Old Man Lee received a message from Mr Jung and Mr Hwang simultaneously. He knew something was not right. They suspected that the mysterious man was Hyori’s ex boyfriend – Kim Jong Kook. He called Chun Hee immediately.

“Chun Hee, where are you?”

“I’m in the city area. What’s wrong?”

“Come and meet me now. I have something for you urgently. Quick!”

“I’ll be right there!”

Old Man Lee knew his time was up. Kim Jong Kook had already planned to take revenge on him. But he couldn’t believe that it would be this quick. He hurried to his room and grabbed two files. Both files contained information of his grand-daughters. He took one of it and flipped through.

There were photos of his grand-daughter, Jessica. The two girls didn’t look alike when they were born but as he compared both photos of Jessica and Tiffany, he could spot the similarities between the two girls.

Jessica has bigger eyes. Her prominent jaw-line and sharp nose are similar to Jong Kook while Tiffany has her mother’s eye-smiles. Both girls have a little bit of their parents but they look more beautiful than Hyori.  Hyori would be proud of them.

He remembered those moments where he spent the last few hours with his grand-daughters. They were just born so they were fresh and tiny. Jessica was the one who had her eyes open while Tiffany whined beside her.

Old Man Lee recalled the first time he carried Jessica in his arms. The little one was still staring at him. He named her Soo Yeon – Lee Soo Yeon.

“Soo Yeon ah, I’m sorry I cannot keep you with me. I hope you will understand why I had to separate your mother from you and your twin sister. I wished I could turn back the hands of time where your late grandmother would still be alive. She would love both of you to death.”

Old Man Lee smiled as he cradled Jessica in his arms. He then sat next to the other twin and placed Jessica gently on his lap. He took the other twin and put her in his arms.

“Lee Mi Young, you look exactly like your mother. In fact, you looked like her when she was born. She would have been proud of you. I’m already proud of you.”

He smiled when Little Mi Young opened her eyes slightly. Little Soo Yeon was still staring at him. He then put the girls side by side on his lap. He took his time as he observed and admired his grand-daughters. He chuckled softly when little Soo Yeon suddenly grabbed his index finger with her small palm. She gripped it tightly.

Old Man Lee wasn’t too sure which one of the twins were born first but it didn’t matter. Both were perfect but he somehow could feel that little Soo Yeon was probably the older one. She looked dependable. Mi Young was smaller than Soo Yeon. He bent forward and kissed their foreheads with much liberation and tenderness. He forbade his tears from falling because he didn’t want his grand-daughters to see them.

“One day, hopefully, you’ll be reunited with your mother and your father. I’m sorry I was the indirect cause of this painful separation. But I’m not going to risk your lives because of who I am. Forgive your haraboji, okay?”

Little Soo Yeon cooed softly while Little Mi Young managed a small smile. They seemed to understand him. Old Man Lee cuddled them for one last time before he gave them away to two chosen people.

“Grow up well and stay safe.  I promise to protect both of you for as long as I live. I love you both so much.”

He kissed them for the last time.

Old Man Lee smiled as tears fell from the corner of his eyes. He looked through the photos that he had in his hands. Little Soo Yeon is now Jessica Jung while Little Mi Young is Tiffany Hwang. Their parents faithfully sent him their photos as they grew up. 

Tiffany was slowly evolving more like her mother, Hyori. Old Man Lee was marvelled when he saw Tiffany’s pre-teenage years. She was the exact replica of her mother when she was her age. Jessica was a lot more like her father.

He also learnt that their characters were opposite of each other. Jessica’s quiet and tough. She’s the ice princess according to the Jungs. And she hates to be manipulated and is good in sports. She might appear weak and dainty but her determination and spirit to win is strong. Old Man Lee could see Kim Jong Kook’s traits on his Jessica.

Tiffany’s more articulate and flamboyant. She’s loud and active. He remembered Mr Hwang mentioned at how Tiffany won all the debate competitions in her school since middle school till now. That’s more like Hyori.

