A/N:

Aint I fast? Trollololol. Updating fast since to make up for the long absence. Are my readers still here? Helloooooooo? Are you there????

Chapter 37

Hurting

“Why aren’t you dressed yet Fany-ah?? We’re gonna be late!” Yuri scolded Tiffany who was just lounging on Yuri’s bed watching her run back and forth.

“Tiffany?” Yuri called for her once she got no response.

Yuri turned her back to face Tiffany… who was staring at Yuri’s body while… biting her lips.

“Tiffany! Aish jinjja!” Yuri scowled at Tiffany before turning her back to look at herself in the mirror once again.

Tiffany sighed and backhugged Yuri. Not forgetting to put on her best puppy face which Yuri saw through the mirror.

“No? Not even a kiss?” Tiffany pouted.

“No!” Yuri said sternly.

“Hmp! Just because that is here again you don’t let me kiss you anymore.” Tiffany pushed Yuri and returned to lie on Yuri’s bed… grumping.

“Fany… Jessica is not a okay. Don’t call her that.” Yuri sighed and sat beside Tiffany on the bed.

“She is. She’s also weak and stupid. She said she wanted to be strong? What did she do? She ran away right? .” Tiffany scoffed.

“It’s more complicated than that.” Yuri lied beside Tiffany on the bed.

It was Tiffany’s turn to sit up and look down to Yuri straight into the her eyes.

“You know… If it was me in her shoes, I would have fought beside you.” Yuri felt the intensity of Tiffany’s stare.

Then came the silence. Defeaning, meaningful silence. Yuri knew what Tiffany wanted her to understand but Tiffany also knew that her point will never get inside Yuri’s brain. Inside Yuri’s brain, there’s a huge block that Tiffany couldn’t break no matter how she tried. Jessica occupied both Yuri’s brain and Yuri’s heart. And so they are stuck. Tiffany always staying with Yuri and Yuri not pushing Tiffany away.

“You two are different.” Yuri broke the silence.

“I know. I’m not a weakling.” Tiffany patted Yuri’s stomach. “Go on. Don’t want to keep you from your princess.” Tiffany mocked on the last noun.

“Huh? What about you? I thought we’re gonna come together.” Yuri also sat up.

“Oh please. Pretty girls like me always come fashionably late.” Tiffany winked and gave a kiss on Yuri’s cheek.

~******~

Jessica became a painter. She used it as a medium to express her emotions. She was living in a small room in the basement of the shop she worked for to earn money when her boss told her to hang one of her paintings in their shop. One day one customer noticed the painting and asked for her. One thing led to another and she found herself getting back to her feet with the help of the customer.

Yuri stepped into the gallery dressed in her black dress with her hair tied in a ponytail and curled starting on the edge of the tie to the rest of the length of her hair.

A lot of people attended Jessica’s first gallery show in Seoul. It was a total success. The whole gallery was designed in a modern techno club like feel to accompany her paintings which were spotlighted around the gallery.

Yuri was awed and impressed. Not that she didn’t expect this to happen, she always believed in Jessica. She was impressed with how Jessica did this without any of them helping her. Indeed, Jessica seemed to change. Yuri smiled.

“Anna!” Yuri heard someone call her.

“Mom. I’m Yuri. People will be confused if you keep calling me that.” Yuri giggled.

“Oh just let them be. They already know who you are anyway.” Joohyun hugged Yuri.

“Yuri.” A man’s voice came from behind.

“Dad!” Yuri broke her mom’s hug and hugged Yunho.

“Baby. You haven’t visited us at home ever since your graduation party.” Yunho said.

“I’ve been busy trying to find a job that suits me dad and the apartment I share with Tiffany is closer to the city.” Yuri gave an apologetic smile.

“I told you Yuri. You can just work in our company. You’re our daughter. What if we’re gone? Who’s gonna handle it?” Joohyun spoke.

“Mooom. You’re not gonna be gone. I just want to get on with my own feet instead of just being big instantly.” Yuri told her mother.

“But Yuri-“

“Photographer, why don’t you take a picture of this lovely family.” Another familiar voice spoke.

“JESSICA!” Joohyun ran and hugged her other daughter followed by a calm Yunho.

While Yuri… Yuri just stood there. Slow motion did it get. 4 years of not seeing the girl. 4 years of missing her crazy. Now she’s infront of her.

“Yuri! Come over here!” Yunho dragged her over to face with Jessica.

Yuri suddenly didn’t know what to do. Should she hug the girl? Should she kiss her? Oh wait. She can’t. Her parents are here. While she was contemplating what to do, Jessica already did the first move by greeting her cheek to cheek. With the close proximity, Yuri’s body moved on its own and hugged the girl tightly.

