Jessica wasn’t having a good day. She felt irritated. She was irritated. At her managers, her members, and, more so, herself.

The day started out normal. The usual scenario of the others screaming at her to get out of bed and get ready, a noisy breakfast, some gossip, and lots of bickering. Jessica stopped taking part in petty arguments unless it directly concerned her and just preferred to stay quiet and observe unless spoken to, assuming there were no promises of bodily harm or impalement from the other girls. Which could actually happen.

They basically only had two appointments that day as a group. One was a TV guesting where they were required to perform. The second was another arduous practice session in preparation for their tour which was coming up in a month’s time. It was actually going to be their last since they would use the remaining time after to wrap up individual obligations.

The guesting went well enough. Jessica had a nice sleep, had a healthy breakfast, and didn’t have to wait too long before filming started. Since her body condition was quite good that day and 70% of the songs were to be sung live, she did pretty well. Too well.

“Didn’t we tell you to tone your dancing down, Jessica? Do you really like upstaging the others and show how perfect you are?” Said girl had her head down as one of her managers reprimanded her. It was no secret that this Manager-unnie never really liked the Ice Princess, and would favor catering to the others, specifically Yoona and the TTS members.

“Noona, stop blaming her. She really didn’t do anything!” Manager-unnie turned pissed eyes towards her hoobae.

“Did you even look at the screen? The others barely got enough screen time because Little Miss Perfect here outdid herself! How can the dance line shine when the camera’s always on her?” She turned back to Jessica.

“Just do what the company tells you to do, Jessica, and continue to fake that stamina of yours. Just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean the others can be pushed back by you,” Manager-unnie spitefully said before storming out and ushering the others with individual schedules to their cars.

“Don’t mind her, Jessica. She doesn’t know. And you know how strict she is when it comes to company memos.” Jessica just nodded her head, expression blank.

It wasn’t Unnie’s fault that she didn’t know about Jessica’s medical condition and the real reason why the company asked her to take it easy during performances. But that didn’t mean that her words and biased treatment didn’t impact her in any way. And Manager-oppa’s placating words didn’t help, either. It just made her feel inferior, like someone they needed to hide, and she knew there was nothing she could do but accept it.

Downtime between schedules meant that Jessica could do whatever she wanted within a limited amount of time. Since deciding to start her business, she enrolled in different seminars and workshops, ranging from "Basic Sewing" to "Designing for Beginners" to making sunglasses.

She currently signed up for a bag-making workshop good for two hours, more than enough time before group practices started. It was conveniently a one-on-one class so she didn’t have to worry about interacting with too many people. She would’ve enjoyed it better, though, if she wasn’t in a foul mood. Her lack of concentration was also testing her mentor’s patience, a lady well within her 50’s.

“Jessica-ssi, you’re doing it wrong!” Jessica yelped as she pricked her finger, again, while trying to sew the base of a simple purse. So far she had gotten a couple of nails scraped, a few of her fingers pricked, and her left palm stabbed by a huge needle in the span of forty-five minutes. It was a good thing the first half of the class was over and was theoretical only.

“Let’s just stop here, shall we?” The lady said in resignation as she took the bag away and started cleaning up. Jessica wanted to refute but decided it was better to call it a day and just save her energy for practice.

“I’m sorry, Ahjumma. I’ll do better next time!” Jessica promised. The lady smiled and gently patted the idol’s injured hands.

“I know you’re a busy person, Jessica-ssi, but try to take it easy, will you? Your hands are meant for wonderful things. Take care of them.” Jessica smiled appreciatively and bowed, promising to return soon.

As she was on her way to the practice studios, Jessica couldn’t help but stare at her hands. Being an idol required two basic things: visuals and talent. In this day and age, both could be honed. She was lucky enough to have a bit of both.

But Jessica had to admit, her hands had seen far better days, and despite how young