[CONTENTID1]TWENTY[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]

Yuri waited until Krystal's footstep disappeared before clearing as she looked up at Yoona timidly. She could feel her hand getting colder, the drums in her heart beginning to beat louder and faster, cold sweat running on her forehead, but strangely, she liked this feeling of being alive again.

"Hi Yoong," Yuri smiled.

Yoona smiled back at her, her eyes studying Yuri's closely, taking in every detail of her features, and she didn't know if it was possible to miss someone as much as she missed the woman in front of her. "Hi Yul."

A smile that attached to Yoona's face easily became Yuri's favourite thing to stare at. And the fact that she was the reason behind the smile made her heart swell in happiness. Every cell in her body told Yuri to shuffle closer and wrap her arms around the other woman. She wanted to kiss Yoona so badly, just to express her feelings when it felt like no words could ever represent them right now.

Trying to restrain herself from the pent up desires, Yuri averted her gaze to the messy bed inside the bedroom and the realisation of the rough night Yoona had to endure last night came into her. Concern automatically took over her. "Am I bothering your resting time?"

"You're not," Yoona shrugged casually as she added, "But Krystal did."

"It's kinda the same since I came with her..." Yuri trailed off, lifting her head to meet Yoona's brown eyes once again.  "You know, if you were planning to take a rest, I could come again next time. We'll find a better time to talk."

"No! I'm afraid time can't wait for us any longer," Yoona shook her head in disagreement, as she looked at Yuri in anticipation. She was fiddling with her hand, her feet rocking back and forth, the way she always did when she felt nervous. "So what is it about?"

"There's something I need to tell you," Yuri said, her voice stern as she looked straight up to Yoona. She drew a deep breath before letting her voice be heard. "I.. I love you."

Yoona looked up in daze. "You do?"

"Yes," Yuri assured; she'd never been this confident about something before. "I've loved you since the first time I saw you, I've loved you every day for eight years, and I still love you today."

"Yul," Yoona said, wanting to reciprocate the sentiment but Yuri held her hand up, telling Yoona that she wasn't done yet.

"I know that I had told you about this. But that night, you were drunk and there were too many emotions between us," Yuri continued, referring to their little moment at Oedo Island. "Now that we're here, I just want to tell you again. I know I'm stupid, because it took so many years for me to muster up the courage to tell the truth." She stopped to take another breath before continuing, "I think I was too afraid of rejection. A sense of inferiority and insecurity about my status and the feeling that I would never be good enough for you swallowed my gut. But then when you acknowledged your feelings and I realized that love can't be measured by social status, that when you love someone sincerely, it was moment you deserve to be loved back."

Yuri ran her hand to her hair nervously as she waited for Yoona's response but when she saw tears springing to Yoona's eyes, she turned frantic.  "Why are you crying?

Yoona shook her head as she opened her arms, gesturing Yuri to come closer. "Come here."

"I'm sorry, I did not set mean to hurt your feelings. I-"

"Shh..." Yoona approached Yuri before wrapping her arms around the speechless woman, letting her heart win over her head in the never ending battle between them.

Yuri was growing confused. "But-"

 "Oh God, Yul! Can you stop talking?" Yoona groaned. She dipped her head forward, pushing her lips to Yuri's to silence her with kiss.

Yuri froze but wasted no time in reciprocating, her arms wrapping about Yoona's waist as she pulled Yoona closer, craving for Yoona's soft lips, the way they tasted, the way it made her stomach flipped with butterflies and her heart beat erratically in excitement.

"I love you. I love you so much," Yuri said sincerely as she kissed Yoona, a deep meaningful kiss to express everything she felt in the simplest way she knew.

"I love you too," Yoona whispered back as she pulled away. She placed her hand on Yuri's cheek, caressing it with her thumb. She had never dreamt about moment like this, where both of them would finally confess their true feelings without fear and hesitation.

Another teardrop left her eyes when Yoona connected their lips again in a tender kiss. And for the first time in long time, Yoona finally had hope that things could get better, that maybe one day she could finally be happy again. But the hope only last for few minutes before it shattered along with a piercing scream that broke the tranquility between them.

"Oh my God, what's happening here?"

Yoona and Yuri immediately pulled away and turned towards the source of sound. Mrs. Im was standing on the doorway, clasping both of her hands over as she gave them a look of vague horror. Next to her, Mr.Im looked at them just as shock as his wife. The mixture of disgust and disappointment were clear in his eyes.

Yoona could feel her heart nearly stopped beating and her entire body went rigid. "Mom, D-dad...I-"

"You again," Mr. Im said through gritted teeth.

"Yes, this is me again," Yuri responded politely. She grabbed Yoona's hand and intertwined their fingers before brought it up to kiss the back of Yoona's palm. "I hope you finally believe me now."

Mrs. Im gasped hysterically. Her eyes filled with the tears. "My daughter, what are you thinking? Do you know what you just did?"

"Mom, I'm sorry," Yoona sobbed. The sound of her racing heart manifested itself into her shaky breath. It broke her heart to see the way her parents gave her disappointing looks but now that the truth was finally laid in front of them crystal clear, she didn't find any reason to lie anymore. God, she had been so tired from lying and running away all the time. "I'm sorry but I love her. I don't love Donghae and I don't want to marry him."

"You'd talked too much. What a shame you give this family!" Mr. Im snapped, his cold voice cutting through the air like sharp knife.

"Acknowledging her feelings is not something to be ashamed of!" Yuri stood up for Yoona but the man's threatening look shut her up.

"I'm talking to my own daughter. You better shut up and go away from my home!"

"No!" Yoona pleaded as she tightened her grip on Yuri's hand. She was so afraid of what her parent's might do to her, but her greatest fear was to lose Yuri once again. "Don't go. Don't leave me Yul."

It was not an easy situation for Yuri. Yoona was clutching at her for dear life and it hurt so much to see Yoona at this stage. "Mr. Im, we can talk about this. Please think of it wisely," she tried. "You can't force your will onto your daughter. You can't decide who she can or cannot love. She's mature enough to make her own decision."

"Get out of my house, now!" Mr. Im shouted once more. He looked like he could kill anyone at this moment.

"Dad, I beg you. Have mercy on us," Yoona pleaded, her hands were trembling. Her voice came out shakily and tears couldn't stop running down her face but it didn't seem to soften the man's heart even in the slightest.

"It's okay Yoong," Yuri soothed as she kissed Yoona's hand once again before letting it go. "I will come back for you. I will never give up on us," she assured before turning away from Yoona to look straight at Mr. Im. "How I wish you could be wiser as an older man here," she muttered and when he didn't give her any response, she added, "Please don't hurt her; she is still your daughter."

Yuri could hear Yoona's cry behind her back clearly while Mrs. Im held her arm tightly, stopping Yoona from chasing her. It was not easy to walk away like this, but she'd be back again. She made a mental note of that.

"You left her," Krystal accused sharply as she sipped the caramel macchiato on her hand. She was sitting inside the cafe she regularly visited, just a few hours after Yuri called and told her what happened after her leave.

"I did not," Yuri disagreed, narrowing her eyes in protest but Krystal sat up straight in front of her and rolled her eyes.

"You left her after I helped you."

"I'm not leaving her in the way you mean it. I told her I won't give up on our love," Yuri confirmed. She tapped the rim of her coffee cup, trying to find better words to explain her thoughts. "I just prevented something bad from happening. The tension was already high, and every