Jessica slightly shivered and snuggled closer to Yuri. She pulled Yuri's arm that was lying on her waist into the blanket, in worry that the tanned girl could be cold, too. She watched Yuri sleeping, so peaceful and eased that it made her heart lose the rhythm of its beats. Jessica's eyes landed on Yuri's lips, a small bruise on the bottom lip caught her attention. She used her index finger to trace the softness there, stopping right at the little injury. She bit down on her own bottom lip, her cheeks turned light pink. Jessica remembered everything that happened last night, so exact, so vivid.

They had made love like they had never made love before, endless it seemed to Jessica. The dark-skinned girl was passionate but not a bit rough, every single touch filled with so much gentleness and sincerity. There was absolutely no teasing, no playing around between them. No word could ever describe it - it was just simply making love, in the truest sense of the word.

They didn't even have time, or maybe didn't bother, to take off their clothes completely. It wasn't until Jessica found it too hard to breathe that she had to remove her bra. She was lying on top of the exhausted Yuri, who was taking the first break after hours of intense lovemaking. But just as soon as the garment left her body, Jessica found herself being pinned against the bed sheets again, Yuri's mouth conquering her exposed skin. Even much later, when there was no energy left inside of her anymore and she couldn't fight the doziness taking over, Jessica still felt Yuri kissing her face, her cheeks, her eyes, her nose, her lips. She drifted into sleep with Yuri pampering her ? the best lullaby, the sweetest bedtime story ever.

It was as if the tanned girl was Jessica-deprived for too long. It felt like she was missing Jessica too much to hold back. Jessica didn't question it - she, too, had gained an empty hole without seeing Yuri's smile, hearing Yuri's voice, feeling that warm hand in hers for a whole day, which felt longer than a decade. She, too, was lost and scared to see that hole growing, feeling as if they were to part soon. She needed to be as close to Yuri as possible, needed to feel the love, the only thing that could fill that emptiness inside of her.

Jessica traced Yuri's face the last time with her eyes before slowly closing them, feeling Yuri's kisses in her imagination.

She wanted to relax with Yuri's soothing breaths close to her ear, but there was still something that bothered her too much. It was frightening, and Jessica didn't dare to say it out loud. Her inner voice, the one that never failed her before, was repeating it over and over again. It somehow scared her and she just couldn't ignore it, she didn't know what to do. It would affect their relationship, definitively not in a positive way. Jessica felt it in her gut, so certain as never before.

The nasty Kwons' scheming minds were behind everything that happened.

----------

Tiffany cracked the door open and stuck her head out carefully. She scanned the living room with her eyes, hoping that Taeyeon wouldn't see her. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she didn't even spot Taeyeon in the room. Tiffany perked up her ears, trying to catch any sound that could tell her where her girlfriend was. But there was absolutely none. She quietly tiptoed out of the room, having a clue about where Taeyeon might be already.

"I knew it!" She exclaimed as she saw the girl. Or more precisely, the girl's foot.

Taeyeon was lying on the floor next to the couch, her eyes half, but her mouth completely open. Tiffany ran to her and crouched down, poking Taeyeon in the ribs lightly.

"Taetae ah..." She whispered. "Taetae, wake up."

The sleeping girl, however, just mumbled un-understandable words as she shoved Tiffany's hand away. Taeyeon then curled up from the coldness, snuggling closer to the couch foot. Tiffany wore a guilty smile on her face as she pulled on Taeyeon's hand, trying to get the girl up. As it wasn't working for Taeyeon was too heavy, Tiffany released the girl's hand and knelt down next to her instead.

"Taetae ah..." Tiffany whispered in Taeyeon's ear. "I'm not angry anymore. Now get up, I don't want you to catch a cold."

But Taeyeon didn't budge an inch. Tiffany stroked the girl's cheek before leaning in, placing a kiss on each side.

"I'm sorry, okay?" She said, her upper body hovering over Taeyeon. "You can sleep with me on the bed again."

As soon as her sentence ended, she felt Taeyeon's hands encircling her waist. The girl's eyes, however, were still closed. Tiffany chuckled, pinching Taeyeon's cheeks.

"Do you know how cold it is out here?" Taeyeon mumbled, still not wanting to open her eyes. "And you know I always fall down when I sleep on the couch."  

"I know..." Tiffany said as she sat down next to Taeyeon. "But you shouldn't have--"

"It wasn't on purpose!" Taeyeon exclaimed, her body shot up in an instant and her eyes finally opened. "It was definitely because of the eggs you forced me to eat yesterday!"