But his smile fell short when he saw Kim Jong Kook’s photo in the file. It was a photo of him when he was a teenager; back when he was dating Hyori secretly. Old Man Lee had never approved of him but he had that little hope that Jong Kook would prove him wrong. The boy proved him otherwise.

When he took off after realizing Hyori was pregnant with his child, Old Man Lee vowed to make him take responsibility of his daughter and future grandchild. He was at Jong Kook’s house to meet his parents but the loan sharks beat him to it.

He couldn’t save them. It was not like he didn’t want to but he was too late. The house was razed to ground as the fire wiped out everything at its way.  But he saw the loan-sharks running away and he could remember them.

Old Man Lee tracked them down in the next few years and got them paid for their dues.

“Old Man Lee!”

“You took the lives of my grand-daughters’ father’s family.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

“You killed the Kims! Their son, Kim Jong Kook is still alive and he’s the father of my grand-daughters!”

The loan sharks were mortified and they knew their lives would end that night. True enough, Old Man Lee silenced them that night. When Jong Kook tried to kill him, he didn’t stop him but his men did. So eventually the boy was caught and he would be sentenced to life imprisonment. But Old Man Lee bribed the judge to give him just 10 years.

After that, he paid someone to bring Jong Kook away so that he wouldn’t come looking for Hyori. But he already knew Jong Kook thought he was responsible for his family’s deaths. Old Man Lee didn’t try to avoid.

Old Man Lee was not necessarily a bad man. He has a heart of gold. He didn’t just put Jong Kook away for nothing; he paid for his accommodation and when Jong Kook entered the martial arts school; it was Old Man Lee who arranged for it.

He wanted to help the poor boy but unfortunately the boy didn’t know. And Old Man Lee was not the kind who wanted anything in return. He just hoped that his daughter and Jong Kook could live happily with their daughters, one day.

He really prayed that day would come true one day.

-

“So how are the pastries?”

“They’re good!”

Jessica was smiling widely and Taeyeon was relieved to hear that. She was sitting with Jessica while Tiffany was with Yoona. Tiffany wanted to learn how to brew coffee and Yoona offered to teach her.

“Are you feeling better now?”

“Huh?”

Jessica was biting into her pastries but kept her gaze at Taeyeon. Taeyeon was clueless at first but when she saw Yuri, she knew what Jessica was referring to.

“I’m okay now. I’m sorry for my sudden outburst.”

“It’s alright. I just wondered why you were so mad with Yuri over the pastries.”

Taeyeon just shrugged her shoulders before flipping through Jessica’s notes. She rolled her eyes as the notes gave her headache.

“The notes scare you?”

“I hate to study. Notes are my enemies.”

“So you are the kind who don’t study that much?”

“Yeah, Yoona’s the same but she’s naturally smart. The only thing she’s lacking of is her motivation. She’s too lazy to even write her name on the test papers sometimes. I, on the other hand, just couldn’t sit still to concentrate at the white board.”

Jessica laughed heartily. She could imagine Taeyeon in class – falling asleep and everything.

“You’re so cute.”

Taeyeon’s cheeks blushed immediately.

“You really think so?”

“Yes! In fact, I think you make a perfect girlfriend.”

Taeyeon smiled widely.

-

“Okay, now this is how you should do if you want some foam on your latte.”

Tiffany watched carefully as Yoona did magic with her latte. She even made a bear shape on the foam and then presented to Tiffany. The girl was impressed.

“Wow, that’s fascinating!”

“This is how your latte should look.”

“This is awesome! I don’t think I can ever match up with your skills.”

Yoona laughed before giving the cup of latte to Tiffany. The pair was inside the bakery while Jessica and Taeyeon were outside.  Tiffany settled down in front of Yoona as the taller girl grabbed some scones from the shelf.

“On the house; these are really good.”

“I have tasted them. They’re splendid good.”

“This is going to be better than ‘splendid good’!”

“Why? Aren’t they same?”

“No, they are not!”

Tiffany was frowning away.

“This morning, these scones are made by the only one, IM YOONA!”

“Oh? You have a new baker?”

