“hey, you don’t have any schedule tonight? You back home early,” Jessica greeted with smile in her face. In her hand, there was a bowl of ice-cream, her comfort food. She scooped one spoonful of ice-cream and slowly enjoyed it.

“you want some?” she said while handling the bowl to Nichkhun. Nichkhun shook his head. “I don’t really like sweet things especially ice-cream. Thank you though. You seem to like ice-cream a lot,” he said while pointing to the bowl.

Jessica smiled. “my comfort food. Whenever I’m in stressful condition, this is the only thing that I can eat.”

“OK, I can see the reason.”

There was a silence paused filled between both of them. Nichkhun took his seat beside Jessica. “how’s going? Is everything OK with your parents?” he asked.

Jessica smiled before continued. ”my mom’s cool, but my father… haish, I don’t know to put this into words. He can’t really accept my decision. He told my brother that he doesn’t want to hear any problems from me in the future.”

Nichkhun nodded.

“is it worth?” he asked.

“come again?”

“is it worth, losing all your love one because of that guy?” Nichkhun asked.

“I don’t know. I don’t want to do another mistake again. This baby, it’s not its fault for all those chaos. I’m ready for everything that will happen in the future,” she said.

“sometimes things fall apart to make way for something better that is to come?” Jessica continued. Nichkhun’s eyes met Jessica’s.

“what do you mean by that?”

“I believe that there must be a very good reason why this thing happens to me. Whatever the reason is, I’ll accept it and I ready for it.” She said with a light laugh. Nichkhun nodded. His eyes focused on the screen now. A few minutes after that, the news from TV started to show Jessica’s interview. She looked so calm and professional.

“so you fake news?” Nichkhun asked as he heard the answer from Jessica’s father when the reporter asked her why she decided to go on hiatus for about 3 years.

Jessica nodded before answering Nichkhun’s question. “yeah. It happens that I’m going to further my study oversea.”

Nichkhun fell into silence as he started to focus on the interview.

“why you choose to further your study oversea? We have plenty of good fashion universities in Korea.” Asked one of the reporters. Jessica smiled brightly.

“I really want to become a great designer in the future. I want to design my own brand and share my talent with everyone. So I want to learn from the best. Not that I underestimate our local universities, but, I want to learn from other people and then share my knowledge with everyone in Korea. Isn’t that beautiful? Jessica said with light laugh.

A woman in pink coat raised her hand. “why do you decide to pursue it now? Why not before? You now right, at this time being, your popularity is the best. Don’t you afraid to lose it and after 3 years, you might not reach what you have today.”

“I did think that. Well, this is an honest confession from me. Actually, I don’t have any intention to become an actress and model. I really want to become a great designer but, it’s my father who convinced me. He said that, to be a designer, especially a great one, we have to understand people. By becoming an actress, I got chances to become many type of women and actually it helps a lot.”

“but don’t misunderstand me. I don’t hate being an actress. In fact I’m starting to fall in love with it since I started to be one,” she continued.

Then, a man in white t-shirt raised up his hand before standing. “OK. Now, can we move to a bit personal question?” he asked. Jessica’s brother, yunho nodded his head, allowing him to ask.

“ok, from my source, we heard that Jessica-shi has a secret relationship with a guy named Ok Taecyeon. Is it true?”

“where did you get that from?” Jessica asked before laughing lightly. “yes I know Taecyeon for about 1 year now but we’re not what you said. He’s my friend and that’s it. I want to focus on my career and now my study comes first before love. Furthermore, I’m not ready for that yet”

“so, when are you going to be ready?” that guy asked again.

“well, I’m not sure. Maybe, when I’m at foreign country,who knows, my soulmate appear. I’ll tell you when I meet my chosen one,” Jessica promised. That guy seemed pleased with Jessica’s answer. Then, yunho stood up and walked toward the podium.

“OK, with that, we end up our interview,” he said. Jessica and his father stood up before disappearing behind the stage.

Nichkhun clapped his hand. he turned his head toward Jessica. “you’re such a great liar”

“a great actress OK. You should learn from that,” Jessica replied.

“is it true, you want to be a designer? Or is it created one only for the interview?” Nichkhun asked while raising his thick eyebrows.

“it’s true oppa. I don’t lie being a designer. That’s my eternal wish number one,” jessica said. She placed the empty bowl on the table. She already finished a big bowl of variety of ice-cream.

“wow, you’re really impressive,” he said, referring to the ice-cream. Jessica smile charmingly.

“you know, you have something smear on your lips,” he pointed on left side of Jessica lips. Jessica tried to wipe the waste but she missed it. Nichkhun took the napkin from Jessica’s hand and wiped it for her.

“aigoo~, such a baby,” he said before looking into Jessica’s eyes. They both looked into each other’s eyes for a moment.

“gu.. gumawo oppa. I’m going to the kitchen,” Jessica said while averting his gaze. She snatched the napkin from Nichkhun and left. Nichkhun fell into silence. He didn’t know why but deep inside, his heart skipped a beat.

**********************************************************

5 months later…

The room filled with voices from TV. Both Jessica and Nichkhun didn’t make any sound. Once in a while, their laugh filled the space. Few minutes after that, Nichkhun’s phone rang. Nichkhun didn’t make any effort to answer his phone. Jessica looked at his face with a little annoyance.

“aish chinca, oppa, answer your phone. It’s disturbing,” said Jessica. Nichkhun looked at his phone before rejecting the call. A minute after that, the phone rang again.

“oppa, you better picked that up before I answer the call,” Jessica warned. Nichkhun still didn’t answer his phone. Without patience, Jessica reached Nichkhun’s phone. Before her hand the answer icon on the screen, Nichkhun’s hand grabbed the phone.

“arasso, I’ll answer it,” he said. “hello,” he answer roughly.

“op… oppa~” said the caller which automatically changed Nichkhun into statue. He remembered that voice, the voice that he can’t forget even though it’s already two years passed.

 “Vic?” he asked. Jessica looked at Nichkhun. she can see how tense his face was.

“oppa~ it’s a relief that you still remember my voice, after what happened between us.” Nichkhun stood up and disappeared to the kitchen.

“why do you call?” he asked in stiff tone.

“oppa, can we meet?” Victoria asked in hesitation.

“what for? We both have nothing to talk to.”

“oppa, pogoshippo~” Victoria confessed.

“you don’t have that right to say that to me. You lose that right long time ago,” he said before ending the call. After that, he joined Jessica in the living room. Jessica looked upon him with her concern expression. Nichkhun didn’t comment anything, refused to talk. He continued to watch the TV but Jessica knew his mind no longer there.

Nichkhun excused himself after that.

“oppa~”Jessica called.

“don’t forget, tomorrow you need to accompany me to the hospital,” Jessica reminded. Nichkhun nodded his head before climbing the stairs, leaving Jessica alone. Jessica only looked at Nichkhun leaving the room. Earlier, she asked Nichkhun to accompany her to the hospital for her regular check-up. Before this, she went with her brother. Since yunho was currently in Taiwan, Jessica asked Nichkhun instead.

Jessica still wondering, who’s the person that called earlier. Vic? She never heard that name before. Maybe that was Nichkhun’s ex-girlfriend. That’s why he suddenly lost his mood to watch the TV. Jessica didn’t know her name. Maybe she should ask ahjumma tomorrow.