Chapter 5 Step Closer

 

Every day may not be good but there is something good in every day. Every single day will never be perfect, from morning to night, the whole twenty-four hours. It will always have imperfections and contains mistakes. But within that one single day, everyone learns something new since people never actually stop from learning. Everyone learns various things in just one single day, may it be something that will break a heart, or may it be something that can flutter a heart.

 

Dear Mom,

 

Hi mom! It’s me, Jessica. I’m sorry if I haven’t written anything in the past few days. I've been working continuously here in a village where I was assigned. Trust me mom, it’s not that I’m lazy to write or have forgotten about our promise. It’s just that I’m on a tight position because of this research I’m doing.

 

Krystal and I have been living separately for some time now but no worries because I left her under a good care and I’m living with good people around me. I’m working on with my project to finish it as fast as possible so that I can go back to her again and spend some time together. I won’t be saying much this time; because you know me, all I do is work and nothing more.

 

That’s all for now mom. Just wait for a bit more and soon we’ll meet again and by that time I can show you your baby Krystal. I love you mom, every day.

 

Jessica dropped her pen, letting it roll further away from the notebook she writes at. In front of her small cranky working table are her research papers that started from scratch, her laptop she only use for encoding the final outputs, pencils and pens sprinkled around her working table and a cup of coffee on a corner. She puffed hot breaths as she stretched her tired shoulders upwards and her head tilted to the room’s windows to relax her eyes with the help of the starry night sky, the green leafy trees dancing with the night winds brushing the resting birds on tree branches.

 

“So beautiful.” Jessica praised the scenery as she closed her eyes to inhale the air she has gotten used to now.

 

Jessica walked out of her room to breathe the fresher air from the outside. She makes her way out to the small garden filled with blooming flowers to find the exact and perfect relaxation she’s been looking for. She occupied a bench after appreciating every single flower in front of her fascinated eyes. Soon she started humming to a song and later sings along with the birds she awakened. Her sweet voice with the right harmony lightens up the place.

 

“What a sweet voice.” Just as Jessica ended the song with a perfect low pitch, Tiffany clapped her hands.

 

“Well, thank you.” Jessica looked back with a weak smile.

 

Tiffany sat beside the resting businesswoman and to keep the conversation going, she retorted, “It’s so rare for you to be out of your room at late night like this. You often lock yourself after our dinner. What’s gotten into you?”

 

“I just need some rest and besides, I’m halfway through my researches so I guess it’s just a right time for me to slow down a bit. I also thought the sky looks extra beautiful tonight. You can’t see something as beautiful as this very often at the urban.” Jessica said, looking up high the stars shining down on them.

 

Tiffany lays eyes on her, for the first time since Jessica happened in her life. She took the advantage of taking a closer look of Jessica while she’s busy staring up at the sky. Truly, Jessica’s beauty jived along well with the starry night and her shining aura like of a goddess made Tiffany to admire more of her.

 

“Fany-noona!”

 

Tiffany’s ogling was disturbed and was spooked when one of her adopted kids came running to their resting place. Jessica irked but silently groaned in annoyance when the kid forced himself to sit in between her and Tiffany, for she’s not good with handling kids in the first place.

 

“What is it?” Tiffany blithely asked the kid who is wearing his oversized pajamas.

 

“I can’t sleep.” The kid said with cuteness in his low voice.

 

“I see. So what do you want mommy Fany to do for you?” Tiffany again asked with a gentle caress on the kid’s head.

 

“Mommy Fany? You call yourself mommy Fany?” Jessica snorted.

 

Tiffany cackled and warily expressed, “Well, these kids are like my daughters and sons so I call myself as their mother. They don’t have parents like me so I understand their feelings. I live for them, isn’t that what a mother usually do to live? They live for their children.”

 

“A mother, huh? Then why don’t you bear your own child and settle down with a family instead of adopting kids?”

