[CONTENTID1]FIVE[/CONTENTID1]

[CONTENTID2]Flashback
3rd Person POV

"Hey." Yuri flopped on the couch next to Donghae, who was busy reading the newspaper.

She came to his apartment frequently and they usually just sat while having a small chat. He was always reading the newspaper at this hour while Yuri watched the television. Well, her own apartment was located next door but she didn't have television, so she often came here just so she could watch something from his television. Not that Donghae would ever complain. He was enjoying his bestfriend's visit so much.

"Hi Yuri, what's up?" he asked, his eyes still glued on newspaper.

"Guess what?" Yuri smiled widely and he glanced at her behind the papers.

"I just got my certificate!" she announced.

"Wow, congratulations!" Donghae smiled and threw the paper on his hand to sit facing Yuri now. "I have really good news too."

This was the coldest day of winter in California Yuri had experience, but the way his eyes glowing with joy was warming up the room. His face radiated happiness when he informed her of his good news. "I have proposed to her, and my fiancée has agreed to marry once she comes back to Seoul.”

One didn't need to look at his face to know this guy was really happy, as if the only goal in his life had been achieved. As a good friend, Yuri tried to be happy for him, sincerely happy, even though the pain that began to pierce through her heart was hard to ignore at the same time.

The pain was even worse than the time when Donghae showed his fiancée's picture.

"Congratulations, then."

"And since you've received your certificate, I want to sign up to be your first client."

They've planned to return to Seoul together. Yuri was planning to start her new career in Seoul while Donghae just earned his bachelor degree. They've planned their future, they talked to each other about their plan so much, but Yuri was still stunned by this request.

Never once had Yuri imagined, or maybe she just couldn't imagine, her former bestfriend marrying the guy next to her. It sounded selfish indeed, and Yuri felt guilty for it. Her friendship with Donghae started even after she and her former best friend's split up, so this good hearted guy next to her had nothing to do with their broken friendship.

"That's still too long to talk about, Donghae."

"Hey, one year is not a long period. Would you mind helping with your friend's wedding?"

The idea of meeting the person she missed the most was tempting enough.

"Of course I'm not. I'll help you."

If this guy happened to be her former bestfriend's fiancé, then maybe this is just the way their fate told her that she and her former bestfriend never belong to each other.

Yuri's POV

I still remembered vividly the day when that fight happened or how Yoona and I went separate ways. At first I thought that losing my bestfriend was the worst feeling I would ever experience. It's not until my mom got sick that I realized how bad the situation was. Watching the disease kill her slowly... while I couldn't do anything to lessen her pain was the most terrible thing. I felt so useless and weak at the same time. And then my mom passed away. Everything started to collapse around me, almost like... the world was against me and I felt so lifeless. Losing two of my closest people in just three months was truly the darkest period of my life.

It took so much strength in me to finally go to California and move on with my life.

I spent years to heal the pain. I had worked hard, over and over again, just to feel alive once again. That's why I chose to be a wedding planner, because with helping people, I could feel useful.

I was glad I had got over the depressed, but people never knew that I still a broken young woman. I still woke up everyday in last four years with the same pain in my heart. The pain was lessened but never really faded away.

That's why I've never let anyone really get into my life. I've never got into a relationship, nor made any commitments with anyone, because losing someone so dear had left mark in me. But this woman, Im Yoona, was just different. The amount and intensity of the feeling I was experiencing ever since I had been met her again was nearly overwhelming. Her ability to bring so much emotion in me was incomprehensible at times and what happened in cemetery was the manifest evidence.

After my unexpected break down, it was also so tempting to just let loose and tell Yoona about all of my fears concerning my life in general. I knew she must understand and be there to comfort me as she always did, but that's also why I chose not to. Because I was so scared of what could happen if we got too close and when we decided to be friend again. Because there still was a major gap, one that had grown between us over these years. And even if I wanted to pretend that Yoona was the same person she was when she was 15, she wasn't. And I wasn't either.

It was bittersweet, the whirlpool of feeling I felt. My heart told me to trust her once again, to forgive my long lost friend, unconditionally, but my mind told me to stay guarded, not to trust anyone who could let me down one more time.

And the possibility of losing Yoona all over again was scary enough for me to take a bigger step in our current relationship. Maybe it would be better to keep the distance with Yoona, to stick to the line between client and planner because after all, that was the real relationship we had right now.


My thoughts stopped right when my car pulled up in the parking lot in front of the big mansion I was used to going the past three weeks. Two young woman stepped out from the front door and I was surprised when realize the person next to Yoona was Krystal, her cousin.

It wasn't a secret that Krystal had always disliked me since we first met. She looked at me as I had a disease that could be transmitted to Yoona, as if I wasn't at the same degree as their families. That was just one of the problems in my friendship with Yoona: the inequality. Though she never articulated it, and I believed she never cared, but there was always a discomfort in me, as if I was not good enough to be her friend.

Collecting myself, I took a breath before getting out from my car to approach them.

The sound of my heels clacking against stone porch echoed up rhythmically, catching their attention and just like my previous reaction, Krystal was also surprised when she noticed me.

