The return the next day to the hospital is a blissful one.

The sun is shining.

The birds are chirping.

People are being discharged.

Illnesses being cured.

And then there is Son Wendy – incessantly tapping her finger away on the glass counter as the hospital attendant types up the draft that will seal her and Taeyeon’s fate.

Payment.

Hospital bills.

A sickly contraption that paralyzes those who dare to seek solace in the very place that can cure them.

And today, that hammer is about to drop on Taeyeon.

The attendant glances up at Wendy, whose sweat is dropping.

Taeyeon owns a recording studio that’s been in the red since its conception,

and Wendy is one of those college educated fellows that got a job as a waitress for crying out loud.

They can’t afford this type of . They’ll have to pay for the ambulance, the stitches, the IV, painkillers, bed occupancy and anything under the sun – Wendy knows it.

“Um,” The attendant mutters from behind the computer screen that Wendy cannot see, “do you mind not tapping your finger on the counter?”

Immediately, Wendy straightens up and holds her hands behind her back. A defense mechanism against nervousness that she can’t help but indulge in.

“Right, sorry.” Wendy sighs, and takes a step back.

Why was this taking so long?

“Oh,” A familiar voice pops behind her and makes her jump, “Wendy!”

Oh, no.

Wendy reluctantly turns on her heel to see Jung Jessica before her, tray of to-go coffee cups in one hand, and an auspiciously large unlabeled paper gift back in the other.

“S-Sica.” Wendy gulps, swallowing her surprise. “What are you....?”

“I’m here to help Taeyeon discharge.” Jessica smiles, “Are you that surprised to see your unnie here?”

“How did you....”

“I came last night.” Jessica says triumphantly, as if she one-upped Wendy, “I saw you as I walked in... but you were a little, how should I say, preoccupied.”

She winks at her.

Damn it.

Wendy knew she was neglecting something while she too busy being giddy over the excitement of attraction.

Damn it all!

She can barely register that Jessica is here.

It’s the morning.

The woman is not a morning person.

“And that is....” Wendy points to the bag.

“Clothes, for Taeyeon.” Jessica holds it up, “I took some old ones from my apartment that Taeyeon left.”

Liar, they’re just clothes that she let you wear to sleep. I bet you still do.

“Ah... I brought her some clothes from the shop.” Wendy points to the backpack that is on the floor beside her.

“Clothes from the shop?” Jessica blinks at her, then registers what those words mean, “Ah... you mean the studio? She’s still doing that...”

Jessica looks solemn for a minute and then meets eyes with Wendy again,

“We can just let her wear the ones that I’ve brought.”

Wendy gulps again. She’s already feeling the lasers shoot out at her from Jessica’s hovering gaze.

“W-We can see which ones she likes better.” Wendy laughs nervously, picking up the back pack. “It’s good to see you, though, Sica.”

And that Wendy means sincerely,

because it was true.

Jessica was a friend. A good friend. A close friend. To both her and Taeyeon.

One of the few people Wendy thought would actually stick around for the both of them.

“It’s good to see you too.” Jessica nods, and then gives her this semi-joking, semi-accusatory look, which puts Wendy on edge again, “Although..... I ask you to do me one solid, and yet here we are, in a hospital waiting for Taeyeon to discharge because she got a concussion and alcohol poisoning, hm?”

Wendy shakes her head several times, sweat dropping,

“It wasn’t my fault!” Wendy throws her hands up in defense, “I’m the only reason that grandma isn’t starving, you know!”

Jessica laughs at Wendy’s all too well known reaction, and Wendy actually laughs along with her, until Sica’s laughter slowly dies down to a small, somber smile,

“She can’t cook.” Sica is laughing quietly to herself, but Wendy is not sure if she is meant to hear it, or the next words that come out of ,

“I really can’t stop worrying about that girl.”

-----

The wait doesn’t last much longer, because the attendant rings the bell to alert Wendy,

“Your invoice is ready, ma’am!” He flattens it out on the counter and Wendy comes up to take a look, with Jessica following behind her.

“This is your amount owing,” He says, in clear and articulate tone, “You may pay here via cash or card, we also take cheques....”

He goes on describing a multitude of ways that they can pay the bill,

but Wendy’s stops listening to the half of it.

She can only sigh and think about what Taeyeon will do to pay this off, along with the other that’s due.

It makes her a little sad.

Or rather,

a lot.

Because it’s like reality sinking in or crushing their backs with inevitability.

“Can Taeyeon afford that?”

Wendy looks behind to Jessica, with a slightly agitated expression.

Jessica’s eyes widen as if she’s done nothing wrong, and she’s only proving a point,

“What?” Her chin rises, and Wendy hates it when she does that because it’s like she’s superior, which most of the time, she is, “The last time I checked, Son Seungwan, her recording studio was barely making enough to break even, and that was before we broke up. I doubt anything has changed, unless you’ve signed with an entertainment company. Well, Wendy?”