"Now don't try to blame it on me." Tiffany frowned and shook her head. "That was so... gross. You're so... ewww. Taetae. I mean, how could you kill the mood with that super loud fart, especially when we were in the midst of--"

But Taeyeon had already hushed Tiffany with a kiss, her one hand cupping the girl's cheek, the other cupping another kind of cheek below. She kept their lips connected as she felt Tiffany climbing on her lap. Taeyeon slowly moved her body so that her back was against the couch. Tiffany's hands sneaking around her neck gave her more courage to deepen the kiss. Taeyeon was happy and relieved with Tiffany's response, because it showed one thing for sure - the embarrassing fart incident was forgiven and forgotten.

"It smelled awful, though." Tiffany said after they released the kiss.

Okay, not really forgotten - Taeyeon thought in disappointment. She just flashed an embarrassed smile, playing with Tiffany's hair. However, when Tiffany let out an amused chuckle, a sound from the bedroom caught their attention at once. It was Taeyeon's phone ringing.

"It's one of the S's!" Tiffany jumped up as she recognized the special ringtone. With the S's, 'Sooyoung', 'Sica' and 'Sunny' were meant.

They ran to the source of sound, anxiety in their hearts. They just forgot about Jessica for a moment, and they felt awful because of that. As Taeyeon was looking at the caller ID, Tiffany prayed for it to not be Jessica. She had told herself to call the girl this morning, but the issue with Taeyeon distracted her. Now if Jessica had to call her, it just seemed like she wasn't caring enough, and Tiffany definitely felt guilty as a best friend. Plus, Taeyeon and Tiffany both know, if Jessica called, it would mean no good. It was highly possible that something really bad had happened, so bad that Jessica was broken and shattered and couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey Sunny!" Taeyeon greeted the other end of the line, a sign of relief in her voice.

Tiffany, too, heaved a small relieved sigh. Sunny was probably just asking about Jessica.

"What?!"

Taeyeon's shocked face the next second, however, fazed the mushroom girl. Tiffany alternated hopping on her right and left foot, her hands gripping Taeyeon's arm tightly in anxiety. But the short girl didn't pay attention to her. Taeyeon's face went from her usual bright white to completely pale within seconds talking to Sunny on the phone. Tiffany was about to yell out loud, asking what was going on when Taeyeon yanked her arm away from Tiffany's grip, running to the TV.

"Taetae!" Tiffany rushed next to her girlfriend. "What did Sunny say?"

"Wait, wait! Let me turn on the TV first!" Taeyeon was still occupied with Sunny on the phone, her voice frantic. "Which channel? Alright, I got it. I'll call Sica later, I don't know if she knows already. It better not be true!"

"What better not be true?" Tiffany tried to meddle in the conversation as she was tugging impatiently at Taeyeon's sleeve. But Taeyeon had already hung up the phone, her eyes glued to the television. The news channel was on, an announcer was talking about the Jung Enterprise. There was a big picture of Mr Jung on the upper left corner of the screen.

"At seven prompt this morning, the press was waiting for President Jung Jong Min in the Jung Enterprise's grant assembly hall. The president was to hold a press conference to give official announcements concerning the two giant projects assigned to enterprise that were suddenly put on hold. However, Jung Jong Min didn't show up and is still missing until now. The police have taken action, after not being able to get any information from the Jung Enterprise's staff nor Jung Jong Min's personal secretary about his whereabouts. It has been continuously tried to contact the Jung Enterprise's president, but to no avail yet. There are assumptions of an escape, considering the situation Jung Jong Min is currently in. An official investigation will be called off if Jung Jong Min's family members are just as clueless as everyone else. The police are now trying to contact the Jungs, hoping to find--"

"No way!" Taeyeon and Tiffany exclaimed at the same time.

"Appa Jung would never do that!" Tiffany covered her mouth, her eyes round and wide-opened in disbelief. "He would never leave his family in the lurch! Appa Jung isn't that kind of man!"

"Calm down, Fany." Taeyeon tried to keep a clear head as she rubbed her temples. "It's definitely a misunderstanding... I hope."

"We have to tell Sica!" Tiffany snapped away the phone from Taeyeon and speed-dialed before the shorter girl could react. "The line is busy!" Tiffany almost cried, chafing with impatience.

"Damn, the police might be talking to her already." Taeyeon shook her head. "Delivering bad news through the phone is actually the most stupid thing to do. It's better we go there as soon as possible, mushroom."