"Are you ... Kwon Yuri?" asked Krystal as soon as I stopped right in front of them. She was eyeing me from head to toe. If I had always appeared as the unconfident girl, today I was enjoying her shocked expression as she took in my new appearance.

"Hi Krystal, it's had been a long time." I smiled confidently, giving her as much as time to discover the sight.

"What are you doing here?"

"Yuri is my wedding planner," Yoona answered for me, a bit awkward with the raised tension between me and her cousin.

Krystal arched an eyebrow and her lips curved into a smirk. "Oh wow! How interesting it is."

She took a step in front of me, trying to intimidate me. Seemed like the dislike never faded away. "Well, my cousin will finally getting married with decent guy. It will be perfect if you could help her plan out the wedding she dreamed of." Krystal stared deeply into my eyes, making sure that I understood her intention while I just put on a my usual cold face, holding my face as high as possible, even though everything inside me started to crumble at the simple reminder.

"I will."

"Good. I'll take a leave first," she said to Yoona before walking to her own car, leaving both of us standing on the porch of Yoona's house.

"Please forgive Kry-"

"It's okay," I cut in quickly before Yoona could finish whatever she wanted to say. It was true; Krystal was just speaking the truth and I couldn't be upset at reality. My presence was to make sure Yoona got her wedding dream with her perfect guy. It should be a harsh slap of reality for me and I had to remind myself that I couldn't forget my real role.

"Let's go, we have appointments."

Yoona's POV

This was because of Krystal! I should have thrown her out of my house before Yuri came and picked me up so that they did not need to meet again. Everything had been going perfectly before Krsytal came and screwed it with her nonsense talk. Since the visit to the cemetery, Yuri and I were getting along great. It's even better than I would have expected after the chaotic years we've been through.

I really didn't want the one and only opportunity to mend our friendship vanish just because of the few minutes of tension they experienced. But Yuri had been very cautious throughout the day. It seemed like she was avoiding any contact with me. We discussed a few necessary things when we met the photographer and beautician, but other than that, we just sat in stillness and that's frustrating me beyond measure.

"Where is our next stop?" I asked when we got into her car after short meeting with a beautician. I actually knew our next destination; I was just trying to get a little attention, but her eyes focused on the road as we drive away.

"We will go to the florist before I take you home."

Somehow, I didn't like the idea of this day ending and returning home very soon. My brain was automatically thinking of other scenarios so I could stay longer with her.

"Can we have a little break and have a lunch? I'm hungry," I whined childishly on purpose and finally got her attention.

"What do you want to eat?" Yuri glanced at me through the rearview mirror.

"I'm tired of eating restaurant food. I really miss home cooking," I mumbled while tapping my chin, thinking of something to eat when suddenly a light bulb flicked on over my head. "Will you cook for me?"

"What? Cook for you?" She was surprised by my idea, but I nodded excitedly in return. I wanted to taste her food and I would get her to cook for me, no matter what!

"Come on, it will be fun! It's even healthier than restaurant food!"

There was a beat of silence as she seemed to be in deep contemplation. "But-"

"Let's buy some ingredients!" I cut her off before she could refuse. I wouldn't take no as answer and I knew I won when she let out a small sigh.

"Fine."

Our car stopped at the nearby supermarket and we immediately went straight to the vegetable sections. Yuri selected some fresh vegetables while thinking about the menu for our lunch and I pushed the trolley cart.

"How do you choose the fresh vegetables?" I asked, in attempt to create conversation when she put a handful spinach to the trolley. I saw her tiny smile at my random question.

"Just check the freshness such as brightness, a lively colour and crispness. And also trying to avoid any brown patches, wilted leaves, bruised or pulpy flesh," Yuri explained as we moved to meat section. I was bobbing my head while my arms slug over the cart lazily, trailing her like a six year old kid.

Well, for the four years of living in Oxford, I've never cooked even once. My business at the university prevented me to spend time in kitchen and I preferred to order restaurant's food so I wasn't entirely lying when I said I was bored with outside food.

It didn't take long for us to find all the ingredients we needed and we decided to cook at her house.

I tried to look cool all the way to her house. I had to try my best not to look too excited at the prospect of our lunch, even though I could feel the burst of excitement already all over me. Even the simple thought that I would visit her house again was enough to spark the overwhelming feeling that I couldn't express in words.

We parked the car in front of the small house and I followed her to walk up to the front porch, soon feeling the coolness of the white wooden banister under my hand. Even after years, I still admired the classic structure of this house. No matter how many times I come, this house still gave warm welcome feelings.

I set my foot onto the hard floors at the living room, my eyes wandered through the room of this old but familiar house and the appearance of this house nearly deserted and abandoned was surprising me.

It seems like the house was uninhabited, as if... dead?

"I don't stay here anymore," Yuri explained, as if she could read the question in my mind. "Since my mom died, I let this house empty. I live in an small apartment not far from here."

Yuri walked to open multiple windows, giving a glimpse sign of life. The shining sun soon brighten the room while I was s