“You’re Kim Taeyeon, aren’t you?”

“Yoona..you..?”

“I know everything about you and your medical condition.”

“What?”

“How could you do this to me? How could you do this to Jessica and Irene?”

“Yoona, I...”

“How could you be hiding away from them when you were the one who caused all this mess?”

Erika kept quiet; tears were trickling down her cheeks. Her heart was aching so much and Yoona was pissed at her. She glared at her angrily.

“You know Irene’s your daughter, right?”

“I just found out. Tiffany was here.”

“So Tiffany found out about you too?”

“Yes..”

Yoona screamed out in anger. Erika was rooted to the ground. She knew this was going to be the longest night for her.

“What am I supposed to do now?”

“Yoona..”

“Am I supposed to give Jessica up to you?”

Erika shot a look at Yoona who was in a total mess. She was crying and it hurt Taeyeon to see her in this situation.

“I know you’ve fallen in love with her. Yuri told me everything.”

“Yuri? She was here too?”

“She was here with Tiffany and both of them told me everything. I know you’re dating Soo Yeon.”

“You know something, Erika? She still loves you all this while. For 20 years, she has been waiting for you to come back and ask for her forgiveness. But you’re just a coward who hide in Singapore and pretend like she never existed.”

“Yoona, I’m sorry.”

“Tell me what you want from me now.”

“I don’t want anything from you.”

“So can I not give up on Jessica?”

Erika couldn’t find an answer to that question.  And Yoona seemed desperate enough not to walk away from Jessica for now. The lady didn’t wait for Erika to reply anyway. She just went into her room and slammed door in Erika’s face.

Erika recalled what happened last night. She woke up this morning to find Yoona missing.  She must have left earlier; probably trying to avoid her in the first place.

Erika was still confused; lost and completely crushed when she realized her decision might affect so many people in her life.

Soo Yeon came into her mind and Irene’s face was lingering in her eyes. What would happen if she confesses to Irene that she’s her Omma? What would Soo Yeon do if she finds out that her wife has been by her daughter’s side all the while?

Her doorbell rang and Erika wondered who came. She was relieved to find Sunny at her front door.

“Erika?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Can I come in?”

“Yes, you can.”

Sunny walked in and sat on the sofa. Erika looked lifeless and pathetic.

“Have you thought about it?”

“About?”

“Coming forward to meet your wife and your daughter?”

“I’m not sure if I’m allowed to do that in the first place.”

“Why? Didn’t I ask you to think about it carefully?”

Erika told Sunny what happened last night. Sunny was stunned.

“So Irene is your daughter? And Jessica is Soo Yeon?”

“Yes..”

“I’ve seen Soo Yeon. I went to her office and your daughter was there!”

Erika’s eyes grew larger.

“I have always these suspicions on Jessica Jung and her daughter. Hyoyeon and I were putting things out and we realized how all of them were interlinked.”

“So Soo Yeon changed her name to Jessica?”

“Yes, she changed her name to Jessica and took over her father’s firm. She returned to US for a short while but Irene was left with Tiffany in Seoul. She returned a year later after she managed to put her father’s business back on track.”

“So Tiffany raised Irene?”

“Yes, Irene means a lot to Tiffany. We all asked Juhyun, Jessica’s assistant. She told us everything. That’s why Juhyun respects Jessica so much. Juhyun adores Irene too.”

“Juhyun?”

“Seohyun. Do you remember the little girl who used to follow me when we were in school?”

“Oh! She’s working for Soo Yeon?”

“Yes, I think God is linking everyone together so that he can lead you back to Soo Yeon and Irene. It’s only up to you to make it happen.”

“But my roommate is dating Soo Yeon.”

“What?”

“My roommate is in love with her. And Soo Yeon’s falling for her too.”

“Then win her back, Taeyeon!”

“No, I cannot be selfish. She has finally got over her painful past of me. I cannot tear it apart again.”

“What?!”

“Soon Kyu, she has been in so much pain for 20 years. And now she’s taking a big step to move on and start anew with someone who actually cares a big deal about her. I cannot just come in and destroy this happiness that she has found with someone else.”

“Kim Taeyeon, what the hell are you thinking of now? Are you planning to run away again?!”

Erika just kept her silence.

-

Jessica was in the office when Hyoyeon paid her a visit. Her advertisement paid off and she has gotten busier over the weeks. Hyoyeon wanted to thank her.

“Hey, Jessica!”

Jessica looked up and put on a big smile when she saw Hyoyeon at the front door. She got up from her seat and ushered the lady in.

“Hey, what are you doing here?”

“I bought something to thank you.”

It was a big hamper with many goodies. Jessica thanked her.

“Thanks for the gesture.”

“I need to thank you for that advertisement. Many people turned up at the studio.”

“That’s great to know.”

The pair talked for a bit before Irene appeared at her doorstep.

“Mommy! Oh, Aunt Hyoyeon, you’re here too!”

“Yeah, hello Irene. You’re here to visit your Mommy?”

“Yup! I cooked lunch for her.”

