First of all, a special shoutout to my friend Wheesus who saved my work from its grammatical mess :)) Thanks a lot!^^

CHAPTER 28: FATED

Two days had already passed, and the rain didn’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.

And because of this, Naeun and Bomi were still unable to go out and make the most out of their vacation. Most of the time they just stayed in their room, with Naeun either scanning through all the tv channels or going over her script again and again, while Bomi either surfed the internet or video called Chorong whenever the latter was available.

But unlike Naeun who never stepped out of the room, Bomi would go out from time to time to socialize with the people inside the hotel, including the three that Chairman Kwon introduced to them the other day. They would exchange stories with one another and play random games during their free time, which got Bomi closer to the three and vice-versa.

Today, however, was different. Naeun wasn’t holding the remote or the script book, and she wasn’t under the blankets either. Instead, she was standing in by the wet, glass door that separated her from the balcony. And as the water poured down endlessly from the gray sky, it flooded her mind with memories that she tried to keep at brim. The flashes of lightening teleported her back to those good times she was reminiscing, but the following loud roar of thunder that brought her back to her painful reality of the present. The cold that the rain brought crept and pricked her skin like needles, but it wasn’t as freezing as her absence.

I miss you, Eunji. So much.

And this is why Naeun wanted to keep those memories at brim: she knew that everything will just turn into tears.

Albeit dim, there was still this light of hope that lived within her. Even if there were times that almost made her doubt, she always chose to believe the otherwise. Eunji was alive.

“Hello?”

“Hello. It’s me, mom.” Naeun held back her tears upon hearing the older woman’s voice.

“Oh my, is this our Naeunie? You finally called!” The thick, Busan accent exclaimed on the other line, which made it harder for the celebrity not to cry. 

She took another deep breath before explaining.“I-I’m sorry, I’ve just...been really busy…”

“Of course, of course. I’ve been seeing you on tv a lot and you look so skinny! You should eat your meals well!”

“Yes, mom. I will.” Naeun managed a small laugh hearing the familiar nagging that she actually missed. “How are you? How’s Minki?”

“We’re fine, Naeun-ah. Don’t worry about us.” She reassured. “If there’s someone who should be worried, that should be me. How are you?”

“I...I’m fine, mom. Really…I just missed you, that’s all.”

“Aigoo...my dear. I miss you too, my lovely daughter.”

That did it for Naeun. It was always like that whenever Eunji’s mom calls her daughter. She would become vulnerable because the warmth coming from her voice just embraced her and melted down all the barriers she had put up against everyone else. The same warmth that Eunji had. Also, knowing that she had found a mom in Eunji’s mother overwhelmed her still, as she didn’t expect to feel this kind of parental care again after basically living alone for more than five years. Naeun was very thankful, but also mad at herself for not visiting and treating her mom very well.

“You miss Eunji, don’t you?” Mrs. Jung asked once she noticed the sniffs on the other side of the line, but she already knew, since this wasn’t the first time that this had happened.

The phone call lasted with Eunji’s mom just listening to Naeun as she shared the same pain as the younger one. It’s been years, but both were far from accepting the truth that was presented to them.

---

“Do you feel better now?” Soo-ah asked Yeondoo; placing a glass of water on the side table within the latter’s reach. 

Yeondoo’s senses were still fuzzy as she pushed herself up to sit, with one hand massaging her nape and temples, since there was still a bit of pain in her head, probably both from the rain and oversleeping. Fortunately, it was already bearable, compared to the last time she woke up. After everything cleared out and she saw Soo-ah standing beside her bed, the corner of her lips slightly went up.

“Thank you…” The awoken patient finally said, seeing the glass of water beside her bed. “What did you say again?”

Soo-ah sat down beside her friend. “I’m asking if you already feel better.” She then took the empty glass from Yeondoo. 

The younger one nodded. “Yeah.”

“Did...you see anything this time?”

“...Yeah.”

It’s not like Yeondoo isn’t open to the others, but since Soo-ah is the one who always takes care of her whenever she gets sick, the older one knew about the occurrence of her dreams, her broken memories, whenever she sleeps her headache off. Yeondoo discussed it with Soo-ah every time after she woke up, and that day was no exception. 

“You know that blue umbrella scene that I talked to you about?” She began. 

The latter looked at her attentively and nodded. 

“It was that but it has more to it now. Before, the umbrella was far away from where I stood, but now I’ve gotten closer.” Yeondoo explained, glancing up every now and then as she tried to recall everything. “I was only a few steps away from her…”

“Her?” Soo-ah’s forehead creased as she looked at her friend, curious about the person’s identity. “Do you...recognize her?”

Yeondoo shook her head “She was sitting on the concrete bench, holding the umbrella I was seeing from afar. But...it was blocking her face.”

“Hmm…maybe it’s not yet time?” Soo-ah suggested a possibility. “But there’s progress, at least. You’re now closer to her, so maybe the time is coming soon.”

“I guess so. But then again, I did say that it doesn’t matter if I remember or not, right? So it’s fine.” 

