A/N: 1) History - I wrote this in July 2020 and first posted it here.

2) Ice Cream - I think I started this in August 2020 after soshi said their favourite ice cream flavour is mint chocolate and I remember Jessica had said that was her favourite before.

3) Hopeless - I started this in October 2019 and posted the first part here.

4) Pepero - I had zero recollection of the context behind this fic so I had to do some sleuthing. I probably started this in December 2020 since that's when Taeyeon released What Do I Call You.

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History

“You know, I heard Kim Taeyeon is going to be there,” Irene says conversationally.

A muscle jumps in Jessica’s jaw. “So?”

“So…don’t you two have history?”

“History,” Jessica repeats, like she’s rolling the word around in . “You could say that.”

Irene chuckles. “Jess, you’re as mysterious as ever, aren’t you?”

“Am I mysterious?” Jessica arches an eyebrow. “Honestly, there’s just not much to say about Kim Taeyeon.” She shrugs. “At least, not where I’m concerned.”

“Right, of course,” Irene says, but she’s smiling in that way that tells Jessica she can see right through her lie and is just waiting for an opportune moment to poke through it. Her perceptiveness is a trait Jessica admires, but not when it’s herself. Irene’s expression suddenly turns more serious. “You should be careful though. We’ve gotten wind of an unusual number of threats.”

Jessica shrugs again. “There are always threats.”

“Not this many that sound legitimate.”

“I’ll be fine,” Jessica says with a thin smile. “I mean, I’m not exactly defenceless, right?”

Irene laughs. “I definitely wouldn’t call you that.”

One would think, looking at her, that she’s nothing more than a spoiled heiress. A rich brat who spends her daddy’s money on luxury clothes and worldwide trips with no idea where it really came from. A princess who would probably stomp her foot and whine if she broke a nail.

It’s too bad that everyone who came close to discovering how dangerous she really is hasn’t lived to tell the tale. Well, everyone except one person.

Kim Taeyeon, Jessica says, this time in her mind, savouring the sound of her name. What are you here for?

 

On the other end of the city, an odd chill passes over Taeyeon’s shoulders, the sensation her mom would say comes from someone stepping over her grave.

Taeyeon isn’t superstitious, per se, but she has a feeling that someone is talking about her. Or maybe just thinking about her. Maybe the very person that she’s thinking about right now.

She’d be the first person to scoff at ESP and the like, but there’s no denying that there’s an unusual…connection between them. One that they have both tried to sever but inevitably came back to ensnare them.

“Jessica Jung,” she murmurs out loud. “I can’t wait to see you.”

She smiles and swirls the wineglass she’s holding as she looks out the expansive windows of her penthouse apartment. Then she presses a button to close the blinds. She has some work to do before their meeting.

 

Ice Cream

“Are you going to say something cheesy like I’m like mint chocolate chip ice cream?”

“Uh…sure?” If Taeyeon were a Mac application, Jessica would be able to see a pinwheel spinning beside her head. Hmm, maybe Jessica should lay off the analogies. “You’re…sweet and refreshing with a bit of a kick?”

Jessica bursts into laughter. “Since when does ice cream have a kick? It’s not like, Sriracha-flavoured.”

“Hey, I’m not a food critic. Give me a break.”

“Good thing you’re not a food critic. Those poor people reading your reviews. Restaurants would probably go out of business, and not the deserving ones.”

“Wow, clearly you should be the critic – you have all this criticism stored in you just waiting to explode.”

“My writing talent is explosive, I know.”

“Definitely,” Taeyeon says, completely straight-faced. “You are a published author, after all.”

Jessica’s eyes narrow. “Why are you saying it like that?”

“Like what?” Taeyeon asks innocently.

“I did write a book.” Jessica’s voice almost sounds like a whine.

“I know you did. I bought a hundred copies.”

“You did not.”

“I did. Do you want me to show you the order confirmation?”

“What are you going to do with a hundred copies of the same book?”

“Well, most of them were e-books. You know, I’m trying to save the environment and all. Then with the physical books, I gave some friends their own copies as gifts. And I found some typos in one copy so I’m going to wait until it becomes really valuable and then sell it.”

Jessica stares blankly at Taeyeon. “Why do I know you?”

“Geez Sica, is your memory going bad or something? We met when we were fifteen. I was in a practice room and you—”

Jessica impulsively slaps a hand over Taeyeon’s mouth to stop her from talking. Then she jumps back when Taeyeon her hand.

“Ew! What is wrong with you?”

“Hey, you didn’t have that reaction when my tongue was in your mouth. Or in—”

Jessica silences Taeyeon the only other way she can think of, by kissing her.

