Chapter 6

Jessica let herself fall onto the soft cushion as she sighs tiredly. For the past seven hours, she has been attending her schedules for the day. She went to photo shoot that lasted for about three hours and immediately took off for a radio show which luckily took only an hour in a half. She just finishes an interview for a few reporters writing news articles. It is now around eight o’clock; she is awaiting Seulgi to inform her next schedule.

That’s the life of an idol. She never got a proper rest for the past few years after her debut. Since the company is in quite a tight financial position, their only hope was their group. They cannot afford to debut another with the number of debts pilling up just from debuting Navice. Hence, Jessica is always working hard. Since many of Navice fans have requested her solo debut, the company fulfills it and gave her a chance to release her first solo album.

Although it is mainly for the company’s advantages to gain profits by using her rising popularity, Jessica ignores that fact and continues to promote. Well, she never really got to know how her album sales went since the staffs have never reveal the information to her. She did win a few times on music shows and receive several awards. She is unaware by the fact Summer went full on rage in the office when she was busy promoting her song.

Summer completely goes against the idea of her debuting as a solo. But what angered her that day was because of Jessica’s solo album sales were much higher in comparison to hers. She almost hit an innocent staff with a chair too. Jessica has never known about it since none of the staffs thought it was necessary to tell that story. They thought it would further enrage Summer if the younger member knew about her outburst.

“Here you go.” Seulgi gave a can of energy drink. Jessica tiredly reaches out the opened can and takes a few sips of the strong-flavored drink. “Thanks.” She said with a frowning expression. Seulgi chuckles at the sight of it and takes a seat next to her on the sofa. Jessica continues to finishes off the energy drink she did not like very much while Seulgi is busy looking through the iPad in her hands.

“Well, I have some good news for you.” Seulgi said, earning Jessica’s attention.

“What is it?”

“I was just informed that your next schedule is cancelled due to some problems at the filming studio. I guess you’re free for the next four hours.” Seulgi happily informed. Jessica sighs out in relief. She can at least take a few hours rest from her hectic schedule. A four-hour sleep without absolutely any disturbances sounds an absolute miracle.

“Do you want to stop by and eat somewhere? We can secretly go to that new dessert café.” Seulgi said. A wide smile spread across Jessica’s lips upon hearing the word ‘dessert.’ Due to her strict diet, she rarely has sweet desserts. When her sugar is low, she would only eat a sweet but dry cookie to keep her body going.

“I don’t really like desserts. Well, I would eat some if I have someone to share it with.”

Jessica suddenly reminded of one of the conversations she shared with a particular person on the rooftop. For some reasons, Taeyeon appears in her mind. Although she just met her last night, she is eager to see her again. She wants to hear her deep voice and sees that baby-face she has. Seulgi confusingly looks at Jessica who is blushing on her own all of the sudden. She gently taps her shoulder causing the idol to flinches.

“Does desserts really make you blush?” She raised her eyebrows with a questioning look. Jessica clears as she tucks her hair behind her ear. “N-No. I was just remembering something.” It only took a few seconds for Seulgi to realize what she meant.

“Is it something or someone?”

Jessica quickly turns her gaze towards Seulgi with a flustered expression. “Y-yah, is it wrong for to think about h-her sometimes?” She got embarrassed by her stuttering voice. Seulgi laughs at her; amuse by this side of the idol. Jessica hits Seulgi repeatedly on her shoulder making her laugh even louder as she protects herself from the awfully cute, soft punches. She stops laughing afterwards. “I know you want to see her but…you can’t.”

Jessica sits up straight upon hearing her words. “Why’s that?” She sounded anxious.

“It’s not that you can’t hang out with her anymore. It’s just that if you go off your own, I’m worried if you’ll be safe or not. You might expose your identity.” Seulgi reasoned with her. Jessica stares at her in silence before slumping back onto the sofa. Her manager could only sigh, looking at the obvious dissatisfaction on her expression. Well, as much as she wants to be a good friend, she is also well-aware that the company would not accept any excuse if she is caught.

Jang Ji Yun, the CEO of the company and Summer’s step father is a strict man. He is selfish and he will only think about money. Jessica was force to be this person that is innocent and pure. That was the persona that he wanted for her to have and he shoves her to fit into that mold of personality only for the sake of gaining ‘customers’. Jessica could never be herself freely. She can’t even make friends with other idols. She was banned from talking to any girl group members. “You might repeat the same mistakes like you did with Stephanie.” He commented with a disgusted face.

