Jessica felt extremely embarrassed of what Yoona had told her.  She couldn't believe that she had spent the night in Jiyong's room.  She scratched her head as she jumped off Yoona and Seunghyun's bed.  Yoona and Seunghyun were already dressed in casual attire to get some breakfast on the bottom floor.  Yoona had a flowy dress on while Seunghyun wore a shirt with a pair of denim jeans.  Jessica, on the other hand, still had her hair in tangles.  She was still wearing the oversized hospital gown.

"You guys go ahead and get breakfast.  I'm going to take a quick shower and I'll meet you guys there," Jessica advised them.

"Okay," Seunghyun answered, "We'll save you a seat in our table."

Jessica nodded as Seunghyun and Yoona walked out of the room.  After they walked out of the room, she let out a sigh of desperation.  She didn't know how she was going to explain about last night to everyone.  She closed her eyes as she gently massaged her temples.  It was going to be a long day for her.

Jessica looked at herself in the mirror and ruffled her hair in frustration.  She was afraid of the consequences of last night.  She didn't know what she said while she was with Jiyong.  She didn't even remember being there.  She dragged her feet across the floor into the bathroom.  She had to fix herself up because of how disheveled she looked.

After Jessica took a quick shower, she combed through her hair and put on a pair of shorts and a casual shirt.  She applied her makeup and then combed her bangs down.  She looked in the mirror and gave an approving look.  She didn't look tired anymore.  She grabbed her purse and put her cellphone, wallet, and cosmetics in it.  

When she stepped out of the room, she saw a familiar face.  Everyone on the top floor had already gone down to the first floor to get breakfast, so Jessica was a bit surprised to see someone getting out of their room so late.  A frown appeared on Jessica's face as she briskly walked towards him.

"How dare you?" Jessica asked with bitterness, "How can you do this?"

Jiyong gave a resentful expression on his face.  He was angry at her for jumping off the ship.  During the whole night, he was wondering what might have caused her to jump off the ship.  

"How can you jump off the ship?  How dare you try to take your own life?" Jiyong sharply replied, "That was selfish of you."

Jessica was puzzled.  She didn't remember trying to commit suicide.  She scratched her head as Jiyong began to walk his way towards the elevator.  The elevator was taking too long to open, so he took the stairs.  Because Jessica was so confused, she began to follow him with eagerness.

"What are you talking about?  I was not trying to kill myself!" Jessica defended.

"Yeah right," Jiyong spat, "Don't tell me that you jumped off the ship by accident."

Jessica exclaimed, "It was an accident!"

Jiyong had enough of her and turned around.  Jessica grew a bit frightened at the look in his eyes.  He seemed so frustrated and angry.  His face inched nearer and nearer to hers as she sunk down.  She had never been afraid of him, so it was an odd feeling.  She nervously swallowed the saliva in with anxiousness.

"If you ever try to commit suicide again, I want you to think about the people that truly love you.  Think about your sister and friends.  Most importantly, think about the people who had sacrificed everything to protect you," Jiyong said with a serious tone, "Don't make all their efforts go to waste."

Jessica felt in a haze at what was happening.  She was not trying to commit suicide!  To top that, she was confused of who he was referring to.  Jessica's jaw dropped slightly as she saw his eyes watering.  It was as if he was holding in his tears.  Jessica felt her heart drop for a second as she thought of him crying.  

"No one's sacrificing anything for me," Jessica stated, "No one's protecting me.  I protect myself."

"You're still stupid," Jiyong sighed as he continued to walk.

Jessica was even more baffled by Jiyong.  What was he talking about?  Why was he mad at her when she should be angry at him for bringing her into his bedroom?  Jessica grunted as they entered the breakfast room.  She saw Yoona wave her hand up while Seunghyun gave a little nod.  Without saying goodbye to her, Jiyong walked to the table where Jisun and Yuri were sitting.  Jessica confusingly walked to the table with Yoona and Seunghyun.

