- - - - -

“Here it is, madam,” a woman wearing a blue dress suit walked into the large library where Donghae’s mother was sitting at a large table too big for her.

Book shelves aligned the walls in an orderly fashion on the flower patterned carpet. The dim lights glowed above the ceiling luminously. Three large windows sat to her left with the sun shining in drifting in and out from behind the clouds.

“You can leave,” Donghae’s mother ordered while a set of newspaper were set in front of her.

The woman bowed and slowly walked out of the room shutting the large oak doors well over 6 feet tall. When the door closed Dongahe’s mother meticulously slipped on her white framed reading glasses that she’d ordered and bought for a fortune.

Clearing she opened the first newspaper slowly glancing through it before setting aside. With the same pattern she reached for the next newspaper dating back to well over 12 years ago. On the front cover under the headline news was a school picture of a young girl with her hair loosely trailing over her shoulders. The small smile on her face was not mistakable from the one she could imagine on her son’s girlfriend’s face.  

“Oh my…” she gasped. “It really is her.”

- - - - -

Yoona found herself sitting on the couch silently, eyes still visibly red. All she could do was keep her eyes on the ground. Footsteps approached as Taecyeon walked out of the kitchen, a glass of warm water in his hand.

“Here, drink it to warm you up,” he offered the glass to her.

Yoona took it from him with a glance. Taecyeon took a seat next to her watching her drink the water silently. While Yoona sipped at the water she couldn’t help but feel a little ashamed for running to the apartment so suddenly but she was thankful Taecyeon had let her into the apartment without question. She just wanted to soak her mind in peace before she began making sense of everything.

“Yah! Where are you going?” Taecyeon’s voice suddenly became louder.

Yoona’s eyes spurted up to discover Victoria walking toward the door in her jacket.

“Stock up on grocery,” Victoria replied coolly trying not to look at Yoona.

“Yah! You don’t need to do that right now,” he continued.

“I’ll be quick. It won’t take long,” Victoria slipped on her shoes.

“Which store are you going to? The mart? You don’t even have money…”

“I do! The leftover money you handed me last time. It’s enough,” Victoria stood up straight after she got her shoes on.

“Don’t go alone!”

“Why? I won’t get lost.” she muttered plainly.

“Aish!! You…can’t you just listen to me once?” he asked getting up from where he was sitting.

Yoona glanced toward the ground as they ranted on. When the door finally closed she heard a loud sigh escape him.

“Aish! She never listens,” he grumbled then turned to Yoona, “can you give me Lee Donghae’s number?”

“Ah…yes.” Yoona replied.

After giving Taecyeon Donghae’s number Yoona listened as Taecyeon talked frantically into the phone never minding the fact that the two guys weren’t close to begin with.

“Yes, she should be around that area. Would you mind doing me a favor and keep an eye on her, please?” Taecyeon went on. “Alright, thank you.”

Taecyeon hung up with another sigh and returned to his seat next to her. Yoona glanced at him silently with mixed emotions.

“Do you usually restrain your worry like that?” she asked.

Taecyeon turned to her surprised as if he’d forgotten she was there. “Ah..?”

Yoona turned away with a half smile on her face, “Sorry, for barging in without saying anything.”

“Ah…no, it’s not your fault. You don’t need to apologize.”

They were silent.

“Is there a reason…why you came here?” Taecyeon wondered.

“This feeling is worse than knowing that I misinterpreted a case.” Yoona began. “Donghae and I…I only know now that we never understood each other. I never knew that we were so distanced.”

“Why? What happened?”

Yoona hesitated for the longest moment before asking, “Has there…really been no sparks between you and Victoria?”

- - - - -

Victoria stuck her hands into the pockets of her jacket as she began treading along the cold road empty of snow. Her feet kicked up every time she took a step forward. Feeling bored she whistled for a while until she passed the empty playground. It was empty and barren. The grass had died losing its green youth and leaves laid scrawled all over on the ground like a messy blanket amidst dry land. Turning away she continued down the walk passing the trees where she’d first ran out from before coming head to head with Taecyeon’s car. It was the first time that she’d realized all the memories she’d suddenly been storing in her head.

