Answers to every doubt and uncertainties can be found at the brink of end in some cases. When one is about to lose someone they love, when one has no other choice but to do so with the limited time in their hands, when one is given a limited chance seek for the right decisions, the answers naturally come along the way, the choices they should have done and taken arrive midway. They may have not realized what they’ve always needed and wanted as time was leisurely wasted but certainly, something and someone will push them to their limit of admitting these obvious answers they should have said if only their terrified heart wasn’t on the way.

Destroyed and empty, this isn’t what Jennie feels for this late morning, rather this is how her café appears as she wanders around inside it. It brings her a lot of memories stepping here and how she would love to have it restored as she cannot help but to smile weakly at every piece that comes into her mind. The area where Jisoo’s coffee station was placed, the place where the glass racks of her best cakes are displayed, the kitchen that’s always a mess every dawn until the end of the business hours, Jennie misses every single thing about this café, both the happy and sad ones.

As she walked up to the second floor, there Jennie recalled one of the most important memories she was able to create. It’s the day she first personally met Chaeyoung and brought her up to this floor to aid her after a collision with Jong-in. The image of Chaeyoung munching onto those cream puffs she gave, the touch of her hand she remembers being soft and delicate, her chipmunk-like smile as she’s delighted as if she wasn’t hurt of that scratch she got, Jennie loves every single second of it now that she’s recalling.

“How long has it been since that day…?” Jennie asked herself, sitting on that chair, placing it on that same spot where she brought Chaeyoung to rest.

The more she recalls Chaeyoung, the more she misses her, the more her smile disappears for these good memories are rather making her feel down. She only had few memories of Chaeyoung in this café and yet everywhere she looks, she’s being reminded about her. Everything about her, she misses it and there’s no day ever since she found out about the truth of her past that Chaeyoung went out of her mind, no day that Chaeyoung isn’t making her heart ache for missing her.

“Why are you still contemplating anyway Jennie? That was her past. You’ve seen how much she loves you that she’s scared to hurt you just because of her past. It’s not like she’s the same old Chaeyoung who would cheat on you like how she did to her exes. She’s the Chaeyoung you inspired to be a better person, according to her sister though. You should go and tell her you love her and accept whatever she tells you too.” Jennie said to herself, motivating her terrified self, finally standing up from her seat as she settled.

Just when Jennie stepped down of the second floor, she sighted a familiar figure standing by the café’s blocked entrance, whom she soon recognized as Lisa under her disguise. Similar to her, Lisa’s seen ogling at the café but only from the outside as if she’s reminiscing memories. However, opposite to Jennie who initially smiled at these memories, Lisa immediately has this frown drawn to her lips and in the midst of tears as she remains standing there on her own.

Thus, Jennie decided to approach her, startling a bit for she suddenly talk and opened the door, “Why don’t you come in?”

“Oh, I didn’t know you’re inside. Sorry.” Lisa said so down that Jennie barely heard her talk.

“I said come in and don’t just stand there in the cold.” Jennie forced her and pulled her inside.  

As Lisa entered and freed her face from the disguise, she’s immediately hit by the good old memories. That coffee station where she first filmed Jisoo’s skilful hands on making her orders, that corner where the table she first filmed her admiration for Jisoo’s coffee, and those small chitchats they shared, it instantly made her teary-eyed in her stand. With her clenched fists, Lisa is trying so hard to contain her emotions, these emotions that are so rumbled she cannot put herself into one.

Seeing this and after knowing everything that happened between her and her best friend, Jennie went to sit on a corner and leaned against the walls, tapping that empty space beside her to ask Lisa, “Come here. Have a seat and join me, that’s if you don’t mind sitting on a cold floor and if you don’t hate me too.”

“I don’t hate you…” Lisa clarified and went to sit beside her as told.

“I just thought you do because I didn’t tell you anything about Jisoo-unnie’s relationship.” Jennie voiced while looking into the empty ceiling. “But yeah, I’m partly at fault since I could have told you sooner too. I didn’t encourage Jisoo-unnie enough to be straightforward and tell you everything before it became worst. Well, I won’t blame you too if you hate Jisoo-unnie right now. You have the right to feel hurt.” She further added.