Yuri felt Jessica pat her back and broke the hug almost immediately.

“It’s been a long time hasn’t it Yuri?” Jessica smiled at her.

“Y-yea. You said you’d come to the graduation…” Yuri couldn’t hide her disappointment.

“Oh that! I’m sorry. I forgot.” Jessica dismissed the topic with a smile like it wasn’t important at all.

Yuri noticed something with the smile Jessica gave her. Something wrong… along with how she broke the hug… but she pushed all those thoughts aside and smiled at Jessica. She must have been very busy.

“It’s alright.” Yuri forced a smile.

“I bet.” Jessica whispered under her breathe.

“What?” Yuri asked.

“Nothing. If you may excuse me, someone’s calling me.” Jessica excused herself from the three of them and went to discuss with a staff.

“She seems different…” Joohyun commented.

“She’s grown up now.” Yunho admired her daughter.

But Yuri couldn’t help but be bothered at Jessica’s treatment towards her. Has she moved on? Has she forgotten the two of them? Jessica on the other hand thought of Yuri’s ignorance to her sudden coldness. Yuri must have thought she didn’t know of her betrayal.

~******~

“Long time no see.”

Jessica looked behind only to find the irritating owner of the voice.

“Hi Tiffany. Nice dress.” Jessica looked at her from head to toe.

“I know right? White. Don’t I look like an angel?” Tiffany showed her back to Jessica which was missing cloth. The dress showed sufficient part of her .

“On the outside.” Jessica smiled while showing her exposed cleavage to Tiffany which the other girl unfortunately don’t have. “I don’t think I invited you here though.”

“Oh no worries. Yuri invited me.” Tiffany returned the smile.

The game is on. Tiffany waited for a reaction but all she got was a nod which puzzled her to an extent. That struck a vein but Jessica was quick to hide it with a nod like it didn’t matter at all.

“Nice gallery.” Tiffany probed on. She came to the gallery for a reason and she will do anything to get that reason.

“I arranged it myself. How about you? What else do you do in your life besides ting?” Jessica took a sip on her drink.

“Oh well. Nothing much. I enjoy ting… especially on Yuri.” Tiffany smirked as she took a glass of champagne on one of the waiters.

“That must be very fun Tiffany.” But Jessica wasn’t willing to play her game anymore and looked to leave.

“Jealous?” Tiffany held her back.

“Should I? Why would I feel anything to someone who’s moved on without me?” Jessica took Tiffany’s palm from her arm.

“Moved on?” Tiffany raised a brow.

“She’s all yours. For all I care.” Jessica shrugged and left.

Now two of Tiffany’s eyebrows were raised. As she understood it, it seemed like Jessica thought she and Yuri were together. Tiffany let out an amused smile. It was too interesting for her. Looks like the game has turned up a notch.

~******~

Jessica’s mood was already ruined by the all mighty Tiffany and now her ex mother was ruining it more by following her wherever she went.

“What was your life like without us Jessica? Was it hard for you? You should have called us.” Joohyun said.

“It was hard but I managed.” Jessica said trying hard to keep her calm.

“It was very hard for us too. We tried to find you but we just couldn’t.” said Joohyun sadly.

“If you really wanted to, you could have found me. What was your money for?” Jessica was starting to throw poison she kept for years in her system.

“What do you mean? We really did everything to find you. You don’t know how much I regretted everything I’ve done to you after you left.” Joohyun was now crying.

Seeing Joohyun cry was the boiling point of Jessica. How dare she cry?

“What’s the point of all of this? It’s too late to start crying in front of me. You should have done that before I left.” Jessica spat.

“I’m sorry… I’m sorry Jessica…”

“Please stop your acting. I only invited you here because you’re with dad. For formalities sake. For the media. Might as well use your name to promote my gallery while I’m in Seoul and it did work out well. I’ll thank you for that.”

“Jessica I know you’re angry-“

“Oh I’m not angry. I’ve long accepted what has happened and I’ve moved on without you all. I don’t need you in my life other than use your name. Atleast you owe me that much.”

“What's happening here??”

Yuri came in and hugged her mom who was crying heavily.

“Oh here comes the real daughter to save the day.” Jessica said bitterly.

“What are you saying??” Yuri creased her brows not understanding the situation at all.

“The truth. Aren't you the real daughter? I'm not surprised that you survived her." Jessica pointed at Joohyun. "You're the perfect daughter." Jessica said in bitter truth.

A staff knocked in the room and called for Jessica.

"Please don’t let her get seen by people outside. I don’t want a crying woman ruin the mood of my show.”

Hurting everyone who hurt her. That’s what she’s there for.