Seulgi knew the consequence if Jessica is caught meeting with Taeyeon, the CEO would not hesitate to end her career right here and there. He is manipulative and a liar. He certainly will utilize his wealth to cover up the real situation and fake news that will put Jessica down on the dirt. Seulgi wants to protect Jessica from all of that. She has already gone through so much for the past few years; she cannot afford to be caught up in another troublesome problem.

But, even to Seulgi, stopping her from meeting someone she really wants to spend time with sounds so cruel.

Jessica enters the passenger’s seat at the back while Seulgi hops onto the driver’s seat. “I really want to try out their chocolate gelato. The reviews said it’s good.” She said excitedly. “Sure, I’ll treat you.” Jessica gave a force smile. Seulgi silently sigh and drives the van out from the parking lot. She keeps glancing at Jessica through the rear-view mirror. The brunette is basically ‘slumping’ on the seat with an expressionless face. She must have been disappointed for not being able to meet Taeyeon.

However, Jessica is not angry or sulking at Seulgi at all. She understood very well what she meant. She even agrees with everything. But, she couldn’t deny the fact that she really wants to see Taeyeon again. She just met her yesterday yet here she is feeling down that she can’t meet her today. It’s weird, even for her. She can’t exactly pin point the reason on why she is so eager to go see Taeyeon. It seems frustrating to not be able to understand her heart.

 Once they arrive at the new café, Seulgi tells her to just wait in the van. She goes out after asking Jessica what she wanted. The song Distance by Ruel continues to be playing inside the van as the idol stares outside the tinted window. She set her gaze at the inside of the café. The place has huge windows and she can see the customers sitting on the tables next to it. At a table, there is a man and a woman having conversations.

They must be lovers, Jessica thought. She stares at them. Her eyes would shift from the man’s face to the woman’s. He reaches out to caresses his girlfriend’s cheek with a loving smile. She also holds his hand with a happy expression. The whole scene ache Jessica’s heart. She quickly turns to the other side to avoid seeing them. Maybe, she secretly wants to feel what they feel; freely be in love without any concerns.

Jessica is unsure when it comes to love. Back then, she fell in love with Tiffany. She thought it was mere admiration. The idea of loving someone that shared the same gender as her is something Jessica has yet to understand well. She did think deeply about it; if her love to Tiffany was nothing but her being caught up in the moment since they kissed all of the sudden.

She never kisses anyone before. So, she could’ve been influence by the urges. Yet, seeing Tiffany walking out the door and leaving her behind after everything they had promised with one another, it was such a painful memory to be remembered. Jessica do questioned a lot of times. Is it really wrong to be in love with a girl?

CEO Jang showed absolute disgust towards it and Summer also sees her as a ‘freak show.’ But, love can be genuine and real even if it’s with a woman. Jessica may be influences by all the lesbian movies she has watched secretly. The idea sounds childish. Something that people would believe because they highly fantasized about it to happen in reality.

It is somewhat a picture that Jessica fantasizes sometimes. She did imagine if they never separated. Tiffany continues to stay for her and fight for their love. They would be able to be in love freely and the fans would immensely support them.

She also fantasizes if Taeyeon would someday just pull her away from Summer’s grasp and protects her.

A distant dream that is impossible.

Seulgi soon got back to the van along with a few paper bags. “I got the ones you wanted.” She happily said. Jessica tries to smile genuinely but her sadness is too obvious at this point. “Thank you.” She at least managed to say it with her usual tone. Seulgi nods, trying not to show her guilt. The van is back on the road. Seulgi is driving but her eyes occasionally gazes at Jessica at the back seat. She has been quiet along the way.

Jessica has always been bad when it comes to hiding her feelings. She is an honest and direct type of person. If she feels upset, she would try to fake a happy smile but her whole expression is just crystal clear. Even right now, she is being quiet. It’s mainly for the reason that her mind is somewhere else. There is one thing that Seulgi can do to cheer her back up.

