Chapter 21

The number of times Jessica woke up in tears was countless. Sometimes due to a night of crying, sometimes due to dreams of reconciling with Yuri only to wake up and realize it wasn’t real. This morning, it was the former. Last night had been spent crying again, especially after a good 60 minutes of storytelling through dinner, thanks to Sunny. The whole reminiscing thing had done nothing but bring back bittersweet memories and in some way, pained the girl.

Climbing out of her bed, she couldn’t help but think that it’s just gonna be another day.

Another day of pinning. Another day of hoping. Another day of waiting.

After freshening up and getting changed, the girl proceeded downstairs for breakfast.

“Jessica!”

Jessica was surprised to see the man. “Daniel? What are you doing here so early?”

“He’s here to send you to work.” Her father said as he raised his cup of coffee. “I heard you missed the date with Daniel yesterday?”

“Yes, Dad.” Jessica settled down in the chair. “I was held up with an emergency treatment.”

“Well, I hope you don’t have emergencies tonight.” Daniel said, getting off his seat to pour Jessica a cup of tea.

“I’m sure Jess doesn’t.” Mr Jung said, smiling to the man.

“Thanks.” Jessica accepted the cup of tea and forced a smile.

“Are you okay, Jess? Your eyes look swollen.” her mother asked.

“I’m okay, mom. Lack of sleep, probably.” Jessica lied.

“Well don’t tire yourself out, dear. Give yourself a break soon.” Mrs Jung suggested, worried about her daughter’s welfare. Jessica, afterall, hadn’t been herself ever since her return 2 years ago, and the frequency of her daughter's swollen eyes had disturbed her mother immensely. Even so, Mrs Jung could never get Jessica to talk about it, much less confront her husband, who ruled the Jungs with an iron fist.

"Morning!” Krystal skipped down the stairs happily and grabbed a sandwich from the table. “Gotta go. I'm leaving for school.” she said with the sandwich in her mouth.

“It’s still early, Krys. If it’s urgent, I’ll drive you later. Sit down and have your breakfast.” her father commented.

“Can’t, Dad.” Krystal said as she walked to the door and put on her shoes. “I have an urgent project meeting this morning.”

Project meeting indeed. Jessica thought. She knew her sister too well.

Mr Jung sighed and put down his utensils. “Okay, I’ll drive you now.”

“Uhhh no! It’s okay, Dad.” Krystal hurriedly replied as she leapt towards the door. “I-I gotta go now, bye!” she said as she shot a “Cover up for me!” glance at Jessica before she left the house.

“That girl…” Mr Jung sighed as he walked over to the window. The girl had mysteriously disappeared around a corner.

“Relax, David. I’m sure she isn’t lying.” Mrs Jung assured.

“Yea, Dad. In fact you should be glad that Krystal takes her projects so seriously.” Jessica added, defending her sister.

Huffing, Mr Jung sat back down at the table. “If only you were boys. Having two daughters is taking its toll on me, making me worry day and night...” he sighed, then looked over to Daniel. “Now if only I had some help…” he smiled at the man.

Daniel politely laughed and nodded in response while Jessica focused on the food on her plate, feeling disgusted that her father almost seemed like he was ‘selling’ her away. Only this time, for some reason, he seemed much more insistent to push her to Daniel.

Desperate, she silently wished for a miracle to help her escape from the date tonight.

-----

At a certain restaurant in a certain San Francisco hotel, sat 3 girls at a certain table, accompanied by a pile of food. It was amazing to onlookers how the 3 skinny girls could fit that much food in them. Many who walked past their table couldn’t help but look and wonder, though much to the obliviousness of the trio.

“Yuri, stop pacing about!” Yoona stated, food in mouth and waving her fork at the tanned girl. “Sit down!” she ordered.

Garnering zero response from the flustered girl, she ran forward and grabbed hold of the girl’s shoulders, ushered her to the chair, and pushed her down on it. “S-Sit down!!”

Yuri shuffled in the chair like a kid. “I can’t wait!! I’m already in San Francisco!!” she exclaimed in despair. “I just feel like rushing into that clinic and grabbing…”

“Oh for godssakes, hold your horses!!” Sooyoung yelled through a mouthful of food. “We have a plan to carry out remember? Don’t you want this to be perfect??” she said as she stuffed a strip of bacon in her mouth. “Omgawd, the American breakfast here is authentic, fantastic, awesome and HUGE.” she described in awe. "Buffets, are heaven."

“It’s not gonna be perfect if everyone’s not here for the meeting. Where’s TaeNy??” Yuri snapped, frustrated that the two girls weren’t here to run through the plan, despite having done so the night before in the living room of their 2-bedroom hotel suite.

“Having early morning s--”

“THEY are probably still sleeping.” Yoona interrupted Sooyoung quickly as she stuffed a strip of bacon in the latter's mouth.

“Seriously, they're really treating this like their honeymoon." Yuri huffed and gulped down her orange juice. "Tell you what, if all else fails, just kidnap her to me. She’s still pretty light.” she said as she put down the glass. “I hope.”

