Final: Love Returned

I died.

The first thing that came to her mind when she could finally see around her was death. The white walls, empty surrounding and her clean face, all told her likewise. Like Yuna, Yerin had followed her wife's step to leave the world permanently, because she just couldn't live without the former. So that night when she came into the dull house, she began to take pills instead of drowning herself by the alcohol.

Her entire family mourned in endless regret and pain learning the eldest daughter's suicide. They regretted allowing Yerin to live alone and in depression after Yuna was gone. Their feelings were shaken at the thought of the poor girl's struggle in breathing when the love of her life was no longer alive. Their chests clenched in pain.

Just as she thought she had left the world, Yerin had the opportunity to open her eyes again, but this in complete different surrounding. No more Yuna's face staring down at her, no more white walls and the machine that tried to keep her alive, but just cars parked in a building in peace. Yerin was back alive again.

It kept her wondering in confusion. So all those sad things she experienced were just a dream or she had actually returned to the time before it happened?

It was the latter.

That was confirmed after she confronted Yein. The latter's magic trick was the one that pulled them back to life, but there was one obstacle.

She had yet to know if Yuna would still die or not once the time of that day came again. It was Yerin that had to figure out how she could save Yuna from that car accident.

Maybe she should start with not getting on Yuna's nerves that morning so they wouldn't have a fight and Yuna wouldn't have to leave the house without her.

She knew at that time when Yuna died, her wife was driving in overly emotional state since she had a fit with Yerin. Therefore Yerin could only blame herself for the accident. Now she was given the chance to redeem her mistake by reversing the time, maybe Yuna wouldn't have to die after all.

Jolted her eyes opened that morning, Yerin realized she could have so much but time to waste. Glancing to her side, Yuna was already awake ahead of her and no longer stayed in bed. Taking her phone in her hand, she read the time and date.

7.15 am
Thu, 20 April

Today was that day. It's happening again, only Yerin had to be in extra action. She breathed in deeply.

Also made her wonder, what was the thing that Yuna actually got mad at her with again?

***

Yerin failed to reverse the situation once she got the hang of it. Since she forgot what could make Yuna angry with her, the fight that she wished never happened again was actually happening for real. It was unavoidable, which could happen sometimes, according to Yein.

It was not even a big matter, but Yuna's mood soured down that morning and Yerin wasn't much of help. Because most of their convenience food had expired and Yerin couldn't bother to check or throw them out, Yuna turned into a super-nagger-wife mode.

"Jung Yerin!"

The girl knew well she was in trouble whenever Yuna called her by the full name like that. Furrowing her eyebrows, Yerin came down from the stairs and met her wife by the kitchen where she was just done rummaging through the refrigerator.

"This milk has passed the expired date. Why won't you throw it out?"

Yerin forgot for a moment what it could lead her but she retaliated nonetheless. "Why do you blame it on me? You didn't throw it out either!" She felt unfair for being blamed alone when Yuna drank the milk too.

"You were the last one who drank this milk. Plus, why are the trashes from yesterday still in here? You didn't dump it out?" Yuna was overly sensitive that morning. "Eww, it's smelly!" her face grimaced in disgust.

"See, this is what happened when you let the trashes rotten inside our house!" she added.

Yerin wasn't patient to begin with. She couldn't understand why Yuna had to put the blame on her alone when the both of them were actually careless. Her mood was instantly ruined at the mere upsetting thought like this.

"You know you're not doing any better, right?" Yerin was sarcastic with her words and went to get a glass of water. "Even the breakfast isn't ready yet," she commented.

"Excuse me," Yuna turned around. "You should have woken up early and we can work on that together."

She had a point, but the older girl twisted the meaning for her benefit. "The same goes to you. We could work on throwing the trashes out together, so don't blame me entirely when you forgot about it too!"

Yuna gritted her teeth in annoyance - her emotion was at its . "You're really about to pick a fight with me now?"

"You started it first!" Yerin argued. "You could have just informed me about those expired trashes nicely and I would still be in a good mood!"

"Ugh you're so annoying!" Yuna stomped her feet and dashed to the living room. "Make your own breakfast! I'm eating out!" she screamed and the next second, Yerin only heard the door close.

She acted nonchalant for the first few seconds, still burning in irritation - until she heard nothing at all.

Running to the living room, Yuna's car key that was hung near the front door had already disappeared.

"Oh no!" she widened her eyes. "What have I done?!"

***

Was it too late?

Yerin ran out to catch Yuna and prevent her from driving but to no avail. Her wife's car was already out of sight and she came out with empty head. Yerin was numb and ran out of idea of what to do so she could save Yuna from getting involved in that accident.

