-

Her eyes stare intently at the beige ceiling on top of her. She has been staring at it for the past two hours after failing to fall asleep. She has lost count on how many times she tried to fall back to sleep. She even woke up to brew herself a cup of tea that supposedly would help her fall asleep. However, that didn't work. What a bummer!

She is super wide awake. Her eyelids are not getting heavy anytime soon. She forces her eyes to look away from her beige ceiling and turns around to look out her window. She frowns a little as she tries to look through her translucent curtain blinds. 

It takes a little effort, but she finally gets to see what is going on outside. It's raining cats and dogs, doesn't seem like it will stop until a while later. The sound of the pitter-pattering rain quickly fills her quiet room and her ears. It helps drown out the sound of her slow heartbeat. The sound of the rain is quite therapeutic, it makes Jinsol feel relaxed after feeling ty for not being able to fall asleep. 

After a while, Jinsol decides to turn her body around so she could rest on her other side. Her eyes stare at the empty spot in front of her. It's been empty for a few months now. She reaches over and touches the untouched side of the bed. It is cold when she touches it. Her heart aches at that. Tears suddenly start b in her eyes as a wave of grief washed over her. The sight of an empty bed is a sight that Jinsol hasn't quite gotten used to.

That side of the bed belongs to her wife.

Her wife who was once the love of her life.

Her wife who has left her behind to move on to another life. 

Jinsol forces her eyes shut and retracts her hand back to her chest. She quietly sings out a short lullaby that her wife has taught her a few years back, to help her fall back asleep whenever she wakes up in the middle of the night. She's so engrossed in singing the song that she doesn't hear her door open. 

She feels her bed dip a little and a cold hand resting on her shoulder. She quickly shifts closer to the cold figure and lets the soft pats on her shoulder comfort her to sleep. She can't believe she's seeking comfort from an android that she bought a few months back to help herself cope with the loss of her wife. 

Jinsol finds her life miserable.

She hates her life.

She wishes things would have turned out differently for her. 

Jinsol wished that her wife was still with her. 

-

Every day Jinsol would wake up to an empty bed, a sight that she had not gotten used to, but she must with much displeasure. She would get out of bed quietly and quickly head to her bathroom. She doesn't bother to check her phone or draw open her curtain blinds. It takes too much effort for her to do it early in the morning. She would wash her face with cold water before brushing her teeth. She stopped using facial products after coming back from the hospital. She's too tired to be keeping a daily morning facial routine. 

At eight in the morning sharp, Jinsol would have her breakfast served to her by her android. She would have her breakfast quietly while her android sat by her side and watched her eat. It used to bother her during the earlier days when she first got her android, but she soon got used to it and doesn't chase her android away anymore. She grew used to her android's presence in the morning and it also brought her some comfort in the morning. Once she was done having her breakfast, she would walk away from the dining table promptly. She would head to her study room and lock herself inside to start working quietly.

Her android would use this chance to clean up the place. It would wash Jinsol's dirty plates before heading to Jinsol's bedroom to make the girl's bed. Jinsol's android would also draw open Jinsol's curtain to let the morning sun in and warm up the place. After it is done with those chores, it would head to the balcony at the living room and water the plants that Jinsol has been growing since she first moved into this apartment. 

With the remaining time left, before lunchtime, her android would start looking through the fridge as it plans what to cook for Jinsol for lunch. Jinsol made it a point to her android that she wanted to have a different meal every day. She does it so that she would not get sick of eating the same thing often. It was a challenge for her android from the start. However, her android soon got used to it and started whipping different kinds of meals every day. 

Once the clock hits noon, Jinsol's android would have Jinsol's lunch done by then. Her android would bring her lunch into her study room and place it by her side. 

“Here is your lunch Jinsol,” the android says and places the plate of shrimp fried rice on the table next to the girl’s photos. 

“Thank you Jung eun,” Jinsol says without looking at the android. 

Her fingers move quickly on the keyboard as she finishes up on the last report of one of the marine animals she treated not long ago. 

“Enjoy your lunch,” the android says again, and Jinsol nods her head. The android turns around and makes its way to Jinsol’s door wanting to leave when Jinsol stops her.

“You can stay here for a while. I want to talk to you.” 

“Ok,” the android says as it makes its way to a corner of Jinsol’s office room and stands there quietly. 

A loud sigh escapes Jinsol's mouth when she is finally done typing her last report. She pumps both her fist up into the air before grabbing her plate of fried rice. She turns around to face her android and starts having her lunch while looking at her android. She quickly points at the chair at the corner of her study room and motions for her android to take a seat. 

Her android looks at Jinsol enjoying the plate of fried rice with a small smile on its face. Jinsol is taking big bites of the fried rice, a sight that her android would only see when Jinsol is enjoying the meal. 

