Yoona

"Persuade Jiyoung to choose Yuri."

Tiffany's words were constantly in Yoona's mind. Even after they had waved goodbye to the eye smiling girl a few days ago, her words were still fresh, and Yoona could not stop thinking about it.

She understood that Tiffany was just acting as Yuri's best friend, and that the latter was only looking out for the tanned girl. She tried hard to stop thinking about letting Jiyoung go, because those selfish thoughts were all coming back, and the cold Yoona was gradually reappearing too.

Now with about two weeks gone since they first signed that contract, she realized that she had very little time left. Every day, going to the orphanage and working with Yuri, had made her realize that the tanned girl needed Jiyoung. And Jiyoung absolutely needed her biological mother by her side, but Yoona was not her.

So she decided to take Jiyoung out without Yuri, which proved to be difficult. The little girl stuck close to Yuri literally like super glue, and Yoona hardly ever had time alone with her anymore. She found Yuri and Jiyoung in the living room, laughing over running man, that was showing on the television. The guests were Girls' Generation, which was ironic, because Yoona always thought that one of the kkab girls there looked like Yuri.

"Jiyoung, want to go to the grocery store with me?" She asked, feeling bad since she had interrupted Yuri and Jiyoung's mother-daughter bonding sessions.

"No! I want to stay here with Yuri umma!" The little girl shook her head, jumping into Yuri's arms.

"Jiyoung, go with Yoona umma. I'll be fine here." The tanned girl spoke up, surprising Yoona. She never knew that Yuri would actually stick up for her. Wasn't she scared that Jiyoung would choose her instead?

Then she realized that Yuri already admitted defeat. She knew that the older girl was willing to let Jiyoung stay with her, and that Tiffany obviously knew that too. Tiffany's words hit her again, and she sighed.

But it's just this one time... Yoona smiled warmly at Yuri, and then picked up Jiyoung in her arms. They waved bye to Yuri, before stepping out of the house.

Yoona and Jiyoung made their way out of their apartment, and Jiyoung scrunched her eyebrows adorably. "Umma? Why aren't we driving there?"

"Well... I thought we'd like to go to the park first." The doe eyed girl answered, walking towards the park's playground instead.

"But Yuri umma would be upset because we left her out." The little girl cried out, shaking her head, squirming out of Yoona's hold.

Yoona felt a wave of jealously run through her, as she thought about how close Jiyoung and Yuri were. If she left, would Jiyoung forget her? Would she be nothing but a stranger to the little girl?

"How about me?" She pouted, stopping in the middle of the pathway. Jiyoung noticed her change in mood, but as stubborn as she was, she kept insisting that they returned to Yuri.

"Jiyoung... If umma leaves one day, what would you do?" Yoona asked.

"Don't leave umma! I'll go to the playground with you!" Jiyoung immediately complied, resting her head comfortably on Yoona's shoulder.

"I won't, sweetheart." She assured the little girl, but her doe eyes were sad and downcast. "But, what if one day, I really can't stay with you anymore?"

"Then I'll kick the person who sent you away!" Her words were naive and innocent, but she was only five, who could blame her?

Time to switch tactics. "Answer honestly Jiyoung. If someone asked you to choose between me or Yuri, who will you choose?"

"Honestly?" The little girl scratched her head, confused.

"It means you can't lie." She replied, her voice hard as steel.

"I'll choose Yoona umma!" Jiyoung hugged her tightly. "Yoona umma is my only umma."

"Persuade Jiyoung to choose Yuri."

Yoona gulped, as Tiffany's words flashed through her mind. Sighing, she corrected the younger girl.

"Jiyoung... You'll have to choose Yuri."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you why now. But you have to promise umma that you'll choose Yuri." Yoona was probably sweating bullets now; this was a lot harder than she thought.

"If I don't choose Yuri umma, will Yoona umma still leave? Don't leave, umma!"

There was a pause, as Yoona struggled to find the right words. "I won't leave," she lied, tears forming as she carried Jiyoung to the playground.

"Ok. I'll choose Yuri umma. But umma will tell me why when I'm ten right?" Jiyoung asked, oblivious to Yoona's tears.

Hopefully, Yuri will allow me to visit Jiyoung. "Yup! When you're a big girl!" She tried to answer cheerfully.

Yoona let the little girl run towards the slide, and left to take a seat at the nearby bench, close enough to watch Jiyoung, but far enough to be unseen by her. She let the tears she had been holding in fall, but she wiped them away as quickly as they had fallen.

Mianhe Jiyoung ah. Umma has to lie now, it's for you and Yuri.
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