 

Hopeless

“So, it’s come down to this.” Sooyeon doesn’t really say it like a question, like something that can be challenged, overturned, but there’s still a note of…something in her voice, like there’s the faintest glimmer of hope still.

Taeyeon forgot what hope felt like a long time ago. Before she watched her palace under siege, her men fired down with volleys of arrows and spears, her teacher bleeding to death in front of her from a blow that was meant for her. Before she learned how it felt to see your own flesh gaping in front of you, to see muscle and fat and bone, to feel a pain that was worse than that, still, the pain of betrayal. Before, when she was a different person: young, innocent, foolish.

Before she met the woman in front of her and lost everything from her kingdom to her heart.

“It has,” Taeyeon returns evenly. “You must be proud.”

Something flickers across Sooyeon’s face. “Proud?”

“Proud you’ve achieved this.” Taeyeon gives a smile that’s really more of a grimace. “Proud you stabbed me in the back.”

“You may not believe me, but I took no pleasure in deceiving you…or hurting you.”

“Yeah. I don’t believe you.”

“I don’t blame you.” Sooyeon looks—pained. It almost makes Taeyeon hurt too, but she knows better. She’s been hurt enough by the woman in front of her. “It would be insulting to ask for your trust after what I’ve done.”

Taeyeon scoffs. “At least you know that.”

“But still.” Sooyeon hesitates. “Whether you believe me or not, I want to offer you my apologies.” She straightens and very formally bows to Taeyeon, who stares back at her stonily, not letting down her guard. She wouldn’t be surprised if Sooyeon took it as an opportunity to fire a weapon at her. However, Sooyeon’s next words do catch her by surprise.

“I’m sorry I hurt you, Tae,” she says, her voice soft, but the words cut into Taeyeon worse than any sword could.

“I’m sorry too,” Taeyeon says. “I’m sorry for myself that I still want to believe you.”

Sooyeon has that pained expression again. Then any emotion is wiped clean from her face. “I guess there’s nothing more to be said between us.”

“Exactly, there’s nothing.” Taeyeon slowly unsheathes her sword and points it at Sooyeon. “Our swords can do the talking from here.”

Sooyeon stares at her, the sunlight glinting off Taeyeon’s blade and reflecting off her eyes in little pinpricks, giving the illusion that there are stars in them. Stars Taeyeon once thought were for her.

What a fool she was.

 

Pepero

“I like your hair,” Jessica says idly.

“You do?” Taeyeon says, sounding more suspicious than flattered.

“Why do you sound so shocked? It’s not like I never compliment you.”

“Well, it’s usually a backhanded compliment,” Taeyeon says dryly. “I’m waiting for the second half of your sentence.”

“There is no second half,” Jessica huffs.

“Okay.” Taeyeon waits.

“It makes you look like a kid.”

“There it is!”

“What?” Jessica widens her eyes. “It’s a compliment. A…forehanded compliment.”

Taeyeon bursts out laughing at that. “You’re really picking up my affinity for puns, huh?”

Jessica wrinkles her nose. “Don’t say it like it’s a good thing.”

“Come on, Sica, how is absorbing my wit and humour a bad thing?”

“Maybe you should absorb some modesty first,” Jessica says, and Taeyeon grins, unabashed.

“And where am I supposed to get it from, you?”

“I’m not un-modest,” Jessica says. “I just have a healthy self-esteem. It’s important to know how to love yourself.”

“It is,” Taeyeon agrees, a little too easily. Sure enough, she follows that with, “Especially on those lonely nights.”

“Kim Taeyeon!”

“What?” Taeyeon says with an innocent look.

Jessica shakes her head. “You’re insufferable.”

Taeyeon pouts. “But I thought you liked suffering from me.”

“I do,” Jessica sighs. “I must be a special kind of masochist.” She holds up a finger in warning. “Do not say something dirty about that.”

“I wasn’t going to!”

“Sure,” Jessica snorts. “You wouldn’t be able to hold back your dirtiness if your life depended on it.”

“That seems like a strange situation. Like what, someone’s holding a gun to my forehead and if I can’t resist making a dirty joke they’ll shoot?”

“That could totally happen,” Jessica says, straight-faced, even though the corners of her lips are twitching. “You have to be prepared for that kind of situation.”

Taeyeon has a thoughtful expression. “I guess my life would be in peril then.” She sighs dramatically. “Looks like I should update my bucket list since clearly such a dangerous situation could happen any day now.”

“You really should.” Jessica nods solemnly. “What do you want to do?”

Taeyeon gets a glint in her eye as she leans in and whispers something in Jessica’s ear. Jessica blinks and stares at her blankly for a second. And then the blank stare turns into a murderous glare.

“Kim Taeyeon!”

Taeyeon really should update her bucket list, because it seems that her life is in danger.