"Hurry up, the helicopter has to take off now!" Nurse Lee waved her hands to usher Hyomin into the helicopter.

The medical voluntary team from General Hospital had flown in to South Africa, a land which is prone of diseases - both curable and incurable ones. The team of 8 was led by Park Hyomin, a young aspiring doctor who was recently given the post of the assistant head doctor in General hospital. She was only in her early 30s, not only being the first female doctor to achieve the post, but also the youngest in the last 12 years.

She dedicated half of her thirty-two years of life to study under the guidance of the best doctor in Asia, Doctor Park Minwoo, who is also her biological father. With the best teacher anyone could have, she graduated in Asia's most renowned medical school, Hoster's School of Medicine, as the only graduate with honors in her year at the age of 20. Most people at the age of 20 were still schooling and playing rebels against society while Hyomin had already secured a position in General Hospital under the researching team. She must have inherited the genius genes from her father, who has already retired and took on the role of a medical advisor in the same hospital that Hyomin is working at.

There was a reason why she chose to take on this stressful path instead of conforming to society and act like people around her age. At the age of 20, she already had visible wrinkles on her face and she avoided social events, outcasting herself from all her friends and connections that her dad wanted to introduce her too. You could pretty much say that 16 hours of her day were spent on researching, studying, experimenting and the cycle repeated every day. She was willing to sacrifice her social life and everything else because she had a goal in mind. A goal that was too painful to bear.

"Doctor Park please. There won't be another flight home in at least 4 days and your operation schedules have already been planned for these 4 days. We need to leave now!" Nurse Lee continued to yell at Doctor Park from the helicopter because the rotor blades of the helicopter were too loud.

The team arrived a week ago and was due to leave at night today. However, there was a sudden sandstorm which forced them to leave earlier in the afternoon so that they will get back home safely. The sandstorm was predicted to last for at least 3 days before it would calm down. Doctor Park was just 10 feet away from the helicopter, her long golden locks were blown by the wind and they seemed to be fighting among themselves along with the wind. In front of her stood a mother who was carrying a baby in her hands. The mother had a pitiful look on her face which seemed to be begging Doctor Park not to leave even though words were not exchanged.

Hyomin casted her glances downwards and saw the baby in the mother's arms. A big patch of red flesh could be seen on the baby's stomach, infested with worms and bugs. The baby had already passed off most probably due to the sickness and pain. The baby looked so lifeless and Hyomin wasn't sure if she could just leave like that. Even though she had been in this field for the past 16 years, she was still not accustomed to seeing dying patients or patients in great pain, especially babies. She always had a soft spot for babies.

After looking at the baby, she turned back to face Nurse Lee and told her, "I really can't. He needs to be operated on immediately!" Without waiting for a response, she picked up the baby from the mother's hands and rushed to the nearest tent. She got ready all the medical equipments needed for the operation and started to operate on the poor baby, with a determination to put the baby back into good shape. Or at least not let the inhumane creatures eat up the baby's flesh anymore.

After around 3 hours, she opened the tent where the worried mother was pacing up and down outside. Upon seeing the baby wrapped in bandages lying on the bed, she teared and offered Hyomin sincere thanks. She invited Hyomin into her tent and settled her down with a cup of their local tea.

"If you had only one wish, what would you wish for?" The mother asked. Hyomin was both physically and mentally drained so she didn't bother to think of why this question was asked.

"If I had only one wish, I wish to see her again." Hyomin sighed as she rested her head on the table, her thoughts drifting off to where they first met.

It was the summer of 2003, where flowers bloomed in Korea and the streets were filled with pink blossom flowers. At least that was the picture of summer in the area where Hyomin lived. At the age of 14, she was studying in the most prestigious high school in Korea and topping every class was already an annual thing for her. She got along well with all her peers, excelled in her extra curriculum activity - piano.

One Friday evening when she was walking home, she came across a fight on the streets. There were 2 boys whom she assumed to be the bullies and a tall lean girl who should be the victim. She was about to shout for help until taking a closer look, she realized the roles were reversed between the 2 boys and the girl. It was the boys who were holding their stomachs in pain and crouching on the floor. She took bigger steps forward and watched as the girl forced the bigger boy up by pulling his hair and pointed her index finger into his face, whispering into his ears. She definitely seemed like the one in charge.

Hyomin was stunned because she had never witnessed a fight where the female was the one dominating the boys before. She didn't know whether to cheer her on or to feel sorry for the boys.

