“Before you embark on your journey for revenge, dig two graves.” -Confucius

Jiyong panted hard as he awaited for the elevator to arrive at his floor, a hand wiping the sweat off his forehead, having just returned from a gruelling morning run around the neighborhood. As punishing as the entire workout routine had been, the bout of fresh morning air and the view of the rising sun had been rather invigorating, even as the stitch at his side reminded him of how long it had been since he had last did something of this nature.

With a resounding ping, the elevator signal the arrival of its destination. Jiyong had just stepped out of the metal box when he caught a brief flash of a red top, brown wavy locks and the closing of the door at the other end of the long corridor. Seems like his new neighbor was awake and had just taken her milk delivery.

He had seen the movers arrived close to a week and a half back, but he had yet to see his new neighbor for himself. If it weren’t for the fact that he caught a glimpse earlier, he didn’t even know that his new neighbor was a she. Jiyong shrugged, wondering if she was a recluse. He would miss the elderly Mrs Ahm who had since migrated to Australia to be with her newborn granddaughter a month odd back. Mrs Ahm was a lovely woman in her late fifties who tend to mind her own business in general but was caring enough to bother to send over home cooked dumplings and side dishes to the bachelor living down the corridor.

Slurping the milk that he had picked up from his doorstep on his way in, Jiyong tossed his sweat soaked shirt into the laundry basket, sweat glistening on his toned body as he prepared for his hot shower. It had been close to two weeks since Youngbae had sent him back home from the office that night, having the former insisting the latter to take a breather from work. And as healing as the break had been, Jiyong was more than ready to return to the office to relieve his best friend of his interim duties. Life needs to go on after all.

The chilly wind blew across the deserted cemetery, ruffling the purple rice paper of the bouquet of lilies that were currently resting against the dark marble gravestones.

With a final deep bow, Yoona knelt before her parents’ grave, the touch of the marble cool to her fingertips.

“I’m finally home Appa, Umma… I’m sorry it took this long.” whispered Yoona as she tenderly caressed the photos of her smiling parents that she treasured so. She had tried to put off this visit for as long as possible, not having the courage to face her parents. Tears brimmed Yoona’s eyes as she said her apologies, as she recounted where she had been for the past years and the true reason why she was even back to begin with.

“You guys must be so disappointed in me at the moment.” said Yoona shamefully, “You’ve always raised me to be kind, to be someone of integrity, yet here I am, plotting my vengeance against others, to rob them of everything that matters to them most.”

“I’m sorry.” she whispered, “I’m so sorry for doing this but…” Yoona sniffled, “I promise to take every scolding and beating from you wholeheartedly the next time we meet in the afterlife. Till the next time Amma, Umma. I don’t know when I’ll be able to visit again so please take care and be at peace.”

With one last bow, Yoona rose from where she knelt, there was one more person she had to pay her respects to.

Placing the bouquet of chrysanthemums before the dove grey gravestone that was located a little further down from her parents’, a sad smile tugged Yoona’s lips, knowing that it had be Sooyoung’s doing that she was to rest so close to her beloved parents. What Yoona did to deserve such a brilliant friend, the girl never knew.

There, in this grave, laid a body that bore her name, and as surreal as it is for the brunette to have her own name and face staring back from a gravestone, Yoona felt a pang of sorrow and regret for the person who hadn’t had a chance to rest rightfully in her own name.

In all honesty, Yoona could barely remember the stranger’s face from seven years ago, only the miscellaneous details of their fleeting encounter, that the girl was an orphan too but one whom lived on the streets alone. Yoona recalled bumping into the girl quite literally so on her way to the cliff all those years ago, and looking back, Yoona supposed they could pass off as twins from a distance away. They both shared pale complexions along with a similar body frame. The girl had identical straight ebony hair as well she recalled, and it was no wonder that they had all mistaken the girl for her.

Yoona hadn’t known that they thought her to be actually dead, presuming they thought her to be lost at sea instead of having an actual body to certify her supposed death. Seunghyun had been the one to uncover this bit of information for her when the man was curious as to what happened to ‘Im Yoona’ in Korea after she had informed him of her plans to return.

A blessing and a curse.

Yoona rubbed her left wrist unconsciously, as though she still felt the weight of the bracelet she had long given away personally over half a decade ago. The gift had been a reckless bout of impulsivity on the then twenty year old Yoona’s part, a last charitable act of sort.

As a fellow orphan herself, she could understand the other girl’s need for money, the small rattan basket and the worn fishing net was a clear indicator enough of the girl’s financial condition. And so Yoona did what she thought best then. She hadn’t expected herself to live for another day and it would be a waste for the expensive bracelet to rot alongside her in the sea when she could use it to help the girl, even if it were to only fetch a small sum. The awe and gratitude the stranger had on her face was indescribable and oh, bless her, she even repeat