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Tonight, Jessica Jung feasted on a dog food delicacy.

Well, not dog food, exactly. It’d take more than pride-splintering heartache for her to resort to clumpy can-shaped gunk. These treats were modeled identically to human cookies—the sandwich kind with crème filling. In peanut butter and vanilla, coincidentally her favorite flavors, not counting coffee.

“Krystal, does this company bake coffee dog treats?”

“What for?” her younger sister asked over a whirring vacuum cleaner, steering it around stacked barstools. “To caffeinate those brainy pups cramming for midterm exams?”

“Yes! Where can I find that?!”

“That’s offensive to a breeder, unnie. You know I’m against animal testing.”

They shared a mutually dorky laugh. Jessica especially, who rolled to her stomach on the couch, pilfering another treat. “Why are these sweet? Won’t they give Lens diabetes?”

“As long as you don’t feed him cookies exclusively, his glucose levels shouldn’t be an issue. They’re made of—”

“Carob.”

At this, Krystal silenced the vacuum with an audible click. “Who taught you that word?”

“Oh, hm.” Jessica distractedly twisted two vanilla halves apart. “Heard it in passing...”

Her tone supplied the culprit: Kim Taeyeon. The word ‘carob’, amongst many unsolicited dog lectures, probed its way into Jessica’s vocabulary.

Terminology worked fine. If only Taeyeon hadn’t laid waste to her pride, her feelings.

“Your apartment’s officially spotless, master,” Krystal kidded, curtsying like someone who’d never curtsied in their life. “Kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, living room—spic and span.”

Assessing their home safe from monster vacuum’s rampage, Lennon bounded happily from whatever closet he’d ducked into. In an act of fake bravery, he got as close as nose-touching the inactive machine before scuttling over to his owner. And his treats.

Jessica snatched the bag to her chest. “Haven’t you taken enough from me?”

“Lennon’s not culpable.” Krystal made space beneath her older sister’s outstretched legs. “You’re the one who has dumpster fire taste.”

“I so do not.”

“Really, now? Then, why isn’t Sinful Seo here?”

“She’s too forward.”

“Listen to yourself! Seohyun’s ual appetite isn’t a character flaw.”

“Sit, Lens.” When Lennon dutifully followed directions, Jessica rewarded him with the crème-less half of cookie. She stuffed , whining, “Taeyeon’s not a dime-a-dozen type. She’s a rarity, an enigma.”

“I thought you were pissed at her.”

“I am.”

Krystal plucked out a treat of her own and spoke after two nibbles. “This isn’t my kickass sis. You don’t sulk over girls, nor do you exhaust this much energy on some rando nerd.”

Was Taeyeon a nerd? Jessica’s lips perked in a grin.

“Nein!” A rolled magazine appeared in Krystal’s swift hand, smacking Jessica with the force of a sumo wrestler. “No succumbing to the Dork Side!”

Jessica clutched her welted arm. “That ing hurt!”

“Don’t go there!”

“Where?!”

“That dungeon in your head just now.” The paper contracted as if she’d wallop Jessica again at any given second. “When you’re there, your face goes all doughy and forlorn. It’s a disaster.”

“Doughy!?” Jessica sneered. “Don’t you mean dopey?”

“No. Absolute dough. I could bake a pizza on it.”

“Sick!”

They giggled, knowing their banter wouldn’t amount to a true-blue fight. Krystal’s face darkened beneath her beret. “This is...unfamiliar. I can’t recall ever wiping a speck of dust from your mantle and yet...” She pointed a heel to the vacuum that snagged Lennon’s watchful eye every few minutes. “I turned into Mother and tidied your whole apartment.”

In the half month since first compensating Taeyeon, she’d adjusted their meeting system to keep her distance. Jessica left Lennon with the downstairs doorman ten minutes before the set time. That way, she wouldn’t be swept into striking, pathetic eyes that’d convince her to listen to excuses. Upon Taeyeon’s return from the park, he’d have her payment sitting on his desk.

And when Jessica sneaked to get Lennon afterwards, the money would still be waiting. Untouched.

She’d sent Taeyeon’s calls to voicemail, deleted unread texts. Iced her out.

For those same weeks, Jessica went full sloth. Hence, the messy home.

She laced her and Krystal’s fingers together, lightly shaking them to a silent rhythm. “I’m being stupid, aren’t I?”

“Stupid’s not the term. I’m concerned. Jungs don’t carry the lovesick gene—it’s proven science.”

“Then, emo’s a virus and I caught it from Taeyeon.”

