“I thought we already talked about this.” Jooeun said with her arms folded on her chest. She is clearly upset, staring at her husband’s side facade.

“Jinhyuk..” Jooeun called when her husband said nothing.

The man is busy staring outside through the window from her office, trying to clear his mind.

“I was just trying to protect my daughter.” Jinhyuk shrugged.

He can see what’s left.

The garden is a place where he and his wife, and Sooyoung were used to spent times together. The very sama garden where Jooeun taught Sooyoung to plant her first flower, the same garden where Sooyoung learned to differenciate from lily and sunflower.

Sooyoung is grown up now. She is even already married.

“From her wife?” Jooeun asked, her brows twisted “who is obviously, and madly in love with your daughter?”

“Well, if you forgot,” Jinhyuk’s left brow rose “she admitted our daughter to the hospital.” He reasoned “and she broke Sooyoung’s heart.”

“It was a misunderstanding.” Jooeun argued “which already resolved.”

“It doesn’t chance the fact that she hurt Sooyoung.”

Jooeun sighed.

Sooyoung is their only daughter, and the brunette has always been behaving. Sooyoung is a daughter every father would wish for. Even if not always, most of the time, Sooyoung listens well to her parents, and the latter is good, a really good daughter. Well, again, most of the time.

Which is why, sometimes, being the only child, and daughter to make the list, Jinhyuk is worried a lot over his only daughter’s well being.

“They have their own life.” Jooeun reminded “they are trying to make their own family, they are in love, Jinhyuk.” She said softly, gently running her husband’s arm.

“And that’s just what I want to prove.”

“Jinhyuk--..”

“I have to know if she is treating our daughter well.”

“Well, Sooyoung is happy, don’t you see?”

“Just for today?” Jinhyuk is staring at his wife’s eyes “who knows what happen tommorow? Or next week? Or next month?”

“Living with us doesn’t guarantee that she is treating Sooyoung well.”

Jinhyuk’s brows creased “and if she is treating Sooyoung bad while living with us, how could I let Sooyoung to--..”

“What I mean to say,” Jooeun cut “we have to trust them.” She added “Sooyoung can take care of herself. And she knows that she can always come back to us whenever she is hurting.”

“Besides,” Jooeun continued “how long are you going to hold them here? It wasn’t like you can keep them here forever.” Jooeun said “they are adults, and they are married.”

A long silence is what Jooeun gets from her husband.

“Jinhyuk..” Jooeun called softly, running her palm on Jinhyuk’s arm ups and downs “I know you are worried. But there is always a way. Ju-just not this..”

“I knew it! It shouldn’t happen in the first place!”

“Jinhyuk.”

“I shouldn’t let that—that idea took me off guard!!”

“Jin--..”

“She doesn’t deserve our Sooyoung, does she?” Jinhyuk frustratedly said “I should have prevent this from happening in the first place.”

“They are meant to be together.”

“How could you say that?! Sooyoung was admitted to the hospital! And she needs to visit the doctor for monthly check up for her asthma!”

“It was for temporary.”

Jinhyuk is staring at his wife sadly “..you know what..” he whispered “I know I can’t keep them here forever..” he said “but I will only let them go, I will only let Sooyoung go with her, if she give me a reason why I should..”

“Jinhyuk..”

“I don’t force them to stay, Jooeun.” Jinhyuk cut “but if they want me to accept her into the family and to acknowledge her as our family,” he said “that is the only condition I want.”

“You know they will--..”

“They can leave if they want, I never expected anything from the girl anyway.”

Sooyoung may be stubborn sometimes, and it is clear from her genes.

And Jooeun knows, she has not that much other options either.

-----

 

“Nice office.”

Tiffany is trying to be kind actually, just trying.

They had an icky start, the lawyer and her. It is why Tiffany is trying to make their relationship, bussines relationship obviously, to be better.

The last meeting at the cafe has gone a little bit out of hand, with the lawyer’s teasing and flirting which none has been taken by account by Tiffany.

This meeting, however, simply to discuss the case regarding the hotel. At least that’s how Tiffany wish for.

“Well, you are welcome to visit again.” Yuri said.