Her tears uncontrollbaly fell at the thought of her failure.

Back sprinted inside her apartment, she searched for her phone and called a number of someone that probably could help her.

"Yein-ah," she sniffed while trying to catch a breath. "Yuna's driving now. We just had a fight earlier. Can y-you," her voice trembled. "...stop her?"

It was silent at the other line, but fortunately only for a brief moment.

"Where did she have the accident?" Yein was panic as well.

"Near the convenience store in our area, at the intersection before you could see our apartment!"

"I'm not far from that area now. Gotta stop her before anything worse could happen. You can catch with me up later!"

"Please do!"

Be safe my Yuna, Yerin cried.

***

Everything felt like a blur in Yerin's mind. She couldn't grasp what's going on, so she stayed silent and numb while waiting for the result. 

Ten minutes passed without a news felt like an hour of torture. Yerin knew she messed up big time, but she wished she could undo what she had done so Yuna wouldn't have to go out with such unsettled feelings like she had.

Tears had been streaming down on her face and her concern wouldn't cease unless her cousin declared any confirmation from her end. But there was nothing at all. Yerin thought she could just die by waiting and only worse if in the end Yuna ended up couldn't survive.

Her phone rang. There was a call. Yerin didn't hesitate and chose to accept it quickly. 

"Hello!" she was eager.

"Yerin," it wasn't Yein, and there was a sniff. "There's an accident here. You should come," the other's voice was low. "This is Myungeun by the way."

Yerin's heart dropped instantly and suddenly her legs were too weak to support her body that felt heavy from the news. 

Her voice was stuck on , unable to make any speech. But surely her heart wailed for one name that craved greatly inside her;

Choi Yuna.

***

At the first time, Yerin only heard the news about her wife being sent to the hospital, but she never visited the scene of the accident because all she had in mind at that time was Yuna's bad condition.

For this second time, she was able to see the vehicles and people that involved in the same accident that was bound to happen by fate, and it's not something that Yerin or even Yein could change.

She came in time to check on the accident and saw her wife's car was already crashed onto the lamp post that stood by the sideroad. Her legs wobbled at the sight of the scene and she dropped to the ground.

However, there was one thing that changed from the first incident.

This time, Yuna survived from her life being taken away.

But also there lied a lifeless figure with trails of blood on the road.

Someone else's life was exchanged to death instead of Yuna.

***

"I should have been more careful," Yuna cried regretfully next to her. "I was too upset about our fight this morning that I drove passed the red light."

Yerin knew there was no one else to be blamed but her. Even if the other victim didn't die, Yuna would die instead and Yerin was still the one to be at fault.

There was not much cars at the intersection at that time, and Yuna didn't see another car that came from different direction until Yein came between the cars to stop the other driver from running into the former. Yerin's wife turned the steering wheel abruptly and lost control, then suddenly there's someone that crossed the road at the same time and the car's front ran into the victim's body unfortunately. It was awful.

Out of guilt for changing the victim's fate to Yuna's, the couple alongside Yerin's cousin and her girlfriend quickly searched for aid and drove her to the hospital. The victim needed surgery, but after a few hours of battle in the operation room, she was declared death.

Fate was changed by turning back the time. Yerin couldn't feel this was real.

***

"There was a risk in every magic trick we do," Yein started when the cousin seated together for a drink at the foodcourt in the hospital. "Especially when it came to life and death of someone."

Yerin sat silently and only heard of whatever her cousin wanted to share with her.

"There was a rule to bring someone's death back to life - and that was to be exchanged with another life."

There was a pause but Yerin was too afraid to intefere. Yein had to end the story that she started.

"When I decided to take the risk and brought Yuna unnie back, I could not think of another life that I should change it with but your dog. That's why I could sympathize when you wanted to adopt my puppy so bad, so I let you take him," Yein chuckled as she looked up at the older girl in front of her. "But then, I had Myuchi with me just because I felt guilty for snatching your favourite dog's life away without you aware of it." 

"So," Yerin cleared and spoke for the first time. "Why there's another death other than Milky?"

"I was confused as well, but now I could think better. It's because I not only save one life, but two lives since I turned back the time."

Yerin frowned in confusion. "Pardon?"

"You died too, remember? I exchanged Milky's life with yours, but Yuna unnie's fate was still unknown until the accident actually occured. Since we managed to save her, someone else had to die in her place," she felt like a huge rock just knocked her head, painful, but that's what she deserved.

Yerin felt her cheeks wet and only realized now that she had been fighting with tears in her eyes. 