The van continues to be on the road for a while. Jessica did not even bother checking their current location. She has her eyes focusing on the screen of her phone that display the short conversation she shared with Taeyeon last night. She cannot believe how childish she is acting right now. Seulgi is just trying to protect her and she is sulking about it instead. Besides, Taeyeon is an adult. She wants her own space and time alone. She cannot expect that she will always be willing to accept her coming to hangout.

“We’re here.” Seulgi announced as soon as the van was parked. Jessica took a deep breath. “Hey, I’m sorry.” She apologized. Her manager turns around to look at her. “You didn’t do anything wrong.” She responded.

“Well, you’re just trying to protect me. But, I got upset just because I couldn’t see Taeyeon. I should’ve been considerate about you felt too.” Jessica’s shoulders dropped out of guilt. Seulgi nods at her words. “I’m not angry at you or anything. So, you don’t need worry about that. I’m more worried how you will go upstairs on your own to Taeyeon’s apartment.”

It takes a minute for Jessica to realize what Seulgi said to her. She quickly looks out the window to see they are at the apartment building where Taeyeon lives. She turns back at Seulgi with wide eyes. “Why are we here?” Seulgi chuckles at the surprise expression of hers. “You did say you want to see her. So, I drove you here to drop you off.” She then goes to reach out two paper bags on the passenger’s seat next to her and gives it to Jessica. “I’ve brought mine with my own money. You can share these with Taeyeon.”

Jessica stares at the brown bags. She didn’t take it so Seulgi holds her hand and give the bags to her. The idol is so close to just cry because of Seulgi’s kindness. “Seulgi…”

“I’ll try to cover you up the best I can. Enjoy your time with Taeyeon and no need to worry.” Seulgi smiled sweetly at her. Jessica would’ve jump to hug her tightly if it wasn’t for the van seat in between them holding her back. Instead, she reaches to squeezes Seulgi’s hand for a few seconds. “Thank you… You did a lot for me.” Jessica smiled.

“Go ahead, be careful.” Seulgi said. Jessica nods and the car’s door is open. She takes one last glance at Seulgi before wearing her mask along with the cover at the back of her jacket. “I’ve sent the floor’s level and the apartment’s number too.” The young idol responds with another nod before she goes out. Once she walks to the entrance of the building, Seulgi drives out from the area hurriedly to avoid suspicion from people. Jessica holds the brown bags tightly; slowly taking a deep breath to calm down.

With a nervous feeling, she opens the door only to be welcome by silence. She sighs in relief. At least, it is easier for her to go upstairs. She walks at a faster pace to the vacant elevator and her eyes manage to catch the floor level in the message Seulgi had sent before she got in. She immediately pushes the appropriate button on the silver panel before anyone else can enter. It takes only a short time for her to arrive at the floor level.

Once she is out, she checks the number of Taeyeon’s apartment. Jessica nervously looks around the hallways leading to doors of different apartments. She slowly makes her way around to search for the numbers displayed on her phone’s screen. “Ah!” Jessica pointed at the door once she sees the right numbers. She slaps shut when she realizes she unexpectedly shouted in excitement.

Jessica clears . “Calm down, jeez.” She looks at her phone again. She guesses it’s better to give Taeyeon a call instead of ringing the door bell. After two, three deep breaths, she manages to finally make a call. The line starts ringing. She only stands there as she waits for the call to be connected.

Trut…Trut…Trut…Trut… The voice mail-box…

There is no answer. Jessica wonders if Taeyeon is still asleep or perhaps she is doing something else and left her phone somewhere. She tries to give another go. One, two, three, up until to five times but Taeyeon did not even pick up once. Jessica starts to feel a bit stress out. She doesn’t really want to ring the doorbell. It’ll attract attention for sure! But, if she keeps standing here any longer, a resident might see her.

Finally, she takes the decision to pushes the button on the left side of the door. The sound of bell ringing echoes through the quiet hallway.

***

Taeyeon is sleeping in the middle of the queen-sized bed. Her bedroom is still dark since she shuts the blinders. She doesn’t like to have sun-light peeking through her window while she is resting well. It annoys her. Her phone vibrates wildly on the night stand. On the screen, the name ‘Clumsy Sica’ is displayed. However, she had set the phone on silent before she went to bed. So, she can’t hear anyone calling her.

