Chapter 27

[The Princesses in the Tall Tower]

Jessica did not even need to question it when she looked at Donghae’s face the day after. Red eyes, exhausted feature, a grim face, and same clothing. His feature told her the message: Im Yoona was still missing.

Despite that, Donghae still ensured his usual smile would be available when he caught the glimpse of her. “Hi, Sica.”

She nodded in acknowledgment and sat beside him on the bench at one of Seoul’s park. The cold autumn’s morning breeze sent slight tingle to her spine, the unpleasant one. She did not know why Donghae had to be in a cold park in such weather. She had a feeling that he had not stopped looking for Yoona since the night prior.

“Any clues?” she asked after a couple of minutes passed by in silence.

Donghae shook his head weakly.

Jessica felt rather guilty for not bringing any good news either. The night before, Kibum’s and her attempt to search Yoona had been futile. What they had encountered were only the amusingly (at least to Kibum) fake friendship of two heiress. Jessica did not choose to share it to Donghae. It would be irrelevant to his quest anyway.

“Hae, here,” said a man with familiar voice. Jessica looked up to the source of the voice to see Kim Heechul approaching them (No. Donghae), and handed him a can of warm coffee and a box of sandwich.

She studied Heechul’s figure more and discovered that the man was also still clad in the same attire he wore the day before. His eyes were equally as red and she was positive that Heechul also spent the whole night looking for Yoona.

Donghae glanced at the cup of coffee and box of sandwich with minor interest. “I’m okay. Give them to Jessica. You haven’t had your breakfast, have you Sica? Sorry to drag you into such problem.”

Had Donghae not looked that exhausted, Jessica would have snapped at him. She hated how Donghae, in his way, seemed to distance the problem away from her. He was not the only one worried about Yoona’s wellbeing. The fact that Donghae might have presumed Jessica not to care that much about Yoona irritated the Jung heiress. But she suppressed her anger and shook her head instead, rejecting the offer.

Heechul did not even bother to pay attention to Jessica. “Eat it, Hae. You need it.”

“I’m fine, Hyung. You haven’t eaten, right? You should eat it.”

“I’m not hungry.”

“Me neither.”

Jessica exhaled an impatient sigh at the boys’ persistence. She stood up from the bench and forced Heechul to sit on her previous spot. The sudden push, the lack of sleep, and his simply temperamental nature made Heechul spontaneously snapped. “What’s wrong with you?!”

“Sit down,” she mandated.  

Heechul only grunted but in the end, he obeyed her order. Satisfied, Jessica then walked away to find for the nearby booth Heechul got the sandwich from. Finding it on the spot near the park’s fountain, Jessica paced her steps to the small booth and purchased another sandwich and hot coffees. Her legs then carried her back to the bench where Donghae and Heechul were sitting. Donghae had his sandwich untouched, so Jessica handed the new box of sandwich and cup of coffee to Heechul.

“What?” he snarled.

“Eat. The two of you.”

“Oh, you’re my babysitter now?” Heechul sinisterly remarked.

“You both need to eat. And take some rest,” she insisted. She hated herself already for –as pointed out by Heechul – acting like their babysitter. But someone had to do the job. She borrowed Kibum’s sense when she delivered her next reprimand, “You will never find Yoona if you two don’t even have the energy to think straight. I know you are worried, but be sensible and rational, for God’s sakes.”

Slowly, the two boys munched on each of their sandwiches. As they ate in silence, Jessica continued, “You’d better take some sleep after this.”

Both Donghae and Heechul looked up at her, ready to reject the notion. But Jessica already prepared her next reply. “I’m serious. You two need rest. If you keep continuing this, it’s suicide. While you take your rest, I’ll continue to look for Yoona.”

“But –“

“I promise,” Jessica assured. “I’ll look for Yoona while you two take your rest.”

“Sica –“

“Please.”

The two boys huffed sighs. Too tired to make an argument, too tired to neglect.

“Your secret lover again?”

Sungmin closed the door to Jung Soo’s confinement cell and immediately shot the guy with deathly glare. “It’s none of your business, Jung Soo-sshi.”

Jung Soo’s guess had been accurate though. Sunny had just come to visit him, with Kwon Yuri tagging behind her. Sungmin knew though, that his secret lady love had not been there to actually meet him. She had been there to find more clues on the white feather that was found in the envelope received by Im Yoona.

It was not that he could not understand Sunny’s action. The girl just needed reassurance and bombarding him with questions to get hints for the silly Der Märchenclub’s game was her way to get reassurance.

He mildly wondered, when the last time he saw Sunny’s innocent smile was. The girl that he had fallen in love with was slowly disappearing. He felt like he wanted to shake her off, bring her back to the naïve girl whose every smile brought warmth to his hollow heart. But on the other hand, he knew that unless he could guarantee her safety, that little girl would never return.

“You have my sympathy, you know, Sungmin-sshi?”

“I don’t need sympathy from a man locked away in a cell. You should pity yourself more, actually.”

Jung Soo laughed. “I pity you because you know you will never be able to protect the first girl you actually fall in love with.”

Sungmin’s eyes narrowed down with building rage.

The suspected man continued his mockeries. “I may be confined up in a cell, unable to do anything. But with my own way, I’m protecting the girl I love. You, on the other hand, no matter how free you are, you will never