Erika was in the office when she heard a commotion. She was curious so she got up and stood at her office door. She saw Yoona and Irene laughing happily. Yoona seemed to be in good mood.

“You made this for me?”

“No, Mommy and I did.”

“Aw, that’s so sweeeet!”

“You’re lucky. Mommy hardly cooks.”

Irene gave that sly cunning grin and Yoona was blushing in embarrassment.

“Aish, you cheeky girl!”

Erika was frowning away. Why was Yoona so chummy with Irene out of sudden? She was in her deep thoughts when Irene suddenly appeared in front of her. She was holding a box with a roll of kimbap.

“Hi Miss Kim!”

“Hi Irene, gee you scared me!”

“I’m sorry. But I have this for you. I made it with my mom.”

“Oh, thanks.”

Yoona jumped on Erika; she was so hyper.

“Wow, my girlfriend made for you too. She must be grateful.”

“What?”

“I’m dating Irene’s mom.”

Erika’s eyes grew larger and Irene was already nodding her head.

“She has been dating my mother for a week!”

“Oh, so that lady in question happens to be Irene’s mom?”

“Yeah, I was so shocked when I saw Irene yesterday.”

Erika let out a sly grin.

“Ah, that’s good. You cannot do anything stupid in the office.”

Yoona rolled her eyes at Erika.

“I’ve done nothing stupid before.”

“Mommy did ask me to look for Yoona omma.”

“Omma?”

Yoona blushed at her new nickname. Irene was enjoying this too much.

“You have the same exact expression as Mommy!”

“You’re such a cheeky girl! Do you always make fun of your Mommy like this?”

“Well Mommy always maintains a straight face but with blushing cheeks. Your reaction is cuter than hers.”

“HEY!”

Erika was smiling away. She was glad Yoona found someone whom she really cares about a lot. She did see changes in Yoona. She was no longer spending time at clubs or bars. When she saw Yoona early at home last night, she was surprised.

Usually Im Yoona would have bedded the girl on the first night. But she hasn’t touched this Jessica yet. Erika knew Yoona loves this woman sincerely.

“Okay, let’s get back to work now. And Im Yoona, you’re responsible for Irene now.”

Irene looked disappointed. And Erika felt bad at that instance. She felt like she has let Irene down. And the girl was quick to ask.

“You don’t wish to teach me anymore?”

“Huh? No, it’s not that. You can still find me but I’m sure Yoona would love to teach you herself.”

“That’s right!”

“So I can still disturb you if I need help?”

“Sure, you can.”

“But of course, I’d look for Yoona omma first.”

“YA~ stop calling me that! My face is like a baboon’s !”

Irene was burst out laughing.

-

Wendy was waiting for Seulgi at the restaurant. They were supposed to have lunch together. But Seulgi was running late and Wendy was waiting like an idiot for almost an hour.

“Stupid Seulgi! I’m going to make her pay for all these!”

Wendy had already ordered and the food had arrived. Seulgi was still nowhere to be seen. Wendy looked around and then she saw someone familiar; queuing for food.

“Irene unnie!”

She screamed out and waved like a mad girl. Irene looked up; surprised to hear her name but smiled when she saw Wendy.

“Over here!”

“But I’m queuing for food.”

“I have plenty of food here.”

Irene jogged over to her table and was appalled at the number of dishes on the table.

“You’re eating alone?”

“No, that idiot’s not here yet.”

“Who?”

“Seulgi. And I’m hungry so maybe you can eat with me first?”

“But I haven’t bought mine yet.”

“You can eat with me. Seulgi can buy herself.”

But Seulgi appeared out of nowhere and Wendy had a fight of her life when Seulgi suddenly kneed her in the back.

“Why are you eating without me?”

“You’re late and I haven’t touched anything yet! I was offering Irene unnie to eat with me!”

Seulgi looked up and realized Irene was there. She greeted the older girl happily.

“UNNIE!”

“Hey, you’re here.”

“Come, join us and dear god Wendy, HOW MUCH FOOD DO YOU INTEND TO EAT?!”

