Chapter 3

Enigma

Jessica always went home at 7 PM, after having either a dinner on hospital cafeteria, Okcat, or even Heechul’s house. Krystal always knew she won’t have much time with Jessica after she got enrolled to highschool. Sure Jessica wasn’t like a normal schoolgirls, having a group to hangout and such. She also was smart and still smart as hell. She topped the class even though she never actually go to a cram school or studying, because she said it would definitely reduced her time with her lovely aunt.

“Umma, I’m home.”

So when Krystal heard Jessica’s voice, she was delighted. Surprised, but delighted. Krystal smiled when Jessica’s expressionless face came to her view, her arms circling her ways in affectionate way. She knew her situation, and was definitely surprised to have Jessica snuggling to her back.

“Jessica?” She called out. “Yes umma?” Jessica replied, but she still placing her head on her aunt’s back. Somehow it made her comfortable. For Jessica it kind of reminded her of how soft her mother’s back was when she carried her on her back, and for Krystal it reminded her of her own sister, who always snuggled to her whenever she was making a dinner. “How’s school?” She asked, turning her body to hug her lovely niece after a day of hard work.

 Jessica smiled after releasing the hug. It was her usual [trained] smile, but from her eyes Krystal knew how desperate Jessica to call out that [smile]. She knew how much Jessica wanted to have emotions like everyone else. How did she know? Why, it was for an obvious reason.

“I’m fine,” she answered. “Just… the usual.”

“Ah Jessica,” Krystal cooed, enveloping the emotionless girl to her arms.

“Umma…” Jessica hugged her back, but her eyes remained blank.

Just like what she said, Krystal is a mother.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

After a week later on school, Jessica met ‘Stephanie’ on her class. She was actually her classmate? How come Jessica didn’t recognize her on the café?

Stephanie greeted her, and Jessica gave Stephanie her usual smile. Just that and Jessica went back to her routine: being ignored.

Or is she?

“Heya Jessica!” Stephanie banged her hands to Jessica’s table during lunch break. Jessica was about to escape to infirmary, but Stephanie ultimately prevented her to do so. “Yes, Stephanie?” she politely gave her a smile, but she sent a message of [I want to leave] from her body. Unfortunately, Stephanie didn’t notice this. Or was she deliberately ignoring it?

 “Call me Tiffany, if you don’t mind,” she beamed. “Anyway, would you like to go? You know, at cafeteria?” Jessica felt the need to reject the offer, but she didn’t have the heart to reject it. Instead, she got up and nodded at her. “Let’s go,” she said and once again, Tiffany beamed a smile at her.

The walk to the cafeteria was awfully quiet for Jessica. It was too quite that she became paranoid. She was worried that Siwon might attack out of nowhere, just like he did these past few days. It was as if, he planned to torment her. All of the sudden, she felt a shiver ran down her spine. She wasn’t sure what it was.

“You okay?” Tiffany asked in concern. Jessica shrugged. “If you don’t mind, can we stop by the locker room? We’ll pass it anyways.” Tiffany looked thoughtful for a moment, but Jessica didn’t miss a slight widening of her eyes. It was as if Tiffany was remembering something. Hah.

“Sure, sure. I’ll be at restroom then!”

“…why?” Jessica suddenly halted, sensing something off. Tiffany stopped as well, turned her body around to face Jessica.

“I just… like that restroom more?”

Though her eyes shifted to (from Jessica’s point at view) the left, Jessica didn’t say anything.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

“Well, well. What do we have here?” Siwon drawled, smirking to Jessica whom leaned to her locker. She forgot her locker’s password, damn it. And Jessica hereby blamed it all to Siwon who banged her head to the ground more than she could count. It was a mere luck Donghae wasn’t there in the moment. For some strange reason, Jessica felt Siwon did all of this because of something. Not because of her lack of expression, like Donghae and the others, but because of some strange reason.

Reason she cannot know and comprehend.

“Screw off, Choi,” Jessica warned, with a strange threatening voice of her. “You don’t want to face an angry Heechul oppa or Tiffany, do you?”

Strangely, Siwon flinched at the name. Which name, Jessica wasn’t sure. “Wh-whatever, .” He spat, but his voice wavered a little. “But shall we have some fun?” He smirked, and grabbed her collar. He easily lifted Jessica from the ground without too much effort from his arms. Jessica wriggled, with half-heartedly attempted.

“Siwon, let her go.”

Siwon’s eyes widened at the growling voice from his left. He abruptly turned his head toward the source of the voice, knowing exactly whom it was. As soon as his eyes caught the figure of Tiffany, colour drained from his face. “Ti-Tiffany,” he stuttered, urgently releasing his grip from Jessica’s collar. “I-I’m not doing anything.”

