Nodding satisfied with what she had written she placed the piece of paper in one of her desks drawers. Releasing a sigh she picked up another piece of paper and turned to the computer screen in front of her. She read the text of the page she had up and began writing it down on the paper in front of her.

When she was done she held up the paper beside the screen and looked back and forth between them to make sure she had written down everything she needed. Seeing that it was all done she smiled and folded the paper and put it in her jeans pocket before standing up from her seat in front of the computer.

Spinning around she began her search for the things she needed when she was going to head out to the house next door.


---  


The girl on the couch heard the doorbell ring. She stayed seated on it as she knew her other family members were home and would probably open the door. Hearing the doorbell ring again she turned her head away from the TV where a cooking program was showed. Her eyebrows furrowed and she was contemplating whether she should get up and get the door.

Hearing her mother’s singing that had previously been in the kitchen getting closer to the hall Taeyeon turned back to the TV screen and sunk even deeper down in the couch.

“Hello!” Taeyeon heard her mother greet whoever was at the door. Not finding any interest in who it was she focused on what the chef was saying on the TV.

“Taeyeon!” Taeyeon turned her attention away from the TV when she heard her name being called. She could catch a glimpse of her neighbors eldest child before she had the girl pressed right next to her even though it was enough space for both of them on the couch.

“Oh my God, Jessica. It’s summer, and it’s hot. Don’t be so close.” Taeyeon said and pushed the other girl away from her.

“Aww.” Jessica said with faked disappointment. “In the winter when it’s cold you’ll be begging me to be close to you.” Jessica stated with a grin. Taeyeon only rolled her eyes at the girl and went back to watch the TV.

“Hey, do you have all this at home?” Jessica asked and held a piece of paper in front of Taeyeon that blocked Taeyeon’s view to the TV.

The girl leaned her head back to get a better view of the paper in front of her. Reading what was on it she furrowed her eyebrows and later shrugged her shoulders in answer.

“Ask my mom. I have no idea.” Taeyeon said.

“Okay!” Jessica exclaimed and jumped up from her seat. Taeyeon watched after the girl as she made her way to the kitchen. Hearing her mother’s singing stopped and instead a conversation between her mother and best friend Taeyeon only shook her head and focused on the TV again.

A few minutes passed and later her mother came to the living room and took a seat on the couch. With wide eyes she looked at the woman that had given birth to her and back to the kitchen where she feared her friend was in right now.

“What is she doing?” Taeyeon asked her mother.

“She wants to try out a receipt she found on the internet.” Her mother answered.

“By herself?” Taeyeon asked.

“Well, she didn’t ask for any help.” Her mother said and shrugged her shoulders.

Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows and glanced towards the kitchen. She felt it was strange as Jessica hadn’t forced her to help out as the girl usually did. She slumped deeper into the couch and crossed her arms while she returned her focus to the TV.

“Why didn’t she do it at her house?” Taeyeon asked with a slight hint of annoyance in her voice.

“No one is at home at her house right now.” Her mother stated.

“Her sister?”

“I saw her go out with a few friends an hour ago.”

Taeyeon frowned and continued to bore her eyes at the TV screen. Not really watching what was happening as her mind was focusing on the girl in the kitchen in her house.

“What? Was she afraid she would burn the house down while her family was out?” Taeyeon asked jokingly.

Once she had finished her sentence she heard a sound from the kitchen which made her fly up from her seat on the couch and went to see what her friend actually was up to.

When she arrived in the kitchen she saw Jessica standing by the counter, an apron over her clothes, busy cutting some vegetables.

“Ah, Taeyeon! You’re not busy, right? Good, help me out.” Jessica stated as Taeyeon entered the kitchen.

Feeling she had no other choice as she didn’t want to leave the girl alone Taeyeon made her way to the kitchen counter where Jessica was standing. She glanced at what the girl was doing and then to the receipt that lied beside the chop board.

“What are you trying to do?” Taeyeon asked and picked up the piece of paper.

“Cook.” Jessica stated.

“Yeah, I can see that.” Taeyeon said and looked at the vegetables that Jessica had already finished cutting.

“But what?” Taeyeon asked and looked at the receipt.

“Oh, some dish I saw on a cooking program last night.” Jessica said.

“My mom said you had found it on the internet.” Taeyeon said and furrowed her eyebrows.

