“Tiffany, I have to open the door for a guest, you have to call me later okay? I’m saving your number.” said Jessica right before she hung up, the doorbell has rang a several times and finally she opens it up and saw Siwon standing in front of her.

“What took you so long??” he said as he barge in to the room when Jessica makes a way for him.

“What are you doing here? Didn’t you have to pack up?” Jessica sit at the coffee table and turn on the tv. Siwon’s looking tired and down, rubs his face and starts laying down on the bed. Jessica keeps figuring what is he doing exactly now. She grab a pack of potato chips and walks to him. “Want some?” and stops offering when he rejects it. “What’s the matter with you, so weird.” Jessica crawls on to the bed and sit nicely beside him.

“I’m just feeling a little bit lonely. Taeyeon will depart for Canada tonight, and then you’ll have to go back to New York this midnight, and tomorrow morning I have to go back to Korea, there’s no one beside me anymore.” said him as his stares keeps wondering everywhere to the ceiling. Jessica pulls him up and pats his shoulder.

“There’s skype, you know. You can just go online and I’ll be there and we can blah blah blah all the time!” she said chirpily and chewing bunch of potato chips. “No need to feel lonely.”

Siwon turns his attention to the television, and few seconds later, just like a father asking his daughter about her boyfriend, Siwon starts asking her about Donghae, “He’s your ex-boyfriend, right? The one who oftenly visited our house back then. Oh! And I remember when you’re graduating and—“

“Oppa, don’t talk about that anymore.”

“Right, sorry.”

Jessica clucks and gets up from the bed and opens up her arms widely. Siwon snickers and gets up as well to hug her. “Hah, look at you, the 12 years old Jessica that I met more than 10 years ago is now an adult.” He said, her hair gently and tap her head slowly. She’s truly grateful to have someone as her older brother even though they’re not related, she can feel that Siwon cares for her very much.

“I’m sorry that we didn’t find her, here.” Jessica talks in his clasp and remember that she’s just talking to her on the phone, “But I’m pretty sure that she’ll come home soon.” Siwon just snorted softly upon hearing that and let go of Jessica, he holds on to her shoulder and smiles.

“I can’t see your departure, okay? Just call me, I’ll wake up.” Which Jessica answers with a nod. Siwon walks out from her room as Jessica watches his back disappears away to the elevator. Now she feels that she depends on him, and quickly put that thoughts aside, she can never depend on somebody even if it’s her own stepbrother.

***

The suitcases stood beside the desk and the clothes that she will wear hung in front of the mirror. Tiffany is sleeping after Jessica told her to hung up, again, she fell asleep in her tears. She keeps thinking about how things will go between her and Donghae, clearly he needs some time for himself. Tiffany wakes up and found her eyes are swollen, and wondering around the room. Opens up the curtains and forces herself to look at the beautiful sun, rising up at exactly 6am. She grab her cellphone and received a missed call from Jessica, and also a text message.

“Deary Fany! I’m going back to NYC :’( you have to promise me that you will go straight back to Seoul. Understand that? -JS.”

Tiffany chuckles upon her commands, and replies her back with an agreement that she’ll go back to Korea. It’s been almost three weeks since she left the city behind. Thinking about going home is excited, she rushed to the bathroom and getting ready.

###

Siwon is checking all his belongings again and took out the card’s key before he walks out of the room. He checked out and order a taxi, keeps looking at his wristwatch, it’s 7.10am and the plane will took off at about 7.50am. The street looks quiet in the morning and there’s no traffic jam like he experienced before, he’s going to missed Italy and how peaceful the place is when he get back to Korea to work.

When he arrives at the airport, the first thing he do is buying a cup of coffee and quickly ship his suitcase to the plane’s baggage. The waiting room is also quiet empty. He picks the closest chair to the window and watches the people walking busily around the airport. He looks around him and found a few people looks busy as well. A businessman reading his piece of morning’s newspaper, a woman talking on the phone with someone, a couple who were just finished their holiday, and a guy about the same age as him, typing something in his laptop and fix his glasses’ position. It’s Monday, everyone is supposed to look so busy.

###

Tiffany arrives at the airport at about 7.45am, her flight schedule is at 8.10am. She rushes to the waiting room and keeps looking to the back, hoping that he would—maybe—at least say goodbye. She never thought a total stranger can be involved with her in such complicated story. She always thought that she’s not good enough for Siwon and when she met him, days by days falling for him is easier. The truth about him as her stepbrother brings a major pain in her heart, but slowly it all change her point of view towards him too. She no longer sees him as a beautiful stranger who can calm her down, and she’s surprised by the fact that from the first time she met him, it feels like meeting a family. That’s why, she really needs his presence right here, right now, before she go.