“Aw, that’s sweet! Wendy would rather die than to cook for me.”

Irene grinned and Jessica was hugging her daughter. Hyoyeon looked on with a smile. Sunny told her everything. Irene is indeed Kim Taeyeon’s daughter.

“I think I’ll make my move. My wife’s waiting for me.”

“Oh sure, thanks again for the hamper.”

“No problem. I’ll see you around, Irene.”

“Bye Aunt Hyoyeon!”

Hyoyeon left and Jessica was left with her daughter. Irene was already taking out the lunch boxes. She set up the table and Jessica was impressed.

“Wow, Japanese food.”

“Yoona omma taught me!”

“Oh? She was with you?”

“She came to our house just now.”

“Huh? She didn’t go to work?”

“She didn’t seem to look good. She said she’s unwell.”

Jessica frowned. Yoona didn’t call her today. She thought she was busy at work.

“So where is she now?”

“She’s at home. She fell asleep so I just let her rest in your room. I brought lunch for you instead.”

“Oh okay. I think we should go back soon. I want to check on her.”

“Yes Mommy!”

-

Yoona was on Jessica’s bed. Irene implored Tiffany to look for her Yoona omma because she seemed unwell. Tiffany sighed and nodded. She was worried for Yoona too after what transpired yesterday. Tiffany went in quietly to find Yoona sleeping soundly on the bed.

But Tiffany’s heart ached when she saw tear streaks on Yoona’s cheeks. She knew Yoona must have been crying the whole night. Yuri informed her that Yoona had found out too. Eventually, the three of them were keeping this a secret from Jessica.

Tiffany gently touched Yoona’s forehead and it was really hot. She was about to call Jessica when the woman appeared in front of her.

“Hey, you’re here.”

“What are you doing?”

“I was just touching her forehead to check on her temperature.”

“I’ll take it from here.”

Tiffany stared at her best friend before grinning widely.

“Are you jealous that I’m in your room with Yoona?”

“She’s my girlfriend.”

“I know.”

“Then?”

“Wow, you ARE jealous!”

“Shut up.”

Tiffany stuck her tongue out before whispering in Jessica’s ears.

“I checked on her for the last hour. Her body temperature is only getting higher. You might want to bring her to the doctor.”

“What’s the last temperature?”

“39.3 degrees.”

Jessica bit her lower lip. That was a little high than normal. She caressed Yoona’s hair and kissed her forehead.

“You’re not working today?”

“I took half day. I’m going to stay with her today.”

Tiffany nodded and left the room. She didn’t have the intention to tell Jessica that she has found Taeyeon. If Taeyeon wants her back, she had to tell Jessica herself.

Jessica took a wet cold towel from the kitchen and dapped it lightly on Yoona’s forehead. She kissed Yoona’s cheeks and stared blankly at her face.

Jessica knew she’s in love with Yoona. A day without hearing her voice and seeing her face make Jessica uneasy. She loves Yoona but she knew she still couldn’t get over Taeyeon no matter how much she wanted to.

Taeyeon. Jessica sighed as she muttered her name softly. Kim Taeyeon was one person who caught her eyes in the most bizarre way. She knew Kim Taeyeon was such a player back in school. She was surrounded by girls most of the time but yet her heart fell for Kim Taeyeon.

But their relationship was always blissful. Taeyeon took care of her; gave her everything and Jessica could feel Taeyeon’s love in the most sincere manner. But when she got pregnant, Taeyeon was showing signs of aggression. They would quarrel over every little thing. Jessica’s stomach was too big for them to have ual intimacy and probably that was the reason why Taeyeon found herself another woman.

Jessica knew it was partly her fault that Taeyeon went astray. She couldn’t shift the whole entire blame on Taeyeon so that was the reason why she waited for Taeyeon to return to apologize to her. Unfortunately, Taeyeon took forever and Jessica somehow gave up hope.

She accepted the fact that maybe Kim Taeyeon was never going to return. Maybe their marriage was long over; only Jessica hung on for that long only to be disappointed after 20 years. And now she has found someone who made a great deal about her and her daughter. She might be in her forties but Jessica longed for love from someone. And Yoona was the one who gave it to her.

She made the decision to move on. She has given up waiting for Kim Taeyeon.

It took her 20 long years to give up on her.

And this time, she would never let Kim Taeyeon rule her mind anymore.

-

Yoona stirred in her sleep. She was feeling miserable earlier on; her head was spinning so much and her whole body was really hot. Irene stopped her from leaving the house and even forced her to sleep in her mother’s room.

She was slowly waking up from her deep slumber. Her body was not hot anymore; her fever has subsided and she felt a lukewarm towel over her forehead. She opened her eyes and looked around. The first time she checked was the time. She has slept for the last 2 hours.

“Hey, you’re awake.”

Yoona frowned. She glanced slightly to her left and there she was; the woman she cares and loves more than her life; smiling back at her.

“Sica?”

“Are you feeling better now?”

“You’ve been here all the while?”