Jessica took a seat as she set her purse down at the table angrily.  She was always infuriated when she was bewildered about things.  She didn't know why Jiyong was so mad at her.  She didn't try to kill herself.  She grunted in frustration as the married couple stared at her with disbelief.

"Unnie, is something wrong?" Yoona asked.

"What exactly happened last night?" Jessica questioned.

She glanced at Jiyong's table.  They were about seven tables away from each other.  They both had perfect views of each other, but he couldn't hear what she was saying.  Seunghyun sipped on his black coffee while Yoona put down her fork.

"Did I try killing myself?  Did I?  That stupid man is mad at me," Jessica ran her fingers through her hair.

"I really don't know," Yoona admitted, "Min called us in the morning after we found you.  She informed us that you were found in the water.  You had gone overboard."

Seunghyun added, "I talked to some of the staff members that were present during the whole incident.  They said that Jiyong found you first and he jumped in to save you.  I guess he does have a right to be mad.  He did put himself at risk for you."

"He jumped in and saved me?" Jessica pondered, "I don't remember a thing from last night!  The last thing I remember is partying in Jisun's birthday.  I was drunk...and I think I was drugged off medications."

"Yes, you were," Yoona confirmed, "Min confirmed that you were almost unconscious last night.  You had alcohol in your system, and maybe that's what caused you to jump."

"But why in the world would I jump?" Jessica scratched her head, "Maybe I slipped or something..."

"Instead of wondering over that, shouldn't you thank Jiyong for saving you?  Without him, you probably would have drowned to death," Seunghyun contended.

Jessica's eyes narrowed to hear those words coming out from the mouth of her brother-in-law.  She was taken aback to hear him taking Jiyong's side in the whole situation.  Yoona grew apprehensive as Seunghyun talked casually without anything really bothering him.  

Seunghyun sensed the awkwardness in the atmosphere.  Yoona also pinched his thigh under the table to explain himself.  She hated awkward moments.

"What I mean is that you should look at the bright side instead of the negative things.  You're lucky that he saved you and that you're still alive.  If he didn't save you, you would have been left behind by the ship and you would have probably drowned," Seunghyun clarified.

The whole cruise was over within a few hours.  Yoona and Seunghyun thanked Jisun for allowing them to attend the celebration.  Jessica had not thanked Jiyong for saving her because he seemed to ignore her.  She planned on doing it, but part of her was hesitant.  She mumbled to herself with disappointment as she sat in the backseat of Seunghyun's car.  Seunghyun was driving with Yoona in the front seat.  They were on their way home from the cruise.  Once the ship docked, everyone said their goodbyes, but Jessica noticed that Jiyong was the one that left quickly without a word.  She glanced at him before she had entered Seunghyun's car and saw him waiting in his car impatiently for Yuri and Jisun to finish up with their goodbyes.  

Jessica stared out the window as she watched the scenery pass by her.  She rested her head against the car door as she sighed.  She was physically and emotionally drained.  She couldn't wait for the wedding to happen so that she could push Jiyong and Dara away from her life.  Yoona sensed her sister in deep thought and turned around to observe her.  Worry filled her face to see Jessica in distress.  Jessica always acted strong, but Yoona knew that she was breaking down in the inside.

"Unnie, are you fine?" Yoona asked.

Jessica nodded slowly, "Yes, it's just that I'm tired.  Once I get back home, I need to look at venues for the wedding.  Dara told me to bring Jiyong along with me."

Every minute that Jessica spent with him was a bittersweet moment.  It was like she liked spending time with him, but at the same time, it hurt her.  Sometimes she would forget that they weren't together, but reality would snap her back in her place as the wedding planner that his fiance hired.

Jessica parked her car to the side of the curb as she waited for Jiyong to arrive.  She leaned back on her seat as she let go of the steering wheel.  She sighed as she grabbed her purse the moment she saw Jiyong's car.  She stepped out of the car.  She wore a pair of denim jeans and a cotton cardigan.  She swung her purse around her shoulder as she made her way to the building.

