Jacklin: Jun, I just can't go right now. I've got so much work to do.

Junmyeon: Baby, it's in two weeks. You'll have plenty of time to get everything ready.

Jacklin: I know but-

Junmyeon: Jacklin there's no buts. Sehun and I bought these tickets for you girls to go and have fun, relax, and enjoy yourselves for a few days.

Jacklin: This ticket isn't for you?

She asked, showing the second plane ticket. She read the passenger's name : Kim Juhyeon Irene.

Jacklin: Oh my God! For real?

Junmyeon: Yes. Irene will need some time to herself after  court. She's been under a lot of pressure lately, and you too. Just go and have a nice girls' trip, will you?

Jacklin looked at the tickets once again and sighed. It was not that she didn't want to go, on the contrary, she couldn't wait to see her parents and siblings. It's just that she was still trying to get Mrs. Kim to fully like her and for Junmyeon to talk to her again.

She would have to do it before leaving.

Jacklin: Baby... don't you want to make a truce and talk to your mother? She must be upset that you are not even trying. You're her first son after all.

Junmyeon: Jacklin-

Jacklin: Please don't serve me excuses such as pride or anything else. Please just do this for me. It would mean a lot to me to know that you've reconciled with your parents, before I go see mine.

Junmyeon: Lin... you know that if you put it that way I won't be able to say no... and I really want to say no this time.

Jacklin: Don't be so stubborn... just say yes. I know you aren't fine with not talking to your mom. You've endured it pretty long for a mama's boy.

Junmyeon: Yah! I'm no mama's boy!

Jacklin: Ha-ha, alright you're not. Let's go to your house tomorrow!

Junmyeon: Hm?... it's her birthday tomorrow...

Jacklin: Really? That's a great occasion to go have lunch with her! Why don't you call her to let her know that you'll be coming tomorrow?

Junmyeon: I'd rather just go without telling her. Knowing my mother, she's probably expecting me to come anyway.

Jacklin: Neo, chincha! We'll go find her a good present, before going to your house.

Junmyeon: Arrasseo, arrasseo.

The next day.

Junmyeon and Jacklin were on their way to his family house, after spending the entire morning looking for the perfect birthday present for Mrs. Kim.

When they arrived, Noori welcomed them and naturally took away the bag that Jacklin was holding, to help her.

Noori: How are you, Lin-ah?

Jacklin: I'm good, Immo! How are you?

Junmyeon: "Lin-ah"? "Immo"?

Mrs. Kim: Ah, Lin, wasseo?

Mrs. Kim came from the living room and briefly held Jacklin's hand. Junmyeon looked at his mother and girlfriend smiling at each other. He was dumbfounded by the scene that was unveiling in front of him.

Junmyeon: What is going on here?

Mrs. Kim turned away from Jacklin and gasped in surprise, finally noticing her son.

Mrs. Kim: Junmyeon... you came?

Junmyeon: Hm... Saengil chukkahaeyeo.

Sungjae: Annyeong! Noona wasseo? Oh, Hyung, you really came?

Junmyeon: Erm, yes...

Junmyeon couldn't understand why everyone was so surprised to see him, and instead so welcoming to Jacklin.

Mr. Kim: Aigo, everyone is here! Let's go to the living room!

Junmyeon pulled Jacklin back when everyone was walking away.

Junmyeon: What is going on? Why is she like that with you?

Jacklin: I-

Mr. Kim: Come on, kids!

Jacklin: Come on, let's go!

Junmyeon: Lin!

Mr. Kim and Sungjae were entertaining everyone while they waited for their tea. Mrs. Kim and Junmyeon were making small talk, none of them wanting to really surrender. Jacklin could see where he got his stubborn personality from.

Jacklin: Eomonim, Junmyeon and I got you a present for your birthday. I remembered you told me that you wanted one, last time.

She gave her a round box. Mrs. Kim smiled and opened the present.

Mrs. Kim: Omona! A pancake pan! Omo, you were really listening to me?

Jacklin: Ah, keuromyeo Eomonim!

Junmyeon: Mianhandae, can someone tell me what all of this is about? Everyone is already so familiar with Jacklin, when you were all so stiff towards her, last time we came. Don't get me wrong, it's not that I don't like it, but I just don't get it.

