She was sitting at the edge of the seawall by the beach while Jessica was lying on her laps. By the time they finished diving and got back on shore, they were just in time for the sunset. 



‘’Isn’t the sunset stunning?’’



She looked down to the girl on her laps. ‘’I have seen something even more beautiful and her name is Jessica.’’



Jessica giggled and pulled her down by her collar, pecking her on her lips. She felt that her world was almost complete, just one more step and that’s it. An official confession would be the perfect plan.



‘’Baby, I have something to tell you.’’



‘’Yes sweetie?’’



‘’I-‘’



‘’Sica Unnie!’’



The couple turned to the source of the voice, only to find Yoona standing at the end of the seawall. Jessica sat up with a stiff expression.



‘’Come over here Unnie.’’ The younger girl gave a scheming smile. 



After much hesitation, the brown haired girl picked herself up and walked towards the girl while Yuri was somewhat stuck in her position. Being a few steps away, Yoona grabbed her and pressed a knife on the neck. Jessica’s chest tightened and her breath shortened. So this was it, the day had finally came.



‘’Sica!’’ 



‘’I thought I was the one you loved, Yuri Unnie! What happened?!’’



‘’Yoona…’’ Yuri called out weakly and wobbled in fear. 



‘’If it wasn’t for her we would have been together now!’’ The younger girl pushed the knife closer to the neck. 



‘’No! Drop the knife! Let go of Sica please… She’s innocent!’’



‘’If I make you choose again, will you still go to her?’’



Jessica swallowed hard and felt the blade across . She bit her lips and looked at Yuri, anticipating for an answer just like how Yoona was. 



‘’Please Yoong, why are you putting me in such a difficult spot? Let Sica go, we can talk things through right? You are my best dongseng, my favourite little junior. Don’t ruin this relationship…’’



The younger one simpered. 



‘’So I’m merely a dongseng to you? Your favourite junior? You heard that Jessica Jung Soo Yeon?! She picked you again! Directly or indirectly, it’s always you! You are our third party! You snatched Yuri Unnie away from me! Why are you doing this to me?!’’



‘’Yoona! Wait Yoona! Don’t!’’ Yuri begged.



‘’It’s too late! Everything is too late!’’ Yoona raised the weapon and stabbed Jessica in her body instead of slashing her across the throat. She was not going to let the third party off so easily. She planned a slow death for her. Love unleashed her dark side. 



The blood dripped slowly as the girl fell onto the ground with her eyes fixed on Yuri. 



‘’NO! JESSICA!’’



She rushed towards the girl that she had barely confessed to but like Yoona said, it was too late. Those pair of beautiful eyes was almost closing and Jessica gathered all her remaining energy to squeak out her last words.



‘’I… Love you.’’ 



The breathing stopped and the hand slid off to the side. The tanned girl hugged the body closed to her, leaving absolute no gaps in between while she dissolved in tears. Yoona let out a loud laugh despite the fact that she had a tear strained face.



‘’Even when she’s dead, you would still go to her… Jessica Jung! If I don’t get her, neither would you!’’ She sobbed. ‘’Kwon Yuri, how else am I supposed to do before you would ever spare a moment of your life looking at me, paying attention to me? I love you too! I ought to be the one you choose but why?! Why did you change?’’



She used the knife that had Jessica’s blood on to stab herself in the chest. She spit blood out and laughed insanely. She dropped on her knees and stared at Yuri’s back. Her tears blurred her vision before she fully lay back on her back, leaving the world.



Yuri tightened her grip on the one she failed to protect, still not bothering to give the murderer a single glance. Her tears mixed with blood and dyed her shirt into a fresh red colour. The fishy smell of the red liquid was overwhelming. 



Unexplainably, Jessica’s body was vanishing into thin air, abandoning Yuri alone behind crying her heart out. 



‘’I love you Jessica! I love you too! Jessica!’’



***



‘’Yoona…’’



Jessica looked up at the girl sleeping beside her. She had been muttering Yoona’s name for quite some time already. Beads of cold sweat were forming on her forehead while she encircled her hold around the petite body.



‘’Yuri ah…’’



Thinking that Yuri had mistaken her as Yoona without a hint of letting go, Jessica was hurt. The calling stopped after a few moments and tears fell from the corner of those eyes. The tanned girl sobbed badly although she was sleeping soundly. She waited until the sobbing subsided before peeling off those arms around her. 



‘’Did you kiss me, thinking that I was Yoona…?’’



She touched those wet cheek and brushed her thumb across. Not wanting to wake the girl up, she pecked her lightly on the sharp nose and took her phone to the balcony without shifting too much while getting off the bed. The balcony had strangely become her favourite place in Yuri’s house, but it was weird to be on the swing with no companies, thus she chose to lean against the window instead.