“Yeah, Irene told me you were sick. Why didn’t you tell me?”

“I didn’t want to worry you.”

“Your fever was hitting 39 degrees and above. Luckily it went down after I kept dapping cold towel all over your body.”

Jessica leaned closer and put her palm over Yoona’s forehead. The fever was long gone but the lady was still very weak.

“Have you eaten?”

“I don’t have the appetite.”

“You have to eat something. And I’ll bring you to the doctor.”

“Okay.”

“And can you stay with me tonight?”

“Oh?”

“I took few days leave.  I want to take care of you.”

Jessica held Yoona’s arm gently and caressed her back. Yoona looked deep into her eyes and her heart swelled with so much emotions. She wasn’t too sure if she should tell Jessica about Kim Taeyeon. But Jessica’s sudden hug made her selfish.

“I love you, Yoona. I told myself it’s time for me to shower all my love and attention on you.”

“What do you mean?”

“From today onwards, I’m going to give up waiting for Kim Taeyeon. I’ve made up my mind. It’s you I want to be with for the rest of my life.”

Yoona was torn apart once again.

-

Yuri was at her desk; marking her students’ papers. She looked up to find Professor Choi smiling stupidly at her phone. Yuri grinned.

“What’s with that stupid smile?”

Professor Choi was taken aback at first but rolled her eyes when she realized it was Professor Kwon.

“Nothing much; I was just reading something stupid online. What are you doing? Why are you still here?”

“I’m marking some papers.”

“I see.”

Professor Choi went back to her table and put her phone aside. She pulled out some papers and read through some students’ essays. She was reading Irene’s paper.

“I’m always impressed with Irene Jung’s thesis.”

“Hm?”

“Irene Jung is one of the best students I have ever taught.”

“She’s a pleasant student to begin with.”

“You’re right. She has good evaluation from the company she was working for as an intern. I’m so glad I introduced her to my friend.”

Yuri looked up immediately.

“Introduced her to your friend?”

“Yeah, I’m a friend of the CEO. We used to work together in Singapore before I returned to become a professor at this university.”

“Wait, you know Erika Kim?”

“Yup, she’s a dear friend of mine.”

Yuri stared at Soo Young for quite some time. She wondered if Soo Young knew anything about Erika Kim’s past.

“Soo Young, do you know Erika Kim well?”

“You know her too?”

“Yeah, sort of.”

“Oh?”

“My cousin’s working for her too.”

“Your cousin?”

“Im Yoona, the GM is my cousin.”

“OH MY GOD! YOONA IS YOUR COUSIN?!”

Yuri nodded.  Soo Young was really surprised to learn that.

“So you know Erika through Yoona?”

“Well, not really but I do know Erika Kim is the CEO.”

“Hmm, I know Erika for almost 15 years. When she came to Singapore, she was alone. She didn’t have many friends and she couldn’t communicate in English for nuts. I got to know her when I saw her in the streets; picking up empty can drink to sell.”

“What?”

“Yes, that was her life in Singapore. I was a student and I took pity on her. I took her back to my rented place and let her stay there with me. I managed to get her a proper job and she got all the legal documents to stay in Singapore for a long time.”

Yuri nodded as she tried to digest the information.

“Erika couldn’t speak English so I taught her. And then she got a job as an admin assistant at this marketing firm. It is owned by a Korean man who decided to teach Erika the ropes of doing business.”

“Wait, I thought she’s rich?”

“I don’t know if I should share her life story with you but she had it bad with her family.”

“What do you mean?”

“She has a wife in Korea. And they have a child together. But Erika told me she did something stupid and her wife went missing after that. It took her awhile to tell me the full story. Well, after her wife went missing, her father’s company went bankrupt.”

“What?”

“Apparently, the woman who seduced Erika was a spy from a rival company. She made use of Erika and she lost her company to that woman. Erika’s father disowned her and she ran off to Singapore. Few years later, her father died and Erika was devastated. So after that, she just decided to stay away from Korea because her family was mad at her.”

“And then what happened?”

“10 years later, her brother came to Singapore to look for her. They had since reconciled but the damage was done. Her younger sister refused to return to Korea too. She blamed Erika for her father’s death and the predicament her family was facing. Her sister is in Australia now and her family is in Jeju Island.”

“So she’s back because of her company or she wanted to find her family back?”

“She wants to find her wife and her daughter. I know she misses them. I saw her all these years; brooding and regretting every single second of her time because of what she did to her wife. I know she’s a coward for running away but I think Erika was just lost at that point of time. And all the bad things that happened to her came one after another. Erika built her life back but she was alone. She didn’t even have many friends.  The only person she wants to be with is her wife.”

Yuri learnt the truth; the awful reason why Kim Taeyeon was away for so long. Suddenly she felt sorry for Kim Taeyeon but she worried for her cousin too. Professor Choi’s phone rang and she excused herself.

Yuri nodded and returned to her table. Now she was in a dilemma.

Should she tell Jessica the truth or should she keep quiet about this for Yoona’s sake?

She was really confused.

-