Between the lines

Goodbye

Bae Ro-na bit her lip as she grabbed Jenny's hand. Had it not been for her, she didn't think she would be capable of attending the memorial service. On a day like this three years ago, two of the most important women of her life left her. Three years ago what she thought to be a nightmare became her reality. Day after day Ro-na had to wake up and face the fact that she was alone. Her mom was gone and so was Shim Su-ryeon. Even her father was gone. She blinked when she felt the tears wetting her cheeks. Jenny put an arm around her and brought her closer to her.

"I'm sorry," Eun-byeol whispered in front of the women's portraits. She put a basket of flowers down and lowered her gaze. "Forgive us," she added, kneeling in front of the altar. Ro-na clenched her jaw. Her hands turned into fists.

"Do you want to go?" Jenny asked her, concerned. She had seen her breaking down the night before the memorial service, yet Ro-na didn't seem as distressed as one would expect. If one didn't know better, one would think she was almost pleased. "My mom is waiting for us in the car."

"I would like to be alone," Ro-na whispered. Logan nodded and helped Eun-byeol up. Jenny gave her a reassuring smile and walked away. Ro-na licked her lips and took the other girl's position in front of the altar. She swallowed hard.

"How are you, mom?" Ro-na asked her, looking at her photo. She stretched out her hand and caressed it. If she closed her eyes she could almost feel the warmth of her skin. "You must be accompanied now. Ms. Shim missed you so much," she added. Her eyes focusing on the picture of the older woman next to her mom's.

"I brought you something," Ro-na whispered, clearing her throat. No one had understood why she hadn't been livid when she found out that Su-ryeon was dead. No one had understood why she hadn't lost it as she did when her mom died. For no one was aware of what she knew. She had seen it all. She had seen the exchanges of looks, the stolen glances, the smirks, and the complicity of their touches. She had noticed the sparkling of their eyes when they were together.

"I found them when we were cleaning Ms. Shim's room," she explained to them, opening her backpack. She took out a metal white box and opened it. There were the two dolls her mom had made for Su-ryeon. Now, however, there was another doll. It was Yoon-hee. Ro-na looked at the dolls and smiled. "My doll is not as beautiful as my mom's but I did my best," she said, closing the box again. Satisfied with her gift, she placed it down between the portraits within the metal box so they wouldn't get damaged by the weather.

"I never told you this, but I heard you talking weeks before my mom died," Ro-na said as she played with her hands. "You were at our place having tea. You didn't hear me coming, so you never found out I was there," she said smirking as she allowed the memories to flood back.

-

"When you pretended to be Ae-gyo, I almost fell in love with you," Yoon-hee confessed, shyly. Su-ryeon put her cup of tea down as she looked at the woman in front of her. Her throat was burning and it wasn't because of the hot dark liquid. "I loved the way you carried yourself. You didn't stand in the shadows anymore. You knew what you wanted and you went for it," she said, blushing.

"I didn't know Na Ae-gyo had such an admirer," Su-ryeon said, bittersweetly. Yoon-hee chuckled. "If you liked her so much, why didn't you ever try to approach me?" she asked her, curious. She wondered what would have happened if both women had met before. She clenched her jaw. Ae-gyo was playful and dominant. She would have made a move on Yoon-hee. She was certain.

"I was a little intimidated," Yoon-hee confessed. Su-ryeon blushed. "And I was confused," she whispered, licking her lips. Su-ryeon's heart skipped a beat.

"Maybe Ae-gyo was confused and that's why she didn't act on her feelings," Su-ryeon replied, playing with her hands. Yoon-hee's jaw dropped. Su-ryeon had all her attention now. "Maybe she knew what she wanted, but she wasn't certain you would want her. Maybe when it came to you, she didn't know where to stand or she did but she was too stubborn to see it."