“Sure you did,” Tiffany narrowed her gaze to Siwon, who gulped, then gave a concerned look to Jessica. “Jess, are you okay?” she asked, discreetly sending Siwon some sharp glare. Jessica didn’t notice any of that.

“I’m fine.” She nodded. “Let’s go, Tiff.”

Tiffany gladly followed suit. But she didn’t forget to send another sharp glare to Siwon, who flinched and nodded.

Tiffany is powerful by all means, he shouldn’t and couldn’t mess with her.

.oOo.oOo.oOo.

The cafeteria wasn’t too crowded like the usual. There were actually some tables available for them to sit, if they hadn’t spot Stephen whom already ‘booked’ a table for eight near the window.

“Steph!” He called out his twin, waving his hand wildly when he saw a glimpse of his twin. He wasn’t alone, much to Jessica’s displeasure. She couldn’t see clearly the people whom sat beside and across Stephen, as her eyesight is the worst since the bullying started during her middle school. How she could identified Stephen immediately was because of Tiffany told her that only Stephen called her Steph, along with her late friend Sooyeon. Tiffany also mentioned that she was also looked like Sooyeon’s twin, only not boisterous.

“Maybe I’m her reincarnate?” She joked with her usual flat face. Tiffany chuckled at that, but it looked like… it wasn’t sincere. The second after she chuckled, her eyes looked blank and sorrowful with a little hint of… grudge?

“Stay here while I’ll order. Have you ordered, Eve?” Tiffany asked Stephen, who only nodded. “Great. Saves me up from trouble. Ramyeon, Jessi?”

Jessica’s face lit up. “Make it with cheese and tteokbokki!”

Jessica felt something was wrong by the way Tiffany went all rigid after she mentioned her order.

“A-Alright,” Tiffany finally said. She hastily turned her heels and practically ran away from her.

Jessica didn’t bother to think further about that as the friends of Stephen introduced themselves. “I’m Kwon Yuri,” The person, whom is a girl, on Stephen’s right introduced herself. She was a pretty girl, a little bit masculine and downright mischievous. When Tiffany had just left, it was the third time since they sat on the table Stephen yelped because something Yuri did. How Jessica knew it? Easy, Stephen always looked murderously at her in every of his yelps. “Are you in a class with Yoona?” She asked, leaning forward to the table.

“The shikshin? Of course.” Jessica deadpanned as the eternal grin on Yuri’s face became much more wider. “I’m her cousin, so you know. Had my cousin do something… you know, pranking people?”

Jessica looked thoughtful for a moment. “There is something a week ago, about Mrs. Yoo’s frantic sneezing. It was because of a pill that evaporated, though I don’t and never know how it looked like and where Yoona placed it, but I have my suspicion. Strangely, Mrs. Yoo only sneezed near Donghae, and he served detentions for a week from now. Sooyoung remarked that it was the best prank ever, and strangely also, she got a detention. Ever since then, Mrs. Yoo never taught our class if Donghae is in it. She was a kind lady, but full of grudge, it seems.”

Yuri was gaping like a codfish when Jessica managed (she always did) to tell an amusing story with her expression stayed intact. Not a single lip twitch could be seen. Unlike the neutral look from Jessica, the three were sharing the same expression. They all showed amusement, with their own way.

As mentioned before, Yuri was gaping like a codfish between her laugh; Stephen smirking widely while looking at his suffocating friend (Yuri); while the stranger laughed like a loon. She looked like having some kind of trouble controlling her laugh.

“The name’s Seohyun.” The stranger, Seohyun, saluted. Her uniform was a little bit tattered, and it piqued Jessica’s curiosity. “You’re Jessica Jung, aren’t you?”

“Yes I am.” Jessica nodded simply.

“Then,” Seohyun shifted. “Do you… er… get bullied by Siwon?”

The two looked at her, angry face on their face. “Seohyun!” Stephen barked, getting up from his seat. Jessica was surprised by the boy’s sudden outburst. “You shouldn’t ask that kind of thing to her!”

“Sorry,” Seohyun looked ashamed. But her embarrassed expression was quick to change to anger. “I just got ‘healed’ recently, you can’t blame me!” She yelled, slamming her palm to the table. Her nose flared, her eyes wide in anger.

“Seohyun!” Yuri screeched. “Get a hold of yourself!”

“It’s okay, Seohyun.” Jessica interrupted, her voice was strangely calm. She calmly placed her hand to Seohyun’s shoulder, who whipped her head in a flash to Jessica’s direction. “Yes I am bullied. Is that enough information?” She answered calmly, but a hint of coldness could be felt by anyone who heard her.

“But Jessica, that is highly impossible,” Seohyun’s eyebrow creased as she removed Jessica’s hand from her shoulder, placing it on her palm. “Siwon never ever bullied people. He’s a nice person! I don’t know about Donghae, but Siwon will never do that.”