There were scratches on her phone because of struggling earlier on and she wiped her screen with her sleeve, realizing that she had numerous amounts of miss calls, messages and voicemails. 



[INBOX]



From: SOOJUNGIE <3
To: SOOYEONIE <3
5:32PM



‘’SOOYEONIE, why aren’t you picking up your phone? Busy staring at Yuri Unnie? ^^ JungSoo Oppa asked me where you were so I told him. I think he is going to look for you. Oh by the way, Sulli is at our house!’’



Jessica flinched at the mention of JungSoo and hurried deleted that particular message. She went to her contacts and deleted the name off the column too. The wound was still fresh and there was no way for her to ever forgive him. She went on checking her messages after regaining her composure. 



From: SOOJUNGIE <3
To: SOOYEONIE <3



‘’Unnie, can Sulli stay over?’’



From: Tiff
To: Jessie
6:35PM



‘’Jessie, Yuri’s looking for you. Text or call her. She sounded worried. Call me too.’’



She smiled upon this text from her best friend, recapitulating the rescue but it didn’t last long. She checked on her voicemails instead and found nine unheard ones.



‘’You have nine new voicemails from 02122xxxx43. Press 1 to listen, press 2 to repeat this message, press 3 to exit after the beep.’’



*BEEP*



She punched in number 1.



[VOICEMAIL]



6:02PM
First Voicemail



‘’Hey, have you left?’’



6:15PM
Second Voicemail



‘’Sica, call me when you hear this.’’



6:17PM
Third Voicemail



‘’Sica, where are you?’’



6:20PM
Forth Voicemail



‘’Yah, did something happen to you? Call me immediately as soon as you hear this!’’



6:22PM 
Fifth Voicemail



‘’It’s getting really dark and cold here. Where exactly are you?’’



6:25PM
Sixth Voicemail



‘’Are you playing hide and seek with me? If this is a game, then I quit. I admit to my defeat okay? Just appear…’’



She could clearly hear that anxiousness behind every voicemails she had listened to so far and could no longer control her emotions but to tear. 



6:29PM
Seventh Voicemail



‘’I can’t take this anymore. Do you have any idea how worried I am for you? Please Sica, call me or text me when you hear this.’’



6:35PM
Eighth Voicemail



‘’Sica, tell me where you are… Would you please come back? My heart is almost stopping, come back to me please. Call me or text me. Just contact me, let me know that you are safe.’’



Biting on her index finger to deter any tears from spilling, she could feel her bone but she chose to ignore it.



8:37PM
Ninth Voicemail



‘’Emm… Hello Sica. You are actually bathing in my apartment right now and it sure feels peculiar for me to do this voicemail but there is something that I wanted to tell you, yet afraid of doing it face to face. Firstly, I’m very very grateful for the fact that I had found you and that you were safe. You must be traumatized right? But don’t worry because it’s okay now. I’m here for you. I will always be here for you, you know? Also, I meant every single word I said just now up in the woods. You are very important to me so please, never ever leave me again like today. I had never… Felt so lost before. I would really want to keep you by my side forever, not letting anyone hurt you. You know, I will do anything and everything just to keep you protected, because you are my Jessica. Hmm… I think you are coming out soon anytime now so I should go. I hope you will like the scramble eggs. From your babo Yuri.’’



Jessica was not capable of holding in the lump in after the last voicemail. She listened to it repeatedly as she held on the ledge of the window for support. She was absolutely touched, but her heart ached too. Yuri was a babo indeed. But Jessica was a greater one. 



How could she ever not fall for such a sweet girl that was always willing to go an extra mile just to make sure the smile on her face would never fade? How could she ever not feel a single thing after Yuri had done so much for her, going to an unknown extend of protecting her? How could she ever not be touched when the amount of time spent on her was more than the time spent for Yoona? 



But sadly, she had to convince herself in bringing the two girls together, for that was the reason why they first met even if Yuri called her, ‘’my Jessica’’.



***



‘’JESSICA!’’



Yuri bolted up from her bed and her top was drenched from her perspiration. She rushed to the comfort room and splashed cold running water to freshen up. She changed her top to a new dry one and her heart sank when she realized that the other girl was no longer on the bed ever since she woke up. With fear and trepidation, she took baby steps out of her room, exploding the house as though she was at a complete strange environment. 



Once her sight focused on the trembling girl standing at her balcony, a smile crept onto her face. Steadily, she moved forward and glided her hands from the back to the tiny waist. Jessica was startled when she first felt those hands wrapping around her but calmed down after seeing the tanned girl.



‘’Why are you up at this hour?’’ Yuri whispered into her ear.