“I was hungry! And getting hungrier now, can we start?”

The three girls sat together and Irene ended up paying for the meals. Wendy wanted to make Seulgi pay but the girl had only $10 with her. So Irene decided to treat them lunch instead.

“I thought you’re schooling?”

Seulgi was surprised when Irene told them she’s working now.

“Oh, I’m working part time. It’s my semester break now. So I’m doing internship at this marketing firm.”

“Ah, wow, that’s great! You can study and earn some income at the same time.”

Irene smiled widely. Wendy was focused on her food much to Seulgi’s dismay. She smacked Wendy’s forehead.

“OW!”

“Can you pay attention to us?”

“I am!”

“Oh, really? So what’s the name of the company Irene unnie is working at?”

“Uhm.....”

“LIAR.”

“Oh come on, I was hungry!”

Irene was amused with Wendy. She was giggling away when she saw Wendy’s phone. There was a photo of her and two ladies as her lock screen.

“Who are they?”

“Huh?”

Wendy looked into Irene’s direction and she realized she was asking about her family photo.

“Oh, they are my mothers!”

“Mothers?”

“Oh, um, I was raised by two mothers.”

Irene was taken aback as she turned to look at Wendy.

“They are lesbians. They adopted me and raised me up.”

Wendy beamed proudly.

“Wendy is proud of her mothers.”

“I am. Although people look down on them all the time, but my mommies are awesome people too!”

Irene smiled and nodded.

“I only have Seulgi and Joy as friends because their parents are the only ones who care for my mothers. They helped my parents a lot.”

“Ah, I see.”

“I hope you’re not put off by this, unnie.”

Wendy was cautious out of sudden but Irene just smiled. She calmly put her utensils down and then spoke up.

“I was brought up by women too.”

Wendy and Seulgi turned to look at Irene; surprised.

“But I was created by them. My mommy got pregnant with me after IVF.  But I’m not Mommy’s real blood daughter; I’m Omma’s blood daughter.”

“Wow.”

“So you’re still their daughter; there’s a relation right?”

“That’s what they wanted.”

“Awesome!”

“But my Omma left my mommy when she was pregnant with me. I grew up without them and it was really hard for me as a child but there are other people who care for me.”

“So you’re not close with your Mommy now?”

“I am, now. She decided to make up for the lost time. Now, I spend all my time with my Mommy and still enjoying it!”

Seulgi smiled and Wendy did high-fives with Irene. Wendy knew how it felt to be raised by two women. People look down on them but Wendy was not scared.

“Unnie, if you need any friend to rely on, you have me now!”

“Thanks Wendy. I would say the same for you too.”

Wendy found a new friend.

-

Erika was busy looking through her proposals. Yoona was out with her new girlfriend. Her stomach was growling but Erika ignored it. She has history of gastritis but Erika was too much of a workaholic and didn’t bother to take care of herself too much.

Usually Yoona would be nagging at her but she was too busy with her girlfriend; she didn’t have the time to look after Erika anymore. But the pain got worse and Erika suddenly felt like fainting. She blinked her eyes a couple of times; she could see white spots around her. She fell onto the floor with a loud thud.

“Miss Kim!”

She heard someone called out to her but she couldn’t see her face clearly. It was blurred.

“Miss Erika Kim, hang on!”

“Irene..”

Her mind went blank seconds after that.

-

“Soo Yeon?”

Erika witnessed the woman she loves all her life was standing in front of her; smiling.  

“Soo Yeon, is that you?”

The lady in question didn’t answer her but her smile remained intact on her face. Then suddenly, she slowly faded away and Erika was screaming at the top of her voice.

“SOO YEON! SOO YEON! NO! NO! SOO YEON!!”

Erika felt someone was shaking her. Her body shook violently before her eyes were wide open.

“Miss Kim?!?! Miss Kim, are you okay?!”

Erika’s senses hit her and she realized she was at the hospital. In front of her was the panicking Irene. She was staring straight at Erika with her worried eyes. She was peering over her face.

“Irene?”

“Yeah, are you okay? I saw you fainted in the office and nobody was around. So I called the ambulance and rushed you to the hospital.”

