What a way to end Jessica’s Friday night with drinks in a bar and a pool game which she’s really terrible at. She’s losing by ten bucks. She’s bad with her aim like with every other sport that involved such skill, except with syringes. It’s not a sport but Jessica is good with sticking needles straight to the vein in a beat.

“Give us some thrill, Jess.” Sunny groaned, her form slouching while she rested the cue stick on her side. It’s Rachel’s turn, the only party giving this little game a challenge.

“I at this.” Jessica is stripped of energy. She’s bored but she’s been restless for days like she wanna do a lot of things but always ended up never doing anything at all.

Change is coming for her. After the divorce, that setback with her parents and now that she’s done with ER duties (it’s for the sake of patients, not hers), she deserved a good outcome from it. All she had are thoughts after thoughts whether she did the right thing, quitting a part of the job she loves to better herself when in fact she didn’t feel better, like something remained missing.

Jessica went to stash her cue stick on rack against a brick wall and returned to their booth. She tipped her beer to and emptied what’s left of the bottle.

“I’m guessing dropping the ER life is not going so well?” Sunny followed her to the booth then Rachel.

“Color me surprised when I found out.” Rachel chirped. “You love working. You love being busy, running around in your heels one bed after another and yelling orders. You’re like a superhero, only with a white coat billowing behind you.” She paid admiration to Jessica like those times she did before. There’s a reason for Jessica’s good rep in Angel Grove.

“I don’t think I can save lives properly when I need to straighten my life out.”

“You’re full of yourself sometimes but you’re a pro.” Sunny bluntly said. “You know how to separate your personal life with work.”

“Not this time. I-I can’t risk patients just because I can’t be there. Besides, there’s nothing to worry about since I chose the replacement myself. It’ll be like I’m never gone at all.” Jessica sank to the soft cushion of the booth.

“Seungwoo is good. He’s not you but it will do.” Sunny idly commented.

“You must be excited, at least. You got a lot of time in your hands now.”

“It’s definitely not a vacation, Rachel. I have so much to figure out.” Jessica drawled, already feeling tired just thinking of it but she’s happy and daring. This is what she wanted in a long time.

“Are we gonna see you back in the dating game?” Rachel asked, tone rising in excitement.

“Things aren’t going very smooth with Enzo. That’s not really an option for me now.” Just another one of the problems Jessica wanted to fix but how could she when the other half of the problem wouldn’t cooperate. They see each other everyday, in the corridors, in the cafeteria and in meetings, sharing an elevator, and they never exchanged a word or rather, Enzo won’t say a single word to her. “It also won’t look good on me. It’s only been a while since we separated.”

“That’s bull.” Sunny yelled but her voice is filtered by the loud music of the bar.

“And ist.” Rachel added with a dose of disgust. “Guys could just go on with their lives and date any girl after getting divorced regardless of how long he got separated but us girls have to observe some kind of etiquette before dating again and if we don’t, we get judged and we’re called a .”

“You’re not wrong about that.” Jessica chuckled faintly.

“But?” Sunny broached.

“It’s not my priority right now.”

That, and she’s scared. Jessica rationalized that it’s normal. Her divorce turned up ugly no matter how much she avoided for it to head that road. She couldn’t simply put her heart out there again after the rollercoaster of emotions she went through with Enzo. She’s afraid of making the wrong call, her hopes slowly being ruined because she was desperate to find something perfect and was promised of happiness but instead, she made a mistake that lived on for five years. She’s not yet ready to bare herself to all of that again.

A few more small talks and laughters, Sunny went to order a new batch of beers and Jessica left the table to go to the Ladies’. She pushed the door open, thinking it’s vacant. Turned out it’s not.

Before her are two girls fooling around by the sink, kissing torridly and hands all over each other. When they noticed Jessica’s presence, both looked at the woman helmed with guilt for peering over a private moment. The girl with a smokey makeup, leather jacket and crop top jumped from the sink and held hands with her partner. They giggled as they rushed past Jessica and out.