 

Tiffany lowered for a moment at Jessica’s straightforward inquiry. She established a clear wretched character as she zipped her lips and looked straight down to the ground. This time it’s Jessica’s turn to stare at her while she’s distracted for a strange reason. For Jessica, Tiffany, despite of showing her bright eye smile all the time to the other villagers and to the kids, she also has a side that glowered behind that eye smile. And the reason behind this sadness in Tiffany’s eyes is something that Jessica couldn’t comprehend at all.

 

“What’s wrong Fany-noona? Are you alright?” The kid lightly tugged the stunned Tiffany beside him.

 

“Eh?” Tiffany was once again alarmed because of spacing out too much from all the thoughts that crashed to her furious mind. “I’m fine. Maybe I’m just tired a little since it’s late already.” She smiled.

 

“Hey kid.” Jessica called out and so the kid looked up on her waiting for an addition. “Has your mommy Fany ever sung a song for you at night?” She asked and the wide awake kid shook his head for a negative response. “Then, how about I sing a song for you? Look, your mommy Fany is tired so she might not be able to do anything for you to put you on sleep. I admit I’m not good with kids but I used to sing a song for my younger sister too when she was little. So, your Sica-noona will sing a song for you if you want to.”

 

“Sure noona. Thank you.” The kid smiled in joy.

 

Jessica cleared before she started to hum to another round of song. Just like a lullaby, she delicately sings the parts, slowly yet with a power. Soon the kid dozed off and his head fell onto Jessica’s shoulder but she still finished the song.

 

“You’re really good at this.” Tiffany faithfully whispered.

 

“Let him stay like this for a while. He looks comfortable sleeping on my shoulder.” Jessica said but resisting to show an irritated face.

 

“Yeah.” Tiffany detected the resistance on Jessica’s face but still nodded in pleasure then decided to stay with them for a little while.

 

Every night like this, Tiffany has the routine of going out especially when the night got the perfect view. And every night like this, Taeyeon would use the chance to visit her friend and joins her for a daily usual night chat. But not this time, for the time she pedaled her way to Tiffany’s place, she sighted her friend through the low fences of her house from her position meters away together with someone else and not her. She hates the sight and for the first time Taeyeon hated a perfection of the night.

 

“Taeyeon, what are you doing there? Why don’t you go inside?”

 

As the grandmother walked out, she witnessed Taeyeon manifesting gloom while glaring at the pair. She forced out a smile and replied, “Ah no grandma. It seems like Fany is busy attending your guest. I’ll just come back some other time.” She then pedaled away, frowning and defeated.

 

The older Jung is having a peaceful night and an unforgettable one but the young one doesn’t get a chance to experience this kind of moment on that same night. Krystal went back to the mansion, and as far as she could remember, she never treated it like home. If there’s one reason why she always find herself coming back to this huge residence, it’s because of her sister who’s always on her thoughts every day, especially on her darkest times. And this dark times seem to be just around the corner for the moment she stepped in, there she saw her father standing tall in their living room.

 

Krystal tries to avoid but then the father spoke, “Welcome back home.”

 

“Don’t get me wrong. I didn’t come back for you. I didn’t even know you’re back from overseas.” Krystal returned cold and uninterested of her father’s presence around her.

 

“Actually I’m not supposed to be back yet but something was reported to me that I needed to come back.” The father pronounced and turned around to meet the burning eyes of his daughter that didn’t give an effect to him. “Not only you failed on your exams but you also ditched classes for a straight week. Until when will you plan to behave like this Krystal? What should I do with you so that you’ll stop with your rebellious acts against my orders?”

 

“That only means you’re also sticking your nose into my personal affairs. Why dad, can’t you ask me directly about it? It only means that you don’t trust your own daughter because you needed someone else to feed information to you about me when in fact I’m just a call away. Then here you are asking me until when I’ll behave like this? What do you expect dad? You never asked me anything.” Krystal answered back in suspicion, exhaling loud as she said.

