They were in the courtroom, waiting for the proceeding to start. Tiffany looked at her friend who appeared to be lost in her own thoughts again. She sighed, searching for Jessica's hand and held it. The blonde girl turned her head and looked at Tiffany with a slight smile.

"You okay?" Tiffany asked with a worried expression. "I mean, are you sure you can do this?"

"I have no choice, Fany." Jessica squeezed Tiffany's hand - a gesture that should be telling Tiffany she was still standing strong on her own feet. She was not okay, but she can do it. "I can't leave mom alone."

"Dear..." Mrs Jung's voice came from the other site of Jessica. The girl released her friend's hand and turned around, hugging her mother. Mrs Jung looked so much weaker ever since her husband left. She had puffy eyes because of too much crying and lost a lot of weight because she couldn't swallow her meals. She would have starved herself if it wasn't for her two daughters. The woman tapped Jessica's shoulder a few times before releasing the hug. "You've really grown up, Jessica. I-I'm so proud of you."

Mrs Jung's voice cracked and Jessica just gave her mother a weak smile. She knew exactly what's playing on her mother's mind. Mrs Jung was thinking how proud her husband would be if he knew his daughter had turned into such a responsible person. But then, she remembered it was him who pushed the whole family into this kind of situation at the first place. A week had passed by, but not once did they receive any news from Mr Jung. They didn't know where he was, what he's doing, if he's safe, if he knew that they have to appear in court. They didn't hear from him at all.

"Sica!"

Jessica turned around and saw Taeyeon and Sooyoung approaching her. A woman in a black suit was following them, holding tightly onto a small, typical black working suitcase. She appeared to be in her late twenties, her serious face wore glasses and looked both intelligent and beautiful. Jessica stood up from her seat. She knew who this person was.

"Nice to meet you, Ms Park."

"Please call me Narsha, Ms Jung." The lawyer shook her hand.

"Please call me Jessica, too, then."

Narsha nodded smilingly and waited as Tiffany stood up to make place for her. She sat down next to Jessica and immediately proceeded to serious business.

"I have read up on the case file on the way to the venue," Narsha said as she flipped through a document she had just taken out from her suitcase. "So the Kim Company and another company have brought action against the Jung Enterprises for breaking the working contract, right? Since the Jung Enterprises suddenly stopped with the execution of their assigned projects, the two other companies had to suffer financial lost. They now demand compensation, which, according to the contract, the Jung Enterprise has to pay. There's no way to get around it. But JE's financial limit doesn't allow this to happen, and that's why it has to be settled in court. Did I get everything so far?"

Jessica just nodded, knowing that Narsha didn't really want to hear her answer. The lawyer was too occupied with the papers, her thoughts revolving around the case, already scheming a plan of what to say and what not. Narsha was an acquaintance of the Chois, a fairly good lawyer with three years experience in the job. Years ago, when she was an orphan moving to the city from the countryside to study law, the Choi's restaurant was the place she found home - Mr Choi let her rent a room in their two-story house. Soon, she was treated like a daughter of the family. She didn't really have to worry about paying for her meals anymore and could focus on studying instead. Narsha practically owed the Chois her six year university education, and thus, she promised she would help them with any issue involving law for the rest of her life.

Sooyoung had told Jessica about Narsha. The lawyer would not appear before the last minute due to her busy schedule, but on the other hand, she didn't want to be paid. Jessica knew she owed Sooyoung, big time, again.

"Jessica!"

"Huh--what?"

Sooyoung rolled her eyes. "Listen, we don't have time for you to space out, okay?"

"Yeah..." Jessica feebly said. "I'm sorry."

"Alright." Narsha smiled and tapped the document with her paper, trying to draw Jessica's attention. "So I was saying, since your father is not here and you're the only other Jung who directly worked in the Jung Enterprise, you are the person the court will have to talk to. You need to focus and remember what I tell you now. We won't be able to avoid having to pay compensation, but we can try to file for bankruptcy. By that, your family will have sort of a protection from the law and the compensation will be restricted. It doesn't look too bright, but I think that, even though Mr Jung is still not found, the legal freedom of the other Jungs will not be constricted. To reduce possible material loss, you have to remember to tell the court that you have only newly joined your father's business. So the responsibility on your part will be smaller. You understand me, Jessica? Jessica?"

Narsha let out a frustrated sigh as the girl seemed to be spacing out again. She turned around to look at Sooyoung, only to realize the tall girl was just as distracted. Taking her glasses off to clean them briefly, a thought hit the lawyer's mind. There were these two people coming into the courtroom, and every eye on the Jung's side was fixated on them like glue. Narsha could only guess who they were, but she was pretty sure about her guess.

The Kwon siblings.

Thanks to Sooyoung, she had heard about things happening behind the scenes, too. She knew about the Kwon-Jung tension, knew about Jiyong, about Yuri's plan, about everything. It was just too bad they had absolutely no evidence to do anything against the bad men (and woman).

"Jessica." Narsha called again, this time with a softer look in the eyes as she more or less understood Jessica's emotional situation now. "Jessica..."