Jiyong joined her side as he tried to break the awkwardness with a gentle smile.  Jessica just smiled back politely.  She then grabbed the booklet that Dara had made her before she had left for New York.  Jessica began to read over the book as Jiyong opened the door for her.  Jessica's eyes narrowed to read the words written on the papers.

As of for the venue, I would prefer it if it was on the chateau down on Seacrest Avenue.  Jiyong may protest it because he may want it somewhere else, but just ignore him.  No matter what happens, make it happen on the chateau.  I want it there, so just ignore his requests.

Jessica couldn't believe how stubborn Dara was.  She wanted everything her way.  She shook her head as she thought of Dara controlling Jiyong as if he was her puppet.  Jiyong sensed her disapproving attitude and grew curious over what she was reading.

"What does it say?" Jiyong asked.

Jessica stretched the truth, "It's nothing.  Let's just look at the chateau."

As they walked into the chateau, Jessica took a breath in.  Everything looked high-class. It was as if belonged to royalty.  All the decorations seemed to be fragile.  Curtains were draped over all the windows and the white marble tiles glistened under the large crystal chandelier.  Jessica immediately knew that Jiyong didn't like it.  It seemed too much of a fairytale.

"So, Dara wants it here," Jessica said in a low voice.

"I don't like it.  It's too big!  I told her that I only wanted 200 guests to be there.  It's as if she wants to invite all of Seoul or something.  To add on to that, everything here is too...fancy.  Everything is breakable.  If my friends and family come here, they'll probably end up breaking everything with their craziness.  And there's hardly any space for dancing.  All of the space is taken up by those harps, pianos, and fountains," Jiyong confessed, "I think I want it somewhere else."

Jessica sighed because she read in the first page of the booklet that Dara wanted 800 guests to attend the grand wedding.  It was as if Jiyong and Dara had two different ideal weddings.

"Please reconsider this," Jessica breathed.

Jiyong sensed her nervousness as her hand trembled while holding the booklet.  Without a warning, Jiyong snatched the booklet out of Jessica's hands.  Jessica tried to get it back from him, but he raised it up so that she could not reach it.  He began to read it as she brought her head down.  She stared at the floor and knew that he was going to be hurt by Dara's written words.

Jiyong read the section that told Jessica to ignore any of his ideas or requests.  Jiyong's eyes ignored contact with Jessica as he handed her the booklet.  

"Just do whatever that booklet says," Jiyong said bitterly, "She always gets what she wants anyways."

Jessica sensed the disappointment in him and ran after him as soon as she grabbed a business card on one of the tables.  She ran after him outside to see that he was staring at a building.  Jessica stopped running and panted.  Once she saw what he was staring at, she knew what was going on in his mind.  In front of them was the karaoke bar they always went to as lovers.

"Let's go," Jiyong whispered.

Jessica disagreed, "This is a bad idea."

Jiyong didn't care and grabbed Jessica by the hand and dragged her to the entrance.  Jessica tried to shake his hand off, but he held on firmly.  Once they entered the building, they were greeted by familiar faces.  Jessica stared at them with confusion to see her friends again.  A bunch of names went through Jessica's mind to see their faces.  Bora, Yoobin, Siwon, Wooyoung, Junho, and Jia were present.  They were in the same exact karaoke room they used to sing in.  Bora and Yoobin screamed out in happiness to see Jessica.  They grabbed Jessica by the hand and pulled her into the room.

"Where have you been for the past four years?  Have you been hiding under a rock?" Yoobin asked.

"We thought you went missing or something!  When we would ask Yoona about you, she would say that you were busy and you couldn't attend any hangouts.  We thought she murdered you or something!" Bora exclaimed jokingly.

Jessica felt a warm atmosphere surrounding her to see a few of her close friends again.  She felt a warm tingle in her heart to be surrounded by people she was naturally comfortable with.  She nervously swallowed as she felt Bora grabbing her hand.  Jiyong smiled at his old friends as Junho dragged him into the karaoke room.

