"Why did you quit as well?" Jason asked incredulously as he stuffed a cherry into his mouth.

"Spur of the moment? I don't know" she groaned. "I think I regret it? But then again I'm not so sure."

​​

"Well I'm sorry you had such a hard time yesterday" he apologised.

"The only thing I sorry for is the amount of alcohol I consumed Ugh my head!" She groaned but wait...

Katherine smiled as she looked at the man sitting beside her, Jessie really changed him. He actually apologized to her. "Did the great and mighty Jason Kang just apologise to me?" She teased.

"Did I?" He asked.

"Wow, Jessie is a miracle worker, didn't think you even had that would in your vocabulary, worse your apologising when you didn't do anything."

"Tch."

"Wait speaking of Jessie, why are you so mad at her?" Katherine asked.

"She lied to me, come to think of it she lied to you too." He said matter of factly.

Katherine brow rose in question. "Really? No way," she shook her head.

"That was a lie?!" Katherine exclaimed after Jason explained to her.

"But she was so emotional, and no way! I can't believe that, wow she's such a good liar!" Katherine huffed.

"It's called good acting, I'm a very good actress. And I had a good reason." Jessie said from behind them.

Jason sent a glare and stood up to walk away.

"Wait! Please don't leave." She pleaded.

Katherine glanced at Paul and got up as well. Standing besides Jason the two of them sent unfriendly glares at the other couple before them.

"Do you not get that we wanted to eat in peace, was leaving the dinning table too subtle?" Jason spat.

Paul peeked over Jessie head at their empty dishes. "Seems like you're done to me." He said.

"Well I have nothing to say to you, nor I'm I interested in anything you have to say." Katherine frowned.

"Same here." Jason agreed.

"But you" she pointed at Jessie, "you have a lot of explaining to do miss Marin."

"Look why don't we all calm down and just talk things out, please. The weather is nice and look at the beautiful scenery, the pool, the tress um?" Jessie asked with pleading eyes.

Jason and Katherine looked at each other then at Paul and Jessie, then the walked back to the small table they were sitting on. Seating besides each other Jessie took the seat besides Katherine and Paul the one besides Jason.

"I can't believe you lied to me." Katherine said almost as soon as they sat.

"I'm so sorry, I had too. I needed to find that detective." Jessie said with so much guilt.

"And yet you couldn't just ask me" Jason blurted. "As if I wasn't the one that told you about him in the first place." He muttered.

Both ladies sent him glares and folded his arms and looked away. "Even though, I wouldn't have said anything to him." Katherine pouted.

"What?" Jason huffed.

"I know, I know but I couldn't be too careful." Jessie replied.

"But my goodness you were so convincing, I just can-" she shook her head.

"Not all of it was a lie, I just put the emotions I felt with the wrong words, but not everything was a lie." She bent her head.

"It's scary right? How easy it is for her to play with people's emotions. " Jason said, silent anger in his tone.

"I told you last night I did not play with your emotions, why do you think I did that?" Jessie's asked.

"Why shouldn't I? When you're always so distant but not so much, you tell me not say I love you but don't actually reject me. That sounds like keeping me on a leash isn't it? Here I was naively thinking you were still figuring out your feelings for me when you had none" he huffed.

"Wait you don't like Jason? But you sa-"

"Don't you think you guys are being too unfair to Jessie? You can force someone to confess. Besides she didn't force you to love her either." Paul said quickly. Noticing Jessie whitening face.

"Ofcourse you would say that!" Katherine spat bitterly.

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?" He retorted.

"It means you would never understand, since you're incapable of falling in love." Jason answered, looking nonchalantly at his nails.

"Yeah like that worked out swell for you." Paul spat back.

Jason scoffed and shook his head at his friend.

"There's no need to say anything Jason." Katherine stopped him. "People like him could never understand the pain of an unrequited love."

Paul harrumphed. "And you do? What the hell have you been up to lately? You're acting like a stranger."

