"So what's your relationship with Jessica now?" Yuri asked as the both of them sat behind the counter in Yoris. It was the evening of a Saturday and Taeyeon just ended the rehearsal for the show, but Jessica told her she had something on so she could not hang out.

"Hm," Taeyeon said. It had been two weeks since Jessica told her she had officially divorced Harvey. None of them made the first move but both of them enjoyed each other's presence. They liked it the way now and Taeyeon thought maybe Jessica just needed a bit more time. "More than friends but not quite there yet?"

"Seriously, I've no idea what you two are thinking."

"Yuri, she just got a divorce." 

"Yes, I understand that but is having this relationship like you don't even know what you two are... I mean, is it fun?"

"Why does it seem like you're more frustrated than me?" Taeyeon laughed softly and nudged her sister. "You were the one who was against it at first."

"Well, things change," Yuri explained. "Now she's free, of course you can make your move. Dumbo do you really want to let her slip away?"

"No... but she just got a divorce. It's quite... I don't know, I just don't want to rush into it."

"I know already," Yuri said suddenly, pointing her finger at Taeyeon and narrowed her eyes. "You sneaky girl."

"What?"

"You're playing hard to get, aren't you?" 

"What nonsense!" Taeyeon slapped Yuri's finger away as she retorted, though Yuri was quite right about that. Taeyeon snickered internally. Now that she knew Jessica had some feelings for her, she could not let her go that easily, could she? Especially after waiting for her for quite some time. Taeyeon frowned a little after that. But technically, like what she had said to Mrs Jung, it was an one-sided thing, but anyhow, she was just going to wait until Jessica was ready. 

The wind bell jingled and the sisters turned to the person who just entered the shop. Their faces stiffened as they saw the person clearly. 

"Yuri, Taeyeon, you're both here?"

"Mom," Yuri greeted hesitantly. Taeyeon kept quiet as she looked away. Yuri nudged her and glared her her. She knew what her sister wanted her to do but there was still an obstacle in her heart that she could not seem to cross over. 

"Mom," Taeyeon softly greeted. 

Their mother smiled and looked around the shop. There were quite a few customers and she could not possibly talk to Yuri in private because she needed to tend to the shop. 

"Why are you here?" Taeyeon asked with a bit of hostility.

"Taeyeon..." Yuri warned. She looked towards her mother. She knew why her mother was here; she wanted to talk. "You want to talk?"

"Is it okay?" She looked around nervously. 

"Yes, it's fine, Taeyeon will help me look after the shop." Yuri took off her apron and looked at Taeyeon threateningly. "Right, Taeyeon?"

Taeyeon glared at the older person and unwillingly accepted the apron that was forced onto her. "I'm needed at the company..."

"No, you're not. Sunny said she doesn't need you right now." Yuri tied the apron around Taeyeon and patted her back. She directed her mother to the door that leads the rooms are the back. She said softly to Taeyeon, "Hey, remember, she's still our mother alright, don't be rude."

Taeyeon sat down behind the counter and reached for her bag, sulking. She did not understand why her mother was back without a word after disappearing for so long. The first thought was because she needed money but when she looked at how her mother was dressed, she looked well, just a little older and weaker. After not caring for her for years, why was she back and what does she want, those were the questions that floated around Taeyeon's mind. 

Thirty minutes passed and Yuri was still in one of the rooms. Taeyeon stabbed at the sketch she had been working on just to kill time. What did they have to talk about for so long? Especially when Yuri barely knew her mother. She only saw her for a year and she disappeared. This was supposed to be harder on Yuri, not her but it seemed to have affected her more while Yuri seemed to have totally accepted it. Either that or she had been hiding all this while. 

The door opened and her mother walked out first. They looked at each other and Taeyeon looked away immediately. Seeing her mother still reminded her how she had resolutely left while she was crying for her not to go. She could not forget and it had occurred in her dreams a few times, as nightmares, especially on days when she was exceptionally stressed.

Her mother walked over to her and stood a distance away from her, carefully asking as if scared to provoke her, "Can we talk, Taeyeon? Please."

Taeyeon sighed. She really did not know what to talk to her mother about. She had been an absent figure for many years and sometimes she forgot that she once had a mother who she could tell everything to but not anymore. "We'll talk outside." 

Yuri looked at her, concerned. Taeyeon nodded. Yuri was worried that she might shout again but she did not intend to do so. She was afterall, her mother and Yuri was right, she could not be rude to her no matter what opinions she had of her. Ultimately, she raised her up for 14 years. 

They went out of the shop and sat at the bench not too far away, still in the sight of Yuri in the shop. Taeyeon sat at one end of the bench while her mother sat in the middle. 

"What do you want to talk about?"