“How is the fried rice Jinsol?” her android asks.

It’s delicious. Jinsol thought to herself.

“It’s okay,” Jinsol says as she starts taking smaller bites so she wouldn’t choke on them.

“Does it taste like how you wanted it to be?” her android asks again.

“Yeah,” Jinsol says with a small nod. 

She doesn't have the heart to tell her android that when she notices the small smile on her android's face after seeing her enjoy the plate of fried rice they cooked.  

It doesn’t taste like how Jung eun would make it, but that’s okay.

“What is it that you want to talk to me about Jinsol?” the android asks after Jinsol has finished up her lunch. 

The girl finished today’s lunch rather quickly. The android makes a mental note to cook this shrimp-fried rice again next week. 

“I want to bring you out,” Jinsol says as she turns to grab her calendar, “I want to bring you somewhere on the 29th.”

“Where will we be going Jinsol?”

“Somewhere,” Jinsol answers quickly, she doesn’t want to tell the android where she is bringing them.

“Ok.”

Jinsol looks up when she hears the android’s answer. It makes her raise an eyebrow. She nods her head and doesn’t say another word more. Jinsol waves her hand to dismiss the robot when she goes back to work. Her android rises to its feet and leaves Jinsol’s room promptly without saying a word. It goes to the kitchen to wash the dirty plate from Jinsol’s lunch before going outside to take a seat. It remains sitting there until evening comes around. 

A soft groan escapes Jinsol's mouth when she steps out of her study room. She stretches herself and lets out a yawn while walking into the living room. She turns to look at the dining table first and sees her dinner on the table. When she doesn't see her android seated at its seat, she looks up and turns around to look for her android. Once she spots her android standing on the balcony, she decides to make her way towards her android. 

"What are you doing?" Jinsol questions, "Why are you standing here alone?"

"I'm just looking at the stars Jinsol," her android says and points at the stars in the night sky, "I'm counting the number of stars I see in the night sky."

"Hmm," Jinsol hums out, "how many stars have you seen?"

"I only see 5 right now, the night sky is cloudy today. It seems like it will rain later, so tuck yourself warmly in bed later Jinsol." 

"I will," Jinsol says with a small smile. 

"Have you had your dinner yet?" her android asks, and Jinsol shakes her head, "why not?"

"I'm waiting for you. Come on," Jinsol says as she waves a hand over to get her android to follow her. Her android looks at Jinsol with a small smile and follows after the girl. It takes its seat beside Jinsol and watches the girl have her dinner quietly. The two of them don't make small talk at the dining table. Instead, they savor the peace and each other's presence. 

"How's the squid ink pasta?" Jinsol's android asks when sees Jinsol polishing up her plate.

"It's alright," Jinsol says with a shrug, "it's something that I have never tried before, so thank you for not ruining this experience."

"You're very welcome," her android says with a smile on her face and takes Jinsol's dirty plate. "What would you like for breakfast tomorrow?"

"Strawberry jam with toast?" Jinsol asks, and her android nods her head.

"I'll get that ready for you tomorrow morning then," Jinsol's android says, and Jinsol nods her head happily with a smile on her face. Jinsol waits for her android to be done washing her plate before she heads to bed. 

"Thanks for dinner Jung eun," Jinsol says as she stands up from her seat, "today's dinner is good."

"You're welcome Jinsol, go to bed early," her android says as she watches Jinsol push in her dining chair. 

"You too, Jung eun, you should go to bed early too."

"I don't need to sleep Jinsol," her android says with a soft chuckle.

"Ahh right..." Jinsol trails off when she remembers she's talking to an android and not a human, "have fun killing time then."

"Thank you Jinsol."

"mm," Jinsol hums out as she heads to her room.

She closes the door behind her softly before letting out a sigh. She trudges to her bed and takes a seat on the edge of her bed. She reaches to take her calendar from her bedside table and sees the date marked with a red circle. The date is a special date to her, and it's a date that she'll never forget. It's been a while since she has last gone to that place. She has been so busy with work that she couldn't find time to go there. 

Placing the calendar back down on the table, Jinsol picks up the portrait of her and Jung eun next to it. The photo was taken before their wedding reception. Her eyes flutter shut when the beautiful memories come back to her.

Nervous laughter escaped Jinsol's mouth when the girl paced around her makeup room nervously. She was getting married to the love of her life of seven years that day. She can't believe that this day would come so soon. It still felt like yesterday when she got down on one knee to propose to Jung eun in front of her favorite painting at the art museum. She stopped pacing and turned to the mirror. 

“You can do this Jeong Jin Sol!” Jinsol cheered out with a pumped fist to motivate herself and prepare herself for later. She didn’t want to herself at the wedding altar when she saw Jung eun walking down the aisle in a beautiful big white gown.