Sensing that someone was watching her, the girl in the fight turned around with a vicious stare but her guard was immediately let down when she realized it was a harmless young girl. Her glare turned into a victorious eyesmile as she let go her grip on the boy's hair and showed a V sign with both her hands as the boy fell flat onto the ground. She looked at Hyomin’s direction, hopping a little on alternate foot, proudly displaying her V signs to the only girl in sight. Hyomin turned her head around to see that there was no other passer-by so she was certain that the V signs were for her.

Hyomin studied the girl's features and came to a conclusion that despite looking so tough earlier on, she had the most beautiful features that Hyomin had ever seen. She would not even hesitate to admit that the girl was much prettier and cuter than herself. The girl tidied her long black straight hair that almost reaches her waist by combing her fingers through her hair. But that was not what captivated Hyomin the most. Hyomin couldn't take her eyes off the girl as she looked into her crescent-shape eyes which seemed to shimmer even under the broad daylight. Then she noticed her pink lips which were curved upwards, a tingling sensation rose within Hyomin's chest - the sudden impulse to run up to the girl in front and crash their lips together.

"Well, as you wish." The mother's voice broke off Hyomin's trail of thoughts. She opened the wooden shelf behind her and took out a small glass bottle containing 3 golden pills. Handing the bottle to a confused Hyomin, she added again, "These are only to be used for that specific purpose."

Back in Korea, Hyomin laid back comfortably in her armchair and noticed the bottle of golden pills from the corner of her eyes. She had been back for 5 days but she was too busy making up for the operations that she had missed to think about the mysterious pills.

'She won't harm her child's benefactor right?' Hyomin thought as she shook out the contents and popped one of the five pills down .

How long has it been since she last saw the girl she loved? 16 years - long enough to know the girl for a lifetime, since the girl passed away at the age of 16. However tonight, Hyomin found herself back at where they met for the second time.

The girl was waiting for her at the place where they parted previously. Hyomin walked along the same street back home and was more happy than surprised to find the girl at the exact same spot where they first met. She was thinking of why the girl was there but the girl's next set of actions answered her queries.

The girl skipped cheerfully towards Hyomin and stopped right in front of her. She clasped her hands behind her back and leaned forward. The distance between their faces was only a palm's length away. Hyomin's eyes widened at the overly-close contact and the next thing she knew was that she was looking into the crescent-shaped eyes that have been on her mind for the past 3 days.

"I just wanted to make it clear that I wasn't the bully. They tried to pickpocket me so I had to retaliate!" Jiyeon exclaimed in a husky voice.

'Damn, even her voice is so y.'

"Erm well yeah I guess that make sense. I erm, I'd have beaten my aggressors into pulps if they tried to violate me too. Erm I mean murderers. Or was it burglars?" Hyomin stammered as she forced out a reply in an attempt to hide the blushes on her cheeks.

"Police."

"Yeah I meant to say police. Wait, police?" There came chuckles as Hyomin saw the taller girl bend slightly to laugh.

'I must've been a dodo in my previous life. Hyomin you've just successfully made a fool out of yourself.' Hyomin sulked and lowered her head in shame.

"That was cute though. Hi, I'm Jiyeon." The glistening look in her eyes almost made Hyomin go weak in her knees. Her hands slyly slid around Hyomin’s waist before pulling away immediately, leaving Hyomin dumbfounded and too shocked to introduce herself.

Before she acts out the next anticipated scene, Hyomin woke up only to realize that it was just a dream. A dream that was exactly same as the real past.

Hyomin was about to leave the room as she stood up and tucked her hands into her pocket, only to fish out a piece of note – You’ll be able to find me at the purple house opposite this street (; She recognized this note from the actual one that she had received 18 years ago. Instead of leaving, she threw her body back onto the chair and rummaged through her drawer where she kept all the things related to Jiyeon and finally managed to find the exact same piece of note. The original piece had already turned yellowish. At first she couldn’t believe it either. However, as she placed the 2 pieces on the table, she was sure she was not mistaken. The handwriting was the same; there was no doubt about it.

She grabbed the bottle of golden pills which was on the table and thought hard. She didn’t know what she was thinking of or what she was trying to figure out. Rushing out of the house and speeding to the hospital, she deposited the bottle of pills to the research team and told them to find out the chemical contents of the pills as soon as possible. She wanted to believe what she was thinking of yet she needed more verifications.