Lisa curled herself, hugging her bended knees together as she mumbles, “It hurts…”

“I know. Who wouldn’t get hurt after finding out that the person you like, or the person you love, is actually taken?” Jennie sighed.

“No, it’s not that.” Lisa spoke and Jennie stared at her confused. “It hurts that I cannot bring myself to hate her completely. She lied to me, yes she did. She didn’t tell me earlier about anything and I trusted her words. Yet, I don’t know why I can’t hate her so much. At first it hurts so much, like hell, that I burned every picture of her, deleted every videos of us together. But as time goes by, I don’t know anymore. It’s suffocating me that I cannot hate her.” She confessed under her arms as she buried her face.

For a while, Jennie was speechless as this is what she felt about Chaeyoung too. Despite knowing her past, no matter how wrecked she used to be, whatever kind of cheater she was in her younger days, Jennie couldn’t bring herself to hate her, to despise her, rather she felt bad for being unable to save her from those dark past.

Jennie smiles for a comfort and speaks from the heart, “It’s because you love Jisoo-unnie that much you might be able to overlook her mistakes and it’s because you know for yourself, you can feel it, that the moments you shared with her are true.”

Lisa looked up at last, finding Jennie smiling confident but not looking at her, instead glued her eyes onto the other corner of the café. And wondering why Jennie said such, she asks reluctantly, “Do you feel the same when Chaeyoung makes mistakes?”

“Huh? How come you know about me and Chaeyoung?” Jennie suspiciously glared at her.

“Well, she’s always been kind of obvious that she likes you ever since and I just thought that you’re saying these things because you had argument with her or something that you’re willing to forgive her.” Lisa guessed.

“Eh~ you’re pretty sharp considering that you don’t have experience in romantic relationships.” Jennie teased and Lisa pouted, going back on burying her reddening face with her folded arms. “But yeah, you’re right. It’s not like we had argument though. It’s more complicated but within these days I haven’t seen or talked to her, it’s hard for me and I know it’s because I love her. I’m actually a coward though it doesn’t really show from how I physically look.” She then giggled at herself.

Lisa takes a glance to tease in return, “Yeah, my first impression on you was you’re that kind of woman who is always mad and unapproachable.”

“I’ve heard that a lot. I’m not surprised.” Jennie smirked. “And how come this conversation is slowly shifting to my love life? We’re talking about yours, right?” She quickly diverted.

“Yeah, right.” Lisa weakly grinned.

As soon as Jennie felt that Lisa has somewhat loosen up and starting to become comfortable around her, she then discloses carefully, “Did you know that Jisoo-unnie has been planning to break up with her lover though? And just in case you don’t know yet, their relationship has been quite toxic ever since they started this long distance relationship.”

“Eh? I didn’t know that.” The shocked Lisa has her eyes widened and mouth opened.

Jennie nods as she goes on, “That lover wasn’t supportive of Jisoo-unnie’s passion as a barista. They used to fight about that a lot until recently that she decided to support her. They fought about a lot of things as time went by too, even the most trivial ones turn into something major. But it was too late because Jisoo-unnie have found someone who can truly support her without questions, without doubts and someone who has been there for her through the best and worst times.”

“Is t-that… me?” Lisa shyly asked and Jennie beamed in confirmation, only to make her blush even more.

“That’s why she’s been planning to break up with her lover but she has always been scared to do it because Jisoo-unnie hates hurting people’s feelings. In the end, she hurt two people at the same time.” Jennie sighed.

It all comes back to Lisa, that day she asked her for a date but she couldn’t give her straight answer, rather told her to wait as she had to do something. With Jennie’s revelations, Lisa finally found answers which makes her tear up, eventually feeling vulnerable she cannot stop her tears from flowing down. She’s too embarrassed to look up as she kept her face buried under her palms and from there she kept on crying, sobbing hard until she became breathless.

Finding no response from the sobbing Lisa, Jennie expresses solemn, “I’m not telling you to forgive Jisoo-unnie immediately but I wish the two of you will have a time to talk personally. Being avoided by someone I have learned to love, I know how it feels now that I’m going through it too. It’s more painful when the both of you are left hanging in the air without properly talking.”