Before she knew it, it’s time for her to make her way to the wedding altar. She looked up and turned back to see her best friend, Haseul, waving a hand at her to ask Jinsol to follow her. She flashed Haseul a smile before jogging towards the girl, and the two made their way to the wedding altar.

“How do you feel Jinsol?” Haseul asked when she saw Jinsol bouncing with every step she took. 

“Nervous? Excited? Thrilled? I don’t know man,” Jinsol said with a jittery smile, and this made Haseul let out a soft scoff.

“Relax,” Haseul said as she placed both her hands on Jinsol’s shoulder to stop the girl from bouncing, “You can do this.”

“I can do this,” Jinsol repeated what Haseul said and gave the girl a nod. Haseul nodded her head too and patted Jinsol on the shoulder before continuing to make their way to the wedding altar. 

When Jinsol reached the wedding altar and stood in her position, the musical band started playing their tunes. The familiar song that has been played numerous times in every wedding is heard in the quiet garden. Jinsol stood there with a small smile on her face. When the song softens down, it’s a signal that the bride will be making her entrance. The big white wooden door opened and revealed a beautiful Jung eun in her beautiful white gown. 

Their eyes met, and they shared a loving smile. Jung eun walked down the aisle with her father beside her. Jinsol could hear many soft gasps in the audience, she wears a bigger smile at that. Everyone was blown away by Jung eun’s beauty. As she watched Jung eun walk down the aisle and closer towards her, she felt tears b in her eyes. She couldn’t contain her emotions and had to wipe away her tears when she felt tears rolling off her cheeks. 

“Why are you crying?” Jung eun mouths out with tearful eyes.

“Because you’re so beautiful,” Jinsol mouths back and this makes Jung eun roll her eyes with a smile on her face.

When Jung eun stopped in front of her, Jinsol watched Jung eun’s father pass Jung eun’s hand to her. She quickly took Jung eun’s hand and smiled at her father-in-law.

“I’m entrusting my daughter into your care,” Jung eun’s father sniffed when he turned to look at his daughter, “Take good care of her and continue loving her on behalf of us.”

“I will dad,” Jinsol said with a determined look on her face, “I will love Jung eun till death do us apart.”

Jung eun’s father nodded his head and patted Jinsol on her back before he returned to his seat next to his wife. Jinsol turns back and sees Jung eun’s father reaches over to hold his wife’s hand tightly in his. That sight made her heart melt and it also made her tighten her hold around Jung eun’s hand. The two of them took their vows in front of everyone present in the garden. Everyone’s hearts melted as they listened to their vows. Jinsol was so nervous when saying her vows that it cracked everyone up. Jung eun had to calm Jinsol down so the girl could continue saying her vows properly.

“Do you take Jinsol as your lawful wife?” the pastor asked Jung eun and Jung eun nodded her head immediately, “I do.”

“Jinsol, Do you take Jung eun as your-“ 

“I do! I do! I do!” Jinsol interrupted quickly as she bounced up and down. Everyone laughed at Jinsol’s response, so did Jung eun. Jinsol couldn’t wait to make Jung eun her legal wife.

“You may now kiss the bride,” the pastor said as he stepped away. 

Before Jung eun could react, she felt herself falling into Jinsol’s arms and soft lips on top of hers. Everyone jumps up and erupts into a loud cheer. Jinsol pulled Jung eun back up and smiled at the girl, “hey wifey.”

Jung eun blushed as she leaned in for another kiss, earning another loud cheer from the rest. The two of them laughed at each other and cupped each other’s faces lovingly in each other’s hands. 

A faint smile appears on her face when her eyes flutter open. She places the photo back on the table. They were so happy that day. She turns to the wedding ring on the table. She took it out this morning before she washed up for the day. She slots the diamond ring into her ring finger. She holds her hand up and wiggles her finger to admire the ring on her hand.

The diamond glistens in the night sky when the moonlight shines on it. The remembrance of Jung eun’s passing makes her mood fall sharply. She brings her hand down immediately, and a sigh escapes . She takes out her wedding ring and places it back on the table. She quickly gets in bed and tucks herself in. Jinsol shuts her eyes tightly as she forces herself to sleep, hoping that can help get rid of the sad feelings bubbling inside of her.

-

Jinsol wakes up early the next morning. She didn't have a good sleep last night, that's why she's up early. When she steps into the living room after washing herself up, she sees her android seated at its seat at the dining table. Her android flashes her a small smile and motions for her to have her breakfast.

"Good morning Jinsol," her android greets when Jinsol takes her seat.

"Morning Jung eun," Jinsol returns the greeting with a small smile.

"I made you strawberry toast," her android says as it points at the strawberry jam, "I made it fresh this morning."