Later that night, a phone call from Nurse Lee ended her anxiety of the day. Hyomin was told that the pill was made of very common chemicals and extracts of some medicinal plants, that there was nothing suspicious.

After picking up the pills from the hospital, she rested herself on the bed before popping in the second pill. If these pills don’t harm, then they are going to be for a good cause. Sure enough, she drifted off to sleep in 15mins time, then finding herself in a familiar setting again. The faint yellow lights, the glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, the apple fragrance air refreshner. Turning her head to the left, the girl whom she loved for the past 18 years and more to count was lying beside her. She tilted her body slightly so that she was facing the girl and wrapped her arms around her slender waist before leaning forward to plant a kiss on her forehead.

Her actions seemed to have woken the girl up as the girl sleepily rubbed her eyes with her hands and frowned. This scene looked too cute so Hyomin couldn’t help but giggled to herself. The giggle agitated the sleeping girl who began reaching her hands out to tickle Hyomin without even opening her eyes. Hyomin tossed and turned about to avoid the girl’s continuous attacks. It was then she suddenly remembered what she was here for. She jumped to her feet and changed out of her pajamas in front of the girl who had already sat up on the bed.

“My girlfriend with a perfect body, going somewhere?” Jiyeon asked while still rubbing her eyes and pouting on the bed.


“Yeah, I’ve got to rush. Catch some more sleep while you can.” Hyomin pocketed some notes which were left on the dressing table and headed out. She knew if this was what she thought it was, she didn’t have much time. The previous visit lasted for only half an hour or so. Having a destination in mind, she quickened her footsteps. If she was quick enough, she might still have time to make it back to the purple house and spend some time with her girlfriend of a year.

Taking in a deep breath and muttering something inaudible under her breath, she pushed open the glass door and did what she planned to do. After around 10mins, she stood in front of the mirror, using her fingers to lightly caress over the black italic words ‘J. Y. Park’ on her left collarbone. It was where she wanted to keep the memory of this person forever, the place closest to her heart. The affected area was still red and she learnt that it would take at least a week to heal completely. Looking at the clock, she realized she still had 10mins left; running back to the house will only take 5mins if she were to sprint like how she did in elementary school sports day.

“Look, I’ve engraved you on my heart!” Hyomin said in between her panting as she ed her blouse and pulled down her left collar till the tattoo was visible to Jiyeon.

“Silly! You went out in such a hurry just to get this done?”

“Yeah, because I can’t wait to keep you near my heart forever.”

“Not in your heart?”

“I might die one day and my heart would stop beating. I don’t want you to die in my heart.”

The girl who was still sitting on the bed flipped over the blanket and ran up to Hyomin. Throwing her arms around Hyomin’s neck, Jiyeon buried her teary face into Hyomin’s shoulders, refusing to let go of the hug or to loosen her grip so that the latter could breathe properly.

Hyomin woke up again to realize that it was another dream. It felt too real. It was real to begin with, yet going through the past again left such a strong impact on her. She stumbled her way to the mirror in the dark and noticed that her blouse was ed the way it was in her dream. With shivering hands, she pulled down the collar and on her right collarbone was the black italic words ‘J.Y. Park’. The words had faded off to a light shade of grey as compared to how she’d seen the words just a few minutes ago. ‘That’s what time does I guess, it fades away the pain but the scar will forever be there.’ She ran her fingers over the words again as tears flowed down profusely.

She took the last pill in her hands. It might be the last time to see her most beloved person. She was hesitating whether to save it for the future when she misses her again. However, she then realized Jiyeon had never once left her thoughts before for the past 16 years so she might as well use the pill tonight so that this would be the most memorable night in her past 16 years of life.
Before consuming the pill, she closed her eyes and recalled all the happiest moments with Jiyeon during the 2 years from their first meeting to their last. The last… Heavens was too cruel with these two young lovebirds. They were separated in a fire, where Jiyeon was burnt to death in her own house. By the time Hyomin learnt of the news, she was a minute late. Jiyeon was already announced dead on the spot just outside the house after the fire died down. The heartbreak was indescribable and too unbearable for a 16 years old girl. She spent almost 3 days sitting in front of the burnt house without moving an inch and living on nothing but only water when either her father or Jiyeon’s mother come to talk to her. Her face deprived of expressions just like how her heart deprived of emotions. The once sparkly eyes turned gloomy and the incident definitely changed Hyomin’s life in an hundred and eighty degrees. She felt so helpless as she could only see her lover for the last time in the coffin. She broke down on an average of ten times per day. Sometimes it was worse when someone or something reminded her of Jiyeon. 

