Things were going fine for the young Jessica Jung.

Really.

She successfully disembarked in the shores of a province her loyal butler recognized as one of the remote places in her parents’ home country. Unknown to him, Jessica has been noting every single thing he had to say about the said province he happened to visit once, intrigued and mesmerized by the descriptions he had been telling the kid.

It was odd that the young heiress has been interested about South Korea all of a sudden, considering that the latter was raised in America and never really left the country since birth. But he was more than willing to help his master know about the place, innocently thinking that the teenager was just as curious about places as other teenagers her age.

Thanks to his kind gesture, the young Jessica managed to gather information about this province more and plot the greatest escapade of her life.

Running away.

Yes.

She had enough of the do’s and the don’ts, what’s and whatnot’s in that big, almost-empty mansion of theirs. Everyone was choking her.

Mum and dad were never the big supporter of her life plans for they have plotted everything that is to happen to her since the day the eldest Jung was born: be the robotic head of their business empire she never really know what is.

Her bodyguards were always in tow whenever and wherever she goes. They were like shadows, following and sticking into her like painful leeches. Privacy became a one-dimensional subject for Jessica; they are to be blamed.

Her nannies (UGH, her nannies) were the rarest conservatives living in the most liberal country in the world. They’re too stiff, stiffer than the stupid walkers in that apocalyptic TV show she usually watches. They were never fun to be with for a hormonal and adventure seeker ice-princess.

The only thing that somehow made Jessica to think twice in escaping was her youngest and only sister Krystal.

She was the only thing Krystal have for a companion and company inside that huge building she never felt like home. If she leaves, her kid would be the loneliest.

But her desire to find her freedom dominates—making her determined and resolved in fleeing away from the prison she was locked in for years.

So here she is.

Away from that stupid place and currently enjoying her new found freedom along this tranquil seashores of Jeonju—the very province her butler told her.

It took every single ounce of courage, 300 grams of sodium thiopental, and every crafty hiding skills she learned in youtube to break away from her stupid guards. Her own credit cards also helped a lot especially in booking a ticket for Korea and now that she thought about it, everything she did to carry out her plan was worthy.

The constant crash of waves along its coast, the melodic hums of the birds flying across the vast blues, the coarse sand under her feet that felt strange but soothing for Jessica—Yup.

Everything was perfect.

Really.

Until she caught site of four suited men getting out of a black sedan, some meters away from where she was wandering.

And Jessica was not stupid not to know that these were her annoying bodyguards she heartily despised.

Ugh.

She doesn’t want to go back to that prison just yet. No.

Calmly wearing back the mask that helped her run away in the first place, Jessica started walking away—fast.

Her feet doubled up its speed in every step she takes but not that swift to avoid suspicion. She needed to get away from this coastline before her sentinels could catch her.

So imagine how pissed and enraged Jessica became when she suddenly landed on her and a hovering figure was all she could see.

“Crap. I am so sorry!”

The person hurriedly scrambled away from her and up to her feet. She reached out to help Jessica stand up but HellSica just yanked her arms away and stood by herself.

“Watch where you’re going, will you?! Are you blind or just fairly stupid?!”

The person across her was slightly taken aback by the sudden outburst but simply said nothing. She was guilty at any cause.

Jessica was about to spit some more rude remarks. The person was plainly annoying and she needs lecture. But she immediately stopped herself once looking up.

The culprit who bumped unto her was a girl, most likely her age, and imagine how guilt rapidly surged into Jessica when she saw a blank and innocent stare from the former.

Was it..

“Wait. Are you really blind?? Like for real?” Jessica didn’t want to offend the girl but she inquired all the same. Guilt was eating her up in every second.

Blinking, the girl snapped out of her petty trance and looked up to meet Jessica’s eyes.

“Engrish.. I-I don’t Engrish..”

Eh?

Oh..

She totally forgot she was in Korea. And English was something that they are not fond of.

“O-oh.. Right.” She cleared and tried digging up the Hangul that are often spoken in their household. “Uhm, I was asking if you are really blind, cause I kinda blurted it out loud. I didn’t mean to offend you in any case.”