"You must have woken up early to prepare this," Jinsol comments as she takes a bite of the toast. Her eyes widen when her taste buds get greeted by the sweet-tasting strawberry jam.

"It's really good!" Jinsol gasps as she adds more strawberry jam on her toast, "you did a very good job!"

"I'm glad you like it Jinsol," her android smiles when it sees Jinsol taking a bigger bite of her toast. 

After Jinsol is done having her breakfast, she passes her dirty plate to her android to wash. She heads to her android's room and picks out a black dress for her android to wear. That black dress used to belong to Jung eun. Now that Jung eun isn't around, her clothing now belongs to Jinsol's android. 

"Jung eun!" Jinsol yells from her android's room. 

"Yes?"

"I've picked out an outfit for you to wear today, come and change into this before we head out!" Jinsol informs as she walks out of her android's room. She sees her android walking out of the kitchen with its yellow rubber gloves on. That sight makes her let out a soft chuckle.

"Okay!" her android says with a nod before rushing back to the kitchen to clean up the dirty dishes. 

Jinsol lets out a soft scoff and shakes her head. She walks to her room and starts packing her bag. When she's done packing, she goes to her wardrobe to pick out a black blazer and black trousers. She wears a white turtleneck underneath her black blazer and tucks them into her black trousers. She looks at herself in the mirror and lets out a soft sigh. Deciding not to waste any more time, she heads outside and sees her android waiting for her on the sofa. 

"Did I wear this dress correctly?" her android asks when it sees Jinsol. It stands up and does a twirl to show Jinsol how it looks with the dress on.

"Yea," Jinsol whispers out.

Holy......

"You...you look amazing Jungie," Jinsol whispers out when she approaches her android and places both her hands on its arms.

Is that you Jungie?...

"Jungie?"

"huh?"

"Who is Jungie?" her android asks, and it makes Jinsol snap out of her trance.

"Jungie?" Jinsol questions as she quickly steps away when she notices her hands are on her android's arms. 

"Yeah, you said that just now."

"Oh..." Jinsol trails off, "I meant Jung eun, sorry about it. It slipped out of my mouth before I could even notice it."

"And Jungie is nobody," Jinsol adds on as she turns around to head to the door, "let's go now."

"Okay."

Jinsol nods her head and quickly wears her shoe before stepping out. She slaps herself lightly in the face, she can't believe she mistook her android for the real Jung eun. They look the same when they wear the same thing. It felt like Jung eun was standing in front of her alive and breathing. 

 

The two of them now sit in Jinsol's car comfortably as Jinsol drives them along the expressway. Jinsol has her eyes focused on the road while her android is looking out the window, admiring the scenery. Her android watches the cars zoom by. The car drivers drive too fast for her android to count them. Jinsol looks up at her rear mirror and sees her android looking out the window with a fascinated look on its face. That sight makes her wear a small smile. It’s a new expression that Jinsol has seen after getting her a few months ago.

"Why do you look so fascinated?" Jinsol questions, trying to strike a conversation with her robot.

"The cars," her android whispers out, and that makes Jinsol raise an eyebrow, "cars?"

"Yeah...they go nyoom nyoom," her android says while making sound effects on how fast it perceives the cars to be going. 

"Pfft, what?!" Jinsol scoffs, "nyoom nyoom?!"

"my god Jung eun!" Jinsol laughs, "nyooom nyooom."

"Nyeeeeeooooom," her android says while looking at the cars driving past them.

"Nyoom nyoom indeed," Jinsol chuckles out as she steps on the accelerator. 

"Where are we going, Jinsol?" Her android questions after a while, turning to look at Jinsol waiting for an answer. 

"We're going to the columbarium," Jinsol answers.

"What's that?"

"You'll know when we get there Jung eun," Jinsol says, her grip on her steering wheel tightening. Her android sees this and decides not to question Jinsol further. Instead, it returns to looking out the window and enjoying the new scenery as they drive. 

-

Jinsol stands in front of Jung eun's niche at the columbarium. In her hand are Jung eun's favorite flowers. She places the flowers in the flower holder next to Jung eun's niche. 

"Hey Jung eun," Jinsol greets softly as she cleans Jung eun's niche using her hands, "how are you?"

"I'm doing fine...I'm going to go back to work next week so don't worry about me too much," Jinsol shares. 

"I miss you...I miss you a lot," Jinsol whispers out as she starts shifting a little in her spot. Her android sees that and reaches over to hold Jinsol's hand in hers. Jinsol turns to look at her android and quickly looks away, her hand still holds onto her android's cold hand.

 I hope you don't hate me for what happened that day...

I didn't know things would turn out this way...

If I knew...

I would have listened to you for sure.

"I'm sorry Jung eun," Jinsol whispers out, her voice coming out shaky. Her android sees that and gives Jinsol's hand a soft squeeze, hoping that would calm Jinsol down and bring a little comfort to the girl.