Mr. Kim: Ah, you didn't know? Lin has been coming here everyday after work, for the past two weeks to help your mother around the house.

Junmyeon: Mwo?

Sungjae: Bahja, Hyung... she came everyday. I came home early sometimes to see how she was doing, and she was getting along with everyone just fine.

Jacklin: Sungjae... you knew?

Sungjae: Yes... I asked Ahjumma to keep it a secret, because I figured you didn't want Hyung to know yet.

Junmyeon: Why did you do that?

Mrs. Kim: What do you mean "why"? She came because she wanted to get to know me, and because it was necessary for me to get to know her. Isn't it common for a mother and daughter in law to bond together?

Jacklin: Eomonim...

Mr. Kim: Yeobo, have you changed your mind?

Mrs. Kim: We're not talking about marriage here, but I'll let them date freely and we'll take it one step at a time...

Sungjae: Hyogsi! Eomma, jjang! Ha-ha!

Junmyeon who was, up until now, keeping a cold face, smiled. He looked at his mother as if he could not believe what she had just said. He jumped from his seat and went to hug her tightly.

Junmyeon: Gomawo... gomawo, Eomma.

Jacklin was touched by the sight. She did not really know what to feel at the moment, though. Did she just agree to let them date "freely", like she said? Was it really happening?

After the birthday lunch, Junmyeon had to go back to the company for an emergency meeting with Sehun and the board office, so they had to leave. They were on their way to drop Jacklin at the Kim's.

Junmyeon: You are incredible, you know that? Thank you for making all of those efforts towards her, even when you knew she did not like you.

Jacklin: I never thought she disliked me, to start with. Remember the first time I met her? Before she knew I was your girlfriend, she complimented me. She just let her concern about your future blind her judgment. I just had to help her see through it.

He looked at her.

Junmyeon: You had a hard time, keuchi?

Jacklin: Oh, not really! Don't worry about that!

He looked at her once again, perfectly knowing what this meant. He caressed her cheek with his right hand and kissed her tenderly, before she got out of the car, then headed to the company.

He couldn't help but to smile again. It was still crazy to him how it all happened so fast. He expected his mother to be way more stubborn, and for much more longer than that. He wasn't really complaining about it anyway.

Sehun: Did you just get here?

Junmyeon: Eo? Nae. What's the problem?

Sehun: Mr. Park. He sent lawyers to the Kim's today.

Junmyeon: What? What for?

Sehun: They filled a lawsuit against Mr. Kim for, I cite, "using his daughter and forcing her to get married to a powerful and influential man, as a way to fulfill his financial and professional needs". Meaning that they were really after his money, all this time.

Junmyeon: What? It doesn't even make sense!

Sehun: I know, but it's a lawsuit, so we've got to take care of it. First, we need to find Mr. Kim another job. He can't stay there. It would be like admitting to the faults. I just finished talking with the board of my father's company.

Junmyeon: How about what we talked about, a while ago?

Sehun: That's what I was thinking about. I sent my driver to go pick Mr. Kim up. He'll probably be here in a few minutes.

Junmyeon: Alright.

+Sehun's POV+

Mr. Kim came to the office, and I explained how we would proceed to the case. First of all, we offered him a job at my father's company as a head of division in the textile department. It is similar to what he was doing, a few years back, before he got sick and ended up being replaced, so hopefully he will be happy with it.

Second, the lawsuit will have to be taken care of immediately, so we will hold a meeting with Mr. Park's party tomorrow. After that, we will only have four days before the actual court date for Irene, so we will have to make sure that they don't have anything against us.

Mr. Kim was reluctant and said that he would be thinking about it. I didn't want to urge him, but we needed him to answer before Irene's court case, for us to relocate him professionally, immediately.

We met with Mr. Park's party the next day and quickly closed the case. They didn't have any tangible proofs of what they advanced, so it was rather easy to get rid of it. Plus, Junmyeon scared them a bit with some of the accusations we had against their client. His stare when he is working is frightening.

I am glad that we are always on the same side.

Junmyeon, our team, and I spent days and nights working and finishing our plea for the court hearing, and without realizing, it was already the D-day. I picked Jacklin, Irene, her sisters, and her father up and drove them to the courthouse.

The girls had to come, because they were witnesses and victims also. We all walked in the building together and joined Junyeong and Junho.

Junho: Minhyuk is on his way.

