“I went to Busan first… but no one was home” Soojung said, standing on the entrance of Luna’s apartment, looking down to her feet.

“You need to leave” Amber insisted and tried to close the door in front of Krystal but she stopped her from doing it as she reached out with her right hand.

“Please… Am…” The younger pleaded with a broken look and glassy eyes.

“Omma…?”

Both girls turned their attention to the small Hwa-young slowly walking to the door as she rubbed her eyes. Perfect, the tomboy thought. She didn’t want Hwa-Young to see Krystal and to think that she was coming back.

“Omma!!” The little girl repeated herself but this time more eager, running towards Soojung and jumping into her arms as the latter hugged her tightly. The ice-looking girl carried Hwa-Young but before she was granted permission to go in the house, Amber snatched the toddler off of her embrace.

“Hey! Sunshine, why don’t you go and wake auntie up?” The older asked her, trying to distract her from the situation, the girl nodded and as Amber put her down, she ran to Luna’s room.

“I just want to explain myself” Soojung implored.

“Oh, you are. Just wait until Wendy wakes up” The short haired girl sarcastically said and finally let the younger enter. She made her sat on the couch as they waited for Wendy and Luna.

As soon as Wendy saw Krystal, she couldn’t help it but to rage and break at the same time. “What are you doing here?!” The therapist exclaimed.

“Wendy, I can explain” The younger said, putting her arms up in signal of renounce and waited for the worst.

“Hwa-Young, why don’t we go play in your room?” Luna asked the toddler and elbowed Amber who caught the indirect.

“Yeah, baby. Let’s give them some space to talk” The tomboy agreed and held her daughter’s hand as the three of them walked to the little girl’s room.

“I worked so hard to achieve my dreams, busted my day and night to build that consulting facility… why Soojung? I thought we were friends…” Wendy said as she burst into tears.

“I never would’ve thought she was capable of such-“

“She? What are you talking about? Your father burnt my office to ashes” The therapist contradicted the younger.

“My father is dead…” Soojung explained, sorrow still dripping from her eyes.

“Oh my God…” The psychologist softly exclaimed. “Then… why did they say a Jung burnt my building?”

“Because that’s what Jieun wanted us to believe” Victoria jumped into the conversation as her and Onew stepped inside the house.

“Victoria!” Krystal called for her guardian and ran for a hug which the latter gladly returned.

“Welcome home, Soojung” The blond girl said.

“We received information that a ‘Jung’ burnt down the building and because I recognized one of the men to be Beomsoo’s, I implied that he was the culprit” Onew explained. “But when we did some deeper digging, we found out those men were paid off by a former Jung, the only one being Jieun, Soojung’s mother and Jung’s ex-wife”

Wendy felt embarrassed by the way she acted towards Krystal and immediately regret every fault she put on the girl. “Soojung… I didn’t know…”

“Don’t worry, Wendy. I know that I only deserve despise and hatred since I’ve done a lot to you guys” The younger lamented. “That’s why I came to say that I’m so sorry if I ever put you guys in trouble, but specially you, Wendy. I’m really sorry that things turned out to be this way and I never wanted to inflict damage upon you… but somehow my actions had consequences in which you had to paid the price” She continued with her genuine apology.

“I understand, Soojung. But even though we suffered the consequences… there’s someone else who needs that apology even more than us” The therapist said and Krystal nodded.

She slowly walked to Hwa-Young’s provisional room. Careful not to make a sound she stayed a little while there, leaning on the doorframe, looking at the little family play together. She quietly watched how Luna and Amber interacted with the toddler, just like normal families would. She couldn’t help but to think how happy Amber would’ve been if she never had met her, if she never stumbled across her in that convenience store.

Feeling the younger’s stare, the tomboy turned to her and stood from the floor to walk towards her. “Are you leaving now?” The older asked, arms crossed.

“Can you give me five minutes… just to say something?” Krystal asked, fidgeting with her fingers. Amber rolled her eyes upon the other’s request. By this time, they were famous for their ‘five minutes stories’, after all this mess all started when Amber agreed to stay just for five minutes in the hotel before being drugged by Soojung.

“I can’t even give you one minute, Soojung. You almost blew my brains out” The short haired girl said, with a hint of sadness in her tone.

“I tried to protect you” The younger explained.

“Protect me from what?!”

“My mother was crazy! She could have killed you”

“Well, I see crazy runs in the family then!” The tomboy snapped and backfired but she instantaneously took it back.

“Appa, can omma stay for tonight?” Hwa-Young came from behind and clung onto Amber’s legs.

“I don’t think so, sweetie. She needs to be somewhere else” Amber tried to lie to her little girl but her pleading eyes were too much for her to handle.

“I can stay, Hwa-Young” Krystal assured and the toddler jumped of happiness.

“Yeah!! I’m gonna tell auntie Wendy so we can have a sleep over!” The little girl cheered as she ran to the living room.

“How can you be so cruel? I don’t care if you play with my feelings but don’t you dare hurt my little girl” Amber angrily expressed, pointing her index finger right at Soojung.

“I’m not playing, Amber. If you only knew what I went through…”

“That’s the problem, Soojung. This is always about you, about how you deal with , about how you need to do and not tell me a single thing about it… I’m done” The older painfully uttered the words. She was about to exit the room with Luna when Krystal grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her inside, closing the door on the process.

“Open the mothering door, Soojung” Amber sternly commanded but the younger didn’t obey.

