Two weeks after...

Tiffany sat beside the hospital bed where her husband Yoong is lying peacefully. After getting into an accident for his reckless driving just to reach the airport in a flying speed, Yoong got involved into a huge accident. The incident gave him two broken legs, minor head concussions, internal bleeding caused by a broken rib that pierced his lung. He had to undergo surgery as fast as possible or else his lung will be filled with blood and he will have a hard time breathing which may eventually lead to death.

Tiffany remembered crying her heart out while hearing Taeyeon screaming at the doctors to save her son's life. It was a mess and Taeyeon wouldn't calm down even after the surgery ended. She can never calm down until she see her son open his eyes.

Tiffany reached for Yoong's lifeless hand. Until now Yoong still hasn't opened his eyes. However the doctor said that he is not in a vegetable state, that his body is just in a long period of sleep. It's something like comatose. Taeyeon had repeatedly pleaded the doctors to check if there was still something wrong with Yoong. Aside from his injuries, his brain exam indicated that his brain wasn't injured or whatsover. So the doctor said rather than a negative kind of comatose, it's more of a long, deep sleep on his way to recovery.

His broken legs is a different situation though. The accident might cause him temporary paralysis on his lower body especially since the impact on his head affected the part of the brain that controls his legs. The doctor said it's something curable by therapy which somehow comforted Yoong's family.

"Good morning, Tiffany."

Tiffany turned to her right where the door is. She watch Taeyeon come in with Yul and a bag in her hands.

"I brought breakfast. You must be hungry." Taeyeon ped the bag and handed Tiffany one of the lunchboxes she prepared.

She went over Yoong and kissed his cheek. "Good morning, honey. Mom's here. You need to wake up soon, okay?"

Tiffany didn't touch her lunchbox yet. She was just staring at it, lost in her thoughts.

"Why don't you go home first Tiffany?"

Tiffany looked up and saw Yul's worried eyes directed at her. "I'm fine, orabeoni." She insisted. "I can't leave the hospital. Yoong can wake up any time and I want to be the first one he sees when he does."

Tiffany looked very exhausted. She stayed in the hospital most of the time to look after Yoong. She always talked to him because she believed that he can hear her in his sleep.

What does Tiffany say then?

She always tell him to come back to her, to forget Jessica. Tiffany has forgiven him and she can never find it within herself to hate Yoong. She's madly, desperately, deply in-love with him.

"I knew this will happen." Taeyeon shook her head, pulling a few pieces of clothes from the same bag. "I brought you some change. You've been staying here most of the time, Tiffany. You need to rest as well. Look at you. You're exhausted."

"I'm fine, unnie. I'll be fine. It's Yoong who we should worry about. He still hasn't opened his eyes." Tiffany suppressed a yawn but it didn't escape Taeyeon's eyes. She opted to just ignore it because she knew whatever she say won't make Tiffany move out of this hospital.

"You're really stubborn, just like him." Taeyeon sighed. She pulled a chair for her and Yul and sat beside her son's bed. "Yoong will open his eyes. Maybe his body is still weak. He will awake when he's ready."

Yul moved beside her and wrapped an arm over her shoulder. "You should worry about yourself. You're worst than Tiffany. You skip meals, you don't sleep, you even stopped recording songs."

"You want me to sing when my son's badly injured?" Taeyeon retorted.

"No, I'm not saying it's a bad thing but..." Yul held Taeyeon's hand. "Yoong loves it whenever you sing. Whenever you tell him you're gonna record a song he'll rush to the studio and watch you. So if he is awake he wouldn't want to know that you're lazing around." He joked, trying to liven up the mood.

Taeyeon smiled a little. She shifted a little until she's buried her face in his neck. "I understand. It's just that I'm afraid my voice won't come out. The accident keeps on replaying in my head as if it's taunting me, giving me time to think of the what ifs. And to be honest thoughts like what if Yoong didn't survive scares me to death, Yul. I can't lose my boy."

Yul tightened his embrace around Taeyeon. He didn't know how to react when he found out Yoong was involved in an accident. To make matters worst, Taeyeon told him the truth, that Jessica and Yoong had been having an affair behind his back.

At first Yul was struck with anger, he couldn't believe the fact that his son was screwing his then girlfriend Jessica. But then he realized that he was doing the same thing with Taeyeon. At the end of the day, they were committed with someone but in love with somebody else. Looking back at it, Yul cannot help but wonder just how they were managed to be played by destiny.