 

“Outrageous daughter! “Why can’t behave like how your sister performs?” The father clamored

 

“Well I’m sorry if I’m not Jessica dad!” Krystal resounded. “I’m sorry if I didn’t become your robot whom you control anytime you want. I’m sorry if there’s no remote control made for me! I’m sorry if I didn’t become the woman you wanted me to be! I’m sorry if I’m living the life I want to! And for your information dad, do you think you know everything about Jess? Have you ever asked her how she feels about all the things you’ve been asking her to do? Have you ever listened to her cries? You know nothing about us dad!”

 

The father felt like steaming on top of his head due to his over limiting anger. He shivered so much that he clenched his fists inside his pockets. The way Krystal looks at him can be compared to a beast fighting against its own kind on a wild life. Krystal on the other hand made sure to keep her long distance away from him, knowing that he has the ability to hurt her with his own heavy hands.

 

“Servants!” The father called and a bunch responded behind him. “Throw all those crappy paintings on Krystal’s room. Burn them if possible. I don’t want to see any of those inside my mansion.”

 

“You don’t dare to touch my things!” Krystal fights back and the servants stopped halfway through. “Why are you like this dad? You’ve never listened to us, even to Jess! You do and decide anything you want and on your own without consulting us first if we need it or not! If only mom is here… if only…” She now sobbed as tears begun to fall out of her fierce eyes.

  

“Don’t involve your mother here. She has nothing to do with you, with us!”

 

When Krystal knew for herself that she couldn’t utter anymore because of her continuous sniffles, she walked away and went up to her room, pushing away all the servants and maids who tried to throw her artworks away. She roared one last time before shutting her door close, banging loud into the spacious mansion.

 

“Jess, please come back home. I need you.” Krystal cried hard under her thick blankets.

 

It’s a serene and steady weekend for any other people out there but the Jung family never experienced this calm. Far from the agitated family is Sulli who never let her day be as broken as them, keeping her head up despite of getting unfair treatment at the university and despite of all the hardships at work she always have on her weekend part time jobs. Working on a facility as a caretaker has been hard for her, but for the reason that she never experienced unfair treatment, she chose not to give up.

 

“Hey Ssul, have you heard? The woman who has a lung cancer that you’ve been taking care of, she was rushed to the hospital again last Monday.” Her fellow caretaker informed while they prepare together for another day full of work at the locker room.

 

“Really? It’s getting frequent these past few weeks…” Sulli frowned at the news.

 

“Yeah but she was taken back here since she doesn’t have a family to stay with her. I guess it can’t be helped anymore as she’s on last stage and hopes of surviving are low. She doesn’t talk much to anyone lately too. Maybe she will if it’s you.”

 

Sulli made her way to the room where the woman is staying. The woman is spacing out while sitting up on her bed, blankly looking out through her opened windows. She displays an apparent weak state as her lips are somewhat pale and her eyes are gloomy that it can close anytime soon. Sulli never liked the view of people like her for she herself hates to feel the same way as them.

 

“Good morning, ma’am.” When Sulli regained her cheery composure, she greeted.

 

“Oh it’s you.” The woman smiled, but not as bright as Sulli can remember. Her smile is kind of forced and faint which is more heart breaking to see.

 

“I uhh…” Sulli tensely sat on her bed side then she said, “I heard your condition from my fellow caretaker. Don’t you want to stay in the hospital? I mean, you can be supervised there and they will give you utmost care. They can provide you everything you need to heal.”

 

“It’s stage four, my dear.” The woman said dejected. “Healing is near impossible. I’d rather stay here where I know some people than to stay in the hospital, confined and got no one to talk with. I’ve made friends with the people around here; don’t you think it would be better if I stay here?”

 

“But still, I suggest you shouldn’t give up. There’s still hope. It may be small hope but it’s still a hope. So don’t give up. It’s too early for you to give up.” Sulli beamed her cute smile as she insisted, thinking that it could be useful to ease the heavy burden on the woman’s side.