A sudden thought struck Yuri. She wondered if the girl would look any different from 2 years ago.

Jessica Jung? Nah. Probably still hot.

“Relax, Yuri. Tonight will go smoothly.” Yoona reassured the anxious girl. “So, why don’t we three just go through the plan first?”

Yuri scanned her surroundings one more time, to find no sign of the honeymooners. She sighed and nodded. “Okay, so basically Sunny left her last 2 appointment slots empty to give her an early break, meaning she’ll knock off at 16:30 today. Taking the cue from Sunny, the 4 of you will rush into the clinic at precisely the moment she knocks off, surprise her and then reunite happily yada yada. After all that, force her to go on a sight-seeing tour with you guys, no matter how tired she is. YA Choi Sooyoung, are you listening?”

“Yea, yea.” Sooyoung spoke with her mouth full, whilst staring at the last strip of bacon on the plate.

Yuri glared at the shikshin, and then pushed the plate forward, “TAKE IT.” which Sooyoung happily accepted. Yuri could bribe her with the best cuisine in the world now just so her plan goes through. She rubbed her forehead and groaned inwardly, before going back to business.

“Bring her to the Golden Gate Bridge at precisely 21:00. I’ll be at Fort Point. FORT POINT, 9pm, remember that.”

“Can’t wait!” Yoona clapped her hands in excitement.

Yuri chuckled. “I am, too. Remember, she will almost definitely ask where the hell I am, so just go with it and say I’m still with Hyomin. This totally ups the surprise factor.” she smirked. “But still, try to go easy on her. Make her sad but not break her, know what I mean?”

“Got it, Yuri.” Sooyoung said after having successfully swallowed the last bacon. “You know, Sunny seems really helpful.”

“Why are you mentioning Sunny out of the blue?” Yuri questioned. “And if Sunny’s helpful, then TaeNy deserves a bigger award. They’re the ones who spied on Jessica for me all these years and then helped me get in touch with Sunny.”

“I’m just saying, she seems really kind, getting into this when she hardly even knows you.” Sooyoung stated matter-of-factly.

The two girls watched Sooyoung as she moved on to the eggs. “Why do I find this oddly suspicious, Yoong?”

Yoona nodded. “I agree, Dr Kwon. She’s been talking about Sunny quite a bit ever since the airport.”

Sooyoung glared at the duo with her huge eyes. “Whatever. I’m gonna eat your food, Kwon Yul.”

“Go right ahead.” Yuri smiled slyly. She coughed a little, before saying, “BY THE WAY, Sunny bunny agreed to help me out when I promised her autographed CDs and posters of T-ara. Specifically Hyomin’s.”

Sooyoung ignored Yuri and concentrated on the food in her plate.

“In fact, I should try to hook them up or something. Sunny does seem nice.” Yuri added.

Sooyoung continued her silent treatment as she devoured the eggs. Bursting the yolk; shredding the whites, and then tearing the whole thing into ribbons. It looked gruesome, but the shikshin poured it down her throat anyway.

“Jeez Yoong, check out that SUNNY side up.”

“Definitely fishy, Dr Kwon.” Yoona leaned over and whispered in Yuri’s ear. “Notice she’s not even talking back. Very un-Sooyoung like.”

“Hey guys!!” an energetic Tiffany appeared from the corner and ran towards their table, dragging a lethargic Taeyeon with her. “Sorry we’re late!” she said as she threw in her best eye-smile, hoping to get out of trouble.

Yuri narrowed her eyes at the couple. “And deaf. We knocked on your door a million times this morning.”

“Oh! Uhhh… Well...”

“We were just discussing the plan for tonight.” Yuri added, not bothering to hear any excuses from the couple.

“16:30, Jessi’s clinic, go sightseeing. And then bring her to you at 21:00, Fort Point. Got it.” Tiffany stated confidently.

Yuri smiled. “Good! Then all is forgiven.”

“Of course. You can count on TaeNy anytime.” Tiffany smiled as she wrapped an arm around a sleepy looking Taeyeon, who conveniently rested on Tiffany’s shoulder. “So have you made all necessary preparations for 21:00?”

“Of course.” Yuri winked. “Never been more prepared.”

-----

“That will be $550 for the crown, Mr Miller.” Sunny smiled at the man who seemed a little distraught after his dental treatment. Reaching for her phone, she hurriedly typed a message.

“Jessica’s finished. Are you guys ready?”

“Hey Miss, the dentist’s pretty hot. When does she get off today?” Mr Miller asked as he held his jaw in one hand while taking out his credit card with the other. He was a man in his 40s, with a head full of curly hair, heavily gelled up to conceal the mess on the top of his head. He was also wearing a tight shirt which served to emphasize his well-rounded ‘curves’ and the sweaty patches, and his natural body scent was probably best described as ‘putrid’.

In short, no freaking way.

Seriously, this is the umpteenth one this week. Sunny shot a slight glare at the man but concealed it quickly after with a sweet smile. “Mr Miller, you need to rest. You’ve just gone through an EXTENSIVE surgery.”

