02 | Broken II

***

Breathe in... Breathe out... breath in... Breathe out...

"Here we go." Fixing her hair for the last time, one young lady stood up from her leather chair and drags her heels slowly to the lift. She stopped momentarily as she pushed the floor button she is going. Her face can be described as anxious. Anxious because of what will happen later when she faces the chairman of the company she's working on. 'No, don't be anxious Jessica. Don't be anxious.' But she keeps on telling herself at the back of her head.

*ding*

Once the lift arrives, she walks inside casually as the people inside made a space for her. She once again made couple of breathing exercise, while gazing up to the floor numbers apparently moving. She keeps the same mantra over and over again until she heard the elevator sound. "Let's do this." she told herself, walking out of the lift while gripping to the edge of the box she's carrying.

She turned right and takes every step like a second as she gets closer and closer to the chairman's office. She stopped in front of it and knocks on the door, bracing herself to enter.

"Come in."

Until that cue told her. But for unknown reason, she stiffened as her mind goes blank. As if she stepped into some glue, she couldn't move and her hands feel like sweating under the box. Once she got herself back, after a good 3 minutes, 'Otoke. What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What am I doing here? What are you doing here, Jessica?' She suddenly forgot the reason why she's in front of the chairman's office.

The door opens instead for her. "Oh, Honey. What are you doing here?" And the chairman revealed himself, confused with his daughter's appearance in front of his office.

"Yes?"

The Chairman chuckled. "Are you okay? Why do you look like you're lost or something?"

"Huh? I-I... am not. I mean... yeah, what am I doing here?"

"Damn, you're having mental block again, aren't you?" The Chairman can't stop himself and laugh. "Come inside. I think you need some coffee to bring your memories back." He said and leaves the door open.

Jessica hesitantly steps inside and just then, she saw the chairman's desk, it quickly made her memories back and finally knew the reason why she's in the office in the first place. "Aish! Why am I so forgotten sometimes?" she literally smacks her own forehead, realizing what happened to her for a while. She closes the door with her heel and put the box down to the coffee table, sitting on the sofa in the process. Her head turns to the pantry, where the chairman has left. Suddenly, her heart beats faster nervously than usual. It once again made her anxious. "Do I really need to do this?" she asked herself while biting on her finger nails. "Yes of course. Because we're talking about future here, Jessica." and also answers herself in a lower voice. As if there are two persons inside her body. "It's about being independent. And you know you can do this. Yes, we can do this together. You can do this, Jessica Jung."

Just then, the chairman came back with his brows rising. "Did I just heard you talking to yourself?" and curiously ask her.

"Nope. It was nothing, Chairman." she grinned, like a fool.

"Alright." The Chairman takes his seat across his daughter and put the cup of coffee he made for her. But he noticed the box that was on top of it, causing for him to look at her in the eyes. "What is this?" Demanding for an explanation.

Jessica braces herself and she reach to open the box. "I'm resigning." and reveals to her father.

The Chairman widened his eyes in surprise. "Are you kidding me?"

"I thought about this a thousand times." Jessica took the resignation letter on top of her stuffs inside the box. "But I couldn't have a reason to stay here anymore, Chairman. So please take my decision." she handed the envelope. "Please accept my resignation letter so I can have my leave." she begs, hoping her father understands.

"No." But the Chairman slapped it away. "You're not leaving this company until I tell you, Jessica Jung!"

"No! I am leaving whether you like it or not, Appa!" Jessica put the envelope back to the box and stood up. "I can't continue working here anymore." she bowed and hurriedly left.

"Yah! Jung Jessica! Come back here! We're not yet doooneee!!!"

She chuckled hearing her father's voice from the office. But when she heard the door opens, she runs all the way to the lift. She made a heart over her head while watching her father shouting and asking her to leave. "Goodbye father! I'll see you soon!" and teases him for the last time.

As the door closes, she let out a huge sigh. "That wasn't bad." while holding her chest, smiling in satisfaction with her job well done. Suddenly, her phone vibrates inside her pocket. She fetches it out and smile so big upon reading her girlfriend's message.