“Where is she?” Lisa asked in between her hard sobs.

“I don’t know exactly but one thing is for sure. Jisoo-unnie likes to get things done when she’s determined. I have the gut feeling she went to meet her lover today to end it. She hasn’t reached out to me today yet so she’s probably busy.” Jennie guessed then lend Lisa her own handkerchief to wipe away those stains of tears drenching her flawless face.

Despite the answers she gathered, Lisa’s feeling hasn’t settled into one yet, unable to grasp into her rumbled emotions with everything that has been going on. Nevertheless, compared to the past days she did nothing but to cry and feel remorseful, she feels lighter and clearer with her views with these information she just got in her hands. The pain still lingers but not as worse as it used to be.

And disrupting their stillness as Jennie waits for Lisa to calm down, Jennie’s phone started ringing aloud. Thus she temporarily left Lisa alone in at the corner as she stands up to answer, “Yes, this is Jennie speaking…”

Lisa remained seated in her spot and watched how Jennie’s expression changed into a complete dark, as if she’s in a terror. The hand that’s holding her phone is evidently trembling as she slowly put it down and her eyes started to become watery. It alarmed Lisa she also went up her feet and asks worriedly, “What happened? Are you okay?”

“Mom is…” Jennie voiced out but cracked in between. “…the hospital called… Mom’s condition deteriorated… they said she… might not last long anymore…” She went on though her chest started to hurt.

Shaken, Lisa had wide opened with her rattled mind. She watched Jennie helplessly staggered for a split second before she decided to offer, “C’mon, let’s go. I’ll drive you there.”

“Thank you.”

The two rush to the hospital as Lisa drives fast as she can, getting impatient through this heavy traffic of the town that slows them down. Jennie had always known her mother’s condition will never get any better and that she will gradually get weaker in time but never had she expected she’s actually not that prepared to lose her just yet. As the news came unexpected and at such a wrong time, Jennie came into a realization that she’s actually weak by just picturing that her mother wouldn’t be with her anymore sooner or later.

Meanwhile, Jennie’s best friend Jisoo is also on her way to face a challenge in her life, one of the biggest test she will face in her entire life so far. Though her knees are somehow shaking as she’s hesitating, she went through as she fights against her uncertainties with her stronger resolves. Jisoo knows there’s no other way to solve these problems but to face it and be brave for once to be real and honest, no matter how it may hurt other people.

Jisoo soon arrived at a very familiar spot that pulls her back to a lot of good memories. It’s just another typical riverbank around the country but this place holds special to her for this is where she and Seulgi had their first ever date as lovers. It hasn’t changed much since the last time Jisoo came here, though the grasses got thicker by the sides of the water. As she continues on striding forward, she found her lover standing near the river, throwing stones like how they used to do together as she waits.

“You’re late. You’re the one who set the time yet you came late.” This is how Seulgi greeted Jisoo the moment she sensed she was already standing behind her as she approached.

Jisoo couldn’t get closer to her as her feet refuses to and so she kept the meter distance as she responds apologetically, “Sorry.”

Seulgi turned around, finally meeting Jisoo eye-to-eye which didn’t last long as she couldn’t stand looking at her. Rather than locking eye contacts with her, Seulgi roamed her observant eyes, from Jisoo’s outfit that’s with a fashionable black coat until her eyes dropped onto her wrist that’s almost covered, but still she can see. Jisoo’s wrist used to be wrapped with that handmade bracelet she made for her, but now it’s wrapped with a silver one, something she knows for herself she never gave her.

“Nice bracelet you have there.” Seulgi hurtfully commented and turned her back once again not to show how her expression darkened.

“Lisa gave it to me.” Jisoo said straightforward but seconds later she kind of regretted as she saw how Seulgi’s fists clenched on her sides.

They shared a heavy and uncomfortable silence for quite long as neither bothered to talk. Though it’s Jisoo who first initiated this meet up, now that she’s standing here with Seulgi, she cannot bring herself to say a thing first, being hit by her fears once again to hurt her further, deeper than how it already is. She thought it would be as easy as she thought it would be after she had confirmed herself she would choose Lisa. However, now that it’s happening, she’s being shaken up.