The man smirked. “Well, I can always ask her out another day. Give me her number will you? I’ll make it worth your while.”

Gross, gross, gross.

Trying her best not to be rude, Sunny grinned even wider, and also threw in an eye-smile in an effort to conceal her disgust. “She’s taken, by the way. In fact, she’ll be OFFICIALLY taken very soon.” she stated as she handed the credit card back to the man. “If you know what I mean.”

“Damn, lucky dude.”

Sunny just responded with a sweet smile and a slight nod. She had been used to dealing with guys hitting on Jessica, but this man had an odor so bad it totally put Sunny off. She desperately wished that he would leave soon.

Just then, Jessica emerged from the door, looking exhausted after a day of work.

“Well then, congratulations Dr Jung.” Mr Miller said as he signed the bill and left the clinic.

Jessica arched her eyebrows upwards, puzzled by the man’s comment. “What’s he congratulating me for?” she asked Sunny.

“Oh! Uhhh… He’s congratulating you on… having a great assistant like me!” Sunny desperately tried though she knew it was a fail of a cover up. “Hahaha… He’s weird, really. Ignore him.” she laughed it off.

Yuri would have my head if I messed up. And plus, the autographed T-ara albums...

Jessica frowned. “Really?” She smelled something suspicious.

“Yea!” Sunny replied nervously. “And oh, you finished his crowning really fast. It’s only 4:15!”

Jessica yawned. “Yea. I can’t wait to go home for a nap. I have to go out with Daniel later, Dad’s orders.” she sighed. “He’s bringing me to the Golden Gate Bridge. Obviously taking cues from Dad again. Only Dad knows how much I love that place.”

Crap. Why haven’t they replied? Sunny looked at her phone nervously, too engrossed to listen to what Jessica just told her.

“She’s gonna leave soon! Come quick!” she swiftly typed with one hand underneath the table.

“I’m gonna leave. You close up yea?” Jessica said.

Sunny watched helplessly as Jessica stepped ahead, approaching the clinic door. Thinking on her toes, she let out a loud yell.

“ARGHHH!!”

Jessica immediately turned around. “What’s wrong?”

“My uhhh… my stomach hurts!!”

“You okay?” Jessica rushed forward to help the girl as she bent over, seemingly in immense pain.

“No… Uhhh… Could you help me to the washroom please?” Sunny pleaded, desperate for ways to stall time.

“Yea sure.” Holding onto Sunny’s arm, Jessica helped the girl towards the clinic door. As she inched forward to reach for the door handle, the door swung open to reveal 4 figures.

“SURPRISE!!!!” the 4 girls yelled, inducing Jessica’s usual dolphin shriek.

“EEEEEEEKKKKKKK!!” she screamed, unknowingly letting go off Sunny. “What are you guys doing here??” she exclaimed excitedly, obviously

surprised to see the 4 of them.

“To visit you Jessi!!” Tiffany said. “SURPRISE!!” she reached forward to hug the girl. Taeyeon followed suit and hugged the both of them.

As Tiffany and Taeyeon hugged her, her eyes immediately scanned the surroundings. Unsurprisngly, Jessica’s very first instinct was to search for that certain tall, tanned dork. A part of her sank when she wasn't in sight, but she tried to push it off.

“Oh my gosh! Sunny!” she broke off the hug and turned around, to find Sunny smirking, looking perfectly fine. It suddenly dawned on her. “You were in this too??” she asked, incredulous.

“Yep! I already told you, you have the best assistant EVER.” Sunny replied confidently.

“Thank you.” Jessica smiled at her lovely assistant, and then turned to the others. She couldn’t say anything, the fact that the group was missing one person brought about an overwhelming sense of disappointment and hopelessness. She tried to force a smile, and cleverly concealed her watery eyes as tears of joy.

“Sica, let’s go sightseeing!” Yoona said excitedly. “We just got here yesterday, and we desperately need a tour guide.”

“Yea! Our only English-speaker is surprisingly bad at it. She frequently disappears with Taengoo into random stores, leaving me and Yoong all alone.” Sooyoung commented.

“YA. You have a problem with that? Why can’t you explore on your own? And go learn some English!” Taeyeon retorted, defensive of her shopaholic girlfriend.

“Oh and plus, they have a tendency to wake up late, and we have to push back our schedule for them.” Yoona added, totally ignoring Taeyeon’s defense.

Jessica giggled. “Sure. I’ll be glad to bring you guys around.”

-----

(Fisherman’s wharf, Pier 39)

Soon after, the 6 girls arrived at their destination. “WOW!!” the girls exclaimed in sync. Like little kids, they ventured the area and had their fun. The crowd, the hustle bustle of the markets, and the vibrant colors of the scene could uplift just any depressed person, except Jessica. She figured that the girls really didn’t need a tour guide after all, and settled on a bench, leaving the rest of the girls to explore at their own will.

Taeyeon and Tiffany were as usual, in their own world, sharing food and feeding each other, aka diabetes-inducing honeymoon. Normally their mushy behavior would put Jessica off, but today was an exception. She couldn’t help but feel envious. Again.

