoulders gently to keep her leaning on his chest. It feels good, leaning on him like this. But who is he?

“Stay still, otherwise we might tip over.”

“Tip over?” Jessica turns her face slowly to see better only to gasp in shock. “What the hell? Where are we?”

Blue. Blue ocean water all around. Dark clouds cast shadows but it's definitely seawater that's rippling underneath the bright yellow life raft.

Raft! She is on a raft. Jessica is on an emergency raft floating on a sea. She is in the middle of a freaking sea.

“Ouch” She sits up straight, too abruptly it hurts her head.

“I told you to stay still.” He gently pulls her back to his chest. “It's okay. Everything will be alright.”

Jessica blinks again, realizing that there are other people in the raft. People she doesn't know. Just like her, they are all wearing life vests. Two of them are laying down; a man with bright purple hair who mumbles words as he covers his eyes with both hands and an elderly woman whose face is as white as a sheet of paper.

A younger woman; thin, long limbs, long hair, is kneeling near the old woman. Her hands moving fast on the woman's head.

Jessica gasps when she realizes what the younger woman is doing. She's wrapping a bandage around the old woman's head.

“What... what's happened?” It feels like someone has hammered the top of her head. It hurts so much.

“You don't remember?” The man she leans on to sounds so worried right now.

“What's happened? Who are you?” Tilting her head back, Jessica sees those eyes again. She knows those eyes. She knows him. But how? When? Where?

“Short-term memory loss.” The thin woman sighs as she finishes bandaging the old woman's head. “Or so I hope. Your girlfriend's contusion seems pretty bad.”

“Girlfriend?” Jessica looks up at the man again. The unruly beard can't hide that good look but she can't remember having a boyfriend that looks like him.

“It's sinking. Oh God, have mercy!” Another woman; dark skin, dark curly hair, shouted as she curls in the other corner of the raft. The man who sits beside her wrap both hands around the lady's pregnant belly, pulling her into an embrace.

Jessica follows the woman's pointed finger with her eyes. She gasps again. There, in the vast of the sea, half of a plane is sinking into the water. One fragmented wing disappears into the sea first before the others follow. Then the tail part of the plane goes down slowly, inch by inch as if begging to be saved.

The pregnant woman cries. The purple-haired man mumbles even louder; praying, cursing, Jessica can't tell. The thin woman makes a cross over her heart as she holds the old's woman head. Jessica can feel the man behind her sighing as he holds her even tighter.

Then, the plane is completely gone. Not even bubbles of water indicating its presence. Something in Jessica's heart breaks. She can't explain. As if something yanks at her heartstrings and leave an unbearable sense of loss. Tears falling from her eyes. Her frown turns into sob.

Helpless. Scared. Jessica turns in the man's arm, crying against his chest.

“It will be okay.” He whispers to her. A hand caresses her hair. “It will be okay.”

How can it be okay? She is in the middle of the sea. In a raft. With strangers and a boyfriend that she can't even remember.

The sky rumbles. Dark clouds gather above the ocean as Jessica slowly overcomes the sudden breakdown. After crying, her head feels a little lighter so she decides to give sitting another try.

“Are you sure you can sit?”

Jessica nods. It feels strange to rest in the arms of someone she doesn't really know.

“You don't remember me, do you?”

Jessica turns her head. Her eyes clash with those dark brown orbs. She looks down, afraid of disappointing the man who looks at her like she's a fragile doll ready to break any second. How could she not remember her boyfriend at all?

“Not even my name?”

She shakes her head.

“It's okay.” He tilts her chin up, forcing her to look at him as his lips form a wan smile. “For you to not even remember my name only shows how lousy I'm as a lover.”

“I'm sorry.”

“I'm Kwon Yuri.” Her eyes dart around the other occupants of the raft. “Your one and only Yuri. Our ride home just crashed into the sea but we and few other people survive.”

Jessica wipes the remnant of tears from her cheeks, gazing at the point where she just saw the plane. The fact that there were people sinking with that plane hurts her heart. She suddenly thinks about her family. Her mother comes to her mind. He father and her sister too. The thought of not being able to see them again nearly crashes her into another sob.

“Sssh don't cry. You've cried enough already.” He touches her cheek, making Jessica wonders if his touch is always this gentle, this soft. “Don't worry. Help is coming, you just need to stay close to me, okay?”

His smile. What is it with that smile? How come someone looks so scruffy but smiles so comforting?

“It's not like she has any other option at the moment.” The man who sits near the pregnant woman also smiles a little. “We're trapped here until help comes. If.” He pauses. “They come.”

“They will come.” The pregnant woman rubs her belly. “They have to come, Luke. We have to survive.”

“We'll survive, Tina. I believe search and rescue team is on the move at the moment.” The thin woman reaches a hand out to pat the protruding belly. “How are you feeling? Is your stomach hurt?”

Tina, the pregnant woman shakes her head before resting it on Luke's shoulder.

“Good. How about you?” Tilting her head toward Jessica, the thin woman smiles a little. “From the scale of one to ten how hurt is your head? Do you remember your name?”

“Seven.” Jessica feels her head gently. “I'm Jessica. Jessica Jung. I think I remember every other thing but the flight we just took.”

“And your boyfriend.” Luke laughs a little. “You forget your boyfriend. If he's indeed a lousy man, this is your chance to ditch him for good, Jessica Jung.”

“Don't ditch me right here right now, babe. I'm not that good at swimming.” Yuri grimaces at Luke's tease. Resting his hand on Jessica's thigh, he averts his eyes to