"Can you still believe that we keep the tradition?  We still sing Karaoke every Thursday!" Jia smiled.

Everything looked exactly the same.  The little stage was still there; the tables were in the same exact positions.  Jessica gave a hopeful smile to see that even her friends were the same.  Jiyong on the other hand was shocked that his friends were there.  He wasn't expecting them to keep the tradition for so long.  He figured that maybe they had that unbreakable bond that he used to be a part of.  Ever since he ran away from the wedding, he had not made contact with them.  He immediately went to America to study business.

The pictures hung on the wall brought heartbreak to Jessica.  She knew that they were still there, but she refused to look at them directly.  On the wall, there were pictures of Jiyong, Jessica, and their other friends.  Even Seunghyun, who was reluctant to sing, sang in the karaoke room and took a picture for the wall.  Jessica refused to look at the picture frame in the middle.  There was a picture of Jessica and Jiyong singing their first duet song together.  She spotted a shot of tequila on the table and drank it in one gulp.  She didn't feel the affect, but she felt better.  

"Jessica ah, you're better at singing than Jia, Bora, and Yoobin combined!" Wooyoung called out, "Why won't you sing for us again?"

Jessica shook her head, "That's really not neccessary."

Siwon pushed her up to the stage as she stumbled.  She almost fell, but she immediately kept her balance.  She looked completely confused as Jia gave her the microphone.  Jessica shut her eyes as she heard the song starting.  Her heart began to thump out of her chest.  She used to always sing this song a lot when she was dating Jiyong.  It was their song.

Jessica wasn't going to sing the song, but she felt carelessness running through her body as the alcohol boosted her confidence.  She started to sing.  Every note she sang was as perfect as her.  Jiyong stared at her as she sang her heart out.  Junho sensed the increase in confidence and handed her a bottle of beer while she sang.  She happily took it and began to drink it when there were pauses in the song.

Jiyong couldn't help but continue to stare at her.  How could someone look so perfect while singing and drinking a beer?  

"If I ain't got you," Jiyong whispered the title of the song under his breath.

Bora nodded, "Yes, Alicia Keys sang it!"

Her voice was providing a haven for his ears.  He missed hearing her sing.  What he didn't know that it was her first time singing in about three years.  She tried singing one year after he left her, but it was too painful for her.  He was like the music to her life and when she sang, it reminded her of him.  As the song came to a finish, she bowed deeply and put the microphone down on a nearby stand.  Jiyong didn't want her to get drunk to the point where she wouldn't be able to walk.  He took the bottle of beer away from her and shook it gently.  It was already empty.  He grabbed Jessica by the wrist and announced his decision to take a leave.

"It was really nice seeing you guys again, but I really can't have her more drunk.  I'll contact you guys sometime," Jiyong waved.

As soon as Jiyong and Jessica left the karaoke bar, Bora raised an eyebrow with curiosity.

"He's in a rush to get her home," she observed.

Jia added, "Remember their wedding?  I thought they weren't together anymore.  Why in the world are they together again?"

"Beats me.  Maybe they rekindled their love again.  I'll go ask Yoona later," Siwon shrugged his shoulders.

Jiyong tried to lead Jessica to her car, but figured that she wasn't sober enough to drive.  He then changed the direction and tried to drag her to his car, but she brushed off his grip on her wrist.  She began to wander off to another part of the street as she stumbled.  She was obviously buzzed and it was confirmed when she started to smile and laugh for no particular reason.

He saw her pointing at a small restaurant.  Jiyong looked at what she was pointing at and had a flood of memories run through his brain.  He was looking at a small but cozy restaurant.  

"This street has all the places we used to like!" Jessica cried out with excitement, "First the karaoke bar and now the restaurant!  I love this street!"

Jessica opened the door and quickly ran into the place.  Jiyong ran after her and stopped in his tracks as soon as he entered the restaurant.  He saw two familiar faces that stared at them with disbelief.  