Glancing somewhere else, something surprised Jessica.

Sooyoung was sharing her food with Sunny.

Seriously, Sooyoung? The cynical, All-the-food-in-the-world-is-MINE Choi Sooyoung? Sharing FOOD?

Jessica sighed as she buried her head in her hands. She was thinking of nothing but the tall tanned dork.

If Yuri was here...

“Here, I bought you a hotdog.” Yoona said as she settled on the bench beside Jessica.

“Thanks.”

“Omgawd, Sooyoung.” Yoona gasped.

“Yea, I saw. Amazing isn’t it? And to think they just met today…”

Yoona was about to comment on Sooyoung’s odd behavior since last night, but fortunately, remembered that Jessica was supposed to be kept in the dark about all this. She reminded herself to be careful not to leak anything about Yuri’s plan. “Yea! And I thought Sooyoung only loves food.” she said as she chomped on her hotdog like an alligator.

“Yoong.”

“Hmmm?” Yoona looked over.

“Where is she?”

Yoona gulped, swallowing the food in her mouth. She had a gut that Jessica would ask about Yuri then, and seeing that everyone’s paired up and busy, she knew she had to be the one to break the fake news. “She just graduated, our Dr Kwon.” she said, focusing on the hotdog in her hand. Looking at Jessica in the eye and lying to her would be extremely hard.

“Oh, that’s good.” Jessica hesitated for a moment, before finally asking, “So… she’s still with Hyomin?”

Shucks. It’s so hard to lie! Where are the others!!

Yoona nodded, with much reluctance.

Almost immediately, Jessica’s heart sank. The noise around her diminished into naught, the world faded into black and white, and the people around her turned into blurry figures. Her tears were already at the brim of her eyes.

So it’s true, Kwon Yuri. You moved on.

Using a napkin to wipe off her tears, she hurriedly excused herself. “I… I have something on tonight, Yoong. Tell the girls that I’ll meet them tomorrow.”

“W-wait! Sica!” Yoona dropped her hotdog and ran after the girl. But within seconds, the girl had ran off and disappeared into the throng of people, and it didn’t help that her blonde hair had camouflaged her with the general population. She ran around and searched desperately for her, or at least for someone who could help.

Crap, crap, crap!

Fortunately, her height enabled her to spot Sooyoung. “SOOYOUNG!!” she ran forward and grabbed the girl’s arm. “Sica’s ran off! I just told her about Yuri and Hyomin!”

“SHE WHAT?” Sooyoung’s eyes opened wide. “Quick, FIND HER!” she yelled and grabbed Sunny’s hand as they began their search, startling the bunny a little. “Oh, sorry.” she quickly apologized.

Yoona watched Sooyoung in disbelief. “There’s no time for romance Sooyoung! FIND SICA!!!” she screamed and ran ahead, leaving a highly embarrassed, red-faced shikshin behind.

-----

Somewhere, someone’s world was ending.

“I’m in love with you, Sica. Only you. Remember that.”

Yuri’s words from 2 years ago played over and over in her head. Yuri’s face haunted her thoughts every second. Her kind warm gaze, her dorky smile, her bear hugs; everything came crashing down on Jessica.

How could I have been so wrong all along?

“Miss Jung, Mr Henney’s here to pick you up.” the butler knocked on her room door.

“I’m not feeling well.” she yelled from her bed.

There was another knock before someone came in. “You looked perfectly fine this morning, my dear.”

“I’m not feeling well, Dad. And I’m tired.” the girl said, with her back facing her father.

“Nonsense, lazy bum. Now get freshened up and leave.” Mr Jung said, oblivious to the depressing aura that surrounded his daughter. "I'll tell him that you'll be ready in 15 minutes."

Jessica laid in her bed a few minutes after her father left the room, before getting up to go to the washroom. Glancing into the mirror, she looked at herself.

Eyes swollen and cheeks red.

Just like those countless mornings.

What’s the point of all this.

She decided she had enough of pinning for the girl.

-----

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN, LOST?”

“Sorry, Yuri!!” Tiffany apologized profusely on the phone after explaining the fail of the plan. “We’ll find her I promise!”

Taking the phone from Tiffany, “Yuri, I think she might be home. Just wait at Fort Point, we’ll bring her to you, I promise.” Sunny advised, trying to control the chaotic situation.

By now, Yuri was at a loss. But she knew there was nothing else she could do but follow Sunny’s advice. Going to Jessica’s house would be a total disaster because there was the risk of bumping into Jessica’s father, and going around searching for the girl aimlessly would most likely be futile. Moreover, she was a stranger in a foreign land.

“Okay. Thank you.”

“Don’t worry, Yuri. It’ll be fine. Wait for our call.”

-----

Outside Jessica’s house, the 5 girls waited anxiously by the gate.

“Hello, Miss Lee.” The butler greeted Sunny. “And these are?”

“Oh, they’re Jessica’s friends. Is Jessica home?”

The man shook his head. “Miss Jung’s not home, she’s out with Mr Henney.”

“Omgawd.” Sunny gasped. “She told me about her date with Daniel tonight, I totally forgot!”

