The following morning, the day before Joohyun’s birthday, started as any other would. They did not have to be to the courthouse for the second day of the trial until ten thirty. Joohyun picked Seungwan up and they drove to the office as usual, but the minute they stepped inside everything normal about the day flew out the window. As soon as the door clicked behind them, Seulgi was running over to them, calling out, “I need both of you in my office right now.”

    “What’s wrong?” Joohyun asked immediately as the three of them walked swiftly to Seulgi’s office. Seulgi went around her desk to her computer and both Joohyun and Seungwan followed, crowding around to look at the screen.

    “Look.” Seulgi said, pointing to the computer.

    The screen displayed an article on The Center Spot’s website, the headline reading: Forensic lawyer Bae Joohyun arrives at the courthouse holding hands with her secretary. About halfway down the page was a picture of Joohyun and Seungwan, hands interlocked, both looking solemnly ahead as they walked to the courthouse. Seungwan could picture the photographers that had been around them, the cameras flashing over and over again as they walked.

    “Oh my god.” Joohyun gasped, leaning closer to read the article. “Oh my god. Oh my god.” She was trembling now as her eyes scanned the screen over and over again.

    “Joohyun, if your mother sees this…” Seulgi said quietly.

    “I know.” Joohyun could hardly manage to get the words out, she was shaking so badly all over. “I didn’t think about this at all when we went in, I didn’t think it would matter.” She took a few shallow breaths, an attempt to calm herself down that failed. “You would think the fact the case was about a ing murder would be more interesting than who I’m holding hands with.” A tear slid down her cheek and Seungwan moved closer to her, sliding an arm around her waist.

    “That website is despicable, you know that.” Seulgi said in an attempt to comfort her. “They’ve written so many articles about Sooyoung and I, every time we’ve done a joint case they won’t leave us alone. It won’t matter in a few days, Joohyun, nobody will care anymore.”

    “My mother will.” Joohyun whispered, worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.

    “She might not even see it.” Seulgi tried to rationalize. Joohyun shrugged in a defeated way. Seulgi sighed, a sad look on her face. Joohyun was clearly fighting back more tears, leaning into Seungwan’s side for support. “I’m sorry.” Seulgi said softly.

    “You didn’t do anything.” Joohyun muttered.

    “It’s still an awful situation.” Seulgi replied.

Joohyun took a deep breath and said, “Life goes on.” She hugged Seulgi quickly and then made to leave.

Seungwan went to follow her, but Seulgi called her back. “Seungwan, stay a second.” She backtracked and Joohyun reluctantly walked on without her. “I’m sorry this is happening. I know this must be awful for you as well.”

“Not nearly as awful as it is for her.” Seungwan said sadly.

Seulgi sighed, her face solemn. “Look after her today, please. You’re the only one she’ll admit she isn’t okay to.”

“Of course.” Seungwan said with a nod.

“She really loves you, I hope you know that.” Seulgi went on.

“I really love her too.” Seungwan admitted softly.

Seulgi smiled sadly, and then came and hugged Seungwan. “Everything will be okay, I promise.”

“I hope so.” Seungwan whispered. She left after that, walking to Joohyun’s closed office door and knocking lightly. “Joohyun, can I come in?”

“Sure.” Joohyun’s voice was faint. Seungwan pushed the door open, and stepped inside, closing the door behind her. Joohyun was sitting in her office chair, her eyes red rimmed and her face tear streaked. She stood as Seungwan came in.

“Honey,” Seungwan said softly, walking over to her. “Come here.” Joohyun stepped into Seungwan’s arms, burying her face in the crook of her neck. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“It isn’t your fault.” Joohyun whispered, clutching at the fabric of Seungwan’s shirt, like she was scared Seungwan would disappear if she didn’t hold onto her. “Please, don’t think I’m ashamed of this.” She sobbed again quietly. “I’m just scared.”

“I know.” Seungwan rubbed her back and kissed the side of her head, hoping it would comfort her in some way. “It’s okay, it’ll all be okay. I won’t let anything happen.”

“I can’t lose you.” Joohyun mumbled, her voice shaky. “My mother finds a way to take away every good thing I have, I don’t want her to take you away too.”