Her phone stops vibrating. A few minutes later, the door bell rings. It takes a few rings for Taeyeon to finally be awakened from her sleep. A loud grunt escapes from as she has one eye open. She looks at the digital clock on the night stand. It was already late afternoon. She is sure it must be cousin. That woman would sometimes come over to barge in as she pleases. The door bell continues on ringing. At this point, Taeyeon is too annoyed she forces herself to get up from the comfort of her bed.

She exits her bedroom, goes through the living room and arrives at the door. She didn’t bother to look at the peephole camera since she is convinced it is indeed Hyoyeon. She opens the door wide with a tired standing posture. “What do you want, Hyo?” She yawns while scratching her stomach shamelessly. She didn’t hear any responds. Wait. She opens her eyes properly and sees a pair of shoes she is not familiarized with.

Her gaze slowly goes up and her feet turns cold when she sees it wasn’t Hyoyeon. Jessica stares at her with a completely red-face. They both got stunned that they froze on the spots. Taeyeon is shock to have Jessica suddenly standing here at her front door. Meanwhile, the brunette could not even blink. She is in a much more shock state than the other. Well, who could blame her? Taeyeon is standing just a few inches apart. She is wearing an over-sized white, t-shirt. It was long enough to at least properly cover her to sleep comfortably. But, what made Jessica flustered is that she is not wearing any pants at all. Instead, she can clearly see her matching black undergarments through the thin white fabric.

“T…T…Taeyeon.” Jessica stuttered when she called her out. Taeyeon’s whole face blushes furiously upon realizing the situation. She did not hesitate to shut the door close in front of Jessica’s face out of panic. She runs to the living room and goes through her pile of washed laundry in the basket to find a pair of pants. Why does she have so many and boxers instead?

“Yes!” She managed to fishes out one pair of shorts. Taeyeon hurriedly goes to the front door again while struggling to put on the pants while walking. By the time she got it on, she opens the door once more to reveal a stunned Jessica. “U-uh, hi there…” Taeyeon greeted awkwardly with a box-liked smile. Jessica quickly looks on the floor and greets her back. “Hello, Taeyeon.” Her tone sounded stiff. Taeyeon tries to put aside the whole accident earlier by asking a question. “What are you doing here?” She is hoping to be able to divert the topic. Jessica thought the same.

“I actually came to visit you.” She replied.

“Ah… But, why didn’t you call me first? I would’ve at least prepared myself before you arrived earlier.”

“I did…call you about 5 times. You didn’t pick up. So, I rang your doorbell instead.” Jessica answered. Taeyeon realizes she is the fool one here. She had switched her phone’s setting to vibrate mode. No wonder there is no ringing from the phone calls. She slaps herself mentally for her absolutely stupid clumsiness. She looks at the brown bags Jessica is holding. “What are those?” She pointed at it.

Jessica forgot about the desserts she is holding. She got too shocked she forgot that she was here to share desserts she bought. She holds it up to the front of Taeyeon’s face. “Desserts… I've…bought some desserts from this new café.” She slowly lowers the bags down. “I wanted to share some with you.”

Taeyeon looks at the desserts and shifts her gaze to Jessica’s face. She got a bit shy. “Ah, well, come in then…” She opens the door wider to give her space to enter. Jessica gets in with fast, baby steps. They walk in to the quiet living room. “Uh…sorry, my place is a bit messy. I haven’t clean it up yet.” Taeyeon admitted shyly while running her hand through hair.

“I don’t mind. I did come without much notice.” Jessica smiles to ensure her that she is okay with it.

Taeyeon feels relief. “I guess you can place the bags on the coffee table. I don’t really have a dining table here.” She said.

“Why didn’t you have one?” Jessica tilts her head with a curious expression.

“I…rarely have guests coming here. I don’t have a lot of friends. My family would only come to visit only once in a while. I don’t really cook at home often either.” Taeyeon responded with a detailed reason.

“I see. Well, you can always buy one later in the future when you live with your future partner.” Jessica said innocently. Taeyeon got taken aback by the sudden statement. She clears to calm herself. “Go ahead. I’ll take the utensils and some plates.” She immediately left to the kitchen. Jessica goes to the coffee table and set the bags down. She looks around the place.

The last time she was here, she did not get a chance to look around properly. Well, one thing for sure is that Taeyeon is a minimalistic type of person. There are only a few furniture inside the living room; two set of sofas, a glass coffee table, racks at the front and a few paintings on the wall along with some family portraits. Jessica takes a closer look at one of the paintings. It was a painting of death trees but with different colored leaves instead of typical green. “Pretty.” Jessica whispered. The art itself was simple but it indeed looks beautiful.