Those tinkling feelings that were running down her spine from the hot breath made her snuggled closer, placing her hands over the other pair. ‘’Just wanted some cold air to clear my mind. You?’’



‘’I had a nightmare, and I couldn’t find you when I came around…’’



‘’Nightmare? That explains…’’ Jessica mumbled soft enough for the latter to not hear anything. She intertwined their hands and brought the palm up, gently pressing her lips against it. 



‘’Let’s go watch the sunset someday, shall we?’’



‘’Why the sunset?’’ 



‘’I just want to watch it with you. Please?’’



Jessica held onto those hands and turned around to hug Yuri from the front. ‘’I will do anything with you.’’



‘’Thanks baby. Let’s get back in before you catch a cold.’’ Yuri pecked her on her ear and grinned. 



***



Yoona had been tossing and turning in her bed ever since she finished bathing after Seohyun sent her home. She was originally extremely beat, but she had a hard time sleeping now.



‘’No, I don’t hate you.’’



The sentence had been resounding through her mind like a broken recorder. She picked up her house phone and dialled a number to someone she suddenly yearned for. 



‘’Hello?’’



‘’Hi Seohyun, did I wake you up?’’



‘’I wasn’t sleeping. Why are you still up at this hour? It’s almost four now.’’



Yoona’s tensed body relaxed at once when she heard that cold but smoothing voice. 



‘’I have no idea either. I just can’t fall asleep. What about you?’’



‘’I’m at the hospital, looking through some important documents. Drink some warm milk, it helps.’’



‘’I’m too comfortable under my cover and I don’t want to get up to make any…’’ She whined. 



‘’So are you calling to ask me to heat up some for you?’’ Seohyun teased. She didn’t expect to receive calls from Yoona expecially at such timing. It was a call that came just in time since all the documents were getting on her nerves and she needed to take a break. 



‘’I just felt like calling. Am I disturbing you?’’ 



Seohyun strolled slowly to the nearest coffee machine and threw in a few coins, pushing a few buttons to get her instant coffee ready. The cup dropped from within and the smell of the drink made her felt slightly better. 



‘’Nope, I’m just getting some coffee. I still have tons of files to look through. I guess that means no sleep for me tonight and is that a good news for you since you would have someone to accompany you?’’



Yoona frowned and a minor anger was erupting. 



‘’I would rather I have nobody to talk to than having you to have no sleep at all. It’s bad for health you know? You could get sick like this! What’s so important that you have to finish by tonight?’’



Seohyun smiled while she took a sip from her coffee. She pictured a pouting Yoona lying on the bed under her blanket and frowning as she made her comment. Her concern was even warmer than the freshly brewed drink. 



‘’Bills, Vic Unnie’s condition updates, administration paper works and more upcoming projects for our photo shoots. You talked about health but you too are awake isn’t? Contradicting your own words huh?’’ 



‘’Yah! It’s different okay? At least my mind is relaxed at this moment unlike yours. All your brain cells would be killed at this rate. You will become a retard! Don’t make me worry for you.’’



After throwing away the empty cup, Seohyun made her way back to her sister’s ward, settling comfortably on the sofa filled by all the paper work that she was supposed to look through. 



‘’It feels good to have someone to worry for me… Thank you Yoona yah.’’



She heard the older girl giggled and she gave no replies. She was about to speak again when she realized that Yoona was most probably asleep due to the pin dropped silent that was enough to let her hear the soft breathing from the other side of the phone. 



She cushioned her cell phone between her ear and the sofa before closing her eyes to rest too. 



‘’Yoona…’’ She spoke intangibly. ‘’I really like you…’’



***



Tiffany’s POV:



I awoke to the bright Sunday sun shining into my room through the translucent baby pink curtains. I let out a yawn and stretched my body. Totoro, who was originally sitting on the side of the bed, fell onto the ground. The delightful singing rang through the whole apartment from the kitchen. I looked out of the window and the tip of my mouth went curling up.



‘’Thank you Father, for such a warm morning and my most beloved Kim Taeyeon.’’



I picked up Totoro and placed it back on the bed, grabbing some clothes to change and went to freshen up. The mouth-watering smell of whatever Taetae was cooking made my tummy grumbled and protested. 



It was such a lovely morning and it was definitely the best way to start my day. Half skipping and walking, I entered the kitchen. Taetae welcomed me with a bright grin and brewed me a cup of latte. 



‘’Good morning Fany.’’



‘’Good morning Tae! It’s such a great day isn’t? What should we do today?’’ My eyes curved into crescents.



She was busily packing boxes of food into our pink picnic basket which we haven’t gotten any chances to use yet. 



