CHAPTER 14     “TWEEEET!!!!!”   “TWEEEET!!!!!”   “TWEEEET!!!!!”   “Ugh… my bird alarm… Gosh is it morning already…?! Ugh… Feels like I haven’t slept for years…”   GASP!!!   Where is Sica?!   Oh yeah… Sica insisted on sleeping in the basement last night since she says I looked like a zombie and she wanted me to have the whole bed for myself… I wanted to say I missed her back hugs… that I didn’t need the whole bed but I got embarrassed so I just accepted her suggestion and went with it.   Hihihi well whatever, it’s the morning now… and guess what?!   “OH YEAH!!!! SICA’S BACK!!!!♪♫♪♫” I jumped off the bed and began wiggling my and grooving to my victory dance!!!!   “OH YEAH! OH YEAH! SICA’S BACK!!!!♪♫♪♫” Hahahaha smiling to myself ear-to-ear now while jamming to a nonexistent beat~!♪♫♪♫   What gives?! I’m celebrating!!! OH YEAH!!! SICA’S BACK!!!!♪♫♪♫   Hahahaha!!!   But seriously damnit, I’m glad that excruciating week is already OVER. ! !    These past days when Sica went missing felt like a big blur. Was it a cruel illusion? or an intensely frightening nightmare? I couldn’t decide which, and I was just extremely happy that Sica was back and I can be with her again.     “I think I’ll skip school and spend the whole day with Sica today! Hehehe”   Could we possibly go out on a date? OMO would she like that?!   I guess so!! Before she’d always bother me to go out cause she gets bored staying in the house!     “Taengoo… I’m bored… Can you just take another day off? It’s not like missing an additional day would hurt right? I know! Let’s celebrate “The Day After Sica Comes Back!” and go somewhere today!!! Pleeeeeaaaaseeee?!?!”   “Well…”   he he he I bet this would happen! He he he   Oops but better prepare her breakfast first! We didn’t exactly have dinner yesterday… so she must probably be hungry. That sleeping beauty! I’d wake her up using the aroma of my superb cooking skills! WAHAHHAHA   With an evident beam on my face, I speed-walked two-three steps at a time down the stairs, and skipped to the kitchen with a mission to fix Sica her favorite American breakfast! Bacon, Eggs and Chocolate Chip Pancakes!!! Yum! And maybe I can brew her a fresh cup of coffee with milk and caramel on the side? Or should she like freshly squeezed orange juice better?! OH NO! Do I have some left on the fridge?!   I was brainstorming on ideas for Sica’s scrumptious “coming home” meal when I heard footsteps from the direction of the basement. Is she already up?! OH NO!   “Oh… Taengoo… Y-you’re already up…”   I turned and flashed my most heartwarming dorky smile and spread my hands as wide as I can, inviting her for a hug “MORNING SICAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!” but…   “Morning Taengoo…”   Huh? Why the long face? And why is she dressed up so early in the morning? Did you not have a good sleep? I knew it. You should have just slept in my room! HMP! Maybe the Kaiju and Dookongs kept her up all night?!   “Sica, are you alright? OH OH OH and I’m sorry!!! I just woke up! Just sit there and rest more for a while okay? Give me a few minutes and I’ll prepare breakfast in lightning speed! Ahhhhh where is the flour… eggs… milk…”   “Taengoo it’s okay you don’t have too” She grabbed my hand stopping me from opening the bag of flour.   Huh?   “Bu-But aren’t you-”   “I’m not hungry… PLUS, I have to go somewhere else today…”   “What?! Wher-”   “Anyways, I noticed the cluttered work desk you had in the basement! I suddenly remembered! How did the contest go? Did you win Taengoo?!” She said filling up and drinking a glass of water.   “Oh that… I-I couldn’t finish by the deadline. He he he But don’t worry! There’s another on in half a year, so then…”   “But why?! The picture book was your dream wasn’t it?” Worry and a hint of… was that guilt? was evident on her face as she clasped the glass of water tightly on her hand…   I averted my gaze from her and stared at the counter before me. I was kinda embarrassed of my answer to be quite honest. “Well… why…? Cause I was looking for you…”   I wasn’t ashamed of searching for her, if shoved back in time, I definitely wouldn’t have done otherwise… but somehow I felt bad pushing my reason of not finishing to her. It was bad enough, knowing that I was just too weak to not make my life move without her, I didn’t need to put guilt in her heart for being so as well.     The air then became strangely melancholic, with an invisible gust of remorse circling us back and forth… there was nothing in between us, but none dared to move, a few still moments passed before I saw Sica drawing closer to me slightly tugging at the hem of my pajamas causing me to look at her in the eyes.   