Irene: Guys, I appreciate you all coming here today, but you really didn't have to. I feel like I am just being a bother.

Junyeong: We wanted to be there for you, Irene! It's really nothing, don't worry.

Junmyeon came running to us.

Junmyeon: Sehun, you cannot go in there.

Sehun: What? What are you saying now?

Junmyeon: I just heard a conversation between Mr. Park's lawyers, and they plan to use you as a proof that Irene and her father indeed planned everything to humiliate him, at the wedding. There were a lot of witnesses who saw you coming in and being thrown out by his security guards. It wouldn't be good if you came in.

Irene: What is all of this non sense? Sehun didn't do anything, and he can come in if-

Sehun: Irene... I think it's best if I stay here. We didn't prepare a reply to that argument, so it's best for me not to go in. We don't want to give them any chance to win.

Irene: Sehun!

Junmyeon: Irene it's a safe decision.

Irene: This is too much. We were not ready for this.

Sehun: Hey, look at me. You can do it! You've came too far, to be doubting right now. You're going to do this, okay? Plus, you'll have your entire family there with you. It will be enough.

She nodded her head and hugged me tight, before following everyone to the room. I waved and smiled at her to give her some strength, but I was stressed inside.

I sat on one of the benches in the hallway and waited. Waited. Waited. Her boss, Minhyuk came fifteen minutes after the beginning and had to be escorted in. How could he even show up after being this late? Did he take it as a joke?!

It seemed like the case would never be over with. I kept looking at my watch and at the door, to see if someone would be coming out from it.

After 45 minutes and what seemed to be a year long worth of waiting, someone finally opened the door. I held my breathe, waiting to see who would be walking out. It was Mr. Park. He looked at me intensely, obviously surprised to see me, and without saying a word he walked away with his lawyers.

After a few seconds, Irene and the girls walked out. I searched for her eyes to see if it was good or bad news, but she wasn't looking at me.

Sehun: Irene...

She finally looked up and that's when I realized that her eyes were filled with tears. I automatically put my hands on her cheeks and started caressing them.

Irene: Sehun... it's over. We... won. That man... is going to jail.

Sehun: Are you serious?

Junmyeon: More than serious. He got 6 years for harassment, violence, and defamation against Irene, Seulgi, and also a woman he used to see in the past. Our team managed to find her and she agreed to speak during the hearing. I was not sure that she would show up, so I didn't tell you, but after hearing what he did to her, they will probably put him in an institution, because I think he really needs help.

Sehun: It's really over then... wow. Thank you, Jun. Thank you!

Junmyeon: You've got to thank Minhyuk-ssi, and Seul too. They were the most efficient witnesses in there.

Sehun: What do you mean?

Minhyuk: Well, the reason I came in late was because I was looking through my CCTV videos of that night. I was hoping that at least one of my cameras would have caught something. They were so old, so I wasn't sure that they were still working, but thankfully they were.

Sehun: Oh... I am sorry... I misunderstood.

Minhyuk: It's okay. It's perfectly understandable.

Sehun: How did Seul help more than the others?

Seulgi: I had recorded his voice threatening me. I think that and the CCTV video made everything clear for the judges.

Sehun: I see... Anyways, thank you all so much for coming and helping us.

Mr. Kim: Sehun, we've got to thank you and Junmyeon for caring so much about Irene. I feel at ease knowing that my daughters will always have you two to take care of them. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Wendy: Thank you for protecting our sister, Oppa! Thank you so much!

Joy: We promise to be the best little sisters to you, for ever and ever, Eonnie!

Irene: Aigoo! Tears again? Aren't both of you tired of crying? Even princess is not crying today! Ha-ha.

Mr. Kim: And Sehun..  I'll take the job offer. I think I'd like to work there.

Seulgi: A job offer? What are you talking about?

Sehun: Long story. Then it's settled, Abeonim! I'll give you all the details, later on.

Jacklin: Let's go home and celebrate all the great news!

Minhyuk: Let's go to my restaurant. It's all on me today!

+End of POV+

Everyone cheered and left for the restaurant. They all had a great time and enjoyed each other's company. A few days later, Irene and Jacklin were flying to Toronto.

Irene was excited to be leaving the country for the first time and glad to have some time to herself. It was all working out just fine in the end. What a relief, she thought.