Moonbyul stood in front of Minhyuk’s school. She noticed a group of children running around the playground. She asked her father in law for Minhyuk’s kindergarten’s address. So, here she was. But she was hiding behind the pillar. She didn’t want to overwhelm Minhyuk with her presence after knowing that the boy hates her.

Then she saw him. Her son – Kim Minhyuk was sitting quietly on the bench. His face was sullen and gloomy. He wasn’t interested to join his friends. He was just there; pouting his lips. Even when his teacher urged him to join his friends; he just shook his head.

Moonbyul was a little disheartened when she realized how this whole saga has affected her son. Tears filled her eyes quickly. A wave of regret hit her once again and she was desperately wishing she could turn back the hands of time. She wiped her fallen tears away and suddenly someone tapped on her shoulders.

She looked over her shoulders and came face to face with her wife – Kim Yongsun. The woman smiled and Moonbyul returned it.

“We meet again.”

“Ah, yes.”

“But what are you doing here?”

“Oh. I just happened to walk past and I saw a couple of kids playing around. So I stopped by to watch them.”

Moonbyul lied. She couldn’t possibly tell her that she was here to see hers on. And Kim Yongsun smiled but in her heart, she knew Moonbyul came to see Minhyuk. Her father has told her about it. But the woman feigned ignorance. She wasn’t ready to accept this woman back because of Minhyuk.

“Minhyuk is studying here.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, I’m here to pick him up. He’s not feeling well.”

“Oh.”

No wonder Minhyuk looked so listless.  Yongsun turned her direction to where Minhyuk was still sitting. The boy was having slight fever this morning but he didn’t complain of being unwell. Although Yongsun had the intention to let him skip school, the boy insisted to go. He said he misses his friends. But soon after, his teacher called. Minhyuk was having high fever. So Yongsun took urgent leave and came over.

“I need to go now.”

“Sure, go ahead.”

Moonbyul decided not to follow. She wasn’t sure how Minhyuk would react if he sees her. And Yongsun was not ready to let Moonbyul see Minhyuk just as yet. She was afraid that it would worsen Minhyuk’s condition.

It was just so sad to watch Yongsun walking away. Moonbyul couldn’t help but feeling worried about Minhyuk. It has suddenly become a concern for Moonbyul. Yongsun disappeared into the school and then 20 mins later, she saw Yongsun with Minhyuk in her arms. The boy was resting his head against his mother’s shoulder.

“I’m sorry, Minhyuk.”

Moonbyul was regretting her action so badly.

-

Yongsun was sitting with Minhyuk in her arms. The boy fell asleep while they were in the cab. His body was really warm and his forehead was extremely hot. She watched as the boy whined in her arms; she cradled him closer.

She was worried; extremely worried about him. She didn’t realize the amount of stress and pressure Minhyuk was facing. She wished she could read her son’s mind.

“Kim Minhyuk!”

The nurse called out for his name. It was their turn to see the doctor. Yongsun was having difficulties when someone suddenly stretched out a hand to assist her. She looked up; she was surprised to find Moonbyul staring at her.

“Moonbyul-shi?”

“Let me help you.”

Moonbyul offered to carry Minhyuk. She didn’t wait for Yongsun; she held the boy in her arms and walked into the clinic. Yongsun followed through. The doctor examined Minhyuk as Moonbyul and Yongsun sat in silence. Both eyes were on Minhyuk; both were worried sick.

The doctor took his time before he turned his attention to the two ladies. He smiled and then reassured the two women that Minhyuk was just having viral infection.

“He should be fine after two days. I’ll give him two days medical leave. Just let him rest at home.”

“Thanks, doctor.”

After the doctor’s visit, Yongsun paid for the medication and consultation while Moonbyul carried Minhyuk instead. The boy was still sleeping.

“Maybe I should carry him.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I’ll take both of you home.”

“Moonbyul-shi..”

“Please, let me take care of you this time.”

Moonbyul didn’t wait for Yongsun’s reply. She walked out of the clinic and Yongsun had no choice. She just followed Moonbyul from behind. The woman walked ahead of her; her back silhouette was still perfect.

Yongsun loves to hug Moonbyul from behind. The latter was much taller than her and Yongsun used to enjoy resting her head against the woman’s back. She stared hard and memories of them together came flooding her mind.

Moon Byul Yi. The woman who caught her heart; the woman she fell in love with – how did things ended up like this? It was just so sad that they had to go through this and Minhyuk was caught in the web as well.

How could she convince Minhyuk that Moonbyul never meant to abandon him? It was just circumstances forced Moonbyul to do stupid things like this. And Yongsun couldn’t put all the blame on Moonbyul. She had never tried to explain things to Minhyuk.

Well, the boy never asked about his father. Suddenly Moonbyul turned around and Yongsun was taken aback.

“Did you drive?”

“No, I took the cab.”

“Okay, I will hail a cab then.”

