It has been two years since she left Korea but the memory still remains fresh. She entered the store where her friends told her to go to. She entered Handel & Gretel and flashes of memories came in.

“Jessica!” Tiffany stood up and ran to her friend, enveloping her in a hug. The rest of her friends hugged the girl who has the personality like an ice and a snob… but that was before. She looks so soft, calm and fragile now.

They took a seat before Jessica stood up to order. She rummaged to her bag as she gets her money and order without looking.

“One tall green tea latte,” she said as she gets money.

“Still ordering the same?” She shot up her head as she hears that familiar voice again.

“Jongwoon…” she trailed. The guy smiled at her and as always, her heart would race. She saw his beautiful eye smile once again, something that she would always want to see.

“I see your back,” he smiled weakly, something she returned.

“So, how are auntie, uncle and Jongjin,” she asked.

“They’re okay,” she nodded at his answer and watched him punch the order on the cash register.

“That will be 4,500 Won,” he said and she handed him the money. They waited as the workers do make her drink. She just stood there, trying to think what they could talk about.

“I see that business is good,” she complimented.

“Yeahp. I’ve focused on our business. We’re actually working the plan of opening our third branch,” he answered.

“That’s good. I hope the best for you and your company,” she smiled and he thanked her.

“Your order’s here,” Jongwoon said and handed it to Jessica. She took it and the slight touch of their fingers meeting sent electricity to both of them. Once she got it, she still stood at the counter. She bit her lip if she wanted to say those things again.

“About what happened two years ago…”

“Let’s forget it. Let’s forget what happened that night. Let’s forget about us,” Jongwoon answered coldly and went inside into the face.

Sooyoung grabbed her and led her to sit down. Things really do change. Jessica used to be the cold one, the one who pushes Jongwoon away, even if it was just childish and he would accept everything because in the end they knew that she really loves him anyway. But now it’s different. Yesung was the cold one and Jessica was the one who would push herself on him.

Jessica would clearly understand why he was like this. Of course, what do you expect when you see your ex after you rejected his proposal two years ago?

“Jongwoon oppa!” The voice of a young girl rang inside the café. Jessica recognizes that face, but she could not recall where and her name. But what disturbs her is that she was looking for Jongwoon.

He went out and smiled at the girl.

“Geunyoung!” He came to her and gave her a hug. Jessica watched as she hugs him with all might, something that they don’t do often back then.

“Oh yeah, I’ll introduce you to my friends,” he said and pulled Geunyoung to Jessica and their friends.

“Geunyoung, these are my friends, Taeyeon, Tiffany, Sooyoung, Yuri, Hyoyeon, Sunny, Yoona, Seohyun and Jessica,” he introduced and all the girls faked a smile, except Jessica who just bowed.

“Girls, this is Geunyoung, my girlfriend,” he said and it was like a stab to Jessica’s heart. “Anyway, we’ll get going now. We have a date. See you later, girls,” he said and went away.

The girls watched Jessica, whose eyes were glued at the couple who was walking to go to their date. She remembers Geunyoung now. She was a hoobae of her school who admired him. It was a known fact that Jessica ignored.

“Noona!” She heard the voice of someone and turned her head to see Jongjin.

“You know that I’m supposed to call you oppa and you’re not to call me noona,” Jessica chuckled. Jongjin pouted but Jessica welcomed him anyway. It was something between the two of them does. He calls her noona, even if he was older and she doesn’t call her oppa because he also asked.

“Since when did you return?” Jongjin said and sat among the girls. They all welcomed him, especially since he was supposed to be Jessica’s brother-in-law after all.

“Just yesterday. I just came here, to catch things up,” Jessica said. Jongjin held her hand and smiled.

“Noona, I know you still love hyung and hyung still loves you, so can you please not give up on him?” He said. She felt like crying and she did.

For the first time she cried after that incident. The memory seems fresh for her. She can still remember that night in December when he knelt in front of her. Everything was set up, everything was ready, and all that Jongwoon needs to do was pop the question. And when he did, she felt like she wasn’t ready.

“I’m just too young for marriage,” she reasoned out.

“I understand. You’re just 24 and I’m 29. We just can’t be, right?” He said and closed the box. He stood up and dusted off his pants.

“I get it. You’re young. I can wait,” he answered.

“Don’t. I don’t think we’ll even last,” she answered. It was like she crushed the guy’s heart. He had actually planned and imagined his whole life and future with her, but it seems that she doesn’t see it the same way.

“I’m sorry. I should have known that we have no future,” he said and threw the box on the ground and stepped on the roses.

She was wrong. No matter what Jessica tried, her heart only has that one turtle boy.

_*_

She blew air on her gloved hands and rubbed it to make it feel warm. The winter in Korea feels colder than ever, especially in her heart. She really hasn’t been sleeping very well and her eye bags showed it. Her friends were worried, but they try their best to avoid the topic about the past.

