( Note : Conversations between Jess and Ok are always in English unless they're in the company of other idols. Again, keep the song playing~ Thank you.)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPv1_eqYe2M

Love and hate.

Two different words always associated with each other. It irks a lot, mostly those who are involved with the other . Because sometimes, hate means hate. There is no hidden meaning behind it, there is no upcoming revelation of a change in feeling.

And love? Love is love. Something that the luckiest of people discover. And just like hate, love has no other meaning. It's a word of affection used to express towards or about someone close to your heart. But other times, love can be often be misused or worn out. Although, if its the latter one, then it isn't called love. Just lust – another different word.

Grace Lee always thought it was, just lust. But it wasn't. It was something more. Something she wasn't ready to admit. She was scared, frightened. She wanted to be rid of the emotion, but the mind can never control what the heart wants. That was why she was faced with an obstacle. An obstacle that had been tormenting her since day one.

“Grace? Is that you?” asked Jessica in disbelief. Grace cracked a smile and hugged her old friend tightly. They weren't that close, but Grace considered her to be a person of the most importance in her life. Without Jessica, she wouldn't have known. She wouldn't have seen the light. If there was a light to all this. . .

“Wow, you've changed so much! In a good way, of course.” the pretty-faced girl added quickly. Grace's smile broadened. “Same for you! I was in town, er, city, and just decided to drop by!” she exclaimed. Jessica's laughter was as charming as her personality. She hooked her arm around hers with a smile. “Well? We have a lot of catching up to do. Come on, I know the perfect place to hang around at.” she said.

It was hard for her, to decide whether this was a dream or nightmare. Time was hurrying her up. She was at the place that she most dreaded yet didn't really know well. She hadn't been inside before. She had only glimpses of the main lobby through the front door. And more than once had she spotted the tall, masculine structure between the crowds of gathering fans. She wondered if he had changed a lot as well.

“Thanks for coming, Jess.” said Victoria. She gave Grace an unsure smile. They had just met each other, so it was awkward for them to actually get acquainted on such short notice and time. “It was nice meeting you too, Grace.” she finally said. Grace responded with a smile of her own and waved farewell. The camera crew followed her into the elevator. Victoria was here to visit her 'husband'.

He too, was affiliated with him as well.

“Come on! The cafeteria is this way!” Jessica urged. She pulled Grace through a series of hallways before landing in a vast room. There were many empty tables, and the two claimed one near a window.

“Coffee? I'm getting coffee.” declared Jessica. Grace nodded. “Coffee sounds great.” she replied, and so, the two were handed two steaming mugs.

Grace stared at the mug in her hands. She hadn't drunk from it yet, but she wasn't feeling thirsty either. Silence had dominated the air for a while, and she wondered what Jessica was thinking. To begin with, she was actually surprised that the Jessica Jung had thrown her free time away to spend it with her. She could only guess that as an idol, the girl was used to being selfless due to all the fan service she graciously gave away.

“So, how's life?” questioned Jessica. The silence had been killing her. She needed to make a conversation. “Good. Yours is too, right? Miss Rich and Famous?” Grace chuckled. Jessica grinned and jokingly slapped her arm. “Hey! If you must know, I share my income amongst eight other girls. I'm not that rich. But how about you? What do you do for a living?” she asked. Grace paused and took a sip. The warm liquid burned . “I'm a make-up artist.” she said quietly. Jessica leaned back in her seat with a content look. “Working in Hollywood, I assume? That's cool. Know any cute actors yet?” she wiggled her eyebrows playfully.

Grace didn't blush and shook her head. None would ever be considered handsome or 'cute' for her.. Because no one could beat the man that she knew way before them. Sure, some actually had the ability to put some color onto her pale cheeks, but none had ever come close to making her feel 'funny'. Only he had that power. She hoped he lost it by now.

“Aw, you're just lying. Aren't you? Going to keep all the good ones to yourself? Well, might I remind you; you are just one person. You can't love two people at the same time equally.” stated Jessica. The cogs in Grace's mind turned. She stared at Jessica. What she said was just...brilliant!

“And why can't I?” asked Grace. She had to make sure it was possible, and that her mind wasn't just conjuring futile plots. Jessica eyed her like she had two heads before laughing. “You got love issues, don't you? Well you've come to the right person. K-Pop music isn't foreign to any problems about love. Not yet, at least. So I think I can help you.” she said. Grace smiled. “I guess. So why? Why can't I love two people?” she persisted on her previous question. She would not deter from her objective.

“You can't love two people equally because you only have one heart. It can only be stolen once. And Grace, when I say stolen, it means it can never be retrieved again. So if by chance, you pass someone who succeeds to give you the butterflies, you'll realize that he won't be able to please you as much as the first one did. Therefore, you can't love him like you loved the other.” Jessica said smartly. Grace titled her head to the side.

“Why?” she asked.