“She has a DATE?!” Sooyoung questioned.

“And it’s at the Golden Gate Bridge…” Sunny muttered.

The 4 stunned girls turned to Sunny. “WHAT?!” Yoona exclaimed.

"Call Yuri, now." Sunny told Tiffany. “I have to explain things to her before she misunderstands.”

Grabbing her phone from her bag, Tiffany immediately dialled Yuri's number while the rest watched on anxiously.

Few seconds passed, and Tiffany wore the most horrified look on her face. "I can't get through..."

"We have to go there, now." Sooyoung advised.

"HURRY!!!” Yoona yelled as she ran towards the road to hail a taxi.

-----

(Fort Point)

Yuri stood by the old fort, gazing at the sea as the night fell. Fishermen who were there for crabs had left their spots, and the people who replaced them were tourists and honeymooners, who came to take in the magnificent night view of the bridge. Yuri had been here early, just to save the particular spot she was on, which had the best view of the bridge. She wanted it to be perfect. Squatting down and arranging the unlit candles on the floor once more, she wished desperately for things to go smoothly.

Trust her friends. That was the only thing she could do now.

She glanced at her watch. 8:30pm. Whipping out her phone, she was gonna make a phonecall to the gang, and then realized her phone was flat.

Damn it! Damn it damn it damn it!! What should I do now??

As she cursed inwardly and debated if she should carry out the If-All-Else-Fails Plan, a voice in the distance caught her attention.

SICA?!!!

She couldn’t believe her eyes. The blonde was right down the pathway, 300 feet away from where she was squatting.

It was dark, but Yuri was sure. It was definitely the girl. The way she bunned up her hair, the way she wore her clothes, and the barely audible high pitched voice that caught her attention.

After 2 grueling years, Jessica Jung was standing right there.

Omgawd. No time to spazz, Yuri. Light the candles, quick!

Going down on her knees, she started lighting the candles, one by one, smiling at the blooming success of her plan. She thanked her lucky stars for the lack of wind, periodically raising her head up to check on the blonde. Jessica didn’t move from her spot, she merely stood there, staring at the sea.

Oh thank gawd. Just a few more candles...

When Yuri was finally done, she dusted her knees and stood up, and glanced at where the blonde was.

To find her in the arms of a man.

No...

But it was true; it was definitely Jessica, locked in an embrace with another man, by the sea. The whole thing was just, romantic. To the point that it ripped Yuri’s heart apart in a split second.

Sica...

Yuri stood there, frozen in her spot. Anyone’s natural instinct would advise them against watching that scene, but Yuri couldn’t take her eyes off Jessica, finding herself still deeply missing the girl. She knew that if she were to turn and walk away now, chances are, she might not see the girl again.

But the scene in front of her was getting harder to bear. It was downright painful.

So you’ve stopped waiting...?

Glancing at the blonde for just one more time, she turned and walked away as tears welled up in her eyes.

Chapter 22

“You’re a liar, Kwon Yuri.”

Standing by the sea, Jessica’s tears fell, as the impact of the harsh reality hit her again and again.

The girl she had been pinning for all these years, the one person who changed her mind about love, turned out to be a total big lie. She felt like the biggest fool in the world.

“I’m in love with you, Sica. Only you. Remember that.”

“LIAR!!!!” she yelled, her voice echoing in the distance.

Her tears fell uncontrollably as she stood in her spot, staring blankly at the ocean. Ever since Jessica first came to San Francisco, she would come here whenever she missed the girl. She would spend minutes, sometimes hours, just glancing across the Pacific Ocean, the long stretch of blue which separated her from Yuri.

Kwon Yuri… Even now we're still this far apart.

She clutched tightly onto the necklace, but realized she was still reluctant to take it off. She didn’t know why. Eventually, she stopped trying; the weariness of a whole day of crying was getting to her.

“Hey Jessica, eat this before it melts!” Daniel appeared with 2 ice cream cones in his hands, and then noticed that the girl was grief-stricken. “What’s wrong? Why are you crying?”

Dropping the ice cream cones, he pulled the girl in an embrace in an attempt to comfort her. “Tell me what happened, Jessica.”

Jessica was too upset to say anything. Moreover, she couldn’t. She had hoped that sending the man off to get ice cream would buy her some time to be alone, but he came back quicker than she expected. Resting in the man’s arms, she continued crying, she was too tired to push him away at this point.

In her sadness and disbelief, she missed the girl badly. Even at this time, she wished so much that it was Yuri’s arms she was laying in.

She stayed in the man’s embrace for several seconds, before finally breaking off the hug. “Jessica… What’s wrong?” he asked, concerned.

Wiping off the tears, she composed herself and replied, “I-It’s nothing. I’ve just been too stressed out by work.”

“You sure?”

Desperate for the man to buy her story, Jessica bit on her tongue to stop her tears, and nodded.

Daniel believed her, and smiled. “Let’s take a walk then. It might help a little.” He reached out and grabbed her hand, but was swiftly rejected by Jessica.