They managed to grab a cab and Moonbyul sat quietly next to Yongsun. Minhyuk was on her lap; and the woman had never stopped staring at the boy.

Yongsun glanced to her side; her heart ached when she noticed Moonbyul’s gaze was fixed on Minhyuk. She wondered what went through Moonbyul’s mind.

“It must have been difficult for you.”

Moonbyul suddenly spoke up. But her eyes were still transfixed on Minhyuk. And Yongsun bit her tongue. She wasn’t too sure what she should reply.

“Raising a child and being a working mother. It must have been hard for you to juggle between Minhyuk and your work since you stay alone.”

“My parents and Wheein will look after him if I need to do overtime.”

“How did you survive this hardship for the last 5 years?”

Yongsun looked at Moonbyul immediately. But the woman was still focusing on Minhyuk.

“I don’t know. I just live my life from day to day. The only one person that keeps me going is Minhyuk.”

“You really cannot remember me, Yongsun-shi?”

Yongsun looked away. Tears filled her eyes but she was determined not to cry. How could she not remember Moon Byul Yi? But she had already started this so she had to continue pretending she couldn’t.

“I’m sorry. I can’t.”

“It’s okay. I understand. If I were you, I’d choose to forget me. After what I did to you and Minhyuk, I don’t deserve any sympathy. I only have regrets for not treasuring you and Minhyuk. I should have but I thought I was protecting you.”

Yongsun kept her silence. Her heart was wrenching in pain. It was too much for her to handle and she had to bite her tongue.

“But I’m going to keep my promise now. I’ll find my way back into your heart. I’ll win Minhyuk’s heart over. You don’t have to tell him anything. I’ll do it. I’ll be responsible for all this mess I’ve created. Just give me a chance, Yongsun-shi. If it takes me another 5 years or 10 years or even 20 years to return to your side, I’ll wait. Just don’t give up on me.”

Moonbyul’s voice trailed off and Yongsun’s tears fell.  It was just so sad; it was really a heart-breaking moment for both women.

-

Wheein stood in front of her parents’ graves. She has been standing there since morning. She had too much on her mind and she was still flabbergasted with the truth – Hwasa had finally told her everything.

-

Wheein was still waiting for Hwasa to tell her. She knew there was more to everything. She couldn’t shake it off – those words Hwasa mumbled in her sleep.

Hwasa was still contemplating if she should tell Wheein. It would be just too much and she was afraid Wheein might just walk away after this. She wasn’t ready for another separation. Not with Jung Wheein, anymore.

“Hwasa-shi? Do we know each other before?”

“Wheein-shi, before I tell you everything, can you promise that you will still be my friend after that?”

Wheein was caught off-guard.

“Why wouldn’t we?”

“Because I’m afraid that I might lose you again if I tell you the truth about us.”

Wheein was taken aback. They knew each other before but Wheein couldn’t remember anything. She couldn’t even recall any recollection of Hwasa. But she wanted to know the truth. So she nodded.

“I promise I’ll remain calm.”

“Wheein-shi, do you remember where you came from?”

“Jeonju. I know my hometown is Jeonju. My parents were born there. I was born there too. I saw it on my birth certificate.”

Hwasa nodded. She was nervous and kept rubbing her palms together.

“We went to school together. We were friends from middle school till high school.”

“So you were classmate?”

“Well, yes. We were. We were more than classmates. We were best friends.”

Wheein was shocked; but she didn’t say anything. She just looked straight at Hwasa. But Hwasa refused to turn to face her. Nevertheless, she continued her story.

“You and I shared something special together. That mp3 player in your hand was a gift from me on your 18^th birthday. I downloaded those songs because you love them. We used to sing together; dance together and we used to do everything together. We were so close that people would start asking if they didn’t see us together.”

Hwasa paused for a second.

“As time went by, we got closer. We would have sleepovers at each other’s place. You would share everything that you had with me. And soon, we started behaving like lovers.”

Wheein was stunned.

“What? Were we lovers then?”

“No, we weren’t. You were raised as a staunch Catholic. Both of us are Catholics. But we often crossed the lines without our parents knowing.”

“What did we do?”

“We did all the things a couple would do. We kissed, we hugged and we would behave intimately. But we had never confessed to each other.”

“But you love me?”

Hwasa turned to look at Wheein. Her eyes went really huge. But Wheein’s face remained expressionless.

“I was in my room packing some clothes to stay over at Yongsun unnie’s house. You were sleeping on my bed and you mumbled that you love me. You confessed in your sleep.”

Hwasa was stunned.

“So if you’re my best friend then why didn’t you come for me when I had the accident?”

“Wheein, your late mother came to look for me and asked me to stop whatever we were doing. And I agreed. She told me that you would be leaving for Seoul because your father got a new job there. But I didn’t tell you and the way we said goodbye, Wheein, if you knew, you would hate me.”

“What do you mean?”