Tiffany was grinning away while Yoona rolled her eyes.

“There’s only one Yoona here!”

“Ah, I’m unaware of that.”

“Meanie.”

“Aww, are you upset?”

“No~ just eat up, will you?”

Yoona shoved one of the scones into Tiffany’s mouth. The older girl took a bite and was surprised at the tenderness and sweetness of the scone.

“WOW.”

“I told you.”

“You can bake too!”

“I can bake. I’m just lazy to bake. It takes a lot of me and I hate to clean up after that. Only Taeyeon unnie has that patience.”

Tiffany let out an amusing laugh. The pair continued eating the scones and tasting the latte that Yoona had just made.

“So, Yuri’s your cousin?”

Yoona nodded.

“The two of you look alike.”

“Our mothers are sisters.”

“Ah, I see.”

Tiffany looked on as she observed Yoona carefully. The girl was probably bored; she was scribbling on the serviette and then tore it apart.  Tiffany wondered if Yoona has someone special.

“Yoona?”

“Yeah?”

“Are you seeing somebody?”

Yoona sat up immediately as she turned to face Tiffany. She was looking at Tiffany with disdain.

“No, I’m single. Why did you ask?”

“I was just curious.”

“Oh.”

“Don’t you like anyone?”

“I do.”

“Oh?”

“But she has a girlfriend.”

Tiffany’s eyes grew wider.

“And I’m not going to destroy her relationship with her girlfriend. They just got together.”

That was one subtle hint.

-

Hyori watched as Jong Kook moved from one room to another. He was grabbing stuffs from all over the place and dumped them into his bag.

“What are you doing?”

She finally opened .

“I’m just looking for things. I won’t be back today so you settle your own dinner.”

“Oh okay.”

“If you’re bored, you can go out.”

“I know. I’m old enough to take care of myself.”

Jong Kook stopped at the door as he stared at his ex-girlfriend. No doubt, she was no longer a teenage girl but she has grown into a beautiful lady.

“I forgot.”

“It’s okay.”

“I’ll be back tomorrow.”

“Okay, see you.”

Jong Kook smiled before grabbing his car keys and wallet from the dining table. The door was open and close shut seconds later. Hyori waited for awhile more before she could hear the car drove off from the porch. She then took out her mobile phone from her bag.

There were 10 missed calls from Chun Hee. She immediately called him as she ran into her room to hide. She was worried if Jong Kook suddenly returns because he had forgotten something.

The phone rang for two seconds before someone immediately answered.

“Hyori ah!”

“Chun Hee, are you okay? Why did you call me so many times?”

“I’m concerned about you. Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. So what is it that you need to talk to me about?”

“Can we meet?”

“Why?”

“Please? It’s important and I really need to talk to you face to face.”

Hyori contemplated for awhile but nevertheless decided to meet up with Chun Hee.

“You’re not going to bring me to my father, right?”

“Once I tell you this, you would want to meet him.”

Hyori was perplexed.

-

Yonghwa was driving back to Jessica’s school. He was worried for his sister’s safety. His father’s voice was concerned and nervous. He put on his Bluetooth headphone and then called Jessica’s mobile.

“Oppa?”

“Hey, where are you?”

“I’m in school. Why?”

“I’ll come and look for you. Daddy asked me to.”

“Oh okay, I’ll be at the bakery. You can find it easily. It’s near to the entrance.”

“Okay.”

Yonghwa felt elated when he heard Jessica’s voice. He smiled to himself as he thought of those recent moments he shared with Jessica. Suddenly his heart felt warmth. He felt different; there was a sudden surge of emotion and feelings empowering his mind.

“What the.”

His heart beat rapidly when he thought of Jessica.

“Oh . No, this cannot be!”

He suddenly realized something that he could never imagine happening to him.

-

Mr Hwang’s crippled leg hurt a lot as he was practically running towards Tiffany’s school. He could have called her but he was so worried that he left without his mobile phone. Fortunately, he saw Tiffany standing with a group of girls just outside the bakery.

He rushed towards her.

“Tiffany!”

