Taeyeon has been isolating herself since that day.

 

 

She stays home all day, only talks to Wendy, and hasn’t worked for almost a week.

 

 

 

Wendy has to take care of her and handles some of the jobs Taeyeon has taken. Luckily, Seulgi and Joy make themselves available to help. She knows her dear unnie needs time to recover.

 

 

As for herself, she needs time to sort things out too.

 

 

 

She hasn’t seen Irene since that day too.

 

 

 

They only text since they are both busy.

 

 

Or sometimes they would talk on the phone and Irene would ask Wendy to sing her to sleep.

 

 

 

These two certainly miss each other but Wendy knows it’s better for her to wait.

 

 

 

Irene, on the other hand, is also troubled by her relationship with the 20-year-old Canadian.

 

 

She is meeting Jessica today for her debut stage next week, thinking maybe she could give an answer to her “condition” too.

 

 

 

 

 

-

 

 

 

 

 

Irene carefully knocks the door of Jessica’s enormous office.

 

 

“Come in.” A sweet voice calls out.

 

 

 

“Unnie.” Irene steps in and takes the seat across Jessica’s desk.

 

 

“You’re early ……… I mean early, for like …. one hour.” Jessica puts her paperwork aside and crosses her fingers.

 

 

 

She knows Irene is up to something and needs her help.

 

 

“Soulmate.” The younger girl is in her serious tone.

 

 

 

“You met one ?” Jessica is surprised that Irene might be in love. 

 

 

“I don’t know. You tell me.” Irene frowns.

 

 

 

“You know I’ve met one before. The same one used to sing me songs.” Jessica says as if it’s not about her.

 

 

“Unnie ? I thought you doesn’t wanna talk about your past love experience.” Irene doesn’t expect the ice princess suddenly puts the aim at herself.

 

 

 

“Hey, I needa help our baby here …… You’d know that is your soulmate the moment you meet them.”

 

 

“How ?” Irene pouts thinking of how she met a certain Canadian.

 

 

“Girl ~ Let me finish first.” Jessica shoots a icy deathly glare.

 

 

 

The fashion designer leans her back on her executive chair before she continues.

 

 

 

“I met Taeyeon……….”

 

 

“WHAT ?” Irene shouts as she hears the familiar name.

 

 

“What what ? Don’t you cut me off again. Yes, it’s a girl. Get over it.” Jess is annoyed ‘cause she is interrupted once again.

 

 

“No. Unnie I might like a girl too ……… TAEYEON-UNNIE IS A PHOTOGRAPHER, RIGHT ?????” Irene doesn’t care about Jess’s scary look and is shocked by the fact that the two unnies had once dated.

 

 

 

Jessica seems shocked but she soon regains her grasp.

 

 

“I haven’t heard from her since. But it seems like it is the Taeyeon I knew who has sung a song for you in that fine cafe.” 

 

 

 

Irene spots the bitter smile on the older girl’s face and knows that she has misinterpreted the facts.

 

 

“The potential soulmate of mine isn’t her. It’s her junior named Wendy.”

 

 

 

Jessica hasn’t said another word, yet her expression has at least changed for 20-ish times.

 

 

So Irene continues. 

 

 

 

“Sica-unnie. I know it’s hard to understand. Taeyeon-unnie was the photographer who worked with me for the SM promotion poster last time. Frankly speaking, I was slightly attracted to her when we first met in the cafe. But later on, I met Wendy. Our first encounter was quite embarrassing because of your cocktail dress. Still…… Also thanks to your dress, we had the chance to get to know each other.”

 

 

 

Irene pauses for a while as Jessica finally has her eyes back on her.

 

 

 

“I broke my rules for her. I took her to my dorm. I asked her to stay for the night. I shared my bed with her. I cooked her breakfast. I brought her to SM and perform on the assessment day. I went to the beach and ate fast food with her. I opened up to her. I hugged her for numerous times. I laughed and cried for her.”

 

 

“And for her………..  She sings well. She cooks well. She is warm and cheerful. She told me her secrets, her unpleasant past. She catered to me. She always sings for me. She didn’t scold me even I had bossed her around the whole day, and made her soaked with rain when we were on the beach. She cares for me more than herself. She understands my smiles and my tears. Then I realized that it was pure admiration towards Taeyeon-unnie.”

 

 

“While Wendy, is the real one, matters so much to me. I feel so close to her even we have known merely for a week. I feel like we have some kind of connection. She seems to be the one and only person I’d likely be attached to. So unnie, answer me - Is Wendy my soulmate ? Do I …….. do I l-love her ? Did you feel the same way like I do when you were with Taeyeon-unnie ?”

 

 

 

Irene also has changed her expressions a lot when she talks - from frowning, grinning, smiling, concerned, bothered, and back to frowning.

 

 

The older girl in the room notices that and voices her answer out.

 

 

 

“I can’t answer all that for you, speaking of love……….. Do you like Wendy ? A yes from me. Is she your soulmate ? Probably. Do you love her ? I don’t know. You have to find out yourself - your heart will tell you. And you can’t lie, ‘cause pain will guide you to the right answer. Unnie can only help you to such extent. And Taeyeon’s always the charming one I guess. I won’t blame you for that. How’s she ? It seems like she is doing fine.”

 

 

 

A minute passes before Irene opens .

