CHAPTER 25     “YAH!!! HEY Don’t joke with me Sica!!! WAKE UP!!”   “Are… Are you dead?!”   Oh no… Please no!!!     BRRZZZZZZ Click. “Don’t worry Taeyeon, there’s still one last step in saving her.”   “Sunny-ssi!” again I felt indebted seeing her face projected amongst the static signals of the TV screen.     “Bring Jessica to the Paradise Video Rental Store, I mean the same slope you found that store. I’ll meet you there”   “The… the DVD where her data was stored was destroyed by the main computer when you removed her body from it so…   but I know how to recover and burn the DVD’s data so you just have to bring her here first. And also I think…   Anyways just bring her here as soon as possible okay Taeyeon?”     Sunny-ssi! Of course!!! Thank you!!   “OKAY! I’ll carry and bring her there now!!!” I said, putting Sica’s body on my back and hurriedly getting up.     “YAH WAIT! Taeyeon!!! You idiot! Change your bloodied clothes first! And cover Jessica with a jacket! People will get suspicious seeing you both like that… Tsk… Sigh… what am I a fairy God mother?”     “Oh… Oh yeah thanks for the tip Sunny-ssi” I glanced down seeing my gory, mess of an attire…     “Okay don’t rush, but be quick, I’ll wait for both of you there.”     BRRZZZZZZ Click.       “Oh… okay good… I thought you really were gone for good…” I said wiping her face and body with a clean warm towel before quickly hitting the showers and haphazardly bandaging my cuts.               “Hahhh”         “Haahh” “Hah”   Hang a little bit more Sica… We’re almost there…     “Hahhh”         “Haahh” “Hah”   At last! We’re here!!   Don’t worry nobody’s going to bother us now!       “Sunny-ssi!! We’re here!!!”   “Tsk… I’m caving in to both of your spirits; Seohyun-ssi might hate me for this… Come in…”     She said opening the door and leading us to a secret door behind the manager’s counter…   “Hehehe thank you for your help really Sunny-ssi, I owe you one! Well a lot actually…”   “You owe me the world now you idiot if you’re keeping tabs… but it’s okay… I’m doing it for other reasons too…”   “Huh?”   What does she…?   … … …   WOOOOOOOAAHHHHHH…   At the back of the room, looked like the HQ of the Neon Geneus Evangelion Crew!!! Supercomputers lining the walls, everything futuristic like it’s straight out of a mecha anime setting…!   Damn, if I was in a different scenario, I’d be stoked to spend time here!       Sunny-ssi then asked me to placed Sica inside an ivory coloured pod at the middle of the room as we went back one level up, to the main control room with a glass observation area.   “Sica… I’ll leave you here for a while, but wake up soon and smile at me please?”   I chastely kissed her cheeks and followed Sunny-ssi.       “I’ll definitely be fired if Seohyun-ssi finds out about this…”   “Seohyun-ssi?”   “Yeah the girl who created Jessica… and even me actually.”   “WHAT?! Then why don’t we ask help from her instead?!”   “Pssshh Don’t be silly Taeyeon. We’re breaking the rules now as we speak… that girl wouldn’t even let us do this in the first place.” Sunny-ssi said, as she continued to prepare, tweak, and transfer between each of the supercomputers like a professional.   … … …   “OKAY! We’re all set! We’re only making a copy of the DVD but… I need to tell you something Taeyeon”   “Okay what, gulp, tell me anything Sunny-ssi”   “Remember Taeyeon, I’m not the one who created Sica, so I’m not even sure if this will work… BUT if by of luck it does, unfortunately this copy like the original will only last for three months as well…”   “What… ju-just three months?”   No… that’s… that’s too short…   “Yep Taeyeon, just three months… and by then I’m not even sure if I’ll be able to help you girls again… I… I’m sorry… this is all I can do for the both of you…” she then looks at her hands, an aura of sorrow and shame casting over her.     Sunny-ssi…   Truthfully, aside from our brief encounter when I first visited the Paradise Video Rental Shop, I haven’t spoken with or interacted with Sunny-ssi up until now when I had to save Sica. I don’t know what their connection is aside from both being video girls created by that girl Seohyun-ssi… I-I don’t even know who she is on their world really, but… I thank her from the bottom of my heart for unconditionally caring for us, and our love this much… No one asked her too… she’s even breaking her so called programming as she does this… she might have her personal reasons that I don’t and will never know… but… irregardless of which, still she does.   So thank you Sunny-ssi… Honestly just by being here attempting to revive Sica, just by bringing me inside your world, just by communicating with me when I was left alone in confusion when Sica disappeared from this world… You’ve done more than enough.     “It’s okay Sunny-ssi… You’ve done too much already, actually… Sigh… if I’m able to spend three more months with Sica by my side, I… I guess I couldn’t ask for anything more. I’ll… I’ll make sure I’ll spend every moment of that loving, taking care, and making her happy…   I promise you that.”   And like the time in the VG world, she simply smiles at me again, believing.   “Okay! I know you will keep your promise Taeyeon! So don’t let me down okay?! And… if all else fails, remember… Just trust in the power of your love, sometimes with a little leap of faith, miracles can happen.”   I nodded in agreement, yes… With a little leap of faith, miracles can happen!     “Okay! Let’s start the dubbing process!!!” She said, pressing the several buttons ending with the large triangular pyramid in the middle.   GLLLLLLLMMMMMMMM   Everything then began to glow, including the pod that contained Sica below the observation box. The monitors attached to the supercomputers sending several scripts except a lone TV screen positioned behind the pyramid shaped switch which showed static signals instead.       Klacckkkk Klaccckkkk Klacckkkk Klaccckkkk   “Pretty soon, Jessica’s body will fade materially from this world… but don’t fret Taeyeon, that’s part of the process she has to go through to appear upon the TV screen once more.”   Klacckkkk Klaccckkkk   “And when she does… you have to pray.   Pray just like you did when you met her for the first time.   Pray “I need you” strongly. The video girl won’t appear if the person doesn’t want it”   Klacckkkk Klaccckkkk Klacckkkk Klaccckkkk     BRRZZZZZZ Click.   HUH?! Sica’s image is now fading into the TV screen!!!   “SICAAA!!!!”       With bloodied hands, I wiped tears off my face, staining it instead with a crimson smear… I’m really really sorry Sica…   … …   Finally after a long arduous journey I reached the top of the glass staircase…   One last step…   “Hahh… Oh My God… That was harsh… Damn at last!!! Where’s Sica-”       “I… I could get here at last…”       I slided through the floor and covered her body with mine… “Ouch!! Ouch!! Ouch!!!”   Bits and pieces of metallic material fell one by one over my back, adding into my new collection of bruises and cuts, “Ouch… ”   But it didn’t matter…   Sica… now I have you under my arms once again…       “Open your eyes…”       I laughed too… reflecting the same in my eyes.   “Hahahha Oh YEAH!!! St-Stupid me!!! Hahahah, Sica… Please come back!!! DO-Don’t leave me!!! DO-d-d-ont Disappear please?! I…I… I Need you… I-I… Love you… Please?!”   She just stared back at me longingly, bitting her lower lips as drop after drop, liquid grief, trailed her face as it did mine.       “Come out…”       “But I love you too Sica… Shouldn’t that be enough?”   Wiping away those beautiful tears, from the most beautiful person I’ve seen and known in my life, I caressed her cheeks, smiled, my brown orbs mirroring hers, and slowly drew our faces closer, closer and closer until our lips met and for the first time ever breathes stop.   And I hope with that Sica understood that for me she’s the one.   The only one.       “PLEASE COME OUT NOW!!!”       FLASSSSSSSHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!   “Uh…” the room goes blinding white as I recall the day this angel came into my life…   Ahhh I missed this… suddenly being immersed in an air of warm comforting feelings.   Pretty soon we’ll spend time like before again…       “Such soft and warm hands…” BWAH!! What?!!! Did I just blurt out my thoughts! OH NO!!! Please say you didn’t hear that please? I thought flustered as a blush creeps through my face.   “Hihi of course, since I’m Jessica, I’ll naturally have perfect hands. Now don’t fall in love with me okay Taengoo?” She said lightly pecking me by the sides of my cheek causing my blush to intensify.   Giggle “Okay, now where are those spaghetti noodles, so that we can finally make a Napoleon out of you?”   “UGH…”   Hahahaha. That melodious and angelic voice again.         “Here it comes Taengoo! The FISH!!!!”   Wha-?! The what?!
  GUMPPPPPPPPPP   “Yah! You’re wet Sica! Don’t hug me from behind! And plus you only have a towel wrapped onto you!”         “So why do you suddenly want to go on a date?”   “I want to show off the winter coat you got me!”   “OHHHHHHH is that why you haven’t been wearing it all week? Sheez I thought you hated the design that’s why.”   “HMP! Because I wanted to make this our anniversary!”   “Of what?”   “Hmnn How about… “The First Date with Taengoo wearing the coat she gave me”!?”   “Ha ha ha Isn’t that a bit long?! You might want to shorten it.”         “I can’t believe I’m going with your idea of spending the night on the cold  ground like this and what if there are bugs?! Ahhhhh~!!!” Sica said as she cautiously lay down inside the tent on the makeshift bed I made out of foams and Dookong plushies.   “Hahaha Thank you Sica!” I said holding her hand, squeezing it and not letting go. Cause I didn’t really want to. Badump Badump   I’m surprised she didn’t remove her hand too… so I just kept it that way.   We laid still looking at the stars from our semi transparent tent and I smile again for the umpteenth time today because of Sica and the nice memories she stirs inside my heart.               But as my words trailed, Sica still didn't respond… She just held her gaze on the mass of blue and sparkling waters in front of us and kept quiet. Squeezing my hand and not letting go; Pensive. So, I let her be… and tenderly pulled her head resting it on my shoulder as we watch in silence the calming, hypnotic motion of the flowing currents with only the sea breeze blowing, seagulls passing by and the slight saline smell of the area surrounding us.    … …   “But know what? I pity her.”   “Huh? What do you mean Sica-”   “… Too bad for her, she just couldn’t understand what the younger sister had to offer…   but you see…   I'm not a mermaid Taengoo. So I won't make the same mistake."          “Kata-Kata! Kata-Kata!”   “TAENGOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I looked towards the horizon and with the sun setting on her background I saw Sica, wi