Thirteen

Tiffany wondered if what happened to her two nights ago was only just a dream but the sting she felt in her sole says otherwise. She flinched and the actions stopped.

“I’m sorry, unnie did I hurt you?”

She smiled at the younger woman who volunteered to clean and change her wound’s bandage because the person that’s been confusing her since two nights ago was avoiding her like plague.

“It’s okay, Juhyun… it’s actually tickling…”

The younger woman lets out a relief smile and smiled along with her as she continue on her task.

“That’s good to hear… I don’t want to be scolded for real by Taeyeon-unnie.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Juhyun?”

“Ah, it’s nothing, unnie. Ah, there you go! I’m done with your wound. I’ll go get something to drink in the kitchen, is there anything you like, unnie?”

Tiffany shook her head and she was immediately left alone by the younger girl. She could clearly see it, Juhyun is trying to hide something from her.

‘Why would she tell something like that to our maknae? If she’s worried about me then why is she ignoring for the past two days?’

Tiffany lets out a sigh.

“Hey, Fany! There you are! I got something to show you!”

Yuri approached her in the living room while carrying a medium sized box, Yuri placed the box in the center table and sat down beside her.

“I found some pictures of Sica and thought that you might want to see them.”

Yuri smiled at Tiffany and began opening the box and takes out a slightly looking old photo album that instantly made Tiffany curious.

“This one is from Sica’s childhood till she was in high school. This were the only pictures she had since your aunt is not fond of taking pictures, that’s what your sister told me.”

Tiffany took the photo album with a slight tremble in her hands. She starts to flip the cover and was immediately smiled when she saw the wide grinning smile of her older sister while playing in the snow-covered backyard.

‘This was probably taken when they were still in Los Angeles…’

“That’s was Sica’s first winter experience, they just arrived at New York at that time, they stayed for seven years before your aunt and his American husband divorced each other. Later on, they move to Los Angeles and that where your sister stayed until college.”

Tiffany flipped the pages of the photo album one by one until she reached the last page, there she saw her sister smiling brightly in the camera while proudly showing her diploma and medals. And just by looking at it, she was also beaming with proudness for her older sister for she had achieve so much alone.

“When Sica and I started dating, she was really the quiet type and honestly it took me quite a while before I get make her agree on going out on a date with me.”

Tiffany looked at Yuri and saw that dreamy look on the other woman’s eyes upon thinking of her older sister and Tiffany could clearly see how much Yuri love her sister.

“We first met at the anniversary of our bank’s LA branch. Sica didn’t know who am I, she thought I was just some guest, also because I introduced myself as Kim Yuri, I borrowed my cousins surname for that night because I have a strong feeling that Sica would never talk to me if she finds out that I’m the daughter of her boss.”

Tiffany heard Yuri chuckled to herself as she silently watched her with a small smile.

“I was there to check on the activity of all our branches while learning the loops of our family business but I disguised myself as a freelance photographer just to have your cold yet gorgeous sister name that night. I bugged her for a whole month just to make her agree to go on a lunch date with me. She said she doesn’t trust me yet to go out in date with during the night, can you believe that?”

Tiffany chuckled this time as she finds it funny how Yuri was retelling her the story on how got her first date with her sister.

“We were already dating for six months when Sica got promoted as a branch manager but was assigned to managed one of the newly opened branch back in Korea. Sica took on the challenge and flew back to Seoul and of course I followed her too. That when my father gets a sniff about my relationship with your sister.”

Tiffany sensed the abrupt changed in Yuri’s tone and she get a clue that the problem is now about to come.

“My father is an old snob and very traditional. So the news that her only daughter is dating another woman was a huge blow in his every belief and all his future plans for our family. He went ahead and meet Sica behind my back and called her many things. And it also a huge shock for your sister too, hearing all that from the chairman himself was not a very pleasant thing to experience.”

Yuri lets out a sad sigh and reached for the recent photo album she have of Jessica and her.

“I almost lost her since I did lie to her about my real identity. But I did everything I can to win her back because I love her so much and I know that she loves me too. I don’t care if my father would disown me and I would lose everything I have. But I know that I can’t live without Sica in my life. I ran away with Sica and we eloped back in LA and the moment we landed I immediately took her the city hall and married her.”

Yuri handed her the photo album and Tiffany saw what she’s looking at, it was their wedding picture. They were only wearing simple clothes, Yuri was dress in an all-white long sleeve shirt and skinny pants while Jessica was wearing a simple knee length white dress. But the happiness and bliss on their faces was enough to make anyone envy them for what they have together.

“My father was beyond furious when he found out what I did. I was willing to stay with Sica in LA and just start a small business with her over there. I told her I have my own money from the trust fund my mother left me before she died and I also got some inheritance from our grandfather. I’m not worried about not giving Sica a good life. Although I know that the first few years would be hard for the both us but I know we can make it.”

Yuri let’s out another sad sigh.

“But my father got sick, he had a mild heart attack from what happened and Sica couldn’t help but feel guilty for what had happened to him. I’m not willing to go back but Sica convinced me, saying that I was all my father have and I should never walk out on my family. So, we came back to Korea. I resumed my position and my father made Jessica the head manager in few of our bank’s branches. I told my father that he doesn’t need to do that just and just let Sica managed her original branch but he insisted. And it pressured Sica to no ends. Everything she did is under scrutiny, she can’t make any decision without my father and his followers going against her and she absolutely can’t make any mistakes because the criticism will jus