"Yuri told me everything about you, from the day... I left," she quietly finished off her sentence. Whenever she acknowledged the fact that she had left her children, it did not feel good but she knew it was all her fault. 

"Of course she would," Taeyeon answered. It was Yuri afterall. 

"I just want to say I'm sorry," her mother apologised. "I should have been there to guide you like what a mother should have done." 

Taeyeon smiled sadly. After her accident, she did wonder to herself. What if her mother was still around? Would she make the same mistake? Where would she be then? Maybe she would have been married by now. But all these questions were left answered and would be until her death. There was really no point in saying sorry to her because the damage was done. "You don't have to do that. I was stupid." 

"But if I were there, you wouldn't have made the same mistake again." 

"Are you referring to Jessica?" Taeyeon asked. 

"She's the woman you like, right? And married."

Taeyeon did not like the tone her mother used. It was as though she was questioning her. "Seems like you don't like it? She was married, now she's divorced." 

Her mother pursed her lips and had a thoughtful expression. "Taeyeon, it's not that I don't like it. It's just..." 

"I really don't think you have a say in who I want to love. I would like to point out the fact that you've been missing from my life for 14 years and Yuri's life for 29 years. You know who Yuri loves too right? Do you have an issue too? I may have made some mistakes, mom, but I know very well what I want now. I hope you understand that just because you knew what went on in my life doesn't mean you have been through it with me. There's only one person who I would listen to and that's Yuri."

Her mother listened to her carefully and a hint of hurt surfaced on her face. She knew she could not blame Taeyeon for thinking this way and she had no intention to oppose any of their relationship. She was just worried because after hearing of Taeyeon's accident, she did not know what would happen in the future. 

"Taeyeon, I know why you feel this way and no matter how many times I explain myself, it wouldn't nullify the hurt brought to you by me. I really blame myself for that but there's something you have to know Taeyeon, I love you and will always do because you'll always be my child. Yuri too, though I'm even more sorry towards her. I'm back here not because I want anything. Honestly, I have everything I've wanted back then. I've settled quite well overseas but there was something that I didn't have and that was my children. All these years I've been asking around but no one seemed to know and your father, he refused to answer any of my calls. Until recently I saw you in the news and I thought maybe I should go back and find you to see how you are. I never thought Yuri and you would be together because I've never told either of you anything. But I was glad, glad that you two have each other. I really just wanted to see how you two are doing and that's it. Nothing else."

Taeyeon lowered her head. No matter how much she had resented her mother, she was still the woman who she loved and would always owe her life to because her mother almost could not make it when she gave birth to her. Hearing what her mother said only made her miss her mother even more. She missed her hugging her, she missed her listening to her stories from school, she missed her good night kisses. Though she blamed her for leaving her, a part of her still loved her mother dearly. A whir of emotions built up in her and she stood up. 

"I... understand, mom. Just..." Taeyeon tried to say something but the conflicting emotions within her were preventing her from saying something intelligent. "Let me, be alone for a while. I'll... see you next time."

"Taeyeon?" Someone called out to her. She turned around to see Jessica walking towards her and her mother. Jessica saw Taeyeon's mother and smiled. "You're Taeyeon's mother, right? I'm Jessica." 

Taeyeon's mother heard the name and suddenly became interested in the person in front of her. So she was the person her daughter liked and she could see why instantly. Jessica was elegant and confident, apart from the fact that she was rich, evident from the designer products from head to toe. She smiled back and greeted, "Nice to meet you, Jessica."

Taeyeon glanced at her mother and then at Jessica. What a bad time for Jessica to turn up, she thought to herself. "Jessica, let's go in."

"There's something I want to talk to you about," her mother said to Jessica. 

"No, you don't." Taeyeon held onto Jessica's hand and pulled the latter towards her. Jessica could hear the coldness in her words and wondered what happened between the two again. 

"Taeyeon, I won't say anything bad to her." 

Taeyeon's grip on Jessica's hand still remained firm and Jessica patted her hand. She looked at Taeyeon and smiled gently. "It's okay. You go in first. After we're done, we'll go for dinner." 

Taeyeon took one last look at her mother whose eyes had softened over the years. She let go of Jessica's hand and walked back into Yoris. She joined Yuri behind the counter and her sister looked at her intently.

"You okay?"

Taeyeon nodded. She was fine, her heart did not act up but she was still conflicted. A part of her already forgave her mother when she first saw her but another part of her still resented her whenever she remembered how she cruelly left her. How did Yuri forgave her? How?

"Have you forgiven her?" Taeyeon asked. Yuri knew who the her referred to. 

"Mmhm." Yuri nodded. She saw the doubt in Taeyeon's expression and nudged her. "You want to know why?"

Taeyeon nodded. She was dying to know the reason.