 

 

“Her studio is doing fine. But not her, not the person. I know she could be totally two people when she’s with the others and when she’s alone. Wendy told me that she has reopened her old wound lately. It seems like I’ve just found out who did it.”

 

 

 

Jessica has something to say but the younger girl gestures her unnie to wait.

 

 

“And thank you unnie. I’ll take time to see things through.”

 

 

 

“Is it my turn to speak yet ?” Jessica calmly asks.

 

 

Irene kindly nods.

 

 

“I have to defend myself ……….. Or to tell you all the things happened between me and Taeyeon. Maybe …… just maybe you’ll get a clue from us.”

 

 

“Okay. I’ll pass the floor to you now.” Irene bites her fingers as she looks forward to the story between these 2 beautiful women.

 

 

 

“Our story begins when we were 16. We were both gifted and entered the same university the same year. We also shared similar childhood experience, similar personality. So even though we were at different faculties - I was in medicine and she was in law, we soon became very close. We understood each other so well since we didn’t like what we were doing and had done.”

 

 

“And we fell in love. Taeyeon sang me song and draw a portrait of me as my birthday surprise. She asked me if I could be her girlfriend and of course I said yes. We spent every minute together and had created many great memories. Although I have dated a few times later, Taeyeon - my first love - is still the one whom I loved the most, the deepest and the longest……”

 

 

“I know……….we both knew if there’s love, there’s pain. Slowly, we could no longer endure those pain for our love. We were drifting apart. We lived together after we graduated. She worked as a lawyer in Seoul’s biggest firm and I worked as a rookie designer under a small fashion brand.”

 

 

 

“Is this what love is?
Does it hurt, the more you do it?”

 

 

 

“I went to pursue my dream instead of keeping my feet on the solid ground. She respected my decisions but at the same time ………  I had made things harder for her. She worked her off for our house, our life. I wasn’t good with words nor expressing my feelings. As a result, we often misunderstood each other and fought for nothing. There were times we had hurt each other deep because of that.”

 

 

 

“If you don’t love someone deep enough or you don’t care for someone, you won’t even bother to start a fight with them. I’ve only understand this after I left her……… Anyway, I was supposed to love her and care for her. But again, I failed. Just because I was too busy for myself. Taeyeon’s family had already abandoned her because of me. We didn’t have much friends either. And I ……. I actually distanced her. I cared for my job, my future, my family more than her. I was soooo wrong ………. I guess we had also let each other down quite some times. I forgot I once dreamt my future was to be with her.”

 

 

 

“It was too tiresome and we were both weary by our love. So letting go might be indeed good for us both. It was a hard choice and life had made it for us. I was fired and my parents asked me to go back to the US - where my family is, where I was born and raised. There was a bigger fashion market in LA too. But I loved her and I couldn’t leave her alone again. Somehow Taeyeon got to know about my parent’s invitation and discussed with me. It was the first and last serious talk we had. She said she had done being a drag for my life and my career. She knew I had longed to be free and didn’t wish to chain me up with our love, which was supposed to be nice and delightful. She let me go.”

 

 

 

“That person who is so precious to me,
That person who won’t ever come again.
That’s it for me, that’s enough,
Just the fact that I love you………”

 

 

 

“We had loved the right person, but at a wrong timing. I left her the next morning when she was still sleeping. All I left her was a letter ……….. and wounds. It was autumn when I left her without saying goodbye. It’s about to be autumn now……….”

 

 

 

“That one person, you,
You are my only love,
My heart can’t let you go.
Just as much as I love you, 

Each minute each second hurts so much..”

 

 

 

“It’s been 4 years. I came back. Maybe it’s time to meet her again.”

 

 

Jessica narrates her story with bitterness and regrets. And she is scarily calm.

 

 

 

“Maybe your story with Taeyeon-unnie hasn’t ended yet.” Irene hopes to cheer things up.

 

 

“I could never find someone like her again. Considering how much pain I’ve caused, I am no match for her.” Jessica forces a smile.

 

 

 

“The one person who appears even when I’ve closed my eyes,
The person who’s by my side even in my dreams.
Do you even remember me?
Do you even think of me?
I miss you, please…..

 

 

“The only thing I can do is cry but,
I am waiting like a fool.
Please come to me now,
Come to me just like this………

 

 

My last wish is that one person, you.”

 

 

 

(That One Person, You - Jessica Jung)

 

 

 

 

Irene usually finds her unnie’s smile sweet and enchanting. However, this smile looks ugly and distorted. “How could you possibly know that if you don’t go to meet her again ?”

 

 

“To hurt her once more ? I rather not.” Jessica stands up from her chair and walks up to the French windows in her office.

 

 

 

“What if Taeyeon-unnie still loves you and is waiting for you ?” Irene scoots to the older girl’s side and is flushed at her negativity.

 

 

Jessica just looks at the scenery outside. Autumn leaves floating down the streets.

 

 

“Look at her. She is still hurt which means she hasn’t moved on - she still loves you. If you want your one and only soulmate back, you should fight for yourself and fight for her.”

 

 

 

“Irene, give me a minute………. Meet me at the design studio. You have your debut stage and Wendy to deal with.” Jessica weakly breaks her silence with her back facing the younger girl.

 

 

“Sorry Sica-unnie. I can’t bear to see you living in regrets ……… See you around.”

 

 

 

After Irene has the door shut, a tear escapes from Jessica’s eyes.