She opened her eyes, and for a few moments all she saw were bright lights streaming directly into her eyes. When she finally came to her senses, she slowly sat up and realized she was on a bed. 
Not just any bed. A hospital bed. She was in one of those private reserved rooms, with nice walls and flooring and air conditioning and everything. A vase of flowers rested on the nightstand, and a big windows overlooking the hospital's yard was on her left. 
How did she end up here? She tried to think, and as soon as she attempted to get her brain to function a headache assaulted her senses. Her hands flew to her forehead, and for a minute she had to lean against the wall to steady herself.
The doors to the room softly opened, causing her to whip her head in that direction. To her surprise, a man clad in a police uniform strode in with a clipboard in his hand.
"Who are you?" She asked once the man stopped next to her bed.
"Hello Miss Park. I hope you're feeling better." He replied amiably, contradicting the sharp image he projected. "I'm here because you're listed as a witness in the investigation of Kim Taeyeon and Choi Seunghyun's underground ion ring. I hope for your full cooperation."
She stared at the police man, mouth dropped and eyebrows furrowed. At that moment everything rushed back to her, and she had to swallow to comprehend the fact that she was in relative safety. 
"Okay." She spoke, her voice barely a whisper.

3 months later

"That's it?"
"That's it." She answered the interrogator. This was about the 4th time she had told this story, and it was getting tiring really fast. 
"Thank you for your cooperation, Miss Park." He stated, jotting down a few more notes before closing his file. "Your final testimony will be presented at court in the trial against Kim Taeyeon and Choi Seunghyun."
She didn't reply. Even if 3 months had passed, she still couldn't get over the fact that her own husband was the mastermind behind Taeyeon's ion network. 
She traveled back to that night, when she was hiding in the closet from her own husband and she suddenly felt surreal. She was still alive.
"You know, you're lucky." The policeman commented as he opened the doors. "If Officer Kris didn't make it in time, you could have died."
A corner of her lips lifted up wryly at the mention of that name. She stood up, grabbed her purse from the metal table, and filed out the doors pass the officer. 

Once she was outside the precinct, she received a call on her cellphone. 
"Hello?"
"Miss Park!" The realtor's chirpy voice penetrated her ears. "Great news! I found a family who's interested in purchasing your house! They're coming over today. Do you have any free time to meet with them?"
"I'll be there." She told the realtor, and hung up after the realtor told her the time.

"Hey!" Bom mustered up her best cheery voice when she saw the family standing in front of the house. "How are you all doing?"
"Good, thank you." The man smiled, shaking Bom's extended hand. "Beautiful house you got here."
"Why thank you."
"Why are you selling it?" The wife asked, balancing her sleeping son on her shoulders. "I heard houses in this area are extremely contested."
"I just..." Bom started, her voice trailing off as she looked up at the house. It was beautiful, but it evoked nothing but painful memories on her part. It was the house where she was supposed to live happily for the rest of her life with her husband. It was the house that was supposed to signify her happily-ever-after. "I just have no use for it anymore."
The wife nodded, smiling at her husband-undoubtedly satisfied for having the luck of stumbling upon a nice house in a beautiful neighborhood for an outrageous price. Bom looked at them, the happy family. They seemed so content and at peace, and for one moment she was envious.
"How old is your son?" Bom asked, opening the gate. 
"He's 3." The woman answered, a smile on her face. Her husband then proceeded to check on the child's sleeping state, and both of them giggled over how adorable their sleeping son was.
It was all for the best. She might as well leave this house up for this happy family to make use of. She was sure this house would hold many fond memories with this family inside it. She was sure that would compensate all the lies and blissful ignorance she had to deal with while she lived inside it.
"What do you all think?" She asked them after leading them through the house. 
"We'll gladly take it!" The wife excitedly squealed, and her husband wrapped his hand around her waist lovingly.
"Great. Let's seal the deal as soon as possible."
 

"So you're officially divorced now." It wasn't a question, but a statement.
"So?" Bom replied, staring absentmindedly out the windows of the small cafe. 
"What are you going to do now?" Hyuna asked, her face propped up on her chin. 