He was guilty that he was cheating on Jessica with Taeyeon then finds out that Jessica has  been seeing Yoong behind Yul's back way before Yul decided to start an affair with Taeyeon. It was really messy and Yul cannot help but feel bad for Jessica.

After calming down once Taeyeon has told him the truth, Yul started to look for Jessica. He finds out she quitted her job, something she has been coveting ever since entering the university, and that she has left her apartment at the care of her sister.

Jessica spent time cutting her ties here in Korea just to runaway with Yoong. It somewhat broke Yul's heart to know Jessica lost her everything and didn't even get the man she loves, Yoong.

Was she heart broken? Did Yoong's unappearance at the airport break her heart into pieces? Yul felt like indeed it would have left Jessica broken because to know that the person you chose to be with in exchange of leaving everything wasn't there for you would definitely make one feel like heaven has just fell down on you and to top it off the earth swallows you whole unto the deepness of tartarus where you wallow in sadness and pain.

Knowing Jessica, Yul thinks that she's having a hard time right now. She's heartbroken and not to mention her separation from her home country and Yoong would definitely take a toll on her health. Jessica is with child and is in a fragile state. If she's crying, weeping, skipping meals and sleep, then it would be very bad for her health and the baby.

So after the initial anger, all that was left was pity and worry for Jessica. He pitied her for going to a place all by herself without any acquiantances. She must feel lonely. Yul is also worried about the child she carries. Whether it is his son or Yoong's, what is important is that both the mother and child are in a good condition.

"Yoong!"

Taeyeon and Yul sat up and looked over Tiffany who is now grasping Yoong's hand. They watched as Yoong's free hand twitched a little. Then his eyelids started to flutter.

Taeyeon gasped, grasping Yoong's other hand as tears started pooling around her eyes. When she felt another twitch from Yoong's fingers, Taeyeon knew what she saw earlier was no imagination.

"Yoong? My son? Are you awake now?!" She asked in extreme happiness. The tears finally cascaded down her cheeks with no signs of stopping. Those tears were mixture of anxiety and gratitude. Finally her son's awake. She can finally breath in peace.

Yoong's eyelids continue to twitch until ever so slowly it fluttered open. His vision started blurry, probably after it stayed close for a long time, until he finally clearly saw the faces hovering his body. He opened his mouth in an attempt to speak but his parched throat prevented him from uttering anything.

"He's awake!" Tiffany exclaimed in outmost glee. She joined Taeyeon and let herself be taken by the overwhelming feeling of relief. Her tears flowed like a waterfall because the fact her husband is alive and finally awake made her wait worth while.

"I'll get the doctor." said Yul, rushing out the room with tearful eyes as well.

"Noo-" Yoong struggled, glancing around the room in search of the face that always appeared in his sleep. That face never left his head despite being in an unconscious state. It only haunted him and it was probably one of the reasons he woke up- to see that face again.

"N-noo-na." He continued despite the dryness of his throat. Speaking was so difficult as if his lips were glued together but Yoong didn't care. He grabbed the metal railings of the bed and tried pulling himself up.

"No, Yoong." Taeyeon pushed him back down, making him lie again, "You don't need to force yourself okay?"

"No." Yoong thwarted the attempts of the two ladies in making him lay back down. "I want-" He breaths in heavily. His lung felt like it was being pierced.

He clutched his chest, gasping for air. "N-noona."

"Yoong! Stop it! You're not yet fully recovered." Taeyeon exclaimed but her statement fell on deaf ears especially when Yoong grabbed the IV connected on his arm, pulling it out with a throaty grunt. He needed to get out of the hospital and look for Jessica. She's waiting for him at the airport.

Tiffany gasped at the sight of Yoong pulling out his drop. She wasn't able to respond that fast when Yoong forcefully tried to get out the bed.

However everything stopped when Yoong ceased moving. Taeyeon and Tiffany remained alert though in case he tried to do something stupid.

Yoong's face looked horrid. Eyes dilated, body shook, mouth gaped, heart thumped- Yoong removed his blanket to look at his legs.

"I can't feel my legs." Yoong croaked out with difficulty. His eyes shook with a tinge of unshed tears. "What's going on mom?" He looked at Taeyeon who has no idea what to say. "I CAN'T ING FEEL MY LEGS!"

Taeyeon hugged him instead, the tears resuming once again. "It's gonna be okay, Yoong."