“Oh, there’s the artist’s signature down here.” She inspected the signature at the bottom of the painting. It was a ‘K’ alphabet written in a unique way. Perhaps, it is a way to trademark that it was the artist’s piece. Funny enough, the artist has the same initial as a certain someone. “Here are the plates.” Taeyeon walks into the living room with a few plates in her hand and eating utensils on the other.

“Did you buy these paintings?” Jessica asked while pointing at the art piece on the wall. Taeyeon looks at her direction after putting down the plates. She pauses for a second before finally nodding. “Yeah, I bought it a long time ago from someone.”

“Oh, well, I saw the ‘K’ signature there. It’s the same letter as your surname. That’s a coincidence.” Jessica said.

“I guess. I never really paid attention to anything except for the painting. Anyways, we should eat now before anything melts in there.” Taeyeon gestures her to come sit down. Jessica quickly goes ahead and they sit next to each other simultaneously. Their shoulders bumped as they sat.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Jessica said. Taeyeon only nods and scoot over to the other side. They take out the desserts inside the bags. Each time they see one, the reaction would either be an excited gasp, compliments of how pretty the appearances are and how good it looks. They start by eating the gelatos that thankfully did not melt yet. Jessica’s eyes sparkles when she tastes the intense flavor of Pistachio while Taeyeon quietly savors the Earl Grey flavored one.

They open the cute box filled with macaroons with multiple different colors. “I like…this one!” Jessica picked the oddest looking piece, a white colored macaroon. “You like vanilla?” Taeyeon asked. “No, I just love the color white. It’s my favorite.” Jessica responded and she took a bite of it. Surprisingly, Taeyeon guessed it right. It was indeed Vanilla.

Unexpectedly, they finish almost all the desserts except for a few. Jessica thought Taeyeon should save some for later. They clean up the table together with Jessica almost breaking the plates after accidentally hitting her foot on the table. Taeyeon ends up doing it all. While she does the dishes and disposes the trash, Jessica sits on the sofa with her phone. There seems to be around two hours more left before Seulgi picks up.

“Hey, Taeyeon…” Jessica called out once the older woman appears in the living room again. “What do you usually do during your free time?”

Taeyeon sits down on the sofa, leaving a gap between them. “If you’re asking me, I don’t do much. I only sleep and sometimes I would skip my dinner. By the time I get home from work, I’ll feel tired and fell asleep.”

“Ah, that really is not much. I guess that’s what older adults do.” The mention of ‘older adults’ made Taeyeon almost snapping her neck when she turns to look at Jessica. “Excuse me? Older adults…?”

“I mean, we do have nine years .” Jessica innocently responded.

“I am not that old.” Taeyeon feels a little offended. Jessica notices that and it made her laugh. “Hey, being older is not that bad. No cap.”

“No cap? You didn’t wear any cap earlier.” Taeyeon confusingly replied. The mere misunderstanding has made Jessica to burst out in a loud laugh of amusement.

“Oh God, I didn’t mean there is no cap. I meant that you being older are not something bad and it’s a fact.” Jessica explained; trying her best to hold in her laughter. Taeyeon is obviously so confused at this point. “Who the heck says ‘no cap’ to tell they’re talking about factual stuff?”

“It’s a gen Z thing.” Jessica smiles cheekily. She reminds Taeyeon that there is a huge difference in their . The older woman doesn’t have a clue on slangs used by today’s youths. She is not even that old but she already feel like some kind of a ‘fossil’.

“Oh whatever…! I don’t understand youngsters nowadays.” Taeyeon whined in defeat. “Well then, what do you do during your free time?” She asked.

Jessica leans on the sofa and thinks about it while unconsciously having lips pouting like a duckling. “I don’t have much free time. I’m always busy with schedules. But, I’d like to watch a movie. I haven’t watch it a while.” Jessica said.

“Alright, let’s watch a movie then. I’ll turn the TV on.” Taeyeon suggested. Jessica looks around and sees there’s no television in the living room. The bartender stands up to take a remote that is place neatly on the rack and goes back to sit down. Jessica curiously looks at her as Taeyeon pushes a red button. Suddenly, the middle section of the racks started moving like a door and a hidden flat screen television is reveal underneath it. Jessica’s jaw drop seeing the advance technology.

