A few days before the trip~

The ground softened beneath her feet; her firm supporters have sunk not that deeply but she can feel it – slowly being pulled down by the mother nature below her, engulfing her like a loving parent would to a young, learning child – how welcomed she felt, how familiar, warm and most importantly, almost too eager to be forgotten behind, almost too easy to be ignored, almost too easy to be underestimated by its humongous strength.

The sky was bright again, as it had often been seen for the couples of weeks straight – how the stars cheered as if they would intentionally do whenever she lifted her head up, admiring the way how soothing the dark roof of the earth was, accompanied by the millions of sparkling stars lining along the blanket of the dull clouds – and if she doesn’t know better, she might as well thought that the beautiful shining foreign planets were actually embedded themselves to the fluffy cotton candy way up high.

She smiled fondly,

As she suddenly remembers the picture of the night sky once, when her husband quite foolishly stood under the intimidating sky of the night, in the middle of the road right in front of her house – talking with her strict father, begging to see her, to meet her, to just hear her voice because he said he has missed her so badly.

Just because he has missed her.

Her eyes blurred with the unnecessary unshed tears, knowing very well how very gentle and sweet her husband really were. The love they shared was so precious, strong, and non-regretfully so different than anybody else’s.

She misses him, so much so, so much dearly.

The day he left the earth, this temporary heaven of theirs, was the day he took all the lights that she has known away – that she was shown by the love of her life, they were gone in a second.

She felt numb. There was none that was up against her head, knocking against her mind, testing her sanity, pushing her until she reached the edges of the mountains.

All she knew was, he was gone.

Like a wind would; comforted her gloomy life with colours, with happiness, with memories – and long gone were those memories of her husband that he has always cherished, even until today.

He was the one who brought her so much love, so much light into her story; yet somehow, he was the one who took them away, cruelly, ghastly, without warning, leaving her and their only son behind.

She sighed shakily, seeing his face again oh so much clear in her eyes and heart is too painful for even a mother of two to bear; the pain of knowing that she will never, ever again able to feel the soft touch of his, hearing the gentle playfulness of his voice, the short, messy coal dark hair of his that she habitually thinks about more than ever, running her fingers through them, so soft it made along her skin as she inhaled and shook her head slightly, swaying her light hair from side to side as they graced her face with fickleness, feeling confused with her own self as she feels relieved, almost, to be able to still reliving his amazing short time with her but at the same time, wanting so dearly to crumble down onto the hard ground beneath her, away from the much harsher reality she’s facing.

A life without him.

She found herself wish onto the calm night, she wishes no one but no one at all, to be punished in such heart breaking ways.

She misses him but she knows – how unhappy she would make him to be if she chose to miserable instead of…. Well, living.

She dropped her gaze to her pair of dirty hands, rough with experience, wrinkled with age, and they moved with knowledge.

Though the full moon tonight offered more than enough light to guide her through the wide garden, however, the lights from the outdoor lamps, lining themselves along the tiny rocky cemented path that is properly built from the mansion – allowing, solely herself to walk off from her house to a secret garden without getting worries of muds or even crushable dusts getting on into her shoes.

Secret garden.

A healing place - is what her eldest daughter used to call it.

It really is, as the area is almost as big enough to fit one more house on, but instead now, being grown repeatedly with handsome flowers, a bunch of tall trees that offer shades on top of her head during daytime, and as well as with a few of her favourite medicinal and pleasantly smelling plants.

Farming and grooming such beauty does took a wider effort on her behalf, even with the help of her maids – but they did it nevertheless, as she promised herself wanting to be escorted with such heart-warming place, and knowing very well that the gigantic mansion near them would mean nothing without the garden itself, as it brings not just beauty but somehow, life itself surrounding the seemingly lonely aura of her home.

Her house, her choice to have the traditional Japanese themed house, was probably the proudest moment of her decisions, ever. With the white walls eerily painted themselves across the strong protectors of the house, as the black roof that constantly contrasting the splendour of the body. It was nothing much really, other than the spacious one storey home of hers and how the interior was rather styled with much modern furniture, highly comparable to the exterior. But she likes it. The house is big, but simple to look at. It’s probably why she likes the garden so much and the amount of tall trees that she has demanded to be planted all around the building, wanting to somehow make it a home – as quiet or unbothered as it may seem from far.

The garden is her escape place after all, and she smiled lightly as she continued to work carefully with the stunning bunch of rose in front of her.

Her son won’t be home anyways – being the teenager one in the family does take its toll, hoping that his statement for “studying with friends” tonight was a legit one.

She is not as young as before; her generation was a bit different than her son in the end, fully trusting his instinct, but also happen to cleverly know that he is, in fact still a teenager.