"I don't know." Bom responded, sipping her tea and looking back at the woman. No matter how many times she looked at Hyuna, she couldn't stop from marveling how much the woman changed. Ever since that fateful night, Hyuna became a much more mellow and sensible than before. The woman wasn't cynical anymore, but happy and serene. 

But then again, maybe that was just what having a boyfriend did to women.
"How's Yongguk?"
"Oh he's coming along. He remembers most of our relationship now." Hyuna smiled, a smile that could only be described as 'lovesick'. "It's like falling for him all over again."
"Spare me." Bom replied.  
"He's your savior." Hyuna wagged a manicured finger at her. "You owe him one."
Indeed the man was. He was the last person she would have expected to be her savior, though.
"Have you get in touch with Kris yet?"
There was that name again. 
"No."
"Why not?" Hyuna regarded her with sharp eyes. "Not even a thank you?"
Bom sighed, and looked down at her lap. Truth was, she did want to see the male, but she just couldn't know where to start. He hadn't make any attempt at contacting her either, so she just assumed whatever relationship existed between them was over. 
"I think it's fate."
"What is?"
"Him and you." Hyuna smiled, demurely sipping her coffee. "What are the chances of him going to visit Yongguk that night? What are the chances of him being the only person who was there to witness what Yongguk suddenly remembered about working for Taeyeon and figured everything out? What are the chances of him calling the cops in time to stop Seunghyun from shooting you in the head?"
"What are the chances of him being an undercover cop all this time?" Bom quietly, but sarcastically, whispered. 
"Exactly." Hyuna affirmed. "Fate is mysterious, I'm telling you."
 

"The trial against ex-supermodel Kim Taeyeon concluded this evening at Seoul National Court. Miss Kim was sentenced to 25 years on charges of ion, human trafficking, and attempted murder. Insiders say her sentence time might be increased due to a new development of another testimony coming from another one of Miss Kim's victims named Sooyoung. What's most surprising, however, was the fact that Miss Kim was not the sole person behind all of this. Businessman Choi Seunghyun received a life sentence on charges of human trafficking, attemted murder, and many more. One of the witnesses was actually Mr. Choi's wife, Miss Park..."
She turned off the radio, returning her eyes back to the road ahead. As she drove upon the Han River bridge, she could see the orange sunrise emerge from the horizon. It was breathtaking, and it effectively took her mind from thinking about the past.
Just like the sunrise, she was slowly abandoning all attachments with the days passed. She was going to start anew. She was going to let everything else fall into place. 
Amidst her self-reflection, she must have been going faster than she thought, for a police car was tailing her with the sirens on. She sighed before pulling over to the side of the road and stopped. 
Really Bom? Starting anew and getting a ticket didn't go together.
She stepped out of her car, raking her mind for what to tell the police officer. Should she tell them she was the witness in the recent case? 
She turned around, fully prepared. Yet, dropped and her mind went blank when she saw who it was.
"Well, if it isn't Miss Park." Kris commented with a smirk, taking his helmet off his head. His ruffled blond hair only made him look more handsome in the rays of early morning. 
She was too shocked to reply. After months have passed, they finally met again. 
"Is everything going fine for you?" He asked, a gentle expression falling across his features. He looked different somehow in a uniform. She almost couldn't picture the sarcastic and unamused neighbor he was anymore. But then again, that was just his cover.
"Yeah." She finally found her voice after some moments of silence. "Well, until now."
He chuckled, the sound somehow warming her up amidst the chilly morning. 
"Why were you going faster than the limit?"
"I was...distracted." She found herself avoiding his eyes and raised brows. "I was just...thinking about some things, that's all."
For a minute, they stood there on the side of the vacant street, with the sunlight reflecting off his hair and dancing on her skin. Neither said anything, yet it felt as if they understood what the other was thinking.
"Why don't you tell me what 'some things' are over breakfast? My treat."
She looked up at him, and found him sheepishly scratching the back of his head with a small smile. 
"Sounds nice."
One door closed, but another one opened.

(End.)