| Chapter Nineteen |

It was a typical Wednesday but instead of being at work, Yoona was all curled up in bed, busy recovering from that cold of hers as Taeyeon slaved away in the kitchen, doing whatever she could with her rusty cooking skills to whip up some broth for her poor friend.

Two failed attempts later, she finally succeeded, turning the heat off, and stirring in some additional garnishes for flavor. Ladling a good amount into a bowl, she headed for Yoona’s room. Carefully removing the moist towel from the girl’s head, she set it aside before shaking her slightly.

“Yoong, wake up… I made you some soup… have some while it’s still hot…”

The girl fidgeted a little before peeking through her eyelids. Seeing her awake, Taeyeon helped her sit up and propped her against some pillows.

“Can you cope? Do you need me to feed you?”

Chuckling, Yoona took the bowl from the blonde’s hands, “I’m not dying, Tae. Thanks for the thought but that privilege is reserved for my future girlfriend.”

Rolling her eyes, Taeyeon muttered, “Since when was that word added into your vocabulary? Do you have any idea what the word ‘girlfriend’ entails? Commitment. Last time I checked, you hated it more than a vampire loathed sunlight.”

The girl loaded a spoonful of chicken-flavored goodness into before speaking, “Were you not listening the last time we had a conversation? Sometimes I wonder if you even listen to what I say at all…” She made a wry face and went back to sloshing down the food. It tasted surprisingly good.

Their conversation was held up by a sudden ringing of the doorbell.

“I got this. Don’t you move a muscle,” Taeyeon patted the girl’s thighs and got off the bed, rushing down the stairs and hurrying to the door.

Swiftly throwing it open, she was greeted by an unfamiliar face. The woman was hugging a paper bag to her chest, and her brows furrowed slightly before she spoke, “Um, hello. Is Im Yoona in?”

Assuming it was another one of those annoying girls dropping by for some afternoon delight, Taeyeon folded her arms, “Yes, she is. But I don’t think she’s in the condition for anything fanciful. Who are you? I’ll convey your message.” She feigned a yawn as she finished her sentence, not too willing to entertain said stranger.

“I’m Jessica.”

Eyes widening, Taeyeon uncrossed her arms immediately, “The Jessica?”

“Beg your pardon?”

“Jessica Jung? CEO of Jung Enterprises, best friend of Tiffany Hwang, and the woman responsible for stealing Im Yoona’s heart?”

Taking a step back in surprise, Jessica lifted a brow, “Who are you?”

“Ah, I apologize for being rude. Kim Taeyeon, Yoona’s friend, and as you might know, Tiffany’s girlfriend. I’ve heard a great deal about you. Please, come in,” Moving aside, she allowed the woman to enter.

“Oh, so you’re Taeyeon,” Jessica nodded comprehensively, “It’s nice to finally meet the girl Tiffany’s been raving about.”

“How has she been?” The blonde asked after shutting the door. She really missed her girlfriend. They had not been seeing each other as frequently because the girl had been “busy with work” recently. Taeyeon knew that was really code for “I’m still not talking to you”.

“Quite fine. She misses you a lot.”

“She does? Then why--”

“Why’re you taking so long, Taengoo?” A voice called out from one of the rooms.

“Aish, I almost forgot. Yoona’s this way,” The blonde gestured towards the flight of stairs and beckoned for Jessica to follow her.

When they neared the door, Taeyeon casually announced, “Jessica’s here to see you.”

“What?!”

“I said--”

“No, I heard you. Don’t let her in!” A subsequent ruffling of sheets could be heard as though the girl was trying to hide something.

Pausing in her tracks, Jessica rolled her eyes, “I can hear you clearly.”

“Miss Jung what the heck are you even doing here?! Don’t you have a company to take care of?!”

“Yah, what’s your problem, Yoong? Why’re you acting all nasty?” Taeyeon quipped upon entering the girl’s room with Jessica trailing behind. All they saw was a blanket draped over a huge bump.

“You could just tell me if you really don’t want to see me. Hiding underneath your covers isn’t exactly a mature thing to do,” Jessica set the paper bag down beside the bed, “I thought I’d drop by because I had some time... since you’re not in the mood for guests, I guess I’ll take my leave…”

“No! It’s not that! You need to understand that I look really terrible now… trust me, when I say terrible, I mean terrible… like, really, really awful… Taeng would you please explain my situation?” Came the muffled reply.

Shaking her head, the blonde said, “You’re exaggerating. Get out of there before you suffocate yourself. I’ll be downstairs watching TV if you need me,” She gave Jessica a brief smile before making her way off.

“Ugh,” Yoona cursed under her breath as she reluctantly dragged the blanket off, burying her face into her palms at the sight of the CEO, “Oh my gosh, this is so em