“Because,” Jessica continued, acting like the answer was already obvious.

“He can't take what isn't there.”

Fate.

People say you can't fight against Fate. Grace believed that. If Fate had somehow led her to Jessica and her wise words, then clearly, there was no way fighting it. Fate had placed Jessica in her way as a stepping stone. Now, she was one step closer to her destiny. And if she had miraculously known this was going to happen, then she wouldn't have come to Korea at all. For now, she stood before the man she loathed and avoided all her life.

Jessica's role had expired, for the meantime. She cast curious looks between the two before deciding it was best to leave. She stealthily slipped a piece of paper, (her number scribbled on it), into Grace's bag before sneaking out with an excuse. She met Victoria half way through her escape, and the two left.

“Grace?” his voice was deeper. A change that wasn't so benefiting for Grace. She stared at the brown orbs with a vacant look. “Taecyeon.” she remarked. The name easily rolled of her tongue. The man blinked before smiling. He was an idiot. Grace scolded him in her head. She wanted him gone.

“You never told me you'd be in Korea.” he said conversationally. Idols, it seemed, had the natural skill to spur up a chat with people. Either that, or she was just deprived from human interactions.

“I wasn't aware I had to inform you.” she hastily snapped. The smile transformed into a grin. His pearly white teeth were in view. They still remained large as ever. A quality Grace had easily overlooked during his absence in her life. Her memories, it seemed covered this small imperfection of his.

“Still angry at me? Not my fault I was better than you at sports.” he replied cheekily. Grace rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. She had to leave soon before things got out of hand. If they did, her plan would fail.

“I'm over that. Problem is, you aren't. Like to shove it in my face as always. You never change Taecyeon.” said Grace. She took a firmer grip on her bag. She made a motion to leave, but the giant got in her way. “You're kidding me, Grace. I'm way over that. Why can't you take a joke?” he said.

“The same reason why I can't stand to be in your presence. Now move.” she ordered. Taecyeon looked like he was about to say something, but held it back. All the better. Grace began to saunter away until her name was called out again.

“Will you be staying for a while?” he asked. Off guard, Grace nodded and left. She broke down minutes later.

Love.

Yes, she had to find someone for Taecyeon. She had to become matchmaker. Then, after he had found Miss Perfect, she was free to go. She would only be haunted with the same, lone thought; what if? The problem was, who was going to be runner-up? Grace had been searching through the net for some possible candidates, and if Taecyeon had truly been an idol for so long, she wondered why he hadn't fallen head over heels for any of the beautiful ladies she was looking up. Was he blind? Or – she refused to think of the other possibility. Then, like a message from above, she landed on an article that was very intriguing.

“Yoboseyo?” Jessica's voice cracked. It was well into the night, and Grace felt a bit horrible for calling the busy idol at such a time. But this was a dire situation she had to get out of quickly. She couldn't risk anything – especially time.

“Jess! It's me, Grace. I was wondering. Im Yoona is in your group right?” she asked.

Jessica's brain functioned again at this. She stole a glance at her fellow group members before sneaking out into the bathroom.

“Yeah, why?” she replied. Grace grinned triumphantly. “I was thinking...she and Taecyeon make a cute couple. Are they dating?” Jessica did a double take at this question. She was confused. Why was Grace suddenly taking an interest in this? Nonetheless, she replied with a negative answer. Grace concluded that idols were blind. Even if they constantly sang about love.

“I want to set them up together.”

Time.

It became less precious to her. The week turned into a month, and little progress was making. The two idols were too caught up in their hectic schedules to spare time for dating. Never the less, Jessica had sworn herself into helping Grace achieve her goal. She didn't know why she had let herself be dragged into this; she was very aware of the strict no-dating-rule, but she complied with her friend's plea. Anyway, this might turn into something good, she had assured herself.

But the month had given birth to triplets, and Yoona and Taecyeon were just close friends. Meanwhile, Taecyeon had given up trying to contact her after month two. Grace was fortunately avoiding him very well. This was good though. He had less distractions to worry about.

“Um, Grace? How do I say this, but Taec, he knows.”

The text message was like a slap to her face. Grace hadn't ventured out of her (temporary) apartment and hadn't risked contact with Jessica for the past three days. She would have stayed like that longer, at least, until the paparazzi had enough pictures to prove that Yoona and Taecyeon were more than close friends. But she was human, and she needed food.

And she did buy more, at five am in the morning. Grace thanked the creation of full time working convenience stores as she dragged her purchased instant noodles towards her apartment. She dropped the half dozen bags at the sight at her door.

Yoona.

The girl lived up Grace's expectations of beautiful. Even without the make-up on the woman's face, she portrayed the word perfection easily. Black, lustrous hair framed the slender face. The doe eyes and fine lips – Grace felt more than hideous under this girl's presence.

“Can we talk?” 

And now, you can let your imaginations run~ ^ ^