Tiffany stared at Taeyeon for a second, then shoved the girl hard on her shoulder.

"Then what are you still doing here? Get the car, Taetae!"

----------

Jessica had just had a bad dream. She dreamed about Kwon Jiyong pushing Yuri over a cliff edge. Jessica had grabbed Yuri's hand in the nick of time, but she was too weak to pull the girl up. Yuri had yelled to her she loved her before her fingers slipped out of Jessica's grip. Jessica had cried out loud when Yuri fell into the dark hole down there, sinking deeper into the distance, getting farther and father away, leaving Jessica for good. Luckily, that was the moment her eyes shot open and Jessica was relieved to find herself lying on the bed.

She slowly sat up to look around, hoping to find that familiar, adorable sleeping face. But her heart sank as Yuri was absolutely no where to be seen. The blonde girl heaved a disappointed sigh, rolling off the bed. She grabbed her phone on the night table, checking the time. It was just half past seven in the morning. Jessica couldn't believe she woke up so early when yesterday night, they almost didn't get to sleep. Her fingers traced the blanket and the bed sheet, just right where Yuri had lied this early morning. Jessica smiled to herself, slowly realizing the reason of her early wakeup now. She couldn't sleep because the warmth Yuri always engulfed her with was absent.

"Where are you?" Jessica again gave a small sigh as she mumbled those words to Yuri, fully aware that it was ridiculous for Yuri couldn't possibly hear it.

Another thing she knew, and this wasn't ridiculous, was that she still had to talk to Yuri about Iustit's separation from the Jung Enterprise. Yuri had already rejected her father's offer, but Jessica wanted to give the girl a chance to choose again. Yesterday, Yuri did it all because she feared Jessica would get hurt, and she's afraid of losing trust - at least that's what it seemed to Jessica. But if Yuri knew Jessica would support her with whatever she decided to do, she might change her mind. And Jessica knew, Yuri deserved this fair choice more than anyone else.

After another unsuccessful try of calling Yuri, Jessica stood up and got out of her room. When she arrived at the bottom of the stairs, Krystal was approaching her with a glass of milk in her hand.

"Unnie, you're awake."

"Have you seen Yuri?" Jessica asked, eyeing her sister cautiously. The girl looked less tired today. A good sign.

"I think she's not here anymore." Krystal shook her head. "Her car isn't in the front yard."

"Why did she go without telling me?" Jessica asked herself as she dialed Yuri's number and put the phone to her ear. "She isn't picking up."

"Don't worry unnie," Krystal comforted her sister, seeing the obvious sadness and worry in Jessica's eyes. "Maybe she got an urgent business call."

"Yeah..." Jessica's voice trailed off, her look absent. She started to feel somehow uneasy about it all.

Krystal just smiled at her sister. She wasn't exactly sure how it would feel like to be in love, but from what she'd seen, it must be really interesting. She knew her unnie never admitted it; but ever since Yuri came into her life, Jessica was like a whole new person. Krystal never understood why in the past, her sister had been so averse to relationships and love. She couldn't hide her surprise when that one day, Jessica came home and said she's in love. It wasn't just with someone random. It happened to be the girl who had just given up her company to their family. Life is unpredictable, Krystal had learned. And it wasn't like she didn't understand why her sister wanted to break up with Yuri yesterday. Jessica did it just out of love. Love is a complicated thing, she had realized. A life with love ? unpredictable and complicated ? but that was what made it so wonderful.

"Unnie... You really love Yuri unnie, don't you?"

Jessica looked up at Krystal, surprise in her eyes.

"Why are you asking this?"

"I just... It-it's nothing." Krystal blushed. She felt weird now, thinking about life and love as if she wasn't just a teenager but a wise old woman. To cover her embarrassing act and distract her confused sister, she gulped her milk down in one shot and changed the topic quickly. "You should go to Iustit unnie. I bet Yuri unnie is there."

"Yeah, I probably should." Jessica sighed. "Where are mom and dad?"

"Mom is still sleeping I guess." Krystal shrugged. "I think she was up late yesterday. I don't know about dad, though... I haven't seen him."

"If they ask, tell them I'm with Yuri," Jessica said as she proceeded to the stairs to get to her room for changing. "Do you want me to buy you something from the spicy noodle restaurant next to the Iustit building?"

"Unnie," Krystal giggled. "You're the one who's obsessed with the food there."

"I just wanted you to give me an excuse." The visible burden in Jessica's eyes decreased as it made space for a small sparkle. "Otherwise Yuri wouldn't allow me to go there. She said she had to keep me away from that restaurant because she's afraid one day I would love the owner and the noodles more than her."