Yuri and Jiyong passed by and went to the other side of the courtroom. Jessica narrowed her eyes as Jiyong's eyes met hers, his smile was like evil fire, ready to blow her fuse any moment. She let out a disappointed sigh, however, as Yuri didn't even turn to look at her. Jessica let out another sigh, frustrated with herself for even being disappointed because of an I-don't-care Yuri at the first place.

"Jessica, can we continue please? The proceeding starts in ten minutes."

Narsha's sharp voice snapped her back to reality. She gave the lawyer an apologetic look, which Narsha returned with an understanding smile.

"Now, please listen to me carefully and don't get yourself distracted."

"Okay, I won't." Jessica told the lawyer, as well as herself.

No, she would not get distracted by Kwon Yuri again. No Kwon was worth her attention, let alone receiving any feeling of her. No Kwon, never, ever again.

----------

She passes the crowd of people waiting at the baggage carousal, stretching their necks to try to spot their luggage. She couldn't help but to giggle and immediately brought one hand up to cover her mouth. She always traveled light, and she was always amused and laughing at people standing there sweating in the crowd, waiting for their suitcases. It had become her habit, since when she didn't know.

Without much worry, the girl with the unique fashion style promenaded towards the immigration department. She showed the officer her Korean passport and immediately got the green light. Still humming a random song with super good mood, she approached the next green light with the "NOTHING TO DECLARE" sign. Giving the security guy a quick smile, which got him to blush, she strutted past him.

Finally, she had set her foot on Korean ground again.

And the first thing she did, as ordered, was to contact Kwon Yuri.

----------

The lawsuit ended for the day with the Jung property still being attached. The compensation was still not fully paid, but no definite verdict had been pronounced yet. However, the Jury had decided for Jessica to be innocent, which was a huge relief on the Jungs' side. Jessica knew she could trust Narsha; this woman seemed to be not just fairly good, but really talented. The way she had argued before court, and then looked at the Jury and said "You are the law!" when they were about to give their votes had an invisible, compact power, it seemed to Jessica, that made the Jury have to have sympathy with a girl whose father was running away from responsibility. Because truth was, Jessica was never to blame. None of what happened was really her fault.

The court had decided to give Mr Jung three months to return and take responsibility, otherwise a verdict would be pronounced without him at court, which was to anything but his advantage. The rest of the Jungs didn't need to pay the debts; at least not until a final sentence had been decided for Jung Jong Min. So Mrs Jung, Jessica and Krystal remained normal citizens with equal rights. The only restriction they had to bear was that they were prohibited to leave the country. Which they didn't plan to do, anyway.

"You could say this lawsuit is still pending," Narsha said to everyone as she and Jessica arrived at where the girl's friends, Mrs Jung and Krystal were waiting. "But at least for the coming three months, you can try to settle your lives. If your father doesn't return, you will have to start paying the debts off. I am sorry I couldn't push through with my six months demand."

"Please don't be sorry about that," Mrs Jung shook her head as she held Narsha's hands. "You've already done too much for us. I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Please, Mrs Jung." Narsha smiled at the woman. "The people you should thank are the Chois. I'm just trying to pay off my personal debts."

"Don't be like that, unnie," Sooyoung nudged the lawyer with her elbow, and the group broke out into a small laughter.

Jessica smiled along with everyone, more or less relieved about what happened today. However, the sight of her emaciated mother still made her heart ache. She couldn't find herself hating her father, nonetheless. To the contrary, she was actually very worried for him. Her parents had been married for more than twenty years already, and she had spent not much less time with that man. She simply knew him. She understood him. And she knew her mother did, too. He can't just run away like that. There's definitely more to it.

Jessica felt the familiar weird feeling in her chest as she, for the second time of the day, spotted Yuri. The girl was walking out of the courtroom with Jiyong, both looking not very pleased. Obviously because of the decision of the court, Jessica thought. The tanned girl looked like that person Jessica met almost four months ago in that vacation house. 'Business' was what was written on her cold face. Jessica felt something stirring inside her, a desire to make those emotionless eyes look into hers. Because, as odd as it might sound, she believed she was able to elicit some emotion in them.

No! Jessica smacked herself mentally. Yuri's figure disappeared behind the big door, and she found herself being utterly disappointed.

Don't care about her! Don't care about her! She told herself desperately.

"I need to use the washroom," she told everyone else. "Be right back."

Without giving anyone a chance to become suspicious, Jessica scurried out of the courtroom. Outside, the hall was filled with people, busy with themselves. Everyone was walking fast or talking on the phone, passing by Jessica without even noticing her. She looked around but couldn't spot the person she was looking for. Jessica slowly made her way through the crowd, occasionally tiptoeing to peek over all the heads. Still, no Yuri was in sight. She sighed and stopped in her tracks. She didn't even know why she was doing this. Why was she running after Yuri? Why did she want to see her? Wasn't she supposed to hate her? To never want to see her again?