“Oh, no..” the girl started, showing an adorable smile that didn’t go unnoticed by the Jung. “I-I’m not blind. I’m just farsighted, that’s all. In fact, I was looking for my glasses when I slammed into you.. It kind of slipped off my hands..”

And just when Jessica heard the girl’s explanation, a sudden rush of guilt surged through her once again. She remembered hearing a cracking sound when she fell on her awhile ago.

She turned her gaze down and there she saw the broken pieces of what used to be a nerdy pair of eyeglasses.

Crap.

“Did you happen to see it? I really need those. I’m basically blind without ‘em.”

Jessica opened to explain, to say sorry at least. It was not her intention to ruin the girl’s eyes. But it came to a halt when she remembered what she was running away for.

Her bodyguards.

She swiftly looked back and saw them lingering along the shores now. A couple of feet more and they’re gonna notice her figure. Jessica needs to disappear now.

But then here is this blind girl. And for all the stupid things she would accidentally break, it would be her precious pair of glasses that was literally her eyes. She cannot just leave her alone, eyeless, can she?

“Com’mon..” with that, the ice princess started dragging away the poor girl with her.

“W-wait.. Where are we going??? My glasses are there!”

“I’ll explain later.. Just hold my hand and don’t pull away until I tell you to do so, okay?”

And so the girl did. She let the stranger tug her away and soon a part of her heart, maybe.

Jessica saw a huge pillar of rocks that would be enough to hide the two of them behind. Carefully, but with a little extra amount of force and speed, she pulled the girl along with her and ducked behind the mainstays of stones.

“I think I know what we’re doing..” the girl suddenly blurted out. “We’re hiding, aren’t we?”

Jessica, who was busy watching out for the stupid guards about to pass by, turned to answer the girl. “So you’re not stupid as I thought you looked like.. Good.”

The girl took it as a yes. “But why are we hiding? Who are we hiding from? Wait, erase that. Who are you hiding from?”

“Aish..” Jessica clicked her tongue. The girl seemed to be more vigilant than she looks like. “It’s nothing that a girl your age should mind..”

“Yah! I’m old enough.. I’m turning seventeen this year.”

Oh. Same age as the ice princess. But there’s no need for the girl to know about it.

“Still. You should not pry unto things that you’re not supposed to be a part of..”

“And you dragging me here to hide means what??” the girl’s tone has this hint of awareness.

“My eyesight might be blur, but my brain perfectly works kid. For all I know, you might be a killer who is hiding away from the cops..”

Jessica was bemused. This is what kids these days get for watching too much TV.

“Ugh..” she groaned and wholly faced the girl now. “I told you: it’s none of your freaking business. I may be hiding behind these dirty rocks but I assure you I’m not whatever it is your imaginative brain thinks of me. I broke your glasses that’s why I dragged you here with me. You don’t want to be alone out there without your eyes, do you?”

“Wha—“

“Sssshhh..” Jessica immediately covered the girl’s mouth and pressed herself against her.

“We will not get back until we find young Miss, understood? You wouldn’t want to face the wrath of Mr. Jung if we go back empty handed.”

“Yes, Sir.”

“Come on. Let’s keep on looking.”

The men’s heavy steps echoed so near the ears of Jessica that she thought she would be caught. But when she heard these steps go fainter and fainter, she let out the breath she was holding in.

“Too much Engrish for me today..” the girl suddenly talked, more to herself, and Jessica immediately realized the proximity of their distance.

She doesn’t know, but she felt a surge of warmth creeping through her cheeks, causing her to pull away and untangled the palm that covered the girl’s mouth.

“So I’m guessing you’re not from here?”

Turning her gaze back to the girl, she sighed. No more escaping here, huh? “Good guess..”

She stood up and stretched her head up to take a view of her guards, walking away from their hiding place. She can be relieved for now. But she perfectly knows this freedom she temporarily has will be taken away from her soon enough.

Suddenly, she saw the girl under her getting up her feet. The latter was squinting her eyes, wanting to make out something clear of the hazy vision in front of her. She started stepping forward with her hands tracing the shape of the rocks, making it her guide.