Her eyes were the same as I remembered it, a delicate yet stubborn hazel hue, but in some way, I couldn’t understand why the pair felt pained with much constrained trapped within.   Sica why do you-   “Sleep…”   Huh?! Sica was now gently caressing my face, running her index finger round the bags underneath my eyes…   Sica…   The warmth of her slender fingers and the tenderness within her stares feels so nice…   “…”   But then the second I feel this comfort radiating through my whole being, she suddenly lets go…   “You must be stupid!!!”   “?”   “W-why were you running after me?! Were you planning on quitting halfway through both dreams and love like that?!”   “If you continue on doing this, you’ll never be able to go out with Tiffany…”   What are you suddenly talking like this Sica?   “Well… I’m not worried about Fany. I’m okay as long as you’re with me…”   In the past days where I was searching for Sica, I realized, I truly was.   “I’ll tell you something Taengoo… and be sure to remember it.” She says, sternly while going to the clothes hanger, grabbing and putting on her camel overcoat.   And without facing me she adds with an apathetic and cold tone. “I’m a Video Girl… I won’t be with you forever.”   Sica…? I couldn’t understand why she was being like this. I thought we were already okay, close friends even probably, but now she sounds like she’s completely indifferent.   I was confused.   But then like a flick of a wand, she showed me her signature angelic smile and started pulling at my cheeks!!!   “Hihihi If you try hard enough, Tiffany can still fall for you I think!”   What?! Now she’s back to her normal mood! Hahaha Such a temperamental girl! Was I just overanalyzing things?   Was I? Taeyeon you Pabo!   “O-Ouch SICA!!! Quit pin-ching my cheeks like th-at!!”   “Hahahahahahahha…ha…ha…” Huh? She really did stop. Hands leaving my face she softly settled it over the curve of my left shoulder… (Taeyeon expected another playful banter and hitting marathon, but it didn’t go as such)   “Don’t worry, I’ll give you support Taengoo! So you’ll have both love and dreams in your hands!!”   She gave me one final smile and headed for the door “Well… I’m going ahead!”   “What?! How about-“   “And go to school you PABO! You need your education!”   *Clackkk the sound of the door closing*   Huh?!   What was that? Am I just imagining it, or did Sica seem SOOOOOOO weird this morning?       XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX       Outside Ajumma’s house     This… this is okay…   Fight Sica! FIGHTING!       Flashback:   “I HAVE TO GO TO HER RIGHT NOW!!! IF I’M A FAILURE AS A VIDEO GIRL THEN MAKE ME HUMAN!!!! S-sunny… a-anything…   pl-please bring me to herrr? Help me please…”   … …   “Do you want to go to Taeyeon so much?”   “Huh?!”   Suddenly Seohyun-ssi’s image is projected on the surveillance camera’s TV…   What?! Have the gods heard my plea?!   “If you want it so much, I can let you go back to her, but…”   But?   “There will be conditions”   What?! Conditions…?   “And these will be very difficult for you since you love Taeyeon”   “W-what are the conditions?”   “You see, Jessica-ssi, you failed on the “Comfort Theme”, so of course things have to be changed. Your new theme is “I’ll support you” … basically to put Taeyeon and her loved one together.”   What?! Taeyeon and Tiffany…?   “The playing time is endless… until you accomplish your job but there are ten steps in the “I’ll give you support” theme. I’m doing this to give guidelines and try to correct your previous errors. And of course, as steps, you must finish each one.   And… if you DON’T, you’ll automatically be ERASED.”   “I listened to your wish, so the conditions aren’t that easy… Now…   What do you want to do?”     Gulp. What do I do?! But… if I can be with her… “I accept the conditions, If-if it means I can be with her.”   “But! Jessica! Have you really thought about this?! I-it’ll be hard for you!! You can still quit now if yyou want!” I felt the sincerity of Sunny’s words when she said that, the slight tremble of her voice in fear, and the uneven tones in hesitation… and somehow, I felt closer to her than I could ever be from my creator Seohyun-ssi.   “I think it’s okay Sunny… I really don’t have any choice don’t I?” I said and smiled weakly at her, my last attempt at strength and resolve.   “Okay, the first step is “Get Away From Taeyeon.” It will be difficult at first but I trust Jessica-ssi that you’ll finish your job”   BRRRRRRRZZZZ Click.     End of Flashback       this Video Girl life… Is… is it really worth it?   I kept wavering this morning, I almost lost it.   But what