Seulgi knows Jisoo very well that she wouldn’t dare to speak first, and because she knows this, she decided to speak first to break the silence, asking without looking back at her, “Since when?”

Jisoo is certain that she’s pertaining when she started falling for Lisa and so she lowly replies, “I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know?” Seulgi was maddened by her answer as she grumbled but never giving her a look.

“It’s not like I cheated on you!” Jisoo clarified, also raising her voice. “I loved you, okay? I really did!” She added.

Seulgi started to cry, “You did? And you don’t anymore because you found that vlogger then you started out hanging out with her and you fell in love just like that?”

“You don’t understand. For all these days, weeks and months that I’ve been begging you to understand me and what I want to do in my life, no one was there for me, not even you who made me feel worse. Jennie was there though, yes, but she is my best friend and she got problems she’s carrying on her own shoulders. I do tell her everything but I needed someone who can hold me tight when I scream crying at night because of you. Each time I talk to you, there’s nothing you tell me but to stop working on my dreams, we argue every time and I never heard your voice comforting me. Our relationship, my love for you, became a total blur ever since you left me here and you changed. You’re not that Seulgi I used to love anymore. And before I realized it myself, there was Lisa who unconditionally supported me, that one support I needed the most, something that you used to have but gone overtime.” Jisoo expounded and in between her words, tears are falling one by one, her voice becoming hoarse as she attempts to keep herself strong and firm.

Seulgi felt strings detaching from her chest as Jisoo confessed her miseries and hurtful emotions. She knew all along how she treated her own girlfriend while she was away. She exactly knows how she became so strict on her to the point Jisoo wouldn’t want to hear her voice anymore. Seulgi knows how much she has been hurting Jisoo yet she went on with what she wants with their relationship, how they want them to be instead of giving her an ear for a listen.

As Seulgi is being hit by guilt and nothing to blame but herself, she took the last ounce of her courage to turn around, let Jisoo see her eyes that are covered by her tears, her face that’s drenched with her tears, only to find her girlfriend having worse than she is, crying and sobbing she’s breathless to be even going on with her explanations.

“So it’s my fault…” Seulgi sobbed and this time looking straight onto Jisoo’s eyes.

“I’m not saying it’s your fault. It’s just that…” Jisoo stopped midway as she was cut off by her own sobs and her clogged throat from saying more.

Hence the braver Seulgi speaks it out for her, “It’s just that your love for me died and you found Lisa who can give that unconditional love, right?”

And when Jisoo weakly nodded, Seulgi was drained as if everything inside her died, her soul felt it left her body but her knees are strong enough to keep her in a stand. “I’m sorry… I know I should have told you sooner but I was so scared to hurt you because I know you’ll be like this… I’m so sorry…” She heard these words escaping out of Jisoo’s shaking mouth that’s wet with her tears.

Seulgi didn’t say a word or two for a moment to recompose herself as much as she can. She tried to keep herself together in order to be the better person here right now and control everything. Like how Jisoo feels, she doesn’t want to hurt her, not to cause her pain more than how she made her feel through these times she wasn’t with her. Just like what Jisoo scares of, Seulgi hates to see her cry, and it pains her more to know that she’s the cause of it. She can calm herself down with her cries, but her emotions will always stay rumbled with all these thundering feelings.

“I should be the one apologizing…” Seulgi chewed in her pride as she gritted her teeth tight. With one last sob, she goes on saying but looking so far away, “I love you, I still do. But I treated you as if I own you and your dreams. I couldn’t love you the way you wanted and needed to be loved. I’ve been so far away from you all these times yet all I do was trying to control you, because I thought I was loving you the right way. And maybe you’re right, I lost it the moment distance came into our relationship and before I realized it too, I was already too late. I was late to realize how bad I am as a lover and within those times I’ve been reflecting, you’ve found Lisa in the process. Again, I was too late…”

“Seulgi, please…” Jisoo pleaded after hearing Seulgi’s words, those words that nothing and no one to be blamed but herself.

