Burden of Proof

Chapter 18

The small boy hid himself behind Lisa's legs.

"Hey, Inho, it's okay. You don't have to be afraid." Lisa rubbed his back and squatted down beside him. "This is your umma too." She gulped and clenched her jaws.

"Hi, Inho..." Aesook extended her hand and smiled.

Lisa nudged the boy. "Go on. Shake her hand."

The boy hesitantly did as he was told, withdrawing his hand as soon as he had shaken Aesook's hand. He took a step back when Lisa tried to nudge him forward again.

He shook his head and ran towards Jennie who was standing a few steps behind with Heeryung at her side.

"Hey hey, why are you running away?" Jennie caught the figure who had just rammed her thighs. "Don't be afraid. Umma's there, right?"

He wouldn't let go.

Jennie thought her heart couldn't break anymore but the sight painfully crushed the broken pieces into dust. She swallowed and walked forward, taking hold of the boy's hand with her one hand and Heeryung's hand in the other.

Lisa walked towards Jennie.

"Inho-yah, don't worry. I'm here, okay? No one's going to hurt you." Lisa squatted down and made him look her in the eye. "No one's going to hurt you. You hear me?"

He fiddled with his shirt.

"Let's go get ice cream." Lisa stood up and held out her hand.

The boy immediately looked happier. He took Lisa's hand.

Lisa walked towards Aesook. "He loves chocolate ice cream," she said shortly.

Aesook nodded and walked alongside Lisa, stealing glances at the boy holding Lisa's hand. She wanted to do that too, hold the boy's hand, but knew that she couldn't for now. She quietly sighed and tried her best to be patient.

They went and got ice cream.

Aesook tried her best to strike up a conversation with the boy, asking him about his favorite toy, his favorite candy, his friends at school, and everything else she could think of.

Jennie and Heeryung kept their distance, watching everything quietly while sharing their ice cream.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Jennie finally asked. "You're sharing your ice cream with me. I'm worried," she tried to smile.

The young girl shrugged. "I'm just not that hungry, I guess."

"But it's ice cream, Ryung‐ah. You and your Umma love ice cream more than anything else in this world!"

The girl said nothing, absentmindedly mashing the soft cream in her cup into a sticky puddle.

Jennie sighed and rubbed the girls' back gently. She turned to look at Lisa who was wiping Inho's chocolate covered mouth while watching the woman sitting on the other side of him trying to get his attention.

She decided that she needed a break. "Hey, Ryung-­‐ah..."

The girl looked up.

"Wanna sneak off and go shopping?"

The small eyes lit up but then shifted toward her brother. "What about Inho?"

"He'll stay with Umma. Let's go have fun for a bit, shall we?"

"Okay."

"Throw the cup away when you're done eating." Jennie handed the girl a tissue and the latter got up to throw the half empty cup away.