‘’I’m bringing my love out for a picnic.’’ She leaned in and pressed her lips against mine. Never had she ever once failed in making my heart flatter so bad even after being together for so many years. 



‘’A picnic sounds perfect, like you.’’



She laughed and continued to do a little of this and that before we left for the mysterious venue that Taetae refused to tell me. I enjoyed the morning air with my pink shades on through the sunroof as she drove, and soon enough, the surrounding was getting more and more familiar. 



‘’Honey, didn’t we just come here yesterday or somewhere similar?’’ I asked as she took the basket out from the back seat.



‘’We came here for the photo shoot yesterday remember? I walked around before the girls arrived and saw this place which I like a lot. I wanted to show you, and I’m sure you would like it too.’’



I offered to carry the basket and the floor mat for her but she rejected, only allowing me to take her hand. On our way up the flock of stairs, I would see many families having fun together. The sight was lovely and the children were cute.



‘’Look Fany, we are here.’’



I brought my sight back to where we were and the scene was breath-taking. Trees were bloomed fully with pink flowers, and there was a lake too. Amber leaves were all over the ground, forming an ocean of reddish-orange. Taetae picked a shady spot and we settled down in no time. 



‘’The water is crystal clear Tae… Those flowers… I hope they will never wilt. This place is heavenly.’’



‘’And I’m with my angel.’’ She out her arms around me while we admired the nature beauty. The running water made me felt so relaxed. It was great to be able to find such a place in Seoul, to break away from the fast pace city life. 



It wasn’t until my stomach made noises before we both realized that we haven’t eaten any food since morning. Taetae started to unpack the food she cooked and of course, it was awesome. We joked and fed each other spoons of Kimchi fried rice, totally indulged in our moment. Children played around our area and it reminded me of little Krystal when she was just a toddler back in America. 



‘’These kids are so cute, just like Krystal when she was younger.’’



‘’Fany ah?’’



‘’Yes Taeng?’’ I turned my head to look up at her as I laid in her embrace.



‘’You seem to like kids so much nowadays as compared to the time when I first knew you.’’



I shrugged my shoulders. ‘’Maybe it was after the baby sitting session for Hyoyeon’s nephew. Kyungsan was such an adorable baby, but he gave me so much troubles. Still, I think my resentment towards babies had vanished. They make life hopeful and completed.’’



‘’Do you want kids?’’



‘’Adopting sounds good, and I thought about it before. But I’m not certain if I want to do it now since I still have-‘’



‘’No Fany, I mean, your own kids.’’



‘’Like me being pregnant for nine months and give birth after that?’’



She nodded.



‘’Well… Never considered. How are we going to get pregnant anyways?’’ I laughed at her idea.



Taetae remained silent and shifted her gaze towards the far, rocking me gently. I held onto her hands.



‘’Is there anything that you want to say?’’



‘’Should we try for a baby? Find a donor and have kids.’’



I sat up and stared at her but she avoided having eye contacts. I cupped her cheeks and made her look into my eyes. 



‘’What are you trying to suggest?’’



‘’Fany ah, I’m saying this because I found out that the way you looked at children, it was very different. Like you said, having kids will complete a life. I don’t want you to feel like you lack something in your life.’’



‘’Silly! I was speaking from the point of views of others, not me! I don’t want to have any kids if I have to fill in someone else’s name along with mine in my child’s birth certificate. Only Kim Taeyeon goes with Tiffany Hwang, you get it? We have Totoro. He will be our child.’’ 



She closed the gap between our faces and kissed me. I could feel her smiling and it made me beamed too.



‘’Have I ever mentioned how much you meant to me and how thankful I am for you?’’ Taetae grinned.



She reached out for the last box that was in the basket and made me open it. It contained two Totoro cupcakes, just like the exact soft toy that she gave me for Christmas! The icing was greyish white and the wordings on the stomach made me tear.



‘’For my prettiest angel, my beautiful girlfriend Tiffany.’’ She read it aloud. ‘’Taste it and tell me how is it.’’



I sliced off the corner of the cake and took a bite. It had a lava chocolate filling with tiny bits of berries, the sourness and sweetness bland so well.



‘’This is awesome! Is this a new flavour? You can totally add this to your menu! It’s so delicious! The combination of the ingredients was flawless!’’



‘’No, Fany. This is only for you. I will never put it on sale or bake it for anyone else because I only want to delicate this to you. The sourness and sweetness represent all the hardships and happy times we shared. It was great because we braved through everything hands in hands and made it till today. This, is the TaeNy flavour cake.’’ 



What else could I have said other than agree to her words? The TaeNy flavour that only belonged to the both of us, only we would taste the deeper seasonings behind the recipe.



Our love.