“Hi, Unnie.” Jessica looked up and smiled sweetly at her dongsaeng.

“Hey, Yoong.” Jessica set her book aside as Yoona cuddled up next to her, arms automatically wrapping around the younger girl.

“No filming today?” Yoona shook her head and leant heavily against her unnie’s shoulder.

“Cancelled due to technical difficulties. I have a free afternoon, so might as well use it to bug you,” Yoona said teasingly, then laughed as Jessica started tickling her.

“Yah, you’re such a brat!”

The two continued to tease each other for a while until a comfortable silence fell upon them. The two enjoyed the peace and quiet, Jessica occasionally nuzzling her head on top of Yoona’s as the latter sighed in contentment. The young actress loved all her unnies, but no one could ever bring her a strong sense of comfort as her Sica-unnie could.

“Unnie.”

“Hmm?”

“Are you okay?” Jessica paused for a bit before adjusting herself and leant back on the couch, eyes suddenly glazed.

“What do you mean, Yoong? Of course I’m okay.” Yoona bit the inside of her cheek before sitting up and staring at her unnie, worry evident in her eyes. Jessica tried not to stare back.

“It’s just that, I’ve noticed that you’re getting tired more easily the past few months, and it’s not because you really love to sleep. It’s more like you’re - exhausted? Aside from tour preps, I know that your schedule’s not as packed as before, so I don’t know what you’ve been up to for you to look so tired all the time.” Yoona gently took Jessica’s hands and squeezed them.

“Is something wrong, Unnie? Are you okay?” Jessica carefully stared back at her sister for a few seconds before smiling, her eyes weary. The older girl didn’t say anything, just brushed Yoona’s bangs and tucked loose strands behind her ear affectionately before squeezing her dongsaeng’s hands and placed them on her chest, right on top of her heart.

“Saranghae, Yoona-ya. Thank you for your concern, but I’m fine. Really. Practice keeps on getting longer and more tiring, but I’m sure it’s more draining for you because you have lots of individual activities. I guess I just have a lot on my mind. I’ll work on them, so don’t worry about me.” Jessica then teasingly bopped her on the nose.

“Stop frowning or else you’ll get wrinkles then the company will have to send you to get botox.” Yoona chuckled then wrapped her arms around her unnie again.

“If you need someone to talk to, I’m always here for you, Sica-unnie. Saranghae.”

It was a good thing Yoona’s head was down and didn’t notice her unnie suppress a sob, her eyes burning with unshed tears. She hugged the younger girl tightly but shifted slightly when she felt someone enter the room. Jessica looked up and was met by an indifferent stare. She tried to smile but Taeyeon just walked past the living room, not sparing another glance back.

“Her ignoring you is becoming borderline ridiculous it’s not even funny anymore.”

Jessica, Hyoyeon, and Sooyoung had a rare day off together and decided to spend it wasting away inside their go-to cafe slash book shop in a secluded part of town. They stumbled upon it when they were still trainees so they knew the owner well. It was a closet artist’s paradise, private enough for them to not grab too much attention. Jessica sighed.

“It’s already become a habit, I guess. After that first year, I just stopped trying anymore.”

It was extremely rare for Jessica to become indifferent to the people she cared about, and the two other girls knew this well enough. Their Ice Princess was known to be very affectionate and warm towards her inner circle, and amiable and respectful towards work staff and colleagues. Her being apathetic is usually reserved for on-screen purposes, or when she’s feeling irritable and prefers to be left alone.

“Apparently, you’re not “not trying” hard enough. We know you really miss her, Sica. Don’t deny it.”

“Yeah. She may be an to you most of the time, but we all know that Taeyeon’s just a very internal person. Although this cold war of yours is really getting on my nerves.” Jessica just chuckled then took a sip from her mug.

“I guess I just assumed that she’d support me, too, when I decided to do something outside of being a celebrity. It became worse when I announced that I was launching my brand really soon. I mean, you weren’t exactly on board with it, too, but you’re still talking to me at least, Sooyoungie.” After a pause, Jessica suddenly placed her cup down with a bit more force than necessary, startling her two companions as she rubbed her face in frustration.

“Let’s be honest here, ladies. Life as an idol has an expiration. Even if we don’t disband, we won’t be able to live as an idol actively in our 50’s or 60’s. We can continue being individual singers or actresses or DJs, but personally, I will never be as good a singer as Taeyeon, nor an actress like you, Soo - or Yoona or Juhyun. And heaven forbid I’ll ever pass as a DJ, radio or otherwise.