“Oh.”

“The doctor said you’re suffering from gastric. You didn’t eat lunch just now?”

“Yeah, I didn’t eat.”

“The doctor said you cannot skip your meals. You have to eat properly.”

Erika smiled before sitting up. Irene helped her to rest against her wall. She then pulled the blanket over Erika.

“Are you feeling better?”

“You must be terrified, right?”

“Yeah a little but I called Yoona omma. She’s on the way here.”

“Did you call Sunmi unnie?”

“I did. She said I should stay with you until Yoona omma arrives.”

“I’m fine, Irene. Don’t worry about me, okay?”

Erika tried to console the poor girl. She must have been shocked to see her in that state. Just then the nurse knocked on the door with a bowl of soup.

“Miss Kim, you have to fill your stomach with something.”

The nurse placed the bowl of soup on the side table and Irene was already reaching out for it. She scooped a spoonful and placed the spoon near to Erika’s mouth. Erika’s eyes widen.

“What?”

“What are you doing?”

“I’m feeding you?”

“Oh.”

“Why? What do you think I was doing?”

“Nothing, I was just surprised.”

Irene smiled but gently shoved the spoon into Erika’s mouth. Erika felt Irene’s warmth and she couldn’t stop wishing that Irene was her daughter instead.

“Your mother’s really lucky to have you.”

“Hm? Hehe, she said that to me all the time.”

“She did?”

“Yeah, she said she’s so lucky to have me as her daughter.”

“Yoona told me it took a while for your mother to accept you.”

Irene gave a sheepish smile and sighed softly.

“I grew up with Mommy’s best friend. Although Mommy lives with me, I hardly see her. She would be away on business trips but Mommy would turn up at certain stages of my life like when I entered new schools, she would be there as my mother. She would ensure my paperwork is properly done and I have everything that I needed.”

“So she does care about you.”

“She does. I know she loves me but something hindered her from expressing it to me.”

Erika looked on; Irene’s expressions turned a little darker as her eyebrows creased.

“I was told that I’m not exactly her blood daughter. My mommy got pregnant with her wife’s baby and she was just a surrogate mother. Something happened and mommy got badly hurt. And then I was born.  To her, I was probably the result of her pain that my other mother had inflicted on her.”

Erika frowned. That sounded like the same situation as hers. But she didn’t speak up. She just waited for the girl to open up to her.

“I looked like my Omma. Maybe Mommy sees the woman who hurt her in me. That’s why she couldn’t look at me in the eyes.”

Irene’s eyes were watery but she managed a soft smile.

“But that was over. Mommy has been extremely nice and loving to me. She has always been but she showed differently. I’m not angry at her.”

“But you’re angry at your Omma?”

Irene sighed.

“If only Omma is braver enough to admit her mistakes and seek forgiveness from Mommy, then we would be in a better situation. I don’t hate her but I dislike her very much.”

Erika was taken aback. But she wanted to know what Irene would think of her mother if she ever finds her.

“I’m not sure if I want to see her.  If Mommy forgives her, I might consider but I may not want to live with her. I grew up perfectly without her.”

Erika was scared. What if that’s how her own daughter would feel towards her? She knew she had to find Soo Yeon and her daughter soon.

-

Jessica was typing on her documents.  Yoona had to leave halfway during lunch because the CEO was rushed to the hospital. Irene was there so Yoona had to be at the hospital.

“I’ll send Irene home later.”

Yoona offered and Jessica agreed. She was taken aback when Yoona gave her a chaste kiss on her cheeks. Her heart skipped a beat but Yoona left her dumbfounded.

“I’ll kiss you like that just to see your surprised reaction.”

“You!”

“Hee, you’re so adorable, Sica. I’ll call you later.”

Yoona left immediately; leaving Jessica bewildered.

Jessica smiled as she recalled what Yoona did. She has never felt like this before; her heart was willing to open up to Yoona. She was surprised at her own reactions.

And Yoona was easily to please. She wasn’t complicated and she would deliver everything without holding back. Soon after, there was a knock on her door. She looked up to find Kim Hyoyeon smiling at her.