Yein showed her a photo from her phone - Yerin's photo with her family included Yuna alongside her own cousin when celebrating Yein's return from her travel. "This was the only picture I had with me before Yuna unnie's first accident. It was two months after your honeymoon to Rome. We travelled back to that time when we were happier and not suffering."

The older girl stared on the photo thoroughly with a small smile etched across her lips. Yein's right - they were happy and didn't have much problem to suffer with at that time. She was stuck up in that nostalgic feelings.

"Thanks, Yein-ah," she whispered slowly.

"Don't mention it."

The younger stood up and prepped to leave, until she added - " Don't worry about Yuna unnie. She might be fined and charged for her reckless driving, but at least she didn't run away from her mistake or her punishment could be worse."

"My job is done, Yerin unnie. I hope you have a happy life with Yuna unnie forever."

***

The victim of the hit accident only had a single father that raised her. Guilt tugged at her chest and Yerin never felt so terrible about a stranger's life other than this. Knowing she played a big part in this turn of event, both Yuna and her volunteered to pay for most after-occassions for the decease and her family.

Of course their good means were shoved out by the victim's father at first - especially Yuna, but also thanks to the girl's persistent, they managed to pull through and helped him out so much especially at the funeral.

Yerin also compensated money for him, that without Yuna's knowing, but that wasn't enough to get rid of her guilt.

"Maybe you should focus on staying to be happy with Yuna unnie with all your life so you wouldn't mess up anymore. Perhaps it could make you feel better about the accident," Yein gave her advice.

"Also, Yein and I decided to give the decease's father allowance every month by ourselves so you should focus on yourself," Myungeun said beside her.

Nodding at their kind words of advice, Yerin beamed a small smile.

"Thank you."

***

"Is everything set?" Sojung came to check on her.

"Yup everything's ready. Let's get going now," Yerin replied.

A few months after the horrible incident, Yerin proposed an idea to go on a vacation oversea with her wife. If there's anything, Yuna was the one that needed plenty of peaceful rest the most. She had gone through tough things after the accident she caused, so Yerin wanted the love of her life to release all her stress with the vacation.

Yuna loved the idea without much thought, so they agreed to go to Japan for a week together.

Sojung as Yerin's best childhood friend slash her sister's girlfriend volunteered to drive them to the aiport despite they have their parents that could drive. So in the tall girl's van, the entire family got on the ride and headed to the airport.

"Take care of yourself, my dear," Yerin's mother kissed the top of her head once the announcement of their boarding time was made.

"Mom, we'll be coming back in a week," the eldest daughter chuckled.

"Eat and do all you want, Yuna," the girl's father hugged her daughter. Yuna's family came to the airport by separate vehicle to see them off.

"Don't worry about me, daddy. You need to take care of your health. And please look after mommy for me too. You both need to look after one another," Yuna nagged at her parents instead.

"You need to be more careful, brat. Stop making Yuna feel upset with you and enjoy this vacation time with her all the way," Sojung ruffled her best friend's hair.

Yerin grinned. "I know, thanks for reminding me," she hugged her tall friend.

"Watch out Yerin unnie for me, Yupup. Don't let her be out of your sight. I'm worried you might get lost without her," Eunbi had tears when she sent her friend and sister off.

"I will, Eunbi-yah. Please look after my family for me," Yuna cupped her best friend's cheek before both she and Yerin went on board.

Inside the plane, once the couple settled down on their seats, Yerin held her wife's hand.

"I'm sorry you went through terrible things because of my attitude. Let's forget about the bad things and enjoy what we have now, okay," she held the side of Yuna's face gently and stared at her lovingly.

"We might have so much but also so little ahead of us, so I want us to stay just exactly like this. I love you, Yennie," Yuna moved her head forward and kissed Yerin's lips.

Grinning in satisfaction, Yerin threw her arm over Yuna's shoulder to press their bodies together closely. "I love you too, so much Yuna."

They looked perfect for that moment, and Yerin swore she wanted nothing else to be exchanged for this happiness that she felt. She never would want to lose Yuna anymore. This was fine.

The End

***The original plot for the ending is not like this at all because I wanted to insert some fluff/comedy after all the angsty, but I didn't want to run from the YeJu focus (since the comedy part is more about Yein/Yerin's love-hate moments). Anyway I do hope you still enjoy this awful slice of life piece from me. I've done my best to write about YeJu's story as one of my favourite pairing. I hope there are still a lot of YeJu lovers like me out there that could write something more beautiful about them. Have a good day everyone. \_(^_^) *bow*