What teenager doesn’t lie anyways? Especially those along his age.

As she hummed quietly the ‘Delilah’ song under her breath, she failed to hear the clicking heels – though undoubtedly confident strides, but somehow her steps were cautious, carefully not wanting to unnecessary shook the oblivious woman sitting across the green bed of the garden, being one with the natural habitat of hers, or so to say.

The person cleared their throat delicately, immediately capturing the older one’s attentions as she swiftly turned around to look at her polite intruder.

Once she saw who it really was, the woman stood up before slowly making her way towards the other one, with a poised smiled already slowly crawling back to her beautiful face, her eyes clouded with instant recognition as she once again run them up against another soul now directly standing right in front of her.

“Well, look who we have here. Miss Yoo.” She greeted, her earnest smile developed just a bird ago remained intact upon seeing the familiar face of the young woman.

Jeongyeon bowed. “Good evening.” She greeted back as her eyes, once more, rose up to meet with the much fader eyes of the shorter woman.

“What do I owe you this wonderful visit?” She asked, quite curiously.

Though the young CEO’s presence is completely longed-for here at her home, but the sudden visit does make it a bit alarming and stomach twisting incidence to be showered at on her behalf, especially this hour of the day.

“I was just nearby and so I thought I should come and see you. I hope I wasn’t interrupting anything important.” Her body visibly tensed again.

“No, of course not. You’re always welcome here, you know that.” The woman scoffed in disbelief – this girl sure does mature very much ever since she saw her last, and her heart heavy with regrets.

It is not a bad thing. She is a grown woman - even her words were carefully picked and laid out.

She smiled sympathetically as she walked past the taller woman, with the intention of making her way straight to her house visible to both pairs of eyes.

“Have you eaten?”

“Not yet.”

The older woman continued her way forwards but upon not hearing the similar heels clicking against the pavements a few minutes ago – she stopped before once again, facing the confused looking girl who was apparently, still standing on the same spot from where she was; probably wondering whether the older woman’s nonchalant behaviour was an invitation or a mere dismissal of her presence.

“Jeongyeon-ah.”

“Eoh?”

“Are you coming or not?” She pondered, assuring the younger one’s inner conflictions right away. “Let’s fill some food into that skinny body of yours.” Then she walked away, leaving Jeongyeon to stand and smiling on her own.

“Okay… mom.” She replied timidly, a tiny response that has most likely gone deaf by the shorter woman.

I’m home.

[...]
 

“Good?”

“So good.”

“Eat with your mouth closed please.”

“Okay.”

Jeongyeon continued to chug the enormous of food in front of her like a hyena but slowed down her munching without delay upon hearing the clear warning behind the woman’s low voice; though not enough to completely taken her by surprise but rather the silence that came by right after is what threatened her the most.

The same tone the older woman has always been using when she was young; when she was clueless, rebellious, thoughtless, vulnerable and careless. And now, receiving the similar attention of a mother after of how so many years being acted and resisted without the temptation and the comfort of the person sitting in front of her – triggered something somewhat intensely inside her.

She misses her; her nagging, her late night advice, her unconditional care and Jeongyeon definitely misses being a child again – a daughter nonetheless, a girl with less of an attitude and leaning more towards her social and relationship problem.

Jeongyeon smiled unconsciously, a contagious curve as it quickly spreads over the other woman’s sophisticated expression.

“What are you up to these days? We hardly see you nowadays, as a real person that is, rather than on the television.” Mrs Choi deliberated aloud, staring intently at her daughter, wanting to memorize every inches of her face, knowing so deeply that the younger woman’s visit would be limited to come by. She doesn’t know when will she ever see her again, truly, and even though her heart once again filled with heavy bricks that hardened by the minute of thinking the possibilities and the exact moment her daughter will step out of the door any second now – she knows how much important of a person Jeongyeon really is, Mrs Choi is not blind nor is she thoughtless. Jeongyeon is not just any smart girl and a blinding look, but she is in fact the pure flesh and blood of Madame Yoo herself.

To some people, they are considered as royals, the untouchable; the power they held is bigger than anyone could ever imagine.

Losing Choi Jeongyeon, however, was the greatest pain she had ever let in inside her rigid heart, other than seeing her husband died in her arms that is. Gaining Yoo Jeongyeon was much harder than she first expected it was; seeing the coldness rose from behind those dark eyes, the guarded posture replacing the before timid but warmth soul.

She is still her daughter, she knows that.

But still, she sometimes couldn’t help but feel like she has lost Jeongyeon for the greater good.

Jeongyeon gently laid down the chopsticks down before dabbing with the white handkerchief that she held so dearly on top of her laps, wiping away any unwanted wastes that might have lingered around her face possibly, with the amount of speed she had ordinarily used a few minutes ago.

