"Okay, good! Now turn your head this way, Jessica- no, not that much. Just a little- yes, perfect! Okay, hold it!

Jessica obediently turned her head, shifted her stance, and moved her arms with Yunho's instructions. The elegant pink gown she was wearing itched and the necklace that had been paired with it felt heavy around . Her hair looked ridiculous and her face was so heavily made up she resembled one of those Chinese opera masks.

Okay, so it wasn't really that bad. Actually, everything about her outfit and makeup was quite tasteful. But recently, Jessica had noticed a shift in her attitude towards her job. Whereas before, she looked forward to coming in every day, she now just felt bored and eager to leave. Where her life had once been full of labels and the latest designs, she now had no interest in knowing which designers were releasing new designs next season.

"Great job, Jessica! We're done here." Yunho straightened and Sunny rushed forward to help Jessica maneuver towards the dressing room in her gown. The assistant was talking a mile a minute about her upcoming events. What had once been a mild source of irritation was now just plain grating on her ears. She set her jaw and tried to block out the sound of her assistant's voice as best as she could.

It was Haruki's fault, really. Before she'd met the other girl, Jessica found her work exciting and enjoyable. Sure, it was a self-centered profession, but if she wasn't going to take care of herself, who would? Everyone around her only looked out for number one and Jessica thrived on the competition.

Until Haruki had knowingly made a deal to meet the man that was stalking her in hopes of stopping him from attacking other girls. Until she had grappled with the killer to protect her injured partner. Until this, until that. Everything Haruki said in response to Jessica asking, "How was work today?" was often horrible, but also exciting. Jessica knew that Haruki put her life on the line every day, deliberately looking for the kinds of people you would hate to meet in a dark alley to make the city safer for the rest of them.

It made Jessica feel horribly inadequate. Combined with the repetitiveness of walking ten steps down a runway or standing for hours while people took pictures of her made Jessica loath her job with more passion than she'd initially had when she started to begin with.

Ironically, the notoriety of being friends with Haruki, the "fed fatale," had increased Jessica's popularity in her own line of work. It had even led her to develop the bored, slightly arrogant expression Yunho had dubbed "The Ice Princess" that magazines and designers were clamoring to have represent them. 

Career-wise, Jessica was doing better than ever. And she hated it.

The rest of the day passed by in a blur. It was moments like these that made her grateful to Sunny, who managed to get her from place to place without offending anyone. She was finally back at Mirotic, getting ready to go home, kick her feet up, and brood some more, when she heard Sunny chirp, "Hey Haruki!"

The detective entered, looking out of place and awkward as she asked, "Is Jessica here, Sunny? I wanted to talk to her about something."

"I'm all set," Jessica announced, emerging from her dressing room with her purse slung over her shoulder. "Let's go. I'm starving!"

Before, this was said out of jest, but more and more she was realizing how true it was. 

Haruki grinned. "I already got takeout."

Sunny looked horrified at the thought of eating takeout, but Jessica's face lit up for the first time all day.

Jessica set down her chopsticks to find Haruki giving her a strange look. "What?" She demanded.

"You're awfully quiet today," Haruki replied. "Is something...wrong?"

"It's your fault anyway," Jessica snapped. "Why do you have to make me feel bad?"

The detective looked startled. "Me? What did I do?"

Jessica felt a little embarrassed as she said, "Whenever I ask you about your day, it's always, I arrested this murderer, or I'm otherwise making this city a safer place for everyone to live. And then you ask about mine and..."

"And you feel shallow and frivolous by comparison?" Haruki asked. Jessica's head snapped up angrily and met her friend's amused expression. "Since when does Jessica Jung doubt herself?"

"It's true, though," Jessica replied. "I mean, my job is so boring by comparison. I never used to think so until that time you were kidnapped and I forced the cops to bring me along when they found out your location."

"I could do with a little less of that excitement, sometimes." Haruki looked wistful, subconsciously rubbing her elbow. 

"Still, this work used to be exciting and glamorous, but now I'm starting to think it's not! I don't even get fed most of the time!"

Haruki placed her styrofoam container down and studied her for a moment. "Is that the only thing bothering you, Jessica?"

Damn her best friend for being so perceptive. "No," she admitted. "I realized today I'm one of the oldest girls in the company. Soon, no one will want me to represent because of my age. What do I do after that?"

"Whatever you want," Haruki said simply. "But I don't think you're going to be leaving the fashion industry. I saw the look on your face when I called it shallow and frivolous. You love your job. That's why you got into it in the first place. I don't think you'd be satisfied doing anything else."

"You don't think it's superficial?" asked Jessica.

"Of course I do," Haruki replied, picking up her food again and resuming eating. She smiled at the look of surprise on her friend's face. "But since when do you listen to what I think? And besides, someone's got to do this job and better you than someone else who doesn't have half your talent or passion. it's like, uh..." Haruki stared up at the ceiling, as she waved a hand vaguely. "You know, like art, or something. Making the world a better place through...nice outfits." 

Jessica grinned. "You really don't understand what I do, do you?" 

"Not at all."

Jessica laughed. "Thanks anyway, Haruki." She picked up her food and dug in once again. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"

Haruki's smile vanished and it was her turn to awkwardly roll her chopsticks between her fingers. "I got a letter from my parents," she said softly. "They want me to come home."

TO BE CONTINUED

A/N: ...but not right away. Because I have no idea what I'm doing about Haruki's parents.