CHAPTER 7

Ding Dong!

"Stephanie, can you open the door?"

"Sure."


***


As what Taeyeon had said yesterday, Stephanie really did come to my apartment this morning. Much to my surprise, she came into my room and woke me up by jumping up and down on my bed. She reasoned that it was very hard to wake me up and she had no other way but to jump up and down on my bed. Couldn’t she just wake me up with a more normal way? And one more thing, how on earth she could have a duplicate key of my apartment? Damn you ert midget Taeyeon! It looked like she had been preparing for this all well planned.

Stephanie and I had our breakfast eating cereal in front of the TV. Usually Tiffany and I prefer watching morning newscast, but this morning I watched the morning cartoons that made Stephanie laugh like a little kid.

I had no idea why Taeyeon sent me this girl. She did nothing but watching TV, eating, and laughing by herself. She totally ignored me and was busy with cartoons. Even she didn’t make me breakfast as what Taeyeon had said to me yesterday.

"Are you going to keep coming here every morning like this?" I asked, looking at her just to find that she couldn’t take her eyes from the TV.

"Huh?" She replied, obviously she even didn’t hear my question.

I heard the doorbell rang. I was so lazy to move from my seat and asked Stephanie to open the door.

"Stephanie, can you open the door?" I elbowed her and finally got her attention.

"Sure," she nodded while grinning and walked toward the door happily.

“Maybe she was not useless at all, Stephanie’s presence here could be useful too,” I thought.

"UWAAA!!!"

I immediately ran towards the front door when I heard that ahjumma-like scream. I found my mother lying on the floor while Stephanie just looked at me with mouth wide open.

"What did you do to my mom?" I asked as I tried to lift my mother's body.

"I did not do anything. I swear! I opened the door for this ahjumma then suddenly she screamed and fainted. Seriously! I did not do anything! Then I didn’t know what to do because I was too shocked and then suddenly you came running here and then yell at me!"

Then it was my turn to stare at Stephanie with a puzzled look, or rather shocked. First, because I didn’t know that there was a person like her who is able to say that long paragraph without pause or even bother to take a breath. And second, because she didn’t even try to help me lift my mother.

"Whatever, just quick, help me. I don’t know that my mom is this heavy. Anyway, this is still your fault, you should just catch her so she didn’t fall on the floor like this."

Stephanie tried to open to protest, but then closed again and helped me. I lifted my mom’s upper body and held her head, while Stephanie lifted her legs.
"Seriously, I can’t believe that you still blame me after this," Stephanie said and glared at me.

***

Now we both stood side by side staring at my mother who was asleep in bed and still couldn’t be woken up.

"Jessica, what should we do now?" Tiffany asked me.

I took a deep breath and whined, "I don’t know...”

"What do you mean you don’t know?!"

"Well! It's all your fault! You must have scared her and then she fainted!"

“I told you I didn’t! Stop blaming me!”

“But still, she fainted in front of you. She’s your responsibility now.”

"What?! She's your mother! What the hell, Jessica?! You know, she fell hard enough on the floor, what if something serious happens to her?! Like concussion?!"

"Don’t be stupid! She won’t die just because of falling on the floor!"

"I didn’t say your mother died! Aish jinjja!"

We both continued to shout at each other and fortunately it woke my mother. I turned towards her when I saw her move.

"Mom, you're up! Are you okay? Do you remember me? I'm Jessica, your daughter. You didn’t lose your memory, did you? Come on, Mom. Answer my question," I kept asking while continuing to shake my mother’s shoulders.

"Yah! Jessica! How do you expect your mother to answer you if you don’t give her a chance to speak?" Stephanie hit my head from behind.

My mother seemed to react when she heard Stephanie’s voice. She looked at Stephanie who was standing behind me. I heard my mother’s breath hitched, her eyes dilated and wide open. It was like she saw a ghost.

Wait... Ghosts?

"S-sooyeon, b-behind y-you ..."

I got it, she must thought that Stephanie was a ghost. Before my mother passed out again I held her shoulders.