“First of all…” Jeongyeon crossed her arms and narrowed her eyes playfully as her head nodded towards the older woman’s clear direction, subtly asking permission to cut in instead of answering the exact question wondering freely in the air. “How is Minho?”

“Why don’t you ask him?”

“I don’t see him anywhere?” The younger one puzzled with the absence of the much younger man.

“Exactly,” Her mother pointed out evidently, getting an understanding mind in return. “That’s a teenage boy for you, they are never home.”

Jeongyeon frowned profoundly, worried about the well-being of her little brother upon receiving the unconcerned response of her mother.

“Has he been skipping school?”

“No, his principle sends monthly report to me. I don’t think your brother was foolish enough to escape from me.”

Jeongyeon chuckled, “He really should be studying instead of… well, not being at home basically. Where has he been anyway?”

Mrs Choi smirked with the turn of event, seeing an open opportunity to child, “Studying with friends, as he quoted awkwardly.”

The younger one scoffed and shook her head slightly in disbelief. Her little brother is the exact opposite side of her. He is a smart boy, that is no doubt but he does smell like an adventurer rather than a scholar, unlike his older sister.

Jeongyeon wouldn’t be much of a shocker really if her brother decided to not go to school after his high school graduation coming up soon, tempting to travel the world as much as he could, experiencing things that Jeongyeon wishes once to be the one who is able to.

A free soul, that he is.

“With a girl I presumed?”

“Perhaps. His flirting game is quite… how should I say this?” Mrs Choi tapped her chin a couple times and hummed mockingly under her breath, leaving Jeongyeon hanging with her own curiosity and impatient self, “Better than yours?” The older woman finished loudly with a teasing smile on her face and her eyes glistened with clear mischief.

“Mom!” Jeongyeon whined with an irritated expression painted across her face. She feels insulted now, how dare she compares her A+ flirting skills with her own little brother? “I’m good at flirting, okay!”

Mrs Choi laughed loudly as the sound echoed distinctly around them, slapping hard on Jeongyeon’s right knee below the dining table itself, receiving an adorable tiny ‘ouch’ from the sunlight haired woman sitting opposite of her.

“Okay, okay.” She soothed gently, pinching Jeongyeon’s nose tenderly with her left hand. “My star is super pretty; she doesn’t need much flirting anyway to get a boy or a girl. Am I right?” She winked which ended up Jeongyeon to cover both of her eyes embarrassment and denial in return.

Mrs Choi once again laughed full-heartedly upon seeing her daughter’s pure annoyed face. “Speaking of flirting, is there anyone in mind lately?” Mrs Choi smoothly changed the topic they shared while sipping her tea down, satisfied with the little amount of sweet she had poured inside her favourite drink.

Jeongyeon froze, turning uncomfortable almost instantly which of course, went perceived like an eagle by the older woman.

“I…”

“Does she make you happy, Jeongyeon-ah?”

Jeongyeon shut closed . Of course she knows. It has been all over the news. Who are you to kidding that you’d be the first person to tell her?

“Mom…” Jeongyeon stretched guiltily, finding the right excuse at the moment won’t probably end well for her, at once, admitting the idea really, that her mother is pissed beyond her control for not been told of such an important announcement; her marriage.

How could she forget?

She hasn’t really. Ever since her engagement with Momo, Jeongyeon has wanted more than to tell her mother immediately about her future wife; not to agitate the woman but wanting to be the first to break the news. But now? Jeongyeon isn’t so sure anymore. Surely, her engagement with a certain blonde woman has been exposed to the world through the tiny screen of the media.

“Please, let me explain--”

“Jeongyeon-ah…”

“…Yes?”

“Does the girl make you happy?” Mrs Choi asked again, this time with a worried smile plastered restlessly along.

“…Very much so.”

“Then it’s fine for me.”

“You’re not mad?”

“Of course I am, you egg-head. I am your mother.”

Jeongyeon flinched and gulped loudly, seeing the unwavering stare and the dangerous smile of the older woman playing distractedly upfront.

“But I’ll let you go for now.”

Jeongyeon sighed out of relief, feeling the weights on her shoulders left. “For now,” she repeated convincingly.

“So this girl…” Mrs Choi started.

“Momo--” “Young Lady--” They both said at the same time causing the much shorter one to smirk widely.

“Momo, right? First name basis already?”

Jeongyeon blushed deeply, “Well, yes.”

“I hope she makes you truly happy, Jeongyeon-ah.”

“She really does.”

Mrs Choi went quiet – she didn’t expect Jeongyeon to admit such an enormous thing so much quickly. Her playful smirk fell slowly.

“I know you have done so much for us, f