“She won’t. I’m not going anywhere.” Seungwan reassured her. Joohyun cried against her, sobs wracking her whole body, making her tremble. Seungwan cried with her, tears falling silently as she thought about how terrifying this must be, how awful it was to think Joohyun didn’t even get a chance to tell her mother herself. Seungwan had never considered the reporters would even care in the slightest about their holding hands; she assumed, as did Joohyun, they would only care about the case that was beginning, considering how horrible it was and how anxious everyone was to see what the results of the trial would be. Joohyun’s phone rang on her desk, the caller ID popping up as Mother. “Don’t answer it.” Seungwan said firmly. “Don’t worry about it right now.”

“She’s going to disown me.” Joohyun said, her voice sounding far away, like she was somewhere else mentally. Seungwan was not sure what to say to comfort her, or to reassure her that wouldn’t happen because it was logistically the most likely possibility. It was why Seungwan had not spoken to her own family since she moved away to go to college, and she knew exactly how isolating it was to suddenly have no family, nobody supporting you.

“Well,” Seungwan started after a long moment. “No matter what happens, you still have a family. You have Seulgi and Sooyoung, and you have Yeri too.” Joohyun nodded slightly. “And you have me. You’ll always have me.” The phone rang again and they let it ring out, Joohyun taking deep breaths while Seungwan comforted her. “You can deal with it when you’re ready.”

“I have to be at the courthouse again by ten thirty.” Joohyun said, exhaling a low breath. “I’ll have to be there nearly everyday until this trial is over.”

“Do you want me to stay here?” Seungwan asked. “So things die down.”

Joohyun finally looked back up at her, wiping away tears with a delicate hand. “No, it’s pointless now.” She forced a smile, looking almost defeated.

“I won’t be upset if you would rather pretend nothing is going on with us.” Seungwan told her.

“I don’t want to do that, though. It isn’t fair to you, and it isn’t the truth. Besides, I’ll have to go through this eventually and it’s already happening, so I might as well finish it.” Joohyun said quietly. Her phone dinged three times, and she walked away from Seungwan to look at the messages. It was three curt messages from her mother, reading:

You better start picking up my calls, Joohyun.

I saw the article.

I cannot even begin to express my disappointment in you.

Joohyun sighed and set her phone back down, not saying anything. Seungwan wanted so badly to take all of this away, to be able to fix it in an instant. She hated to see Joohyun so upset and worried, so scared of what was going to happen. “Should I call her back?” Joohyun asked in a whisper.

“If you think you should.” Seungwan answered hesitantly. She knew it would only upset Joohyun more to talk to her mother, but she also thought it might be better to just get it over with.

“I guess I should.” Joohyun said, her tone reluctant.

“I can leave, if you would rather do it alone.” Seungwan offered, but Joohyun reached and clutched her hand.

“Please don’t go.” Joohyun mumbled. Seungwan stayed, running her thumb over the skin of Joohyun’s hand as Joohyun hit call and held the phone up to her ear. Seungwan could hear a muffled voice through the phone, though she couldn’t make out what it was saying. Joohyun’s grip on Seungwan’s hand tightened, and Seungwan felt a surge of anger towards Joohyun’s mother, hating her for making Joohyun feel so awful. “I’m nearly thirty years old, I shouldn’t have to answer to you about my love life.” Joohyun said angrily, and Seungwan was proud of her for being so bold. Her whole demeanor had changed as she had been listening; she stood straighter, the same look she wore in the courtroom gracing her features as she spoke. There was a faint response, and whatever it was made Joohyun roll her eyes. “This has nothing to do with Seulgi or Sooyoung! This is about me, and what I want out of life, and if that just so happens to be a relationship with a woman then you have to deal with that.”

Seungwan watched as angry tears tracked down Joohyun’s cheeks. Joohyun glanced up at Seungwan and Seungwan gave her an encouraging smile, mouthing You’re doing good.

“She’s only two years younger than I am, and so what if she works at the firm?” Joohyun said in a biting tone. Seungwan suddenly felt uncomfortable, knowing they were discussing her. “She is hardly a child, and I’m hardly taking advantage of her.” It made Seungwan’s stomach turn to think anyone was assuming Joohyun was somehow taking advantage of her. There was a long pause from Joohyun, during which she squeezed Seungwan’s hand tightly again and took even, paced breaths. “Nothing you say will change the way I feel.” Joohyun murmured. A muffled voice said something, and then Joohyun said, “Fine, disown me then.” Tears slipped down her cheeks and Seungwan gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. A moment later Joohyun hung the phone up with a trembling hand. “Well I just got disowned.” Joohyun let out a harsh breath.