“Tell me”

“What do you mean?”

“Tell me how you feel”

The older snorted at the younger’s request but decided to play along with her so she could confront her once and for all.

“Alright” Amber agreed, walking closer to Krystal. “Since day one I stood up for you, I took care of you, I loved you with and without your flaws. I expected nothing from you, only compromise, but it seems that that’s the only thing you’re not capable of doing. You lied to me, to my face, you made me believe you were ready to raise a child and to be a normal person and you stabbed me. You literally stabbed me and left me dying on the floor and for what? For more trouble only. I come for you, to show you that I’ve changed, to show you that I accepted my past and to help you in this crazy journey of yours only to be greeted by a gun to my face. Oh, and let me finish with: YOU ING SHOT THE GUN” The tomboy ranted.

“I love you”

“Are you serious?” Amber asked, hand rubbing her temple. “Are you seriously going to pull the ‘I love you’ just to get away with it?”

“I never said I was going to get away with it” Krystal talked, this time she was the angry one. “Look around you, Liu! Does it seem like anyone in this room actually has my back?... no. I came all the way back from that mothering factory where my mother murdered my dad, burnt Wendy’s entire building and threatened to kill everyone in the room just to tell you that I’m sorry. I’m sorry because my actions never where wise enough for everyone to be happy, I’m sorry for stabbing you… for pulling a gun on you… I’m sorry you ever ing met me because all I do is put you in any kind of trouble” She frenetically said in front of a speechless tomboy who could only follow her moves with her gaze.

“And I never wanted to make things right more than now… because you deserve it… you deserve someone who can meet your expectations although you say you had none… you deserve to be loved instead of hurt and injured because of poor judgement… I love you Amber, and I ed our lives up… but I can’t live without you, I won’t, I refuse” Soojung spilled her heart while crying, trying to get a reaction from Amber, anything.

“We grew apart from each other… and even if at the beginning of this journey I still wanted to be with you… now I don’t. I’m sorry” The tomboy said, emotionless. “You can sleep with Hwa-Young on the bed, I’ll sleep on the couch” She finished and started walking away but once again, Krystal grabbed her by her wrist to stop her.

“Look at me in the eyes and tell me you don’t love me” She pleaded.

“I don’t want to do this right now, Soojung” The tomboy refused to turn to face her.

“Then when? For how long are you going to make me feel miserable until you tell me your truth?”

“I’m not interested in making you feel miserable, that would be you”

A sudden quiet invaded the room as Krystal forcefully pulled Amber into a kiss, a kiss that was filled with regret and pain. The tomboy fought the younger but it was no use, she couldn’t fight her and her feelings at the same time, she finally gave in just for a single minute then broke the kiss.

“I can’t do this” That were her lasts words as she finally was able to exit the room.

“Appa!!” Amber’s little girl ran to her encounter.

“Hey! My big girl” The short haired girl greeted her and carried her. “Let’s brush our teeth before going to bed, okay?” She said, walking to the bathroom.

“I guess that didn’t go too well” Wendy commented upon the scene.

“Why?” Luna asked, intrigued.

“Because only Amber came out of the room… that means Soojung is still in there probably crying her eyes out of desperation” The therapist explained.

“Should we do something?” The guardian asked, concerned about Krystal state.

“We can’t. They need to work this one out by themselves” Wendy said, as she stood from the couch and walked to the guest’s bedroom.

“Okay, sunshine. Let’s tuck you in bed” Amber said, gently laying the toddler on her bed. “Omma is gonna stay with you, okay?” The tomboy continued and pinched the little girl’s nose in the process.

“And appa?” Hwa-Young asked, pouting.

“I’m going to be sleeping on the couch, okay? I won’t leave you” The older reassured, caressing the toddler’s hair.

“Can appa sleep here too?” The little girl asked, pouting even more and pleading Amber with her sad gaze.

“We don’t fit, baby. Don’t worry, I’ll be right outside your door tomorrow in the morning” Amber insisted, but Hwa-Young wasn’t letting her win this one.

“But I missed omma and appa too”

“Okay, sunshine. But just this one night”

Soojung came back from the bathroom into the room to find Amber already on the bed. “Aren’t you going to sleep on the couch?” She asked, confused and with high hopes.

“Hwa-Young wanted me to stay, so I am” The older answered.

“She’s already asleep on that side of the bed… you don’t mind if I…” Krystal said, implying that the only space left for her is beside Amber.

“Just don’t make a big deal about it” Amber grunted.

Soojung gently laid herself down on the bed next to Amber, only inches away from her, so close to her warmth yet so far from her heart.

“Is it too much for me to ask for just one hug?” The younger asked, looking at the ceiling.

“Yes, don’t push your luck. I’m only doing this for Hwa-Young” As much as Amber wanted to be the tough one and neglect Krystal’s feelings, she also longed for her warmth… just couldn’t bring herself to admit it and although she never heard Soojung plead like this before for just a hug, she didn’t want to fall in the web of the ice girl’s lies.

“Please… Am…”

“I… just lost my father…”

“I really need it…”

Upon the girl’s pleads, the tomboy couldn’t resist anymore and she cursed herself mentally for being so weak before Krystal’s needs. She quietly and slowly reached for Soojung, trying not to wake Hwa-Young up in the process. She wrapped her arms around the other’s waist and pulled her body closer to hers.

“Thank you”

“I’m just making an exception”