Thinking about the past, why did she make that decision? She pushes him away when they’re in public, but she always love the way his fingers intertwined with hers. She loves the way his hair falls out of place. She’ll nag about it, but she loves it when she fixes his hair. He’d close his eyes and she’ll smile. She feels embarrass when he catches her smiling at him because as cheesy as it seems, Jessica’s love for him is like a circle. It has no beginning and it has no end. How they came to be was a mystery, but like a circle, you can never really trace its beginning and end. All she remembers was that one night in fall when she had no one to hold unto. Then there was him. He accepted her cruel personality and she never expected that out of all the people, he would be the one who would accept her. And she left him at the moment when he loved her most.

Opening her eyes, she rang the doorbell, but there was no answer. She looked up and laughed as she saw that no one was home. She turned and was about to leave when their car stopped. The Kim family went down and Jessica smiled the smile on Jongwoon’s face as he stepped down from the passenger’s seat. Their eyes met and his family knew what will happen next.

His parents and brother entered and left the two of them. Jongwoon was about to enter when she stopped him.

“Yesung,” she called and he stopped. It was his nickname that she used to call him at times. It meant voice of art and she began it. Hearing it once again made Jongwoon look into the once icy eyes of the now fragile Jessica and he regretted it. It just made him gets lost again, almost falling in love again with Jessica. But he knows that his love for her never left.

“You should stop calling me that since I’m just Jongwoon now,” he answered and looked away, walking inside their place.

Jessica turned and bit her lower lip. She can’t believe she’s on the verge of crying.

“I miss you,” she sobbed. “You don’t know how much I miss you. I miss your skin that you think I mock, but I really like it because I really think it suits you. I miss the smile you give to Geunyoung that used to be mine. I miss your beautiful eye smile because I think it’s even better than Sunny’s. I miss that arms that gets to hold me when no one can. I missed that moment when you held me that September night. It was the moment I let you enter my heart. I trusted you and you made me feel like I deserved to be loved. I know that I don’t voice out my feelings for you, but I really love you. Always have and always will.”

She cries as she takes something inside her bag. It was a necklace and a picture. The necklace was a turtle and the picture of him holding a cucumber. She doesn’t wear the necklace, but she always kept it. The picture had words written at the back of it.

‘I hate cucumbers, but I love the man holding it. Maybe one day, I’ll be able to hold it with him and feed it with Ddangkoma and his other turtles.’

Jongwoon had a face no one could understand as he stared at what Jessica handed her. It was a mix of emotions as always. He would always wear a face that was hard to read.

“I know I’m being selfish, but I really want us to be back. If we loved again, I swear I’d love you right. I really wanted to go back in time and change my decision back then. I keep on thinking what it would be if I did accept you two years ago on this same time and same date.”

Jongwoon recalled that it was the same date as his proposal two years ago, December 12, 2010. It’s already 2012 and things have changed. Two years ago, it was him who was asking for her hand, now it’s her asking for him.

“Aren’t you being selfish, just thinking about yourself? You came a little late. I already have Geunyoung,” he said and turned around.

“Of course. Why would I really think that you’d go back to me?” She sniffed with a chuckle. “Just to let you know, I’ve been thinking on staying here in Korea, but I guess I’ll just fly back to America,” she said and turned to leave.

As he heard her footsteps, he turned. In reality, Geunyoung broke up with him on the day when Jessica returned because she knew that he will only love the latter. He looked at her and he knew that this could be his last chance. He stared at her things on his palm. He loves her and she did just say that He ran to her and hugged her from behind.

“Don’t leave,” he breathed on her neck.

It sent shivers at Jessica’s neck but she loved all the weird things he did to her. It was all she needed to know what she wants to do in life.

_*_

“I can’t!” Jessica yelled.

“Yes, you can! It’s been years and you still can’t?!” Jongwoon yelled.

“You know that I hate this!” Jessica pouted even more.

“Just hold the cucumber, Sica!” Jongwoon tried to sweet talk to her.

“Andwae, oppa!” And he knew he lost the fight. Jessica calling him oppa is like making a superhero giving up. It was his weakness.

“Fine. Just hold my turtle and I’ll feed him,” he said as Jessica follows him.

She watches him intently as he concentrates on feeding his pets. She smiles at him, holding his pet.

“Hey, Jessica, oppa will melt at your stare,” Yuri interrupted their moment and the two looked away with a blush. Jongwoon stood up and held out his hand. Jessica held her hand up, making the others see the sparkling diamond ring on her finger as she stands up.

The others gasped and they knew that the two weren’t just back together. They made things better.

Short since it just popped into my mind while listening to the song. Spread the YeSica love, Ice Turtles~ XD LOL, I just made that up, okay. XD