Jisoo wanted to hold her but Seulgi stepped back, telling her to keep the distance, “Don’t explain more. Sooner or later I’ll come to understand you. But don’t expect me to understand everything immediately. I need time.”

“Please forgive me.” Jisoo still pleaded.

Yet Seulgi questions back, “Do you really love her?” And when Jisoo nodded, that’s Seulgi’s last doubt of her love for Lisa. She knows her girlfriend inside and out and whenever she’s this serious and pours out these tears she barely see from her, there’s nothing that can change her mind or stop her decisions.

“Let’s end it.” Jisoo said, out from her lips that immediately zipped after those words as her tears came out for more.

“You don’t have to say that because it’s obvious. How can we be still in a relationship when your heart already belongs to someone else?” Seulgi forced a low laugh. And as she stopped, she then turned serious, “I guess this is where we should draw the line for us, right? It would be bad if we still meet each other. It’s going to be hard for me too.”

“I know.”

Seulgi breathed it out, “I’ll be going back to Japan then. There’s no reason for me to stay here longer.”

“I’m sorry.” Jisoo bowed down.

Seulgi has this loathe wandering inside her heart but her remaining love for Jisoo is still however greater. Thus, although every step of hers closer to Jisoo was too painful to take, she forced herself to do so, just to wrap Jisoo around her embrace for one last time, feel that tiniest love that’s left for her if any. “Thank you for everything. Please do well on your dreams.” She lastly whispered and let her go without warning, not even giving Jisoo a chance to return the same warmth back to her.

Seulgi walked away, walking pass by her without looking into each other’s eyes for the last time. It may be the end for Seulgi’s part in Jisoo’s life, but for the latter, Jisoo, this ending is about to open a brand new beginning for her. It hurts more than anything especially at this moment that the wound is still fresh but Jisoo, being the strong and tough woman that Jennie once accounted, no matter how painful it is for her right now, she has to keep moving forward and solve the answers for every doubts in her heart.

Henceforth, as Jisoo completely dried her cheeks and calmed her eyes from all the crying, she immediately calls her best friend, reporting, “I’ve done it. I did it.”

“It’s Mino.” The caller corrected.

“Oh, sorry. I dialled the wrong number.” Jisoo thought.

And Mino quickly corrected, “No, you dialled the right one. This is Jennie’s phone. We’re in the hospital right now. I received a message from her that her mother’s condition deteriorated a lot. It seems like she won’t last a day or two anymore.”

“What?” Jisoo shrieked in shock and straightaway she started to flag a taxi. “That girl, why didn’t she tell me about it?” She then groaned.

“I wanted to tell you earlier but she said you might be busy settling things with Seulgi and oh by the way, Lisa is—“ Jisoo didn’t let him finish his explanations as she makes her way fast, asking the driver to drive faster.

Meanwhile, the most troubled one for the day, Jennie is inside her mother’s hospital room, trying so hard not to let out a single tear in front of her mother who is being attended by the doctors and nurses in her bed. She cannot even bring herself to look at her mother longer than a minute for the reason that her health and physical condition has gotten worse, too painful for her to look at. And as she stands by at the corner, all she can do is to wait for them to finish and have their official words for her.

“Miss Jennie…” The doctor finally called her attention. He stood close to her as he speaks almost in a whisper, “I’m sorry… but…”

“How many days left? Or should I ask hours left?” Jennie questioned that appeared cold for she is fighting against her emotions killing her slowly.

The doctor unfortunately informs, “Roughly less than two days. With that being said, I need nurses to be here all the time to check on her and I’ll be back in few hours. For the meantime, you can talk to her.”

The doctors left the room, leaving Jennie together with the nurses behind to watch over her for a while. It’s hard for her to step forward and stays staggered at her spot. She isn’t taking the information very well as if her mind and her heart are refusing to accept everything that’s happening right now. She’s rejecting the possibility, the most probable one that will happen after this day or the day after tomorrow, which is causing her to feel like an air as she’s trying to empty her mind from all these happenings.

“Jennie… come here…” Her mother barely talked as she called her spacing out daughter.  

Jennie snapped back to reality when she heard her mother difficultly talked from her bed. “Mom, please don’t talk too much.” She said as she approached and seated on her bedside, unstable with her stares on her and occasionally looking away.