She turned away with a sarcastic laugh and watched as her feet kicked the ground along the way. Some moments later she found herself walking through the large mart that Taecyeon always went to shop for grocery. It was fairly busy and she found herself looking at families of children and parents arguing over junk foods and the healthy food with envy. Even though such things would often lead to arguments it was often a very joyful moment.

Glancing away she headed toward another aisle and found herself glancing at the cookies Taecyeon had bought the first time she’d gone there. She began to walk away but was suddenly pulled back. Surprised she threw her fist out on impulse and felt even more surprised to find Donghae taking a few steps back with hands over his mouth.

“Ahh! Ow!” he shouted.

Victoria stared at him feeling dumbfounded.

“Are you ok?” she asked leaning over to see if he was alright.

“I was only joking with you,” he said putting his hands down. “Am I bleeding?”

“You’re perfectly fine,” she replied.

“Perfectly fine,” he imitated.

“What are you…” she began before he interrupted her with a laugh.

“How cute,” he commented reaching his hand forward to ruffle her hair but she took a step back avoiding him.

“What are you doing here?” she wondered.

“Just browsing around.”

Victoria stared at him as if observing him for the truth then turned away. Donghae immediately followed.

“Are you ignoring me?” he asked catching up to her.

“No,” she retorted before linking her arm through his.

“During these moments this is what we should do,” he said removing his arm from her hold and slipped his arm around her shoulders.

“Is this etiquette, too?” she naively wondered.

He laughed and walked along with her down the aisle.

- - - - -

“What?” Taecyeon asked with utter shock.

“If you don’t, why are you avoiding my question?”

“That’s not what I meant…” Taecyeon tried to defend himself. “But why…why are you suddenly asking?”

“Because I think you do.” Yoona stated.

Taecyeon felt his mind go blank of all words to defend himself. Had this been something that was bothering her? He didn’t understand what that question had to do with Yoona, though. Why did she want to know? Why did she even wonder about it in the first place? Taecyeon was confused.

“Why would you worry over something like that?” Taecyeon asked.

- - - - -

The wind rustled the fresh leaves on the ground that had fallen on the trail from the trees above. November was nearing and the positive cold was getting even colder. With hands in her pocket Victoria purposely matched her footsteps with Donghae beside her. She turned to look at his smile.

“What?” she asked.

“Nothing.”

“You want to say something, don’t you?” she could sense it from him.

He smiled again, “I’m glad I met you. Whether it’s a good or a bad thing, I’m glad that I know you.”

Victoria turned away then turned back to him. “You don’t sound like your usual self.”

“Then, how’s my usual self?” he asked. “Would you know?”

“Aren’t you…always trying to lift up the mood, you’re always trying to do things to my taste,” Victoria answered.

“You’re right.” he answered.

“Then you admit that you’re being different today?” she asked.

He laughed a little, “You grew up alongside Yoona, didn’t you?”

Victoria turned to stare at her footsteps with a reluctant nod.

“I would have asked her but I don’t feel like it’s a thing I should talk to her about,” he went on. “And I don’t know if it’s something I should talk about.”

“What is it?”

Donghae gulped before continuing, “You lost contact with your family, right?”

Victoria stopped in her steps. A vague family picture appeared in her memory for a slight moment.

“Sometimes, we learn that the only person who can help you is yourself,” Victoria said then turned to look at him, “I forgot how they look like. All these years that came and went by, I forgot how everyone looked like.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I don’t know why you’re apologizing and I don’t understand it.” Victoria told. “There’s been two phrases I’ve been taught to use but those two phrases never saved me from misfortune. Do you want to know those phrases?”

Donghae returned her glance.