"Y-Yoona!" 

Yoona turned around and raised her brows in curiousity as she saw the approaching figure. Jiyong came running and finally managed to catch up with her.

"Y-Yoona..." He stopped in front of her, panting away.

"You've something to say?" Yoona asked before teasing. "I thought you're supposed to be kneeling there, accepting your punishment."

"T-That's not punishment... It's just my way of... respect!" Jiyong tried to save face for himself but failed terribly. 

Then silence loomed over as Jiyong couldn't find suitable words to his lips.

"Uhm... Are you free now? Do you want to have coffee somewhere...?"

Normal reflex from Yoona would be to say 'no', but before the rejection could bubble out from , she recalled about the promise she gave to the Kwon couple just moments ago.

"I don't think there is any café within a mile radius from here and I doubt you had driven here," Yoona stifled a chuckle. "There's a bench there... Let's just make do with it?"

It was taking Jiyong every of his pore to scream no, but eventually he came to terms with a 'yes'. After all, it's totally understandable that she did not want to spend too long a time with him and that it was already a bonus that she's willing to at least stop to talk with him. 

He did, however, make a mental note that he should maybe set up a café around his house vicinity. 

ϟϟϟϟϟϟϟϟ

"So..." 

They spoke up in sync after struggling for a moment. 

"Ladies first," Jiyong chuckled. 

"I-It's nothing much... It's just... I didn't expect that you're the one that wanted to adopt me," Yoona broke into a relaxed smile. "I always thought you looked familiar but it didn't occur to me that I had seen you in the orphanage before. Looks like even when you're young you're a bossy little guy, demanding your parents to fulfill your wishes."

"Neither did I..." Jiyong grinned. "Hey, you could put it in a nicer way that I'm trying to save a young girl's life but insisting my way alright. Turns out, I had my eyes on you since young."

Yoona didn't reply to that immediately. To her, somehow, she felt really comfortable at this moment. It seemed so long ago that the both of them could sit down like that to talk and joke about things. She almost forgot how easy it was to hang out with him, how nice that their thoughts could click just like that. 

"It's amazing how things turn out isn't it..." Yoona looked up into the clear blue sky, smiling.

"I'm actually kind of glad that you ran away and didn't end up being my little sister," Jiyong answered.

Yoona looked at him, puzzled. 

"If you did end up to be my sister, we could never be like... well, now," Jiyong gave a sheepish smile. "Of course, I would say that our eventual meetup isn't really of an ideal one, but... I thought it's still turn out desirable. If you're my little sister, then I guess this would really be forbidden..." 

"That'll be , pure evil," Yoona shook her head with a smile. "Yeahs, maybe this is for the better..."

"Yoona," Jiyong became serious, having the courage to hold her hands into his. "What is going to happen to us now then?"

The unavoidable talk. 

"You and I both know that we're attracted to each other and that now all the obstacles are gone, what do you think? Don't you think we deserve to give each other a chance?"

"I..." Yoona sighed, pulling her hands away apologetically as she stood up. "I've never deny that I'm in love with you. You're a fine, attractive man, Kwon Jiyong, but..." 

"But what? Don't give me the lousy excuse that what we're doing is wrong and that you don't deserve any happiness because you're a marriage wrecker," Jiyong stood up, answering agitatedly.

"No, but there's just still obstacles. Obstacles such as Choi Seunghyun..." Yoona replied. "He's a wonderful guy and I don't want to hurt him..."

"You don't want to hurt him but you're willing to hurt me?" Jiyong gave a pained look. "You being with him despite not loving him is a selfish act of you, Yoona. You know it."

"I can fall in love with him, he's someone that's easy to fall in love with," Yoona argued. "We can leave the past behind us, you can find a new girl to start af-"

"No! I don't want! I don't want to leave anything with you behind!" Jiyong pulled her into a tight hug, shouting. "I don't want to let you go!"

Yoona didn't know what to do. She stood there, wanting to return the hug but in the end, she still didn't. She stood still, waiting for him to calm down. 

"After all these that happened, I felt like it's about time to take a step back and live for myself... I hope you understand," Yoona whispered, fighting back the urge of crying.

"Why... I'm very sure living for yourself does not mean being together with someone you don't love, Im Yoona." Jiyong said sternly.

"I want to pursue my dream. I want to open a bakery of my own, to let people enjoy my pastries over a cup of coffee or tea," Yoona gave a bitter smile. "With you, I can't... I can't imagine doing all these with you in it, Kwon Jiyong..."

Jiyong felt his energy drained away from him upon hearing it. He slipped his hands off her, dropping to his sides. 

"So... This... This is it?" Jiyong found his throat going parched. 

"I guess so?" Yoona bit her lips. "No matter what, I want to say that I'm thankful to have known you, Kwon Jiyong. Be it good or bad memories, I'll hold it close to my heart..."

"Im Yoona, promise me," Jiyong could feel his eyes b with tears for the first time in ages. "Promise me that you'll really live for yourself, not for others. Promise me that you'll be happy, you'll... you'll live better than I do... Promise me that if you met any problems or mishaps, please come to me. Please always keep in mind that Kwon Jiyong would be here, safeguarding you from afar..."

Yoona replied by throwing her arms around him, breaking into a fresh round of tears. 

ϟϟϟϟϟϟϟϟ

"Oppa..."

They parted ways and Yoona returned back home. The moment she opened the door, she came face to face with a dejected looking Seunghyun who was sitting on the sofa.

"W-What happened...?" 

Seunghyun looked up and when he saw her, he stood up and walked towards her, hugging her. Yoona was a little taken aback by his action but returned the hug nonetheless.

"I thought you're going to leave me too..."

"I-I just went out to run some errands..." For some unknown reason, a wave of guilt washed over her when she lied. "Too? What happened?" 

"The helper who had been taking care of my mum called and told me that she fell critically ill..."

"W-What? So sudden? I thought she had been enjoying her retirement in Paris! That time when we visited her, she was still in the pink of health..."

"Yoong, please don't leave me..." Seunghyun tightened his grip around her, closing his eyes. 

"Oppa, I'm not going anywhere..." Yoona rubbed his back, soothing him. "Aunty will be fine. Do you have to fly to Paris now?"

"Yoong, why don't you come with me?" Seunghyun broke apart from the hug, staring straight into her eyes.