“I’m so sorry, Joohyun.” Seungwan said softly. Joohyun shrugged, brushing the tears off her cheeks.

“There’s nothing I can do to change it.” She said matter of factly.

“It’s still terrible. You don’t deserve that.” Seungwan went on.

“Thank you, sweetheart.” Joohyun walked to her and hugged her, kissing her cheek and murmuring, “You are the most wonderful thing in the world.” Seungwan hugged her in return. With a sigh, Joohyun pulled away and said, “I guess we have to actually start the day.”

“Are you okay?” Seungwan asked. “You’re handling this a lot better than I thought you would.”

“Well, what you said about how no matter what happens I’ll still have you, Seulgi, Sooyoung, and Yeri makes it more bearable. I do still have a family.” Joohyun explained. “I’m sad about losing my mother, but in the end I think it’ll be better for me.” Seungwan smiled proudly and Joohyun smiled too. “I’m going to go and fill Seulgi in.”

They left the office together, and as they walked across the waiting room towards Seulgi’s office, Yeri stood and said, “I heard what happened.” She looked more solemn than Seungwan had ever seen her. “Miss Bae, are you okay?” Yeri asked.

“Yes Yerim, I’ll be fine.” Joohyun said back.

“Can I give you both a hug?” Yeri said in a small voice.

“Come here, Yeri.” Seungwan waved her over and she and Joohyun enveloped Yeri in a tight hug.

“I hate that bull website.” Yeri muttered. “They always focus on stupid stuff that doesn’t matter.”

“You’re right about that.” Joohyun agreed. Yeri stepped back from the hug and tried to give them both an encouraging smile.

“Well if it counts for anything, I think you guys are really good together.” She said. Seungwan felt her heart warm at the comment, and she and Joohyun both said their thanks before heading into Seulgi’s office. Both Seulgi and Sooyoung were in there, discussing something with each other. They looked up as Seungwan and Joohyun entered.

“What happened?” Seulgi asked. She sat in her office chair and Sooyoung stood behind it, her hand on Seulgi’s shoulder. They both wore the same expression of concern on their faces.

“I talked to my mother on the phone.” Joohyun said, her tone calmer than it had been. She kept her voice as even as possible. “And she disowned me.” Seungwan let out a sad sigh at hearing the words again, putting a hand on Joohyun’s lower back to comfort her.

“She actually did it this time?” Sooyoung looked shocked, her eyes wide.

“Yes, she did.” Joohyun’s voice was matter of fact as she said this.

“Goddamn.” Sooyoung let out in a low breath. “That ing .”

“Sooyoung.” Seulgi said softly, holding a hand up to quiet her counterpart. To Joohyun, she said, “I’m sorry Hyun, that’s so awful.”

“It’s been a long time coming, you know that.” Joohyun argued quietly. “She’s been waiting for a reason.”

“It still isn’t right.” Sooyoung muttered, still sounding angry.

“Well right or wrong, it’s the reality I’m facing.” Joohyun said with a sigh.

“, you have a trial today don’t you?” Seulgi asked, though she seemed to already know the answer. Joohyun nodded. “Are you going to go?”

“Of course.” Joohyun answered like it was a dumb question. “I wouldn’t miss work for something this trivial.”

“Getting disowned is not trivial, Joohyun.” Sooyoung replied, sounding almost amused. “Are you going?” She directed her question to Seungwan.

“Yeah.” Seungwan said quietly.

“That’s bold.” Sooyoung commented.

“In a bad way or a good way?” Seungwan asked.

“I’m not sure, probably both.” Sooyoung answered.

“I’m not ashamed of anything, and there’s no reason I shouldn’t bring her along considering she does still work for me.” Joohyun explained.

“That’s true.” Seulgi added in a thoughtful voice. “Are you going to say anything to the press if they ask?”

“I didn’t think about that.” Joohyun admitted. “I probably should, but who knows. They may not even ask.”

“They will, and you know it.” Seulgi told her.

“You tell them to take it and shove it up their asses.” Sooyoung said, which made Joohyun smile a little.

“Sooyoung!” Seulgi scolded. “Stop saying stuff like that at work, it’s unprofessional.”