“Hey, Miss Kim!”

“Am I disturbing?”

“No, not at all. Take a seat.”

“Seohyun said I could come over.”

“Seohyun?”

“Oh, Seohyun is Juhyun. Seohyun’s her nickname since schooling days.”

“Ah, I see. So what can I do for you?”

“I’ve read your proposal. I like it.”

“Okay, is there anything you would like to change?”

“Nah, it’s good enough. You’re not charging me. I feel it’s not right to ask for any changes.”

Jessica smiled and shook her head.

“Juhyun was the one who prepared the proposal. She knew what you had in mind.”

“That’s why I felt that I don’t need to change anything.  I’d be fine with it.”

“Great! So we can proceed with the proposal?”

“Yeah but my wife would like to meet you.”

“Oh, that’s right. Wendy’s Momo.”

“Yeah, that toad and my wife are outside. They’re chatting with Seohyun. I can call them in.”

“Nah, it’s okay. I can go out.”

Jessica stood up and followed behind Hyoyeon. She saw Wendy next to Seohyun while another lady with her back facing Jessica and Hyoyeon.

“Baby, this is Miss Jung.”

Wendy waved at Jessica excitedly while Wendy’s Momo slowly turned. But she seemed surprised to see Jessica but the latter couldn’t recognize her.

“Sunny unnie, this is Jessica Jung.”

Sunny was still staring at Jessica with her eyes wide open. Jessica frowned; totally uncomfortable with Sunny’s gaze.

“Sunny? Why are you staring at Miss Jung? Are you jealous again?”

Hyoyeon earned a smack on her back.

“No, I’m not! I’m just surprised. She’s really pretty.”

Jessica giggled before she shook her head.

“I’m not as pretty as you are and Wendy. You have a beautiful girl.”

“That toad?”

“Mama, stop calling me a TOAD!”

“Hyoyeon unnie, you’re so mean! Wendy’s really pretty.”

“I know, I just love disturbing her.”

“Meanie!”

Jessica looked on with a smile. She wondered if Taeyeon would be here, would their family be like Hyoyeon’s too. But Sunny was still catching glances whenever Jessica wasn’t looking.

“You’re Jessica?”

“Yeah.”

“Just Jessica?”

“Yup, just Jessica Jung.”

“Okay, I guess I must be wrong.”

“Hm? Why is that?”

“There’s a friend of mine who looks exactly like you.”

“Oh?”

“It’s okay. I think I might be wrong. Anyway I would like to thank you for giving my wife a chance to advertise her dance studio.”

Jessica smiled but was a little wary of Sunny. She couldn’t remember seeing Sunny before. 20 years had gone far too long.  Just then, Irene came.

“Mommy~”

“Hey Irene, did Yoona omma drove you off here?”

“Yeah, she’s taking Miss Kim home. So I asked to drop off here. It’s nearer from the hospital.”

Jessica gave her daughter a tight hug. Then, someone shouted.

“IRENE UNNIE!”

Irene was stunned when Wendy pounced on her. Even the adults were shocked.

“YA! WENDY!”

“I know her!”

“Even so, you don’t have to pounce on her!”

It was extremely chaotic.

-

“I’m sorry. Wendy is a little hyper active.”

“No, I’m not!”

Wendy pouted; Irene was already laughing away.

“It’s okay, Aunt Sunny. I’m not hurt.”

“Still! She’s a girl, she has to behave like one!”

Sunny was chiding her daughter; Wendy kept pouting her lips and looked at Hyoyeon for help.

“I cannot help you. You literally jumped on someone.”

“I know Irene unnie!”

“Sunny, it’s okay. Irene’s not hurt. Wendy must be really excited to meet Irene.”

Jessica tried to help out but Sunny was still glaring at her daughter. Juhyun was giggling away. Wendy always gets into such trouble.

“She’s just like Hyoyeon.”

“What is it my fault now?”

“Our daughter’s dorkiness comes from you.”

Hyoyeon rolled her eyes but did high-fives with Wendy much to Sunny’s chagrin.

