In the next few days, Jessica continued to reject Yuri. She was determined about taking the bus even though it meant that she had to get up earlier than usual. Her inherent stubbornness provided enough will power to help her survive the lack of sleep.
The bus ride could have been a perfect chance to nap if the vehicles were not so packed with people every day. Jessica was lucky to get a seat once but all the other times, she had to cling to a pole or was pushed and pressed against a window.
Today, luck was on Jessica's side once again as she found an empty seat at the end of the bus. She settled down and took out her phone, dialing Sooyoung's number. The other girl picked up after the fifth ring.
"Hey." Sooyoung's voice was thick with sleep.
"Good morning," Jessica greeted. "Are you still in bed?"
"Nah. I'm taking my shift at the reception. Didn't know I fell asleep. Thanks for waking me up."
"You seem to be tired, Soo. Don't overwork yourself."
"Don't worry, it's not that bad. Shinyoung is a really great help, you know. You can totally tell that she has experience with hotel work before. She handles everything perfectly."
"That's good to hear. I'm less worried."
"What about you? How are things going over there?"
"Yesterday, I had a meet-up with Ms Han, my dad's former secretary. I went to meet her after work. She told me a few things about the day my dad disappeared but it wasn't really helpful."
"Does Yuri know you met Ms Han?"
"No. I went secretly. She did ask me where I went after work but I refused to tell her. She gave up eventually."
"At least she isn't spying on you. Did you find out anything in the Kwon Enterprise?"
"Not really. You know what's weird? I've never seen Old Kwon since the day I work there, not even once. It almost feels like he is avoiding me."
"Really? Do you think he's afraid you'll find out something?"
"I don't think that makes sense. It's his territory. Why should he be scared of me?"
Sooyoung thought about it for a moment. "That's a good point."
"I haven't had the chance to do anything, mainly because Yuri is watching me almost 24/7. I don't think she's suspicious of anything, more like she can't bear to leave me alone for too long."
Jessica heard Sooyoung sigh on the other end of the line.
"Don't worry," the blonde quickly added. "Now that I take the bus like this, I do have more freedom. Otherwise I couldn't have met Ms Han yesterday, right? My chance in the Kwon Enterprise will come soon, Soo. Yuri tries to help me, too—she showed me all documents and papers she's got. They delivered quite a few insider-knowledge about their business."
"Like what?"
"Well… nothing illegal. Apart from giving me awareness of Old Kwon's power and influence, it hasn't been helpful so far. Who knows if we can use that information in the future, though. The only thing Yuri hasn't shown me is her PC. I didn't have the chance to access it yet. She prints everything out."
"You have to hack her computer, then."
"I…"
Sooyoung sighed again. "Okay. I know it's easier said than done."
"I know you're worried about time pressure… There are only three weeks left before the court moves on with the trial."
"Exactly. That's why you have to hurry up with your investigation in the Kwon Enterprise." A hesitating pause entered before Sooyoung continued "I have considered returning to the city to give you a hand. What do you think?"