“Oh like you’re going to fire me.” Sooyoung teased. Seulgi gave her an annoyed look and then Sooyoung went on, “Well even if you want to, Joohyun unnie won’t let you. At least she still likes me.” Joohyun laughed softly, and Seungwan and Sooyoung joined in too. Seulgi shook her head, holding back her own laughter.

“We should probably go and get ready for the trial, we have to be there by ten thirty.” Joohyun said, gesturing to the wall clock that told them it was nearing ten o’clock.

“Good luck today, with the press and everything.” Sooyoung said, coming over and hugging Joohyun tightly. “You’re gonna kick , you always do.” Joohyun smiled as she rested her head on Sooyoung’s shoulder, hugging her back.

“Thank you, Soo. You’re the best.” Joohyun murmured. Sooyoung smiled as she pulled back, letting Seulgi come up and have her turn hugging Joohyun.

“I love you, Hyun.” Seulgi said softly as she hugged her. “You’ll always have a family with us.”

“I love you too Seul.” Joohyun whispered back. “You’ve always been my family.” Seungwan smiled at the sweet exchange.

“You don’t get away without a hug, Seungwan!” Sooyoung said brightly, coming over and hugging her, making her grin. “You’re part of the family now too!”

Seulgi smiled as she and Joohyun ended their hug and she went and hugged Seungwan too when Sooyoung stepped back. “Thank you for taking care of Joohyun.” Seulgi said. “Make sure you’re taking care of yourself too.”

Seungwan smiled, saying, “Thank you, Seulgi.” There was a pause, and then, “You should start telling Sooyoung you’ll only let her get a dog if she stops swearing in the office.”

“That’s a fantastic idea.” Seulgi grinned as she spoke, looking back at Sooyoung. “Hear that, Soo?”

“Yeah, yeah, sure.” Sooyoung said with a slight laugh in her voice.

Joohyun and Seungwan left the office, going to make the preparations for the trial ahead of them. Today would be the first day witnesses would be called to stand, and Joohyun had everything planned out exactly. Seungwan had read through the entirety of the case file again the previous day, refreshing herself on everything so she could be aware of what would be happening during the court proceedings. She knew this would be a long, grueling trial for everyone involved and it weighed heavy on her mind that now they had to contend with the controversy started by the press in addition to the already stressful trial. They had collected everything they needed and headed out the door to the car by the time the clock hit ten, and the drive to the courthouse was a silent one. The day had already felt so long, despite it not even being afternoon yet. So much had happened between the article and Joohyun’s phone call with her mother, it hardly felt as if the trial was part of the same day. Joohyun maneuvered the car into the parking garage and parked close to the exit, so they had a short distance to walk to get out to the sidewalk.

As they waited for the signal to switch and let them cross the street, Seungwan noticed the hoard of reporters outside the courthouse, just as large as the day before. She swallowed hard, nervous now as she watched them. “It’s okay.” Joohyun said softly. “Don’t worry about them.” The signal switched and they began to walk, moving at a quick pace to the other side of the street. They began to head up the walkway towards the stairs of the courthouse and the reporters moved in, cameras flashing and people shouting. Seungwan cringed away from them on instinct. She felt Joohyun’s warm hand taking her own, lacing their fingers together. She whispered to Seungwan, “I’ve got you.”

“Any comment on the article published this morning?” A reporter at the edge of the cluster shouted.

Joohyun turned towards him, the icy glare Seungwan only knew from the courtroom clouding her normally gentle features. “Yes, actually,” She said in a clear voice. Seungwan held her breath as she waited for Joohyun to continue. “I think it’s ridiculous you all care more about my personal life than the trial you are supposed to be reporting on. A tragic thing happened, and we are here to seek justice for the victims, not to gossip. My personal life is of no concern to you, the only concern any of us should have is to get closure on such a horrible event.” She exhaled a low breath, and finished with, “Now if you’ll excuse me, we have somewhere to be.”

Joohyun immediately moved onwards, Seungwan in tow, as the reporters watched her go. They hurried up the courthouse steps, and Seungwan said in a proud voice, “You are incredible.”

“Oh, no.” Joohyun protested, her voice once again warm and quiet. “It was what needed to be done.”

“It was still kickass.” Seungwan said, which made Joohyun shake her head and laugh a little. They entered the courthouse together, hands still intertwined, leaving the sea of reporters behind them, not caring what was to be said.