Ugh.

“Where are you going?”

The girl cutely blinked her impaired eyes and Jessica has to stop herself from blushing at the adorable sight.

Wait, what?

“Uhm.. I’m going home?”

Jessica raised a brow. “Are you trying to trip yourself? What about your glasses?”

The girl only shrugged and continued her baby steps. “I live here, silly. I perfectly know my way. And don’t worry about the glasses. I’ll repla—Woah!”

Before the girl’s adorable face could even smash and ruin itself against the rocky pavement, Jessica was able to catch her.

Oooff!

“Stupid midget..” the Jung silently cursed, the girl under her grip. “Don’t be a fool. Come on. I’ll help you get your glasses done..”

“No, I’m fine. I jus—“

“Zip it.. You’re coming with me..”

But the girl only whined, “I don’t even know who you are..”

“Ugh! I don’t give my name to strangers..”

“Come on.. I’m Ginger. I’m not a stranger anymore now, am I?”

“Ginger??” Jessica rolled her eyes on that. “Is that even your real name?”

“It is my dog’s name.” the girl smiled at the mention of dog. “But, better than nothing, yes? I don’t like giving my names to stranger to. But a pet name would do. Now, give me a name..”

This is getting ridiculous for Jessica.

“Aish..” but she still paused and dug up some label that would not expose her true identity just in case. “Call me princess. Yes, call me that cause I’m a princess.”

DING DONG!

DING DONG!

DING DONG!

“Jessica unnie!!!!”

DING DONG!

DING DONG!

DING DONG!

“Jessica unnie!! Open up! Unniee!!”

“Ugh!”

No one disturbs Jessica Jung’s precious slumber.

No one.

And whoever does, never makes it out alive.

Sleepily dragging herself towards the set of monitors erected in her room, Jessica clicked a button and every single screen in the set started to light up and displayed images and places.

Even half-asleep, the Jung never forgot to check whoever it was in their entrance mercilessly banging their doorbell. Yoona’s endless reminder to not let their guards down always put her on alert.

And thanks for this reminder, because one particular monitor displayed an image that made all Jessica’s sleepy cells to evaporate and melt away, for here she is, wide-eyed and mouth ajared.

She tried rubbing her eyes, thinking it was just a mere post sleep delusion.

But no.

It was not just it. Not when the figure in their door showed in her monitor began yelling, “Jessica unniee!! Open up, will you??!!”

“Holy mother of chicken..”

Hurriedly, Jessica scrambled her way to their main door, still amazed herself why she was rushing to get to the door. She immediately unlocked it open, revealing the very figure she never imagined would be standing here across her.

“S-Seulgi??!!”

Eye smile. Bear-like feature. Huggable cuteness.

“The one and only.. Kekekeke..”

***

“The blood on the dagger found in the crime scene perfectly matches the victim.. But it’s not the only thing we found..” Taeyeon plopped a folder containing the results of the blood sampling on top of her bestfriend’s desk.

Having discovered a dead man’s body merely meters away from the police station, Yuri and Taeyeon became more vigilant and on the go throughout the past days. The crime was staged near their post and most probably, the suspect could have lingered around the police department right after the murder.

Noting that the two of them were on duty during the performance of the crime, Yuri and Taeyeon opted to solve the case as soon as possible, determined to compensate their failure to respond to the call of obligation due to unnecessary distractions.

In laymen’s term: romance.

Kwon Yuri was exceptionally upset about it and it didn’t help that during the same night she felt betrayed and played once again.

And what happens when someone mess with Yuri’s heart?

She grows cold.

“Surprise me.” Yuri said blankly, her eyes flashing coldness all over.

If Taeyeon was any stranger, she could have shivered from the iciness of Yuri’s tone and attitude.

But she wasn’t.

And whatever drove Yuri to put up this façade of hers once again, Taeyeon had felt it all the same.

It’s just that in her case, she felt an official closure. As if whatever words spitted out during the night of their parting were their last and everything that they shared throughout the days they were together would be nothing but faded memory in the back of her head.

And it never felt good.