"Because of one very simple reason," Yuri said. "Without her, there'll be no me. She could have aborted me when she first knew she was pregnant because my father told me they were about to break up until they knew they had me. Though she still left me with my father, I'm thankful that she chose to bring me to life."

"You make me feel so immature..." Taeyeon mumbled. 

Yuri laughed softly. "Hey, I've thought of it for all my life... 29 years? And you, what? 14 years?" 

"14 years... that's a lot of time though."

"How does it feel to hold a grudge for 14 years?" Yuri asked.

"Not good," Taeyeon mumbled. 

"It's about time you let go, don't you think so?" 

Taeyeon nodded. She looked at her mother who was still talking to Jessica. It was about time to let go of the past and forgive her mother, at least she had thought of them and came back to see them. Yuri ruffled Taeyeon's hair and patted her head. 

"Your girl is here," Yuri teased as Jessica entered the shop. Taeyeon turned to see her mother leaving and all she saw was a lonely figure walking away. 

"Hey, mind if I take Taeyeon away?" Jessica asked Yuri. 

"Of course, she's free anyway." Yuri pushed Taeyeon gently off the stool. "Take her, go go, she had been a nuisance since she's here."

"Kwon Yuri!" Taeyeon said in a hushed voice and was greeted with Yuri's laughter. 

Jessica smiled as she looked at the two sisters. They walked towards the door and waved at Yuri who waved them away. 

"I'll drive today," Jessica said as they walked towards her car. The two of them sat in the car in silence, the only sound coming from the stereo. Jessica looked at Taeyeon who was looking out of the window, the faint frown on her forehead giving her away. "Something on your mind?"

Taeyeon silently cursed. She had Yuri and Sunny who knew what was on her mind instantly and now Jessica was another one. But maybe because she was just too easy to read. 

"Mm. What did my mother..." Taeyeon trailed off. "Did she put you in a difficult position?"

"No, she didn't. She's a very nice person. You just have a lot of opinions about her." 

"I don't..." Taeyeon said quietly.

"Really?" 

"No..." 

Jessica laughed. The Taeyeon in front of her right now, looked like a child who had done something wrong and she just wanted to hug her and tell her everything was alright. She understood why Taeyeon was so protective just now. Her mother told her that she asked Taeyeon about her and she thought she was going to tell her to stop seeing her.

"But I can't do that. I know I can't. Who am I to tell her not to do anything when I'm not even there for her for half of her life?" Taeyeon's mother said. "I'm just worried for her. She's a very fragile child, and I'm to be blamed. She grew up with a very limited view of love so I really wished she would find someone who really loves her."

So Taeyeon's mother knew about them. "Taeyeon's mom, I know where you're coming from. I was married but now I'm not. I saw what Taeyeon has done for me and I'm prepared to do the same for her. She's a really nice person and I really like her. I know what happened to Taeyeon in the past and if she has waited for me even when I was married, I don't see how it's nice of me to let that go to waste. I want her to feel love and I'm going to give her all the love I have." 

Taeyeon's mother could see the sincerity in Jessica's eyes and the worry in her heart was lifted. No matter who Taeyeon loved, man or woman, old or young, as long as the person loved her back equally, she had no reason to object. "I'm happy to hear that, Jessica. I really hope Taeyeon can be happy. It was all my fault."

"Don't say that, Taeyeon's mom. I'm sure any mother would wish to see her daughter happy."

Taeyeon's mother smiled and patted Jessica's arm. "You're a very thoughtful girl. You can call me Aunt Sarah. I'm going to stay until Christmas then I'm going back to New York."

"New York?" 

"Yeah, I moved there and had a business there." Aunt Sarah smiled. "Living and working alone could be hard sometimes."

"Why don't you find someone again?"

She shook her head and sadness was evident. "I've hurt two men who love me. I don't think I'm fit to love anyone anymore."

"I'm sure they've forgiven you already."

"That's all I can hope for. I should get going, don't want to keep Taeyeon waiting for you for too long."

"Aunt Sarah?" Jessica asked.

"Yes?"

"Taeyeon and I have a joint show in two weeks. It's a fashion show that would be broadcasted in other parts of the world. Well, she offered me this opportunity. I hope you can come?"

"I would love to, thank you for telling me."

"No worries, I'll see you then, Aunt Sarah." Jessica waved as she walked back to Yoris. 

She did not tell Taeyeon that she had told her mother about the show because she did not know if Taeyeon would want her mother to come or not. 

"Your mother did not say anything bad to me, don't worry." Jessica pulled up in front of a restaurant. "Even if she did, it won't really bother me anyway."