Jinsol quickly bows down in a ninety-degree position with her head hung low. She bites on her bottom lips as she tries to keep her tears inside of her. She can't help but let out a soft sob when the ache in her heart gets a little unbearable for her. Her android sees that and does the same without a word. The two of them remain in that position for a while before Jinsol stands up straight. She turns to look at her side and sees her android still bowing to Jung eun. She lightly tugs on her android's hand and this makes her android stand up straight.

"What were you doing, Jung eun?" Jinsol questions softly, feeling curious at her android's actions.

"I was following you," her android says, "why were you bowing?"

"I'm paying respect to Jung eun," Jinsol explains with a thin-lipped smile.

"Jung eun?" her android questions while pointing at herself.

"no," Jinsol says with a shake of her head, "come closer and take a look."

Jinsol's android sees Jinsol stepping away before using a hand to motion for them to stand closer to her. 

"That beautiful lady in that photo is Jung eun," Jinsol shares, "my wife."

"t-that's how I look like," her android stutters, and this makes Jinsol turn to look at her with a small frown.

“Did you just stutter?” 

“No,” her android answers quickly as it turns its head away from Jinsol.

“To answer your question, yes, that’s how you look.” 

Her android’s hand forms a tight fist by its sight when it hears that.

“I got the engineers to make you look like my wife," Jinsol shares as she looks at Jung eun's photo.

"I tried to make you as identical as my wife, but there's a limit to what the engineers can do. So you're not completely like my wife or behave exactly like her," Jinsol sighs out. 

"What happened to Jung eun?" her android asks suddenly, and it catches Jinsol off-guard.

“What?”

“What happened to your wife Jinsol?” her android asks again.

“Nothing happened,” Jinsol answers quickly and coldly, “let’s go home now.”

"Why did you get the engineers to build me and program me to be like her?" her android asks quickly while following Jinsol to the car. 

“Why am I made to look like her? Why is she not with you right now? Why am I here instead of her?”

"Would you stop asking me all these questions?!" Jinsol snaps, her nose flares up in anger.

"You don’t have the right to question what I’m doing, and you do not have to know why I’m doing all of these," Jinsol seethes as she gets close to her android's face.

"To one of your questions, Jung eun is dead!"

"How did she die?" her android asks, and this makes Jinsol let out a scoff. 

"W-what?" Jinsol asks out in a disbelief manner. 

"How did she die?" her android asks again, and this makes Jinsol let out a sigh.

"You know what Jung eun, let me tell you something."

"I shouldn't have brought you here," Jinsol sighs out as she runs her fingers through her hair frustratedly, "it's a mistake to bring you here."

"I made a big mistake to bring you here," Jinsol continues as she walks to her car, "I thought you would empathize with me or understand me a little better, but I was wrong." 

“It’s not a mistake," her android says after a while, and that makes Jinsol stop in her tracks.

“I’m sorry for asking you all of those questions,” her android adds, “I should have minded my business.”

A sudden realization dawns on Jinsol and it makes Jinsol rub her face using both her hands frustratedly.

Why am I getting mad at an android? What’s wrong with me? 

“No...it’s not your fault,” Jinsol sighs as she turns to look at her android, “I...I just wasn’t ready for all of those questions.”

“It’s okay to ask,” Jinsol adds on as she pulls up the jacket that her android was wearing. One side of the jacket was sliding down the android's shoulders, exposing her android's bare shoulders. Jinsol’s android looks down and sees Jinsol adjusting its jacket. Usually, it would tell Jinsol that she doesn’t need to do that, but today it chooses to stay quiet and let Jinsol do what she wants. 

“What happened to your wife Jinsol?” her android asks softly, trying its luck again.

“I…” Jinsol opens wanting to say something but nothing comes out.

“Can we go somewhere? Let’s talk about this somewhere else,” Jinsol says as she walks back to her car hurriedly.

Her android nods its head and follows after quietly. They get into Jinsol’s car and Jinsol starts driving them to a nearby park that she found when she came to pay her visit to Jung eun last time. Once they reach, Jinsol gets out of her car first and makes her way to a bench not far from the parking lot. Her android quickly follows and sits down next to Jinsol. 

"Why are we here?" Jinsol's android asks.

"This is one of my comfort spots when I need to go somewhere to relax," Jinsol says softly, "or to clear my mind for a moment."

"Anyways, let's get started alright? I can see many question marks above your head."

Her android looks up with a frown on its face. It waves a hand above its head to get rid of the many question marks popping up one after the other. 

“Your name is Jung eun,” Jinsol starts while turning to look at her android, “same as my wife because I named you after her.”