“She’s obsessed with your pet, unnie.” Krystal tried to fix the bend from the magazine, stressing, “Dumpster. Fire.”

“It has to go deeper than that.”

“You’re hoping it does.”

“Thanks for visiting, Krystal.” Jessica’s eyes glazed over; she could sense it herself. “Don’t know where I’d be without you.”

“You’d be lying in a pile of takeout containers and discarded clothes. It looked like several days of you exploded in here.” She rose, balled up the empty dog treat bag, and busied her hands unplugging the vacuum cord. “How ‘bout you feed the help?”

“Are you asking me to cook in this state?”

“I don’t have a death wish, Satan. I love myself too much.”

“Well, Taeyeon nearly teared up when she tried my—”

“Eggplant parmesan. I remember.” Krystal’s lip twitched, possibly chewing on her thoughts before muttering, “This Taeyeon’s diet consists of boxed junk food, right? You’ve probably found the one person who considers your flavorless slop more than tolerable.”

“She called me an astounding cook.”

“That confirms her lunacy.”

“Don’t kick me while I’m down. I appreciated her opinion.”

“’Cus she recited that ‘more beautiful than a rose?’ line?”

Jessica’s neck warmed. “Isn’t she so romantic?”

“Oh, god.” Krystal mimicked a near faint, stumbling convincingly into a wall. “You’ve gone too far, so now I must get drunk. Have any of the Zinfandel left?”

“One bottle.”

“Let’s uncork that . Then, I’ll let you wax all night about—”

A weak knock sent them into acute stillness.

And Jessica scanned the perimeter for a mirror.

Because she knew.

From a natural inkling to the time (6:30pm) to Lennon bopping to the door and Krystal’s groan of disgust once she jammed her eye to the peephole.

“Lennon’s girlfriend’s here. Were you expecting the trash?”

“On a Wednesday?” Jessica had already jerked from the couch, emergency brushing her hair and correcting her inside-out t-shirt. “N-no. I’m as surprised you.”

“Then, what does she want?”

“I don’t—”

Swishing the door ajar, Krystal left enough space for her head to jut through. “Can I help you?”

“Oh, um...” Taeyeon’s voice echoed from the hallway. Obviously, she hadn’t prepared for some pissed off family member to fill in as bodyguard. “Is Jessica free?”

“Jessica who?”

“Jung. Jung Jessica?”

“Don’t you mean Jung Lennon?”

Jung Lennon. Jessica would cackle at the moniker if she wasn’t so damn anxious.

Lennon appeared to be having a conniption, blocked from his love by Krystal’s long, oppressive limbs. Taeyeon noticed, too, by the light coo, “Hey, little man.”

“I’m Jessica’s sister, if you haven’t gathered,” Krystal spat, drawing the focus to her anger once more. “Pretty much Lennon’s first mommy. And I hear you’re so neurotic, you make Emily Dickinson sound like Kylie Jenner.”

“Th-that’s why I’m here. To say sorry.”

“Krystal,” Jessica sighed. Patience crumbling, frustration peaking. “Let her in.”

Taeyeon, stilted by skinny legs soon to buckle from terror, kept her back on the door. In case Jessica sicced her sister on her, more than likely. She wore her hair down—clipped on one side to show a prominent ear—with a striped top over a chiffon mini skirt and silver brogues.

Brogues. Not the Keds.

Today, Jessica snacked on dog biscuits and Taeyeon left her grimy sneakers at home? Surely, hell had frozen over.

“I walked him, so your service won’t be needed.” Krystal shared while she tracked a lint roller through the Jessica-shaped crumb outline on the couch. At Taeyeon’s pout, she smirked. “A tad overdressed, are we? Lennon couldn’t give two s about your ensemble.”

Taeyeon hauled in a self-deprecating laugh. “Can’t find the lie in there.”

“Make your case and kick rocks, ho.”

Ho? Jessica lipped ‘what are you?’ to her younger sister, receiving the Kanye shrug of a girl who watched too many rap videos. Fighting a grin, Jessica crossed her arms and stood her ground. Waiting until Taeyeon acknowledged her face-to-face.

“I’d like to talk,” Taeyeon finally mumbled in a slow breath. She girlishly pieced fair hair behind her ear. “Give me your evening?”

The entire evening? Jessica’s pulse spiked for dual reasons:

1. Taeyeon had some nerve, asking anything of her.
2. YES, please.

“You’re asking me to ditch my family? For you?” In her peripheral, Krystal waved an ‘amen’ with the lint/crumb roller.

A redder Taeyeon latched fingers onto her purse strap. “Yeah,