My love: I'm right here - where are you?

She never think twice and she replied simply, 'I'm coming~' "It's going to be a great day." her smile is just as big as every clown out there.

***

It was indeed great; from Movie date, ice skating, game center, riding different kinds of roller coaster to their last ride, the Ferris wheel. Jessica and her girlfriend never had a dull moment. Every single moment passes, they treasure it into their captured photos. As if it's the end of the work, they used all the time to enjoy and create memories together. No one couldn't stop their day. No one can't stop their laughter, their smiles, their teasers and of course, their pecks on each other's lips.

Everything is so great until their dinner comes in a luxurious restaurant, Jessica can sense something has change to her lover. She knew her well that she can see something is going on inside her mind, with the way she would glance at her anxiously from time to time.

"Mind sharing it to me, Yoona?" She can no longer take it and she took her courage to ask her girlfriend.

Yoona sighs and place her utensils down, as she looked at her girlfriend in the eyes. "I... honestly have something to tell you..." she started.

Jessica did not mind the look in the doe-eyed girl's and she waits for her to continue her words. She herself wanted to say something but it looks like, Yoona's more than important. She decided to keep it for a while.

Yoona took something from her bag and handed it to her girlfriend. Eyes couldn't still leave from her confuse girlfriend.

Jessica did not put any thinking and she opens the envelope, pulling the paper inside to check what it is about. "S-States?" As she checks it, she finally understood why Yoona is anxious of it. "L-Long distance Relationship?" she looked at her in question.

"I got accepted by a medical school in San Diego." Yoona took her courage and explains the paper. "...Mom wanted me to study there.... " she pause when her eyes averted to a car outside that pulled over. Jessica also noticed and the latter also knew who are inside. "It'll only be for a few years. We'll call each other every day. I'll come home every Christmas break. Trust me, we can make this work..." she pause to wait for the blonde's reaction, but all that she can see is her fierce look, that was soon slowly showing tears - tears of disappointment (?) "Je-Jessica... Please say something." But she eager to know what's behind her tears, even though it's obvious she doesn't like her ideas.

Jessica is sure so upset. She wanted Yoona to stay but she couldn't stop her from reaching her dreaming. Not this time when it's just one reach away. "C-Congrats. That's once in a lifetime opportunity. You shouldn't let it pass." So she decided to let her go. Grabbing her shoulder bag, she stands up and was ready to leave when Yoona follows and grabs her arm, pulling her so she could face her again.

"What about us?" Yoona is breaking into pieces.

Chuckling, Jessica replied bitterly. "Come on, eventually you'll be busy with Med School. And I'll be busy with work. Think about it, in the beginning, we'll call each other every day. Then every week, every month, then only on special occasions. Even if we want to, this won't work." she believes firmly.

"B-But we can try. Please..." The Doe-eyed girl begs, gripping into her girlfriend's arm.

"And then what? We'd end up getting hurt?" Jessica raises her voice, yanking Yoona's hand away from her. "No, Yoong, it will only get worse. It's better this way. Better if we end this now." she painfully continued.

"I don't want to breakup with you, Sica." Yoona grabs the blonde's two hands again, looking at her eyes, begging for her to change her decision.

"Alright, then I'll do it." Letting go of the deer's hands, Jessica steps two backwards, with her chin up despite her painful tears, she ends it. "Im Yoona. I'm breaking up with you. Let's just be friends, Okay?"

Yoona can't longer take it and she steps forward, wraps her arms around the blonde and whispers, "I love you. I love you, okay?" while trying to hold her as much as she can. At least for the last time, she gets to hold her this tight.

In the corner of her eyes, Jessica can see Yoona's parents, watching them inside the restaurant. Both seemed waiting for them to finish. So she tried to push Yoona, but the girl refused to let go of her. "Go now, your family is waiting. I'm fine. I promise. I promise I'm just fine." without warning, she pushed her hard, causing for her to let go and steps few backwards. She did not say anything anymore and storms outside.

"Jessica! Please comeback!"