Sooyoung was sweeping the floor while Daesung was lifting up the chairs to the tables.  The two were a married couple.  They had fulfilled their lifelong dream of opening up their own restaurant more than five years ago.  Sooyoung was the one in charge of the kitchen and Daesung was the one that took care of the business matters.  Sooyoung's eyes drifted from Jessica and Jiyong as Daesung stared with wide eyes.

"Sooyoung ah!" Jessica exclaimed as she threw her arms around the fragile woman.

Sooyoung was a bit shocked, "Yah, are you drunk?"

"She's not drunk!  She's a bit buzzed," Jiyong corrected her.

Jessica gave Daesung a high five and ran to a table.  She sat down and waited for Jiyong to join her.  She beckoned for him to join her in a seat.  Jiyong shyly bowed to Daesung and Sooyoung and took a seat across Jessica.

"Actually we were about to close, but we're more than happy to stay a little longer for the two of you," Sooyoung informed them in a low tone.

Daesung agreed, "Yeah...anything for old friends."

Without hesitation, Sooyoung walked up to Jessica while Daesung had his eyes fixed on Jiyong.  

"Jessica, do you mind helping me in the kitchen?  I already know what you're going to ask for, but I need help getting it to the table," Sooyoung requested.

"Of course!" Jessica giggled as she skipped to the kitchen.

Once they were in the kitchen, Sooyoung hugged Jessica tightly.  She had missed her so much.  Tears glazed across her eyes to finally see Jessica again.  It brought Sooyoung happiness to see Jessica with a smile on her face.  Sooyoung then shut the door so that Daesung and Jiyong couldn't hear them.

"Sica, what happened to you?" Sooyoung questioned, "I tried contacting you over the years, but you never replied.  You only kept contact with Tiffany and Yoona.  Sunny and Taeyeon told me that you visited their flower shop a few days ago, and they had tears in their eyes when they told me that they finally saw you again.  Seohyun has been trying to contact you through e-mail and text even though her schedule is busy with her new teaching job.  Yuri told me that she saw you when you visited her house to see Jisun.  And Hyoyeon was extremely concerned.  She was expecting you when she opened up her dancing school with Eunhyuk, but you didn't attend. It has been four years.  You have avoided us for four whole years.  Yoona's always trying to make excuses for you, but we know that you're ignoring us.  Why?"

Jessica apologized, "I'm sorry.  It's just that...I-I'm still embarrassed over everything."

"Over what?" Sooyoung asked.

"Jiyong left me in the altar four years ago.  I thought you guys kept in touch with him because all of your guys' boyfriends were either related to him or friends with him.  I just don't want to be a burden on you guys anymore.  I didn't want you guys to worry over me.  And I didn't want you guys to see the new me.  I'm a monster now," Jessica explained.

Jessica began to feel a little dizzy, but she managed to keep the tray of food steady in her hands.

"Come on, let's go put the food in the...the t-table," Jessica slurred.

___________________________

Daesung took across from Jiyong and looked at his cousin in the eye.  Jiyong felt embarrassed with how everything played out.  He didn't want his own cousin looking at him with that look.  Daesung didn't know why Jessica was with Jiyong, but he was concerned over everything.  Daesung folded his hands together as Jiyong fidgeted in his seat.

"You know you're only hurting yourself with what you're doing," Daesung spoke softly.

Jiyong shook his head, "Trust me.  I really don't want to be with her right now.  I just have to because she's my wedding planner."

"You still love her," Daesung stated, "You're my cousin and I know your heart.  You never got over her.  You broke up with her because of what you saw."

Jiyong cowardly brought his head down.  That was his first sign of weakness in four years.  He had transformed from being a music and arts student to a successful businessman in four years of time.  He had to show great power and dedication, but he felt helpless as he held the conversation with Daesung.  Daesung knew how much pain Jiyong was holding.  

"I broke up with her because she's not the one for me," Jiyong shook his head.

"Be honest with me for once," Daesung stated, "I can tell when you lie."