Imagining something else would happen, she remembered what Jessica have been told to her that Siwon and Taeyeon is still in Rome, she dressed herself up just like these past few days she’d been through in Italy. She almost looks like somebody else. The waiting room is really quiet and empty, three passengers are sitting here including Tiffany. The door’s open and someone else come in to join the emptiness of the waiting room, she recognized him immediately. She opens up her sunglasses and gets up from her chair in excitement.

“I knew you would come!” she said, in quivering voice.

Donghae smiles restrainedly and returns her hug, putting his head on top of her head. “Would I miss my sister’s departure?”

Tiffany looks up and saw him struggling with pain and despair, she wanted to tell him that she’s been thinking about falling for him for the last days but scared it might make the situation becomes awkward. She can’t help to look at this side of Donghae, as far as she concerns, he never seems to be unhappy. Tiffany ruffles his hair and fix it immediately, “Don’t do this. You look unhappy.” Donghae released his hug and sits on the nearest chair, she follows him right after.

“I’m going back to Korea too, don’t worry. For the past few years, it’s been fun here, but no place can replace that I called home.” He turns to Tiffany and his eyes were glistening with tears, he cannot even stand to speak a few more words. “Take care of yourself, okay?” he said as he tuck her hair behind the ears. She starts sobbing and skim his hand away, grab it back and squeals in her cry.

“Come with me.” she look at him straight in the eyes, “I’m just worried that when I’m gone, you’re not really going to come to Korea. It’s like you’re going to disappear.” She grip his hand so tight, her pleading eyes and sorrowful voice destroys him down.

The speakers blurt out a loud announcement that the 8.10 am flight schedule has opened its gate.

Donghae looks up to the speaker and turn his eyes to Tiffany’s again, “I’m not going anywhere. I will go home, okay? You still have my phone number, right. Now, you better go, the gate is opened.”

“But you have to promise me that you will go back to Korea.” Which Donghae answers with a nod and a little smile. Tiffany tiptoes and kissed his cheek before she walks out to the gate and walks away, still looking to the back, where he stands with a sad face. He keeps waving goodbye to her and her figure is getting smaller. Tiffany waves for the last time and walks into the plane.

***

Seoul city is still lightens up even if it’s almost midnight. The streets are still crowded with some cars and people are walking down the streets, coming home from their offices. Siwon arrives just a few minutes ago and planning to go to his apartment immediately. Jessica is the one who calls him and asks whether he’s already back or not, then his mom calls, then Mr. Jung calls. He expects somebody else would call him and ask where he is. He begins to shut his eyes as he sits in the taxi, not any moments later bringing him to the uptight street in Gangnam. He arrives at home at exactly midnight. Just the same apartment when he last left it, he realized it’s been almost three weeks. He lost several excited things that happened in here. His cellphone rings and he runs across the room to grab it in the coffee table.

“Hello??” like he’s sure that the caller is her.

“Siwon-ssi? I heard you’re back in Korea already? I expect the works you’ve been left a while ago to finish on Wednesday, okay?” it’s the deputy chief from his office, he put hopes on this one and drop down in despair. He was hoping for someone else, he mumbles a couple of “Yes sir.” And ends the phone call after he said thanks. He almost slam his cellphone to the ground when the caller that he’s been expected turns out to be someone else. He put the cellphone back on the coffee table, why sleep if he didn’t feel sleepy? But maybe it’s just because he was distracted. Actually he feels tired but he didn’t want to rest.

Siwon walks to the living room and turn on the tv, don’t really know what to watch in the middle of the night. Then he made a pancake and plays chess by himself. It’s 1.30 am and his cellphone remains silent. He looks at it once again and sighs.

*Ding dong!* the doorbell rings. He was never afraid of anything before but watching horror movies making him suggested some thoughts about a killer, or a burglar in front of his apartment right now. He peeks through the door’s hole and could not believe what he saw with his eyes. Quickly he snatch the door opens and yells, “Tiffany??!!!”

Yes, Tiffany is standing in front of him, right now with a very exhausted face and the healing scratching scars around her forehead. Bringing lots of suitcases and a big shopping bag of D&G. “Hi.” She smiles, adding the eyesmile which can melts him everytime. Siwon just freeze on his spot didn’t know what to do and what to say. “This is for you.” she hands the big shopping bag to him and he takes it unconsciously.

“Thank you.”

“Yeah! No problem.” Siwon has been missing that husky voice of hers. Especially for all this time.

Both went silent for a while after Tiffany laughs awkwardly and unnecessarily scratch her head which isn’t itchy. “Is this real or am I dreaming? I mean, are you really Tiffany? Because I can’t sleep for hours ago.” Siwon blink his eyes for several times and pinching himself and still he see the beautiful figure he’s been missed for the past few weeks in front of him. He put the shopping bag down and immediately giving her a hug.

“I missed you. And I haven’t told you that I fell for you first. Welcome back, Tiff.”

She puts her head on his shoulder and pats his back as she begin to shed tears herself and making his suit become wet with it, “I missed you too.”  She squeals and keeps crying.