“Sorry… I couldn’t do… much… for you…” Her mother however kept on talking a tear dropped from her right eye.

“Mom, please stop. Don’t say that. You did a lot for me and you still are.” Jennie gripped against the blanket but failed for her emotions have taken over her.

Her mother uses her remaining energy she has left in her body to reach out for her hand, squeezing it the tightest she can which isn’t actually that strong anymore. With this touch that’s cold and feeble, Jennie was forced to look at her and soon broke down in tears. “Have you talked to her?” She then asked, forcing a weak smile out of her dried lips and in between her heavy pants.

“Do we really have to talk about her now mom?” Jennie sobbed and looked up to stop her tears from endlessly flowing down, soaking the blanket where her tears drop.

“It has… to be… now.” Her mother insisted.

Jennie shakes off her head and unfortunately informs, “I haven’t even seen her mom. I haven’t even told her that I love her. I miss her but she’s so persistent on avoiding me. What else can I do? What should I do?”

“Do everything… that it takes, Jennie.” Her mother breathed heavy and with her hand reaching out for Jennie’s face for a caress, she further tells her, “If you love her… do everything you… can. She isn’t… as brave… as she looks like… when it comes to loving someone truly… Perhaps, she’s as scared… as you… only with a different reason…”

“Yes mom. I know. According to her sister, she’s scared to hurt me.” Jennie frowned.

“Exactly…” Her mother giggled so weak Jennie barely heard it. “Love… it’s not purely rainbows and sugars… not everything is sweet and thrills. There are sorrows… miseries… and heartaches… then comes the fear too… However, the thing is… you have found someone whom you can share all of the bests and worsts in life… yet you can still say… ‘I love you’ with each other. You have found someone… who have known what real love is… because she exists in you. She was able to break your chains… and she will continue doing so… until the both of you… will walk on a brighter path together… And when I say these things… there’s only one person… that comes into your mind, right? If so… then she’s the answer. Grab it. Get her.” She said in a struggle, coughing in between her words that Jennie couldn’t stop her from going on.

Jennie holds her mother’s hand on her face, smiling as she nods, “Yes mom. Thank you.”

Her mother signalled the nurse to give Jennie the document that they have been holding on to. At first Jennie was confused because as far as she can remember, all of her hospitalization papers were signed before, not until she opened the folder and found something she never expected she would see, something that’s enough to widen her eyes and tears could only pour out more. She’s lost for words, speechless as her eyes are darted straight onto the document while her mother is there, smiling at her reaction.

“My early birthday present… for you.” Her mother smiled.

“Mom… this…” Jennie couldn’t voice well in shock. “Is this possible?” She then asked the nurse.

The nurse confirms, “It is possible as long as the patient has a consent and asked for it herself. In your mother’s case, she has signed and approved for some time now. She asked us to keep it a secret for a while until this day comes.”

“Mom…” Jennie cried harder upon hearing this.

“She deserves to see the light again, and so do you.” Her mother expressed, giving her daughter a look of reassurance, wordlessly telling her through her stares that she’s certain and that everything is fine.

Yet Jennie still contends, “How will I tell her…? Will she even accept it?”

“She will if you can.”

While the mother and the daughter are busily talking inside the closed room, Jisoo arrived later when the sun already set and found Mino standing by near the door. He has always been a dependable man for the best friends but for this time, Jisoo found him down in his stand, his head lowered and his lips are in its lowest frown. Affected by this unfortunate news of Jennie’s mother, Mino, despite being a reliable man that everyone knows him of, he can be as weak as Jisoo is.

“Oppa... where’s Jennie?” Jisoo asked immediately after a careful approach beside him.

Mino just moved his head, indicating towards the closed door beside him, “She’s inside, having a talk with her mom and the nurses are checking too.”

“Can’t we go in?”

Mino stopped Jisoo’s tracks from opening the door as he says, “Let them talk alone and let’s just wait here until Jennie tells us herself that we can go in. I don’t want to disturb them whatever they’re talking about. Let’s give them space and privacy as mother and daughter.”

“You’re right.” Jisoo settled outside the room.

As they patiently wait out