Not wanting to seem rude, she attempted a little smile. “I’m sorry, but I really need some time alone right now.” she said solemnly. “Do you mind?”

Daniel shrugged it off. “No, not at all. I’ll just wait in the car.”

Jessica shook her head. She desperately needed the alone time. Coming out on this ‘date’ hadn’t distracted her nor helped in any way. “It’s okay. I can make my way home myself.” She was appreciative of Daniel’s kind gesture, but her discomfort around him induced her to keep a distance from the man.

“Sure you’ll be alright?”

Jessica nodded and smiled again to reassure the man. She was tired of pretending that she was fine. That smile was the last smile she could fake before she broke down again.

“Okay then. I’ll see you soon.” He smiled and walked off.

His exit came as a huge relief to Jessica. Finally, she could allow herself to drop the whole act and indulge in her emotions. Dinner had been extremely uncomfortable as she had to put on a happy face the whole time, despite having a whole head of thoughts about Yuri. She hated it.

Inhaling the crisp night air, she walked down the pathway, succumbing to the fact that she was too tired to even cry. A part of her still wished all this wasn’t true. She tried to conjure up some excuse that would explain Yuri’s absence, but the fact that she was still with Hyomin just blew it off.

“I’m in love with you, Sica. Only you. Remember that.”

“Get out of my head, Kwon Yuri.” she pleaded in vain. But those words just wouldn’t leave. It was as if they had been etched into the back of her head forever.

With every step along the pathway, Jessica slowly conceded, little by little.

“Kwon.”

“Yu.”

“Ri.”

“Liar.”

“Heart.”

“Breaker.”

“I.”

“Hate.”

“You.”

"..."

"..."

“But..."

"..."

"..."

"..."

“Why...”

“…”

“…”

“Do...”

“I...”

"Still..."

“Miss...”

“You...”

“So...”

“Much...?”

Her steps came to a halt when she noticed something on the ground, blocking her path.

Candles.

Several had been extinguished, but some were still lighted. They were distinctively arranged to form 2 words, with a heart-shaped border encircling the 2 words within.

2 Korean words.

Yul…

…Sic

The candles were relatively fresh. She couldn’t believe her eyes.

There’s no way… How could this…

“SICA!!!”

Turning towards the direction of the voice, she spotted 5 girls on a rampage. “SICA!!!” one of them yelled again as they ran towards her.

Jessica froze to her spot, bewildered about everything. Did Yuri… do this?

The 5 girls came closer, and they were all panting. Spotting the candles on the ground, everyone heaved a sigh of relief simultaneously, except Jessica.

“Congrats Jessi!!” Tiffany rushed forward to hug the girl. “I’m so happy for you!!”

Everyone was smiling. One by one, they hugged her and congratulated the girl, obviously mistaking her tears as those of joy. Jessica didn’t respond. She was incredulous, she was confused, and she had a whole lot of things on her mind.

Her expression said it all. “What’s wrong?” Taeyeon caught onto it first. “Where’s Yuri?”

“Yuri…” Jessica muttered. “She’s… here?” she turned to Yoona and looked at her questioningly.

Yoona frowned at Jessica’s question. “Yea, didn’t you meet her?” she asked, pointing at the candles on the ground.

“Yuri’s HERE??” Jessica asked again, incredulous. Despite her fatigue, she felt an unexplainable wave of energy coming back at that prospect. She craved to know more.

Everyone nodded, shooting the blonde confused looks. “W-Wait. You didn’t see Yuri?” Sooyoung asked.

A sudden realization dawned on the girl. “Why did you tell me she’s still with Hyomin, Yoong? Why did you tell me she’s still in Korea?!”

Her agitation scared the girl a little. “I-It was all part of Yuri’s plan! She wanted you to be upset, and then surprise you tonight...”

“WHAT plan?!”

No one had seen this side of the Ice Princess before. It was the first time she seemed this… fiery, and it scared the girls a little. Everyone was confused at that moment, unsure of what to do or say to appease the girl.

"WHAT IS GOING ON?!!"

Finally, Sunny stepped in and tried to appease the situation. “Calm down, Jessica. So you didn’t meet Yuri?”

Jessica glared at everyone, distraught. “NO!” she exclaimed. “If… If she was right here just now, she might have seen me with Daniel…” she explained, panicking, with tears in her eyes.

“WHAT?” everyone exclaimed.

“What did you do Jessi?” Tiffany questioned.

“Sunny said you weren’t even into him!” Sooyoung added.

No one was helping in the situation. Everyone was positively tensed up and too freaked out by the drama to be level headed. It only made Jessica panic and she felt her chest getting tighter just by thinking of the possibility that Yuri had misunderstood what happened just now.

“Okay okay, calm down everyone.” Sunny announced. “We need to find Yuri. So let’s split up. She might still be here somewhere, but Taeyeon and Tiffany,” she turned towards them, “Go to the hotel just in case she goes back. The rest of us will search the place.” she stated.