The girls are Yoona’s age, having the time of their lives in each other’s arms. Jessica could only dare to dream. She couldn’t remember the last time she seemed to have lost herself to someone that the secret smiles, a kiss and a touch sent shivers to her spine.

Yoona.

They kissed. To be more specific, Yoona kissed her. Jessica ran. After that, nothing. Two weeks passed and still nothing. Jessica didn’t know why the girl kissed her. Jessica didn’t even know what to feel about it other than the way Yoona kissed her, the way it was tender and unassuming, the way Yoona’s lips molded softly against hers and how all of it left a mark on her. God, how is she supposed to forget that?

Jessica ran not because she was stunned and overwhlemed, but because she didn’t expect it was something she needed at that time.

From the front door, Yoona heard a muffled sound of what seemed to be jazz music. The noise coming through the walls of her home is alarming enough.

She followed the sound, her heart aware of what it implicates but she crossed her fingers that she’s wrong. Yoona ventured through a corridor to the kitchen and the music grew louder - the swift piano keys, sophisticated drums and smooth bass hitting her ears.

What graced her eyes is her parents in a very domestic setup that is new to her sight. Her mom barking orders to set the table and her father, in an apron and the sleeves of his shirt rolled up, wielding the knife skillfully. The house chef and the rest of the staff worked in harmony despite the undeniable terror in their faces. Yoona's parents are never home. The employees are in the payroll to serve Yoona, not Mr. and Mrs. Im. Yoona is totally not alone from feeling unfamiliar and awkward.

"Oh our little girl." It irked Yoona to be called that. It’s like her parents continued to live in the past. Mrs. Im dropped her task at hand and marched to her daughter, embracing her. Yoona stiffened from the unusual sweetness her mother gave, slithering out of it the second it got longer.

"What are you doing here?" Not the most commendable words to say to your parents whom you haven't seen for months, but then Yoona's situation differed to most kids. Yoona always acted a certain way to them. She talked with spite. She rebelled most her life, but there has never been a single repercussion from it.

"Yoona, we missed you." Yoona's mother said sincerely as though she feared Yoona won't believe her.

"The last time you said you missed me, you grounded me." Keeping up with rich families of South Korea is punishment enough.

"Let's put that behind us and have dinner instead. You go to your room while we get ready. Okay?"

"Seriously, what are you doing here?" Yoona wouldn't move. Meeting with her parents involved expensive restaurants, bodyguards and eerie silence. After a meal, Yoona will have to wait for a few months for that to happen again. Not that she anticipates them. Honestly, it’s her least favorite thing to do. People might say otherwise with all the glamor surrounding her family, but being their daughter is a drag.

Her mother's jaw hardened. She put a hand on Yoona's elbow. It's too late for Yoona to dodge because she's too concentrated about what her mother will say next.

"We'll tell you. After dinner."

They ate quietly.

This is normal, Yoona thought. Normal is a good sign even though nothing about her family is ever normal. The fact they don't talk over a meal is one. Yoonamdidn’t like to engage, but being with her parents is like interacting with strangers whom she's scheduled to meet from time to time.

She didn't dislike her parents. It's just always been an indifferent relationship. They couldn't be there for her. Yoona stopped needing them and learned to live without them. It became some sort of a mutual agreement that they continue to co-exist without bothering one another.

"How's school?" The first words from Yoona's father after he wiped his mouth clean with the napkin, seemingly finished with his plate.

Yoona nearly choked on her water. They never mentioned school because what is there to discuss? Yoona's parents don't know anything about journalism besides it being a scum of the earth (which is coming from their perspective, the media poked on them like an octopus that resulted to a spread of false rumors and baseless issues). Instead, they spill confidential information about the company, keeping Yoona on the loop with the recent business ventures. It must be in her DNA that Yoona could comprehend the language of business and conjure a reply that corresponded a nod of approval from the founders of Maverick Consolidated.

"My article got the frontpage." Yoona told them with hesitation. She dr