Especially not when you never had the person as yours in the first place.

“Another blood was discovered muddled up with the victim’s. Which tells us that he could have brawled with the suspect before he was stabbed open to die.”

This caused Yuri to narrow her eyes. “So you’re telling me that he wounded his perpetrator before he was killed?”

Taeyeon nodded. “Exactly”

“Hence, we’re looking for an injured man“

“Or a woman..”

Yuri turned her eyes to meet that of her partner’s. “The dead man was too muscular and broad to be killed by a woman, Taeng..”

Taeyeon suddenly brought out a bunch of papers from a folder in her hands and gave it to Yuri, with the latter immediately scanning the documents given to her.

“The strands of hair we found in the crime scene turned out to be someone else’s and not of the victim’s. Amazingly, the tresses were too silky and glossy for a man’s hair.”

Improbability was written all over Yuri’s face and if it wasn’t because of the test results in her hands, she could have accused Taeyeon of teasing her.

“Our suspect is a female?”

“The results are telling us that it is.”

Yuri became silent for a moment. Her brown orbs totally absorbed in the documents she was reading, mummed into silence—poles apart as to what was ensuing inside her wits.

Having women in the felonious parcel of the biome wasn’t new to the Kwon. She had met a lot worse than this.

But she didn’t see this coming.

Not when she was starting to feel that she was swinging on the other team.

“Women are turning into bastards that they were not; a sign that the world is truly ed up nowadays..”

It was definitely not Yuri. She rarely swears.

Neither Taeyeon. The cop knows how and when to use those four letter word better than in a normal conversation.

So who just declared that cussing statement?

Snapping their heads back to the entrance, Yuri and Taeyeon saw two figures standing on the door.

“You must be Officer’s Kwon and Kim?”

Taeyeon widened her eyes, a sense of familiarity rushing through her veins at the sight of the tall, skinny girl standing at the entrance.

Yuri kept her stance. She knew who it was.

“Choi Sooyoung??”

A sly smirk tugged on the said person’s lips as she heard Kim Taeyeon exclaiming her name.

“Hi midget..” She tilted her head sideways to take a better view on Yuri. She smiled once again when she saw the black pearl, “Hi there babe..”

Hearing this name, Yuri squinted her eyes and hissed. “I told you never to call me that..”

They heard a chuckle afterwards. It was from the tall girl Sooyoung.

“You guys are still the snotty roommates I had.. Won’t you greet your ever loving Choi with a kiss??”

Taeyeon vaguely grimaced as the tall girl across them puckered her lips with all the grossness. The stoic person beside Sooyoung who doesn’t seem to be affected by the unsophisticated act of the tall girl didn’t go unnoticed by the cop.

She didn’t remember her attending the academy both Yuri and her and the Choi went. She was a new face. And she was gorgeous.

“What are you doing here, giant?” Yuri coldly inquired. She was getting impatient in every tick of the clock.

And this didn’t go unnoticed by Sooyoung too.

“Still the cold person that you are, huh baby girl?? That’s why I like you so much.”

“Cut the chase, Sooyoung.” Yuri’s coldness pierced through the air. “We have a lot of things to do and I don’t want my time to go wasted with pointless interruptions.”

But the cunning tall girl could only smirk, “Oh I don’t think you can call us that after knowing what we’re doing here.” She paused and turned her head to the person beside her. “Irene, do you mind doing the introductions?”

The stoic person Taeyeon has been eyeing simply nodded and averted her gaze towards them.

“Annyeonghasaeyo. I am Bae Joohyun and this is my partner Choi Sooyoung. We were from Daegu Police Department and we have been reassigned to work here in Seoul. It is nice meeting you both.” And then she bowed flawlessly.

Surprise was an understatement of what Yuri and Taeyeon felt on the very moment.

And it was all Sooyoung needed to flash her most excited smile of all time.

“That’s right. We’re going to be your new colleagues, babies.”

***

“What are you doing here?!”

But instead of answering, the young looking Seulgi took her question as her go signal to enter. She instinctively hugged the petite woman like the latter was not showing any amusement of her presence, donning her infamous eye smile that could melt anyone’s heart.