“No, I found the receipt on the internet, but I saw the dish on a cooking program.” Jessica corrected.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes and placed the receipt back on the counter.

“I think you were watching the rerun of that program just now actually.” Jessica said and turned to the girl beside her.

“I wasn’t really focusing on the program though.” Taeyeon said and looked around in the kitchen.

“Then you’re of no help! Go and stand in a corner!” Jessica exclaimed and pointed to a corner of the room. Taeyeon looked at the girl like she was crazy. A small smile appeared on Jessica’s lips and she lowered her hand.

“I was just kidding. Feel free to help out!” Jessica said and accidentally hit one of the tomatoes on the counter which rolled down on the floor.

The two girls looked down at the tomato that had fallen down to the floor. Both of them slowly looked up at each other, the girl that had dropped it started to pout while the other remained expressionless.

“I dropped it.” Jessica mumbled.

“I can see that…” Taeyeon said and glanced at the tomato on the floor.

“I dropped it!” Jessica said louder.

“Yeah, I can see that! Pick it up!” Taeyeon ordered the girl.

“But it’s probably angry at me.” Jessica said and looked down at the lonely tomato on the floor. Taeyeon looked at the girl for a few seconds before she looked down at the tomato on the floor.

“Are you an idiot?” Taeyeon asked and looked up at the girl.

“Don’t call me that! It’s only the tomato that can call me that!”

“It’s a goddamn tomato. Pick it up! It doesn’t care if you dropped it!”

“How do you know?!”

“Because vegetables have never spoken to me!”

“It’s because they don’t like you!”

“I at least don’t drop them on the floor like you!”

“That’s so mean!”

“Just pick it up!”

“Fine!”

Jessica bent down and picked up the tomato on the floor. She looked at it with sad eyes and started to it gently.

“Are you okay, poor tomato?” Jessica asked the red vegetable in her hand. Taeyeon just rolled her eyes and turned around to go to the sink to wash her hands.

“You know you’ll have to cut that tomato later anyways?”  Taeyeon said and glanced at the other girl.

Jessica let out a gasp and covered the tomato with both of her hands.

“Don’t say that. The tomatoes can hear you.” Jessica whispered.

Taeyeon stayed expressionless. Showing Jessica how little amused she was by this. The other girl continued her act in feeling sorry for the tomato she had dropped.

When Taeyeon had finished washing her hands she made her way towards the vegetables on the counter. Jessica watched as Taeyeon picked up one of the onions and brought it close to .

“She’s going to cut you up in small, small pieces. And she will be crying out of joy while she does that.” Taeyeon whispered to the onion before she placed it back on the counter.

Jessica gaped shocked at the girl. Taeyeon just shrugged her shoulders and crossed her arms as she watched the girl look down on the tomato in her hand and then back up at her.

“Oh no, you didn’t.” Jessica said.

“In matter of fact, I just did.” Taeyeon said.

“Evil.” Jessica muttered and placed the tomato on the counter before turning back to the girl next to hear. “Pure evil. No feelings. Cold hearted.” Jessica said as she looked at the vegetables.

“Hey, you know what else we’ll be doing? We’ll eat you.” Taeyeon said and turned to the vegetables.  

Jessica snapped her head to the girl next to her. She held up a finger in front of Taeyeon’s face, her eyes narrowed and she leaned closer to the girl.

“If you don’t shut that mouth of yours I’ll make you prepare the sauce. And knowing you, you hate that.” Jessica threatened.

Taeyeon’s eyes widened and she glanced at the vegetables before she looked back at Jessica.

“Ooooh, scary.” Taeyeon said.

“I’m serious!”

“Okay, okay. Fine. I’ll stop. So what do you want me to do if not scaring the vegetables?”

“Let’s see.” Jessica grabbed the receipt and held it for her and Taeyeon to see. “I’m currently doing this, so you can start off by doing that and that, okay?” Jessica said and looked at Taeyeon. The latter nodded her head and went to get an apron for her before she started cooking.

Jessica watched after her and when she saw the girl starting to do what she had been told a satisfied smile appeared on her lips. She went back to cut the vegetables, smiling by the thought of how she and Taeyeon had acted earlier.

“Sica, why did you come over to my house to cook?” Taeyeon asked and looked at the girl. Jessica looked up from the chop board at the other girl. A smile graced her lips and she turned back to her task.