Wendy clicks her tongue at her, scowling, “Yeah, yeah, Sica, whatever.”

Before Wendy can grab the paper and break the news to Taeyeon, Jessica takes it from her hands, reading it from top to bottom.

“Hey –

“I’ll pay for it.” Jessica cuts her off. “Taeyeon won’t be able to fund the recording studio if she has to use the measly returns she gets on this.”

“What?”

“You heard me. I’ll pay for it.”

“And since when were you bold enough to do such a grand gesture in the first place? Did you even talk to Taeyeon?”

“Like I said, last night.” Jessica folds the paper up, “You can even say that I had a little bit of a revelation last night.”

“Revelation?”

“I’m not backing down from Taeyeon anytime soon, Wendy.”

“Sica, you know –

“Oh shove it, not you too.” Jessica rolls her eyes, “I know enough. She broke up with me, fine. Doesn’t mean we can’t get back together.”

“Er.....” Wendy finds it hard to muster up a reply to someone as stubborn as Jessica. “What did you do last night?”

“None of your goddamn business.”

Wendy sighs for the nth time, taking the folded bill back from Jessica, “Either way, whatever you did last night, you’re not paying for this.”

“And why not? Are you?” Jessica looks at her and almost laughs. Wendy is even more surprised at herself for not being offended, “And when did you start getting a steady income?”

She got Wendy there.

“Uhh....” Wendy side glanced, “I don’t.”

“Savings?”

“Finite, but enough.”

“Right.” Jessica scoffs, and holds out her hand, “Give me the damn check and let’s go get my baby out of here.”

“Uh, gross, and no.” Wendy shakes her head.

“Damn it, Wendy!” Jessica groans, “Why can’t I just do this for Taeyeon?!”

Wendy groans right back, and for the first time, she feels like letting Jessica have it, because as much as she doesn’t want to get involved in the tryst that her two friends are having, she’s just about had it with one of them constantly running from the other.

“Because, Sica,” Wendy stresses, “Taeyeon won’t be happy about it if you do.”

Jessica rolls her eyes and Wendy feels like any more, and Jessica will roll them to the back of her brain, “Wendy, it’s not like she’ll hold on a grudge.”

“You never know.” Wendy grumbles, “Just let me pay.”

“So what, she’ll forgive you for picking up her slack but not me?”

“No, you idiot of an unnie,” Wendy almost has to bite her tongue to prevent herself from swearing, “She’ll forgive both of us, but you know that if I let you do this, she won’t forgive herself.”

That shuts Jessica up.

“Now can we go?” Wendy tightens the straps of her back pack and gets ready to move,

“Fine.” Jessica huffs, shaking her head, “But once I prove to her that those insecurities are nothing to be afraid of, you’ll be happy too.”

“I’ll have to see it to believe it.” Wendy offers a small consolation smile. “Let’s go?”

“Wait!”

And Wendy almost wants to head Jessica but now is not the time because this is a public space,

“How exactly are you going to pay for that?” She asks the question that Wendy was hoping to avoid even though she so confidently bared the burden.

She laughs nervously, “I’ll figure it out. You know I’m resourceful.”

“Yeah, full of .” Jessica scoffs, “Here.” She hands one of the coffees in the tray to Wendy. There is one more.

“Oh thanks.” Wendy took a long sip, probably in preparation for the rest of the day, “And is that one for Taeyeon?”

“Yup, 3 cream, 5 sugars, with a dazzle of vanilla syrup and a shot of espresso, just the way she likes it.”

Wendy giggles as if the two are just as predictable as they were when they were together.

----

As they’re walking, a gentle hand taps on Wendy’s shoulder from behind. She turns around to see the pretty doctor from last night, and an instant smile crawls on her face without warning.

She’s wearing a clean white doctor’s coat with a beige top and jet black pencil skirt to accentuate her...smooth edges. Around her neck is a stethoscope and in her pocket is a very expensive looking pen – the kind that you get your name minted on at graduation or something. Despite that, and her obvious I’m-above-middle-class atmosphere she wears no jewellery, hardly any makeup, and if she weren’t wearing heels, Wendy wouldn’t have to look up to see sincerity in her eyes. Goddamn it this girl is gorgeous.

“Hi.” She says. Hi yourself.

“Hi.” Wendy replies back.

Jessica’s steps get farther and farther away, but what Wendy does hear clearly is that sinister cackle that she makes when she wants to tease Wendy.

“Is that....?” Irene points at Jessica’s fleeting figure.

“Yes, unfortunately.” Wendy sighs, but ends up chuckling. Irene chuckles along with her.

“Well, seeing as I know which way you’re going and it just happens to be the way that I’m headed,” Irene smiles,

“Can I walk you to Taeyeon’s room?”

Wendy can still clearly hear Jessica laughing.

“Of course.”

-----

The door to Taeyeon’s room opens, and Taeyeon is just ab