Lost in her thoughts, Jessica approached the washroom absentmindedly. If she wasn't able to find Yuri, at least she must do what she had told her friends. She entered the women washroom and found it completely empty. Jessica was a little surprised at this fact, but soon she pushed that irrelevant thought out of her head. She approached a sink and realized she didn't feel like using the toilet either. With a sigh, Jessica turned on the faucet and let water flow down, cooling her hands. She rubbed her hands together while staring at her reflection in the mirror.

She was not emaciated. She did not have puffy eyes. She didn't even look that tired. But she looked incomplete.

She felt empty, she realized.

Jessica sighed and turned off the water. She dried her hands with the air blower next to the sink. The noise that the dryer created made her unable to hear the door of the washroom crack open. It wasn't until she looked up into the mirror again that she saw someone standing behind her. The sudden presence of the person caught her off guard, and she was visibly startled.

"Yuri--" Jessica turned around abruptly, her eyes immediately met Yuri's. She held her breath. Yuri's eyes - there was something in them. They were not cold, not empty. There was something.

"Hello, Jessica." Yuri said, her voice oddly hoarse. "Congratulations... The court's decision today is good for you, isn't it?"

Jessica didn't response. Yuri slowly took some steps towards the girl. She looked around the washroom to make sure no one was listening to them. It wasn't like she had a secret or something to hide, she was just not comfortable with the thought of other people eavesdropping her conversations.  

"How are you?" Yuri finally asked as her eyes finished the screening.  

"Why do you even care?" Jessica asked back, snappish and sudden. Yuri, however, didn't seem like she was taken aback. To the contrary, she was relieved. At least Jessica was talking to her.

"It's not like you're my enemy or something," Yuri shrugged. "I don't hate you."

"But I do."

Jessica was surprised herself at how emotionless she sounded. Piercing cold, she had set a thick ice wall between them with just a short sentence. She saw Yuri staring at her, for how long she didn't know. Then, the girl nodded. An understanding nod, an accepting nod. Yuri was telling her: It's okay if you hate me. I understand. I don't blame you. And just because of that simple nod, tears swelled up in Jessica's eyes.

Yuri turned around to leave, thinking that her presence so far had made Jessica feeling uncomfortable enough. She was already hated, Yuri thought, she didn't want to feel this hatred. With her back facing Jessica, she approached the door. She gripped the doorknob, thinking that this was probably the last time they see each other.

"Yu--"

Jessica's voice cracked behind her. Yuri held her breath.

"Did you... have you ever--"

Yuri released the door knob and turned around. Jessica wasn't crying, she noticed with relief. The girl was shaking a little, but did her best to control her body.

"What is it?" Yuri asked.

"..." Jessica gathered herself together. "Did you ever really love me?"

This time, Yuri was caught off guard. She couldn't hide her surprise at the direct question. An influx of flashbacks hit her mind in an instant. But out of all, Yuri saw one the clearest.

They lied in bed together, Yuri's arms protectively wrapped around Jessica. The tanned girl leaned forward, giving the blonde a loud peck on the forehead, causing her to giggle.

"Gosh, you are so cute," Yuri laughed, her cheek pressing against Jessica's hair.

"I know I am," Jessica sighed contently against Yuri's shoulder. She then remained quiet, enjoying the moment of bliss. It became comfortably silent, their breaths harmonizing with each other as they were relaxing in each other's arms. But before Yuri could drift off to sleep, Jessica lifted her head again. Moving a little away from the tanned girl, she shifted herself into a position where she could look into Yuri's eyes.

"Tell me Yuri," she began, and Yuri was giving her all her attention. "How much do you love me?"

The tanned girl looked surprised for a moment, but then a smile slowly formed on her face. She reached out, stroking Jessica's cheek lovingly.

"You really want to know?" Yuri asked, and Jessica nodded eagerly. "Then, do you know how many people are living in Korea?"

"Eh? No, not really. Why?"

"Do you know much water there is in the Nile?"

"What does that have to do with my question?"

"Sica, do you?"

"No."

"Well, do you know how much energy is within the universe, then?"

"Yah! What is your point?!"

"My point is... How am I supposed to define my love for you, when those little unimportant and insignificant questions are already impossible to answer?"

It took Jessica a moment to realize what Yuri was saying. When she finally understood, she blushed and shrieked. Grabbing her pillow, she hit it against the laughing girl's face.

"Gosh! You're so cheesy!" Jessica yelled. But she shut up as Yuri pinned her down the sheets, hovering above her with a big grin.

"Why, thank you. I know I am." Yuri whispered before leaning in for a kiss.

"I didn't." Yuri said after a long pause. "I never loved you. I'm sorry."

Yuri stared at Jessica, seeing the girl clenching her teeth tightly together. Tears were about to spill, and Yuri knew she definitely didn't want to see them. But before she could even move, Jessica was already running. The girl passed by her, sleeves wiping the eyes, and banged the washroom door shut before Yuri could react.

Yuri didn't chase after Jessica. There was no reason to. Although Yuri knew for sure, Jessica was crying out there, wishing for nothing more than Yuri to run after her and take all the heartbreaking words back.

All Yuri did was staying silently in the washroom. Her own words echoed in her mind repeatedly.

I never loved you. I never loved you. I never loved you.