Indeed, Sunny’s calm collectedness was priceless to everyone right now. The girls agreed with Sunny’s plan. Taeyeon and Tiffany left for the hotel, Sooyoung and Yoona paired up to start their search, while Sunny stayed with a distraught Jessica.

“She was here… She was right here…” Jessica cried as she knelt down and touched the candles.

“I’m sorry it turned out this way.” Sunny stroked the girl’s back to comfort her. “You know, Yuri had all this planned; the reunion, the sightseeing; everything. We were supposed to bring you to her, until you suddenly disappeared at Pier 39.”

Jessica’s head was down. She tried to stop crying again, for the umpteenth time. The whole day had taken a whole chunk of energy away from the girl and she was positively tired. She didn’t even have the will to stand up.

“She spent a whole day saving this spot right here.” Sunny added.

Jessica looked up upon hearing what Sunny said. The first thing her eyes met was the Golden Gate Bridge, against a back drop of millions of stars in the sky, shining ever so lightly, just so that they would not outshine, but instead, bring out the breathtaking splendor of the lighted bridge.

This was Jessica’s favorite place ever since moving here years ago.

Yuri couldn’t have known…

Unless she had already found the letters at her neighbor’s house.

“She came for me…” Jessica sobbed. “She really did come for me, didn’t she? For ME?” she asked again, needing a final reassurance.

Sunny nodded and smiled. “She did all this for you. She even roped me in the plan. Why do you think I left your last 2 appointment slots empty today? She wanted you to get off work early just so you could rest and have a good time with us first.”

Jessica rubbed her eyes, and inhaled deeply. Sunny’s answer was not only uplifting, it was exhilarating. The fatigue had disappeared, and there was a sudden rush in Jessica’s blood to accomplish the one thing left to do now. Wiping her tears, she got up and dusted her knees.

“Let’s go find her, my Kwon Yul.”

-----

In a parallel situation that Jessica experienced just hours ago, somewhere, someone’s world was ending.

Anguish.

Regret.

Self-reproach.

You’re too late, Kwon Yuri.

Did you really think after another 2 years, she’ll still be waiting for you?

Did you really think that things will be fine and dandy once you came for her?

“So naïve.” Scoffing at her situation, she resumed walking forward. It had been a good 30 minutes since the incident earlier, and unknowingly, Yuri had crossed the bridge, emerging on the other side. To her dismay, there was nothing at this end; just barrenness. Turning around, she could see Fort Point in the distance, surrounded by lights. The two points representing two opposite ends of the spectrum.

It was almost as if the bridge was narrating her sad story to the world.

“You’re pathetic, Kwon Yuri.” she cursed as she made a U-turn and started walking back. There was no point staying at this end of the bridge or venturing further.

Embarking on her journey back across the bridge once again, she passed plenty of couples, honeymooners and the like. It was as if the incident earlier hadn’t dealt a big enough blow. Watching everyone paired up only made things worse.

Emerging at a little platform halfway through the bridge, she stopped and gazed at the sea. The breeze blew against her teary face, leaving cooling sensations on her cheeks.

“Sica…” she muttered, more tears falling down her cheeks.

Her chest hurt immensely, much worse than what she experienced circa 2 years ago. Right here, at this platform, the floodgates opened, the tears spilled uncontrollably. She could no longer suppress it any longer. She clutched her chest as it hurt, feeling the bracelet side down her arm.

She felt a light pat on her back. Hopeful, she turned towards the figure.

“Are you okay, young lady?”

It was an old couple, looking at her in concern. Wiping her tears immediately, she gave a slight smile and nodded at them. “I’m fine,” she managed to say, hoping they understood her.

“You sure?”

She nodded again in assurance.

“Whatever it is you’re going through now, life still goes on, my dear.” the old man said with a kind smile before resuming his walk with his wife down the path. She watched them as they did, hand in hand, enjoying each other’s company. She thought she would be sour, but seeing them this blissful brought nothing but a smile to her face, and a temporary stop to her tears.

After all, at the end of the day, what mattered most was Jessica’s happiness.

“If I love you, I’d want you to be happy,” she muttered, gazing into the endless sea. “Will you be happy without me, Jessica Jung Sooyeon?”

It felt strangely good to say her name, though in a sad way really. Gazing into the endless ocean in front of her, she cried out again, “JESSICA JUNG SOOYEON!”

“What.”

A cold, icy voice came from behind. The cold icy voice that exclusively belonged to someone.

I must be hallucinating.

Yuri didn’t turn back. She didn’t dare to. She feared that turning back might just prove that the voice was really in her head. And at this point, Yuri desperately wanted that particular voice to be real. She stood still, lips shivering, face straight, waiting to hear the voice again, or to sense any sort of movement that would affirm that it wasn’t just in her head.

1

2

3

4

5

5 seconds, still nothing.

You’ve gone mad, Kwon Yuri. You have extremely lucid hallucinations.

Hoping like hell that she still has an ounce of sanity, she decided to try again. Keeping her gaze at the sea, she yelled, even more loudly this time. "SICAAAAAA!!!!”

“WHAT!?”

No way…

No friggin’ way… That was too loud to be a voice in my head.