Jiyong sighed in defeat because he knew that Daesung knew him inside out.  He was close to Daesung just as he was close to Seunghyun.  Daesung was more observant than Seunghyun though while Seunghyun took more action than Daesung.  Because Daesung was more observant, he knew when something was wrong immediately.  

"You've been hiding from us for four long years, and you didn't bother to contact me or anyone else when you returned.  It's because you know that we'll find out that there's something wrong with you.  Just tell me how you feel.  Be truly honest with me.  Did you break up with Jessica because of what you saw?" Daesung asked, "I didn't tell anyone about it other than my wife.  Sooyoung vowed to never tell anyone.  Now tell me.  Be honest because I know when you lie."

Jiyong looked up and saw sincerity in Daesung's eyes.  Jiyong had been hiding in America for four years hoping that he would forget Jessica there.  He nervously swallowed as Daesung stared at him.

"I...I never stopped loving her, but she hurt me," Jiyong admitted, "And things are different now.  There's more to it."

"How can there be more to it?  You saw Donghae kissing her and it's as simple as that.  That's why you left her, right?" Daesung clarified.

Jiyong shook his head, "There is a lot more to it.  Even if she cheated on me a thousand times, I would still be crawling back to her feet.  That's how much I love her.  A few things popped up and a few circumstances changed, so I have to marry Dara.  It's as simple as that."

"Do you even love Dara?" Daesung asked.

"I taught myself to," Jiyong spoke.

Daesung rolled his eyes, "It's more like you forced yourself to!  That's not true love.  I know you want to cry Kwon Jiyong!  Cry if you want to!"

"Men don't cry," Jiyong corrected him.

Daesung shook his head, "Real men aren't afraid to."

"Not when your tears have run out," Jiyong saw in a low tone.

The door opened loudly as Jessica brought a whole tray of food to the table.  Sooyoung beckoned at Daesung to give Jiyong and Jessica time alone.  Daesung nodded and gave Jiyong a final word.

"You have a lot of misunderstandings about the past.  You should clear it up.  Once it clears, you may have another shot at happiness," Daesung whispered.

Daesung then stood up and entered the kitchen with his wife.  He had to help her clean up the kitchen since they gave their employees permission to leave early.  As soon as they entered the kitchen, privacy was provided for Jessica and Jiyong.  Jiyong stared at the food that Jessica had brought to the table.  Dishes of kimchi, pork belly, kimbap, and bibimbap filled the table as Jessica began to dig in.

Jiyong observed her and saw that she was extremely hyper and happy.  Beer had always made her happy.  When she was buzzed, she was a happy drunk, but when she had too much alcohol, she was very emotional.  She stuffed her face with a piece of kimbap as she chewed happily.

"This food is good for you," she told Jiyong, "Sooyoung made it with love."

"I'm not hungry," Jiyong told her.

Without a single reply, Jessica grabbed a piece of kimbap and stuffed it into his mouth with her hand.  She gave a faint smile and gently slapped his cheek twice as he began to chew obediently.  Jiyong's heart began to feel heavy as he remembered that she would always do that to him when he refused to eat while they were dating.  

Jessica then continued to eat while Jiyong took small bites in the pork belly.  Jessica put down her chopsticks and frowned.

"Jiyong-ie!  I'm really tired.  I want to sleep after I eat a lot," Jessica pouted.

When she called him Jiyong-ie, he felt a part of his past coming back to him.  She would always call him that when she complained about something.  He then stared at her face from across the table.  She was trying to keep her head up because she was getting drowsy.  She wanted to fall asleep, but she tried her best to stay awake.

His heart began to beat like crazy as he finally admitted to himself that he was still in love with her.  He had tried many times to get over her, but he couldn't.  It was as if she had yanked his heart off of his chest and claimed it as her property.  He just couldn't love another woman the same way he loved her.

"Jessica...I want to tell you the real reason why I left you," Jiyong announced to her.

"Huh?" she was confused.

Jiyong added, "And I wanted to tell you that I still love you."

A/N:  omg I'm sorry for leaving you guys hanging.  I feel like a freaking troll right now LOL.

Well, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.  :)