“I didn’t say goodbye. I just left you. I got our friends to keep a secret about my whereabouts. I heard you went crazy searching for me. You left Jeonju with a broken heart. And when you got into an accident, I wasn’t aware of it. My father kept it from me because he thought you hurt me. But the truth is, I was the one who hurt you, Wheein ah.”

Wheein’s heart sank. Hwasa was her best friend. And they were probably sharing a close relationship. Wheein stood up and walked away from Hwasa. But the woman caught her hand tightly.

“I’m sorry, Wheein ah. I know I made a mistake. I know I’m a coward. But I love you, Jung Wheein. I have never stopped. The one person I care so much in this world is you.”

But Wheein’s mind was in a turmoil. She needed time alone to think. So she pulled her hand away and apologized.

“I need to be alone. This is too much for me to handle. Leave me alone for a moment.”

Wheein walked away and Hwasa cried her heart out.

-

Wheein was suffocated with the heavy thoughts in her head. She felt disappointed; she felt like Hwasa had let her down. For her to feel that way, Wheein knew she must have feelings for Hwasa before.

But she couldn’t remember Hwasa.

“This is crazy.”

She mumbled to herself.

-

Yongsun sat in her living room. Moonbyul has left after she helped Yongsun to put Minhyuk to bed. Before the taller woman left the house, she reminded Yongsun again.

“Please don’t give up on me. I’ll find my way to you once again. Give me a chance.”

Yongsun’s heart hammered against her ribcage. She had the strongest urge to hug Moonbyul tightly earlier on. She wanted to stop Moonbyul from leaving but she knew she couldn’t.

Just then, Wheein appeared at her door step. The woman was restless too and Yongsun was alarmed at the redness of her eyes.

“Wheein?”

“Huh?”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

Yongsun frowned. Wheein stood in front of her; she looked tired. This was the first time she saw Wheein in such state. And she has promised her father that she would take good care of Wheein – just like her younger sister.

But Wheein beat her to it.

“Can I hug you, unnie?”

“Sure, come over here.”

Wheein pounced on Yongsun; her arms wrapped tightly around her body. Wheein hid her face on Yongsun’s shoulders while Yongsun gently caressed her back. They stayed like that for the longest time before Wheein pulled away. She was crying and Yongsun was worried.

Jung Wheein was supposedly a tough cookie.

“What’s wrong, Wheein ah? Why are you crying?”

“I found out something about my past.”

“You did? That’s great!”

“No, it doesn’t. I’m confused right now.”

“Why? Tell me.”

So Wheein sat Yongsun down and told the older woman everything. Yongsun was surprised when she learnt the truth.

“Hwasa-shi?”

“Yes, apparently she was my best friend and we used to have a thing together.”

“And you cannot recall her at all?”

Wheein nodded. She sighed loudly before pulling her hair out in frustration. Yongsun stopped her by grabbing both Wheein’s hands.

“Listen, maybe she’s hidden in your memories. You had an accident back then and you could vaguely remember things. Perhaps you can ask her for help.”

“How do I do that? She said she loves me. But I don’t have any feelings for her. I mean, I’m in a shock but Hwasa has this expectation in her eyes. I don’t want to hurt her. What should I do, unnie? I really cannot remember her at all.”

Wheein was frustrated.

“Take one day at a time. I believe one day you will remember her.”

“I hope so.”

-

Moonbyul was stunned when Hwasa grabbed her and hugged her tightly the moment she got into the apartment. She was sobbing hard and Moonbyul immediately put her arms around the smaller lady.

“What happened? Why are you crying?”

“Wheein.. Wheein found out.”

“Huh?”

“Wheein found out the truth. Apparently I confessed my love for her in my sleep. She was in the apartment yesterday?”

“Yeah, she came back for a short while to pick up some clothing.”

Hwasa slapped her forehead. Wheein must have heard it when she was sleeping. She was as frustrated as Wheein.

“You told her the truth?”

“She asked me about the confession. I couldn’t hide it anymore. I went crazy and just told her everything. What am I supposed to do now, Byul ah? She wanted to be left alone and left me at the park. I know she’s probably confused right now but … I cannot afford to lose her anymore.”

Hwasa sobbed as she muttered those words. Moonbyul could only tighten her hug around the smaller woman.

“Are you going to give up?”

“I don’t know. She doesn’t seem to have a good reaction to it.

“Maybe she needs help from you.”

“What if she refuses to see me again?”

Moonbyul smiled as she wiped Hwasa’s tears away. She may not know Wheein well but she knew that lawyer wouldn’t act on impulse. Perhaps she needed time alone but she was certain Wheein would get to the bottom of the truth.

“She’s a lawyer. She will try to find out more about her past now that she knows. Just be patient and stay by her side. Don’t give up.”

“Are you sure, Byul?”

“We’re here to fight back for our love; to win their hearts over. I’m not going to give up on Yongsun. So you shouldn’t either. If I have to beg her to return to my side, I will. Just give Wheein a little bit more time. She will come around. Trust me.”

-