“See! What did I tell you?!”

“Oh chill, unnie. Wendy’s still cute as ever. Dork like Hyoyeon unnie; aegyo queen from you.”

“What?”

“She’s full of aegyo. You cannot deny that!”

Irene and Jessica were really amused. Jessica was surprised when Irene introduced Wendy as a friend. But she was happy that she got along with Wendy; just like how she got along with Hyoyeon.

“Okay, Juhyun will complete the proposal and we will inform you once we’re ready.”

“Thanks, Jessica!”

“It’s my pleasure.”

-

Sunny was still thinking of Jessica. She remembered Soo Yeon vividly. Her name was Jung Soo Yeon. But Jessica insisted that her name is only Jessica Jung. She was perplexed.

“What are you thinking of now?”

“I’m thinking of Jessica.”

“Are you still jealous of her?”

“I’m not jealous! It’s just that she reminded me of someone.”

“Of who?”

“Taeyeon’s wife.”

“Wife? Oh, you mean the one Taeyeon dumped for some woman?”

“Kim Hyoyeon!”

“Oh come on, that’s a fact that Taeyeon cheated on her wife.”

“But she regretted it.”

Hyoyeon rolled her eyes.

“If she regretted it, she would have come back a long time ago to atone for her mistakes.”

Sunny sighed softly. She agreed with her wife.

“That’s one mistake she did that could never be revocable.”

“But seriously, Jessica looks exactly like Taeyeon’s wife?”

Sunny nodded.  Hyoyeon was in deep thoughts that she suddenly recalled Irene.

“Wait, how old was Irene?”

“Maybe Wendy knows.”

Hyoyeon screamed for her daughter.

“WENDY AH!”

“WAE?!”

“HOW OLD IS IRENE?!”

“SHE’S A FIRST YEAR STUDENT IN UNI. SO 20 I GUESS!”

Sunny and Hyoyeon stared at each other.

“Taeyeon left her wife 20 years ago?”

“Yes, she did.”

“And Irene’s 20 years old.”

The puzzle pieces were slowly fitting into a bigger picture.

“Sunny, could it be Jessica changed her name and she might refuse to admit that she’s Soo Yeon?”

Sunny was getting confused and perplexed.

“Maybe she wanted to hide from Taeyeon.”

Hyoyeon’s words made a lot of sense.

-

Erika was in her room. She had a lot of thoughts on her mind. Apparently, her fainting today was not because of gastric pain. Erika’s suffering from a rare heart disease.

“Miss Kim, are you having chest pains every now and then?”

“Yes, lately I do. It feels uncomfortable.”

“Does anyone in your family have ever suffered from heart diseases?”

“My dad died of a heart failure. Is there anything wrong with me?”

“You’re showing symptoms of constrictive pericarditis. It’s a rare heart disease; it’s curable in the long run but it might be fatal if you don’t take good care of it.”

“Wait, are you trying to tell me that I’m suffering from a rare heart disease?”

“We need to do further checks on you. Then we can immediately prescribe medication for you before its too late.”

“I might die of it?”

The doctor nodded his head painfully. It was always difficult to deliver such news to their patients. But Erika was completely appalled by the news.

“You have to take good care of your health. You must look after your heart.”

“So what should I do now?”

“We will conduct further medical checks on you to determine how bad it has become. Then we will immediately activate the right type of medication and treatment for you.”

Erika was in disbelief. Why the sudden heart disease?

She didn’t tell Yoona about it. She kept mum and requested to be discharged on the same day. But she promised the doctor that she would return for routine medical check-ups. The doctor agreed to discharge her after that.

But her mind was in chaos. Was God trying to punish her for all the things she had done to her wife and daughter?

Was this ultimate push for Kim Taeyeon to look for her family?

Suddenly Erika felt small and scared. She was terrified that she might not able to find them. She was afraid if her condition was worse than the doctor thought; she might not able to see them again.

She got on her knees and started praying.

“Dear God, please let me meet Soo Yeon and my daughter even if it’s just for a day.”

She prayed sincerely.

-