“You have those racks customized!?” She excitedly pointed at the racks that just moved earlier.

“I like to keep my home minimalistic and organized. So, I came up with this idea and I managed to get it built through a friend’s help.” Taeyeon explained. She seems calm on the outside but she is actually proud to be able to impress Jessica. She selects Netflix and arrays of suggested movies pops out on the screen. “What do you want to watch?” Taeyeon asked while showing Jessica the movies from up to bottom.

“How about that one…?” Jessica pointed at one of the movies. It is a documentary about a famous serial murder named Ted Bundy.

“You want to watch a documentary about…murders?” Taeyeon raised her eyebrows; feeling disbelief. “I don’t enjoy horrors and thrillers. But, I do love educational ones.” Jessica calmly answered. Well, Taeyeon made a mental note to never make Jessica upset or else she might be killed and never be found. She follows Jessica’s request. Once it is selected, the documentary starts playing on the screen.

Ten minutes into the video, Jessica has immersed herself in the chilling interview that was going on between the murderer who pretended to be innocent and the reporter. Taeyeon is struggling to understand the whole conversation. It is in English and Taeyeon only knows the basics. Even with Korean subtitles below, she can hardly catch on what they say because it was too fast. She ends up focusing on the movements of the people and the pictures shown in the documentary.

Forty minutes passed, Taeyeon is also immersed to the documentary. She never knew watching a documentary would be so interesting. She was curious on what happened to those missing women. Jessica has been quiet since earlier. Taeyeon assumes she must be really immersed too. Suddenly, she feels something leaning on her shoulder. She turns around only to see…the idol has fallen asleep. Taeyeon scratches her head; thinking whether she just stand up or scoot slowly to the other side.

“Whatever…” She cautiously moves without waking up Jessica. She would let her head to fall gently and safely on the sofa. That was the plan in her mind. But, instead, Jessica’s head lands on top of Taeyeon’s chest. The older woman silently whined. She tries to move again but Jessica moves her arms to wrap around Taeyeon’s waist to hug her. Taeyeon’s body becomes stiff. She becomes a ‘stone’ on the sofa.

“Hmm…” Jessica snuggled closer. Taeyeon sees it and it made her give up her plan to move away. She relaxes her body so Jessica can sleep comfortably. The documentary continues to play while Taeyeon sits there; watching over the woman who sleeps on top of her. She only stares at first. But, her hand unconsciously moves to move Jessica’s hair from covering half of her face. Taeyeon tucks her hair behind her ear so it won’t fall.

“Your hair is really soft, huh…unlike mine.” Taeyeon complimented. It’s not that Jessica can hear her. She could say it out without worrying about Jessica’s reaction. She found herself gazing over the brunette’s face. She looks calm with her eyes close. Is it because of the lightning of the room or her skin just looks beautiful? Taeyeon clearly knows she doesn’t wear heavy makeup. So, she looks natural. But even so, she appears the same without makeup; beautiful and elegant looking.

Taeyeon seems to envy on her looks. Unlike Jessica, she appears too young for her age. As if she is eighteen instead of thirty years old. Meanwhile, Jessica looks is neither young nor old looking; she is perfectly balance. But, Taeyeon is never really jealous. She somewhat admires her beauty. If she could, she will put Jessica’s portrait on a wall of a gallery for everyone to see. She has the feeling where she just wants to bring her along and show her off to the people back home.

“Yah…! What’s wrong with you!?” Taeyeon quickly shook her head. She didn’t know why her mind suddenly went into a weird direction. She is imagining nonsense things! She lightly slaps her cheek. “Relax yourself.” She glances at Jessica for a second and turns her face away to avoid looking at her. Taeyeon feels her cheeks getting warm. This is too weird.

***

The living room is quiet. There’s only a faint sound of the air conditioner. Jessica has been sleeping for quite a while now. Taeyeon’s body starts to feel sore due to her awkward position. But, she did not have the heart to wake her up, not when she looks so peaceful. “No…stop.” Jessica suddenly spoke. Taeyeon flinches at the sound of her voice. She quickly takes a look at her and sees Jessica is frowning. As if someone was doing something bad to her.