She heard that, but never did she stop her run into her car. As soon as she's inside, she drives off pretty fast, as the rain started falling from the dark sky.

***

Amber, Jessica's roommate in her dorm, walked inside the living room, just to check the door number back if she entered a wrong dorm, because she was greeted by broken roommate, crying while eating her ice cream from a big bowl. She's crying and mumbling something she couldn't understand. But she can see that the TV screen is on with a cartoon network channel on broadcasted. She got confused if Jessica is broken personally or she's broken because of that program that was showing of a cat that doesn't want to give the cheese to the mouse.

Unfortunately, as she proceeds to head upstairs and just want to ignore her friend, she stopped halfway when she caught the attention of a broken picture frame on the floor. It's Yoona and Jessica's picture frame that the blonde have placed on her night stand. Her eyes widened when she realized something. 'Don't tell me they broke up? Is this the reason why she's so broken? Not because of the cat and the mouse?' Hastily, she approaches her friend and seated next to her. "Yah! Jessica Jung! Tell me what happened?" She absentmindedly shakes her through her shoulders.

Jessica cried out loud instead. Amber back away when the blonde tried to hit her with her hands covered by the ice cream.

"What's wrong?" She exclaims as she stood up. "Why are you like this?!

"She already left me, Amber. She ing left me already!!! That idiot did not even keep her promise that she won't ever leave me! But she did! She did it! That Im Yoona!" Jessica cried and cried, throwing all the pillows in the couch she can reach to Amber.

Surprised with the revelation, Amber wanted to say something despite all the pillows flying, Jessica isn't done yet.

"I thought she really love her job as a Director in their company, but I think she really can't forget her dream to be a doctor. She secretly took an entrance exam and she just told me now, now that she passes. I thought she promised not to leave me? That we will be inseparable? That we will live under one roof soon. But no, those were just promises. Those were just plans. So I decided to breakup with her. She plans to leave me either way. That's why she keep it from me."

"Wait... I don't understand. Yoona-"

"She left to San Diego to be a doctor. She left me for her dream. But I don't like long distance relationship. So I broke up with her."

"What?! Are you insane? I thought you love her?"

"I do! But LDR will only end up broken. It's not going to work out, Amber."

"How can you say like that?"

"Do you remember Sooyoung? She and her girlfriend still broke up in the end. Worse, they ended it through a chat only."

"Ugh, that was a different story. Sooyoung is working in Dubai and is a playgirl. We are talking about Yoona—your college girlfriend for years. And we know how loyal she is to you. Come on, Jessica. You are making wrong decisions." Amber totally disapproved her friend's decision.

"It's just the same Amber. Once she's there without me for years, she will be busy and forget about me. And I'm pretty sure she will get another girl. It's better this early. It's better for us like this. But I'm still so upset she did not tell me she has this plans to leave. I still can't believe she lied. She fooled me. Is that the loyal you're talking about?" Jessica wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. She pouted her lips and crossed her arms near her chest. "And I think Yoona deserves a better girl though. I'm already jobless. Her parents will continue to disapprove us. So no use of continuing our relationship. It will just hurt us. Besides, my parents don’t approve Yoona."

"Fine. You actually got the point too." Amber takes her seat back, as she somehow understood her friend as well. She knows why her friend left her father's company. Besides being independent, Yoona and her parents don’t like each other because of their businesses that was competing each other. Continuing their relationship will only make their parents angrier. "If Yoona really loves you deeply, she shouldn't leave and fight for your relationship but she choose to leave instead. Tsk,tsk."

She was about to put her hand on her shoulder when she suddenly screams.

"Yooooonaaaaaa!!!!!"

"Yoooooonaaaaa my looooooveeeee!!! Why did you leave meeeeee!!"

Amber quickly covered Jessica's mouth. "You know, you should forget about her now. You should stop calling her and stop mentioning her name. It will only give you a bad luck, Sica."

Jessica sends her friend her famous cold glares and the latter pulled her hand away automatically.

"Don't mention her name ever from now on. It will give you a bad luck." Amber reminded for the second time.

Jessica st