"I got you a few months back in June, and a few months after Jung eun's death because I was hospitalized in the hospital for a while due to a coma and for physiotherapy." 

"I spent a fortune on you so that you can resemble my wife and sound like her," Jinsol chuckles out softly. She can remember looking through her phone until the wee hours of the night trying to find voice recordings of Jung eun. 

"Was your investment worth it?" her android asks.

"What do you mean?"

"Do I sound like Jung eun?"

“Not really but you sound 70% like her,” Jinsol smiles as she turns away to look at the calm lake in front of her. 

"Better than nothing honestly," Jinsol adds on. 

"I was also told that you will behave more like Jung eun if I keep spending time with you and tell you more about her."

"Am I doing a good job at behaving more like Jung eun?" her android asks softly looking at Jinsol's eyes, trying to find confirmation in them. An awkward chuckle escapes Jinsol's mouth, she doesn't know how to answer her android. 

“Ah...look at the ducks over there!” Jinsol points and gushes at the ducks being fed on the other side of the lake, “they’re so cute!”

“Why are you avoiding my questions Jinsol?” her android asks, and this makes Jinsol turn to look at her.

“I’m not avoiding your questions,” Jinsol says softly, “It’s just...it’s too early to tell.”

Her android nods its head and looks at the duck that Jinsol is pointing at, “they are cute.”

“Yeah...and they are Jung eun’s favorite too,” Jinsol shares with a fond smile, “she’ll often run off to the lake to look for ducks when we go on our morning walks in the park.” 

"I always get a heart attack when I don't see Jung eun by my side, but then I'll let out a relieved sigh when I see her gushing over the ducks on her own."

Her android wears a small smile when it hears that. Jung eun must have a very special spot in Jinsol's heart for the girl to be talking about her in such a fond manner. She has never seen Jinsol talk about something so fondly before until now. The way Jinsol would smile to herself when she mentions Jung eun's name, it's like the girl is talking about her wife proudly to a friend of hers. 

“So what happened to your wife? You haven’t told me yet,” her android asks, remembering why Jinsol drove them here.

“Ahh right...It happened when we were on our way to our honeymoon,” Jinsol sighs out as she starts sharing about what happened to Jung eun that fateful day. She can already feel her heart tearing into pieces when she shares about that day. It's like she's reliving that moment all over again. 

“Finally!” Jinsol cheers out as she pumps both her fists in the air, “We can go for our long-awaited honeymoon!”

Jung eun lets out a chuckle when she sees her wife cheering happily in the middle of the living room. Jinsol turns to her beautiful wife and skips towards the girl. She snakes her arms around her wife’s waist and pulls the girl close to her. She nuzzles her nose into the crooks of Jung eun’s neck, causing the girl to let out a chuckle before she feels a soft peck on the tip of her nose.

“Aren’t you excited? We can finally go on our honeymoon! No wedding journey ends without going on a honeymoon,” Jinsol says, and Jung eun nods her head. 

“Yes yes, it’s a shame that we have to push it back because of Heejin and Hyunjin’s business trip.”

The two of them let out a sigh at that. It has been two weeks since they got married and they have yet to experience their honeymoon much to their dismay. During the morning of their honeymoon, their best friend surprised them with the sudden babysitting of their kid. The two of them had a sudden urgent business trip to go to, and they had no one to go to but Jung eun and Jinsol. They dropped off their kid with a bag of clothes and food before leaving hastily. Jinsol is left stumped for words and turns to look at a distressed Jung eun holding a crying toddler in her arms. Caring for a kid is not easy, especially if you're inexperienced with caring for one. 

"Well, we can finally have our alone time now!" Jinsol says with a cheeky grin on her face. Jung eun raises her eyebrows and this makes Jinsol’s grin grow wider. Jinsol leans in to give Jung eun a quick peck on the lips before she pulls back and giggles like a high-schooler from how happy she is. Jung eun feels herself get lifted up off her feet and twirls in the air before Jinsol lets her down. Jung eun slaps Jinsol’s arms playfully before going to grab their luggage and head outside. 

"I can't wait for it!" Jinsol laughs loudly with her chest out. Jung eun lets out a snort before closing the door behind her and getting her wife to help her with their luggage.

The two of them make their way to their apartment building carpark and make their way to the airport. Staying a little further away from Incheon meant that their car ride would be longer than normal. Their favorite music is heard playing softly in the background as they talk to each other about their workplace. Jinsol would laugh at Jung eun’s complaints while Jung eun would be fascinated by the things Jinsol tells her from her workplace at the Marine Rescue Center. 

After a while, the sun began to set. The cars on the road have dropped to just a few now on the expressway. Jung eun's eyes dart from left to right as she looks at the soon-to-be-empty expressway. 

“It’s pretty dark now,” Jung eun comments. Jinsol hums out a ‘yes’ and has her eyes trained on the road. She's very careful when it comes to driving, especially at night.