Taking a deep breath and with her eyes closed, Yuri turned around and hung her head down. Slowly opening her eyes, she revealed the figure in front of her from the bottom, like a present.

Shoes: Flats. Sica loves flats.

Legs: Wow.

Hips: Oh shoot. I see hands on hips. That’s an angry stance.

Waist: Wow.

Chest: Hmmm. Not a good time now, move on Kwon Yul.

And finally…

Face.

Face.

Face.

That face.

Jessica Jung was just 5 steps away from her.

Yuri froze to her spot, just looking at the girl with her mouth open. Jessica stood in the middle of the platform, glaring at her, hands still on her hips. Yuri just couldn’t say a thing.

The love of her life was right there.

Waking up from her temporary trance, “Yuri, wake up wake up wake up. You’re having one of those lucid dreams again aren’t you…” she uttered, giving light little slaps on her face.

The girl took a few steps closer to her, still staring her down. “Great plan you have there, Kwon Yul.” she said sarcastically. “Why couldn’t you just come straight to me?”

The sergeant way of walking.

The icy glare.

The nasal high pitched voice.

And… the strawberry scent.

Slowly, Yuri brought her shaking hands up and caressed the girl’s face. “Am I dreaming…??” she whispered, touching the girl’s face so much it looked like she was ravaging it.

“You wanna know?”

“OWWWWW!!!” Yuri winced in pain as the weight of Jessica’s foot came down on her own. “What did you do that for?!”

“You asked if you were dreaming.” the girl replied, indifferently.

A chill ran down Yuri’s spine.

Effects of Ice Princess.

Definitely. Not. Dreaming.

Skipping on one foot, she rubbed the other a little. But upon recalling the scene earlier, the pain on her foot travelled to her chest. “W-why are you here? W-where’s your b-boyfriend?” Yuri tried her very best not to sound sour, that it ended up sounding like she was in pain. Fortunately for her, her tone of voice matched perfectly with her hurting foot.

Jessica huffed, still glaring at the girl. Seriously, I travelled half a bridge for this dork and she STILL doesn’t get it?!

“He’s waiting for me in the car.” In anger, Jessica lied. She was extremely pissed. As if a whole day of work hadn’t taken its toll, Kwon Yuri’s stupid decision 2 years ago, Kwon Yuri’s stupid plan tonight, and currently, Kwon Yuri’s thickness did it. "Why are YOU here? Where's your girlfriend?" she asked.

"I..." Yuri’s face turned dark suddenly, a huge contrast from moments earlier. Putting down her foot, she avoided answering Jessica's question.  “You better not keep him waiting then.” she took a few steps ahead, limping slightly, and trying her hardest to mask the expression on her face. “I’ll walk you back.”

Gawd. I so do not want to see her boyfriend right now.

Just then, Yuri felt a tug on her hand. The force was so hard, that it spun her around conveniently into Jessica’s embrace. The girl threw her arms around Yuri’s neck and swiftly pulled the taller girl in for a kiss.

The world spun. Everything else was a blur, except Jessica’s face. The strawberry taste of the girl’s lips, accompanied with the equally pleasant strawberry scent, made the girl dizzy. Yuri missed this so very much. At that instant, she understood.

After all, Jessica did cross half a bridge to her.

“I only… love you… Yuri.” Jessica said between kisses, a tear running down her cheek, she had enough of playing around. Yuri was right there in front of her and all she wanted to do at that moment was to not let the girl out of her sight even for a second. “I’m so glad… you came… for me…”

“Mmmm…” Yuri nodded, pulling the girl even closer and using a hand to wipe the tear off Jessica's cheek. She was indulging in the moment so much she didn’t want to break off the kiss for even a millisecond. Not even to take breaths.

And right there in the middle the Golden Gate Bridge; where Jessica used to wish for her Yuri to come for her, the two girls finally reunited.

The couple continued indulging in their hot and heavy session, oblivious to their surroundings. Apparently, the sight of 2 hot girls making out proved to be quite an attraction, as they turned heads and halted some in their path.

“Ahem!”

“AHEM!!”

“Seriously, these 2 are gonna be the next TaeNy.” Sooyoung commented to Yoona and Sunny as she went forward to stop the couple. “Alright, break it up, people. Show’s over.”

The couple looked shyly at each other upon noticing the little crowd which had gathered around them. Hands entwined, both girls refused to let go of each other.

“Finally. Congrats, you two.” Sunny smiled and walked over.

“I can finally stop worrying!” Yoona exclaimed happily.

However, Yuri and Jessica didn’t respond to them, it was as if their eyes were glued on each other.

“Tsk tsk tsk. People in love.” Sooyoung shook her head. “You know, you can continue with Hot and Heavy Part 2 at somewhere a little more private.” she added.

Yuri grinned like a dork at that instant, suddenly remembering that her mission wasn’t fully accomplished.

“Speaking of Part 2…”

Taking a deep breath, and with one hand holding tightly onto Jessica’s, Yuri got down on one knee as she retrieved something from her jacket pocket.

“Will you marry me, Jessica Jung Sooyeon?”