OST: NOEL - 그리워 그리워 (I Miss You I Miss You)

Jessica stood outside that bar. It was way too familiar. Three years. Three years had just gone by like that in a flash. A small, sad smile appeared on her face. Suddenly, her chest felt congested, and she took in a deep breath before she let it out slowly. She wasn’t exactly sure if it was congestion she was feeling, or something that was tugging at her heartstrings. Biting her lower lip, she finally took the step to enter the bar.

The interior of the bar hadn’t changed much, but it wasn’t so familiar to Jessica any more. She looked towards the counter, Yoona wasn’t there, and then she looked towards the crowd, the usual faces of the boys weren’t there as well. All of a sudden, she felt an unknown kind of sadness. It was really sad, how much things could change in just three years. She tried to keep those emotions in, and she made her way to the counter where she found a seat.

“Hi, can I get a strawberry berryoska?” Jessica asked the not-so-familiar bartender.

“Sure,” replied the friendly young man.

Jessica was about to return a smile, when someone beside her turned to look at her. Naturally, she turned her head a little in response.

She almost couldn’t believe her eyes as her eyes widened. Kim Taeyeon. Taeyeon stared right back with an equally shocked expression. Both girls couldn’t react as they stayed in the exact same position, staring at each other with their mouths agape.

“Ki…Kitty…” Taeyeon called out shakily. Tears found their way to Jessica’s eyes almost immediately upon hearing that voice.

“Taeyeon ah I—”

“Babe.” Before Jessica could complete her words, a low, husky voice sounded behind Jessica as a hand s itself across her lower back, gently clasping her waist.

Jessica’s eyes flashed panic, barely looking at the owner of the voice from the corner of her eyes before she turned back to look at Taeyeon. It was out of instinct, that Taeyeon’s eyes landed on Jessica’s ring finger, where she spotted a dazzling diamond ring, and then those eyes travelled to the ring finger of the man, where she spotted a seemingly matching ring. Was Jessica…married? She clenched her jaw as she stared at Jessica again, hoping Jessica would give her an answer.

It was the look in Jessica’s eyes. She could almost hear the ‘I’m sorry’ in those eyes. Taeyeon swallowed her saliva, hoping to keep the tears in for as long as she could.

The man furrowed his eyebrows as he looked at Jessica, then Taeyeon, and then back to Jessica again, before he asked, “Is something wrong?”

Jessica opened to say something, but Taeyeon beat her to it. “I…have something to attend to. So I’m…gonna…yeah. Bye.” Taeyeon tried to smile as she stood up, and the man smiled back, but Jessica didn’t do the same. As Taeyeon made her way past them and out of the bar, Jessica merely stared at the spot that Taeyeon was at just moments ago.

“Babe you okay? Did something happen?” The man held Jessica’s shoulder, his eyes flashing protectiveness.

“I-I’m fine…” Jessica lied blatantly. “I’m fine, Taecyeon ah…”

***

Taeyeon sank onto her couch, her face unable to hide how broken she was right at that moment. She closed her eyes, and all of a sudden, she started sobbing as all the pent up emotions from before were released. Her body shook uncontrollably. She couldn’t stop crying.

***

It was two in the morning, but Jessica was wide awake. She couldn’t stop thinking about the expression on Taeyeon’s face earlier on. She closed her eyes as she let out a deep sigh.

Taecyeon stirred in his sleep, and then he groggily reached out for the switch before he the bedside lamp. With his eyes half closed, he turned towards Jessica. “You…okay Jess…?” He asked sleepily.

“Did I wake you…?” Jessica looked back at Taecyeon apologetically. “Sorry… Go back to sleep. Goodnight.” She tried to smile as she gently brushed her thumb across Taecyeon’s cheek. However, Taecyeon didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, he slowly sat up before he pushed himself backwards to lean against the headboard while Jessica looked at him with confused eyes.

Taecyeon sighed, and then he looked back at Jessica. “Is this about the girl earlier on?” Jessica found herself looking down instead, not knowing how to reply. “I’m right, huh?”