Tiffany turned over her shoulders and spotted her father from afar. She was shocked at first but nevertheless ran towards her father. He was limping painfully. Jessica looked up and was curious until Tiffany called out to the man.

“Daddy!”

Jessica immediately stood up as Yoona and Taeyeon moved slightly away from her. She finally had a full view of the limping man as he approached Tiffany. The girl threw himself at him.

“What are you doing here?”

“Are you alright?”

“I’m fine, Daddy. What’s wrong? Did something happen at home?”

“No, it’s not. I just wanted to make sure you’re safe and sound.”

“I’m perfectly safe here. I was with my friends.”

Tiffany pointed to where Jessica was standing. The girl was still staring at her. Tiffany supported her father as they staggered towards the three girls. Jessica was quick to move away and offer a chair to Tiffany’s father.

“Thank you, my child.”

“It’s fine, Uncle.”

Tiffany’s father sat on the chair and his face retorted with pain. Tiffany was genuinely concerned as she knelt down on the floor immediately. She massaged her father’s crippled leg.

“Why did you run?”

“I was afraid something might happen to you.”

“What could happen, Daddy?”

“I don’t know. I just felt something was not right. Maybe I was just too eager to have you back home.”

The old man stuck his tongue out; the other girls giggled softly. Tiffany rolled her eyes and then hugged her father.

“You’re such a baby, Daddy!”

“You’re not going to introduce me to your friends?”

“Oh, it’s your fault! I forgot about them!”

Jessica was formally introduced to Tiffany’s father. Tiffany’s cheeks blushed when Jessica praised her in front of her father. Mr Hwang watched as his daughter’s cheeks glowed in redness. He knew Jessica was someone special.

“So you’re dating my daughter?”

Mr Hwang was straightforward and Jessica’s legs almost gave way. Tiffany was so stunned that she just stared at her father.

“What?”

“How did you know?”

“Your cheeks are blushing. They aren’t as red as when you introduced Taeyeon and Yoona to me.”

“Aish.”

Jessica was tongue-tied. She was slightly embarrassed but maintained a soft shy smile. Tiffany was the chaotic one.

“Daddy, don’t do that! Stop observing me!”

“That’s my style, baby!”

“Just don’t do it on me!”

Jessica was amused.

Just then, someone else was running towards them and then pounced on Jessica. Everyone was in a shock especially Tiffany. There was a guy on her girlfriend’s back.

“OPPA!”

Jessica screamed when she realized who the culprit was. Yonghwa was on Jessica’s back; he put his full weight of his body forward and Jessica almost fell forward. But the girl managed to turn around and smacked him hard on his forehead.

“OW!”

“Serve you right!”

“I was just excited to see you!”

Yonghwa grabbed her with his arm and Jessica struggled to get away. She then gave a playful jab in his ribs with her elbow. Tiffany was watching and Mr Hwang didn’t seem pleased at all.

“Oppa~ what were you trying to do?”

“I didn’t do anything! I just miss my sister, is that wrong?”

Jessica rolled her eyes but nevertheless gave her brother a warm smile after that. But she soon retreated behind Tiffany’s back when Mr Hwang was glaring at her.

“Mr Hwang, this is my brother, Yonghwa.”

“Oh?”

Yonghwa finally realized the people around them. He was caressing the back of his hair as his face was blushed with embarrassment.

“Er, I didn’t know you have company. I’m sorry, Sir. I’m Yonghwa, Jessica’s brother.”

He stretched his hand out and Mr Hwang took it. The both men gave a firm shake.

“Ah, I thought you might be some random guy that Jessica knew.”

It was clear to Jessica that Mr Hwang didn’t really like her.  Yonghwa didn’t like the sound of it and then turned to his sister.

“Are you dating his son or something?”

“I’m dating his daughter.”

“Oh…”

He stopped and then screamed.

“WHAT?!”

“Oppa, this is my girlfriend, Tiffany.”

And when Jessica pulled Tiffany out to introduce to him, Yonghwa felt like dying. His heart was aching and he knew he was falling in love with his adopted sister after all.

-