“We got the night flight so we can arrive at Jeju and rest before we wake up to start our adventure,” Jinsol mutters out as she quickens up her speed. "don't worry too much, nothing bad will happen."

Jung eun lets out a sigh before she leans back against the fake leather seat of Jinsol’s new tesla car, her muscles finally relax. She's going to let Jinsol's words calm her worrying heart.

“don’t worry, we’re reaching the airport.” Jung eun nods her head when she hears Jinsol’s reassurance, she hopes that they are reaching the airport soon. As the ride continues, their talking becomes lesser and lesser until silence takes over them. For some reason, Jung eun has no good feelings about their current ride to the airport.

“Do you think we should just cancel today’s flight?” Jung eun suggests and it gets the other girl to shoot her a glance.

“there’s no need for it, we’ll reach another twenty, don’t worry too much okay?” Jinsol says as one of her hands reaches over to hold Jung eun’s hand tightly in hers. She hears Jung eun let out a soft sigh before lifting Jung eun’s hand and placing a soft kiss on the back of the girl’s hand. 

The ride continues in silence for another 10 minutes. Jung eun’s growing warier while Jinsol tries to not let Jung eun affect her too much. After hearing Jung eun sight for the n-th time, she wants to turn to the girl and talk to her when a pair of bright lights are shining on her.

“Jinsol!” Jung eun screams when she sees an oncoming car coming towards them. Jinsol’s eyes widen and use the palm of her hand to hit the horn to signal the car that there’s a car coming in their way.

“Jinsol! Drive to the other lane!” Jung eun yells when she sees the car coming closer.

“I can’t! There are many other cars on the other side going in the opposite direction!” Jinsol yells back as she takes a glance at the other lane. 

“JUST GO!” Jung eun screams and Jinsol does just that. 

Jinsol swerved her car out of the oncoming car, that’s coming full speed at them, and skidded onto the other lane. Before they can even get a hold of their car, another car comes crashing into theirs. Jung eun feels her head slamming onto the dashboard while Jinsol feels the impact of the airbag hitting her hard in the chest knocking her out. Their car overturned and hit the barricades of the expressway before landing on the grass patch. 

Everyone at the scene rushes out of their car and runs towards the smoking car. Everyone comes together to pry open Jinsol’s car door to rescue the two of them before her car blows up killing the two of them. Their car tire left a burning hot mark on the road and the grass patch, showing how impactful the hit was. 

The ambulance came quickly and rushed the two girls to the A&E. The doctors and nurses’ hearts broke at the sight of how beaten-up the couple looked. Jinsol quickly went into a coma when she reached the hospital. Her arm was covered with broken glass shards of the window when she tried to protect Jung eun from them. However, Jung eun’s not as lucky as Jinsol. Her injuries from the crash were life-threatening. She died on the way to the hospital from a traumatic cardiac arrest. 

"When I woke up from my coma, I saw everyone surrounding my bed. They were praying halfway when I woke up. It was nice to see everyone, but I didn't see Jung eun."

"I remember turning to look at Jung eun's parents. Their faces looked relieved yet troubled. Then, I didn't know why. All I knew was that I wanted to know what happened to Jung eun," Jinsol says softly, and her android wears a thin-lip smile on her face. 

“W-where is J-Jung eun?” Jinsol asks out hoarsely. 

“She…” Jung eun’s parents choke out when they hear their daughter-in-law asking for her wife.

“She’s gone…” Jung eun’s mother whispers out as she turns to her husband for a tight hug.

“Huh?” Jinsol frowns as she turns to her parents, “wha-what do you mean by she’s...she’s gone?”

“She died from a cardiac arrest on her way to the hospital,” her father explains softly and slowly to his daughter who has just woken up from her coma.

“She...she died?” Jinsol asks softly for confirmation.

"no no, that can't be true!" Jinsol argues as she tries to sit up, "Jung eun would never leave me behind! She'll never give up a fight so easily"

Jung eun's parents and hers looked at her with a 'sorry' look on their faces. Before Jinsol could say any more things, a group of doctors and nurses came rushing into her ward to check on her. Everyone was ushered out immediately, leaving no one behind to confirm Jung eun's death. 

"Dad! Come back! Please!" Jinsol yelled out. She held onto the bed railings trying to sit up, but the nurses held her back and made her lie back down. 

“Miss, please do not move around. We need to conduct our check on you,” one of the nurses told her as they placed a hand on her shoulder to pin her on the bed. 

“No, please! I need to know what happened to my wife!” Jinsol cried out as she tried to sit up again, but the nurses holding onto her shoulders were stopping her from sitting up.

“PLEASE!” Jinsol cried out as she kicked around, “I JUST WANTED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO MY WIFE!”