“I missed you, too unnie..”

With her luggage in tow, the kid proceeded in walking further into the house, making the Jung over the door to be amused even more. Jessica cannot stop her jaw from dropping when Seulgi threw her bags on the couch and dragged herself to the kitchen to open the fridge.

“Unnie, I’m hungry. What do you have here?”

A scoff. Jessica could only manage a scoff.

“Seriously Kang Seulgi, how did you find me?? How did you even know I’m in Korea?”

Popping her head out of the fridge with a chicken leg tugged in and a milk on one hand, Seulgi replied. “I hab my ways ummiee.. You mow me.. Hmm! This chickem ish shoo good!”

“Ugh!” Jessica has to roll her eyes on that. When would her cousin grow up?

“You’re still the same sloppy kid I used to know. Chew your food properly, will you??”

And Seulgi only beamed even more at the reprimand, showing off her eye smiles further.

“Sica??”

That known voice suddenly echoed throughout the kitchen and the two conversing persons turned their heads to the source.

It was Yoona.

“Yoong, you’re awake”

Gasp!

Jessica has to turn her head towards her cousin once again and saw that the poor kid’s chicken leg fell out of , leaving it ajar as her eyes were trapped ogling on the doe-eyed girl across the room.

It could only mean one thing.

“Cheesus.. You are the most handsome girl I ever saw in my 20 years of existence.”

Seulgi, her shameless cousin, was on her fangirl mode.

***

“How did she find you?” Yoona quietly asked. She silently winced when she tried adjusting herself on her seat.

The pain on her severed part was still enduring that she refused to believe Jessica that she had been knocked out for almost a week.

“I’m still working on it. The kid didn’t have the chance to tell me just yet because she busied herself eating as soon as she came.”

Yoona spun her head towards the kitchen and saw Seulgi openly gawking at her with a chicken leg on her hand. The younger showed her adorable eye smile upon meeting Yoona’s doe eyes and she had to admit that it was darn attractive.

“I don’t think we’ll have a problem on her. She looks harmless and quick-witted to me..”

Jessica has to roll her eyes on that yet again. If only Yoona knew how cunning and naughty her cousin could be.

But she has to admit that Yoona’s descriptions could as true as it sounds. Her cousin, just like her, was into computers and data system. Seulgi basically grew up with PC’s and hacking devices surrounding her and Jessica has a hint as to how her choding cousin was able to find her in the oh-so-wide universe.

“How’s Yuri and Taeyeon?” Yoona suddenly has to ask and Jessica immediately remembered her last interaction with Taeyeon.

It makes her want to cry.

That short cop is the least thing Jessica wants to talk about right now.

“They have found the body of the man and they are currently investigating on the matter..”

“Have Kim attempted anything after this incident?”

“Not that I noticed something.” Jessica pointed out. “I’ve been watching the two of them closely all throughout the days when you’re unconscious and nothing’s happened..”

It was enough to relieve Yoona and lessen the pain on her injured part.

Just the thought of Yuri being safe was enough.

But the idea of the latter misunderstanding things wasn’t helping. Not when she recently realized how easily pissed Yuri becomes when she leaves without notice.

And the last incident probably threw her at the edge.

Waking up from her thoughts, Yoona decided to stand on her feet.

“Where are you going?” Jessica was beyond curious.

“I’m going out..” Yoona was already on the porch, grabbing the keys hanging on the wall.

Jessica never thought her dongsaeng can be a fool sometimes, “You just got out of bed after days of slumber, Yoona. You’re not yet okay. Don’t force yourself..”

“I will be.” Yoona assured, her eyes full of determination and willpower that Jessica almost felt stupid for stopping her.

“I will be okay once I see Yuri, Sica. She’s all that I want to be with right now..”

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Nothing special in this chapter. This is just me dropping by to tell you guys that I'm still alive. Kekeke. I apologize for future delays of updates. Life is crushing me hard lately. But I hope you’ll love the new characters. One more figure to introduce and everything will fall into places :) Happy birthday to our dear kkabYul!

Write me something ^^ Fighting!