“Yeah, considering we are working on the case,” Tiffany mumbled “I might visiting a lot.”

“Or you would like to try another place,” Yuri smirked “like my--..”

“Don’t you go there!!” Tiffany cut before she groaned in disgust “why the hell you are so—so..!!” she sighed, not finding any appropriate word for the flirty lawyer “let’s just start, please.”

Yuri giggled. Tiffany is a girl who is fun to be around “take a seat.” Yuri said, pointed to the set of couch in her office, and Tiffany definitely prefer the single couch “coffee or tea?”

“I am fine.”

Yuri let another giggles “I won’t poison you.”

“Yeah,” Tiffany mumbled to herself “who knows.”

“Oh well, poison will do ne no good.” Yuri shrugged nonchalanty “but maybe drugs do.”

“What the hell!!”

Yuri laughed “oh you are really one interesting girl, aren’t you?”

“I am here for business related, Miss Kwon.” Tiffany said, pissed obviously “so if you may behave, will you start this meeting?”

“I was just trying to break the ice in between us.” Yuri reasoned.

“Oh, right,” Tiffany scoffed “like all that flirty, inappropriate jokes couldn’t let us more awkward that we already are!”

Yuri smiled softened, and for a mere second, Tiffany must see that something must have been really weird about this girl.

It is definitely more than weird. Yuri seems to change in a blink of eyes, and sometimes, Tiffany doesn’t like the fact, that she, herself like some sides of the lawyer.

Tiffany could see a little bit of her cousin once in a while, that over confident young woman, that verbally good attribute of the lawyer’s, and more importantly, that smile. Oh well, not exactly likely to be Sooyoung’s, but something in the lawyer’s smile makes Tiffany uncomfortable.

And that butterfly in her stomach doesn’t really help either.

“So, when are you going to be free again?” Yuri asked, Tiffany’s brows furrowed while the taller woman giggled “I mean, I need to meet the hotel’s PR.” She added “I need to hear the real problem before we arranged a formal meeting with the Palce hotel’s manager.”

“Ah..” Tiffany nodded.

A smirked made its way to Yuri’s face “however, I really don’t mind with what you have in your mind.”

Tiffany’s face flushed. It wasn’t her fault that she tought that the lawyer was trying to trick her for a date.

“I—I have no-nothing!!” Tiffany quickly denied.

“Ah, Tiffany..” Yuri chuckled “you are really, really adorable.”

Tiffany stood up hastily “I am going to the restroom!” she quickly said, before leaving the lawyer’s office. She doesn’t have to actually, Yuri has her owns ladies room in the office.

Yuri giggled softly, shaking her head in amusement.

The room get quiet the moment Tiffany left.

Yuri’s eyes wondered around her office, it feels empty. The office is decorated with paint, furnitures, but none of it could remind her of who she is, aside from that she is the lawyer, Kwon Yuri.

Something is missing, but Yuri doesn’t aware of what is it.

Yuri is only being a good daughter, leaning mostly from her father, the most workholic, and one of the top lawyers in the town, Yuri learned about not to mix things between work and personal, so none of her belongings here is personally have a deep meaning to her, not even a family photo.

There are medals, trophies, sertificates, which were all she collected since college. She owns more at home actually since elementary school, from debate competition, writing competition, and all that could put her into where she is.

But still, something is missing.

Yuri’s eyes wondered, before it falls to the coffee table where she works with her client just now. And it is when a small smile appeared on her face.

 

Tiffany bids her goodbye after less than ten minutes.

Mostly because she couldn’t affort to stay longer with the lawyer, and listening to all the fluttering words from the lady after they are done arranging for their next meeting with the hotel’s manager.

Tiffany is walking out from the building. She is just standing beside her car when her phone rings.

Stepping inside the car, Tiffany shoved into her bag, looking for her phone.

Hubby’s calling..

“Huh?” Tiffany’s brows creased in confusion.

Okay, who the hell is hubby in her phone, because Tiffany remembers that she never put one.

“Hello?” but she answered anyway, it is her phone, obviously.

“Hey, wifey, are you in your car yet?”

And Tiffany swore, the moment she hears that voice, the angers and annoyance inside her raised to the top.

“What the hell, Kwon?!”