Tiffany looked on as Taeyeon hugged Yoong in a rocking motion. Her heart broke at the sight of Yoong wailing loudly searching for his legs and his noona.

At that moment Tiffany knew everything has changed. If there was one thing she feared it's not Yoong leaving her anymore- it's the possibility of Yoong losing his smile forever.

****

Jessica debated hard. She pondered with difficulty whether to keep the baby or to just abort it.

She hates Yoong to the deepest core. She didn't realize she gave him more than enough power to leave her heart breaking into million pieces. She waited for him to call her, to explain why he didn't come. Maybe he had reasons and Jessica would have made a fool out of herself by believing whatever explanation he would have given her.

But after spending many night crying about the absence of the man she loves, Jessica realized she was never part of Yul and Yoong's lives. Yul has Taeyeon and Yoong has Tiffany. Jessica was someone who didn't have any place, she didn't even have the right to be with Yoong nor did she have the right to stay with Yul who she has cheated on.

What made it more painful is that like a projector,her memories with Yoong kept on flashing before her very eyes. It was like rubbing salt onto her wound. When that happens, Jessica found herself in tears once again.

Aside from crying, Jessica had to suffer from home sickness and loneliness. After landing at Barcelona, Jessica had to quickly check-in in a hotel. She didn't want to spend lots of money by staying in a hotel so she decided to purchase an apartment by installment payment. She also sent her resume to international schools around Barcelona. She just finished an interview yesterday and so far she liked the place already.

She liked the pay, the job specifications and the school itself. The down side was rather than English, she's gonna teach business math. It's not like she was weak with it but her specialty was English and literature. She was a decent mathematician. Her mom is a biochemist and her father is an engineer so she grew up studying numbers as well.

Jessica loved literature. She loved words in general. Yoong's great speaking is probably one of the reasons she fell in love with him. He just had his way with words and those words seeped deep inside Jessica's heart.

She always believed that words are powerful that's why she's always careful with what she say in case she hurt the feelings of others. Maybe that was the reason why she held in the thoughts she had against Tiffany.

Speaking of the devil, Jessica initially thought Tiffany prevented Yoong from going to the airport. But then again he said he was on his way to the airport. Did he stop halfway because he realized he cannot part with his family, his wife, his inheritance?

To be honest his cowardness was the only thing that made Jessica feel better. If he couldn't leave everything just to be with Jessica then he didn't deserved her at all. Jessica was prepared to abandon everything for him and if he couldn't do the same then it is right he didn't come at all.

So Jessica decided to hate him instead. She firstly had to succumb to pain and after wallowing in self-pity and her stupidity in love, she decided to get back up her feet. She is a strong woman. She thought she will die when Yoong left her but the hate was greater than the pain. She hated him for breaking her heart, for breaking his promises, for making her believe all the lies he told, for making her fall deeply in love with him, for everything.

That's why Jessica swore to herself she'll be a better woman. She will forget the most cruel man on earth- Kwon Yoong. It will be a difficult process since he's someone she deeply cared and loved but Jessica needed to move on. Will he go back to her if she cried forever? Will he kiss her again when she prayed every single night for the rest of her life? Will he hug her again if she waited until her last breath?

No.

He won't be there. Therefore it is better to move forward and forget. She imprinted on her heart to never fall in love with a man ever again.

Disrupting her thoughts was the incessant ringing of her phone. Getting up her sofa in her newly bought apartment, since she has gotten tired of staying in a hotel, Jessica walked over her dresser and picked up the call.

"Good afternoon, Miss Jung. This is Xam from the HR department of Saint Charlie University."

Jessica mentally drew the familiar face as she listened. "Ah, yes. What can I do for you?"

"The decision from the Science and Math department has arrived and I would like to congratulate you for passing the interview."

Jessica finally found her smile after days of sadness and pain. "Really?" She gasps in total surprise. "I passed?"

"Yes, Miss Jung." came a cheery reply. "The dean of Science and Math department was impressed with your background in English and mathematics. Despite English being your main competency, your math skills isn't that bad."

Jessica is glad she finally has a job to support herself, and, if ever she decided not to abort it, her child as well.

"Thank you so much!" Her smile fell when she realized she has lots of documents to take care of like her working visa, and other documents that will legalized her stay here in Barcelona. "What about my documents? I just applied and it will take at least a week."