It was a simple meal, just the two of them eating in occasional silence. They got use to the silence between them. Both of them were not the talking type. Unlike Tiffany and Sooyoung, Jessica was quiet and all the thoughts went on in her head. Taeyeon was just like Jessica but the both of them seemed to have found a way to communicate with each other. Silent observations and a simple "Are you okay?" could get them to talk about what was on their mind. 

"Are you rushing home?" Jessica asked as the walked out of the restaurant.

"No, Yuri's probably still at her shop."

"I've a place I want to go," Jessica said as she entered her car.

"Where?"

"You'll know."

"Busan?" Taeyeon asked.

Jessica laughed and shook her head. "If we were to go there now, we won't be able to make it there alive."

The drive to their destination was not too long; they were still in Seoul. Taeyeon looked around the area and it was familiar to her. "Namsan?"

Jessica nodded. "I love this place but I haven't been here for the longest of time."

They entered the cable car with many other people since it was a Saturday night. They moved in to a corner and Jessica stood close to Taeyeon, grabbing onto her sweater. She did not like the crowd but she knew it could not be avoided. Taeyeon felt Jessica moving closer to her and a part of her sweater being grabbed. Jessica's head was close to hers and she did not dare to turn, all she could do was to look straight out of the cable car.

"It's beautiful, isn't it?" Jessica whispered. Though it was a whisper, it sounded exceptionally loud in Taeyeon's ears and it shook her. "Though the sunset was better."

Taeyeon could still remember how Jessica shone in the twilight. Jessica was beautiful but it just intensified indefinitely at that moment and Taeyeon could not look away. She had to force herself to look away in order not to look like a creeper. Taeyeon glanced at Jessica who was just a few centimetres away from her. She could hear her heartbeat, so alive and she wondered what if she had not pulled through in the surgery room. She would have missed out such a life; she would have missed out someone who she could love without any regret.

The cable car came to a stop at the mountain and they were the last to get off. Jessica held onto Taeyeon's arm as they walked towards the Namsan Tower. None of them said anything but it had been a thing between the two of them. They liked it and they were comfortable with it. They went up to the observatory and though it was not the first time they had seen the night scenery, it was still breathtaking.

"Do you know why I like it here?" Jessic asked, leaning her cheek against Taeyeon's shoulder.

"Why?"

"Because for a moment it felt like I'm not that insignificant speck of dust being transported aimlessly by the wind."

"Don't you have a goal?"

"I do, but sometimes I feel like I'm just waiting for each day to pass. There isn't something for me to live for. When Harvey and I were still deeply in love, he was my motivation to get through each day but when we pulled away from each other, it's like my motivation just disappeared," Jessica said softly. It would always be a pity for her. "But good things don't come if you don't let go right?"

"Mm," Taeyeon answered as she looked at the luminous night scenery below. She should let go too, of the grudge she held against her mother. She had already missed out 14 years with her mother and if she still held onto the painful past, she would never move forward to possibly, better days with her mother. It was time for her to let go.

"Taeyeon?"

"Mm?" 

"Thank you."

"Why?"

Jessica shook her head, rubbing her cheek against Taeyeon's sweater. "For waiting. For being there. For everything."

"I didn't do much."

"But that's enough." Jessica smiled. It really was enough. "Maybe I should do something for you too?"

Taeyeon turned to look at Jessica who was now looking at her. The look in the other's eyes told her she was serious about what she had just said. At the moment, her heartbeat picked up pace again. After waiting without knowing if there would be an end, she finally saw the light at the end of tunnel. Even though it was a subtle suggestion, it did not matter. She was not the type to cry easily. The first time she cried was when her mother left. The second time was when her father left. And this, would be her third time. She felt moisture in her eyes but this time, it was not because of sadness or grief, it was happiness. Happiness. Something that was quite foreign to her. "Really?"

"I won't forgive myself if you were to leave because I didn't hold on. Harvey was my first but I intend to make you my last." It took her months to realise that maybe Taeyeon was the right person and maybe that was the missing element in her relationship with Harvey. He was just not the person for her but nonetheless, she thanked him for all the happiness they had gone through together.

Taeyeon blinked a few times to stop the tears from dropping. Her eyes and head were initially heavy because she was really tired but after what Jessica had said, everything seemed so light. She felt like she was lifted by the warm wind in the night. This was how happiness felt like? Taeyeon was bad at expressing herself so she chose not to reply with words, instead she pulled Jessica closer to her by the waist and they just stood there looking down at the scenery which seemed much brighter than before.

Jessica knew Taeyeon heard what she had said and she could see her eyes glistening with tears. It was a big step for her to take, to finally admit that she had fallen for Taeyeon. She turned her head and leaned in to place a soft kiss against Taeyeon's warm cheek. She smiled and whispered in Taeyeon's ear, "Thank you, thank you, thank you."