Hey guys, sorry it has taken so long for an update and I know that there have been like a couple weeks between updates so your patience is much appreciated. Just want to thank you all for sticking with this story and I do hope you'll enjoy this very long update. As always, comments would be greatly appreciated. 

"Ella!"

Chaeyoung cheered, crouching down to embrace the small girl in a hug. "I missed you too baby. I heard you had a fun week with Aunt Alice,"

Chaeyoung scooped the little one up and carried her into their apartment; Alice following behind them with Ella's bag and an oversized stuffed bear.

"We did, we painted pictures and watched movies and Auntie Ally even showed me how to skate on ice. It's really hard, I fell on my ," the young girl said laughing.

"Wow, that does sound like fun."

"How was your week?" Alice asked after Ella had filled her mother in on their activities.

"It was fine," Chaeyoung offered, but her sister could tell there was more she wasn't saying.

"Ella, why don't you go down to your room and unpack," Alice suggested and in a flash the little girl was running down the hallway with her bag and teddy bear.

"So, how was it really?" she started again, intent on getting Chaeyoung to spill the beans.

"Like I said, it was fine. Jisoo and I had a nice time. It was relaxing."

"and?" Alice said, still not satisfied with the information. "Chae, I spent every waking hour with you for the first fifteen years of our lives, I know when you're lying."

"I'm not lying," Chaeyoung defended.

"Okay fine, you're withholding information. Same difference."

"We just met some nice people is all," Chaeyoung hoped giving her something would stop her sister's prodding.

"Please," Alice scoffed, "did any of these nice people happen to have a nice rack?"

"Hey," Chaeyoung said with mock offence. "I did not go on the cruise to scope out women with nice racks."

"But you obviously met one, I can tell. Your downfall Chaeyoung is that you're exactly like me and I know me, which means I know you. So, what's her name?"

"Lisa," Chaeyoung's resolve cracked, "but it doesn't mean anything, I'm not seeing her again."

"Lisa, sounds hot. Why is it you're not seeing her again?"

"She's loaded, she owns her own business with her partner. She mentioned that she lives in Gangnam, as in the Gangnam District known as South Korea's Beverly Hills. She drives a Mercedes Benz and probably owns more than one car."

"I'm not hearing a problem," Alice quipped.

"Well, I am the exact opposite of loaded. I work the night shift at Kyochon's and I drive a car that isn't even a distant cousin of a Mercedes. I eat at McDonald's, she's the kind of person who owns ten McDonald's. She wouldn't be interested in me if she knew the truth which is exactly why I didn't tell her."

"So you spent the whole week with her and then blew her off?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I did."

"Well, she's probably not interested in jerks anyway so you probably did save her the trouble."

"I know I'm a jerk, but what was I supposed to do. Give her my number and be like yeah you can totally come pick me up at my apartment for our date, it's the one next to the ten other run down apartment buildings in the part of town you avoid at all costs. I just told her I'm not interested in a relationship, which I'm not."

"Which you are, you're just too afraid to give anyone a chance. God forbid anyone gets close to you Chae."

Chaeyoung was about to say something else in her defense when Ella came running back down the hall. She lifted her arms in the air and smiled up at Chaeyoung waiting to be picked up.

"Hey baby, how would you feel about having pizza for dinner with me and Aunt Alice?"

"With pepperoni and cheese?" the little girl beamed.

"Of course, your favourite."

"I'll order Chae, you and Ella just go and pick a movie. Although I'm fairly certain I can guess which one she'll pick,"

Chaeyoung laughed, she and Alice had both seen Frozen approximately one hundred and one times combined, it was after all Ella's favourite movie.

As Chaeyoung settled in on the couch and her tiny television she smiled as Ella snuggled into her. She did have a fun week but she had certainly missed this.

"Hey Ella, I don't think I'll go away again for another long while. What do you think?"

"I think that's a good idea," the little girl said, her smile wide and her bright brown eyes beaming up at her mother.

Chaeyoung brushed the chocolate locks out of her daughter's eyes and wore a smile that matched hers.

"I love you Ella."

"I love you too mommy."

"And I love you both and the pizza will be here in forty five minutes or it's free," Alice chimed in. "Now, allow me to put on the Frozen movie for your viewing pleasure."

Ella just cheered, still beaming and Chaeyoung couldn't help but match her daughter's enthusiasm, even if she had seen this movie already a hundred and one times.

≈≈≈

The blonde watched as rain beat down fiercely on the windows of her penthouse. It was the type of rain that made it impossible to see anything beyond the glass. It had been raining for days but it felt somewhat appropriate as the weather reflected Lisa's mood. She sat and stared for a little while longer as there was nowhere to go. It was Saturday so it wasn't like she had to be at work. Besides, Lisa is her own boss and she can do what she wants as long as everything runs smoothly. The sound of rain has always comforted her and right now she needs nothing more than that. Her calm is broken abruptly by the sound of footsteps and the voices that precedes their arrival at her seat.

"Are you still moping around Lis?" Bambam's words are harsh but his tone is caring, like Lisa has always known him to be.

"It's raining, I'm just enjoying the weather," she quips, never one to let on more than she wants anyone to know.

"So the answer is yes then?"

"I guess."

"I thought you were planning on finding her. All you've done since we got back is sit around this penthouse and mope."

"You were right, all I have is two first names and a very broad general area. I'll never find her."

"I wasn't right. It's 2019 Lisa anyone can be found."

"Not if they don't want to be," Lisa sighed, thinking back to the afternoon the cruise ended and Chaeyoung's dismissal of the idea of seeing each other again.

"Who says she doesn't want to be found? Just because she said she didn't want a relationship doesn't mean she was telling the truth. Why would she have hung out with you in the first place if she wasn't into you?"

Bambam's words brought little comfort to Lisa. Maybe Chaeyoung was just a player, someone who really just wanted a little fun and never had any intention of being with Lisa. It baffled Lisa that someone could be so cruel but she wouldn't put it past anyone. The world sometimes and Lisa was always telling Bambam that they just had to accept that, even if she wasn't as quick to swallow that pill herself in moments like this.

≈≈≈

Across town the same rain pelted the windows of Chaeyoung's run down apartment hard, with the speed of a bullet and the calm of a fierce lion. Everything outside was soaking wet and the rain showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. She wore the same sullen expression as Lisa as she sat in her living room watching television with Ella. It was mid-afternoon and Chaeyoung normally enjoyed her Saturdays a lot more than this one. She would spend as much time as possible with Ella laughing and playing and teaching her how to read before she had to go to work that night. Saturdays were her favourite days because she didn't have a second job to get to; it was sort of like her day off even if she did have to be at work by 11pm.

"I thought you didn't care to have a relationship with her Chipmunk?" Jisoo piped up, not at all into whatever children's show they were supposed to be watching.

"What are you talking about?" the indignation on Chaeyoung's face was evident but Jisoo was never one to back down.

"Hey Ella, would you mind if your mommy and I went to go talk in the kitchen for a couple minutes?"

"No, that's okay," the little girl answered, barely turning her head to look at the two women, eyes still focused intently on the strange show.

Chaeyoung reluctantly got up from her spot, kissing Ella on the head before she followed her friend and took the few steps to the small kitchen in her apartment.

"What? Do you want to lecture me some more of have you had your fill of that over the last week?"

"I'm not lecturing Chae. I just want you to be happy. All you've done since we got back is sulk but you were the one who told Lisa you didn't want a relationship."

"I'm