 

“You’re cute Ssul. Thank you for cheering me up. I appreciate it.” The woman finally let out a sincere smile out of her lips and this refreshed Sulli’s mind. “So, how about you, how’s school? Are you still getting bullied?”

 

“I am.” Sulli speaks out the miserable truth yet still managed to smile over it. “But, I have this friend. Well not really my friend but I wish we can be. She encouraged me to fight and protect myself. She said those things but I still find it hard to do that. You know, I’m weak and useless. I’m poor and they are rich. I’ve been trying to stand against the bullies but I always end up crying and doing nothing. And because of that, I don’t have the nerve to face this friend of mine who encouraged me to fight. I’m embarrassed.”

 

“Your friend must have seen a potential in you that’s why she encouraged you to fight. Did you know that most people who give someone an encouragement are actually the people who suffered or maybe suffering too? For you, you see yourself as weak but for that friend of yours she might have perceived that you can be stronger. In short, she believes in you so believe in yourself too.” The woman said, softly and delicately as she patted Sulli’s shoulders.

 

 “But…”

 

“C’mon, you keep on telling that I shouldn’t lose hope but here you are losing hope in front of a cancer patient.” The woman laughed at Sulli’s shy expression.

 

“Okay. I’ll try next time.” The hopeless Sulli said.

 

Meanwhile, the villagers never stopped from working unlike most people in the urban world who have weekend breaks from work. Even Jessica made her way to the village’s hall where most villagers can be seen selling and buying cheap products to distribute some of her questionnaires for her research and interviewing some of them at the same time. As for Tiffany, she continues her daily life routine, harvesting, planting and helping other farmers on work in the vast field together with Taeyeon who is always willing to give her a helping hand anytime she needs one.

 

“Is Jessica is getting used to countryside’s life? She’s been here for quite long now.” Taeyeon approached her tired friend on the middle of harvesting crops as she asked.

 

“I don’t know. It’s true that she’s been staying with me but we don’t talk that much and she doesn’t talk too much. She stays inside her room all the time and works on her researches until midnight. She only comes out whenever we eat meals. Not to mention, she eats a little too and she’s so picky. We’ve been together for quite long but it feels like we haven’t really gotten close yet. We talked a little last night though but all I found out is that she has a younger sister.” Tiffany said, unsatisfied and sad at the same time.

 

“You just said you’re not that close but you just said a lot about her already.” Taeyeon remarked.

 

Flustered at the sudden account, Tiffany hardly uttered, “Eh? W-well… uhh…”

 

“Tiffany! Tiffany!”

 

Before Taeyeon could question more of Tiffany’s evident uneasiness, someone came running to their place, shaky and strained. The two looked at each other dazed before approaching the man in rush.

 

“What's wrong, sir? Why are you looking for me? Is there something wrong?” Tiffany asked nervous.

 

“Trouble! One of your adopted kids ran away.” The man panted as he informed. Catching his breath he carries on, “His playmates were seen teasing him at the playground then he ran fast away. We couldn’t catch him anymore. We don’t know what they did that caused him to run away because the kids refused to talk. We don’t know where he went!”

 

Without further talks, Tiffany undressed her farming attire and tossed all of it Taeyeon. Her heart raced at the bad news as she goes frantic and furious then hurriedly said, “Sorry Taengoo. I have to go and look for him. Maybe he’s just somewhere around the village. If I won’t still be back by lunch time, please look after the other kids and grandma’s lunch for me.”

 

Tiffany waited no response from her friend as she went on her way to find the missing kid on her own. The same news reached the other villagers and even to the village chief, also with Jessica who overheard the passers by talking about it. Some of the concerned villagers started looking for that one kid. Jessica, as much as she doesn’t want to meddle with other person’s personal life, couldn’t ignore the fact that this missing kid is under Tiffany’s care, a kid who lives under the same roof as her and because of this fact,