It was only until a month after the funeral when she decided she couldn’t live like that anymore. She knew that Jiyeon wouldn’t want to see her in such a depressed state. There were many times when she picked up the pen knife and attempted to end her life so that she could see her lover in heaven. The motivation which killed these thoughts was a life motto which Jiyeon had always lived by.

“Live happily and die happily. Let’s do this together alright?”

“Wow is that your life motto? It sure sounds…different from what I’d have expected.” Hyomin’s joke earned her a hard smack on her head.

‘Live happily and die happily…’ The last thing Hyomin wanted to do was to disappoint Jiyeon and to break off from the life motto they were supposed to live with. At least Jiyeon did abide by this motto and died happily because Hyomin sure did provide her with all the happiness one could only be envious of.

In order to get herself back on feet again, her dad offered to help her to become the best female doctor of the century. She told herself that if she wasn’t able to save Jiyeon, she would at least make sure not to let anyone she loves die and go through the overwhelming pain again. With a goal and a promise to herself in mind, she embarked on the strenuous journey in becoming one of the top doctors in Asia.

Putting the last pill into , Hyomin was too anxious to fall asleep. It took her longer than usual to begin her dream.

Hyomin was studying at home for the final exams because she wanted to enroll into the Seoul University of Law. She wasn’t really into law until she met Jiyeon. Being a righteous person who would fight against all injustice, even through the use of violence if necessary, Jiyeon had studied really hard to be a lawyer in the future. Part of this idea or ambition came from Hyomin, who always discouraged her use of violence. Jiyeon always claimed that she was born as a demure and gentle girl until she took on Taekwondo at the age of seven and achieved a third degree black belt at the age of fifteen. She was always confident of herself whenever it comes to things involving the use of strength. Thus Hyomin decided to encourage her into the path of law where Jiyeon would be able to fight against injustice without getting herself injured.

Hyomin really wanted to get into the same school with her girlfriend so they could spend more time together. She knew she was already smarter than most of her peers but when it comes to Jiyeon, she felt the competitive spirit arise within her which she hasn’t felt in a long while. Jiyeon was just perfect in every possible way. In order not to lose to her equally smart girlfriend, she cooped herself at home during the morning and would just go visit her girlfriend during the late afternoon every day. However, Hyomin was conscious and knew that it might be the last time to see her lover so she immediately got dressed and decided to give Jiyeon a surprise by visiting early. As she packed her things into her bag, she took a look at the calendar and she was horror-stricken.

It was 20 September, the actual day when Jiyeon died 16 years ago. Her face turned pale and her hands trembled in shock. That meant this was really the last time to see Jiyeon. Suddenly, a thought struck Hyomin and she knew it was against the rules of fate to do so but she couldn’t just let everything happen and watch her most beloved person die! If she acted against fate, she knew the outcome would be unpredictable and she might most likely be punished in the future for messing around with what heavens had already planned. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her. Along the way to her purple house, her thoughts were debating with her conscience.

Making sure not to waste the limited amount of time she had, she instantly pressed on the doorbell and knocked furiously until Jiyeon appeared at the door. She tried to stay calm and forced herself to act as if nothing was going to happen. In her mind, she had already made a decision and she was going to stick to it.

“Let’s go out.” Jiyeon held the girl’s hand and pulled her out of the house even though Jiyeon was trying to release herself from the tight grip.

“Wait, why are you in such a rush? At least let me change into something proper first unless you want all the guys and girls on the streets to ogle at my beautiful curves which show perfectly in this pajama.” Jiyeon retorted. Hyomin regretted asking Jiyeon to study for law as she realized she couldn’t retaliate to her words anymore. She checked her watch and realized there was still 20 minutes before her ‘dream’ ends so she hurried Jiyeon to do so.

Hyomin brought Jiyeon to a nearby lake and decided to make up to the fate that she’d changed in her own way.

“Listen carefully Jiyeon. No matter what you hear from me now or later, do not leave this place. Stay here till tomorrow morning. I’m not sure what I’ll be saying later but remember, mark my current words, do not ever leave this place. Even if I chase you home with a broom later, do not leave. Understand?” Hyomin’s serious tone worried Jiyeon. Jiyeon had never seen Hyomin in such a panic mode before. She could only nod her head even though she didn’t really understand what Hyomin was talking about. The only thing she understood was not to leave this place until tomorrow morning. She didn’t dare to question why or argue with this serious side of Hyomin. It scared her.