“Because I knew if I did it at my house I’d have done it without you as I know you’d never had come over if I told you to help me out cooking.” Jessica said and looked at the other girl.

Taeyeon chuckled and shook her head at the girl’s reason. “Clever.” Taeyeon said and looked at Jessica again.

“I know.” Jessica said and grinned.

The two friends looked at each other with smiles on their faces before they went back to focus on their tasks.


---


“Wow…” Taeyeon watched with proud smiles on their faces as their family members took a seat by the table where the food they had made was. They looked at each other and smiled before they took a seat by the table as well.

“My unnie actually cooked food?!” Jessica’s younger sister exclaimed as she placed some of the food on her plate. “My unnie cooked?!” She asked like she couldn’t believe it and looked at the two older girls that sat opposite her.

“Yeah, I can cook. How do you think I get anything to eat when I’m in school, duh?” Jessica said and rolled her eyes.

“I thought you make Taeyeon-unnie cook for you.” The younger sister said.

“Then she would only eat one dish, noona can only make one dish.” Taeyeon’s younger brother said and grinned.

“Thanks, Kibum. I actually know how to make other things when I want.” Taeyeon said and glared at her brother.

“You don’t do it when I ask you to cook for me.” The brother said and frowned.

“It’s because I don’t want to cook for you.” Taeyeon stated.

Both families started laughing at Taeyeon’s comment. Taeyeon looked at Jessica next to her that was in a fit of giggles before she turned back to her younger brother who she stuck out her tongue at. Kibum just frowned and began eating his food.

“Okay, Taeyeon. Enough with teasing your brother now.” Taeyeon’s mother told her daughter.

Taeyeon listened to her mother and kept silent and instead watched as her and Jessica’s family members tasted their food. With anticipating eyes they watched as their parents began exchanged glances with each other without saying anything. Feeling something wasn’t right they looked at each other before they looked back at the people eating the food they had made.

“Uhm…” Jessica’s younger sister was the one to break the silence that had engulfed both families. “Can we order pizza instead?” She asked and looked at her parents that looked like they agreed.

“What? Why? What’s wrong with the food!?” Jessica asked and took a taste of the food on her plate. Her eyes widened and she placed her hand on Taeyeon’s. Confused Taeyeon looked at the girl that was shaking her head franticly.

“Let’s order pizza.” Jessica said when she had swallowed the food in .

Confused Taeyeon turned to her own family that looked like they all were agreeing with the Jungs. Not understanding what was wrong Taeyeon took a taste of her own food. Letting it stay in before chewing she looked around at everyone. No one was saying anything until she swallowed the food and turned to Jessica.

“But, it tastes good.” Taeyeon said and furrowed her eyebrows. Jessica’s serious expression dropped and a smile broke out on her lips.

“I know. It tastes awesome!” Jessica said and slapped Taeyeon’s back. “Ha! We got you!” Jessica said and began laughing. A pout formed on her lips as she turned to the rest of the people by the table that also had begun laughing.

“I’m never cooking for any of you again!” Taeyeon protested and crossed her arms.

“But it was we that cooked this.” Jessica said and pointed at her and Taeyeon.

“And I’ll never help you cook either!” Taeyeon said and pointed at the girl that burst out laughing again.

“Ah, don’t take it so hard Taeyeon. It was just a joke.” Jessica said and placed her arms around Taeyeon’s shoulders. She looked at the girl and smiled. She lifted her other hand and poked Taeyeon’s cheek with it.

“Smile! You made food everyone likes!” Jessica said.

Taeyeon dropped her pout and looked at Jessica. “With your help.”

Jessica nodded her head. “Yeah, we made it together. It’s like we made a baby.” Jessica said and grinned. Taeyeon let out a sigh and shook her head. Jessica looked at her sister and Taeyeon’s brother and noticed that their siblings had the same reaction as the girl beside her.

“Okay, shall we eat this baby of yours now?” Jessica’s father broke the silence again. Everyone turned to the man that sat at the end of the table beside Jessica’s mother.

“Oh my God, dad.” Jessica’s sister exclaimed and looked disgusted at the man.

“Well, I know who won’t be seeing his grandchildren in the future.” Jessica said.

“It was a joke!” The man exclaimed to defend himself.

Both his daughters started to smile. “We know!” They said.

Both families started to laugh and soon they all dug into the food that the eldest daughters had made. Everyone with pleased smiles on their faces.