“Don’t go…” Jessica became anxious in her sleep. She must be having some bad dreams. Taeyeon immediately taps her arm to wake her up. “Hey, hey, wake up.” She called her and shook her body. Jessica stops talking and she slowly opens her eyes. Taeyeon sighs in relief. She leans down to take a closer look at Jessica. “Are you okay?” She feels concerned. Jessica looks straight at Taeyeon. Her eyesight is blurry so it took some time for her to clear it up. Once it did, she realizes Taeyeon’s face is only inches away from hers.

Without a single word, Jessica pushes herself off of Taeyeon and ends up falling down onto the floor. Taeyeon stares at her in shock. “Yah, are you okay?” She asked. Jessica gets up into a sitting position and looks at Taeyeon with wide eyes. “Since when did I fell asleep?”

“Ah...I think midway through the movie. You suddenly leaned onto me while asleep.” Taeyeon explained. She tries to hide her embarrassment.

“I’m…I’m sorry!” Jessica quickly stood up to bow at Taeyeon which she stops her before the bow.

“Don’t worry, it was unexpected.” Taeyeon replied; trying to sound calm. She cannot admit to Jessica that her whole body feels sore right now because she held an awkward sitting position for a while.

“I was…too tired. I had too much work today.” Jessica felt bad for falling asleep. Taeyeon heaves a sigh and stands up to be at the same eye level as Jessica. She reaches her hand out to pat Jessica on the head softly. “I don’t mind. I’m glad you got to rest well.” She smiled. Jessica swears she could feel the redness showing on her cheeks so she takes a step back from Taeyeon.

“Ah, I’m sorry for patting your head there. Old habits die hard.” Taeyeon said. Jessica shook her head. “It’s…okay.”

Taeyeon looks at the digital clock on the top section of the rack. “I think you should call Seulgi. It’s pretty late.” It was almost 12.10. Jessica gasps and takes out her phone to give a call to her manager. After telling Seulgi to pick her up and where she will be waiting, she ends the short call. “I…have to go to my next schedule.” She said. Taeyeon looks at the clock. “Ah, it seems I’m late for work too.” She rubs the back of her neck. Jessica feels the guilt add up inside of her. She overstays at her place and caused a trouble for her.

“Come on, wear your jacket. It’s cold at night.” Taeyeon spoke. Jessica looks up to see she is wearing a thick coat along with jogger pants. She must have went to worn it while Jessica was over thinking. “Are you…going to work?” Jessica asked timidly. Taeyeon shook her head. “No, I’m accompanying you to downstairs. Unless you want to go by yourself…”

“No! I…thank you.” Jessica hurriedly put on her jacket and mask. Once she is ready, they exit the apartment and locked it before leaving to the elevator. Taeyeon pushes the button and stands next to Jessica. They didn’t say a word the whole time they go down. It is already late so they can assume that there would no people downstairs at the front. “Ding!” They were about to step out but halt themselves when they see a group of college friends are sitting at the longue.

“Seriously…?” Taeyeon whined under her breath. Jessica becomes anxious upon seeing the crowd. She didn’t bring a hat or anything to cover her upper face. She might get recognized. What happens next is certainly unexpected. Taeyeon takes Jessica’s hand and pulls her close behind her. “Let’s walk slowly. Hide your face behind me.” Taeyeon said. Jessica is surprise but didn’t get the chance to think when the older woman steps out from the elevator. She holds on to Taeyeon’s hand tightly.

They pass by the group in silence. Jessica tries hard to hide her face. But, one of the boys seems to be familiarized her. “Hey, isn’t she’s an idol?” He whispered to his friend next to him. Taeyeon heard him and immediately halts her footsteps. Jessica feels confuse but then got surprise when Taeyeon pulls her close enough to leave a few inches away from each other’s face.

“Bear with me.” She said in a low voice. Jessica gulps, her pupils are shaking when she sees how close they are right now.

“Ah, they’re a lesbian couple.” The boys ignored them instantly. They thought those two are kissing in front of them. Well, at least they won’t suspect it is Jessica in Taeyeon’s arms.

“Alright, come on.” Taeyeon held Jessica’s hand and she walks towards the entrance with the flustering idol following her from behind. They are lucky enough to be able to pass by people to go to the parking lot. Thankfully, Jessica wasn’t caught. But, her heart is beating so fast, it makes her uncomfortable and feeling out of place. They stand under the street lamp; waiting for Seulgi’s arrival.