“No matter what happens, I love you. I love you so very much and I regret not having enough time to repeat this sentence to you every day. Please remember that I love you. Promise me you’ll do that?”

“I promise.” Jiyeon leaned her head on Hyomin’s shoulders only to be pushed away. She was more confused than ever. First the ridiculous speech and now Hyomin was pushing her away. All these didn’t happen before and it was scaring Jiyeon too much.

“I have to go. Keep in mind what I’ve said. Stay here. Park Jiyeon, I really hope you’ll realize how much I love you. I’ve loved you for 18 years, since the first time I set my eyes on you. I’ll never forget the first meeting, the happiness we had together and now the separation. I’m sorry I can’t stay any longer. But I really love you. This is all you have to remember if you do make it past this.” Hyomin fought with all her might to keep the tears in her eyes and gave a kiss to Jiyeon’s lips. She couldn’t find the strength to say goodbye or to tell Jiyeon the truth. The truth that this might be the last time they’ll be seeing each other.

“What…what are you talking about Hyomin? Don’t scare me, it’s not April Fool’s day today.” Jiyeon was really too scared of Hyomin’s sudden change in behavior.

“Just stay here.” Hyomin managed to reply as she walked away and the tears finally let loose and flowed confusedly down her cheeks. ‘Goodbye Jiyeon…I can only pray that fate would let us be together 16 years later from now.’

Hyomin woke up with a tear-stained face and the first thing in her mind was to check if the purple house was still there. She ran to the house along the familiar streets and was more than relieved to find the house there. Her heart was beating so fast as she pressed the doorbell but was immediately disappointed when the person who opened the door was a stranger. So the house was not burnt down because Jiyeon was not at home to cook that day which would result in the leakage of gas and led explosion. But if the house is fine, is she fine too? Where would she be now?

She strolled down the streets back home, hanging her head low as she was trying to figure out ways of figuring out the whereabouts of Jiyeon. Just then, her phone rang and she stopped in track to answer the call.

“Ms Park, where are you? We’re all waiting for you to begin to meeting.” The voice from the other side of the phone sounded unfamiliar. People usually addressed her as Doctor Park and not Ms Park.

“Erm..sorry you are?”

“I’m your personal assistant Ham Eunjung. Are you telling me that you don’t have my number after working together for 3 years?”

“I er…I sort of had a hangover so can you give me a brief introduction of myself?” Hyomin knew she sounded stupid but she would really look stupid too if she didn’t know of her current identity. Everything must’ve changed the moment she decided to challenge fate.

“You’re Park Hyomin, the owner of JYP Law Corporation which you set up 3 years ago and employed me as your personal assistant. Your monthly income is around 20K per month which I think you should spare some of this amount to your beloved personal assistant. Your house is located at…” Eunjung continued to rattle on until Hyomin stopped her.

“What about Jiyeon?”

“Jiyeon as in Jiyeon Park?”

“Ya! Where is she now?”

“How would I know! I only know her name because you told me that was how you came up with the name for the company.” Feeling disappointed, Hyomin ended the call and was about to continue walking again until she lifted her head and saw a familiar scene ahead.

There was a lady around her age, gripping onto a muscular guy’s hair while the other guy was rolling in pain on the ground. The lady wore a piece of loose tanktop with a dark coloured jeans and a pair of high-cut golden sneakers. She watched as the lady pointed her index finger into the guy’s face and whispered something into his ears.

Hyomin’s eyes were b with tears as she recalled this scene from 18 years ago. The back view of the lady totally resembled the 14 years old Jiyeon, especially the black long hair. Even though she had no idea how Jiyeon would look like in 16 years’ time, neither did she see the change in Jiyeon’s physical appearance in the past 16 years, yet her woman’s instinct told her that lady was someone she’d never want to let go again. Just as she was caught up in her own thought, comparing the current scene with the one she had experienced 18 years ago, the chic lady turned around and gave the killer eyesmile that Hyomin recognized instantly. The lady then let go of the grip on the guy’s hair and let him fall flat onto the ground and then showed her significant V signs with her fingers.

Hyomin cried in tears of joy as she met the 32 years old Park Jiyeon again just like the first time.