She had an easy (kind of) routine worked out ever since she started living by herself in this foreign country of Korea at the early age of thirteen. It's made her life admittedly easier. 

On school days, Jessica wakes up at seven, gets ready and heads out to school, maybe grab a toast along the way if she's feeling particularly un-lazy.

On weekends, she'd wake up late and laze around in the bedroom. She grabs whatever's in the fridge if she gets hungry and then back to doing whatever homework has accumulated in the comfort of her queen-sized bed.

It's not much but it's how she lives.

Jessica loves herself. A lot. There's nothing that can keep her from enjoying the pleasures life can offer and she's always have had put herself first.

And so she doesn't know what lapse in her sanity made her apartment turn into a makeshift orphanage for children who aren't even orphans at all, destroying her perfectly laid out daily life plans.

Friday afternoon wasn't particularly terrible. Her professors miraculously didn't give out a quiz, she rejected that hot tennis player who gave her chocolates last Valentines day, she got a free smoothie for winning a bet against her idiot of a friend, and she finally got to invite over that cute girl from Philosophy.

Cute girl from Philosophy is currently sitting on her couch and leaning towards her with that furtive glance and that flirty smirk.

Yeah, life can be great.

Except when it's not.

The door busts open before Jessica and Taeyeon could get to kissing and in comes stomping a little demon who likes to go by the name of Joy.

“I’m home and I’m hungry. Hi Mom, hi mommy’s irrelevant friend whom I’ve never seen before,” says the ten year old demon monkey as she throws her bag into a chair and heads straight to the kitchen.

“Joy I’m not your mother and this is not your home. Don’t wreck my kitchen!” Jessica practically screams after her.

Taeyeon just sits there completely dumbstruck at the unusual development of their study slash almost-make out session. She sips at the forgotten tea at the coffee table which has gone cold before making up her mind. She begins to pack her (unused) books and notes in her bag.

“No, wait. We haven’t even started yet,” pleads Jessica.

“Look, Sica. This is lovely and all but I have to go. My, uh... chickens are dying.”

“Taeng, she’s not even my kid. I don’t really have a child.”

The door opens and closes and in comes Wendy.

“Hey mom, I’m home. No club today.”

Taeyeon looks at Jessica with one eyebrow raised. Her arms cross at her chest as she waits for the girl to talk. Wendy comes over to them and Taeyeon shifts her attention to the newcomer.

“Oh, you have company. Hi, I’m Wendy. You’re really pretty.”

“Umm... Thanks?” says Taeyeon. She’s not really good with older kids.

"Are you going to sleep with mom tonight?" asks Wendy. She's not very good at phrasing her words the way her brain wants to.

Joy comes out of the kitchen with a cookie in hand and parks her in front of the sofa where she could fully watch and enjoy the embarassment on Taeyeon's pretty face. Wendy, sensing the awkward atmosphere she inadvertently created, rushes to the kitchen to get started on dinner.

"Jessica, I really have to go now," says Taeyeon.

"But you just came!" Jessica exclaims before realizing how completely inappropriate that sounded out.

“Well that went awkward quickly,” Joy quips.

Taeyeon’s cheeks heat up and she could only send a small smile towards Jessica before leaving the apartment. Jessica knows she will not see her again. She also knows she might strangle Joy if the kid stays around her within a ten meter radius.

“How are you Dara unnie’s daughter? You are nothing alike.”

“Remember Punett Square? Think recessive genes, it’s not that hard,” says Joy.

“I’ll give you a ten second head start to run and hide in my room before I can commit homicide.”

Joy knows Jessica is not kidding. She shoots up like a bullet and heads to Jessica’s bedroom then locks the door tightly. Jessica buries her face in her hands and silently screams out her frustration.

“You’re out of carrots!” Wendy calls in from the kitchen. “The curry goes carrot-less. We will have carrot-less curry for dinner!"

And as if on cue, in comes Irene and Sana with groceries in their hands and smiles on their faces. They greet Jessica before heading to the kitchen. Well, Irene does while Sana detours to the laundry room to put away the detergent and fabric conditioners (with ephasis on the S) Irene had unnecessarily bought by the bundle.

Seulgi comes in after the two with a -eating grin on her face. She comes over to Jessica and stands before the couch. She pulls out something from her little jacket pocket and eagerly presents it to the older girl like it was magic.

"Umma, this black little pastic card I found in your wallet the other day is like magic! It got us food from the mart and stuff! Oh, and I got more honey, too!"

Later that night, Jessica predicts receiving a call from her father AKA the one who pays for the card asking her if she's running a laundromat if the excessive amount of detergent Sana and Irene brought is anything to go by.

Jessica tries hard to remember how in the name of Hades did her apartment turn into an orphanage with kids that are not even orphans.

But when Wendy yells "Dinner's ready!" and the sound of excited chatter fills her home, she thinks she can live with it.