This caused Krystal to laugh out loud. The first lusty laugh she emitted after the day the misfortunes hit on her family.

"I know, right," Jessica shook her head, now not being able to hide her small smile. "She's so silly."

It's like a miracle, Krystal thought as she watched her sister walking up the stairs, that small smile still present on her face. Somehow, Yuri still managed to keep the optimism in Jessica, even though they were surrounded by nothing but darkness right now. Krystal knew there might be no way to escape this darkness and they would eventually have to surrender, but she was sure if Yuri stayed with them until the end, the fall would never be as bad as seven years ago.

----------

Jessica paid the taxi driver and got out of the car. Her forehead creased as she gave a frustrated sigh. She had been trying to call Yuri on the entire way to Iustit, but the girl never picked up.

"Hey, Sica!" A voice called out to her.

"Sooyoung!" Jessica approached the entrance as the tall girl was coming from the opposite direction.

"What are you doing here?" Sooyoung asked with a worried look on her face. "Are you okay? Is the issue solved now?"

"Huh?... N-no," Jessica stuttered as she was caught a little off guard. She thought Sooyoung knew it's hard - if not impossible - to save the Jung Enterprise right now.

"What? So he is really gone?!"

Jessica stared at Sooyoung, who stared back at her in disbelief.

"What... are you talking about?" Jessica asked then, even though the familiar inner voice told her she wouldn't want to know.

"Sica... No one told you yet?" Sooyoung asked. The tall girl covered her eyes with one hand and massaged her temples as she saw Jessica's confused look. Sooyoung really didn't want to receive the honor of delivering the bad news.

"Maybe people tried to contact me," Jessica showed Sooyoung her phone. "But... I guess the line was busy for them all the time."

"Sica, listen," Sooyoung said, completely tense. She wanted to continue, but her voice suddenly disappeared. She didn't know how to tell the girl, didn't know how she should handle Jessica's reaction. It wasn't until the smaller girl raised an eyebrow at Sooyoung that the taller sputtered everything out in one go.

"Yourdaddidn'tcometothepressconferencetodayandthepolicebelievehe'sontherunbecausenooneknowswhereheis!"

"What?!"

"..." Sooyoung gulped. "I said--"

But she couldn't speak further. Jessica was now the one who had wide, shocked, disbelieving eyes.

"You?you understood?" Sooyoung asked carefully, her hands ready to catch the girl who might collapse any second.

"No, no, no," Jessica gripped her head as she shook it hard. "This can't be! Sooyoung, he doesn't run away! He's--"

Then it struck Jessica. She hadn't seen her dad since yesterday morning. Krystal hadn't seen him coming home, either. And her mother was up late, possibly because she had been waiting for him all night long. Her father never went anywhere without letting at least one of his girls know where he was. What if... the police were right this time?

"Jessica, listen," Sooyoung quickly said. "We can't be sure about anything right now, let's not jump to conclusions." She held the girl's arm, giving her an assuring grip. "We'll find a way to contact your dad."

Jessica didn't move an inch, her breaths were short and her eyes still widen. She couldn't believe it. She couldn't believe her dad could ever abandon her, her sister, her mom. She didn't want to believe it, but she couldn't help but to have the feeling it was really happening. She started to feel a terrible headache, her eyes squinted in pain.

"Come on, Sica." Sooyoung pulled on her arm. "Yuri was one of the last people seeing your dad yesterday. Yuri probably knows something."

At the mention of Yuri, Jessica felt a glimpse of hope rising. She gave Sooyoung a nod and followed the taller girl into the building. If there's no way to get assurance from, at least there were still Yuri's embraces.

----------

Yuri looked at the person in her room, hiding her uncomfortableness. Her visitor was playing with her pen, oblivious to her worries.

"Stop it." She said, and the pen was immediately dropped on the desk's surface.

"Geez, can't I have just a little fun?" The person complained.

Yuri was just about to retort, but a knock on the door stopped her. The two pairs of eyes were immediately fixed on the door.

"Yuri! Open up, it's Sooyoung and Sica!"

Yuri gulped at the voice of her best friend coming from the other side of the door, clear and impatient.

"Wow." The person sitting across turned to her, raising an eyebrow. "Perfect timing, don't you think?"

Yuri didn't answer, nor did she look back at the one talking to her. Her eyes slowly glazed over as she stood up and approached the door. She took a deep breath before turning the knob.

It's time for the inevitable.