"Mom, please don’t pass out again. This creature behind me is not a ghost,” I tried to explain but couldn’t find the right words. "Look, she's not a ghost, I know she looks scary, but not a ghost."

“Yah!” Stephanie hit my head again from behind.

My mother looked at Stephanie and then back at me again, still with a puzzled look.

I ignored Stephanie and continued my explanation, "She's not a ghost or...or Tiffany’s spirit or something. She's human. Yeah, human. See, her feet is stepping on the floor."

"Mrs. Jung,  she’s right. I'm Stephanie, not a ghost, hehehe" she said sitting down next to me on the floor and grinned widely.

"Stephanie?" My mother finally talked.

"Yes. My name is Stephanie. Nice to meet you, Mrs. Jung," Stephanie offered her hand for handshakes. I think it wasn’t the right time to shake hands and introduce herself like this. Moreover, not with that wide grin like that after making my mom faint.

"Can’t she see that my mother is still in shock? And what’s with that grin? Tch, look at her face, no regret at all," I thought as I saw Stephanie was still waiting for the handshake still with the same smile plastered on her face.

"Nice to meet you too, Stephanie."

My attention was immediately diverted to my mother who suddenly spoke up again and now embraced Stephanie who sat next to where she lay.

"It really is nice to meet you."


 

***
 

I didn’t know that my mother was such a bipolar, or what if shewas just one of the victims of Tiffany’s killer eyesmile that she also just couldn’t escape from the sweet evil smile of Stephanie. Now they both were in the kitchen, talking and laughing together, leaving me alone sitting on the couch watching a boring TV show.

"Aish, I feel so angry right now. To my mother and to Stephanie," I said as I continued to press the button on the TV remote in annoyance. "She fainted when she saw that little devil at first, and look at them now, become very close and happy in my apartment as if there are only two of them."

I continued sulking, "And Stephanie, didn’t Taeyeon pay you to accompany me? Not to make friends with my mother and become very friendly with her."

"Hey, don’t be jealous with your mother," Stephanie suddenly whispered in my ear from behind.

I jumped out of my seat in shock, "Yah! Do you want me to die because of heart attack?"

Stephanie just giggled and sat on the couch, right next to where I was sitting earlier.

"And ... and I'm not jealous!"

Stephanie raised an eyebrow and a smiled slyly, "Really? All right, then I will go back to the kitchen to accompany your mother."

Before Stephanie really rose from the couch, I caught her wrist to stop her, "I-I... m-mean..."

I mentally slapped myself for stuttering like a total idiot. She looked at me while smiling smugly. Ugh, I felt like wiping that stupid smile off her face.
"What is it, Jessica?" She asked as she continued to tease.
"J-Just ... stay here...," I then looked into her eyes and continued softly, "...stay with me."

***

Now Stephanie, my mother and I were enjoying our lunch cooked by my mother. Stephanie sat next to me and my mom sat across me.

Actually I wanted to explain more about Stephanie to my mother. Of course, I wasn’t going to tell her the truth, that Stephanie is a stripper at a nightclub, and Taeyeon paid her to accompany me for a week. I've prepared some scenarios in my head, one of them was Stephanie is an exchange student from a university in America and I was assigned by the faculty to be her host during in Korea.

"Well, it sounds very convincing, I will tell her now," I thought as I took a deep breath.

"Sooyeon, you were very lucky to find Stephanie," my mother suddenly talked, so I decided to postpone my intention to tell the “white lie” story to her.

"Huh? Find her?"

My mother smiled warmly to Stephanie and reached out for her hand, and Stephanie replied with a big smile.

"Yes, you found Stephanie alone in the streets, and she was having amnesia. You took her home and took care of her," she told me with teary eyes.

What kind of nonsense is this?

I looked at Stephanie and she was just smiling like a fool.

My mother still continued her story, smiling proudly at me. "I don’t know that my daughter has a heart like an angel."

Found a homeless girl on the street? And took her home?