Jessica’s gaze goes down to look at their locked hands. She blushes under her mask. “Hey…aren’t you letting my hand go?” Jessica asked. Taeyeon looks at their hands and meet with Jessica’s eyes. “Do you want me to? I can let go.” She opens her palm but Jessica holds on to it. Taeyeon feels the gentle squeeze; meaning Jessica did not want her to let go. She smiles a little. “Then, don’t tell me to let it go next time.” Taeyeon said. She then changes the way she holds her hand. She opens her palm again and goes to intertwine their fingers.

Jessica is dying from this unexpected interaction while Taeyeon tries to stay calm from her sudden actions.

They continue to stand there. The night is cold, as always. But, both of them are not feeling cold at all. Instead, they feel warm enough to not even wear a jacket. Maybe that is a bit exaggerated but that was how they felt inside. After a while, they finally see a familiar black van driving towards them. It was time for Taeyeon to let her hand go. Jessica notices it right away and somewhat feels disappointed. Taeyeon may have retracted her hand back a bit too early.

“Hello, Taeyeon.” Seulgi greeted once she had arrived. “I was on my way when you called, Jessica. We’re going to be late for the show.” Jessica nods at her words. She turns to the side and Taeyeon looks at her too. “Thank you for spending time with me today. I have fun…being able to share those desserts with you.”

Taeyeon smiles at her. “I had fun too.” She replied shortly but it was genuine. Jessica is about to bid her goodbye when she suddenly remembers something. “Wait!” She runs to the van; leaving Taeyeon confuse. She opens the back door of the van and look around her seating area. Seulgi raises her eyebrow. “What are you looking for?”

“The invitation…I think I kept one here.” Jessica panted a little.

“Oh, you mean this one?” Seulgi gave to her a red envelope. Jessica recognizes it instantly and takes it from Seulgi’s hand. “Thank you!” She turns back around to go to Taeyeon.

“Is there something wrong?” Taeyeon asked.

Jessica shook her head. She takes a deep breath and hands the red envelope she had taken earlier from her manager. Taeyeon looks at it with a questioning expression. “This Sunday, we’re going to celebrate our anniversary debut. We will have a special concert for our fans. After that, we’ll have an after party and we can invite people we know.” Jessica pauses for a second. “My family is in the U.S, they can’t attend it. They’ll only call me later. I don’t want to admit this one too…but I don’t have friends. I’m no longer in contacts with anyone from my old international school and trainees. So, I was hoping…if you can come.” She looks hopeful.

Taeyeon takes the invitation and opens the envelope. There is a decorated letter along with tickets. She sees the time of the concert which will starts at 6 o’clock and ends at 10 o’clock. She guesses the party is after that. Unfortunately, she is working by then. She looks at Jessica with an apologetic expression. “I’m sorry but…I’m working after ten. I won’t be able to attend it.”

Jessica is obviously heartbroken to hear it. Well, although she doesn’t necessarily reject her, but it still hurts her feelings. But, she keeps up a smile. She doesn’t want Taeyeon to feel obligated to say yes to her invites. They just knew each other not long ago. She may feel annoyed at her. As much as understands all of that, it still makes her sad and it’s obvious. “Don’t worry about it. I…can’t really force you, right?”

“Maybe next time…” Taeyeon tries to cheer her up. However, Jessica still feels sad over it. She smiles at her; although it wasn’t genuine. “I’ll be going now. Good bye.” She bowed formally before walking to the van with a slumping back posture. The van left the parking lot as soon as the door closed. Taeyeon watches as it goes farther away until it disappears from her sight. She sighs heavily. She takes a look at the invitation letter before looking up to the empty night sky.

“I don’t know why I feel so bad.” She shut her eyes; letting the odd guilt wrecking her mind. Jessica certainly has trapped her inside a bubble where Taeyeon is no longer able to understand her own feelings.

***

Hello! Chapter six is finally finished lmao. I'm sorry for the late update. I am juggling between finishing two stories. Thank you for waiting patiently! Anyways, enjoy reading the latest chapter! <3 (yEs, I completely swerved again and it's no longer a short story with a few chapters).