The younger one looked away as she stood up, and Soo-ah instantly knew that she was lying. It’s not fine. Yeondoo wanted her memories back, and she was just pretending that it didn’t matter. Maybe at first she really did mean it, but the pieces of blurred memories that kept on haunting Yeondoo probably changed her heart as time went by. And knowing how she always thought of others first before herself, the amnesiac put up a pretentious act so as not to worry them, the family that adopted her.

A gust of frosty breeze pulled her out from the sea of thoughts she was drowned in. Soo-ah glanced to her left and saw the balcony door ajar, and through it she saw Yeondoo leaning against the railing, doing what she liked the most.

“Finally, the sky cleared up.” Soo-ah said as she stepped out to the balcony. 

“Yeah, and I now feel a lot better.” Yeondoo replied without breaking the gaze away from the stars. “I guess I can go out for a walk later.”

“Kang Yeondoo--”

“I will eat dinner, and I won’t stay out that long, okay? I promise.” The amnesiac went on even before Soo-ah could protest. “Besides, you know where to find me in case I forget.” she teased, earning herself a don’t-you-dare look from her friend. 

“Seriously though, I’ll be fine. Don’t worry about me.” Yeondoo grinned, the smile everyone in the resort was familiar with. It might not be a beaming smile, but it was calming somehow, like it can make you forget of your inhibitions and just trust her.

Soo-ah scratched her head, defeated. “Ah, whatever. Do what you want.”

“It feels good to be back.” A sigh of contentment escaped from Yeondoo’s mouth as she stretched and laid down on her wooden bench in the garden. She then looked at the stars and felt at peace, even if the dream from awhile ago was still stuck in her head. 

Maybe the stars could tell me?

Yeondoo then went over her dream again, carefully remembering each scene to see if there might have been some details that she missed a while ago. She believed that every little thing was important, since one tiny detail may be the key to her lost identity.

“A blue umbrella, a red car driving away? Hmm…” She muttered to herself, mentally listing everything that she noticed as she slowly replayed the rainy scene in her head. 

When she decided to focus on the unknown woman who was holding the umbrella, that was when she noticed and felt something unsettling. More questions filled her mind. If she’s holding the umbrella, why were her clothes wet? If she had the umbrella, why was she still not leaving?

With eyes still fixed on the clear, dark purple blanket adorned with unearthly diamonds, Yeondoo sat up and took a deep breath, inhaling the night air scented with fresh grass, damp soil, and fallen rain. Somehow, she saw herself at the woman who can’t be moved.

It’s like...she was waiting for something...or someone. 

---

After her dinner with Bomi and familiarizing herself with the people that Chairman Kwon assigned to assist the two of them, Naeun opted to take a night stroll just to stabilize her emotional and mental state. And as she aimlessly wandered around through the help of the frosted lamps and bright starlights, the chilly night breeze blew and rustled the leaves, and it made her hope that it was possible for it to take all the pain that was unearthed from the depths of her heart every time it gusted through her. 

“So, did I do a great job as a substitute manager?”

Eunji’s voice echoed in her mind as she remembered that certain memory after she somehow ended up on the sidewalk that looked eerily similar to the ones in Seoul. And as she walked through the tunnel-like road, memories played continuously one after the other.

“I am more than willing to do this for you, okay? I am willing to jump with you numerous times until you finally have the courage to jump by yourself.”

“You’ve got some nerve too. Who do you think you are to hurt Naeun?!”

“It’s okay now, Naeunnie...I’m here.”

“A faint clap of thunder, even if the rain comes not, I will stay here, together with you.”

Just then, a realization hit Naeun. The pain she was feeling whenever she reminisced those wonderful moments further validated her feelings for Eunji.

Because the only ones who can hurt you are the people you love.

Also, if she didn’t suffer anymore, then it only meant that she has accepted that Eunji was gone, which would never happen because she’d rather feel and live through the torment than believe that she was dead. 

When Naeun saw a fountain in front of her, that was the only time when she noticed that she was already in the middle of a dimly lit garden. She took a few steps closer and saw coins - probably carrying the wishes of the people who had been in the same spot as hers - submerged under the tranquil body of water. However, the one that got her attention was the reflection of the stars on its transparent surface, which made her look up and unconsciously smile. 

It was just like the view from the rooftop of Eunji’s home in Busan.

“I promise. I won’t go anywhere.”

A star twinkled like it was alive, and tears streamed down her cheeks once again. “You promised...”

“Excuse me, are you okay?” A sudden voice behind her asked, and it instantly took her back to the very beginning when she first met her.

Without any doubt, it was the same voice.

Everything just shut down the moment Naeun turned around. Her whole body went weak and cold, and went slightly open as she stared wide-eyed at the very person that she longed to see. It seemed like time had stopped, even her breath, except for the tears that ceased to fall. Naeun tried to say something, but it came out hoarse and barely audible.

“Jung Eunji…”

---

AN: Hah, finally.

Before I get attacked because of the cliffhanger, I just wanted to say thank you again for giving me another shot with this fic. Please don’t forget to leave some comments/criticisms :))

Now I shall run away and feel with y’all.