I got it, this must be just some kind of stupid scenarios made by Stephanie.

 
I glared at this dumb girl right beside me and said to myself, "Is that the only scenario that came into your mind? You're incredible, Stephanie. Truly outstanding!"

And my mother believed it. It was like the dumbest lie in the world.

"You'll have to tell me when I come back here again, Sooyeon. Maybe tomorrow or the day after. Now I have to leave," my mother rose from her seat. Then walked up to me and hugged me. "I'm very proud of you. Take care of this girl, she has experienced a very difficult thing in her life."

I hugged my mom weakly and said, "Yes, mother." I promised myself, I will kill this dumb girl once my mom left.

My mother let go of her arms around me and then hugged Stephanie, "I never met a very cheerful girl like you before, even after you experience that difficult time you are still be able to smile like this. Just live here with my daughter so that she can help you to recover your health.”

"Yes, ma'am. Thank you, I will be with Jessica, with her forever,” Stephanie leaned her head on my mom’s shoulder and smiled at me shyly.

Ugh, seriously! I really wanted to kill her right away!

"Goodbye, Ms. Jung, thank you," Stephanie bowed to my mother.

"Take care of your health, I will be here again tomorrow. See you, kids."

I looked out and saw my mother had got into the elevator. I slammed the door with a bang.

"Really, I didn’t know that you're that stupid," I said as I walked towards my room ignoring Stephanie who was still in shock because of the loud bang of the door I slammed earlier.

"I didn’t know what to say, your mother asked me about my life and where I came from. And of course I won’t tell her the truth!"

I keep walking and ignoring her.

"Hey, Jessica!”

“Jessica!”

Stephanie kept shouting my name until it made me sick and looked back.

"Can you just tell something more reasonable? Now how would I explain to her? Are you stupid?"

"At least your mother believes it and it seems like she has no problem with it. Why are you even mad and made such a fuss just because a something like this?"

I tried to cut it but Stephanie didn’t stop talking, "You also don’t need to slam that damn door like that in front of my face and stop calling me stupid, Jessica Jung!"

She was really upset, her face was all red and I could see tears in her eyes, "I'm probably just a low worker in a night club, I never had a chance to attend a college like you, but I'm not stupid! I am sorry if I have said something that doesn’t even make sense, but I'm not stupid!"

Stephanie finally stopped talking, so did I, completely silent on what had been delivered. I didn’t know that what I had said could hurt her feelings like this. She kept glaring at me, I couldn’t stand seeing those beautiful eyes glaring at me like this, I lowered my head to avoid her glare.

And then I heard her trying to muffle her sobs.

Stephanie cried. This was supposed to be my first day to spend time together with her, but I broke it, and made ​​her cry. Her beautiful blinding smile was all gone and replaced by tears. I hated myself, I didn’t like to see her cry, I just wanted to wipe the tears away from her beautiful face.

"Steph, I'm sorry," I tried to remove her hands that covered her face, but she swatted my hand away.

"I'm going home, it seems like you really hate me being here."

I couldn’t say anything when I saw her took her jacket and bag that placed on the coffee table and then she walked towards the door. It was like seeing something so precious in your life taken away from you and you just couldn’t stop it.

Before Stephanie opened the door I caught her hand, it made her stopped but didn’t bother to look at me.

"Don’t worry, I'll give your friend’s money back."

"No, Steph, please stay. I'm sorry, please. "I tightened my grip on her hand.
She just ignored me and pulled her hand harshly from my grip. She opened the door and then slammed it with a loud bang right in front of my face, just like what I did before.


 

***

"Taeyeon?"

"Hello, Jessica. What didn’t you come to Mr. Kim’s class today? Are you that excited to spend your time with Stephanie?" I could hear her laugh on the phone.

"She left, Tae."

"Huh?"

"She left me."

***

Finally, new chapter!!!

I’m sorry guys, I abandoned this fic for a long time T^T

I hope I could update this fic regularly but... /sigh/

Thanks to readers who still read this fic and wait for this update hehe :D

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