"Don't worry Miss Jung. We can give you an extension until next week. We trust you and your professional record. Anyway, Dean Rivera would like you to report as soon as possible."

Jessica was in for another surprise. "Really? Even though I haven't completed my documents?"

"Yes. Their department is in urgent need of a new professor. The recession resulted to some under performing teachers to be dismissed. Dean Rivera was impressed with your record so she decided to hire you immediately."

Jessica smiled in glee after finding out that there is someone who appreciate her capabilities. "Thank you! I really wanted to be part of your university."

"Congratulations. By the way, since we are just waiting for your documents, it is best if you go have a medical exam. You said you're pregnant right? We just wanted a clearance to work from the doctor."

"I see. Then I'll go to a hospital now."

"If you want me to, I can recommend you a hospital and a doctor."

Jessica grabbed a note and a pen and scribbled the details Xam told her. Xam even kindly instructed her the route and what trasportation to take since Jessica doesn't know anything about the place yet.

After the conversation with Xam, Jessica hastily prepared herself to go out. She stopped in front of the mirror that was located by the doorway. Clutching her stomach, another thought worth pondering came into mind. Her child- should she abort it?

When Yoong vowed to be beside her when he found out she's pregnant, Jessica had the confidence to bear this child. But with Yoong now gone and with Jessica alone in this foreign land, she doesn't know if she still has the confidence to keep this unborn child. She was scared. She depended on Yoong so much that even if she has decided to move on, it'll be a difficult task standing in her own two feet without him.

Erasing him off her thoughts, Jessica quickly moved out her apartment. She didn't want to be caught in the dark especially since she barely knew anything about this neighborhood alone.

****

"Tiffany... You need to eat." Taeyeon reminded her daughter-in-law who hasn't eaten the food Taeyeon bought for her. "Remember, there's another life inside your womb."

"Yoong is devastated, unnie." Tiffany said with a shaky voice. "First he finds out Jessica unnie left and now he finds out his lower body is paralyzed." Taking a deep breath, Tiffany buried her face unto her hands. "I can't bear to see him like this unnie. He hasn't spoken for three days unnie."

Taeyeon sat next to Tiffany. They were both outside the waiting area of Doctor Kang, an orthopedic who has the latest result regarding Yoong's broken legs.

Yul went downstairs to get the two ladies something to eat because ever since Yoong's devastated cry, he never spoke and ate. He was just staring somewhere with his hollowed gaze void of any emotion.

"Miss Taeyeon, Miss Tiffany, Doctor Kang is now ready to see you." said the nurse that served as his secretary. She led them into his office before handing him a folder then took her leave.

"Good morning." Doctor Kang greeted. He gestured the ladies to take a seat. "I ask a neurologist friend to review Yoong's brain scan." He waved the folder the nurse just gave him. Pulling out the contents, he handed them to Taeyeon and Tiffany to see.

"As you can see there was minimal damage to the brain. The impact however somewhat affected the part that controls his lower body. Like what I told you last time, this is curable by theraphy." But then Doctor Kang's face fell, shaking his head disapprovingly. "But with Yoong's current condition, I don't think he can recover when all he do is lock himself away from us."

"What do you mean doc?" Tiffany prodded carefully, half-worried and half-desperate.

"Have you heard of the pygmallion effect? The greater you expect, the greater the reward. For Yoong, what he's doing is the opposite. He think negatively, he doesn't respond whenever I talk him into taking theraphy. He think of the worst things and he expect nothing good. It will only worsen his situation if he has that mindset."

"What do you want us to do?" Taeyeon asked hopelessly. "Yoong won't talk, he won't eat and he's distancing himself from us!"

"We need to motivate him." He explained. "I asked a psychologist and he recommended we use exactly the pygmallion effect."

"How?" Taeyeon repeated in exasperation. She just wanted to see her son get better.

"What will be the thing he most want to have at this very moment?" He inquired rhetorically.

Tiffany and Taeyeon exchanged gazes, knowing perfectly well what that thing is or rather who that person is.

"Perhaps he want to be walking or standing by the time Tiffany-ssi has given birth to his first child." The doctor continued with a smile, completely oblivious of the frown that has replaced the features of the two women. "Maybe a motivation like that will work."

"I don't think that will work." Tiffany sighed sadly. Staring at her mother-in-law's eyes she decided of one thing she's sure can help Yoong. "But I know something that will work. Yoong would love to see it again."

Taeyeon reached for Tiffany's hand, understanding what she was implying.