“Taec let’s just…sleep,” Jessica ended up saying.

“No. Get up.” Taecyeon wouldn’t give up. “Come on Jess get up.” When Jessica wouldn’t budge, Taecyeon tried to pull her up by her arm instead, and she had no choice but to succumb. “Tell me, are you okay?”

Jessica looked into her husband’s eyes, and she realised that there was no point in lying any more, or hiding. She shook her head. “No… I’m not okay at all…”

“It’s about that girl?” Taecyeon asked for the second time, and this time, Jessica nodded. Understanding showing in his eyes, he opened his arms, and Jessica burst out in tears as she found comfort in those arms yet again. “It’s okay… Everything’s okay…”

It took a good ten minutes before Jessica finally stopped crying. There was a warm smile on Taecyeon’s face as he looked at the girl before him. “You’re so silly…” He caressed her hair and then he climbed out of bed, leaving the room. He returned shortly with a glass of water for Jessica, and once again, Jessica felt that she was undeserving of Taecyeon’s concern.

When Jessica was done drinking, Taecyeon took the glass from her, setting it down on the table before he climbed back into bed.

“Feeling better?” Taecyeon looked at Jessica gently, who nodded back in response. “So… That girl. She was…Taeyeon, right?”

Once again, Jessica nodded. “I’m sorry…” She apologised all of a sudden.

Taecyeon only frowned at her apology. “What? Why are you even sorry?”

“I shouldn’t… I shouldn’t be acting like this. We’re married and I’m still… I’m sorry…” Guilt was obvious in Jessica’s voice.

“Hey hey hey listen to me.” Taecyeon gently squeezed her shoulder. “Yeah we’re married, but so what? I care more about how you feel, than this…marriage, okay? You’re my wife…because they say you are. And hell, I’m alone anyway. So… You’re my wife when I need to take care of you. And honestly, I don’t mind a single bit. But…” Jessica could hear how serious he was. “But if there’s someone whom you love and you’re…so in pain because of that… Then you’re just Jessica Jung in my eyes, not my wife. I just need you to know that, okay?”

“No… That’s just unfair to—”

“What’s unfair? We never dated to begin with. I wouldn’t say that I was forced into the marriage because…well, I agreed to it. But…feelings weren’t involved or whatever so…you don’t have to feel like you’re being unfair to me. I mean, I was being completely honest when I said that I care more about how you feel. Jess, even if we didn’t get married because we were in love or something, these years weren’t just nothing to me. You mean something to me, and I’d probably love to see you smile more than anyone else in this world.”

“I don’t… I don’t deserve you. Taec I really don’t deserve a single bit of you…”

Taecyeon only smiled as he slightly shook his head. “Jess… Do you even know how great you are?”

“I’m not. Trust me I’m not.”

“You don’t get to determine your worth in my eyes, Jess. I do. And if someone manages to steal the heart of my Jessica… He— I mean…” A flustered expression was shown on Taecyeon’s face upon his mistake and Jessica couldn’t help but to laugh, making Taecyeon laugh in the process. “Sorry about that… Haha… I mean, she’s probably something.”

 “Your Jessica, huh?” Jessica teased.

“Yup. You’re mine. Until you find someone else, that is.” Taecyeon grinned.

Jessica’s smile stayed on her face this time, and it brought relief to Taecyeon. He just really hated to see Jessica unhappy. Slowly, Taecyeon’s grin faded while he looked straight into Jessica’s eyes.

“Jess.” Taecyeon’s low voice had Jessica’s complete attention, as the girl gazed into his eyes with the same intensity. “Go look for her.”

[A/N] 14/11/2014

Finally, Love Assumed is up as scheduled again. I know that perhaps more than a bunch of you might be unhappy about me introducing Taecyeon into the story, and what's worse, as Jessica's husband instead of just a boyfriend. But, should any one of you actually dislike Taecyeon, do know that Taecyeon is a really good man in this story, perhaps a one-in-a-million kind of guy. Still, let me know what you think!

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