"Well maybe I am a stranger!" She yelled.

"See! How aggressive I mean how could you hit Choi Yuri like that yesterday, you are better than that."

"Oh so she's just meant to stand there like a statue when she's insulted?" Jessie asked in annoyance.

"I know right? All of a sudden I'm mother Theresa. It's my fault I've been quiet for so long, they think it's okay to spout rubbish and hit me like I'm not also a human being!" Katherine said.

"You did the right thing" Jessie rubbed her shoulders and Katherine nodded.

"How can you call that the right thing?"

"Choi Yuri and her mother are both bitches. And no offense Paul but your mom ain't no saint either" Jessie informed him. "Besides this beef with your fiancee mother was even all your fault."

"His fault? He was protecting her!" Jason said.

"Protecting me? How is that protection? I got slapped yesterday because of his stupid protection!" Katherine spat.

"Of course you would think so, do you guys not even know what protection is?" Jessie frowned at both of them.

"Yeah, butting in when it's not needed." Katherine glanced at Paul. "And trying to control someone else's life is not protection!" Jessie said again looking at Jason this time.

Jason and Paul looked at each other with expressions of shock. "You two are just very ungrateful." Paul huffed.

"And you two are just very obnoxious and full of yourselves." Jessie replied. "Did we ask for your protection?"

"Then stop getting in trouble? What did you expect Paul do to when he saw someone grabbing your hair?" Jason asked.

"And after saving her she began to yell at me, I mean what did I do? Was I the one grabbing your hair?!" Paul asked.

Before long they all began to argue and so very loudly. Until Jessie slammed her hands on the table. "That's enough! It appears we've gone round and nobody is innocent." She said looking at everyone of them.

"You more so." Jason muttered but it was still audible.

"Enough already. Look I didn't ask to talk for this. I really sincerely wanted to apologise to both of you. Especially you." She said looking at Jason. "I never played with your emotions and I'm sorry for hurting you like that, it was never my intention." She said.

"So what now?" Jason asked.

"I'm going to look for the detective in the city, you said I could and you would give me a car. I'm asking for your help." She said slowly looking down.

"My fami- no... the place in grew up is also in that city, I was hoping to talk to my... well father I guess. Wanna go together?" Katherine asked Jessie.

"You two should go together." Paul surmised.

"Paul is right, since you hate our protection so much, it would at least comfort us knowing you have each other. Regardless we still care about your safety." Jason said staring at Jessie.

"Thank you." Jessie said, his gaze softened, he hadn't completely forgiven her but she was comforted but by his warm gaze. At the very least even though she knew, it was still very encouraging to see the love in his eyes.

"Well I guess we are going on a trip then." Katherine sighed.

"Hey, are you really quitting?" Paul asked.

"Did I stutter last night? I'm dead serious." She frowned at him.

"Katherine!" Paul exclaimed. "Please."

"Paul I-"

"Just take some time off, as long as you want. Think about it first, please. For your sake don't leave everything you worked so hard to achieve just because me. Plus aren't you under moral obligation not to leave the hospital in the hands of doctors like DR. Han." He said preying on her conscience.

"Fine, I'll think about it." Katherine agreed.

"Let's go, we need to freshen up." Jessie said to Katherine and they both got up and walked into the manor.

Paul looked at Jason and asked, "are you really going to let her go without any guards?"

Jason gave him a pointed look. "Of course not."

Preview 159: Compromised.

As she turned around to pull the door open he grabbed her arm and spun her around. Pushing her aganist the car, he leaned placed a soft kiss on her lips. After the initial shock past, her eyes fluttered shut and she ran her fingers through his hair, grabbing his upper arm with the other. The kiss was deep but it wasn't intense. Just enough to convince her regardless he would always love her, enough to convince her to come back, safe.

Jason pulled away, scared he wouldn't be able to let her go if he didn't. Without a word he turned around and walked away, leaving her in the garage.