“After I kicked up a big fuss, they finally told me what happened to Jung eun,” Jinsol sighs out as she looks down at her hands, “and I finally cooperated with them to let them do their checks.”

“She died on the way to the hospital from a traumatic cardiac arrest, we’re sorry for your loss.”

“She...she died?” Jinsol asked softly, and the nurses nodded their heads.

“Jung eun’s gone…” Jinsol trails off quietly.

"I was lost when I heard that," Jinsol chokes out and wipes away her tears in her eyes, "it felt like a bucket of cold water has been poured onto me."

"Suddenly the love of my life was gone. She was my guiding light in the dark tunnel that I was walking through, and now that she's gone...I'm so lost. I couldn't tell if I'm making the right decision because she's not there to assure me or guide me anymore," Jinsol sobs as she covers her face using both her hands. 

"After their checks, I was left alone in my room. I couldn't stop crying. Even when I wanted to stop, the tears wouldn't stop flowing out of my eyes. The pain in my chest was unbearable, nobody would understand until they go through what I've gone through."

"Whenever I close my eyes, I keep seeing Jung eun's back turned towards me. I kept calling out for her as I ran to her with all my might, but she just kept walking away quickly. It...it was like we were in two different dimensions at the same place," Jinsol cries out.

"Did you get to attend her funeral?" Jinsol's android asks softly, and Jinsol shakes her head, "I was late."

"I was four months late to her funeral...I couldn't get to say goodbye to Jung eun." 

“I only spent such a short time with her as a married couple,” Jinsol cries out, “I wasn’t ready to let her go.”

“That was why I bought you,” Jinsol says as she turns to her android, "I bought you so I could pretend that Jung eun is still alive and with me.”

“I just wanted...I just wanted to spend more time with her.”

“I...I love Jung eun too much to let her go,” Jinsol chokes out.

Her android nods her head and pulls Jinsol into its arm for a tight hug. Jinsol is taken aback by this sudden gesture, but she returns the hug tightly. Her android places a hand on top of Jinsol's head and caresses it, hoping that can comfort Jinsol.

“Cry it all out,” her android whispers out, "it's okay to cry here. Nobody except me would see it."

“Th-thank you,” Jinsol chokes out before she bursts out crying again. 

 

"Hey, Jung eun?" Jinsol calls for her android after a while.

"yes?"

“Remember how you asked me if you’re doing a good job at behaving like my wife?” Jinsol asks and her android nods its head.

“You’re doing a good job,” Jinsol says as she looks at their clasped hands. Though her android’s hands feel cold against hers, it still brings some warmth to her heart. Her android wears a small smile on its face, glad that it is doing its job well.

“You’re doing great so thank you for that.”

“You’re welcome, Jinsol.”

 

-

A week has passed since they visited the columbarium. Jinsol and her android's relationship has grown a little closer over the few days spent together at home before Jinsol starts going back to work. When Jinsol wakes up on a Monday morning, her eyes are greeted with the many glow-in-the-dark stickers stuck on the ceiling. A small smile forms on her face when she remembers what happened that day.

"Jung eun!" Jinsol calls out for her android excitedly.

"Yes? Do you need me to help you do something?" her android asks to walk out of the balcony with a watering can in its hand. 

"Uh...not really but I need you to come with me," Jinsol says as she waves a hand to get her android to follow after her. Her android raises an eyebrow and places the watering can on the floor before following Jinsol. 

Jinsol's android watches Jinsol open the storeroom door and switch on the light in the room. It watches Jinsol look through the many boxes stored in the room before picking up a small box with a happy smile on her face.

"Look Jung eun, these are glow-in-the-dark stickers!" Jinsol beams as she opens the box to show her android the contents inside, "you loved them so much that you wanted them on our bedroom ceiling. You would stare at them while I shared the constellations with you."

"Do you want to put them up again?" her android asks as it takes the box from Jinsol.

"You want to put them up?" Jinsol asks, and her android nods its head, "I would love to see them again."

"Okay!" Jinsol grins as she turns back to the storeroom and grabs the ladder tucked in the corner, "let's get pasting then!"

Her android nods its head and follows Jinsol into the girl's bedroom. It watches Jinsol place the ladder by the bed and starts climbing up so she can reach the ceiling. It helps Jinsol by passing the girl the stickers so she can paste them on the wall. It doesn't take long before the ceiling gets decorated with glow-in-the-dark stickers. 

"Wow," Jinsol whispers to herself, "they look good."

"Do you think they will still glow after getting stored away for a while?" Jinsol asks as she turns to look at her android.

"I don't know," her android replies with a shrug, and that makes Jinsol let out a soft chuckle.

"I guess we'll know when it's nighttime then," Jinsol says as she climbs down the ladde