Chapter Ten: Sweet Taeng


The house was completely surrounded by silence as the blonde lay in her bed, staring at the ceiling. There was nothing for her to do. It had been more than an hour and she was still in the same position. Her former driver since kindergarten, who still worked for the Jung household, drove her to her condominium that afternoon after finally being discharged from the hospital.

Maybe she should go out and drive around? She then frowned at the thought when she realized her bike was at their main estate. 

Maybe she should just go out and watch a movie? She heard from her coworkers the other day that there were tons of good movies scheduled at the cinema near them. She pressed her lips together, trying to weigh the pros and cons of her decision. 

Yes, she was going.

Jessica stood up and walked towards her walk-in closet that seemed to be a room already; she was eying each outfit down. She had her girly clothes and badas$ clothes separated. She was looking to her left side which contained mostly black and white leather. She bit the insides of her cheeks, realizing that leather wasn’t really something she’d wear that day. She grabbed a pair of blue, ripped skinny jeans and a loose faded sweater that seemed to be the shade of purple. Quickly changing into her outfit, Jessica checked herself out in the mirror. “You’re really pretty.” She comments as she looked at her bare shoulder. “I’d really do me.” After realizing her brainless babbles, Jessica just giggled to herself. She could blame the medication for all she cared, but even she knew that that was her true, conceit feelings. 

Leather jackets may be one thing that people would think of when her name was mentioned but she knew how good looking she was in those. Actually, she really thought she looked good in anything. Even orange, the prisoners’ color looked good on her in her opinion. It was just that leather seemed cool, or it was something that contradicted everyone’s expectations of her. Maybe that was one reason she liked looking like a rebel. She just loved the diverse opinions it was causing others to think of her.

She had been checking herself out in her floor to ceiling mirror but it seemed like she could look at herself some more. That was until her phone started ringing that very special, animated caller alert tone. 

Hey! B!tch! Why aren’t you picking up?! It’s your master calling! Hey! B!tch! Why aren’t you picking up?! It’s your mas---

Jessica simply sighed. How could she let that witch change her ringtone again anyway? Her master? She was a b!tch? Since when? Closing her eyes and sighing once more, Jessica finally spoke, “What do you want?” she said lifelessly.

“I changed your ringtone again, you like?”

“No. When did you even touch my phone? I just changed it back days ago.”

“I’m the lord and master, Jessica. You’re---“

“What do you want?” Jessica cut her best friend off before she could say any more. Knowing she was in trouble and was in for a lot of nagging, Jessica was already preparing herself to not listen. Tiffany began speaking and Jessica placed her phone on speaker, placing it on her dresser in her closet as she checked herself out. “Yes… yes… sorry… uh-huh… yup…” Jessica was picking which earrings would look good on her. “I’ll be careful... I’m sorry... thank you… nope… I promise...” Jessica was just listening to every last word or at least the pauses to know if she was going to answer. It had been always the case so she was used to it. “Yes…”

“What?!” Tiffany exclaimed.

“I said ‘yes’.” Jessica repeated.

“You’re freaking going out of the house?!”

Jessica remained mum. She cringed in frustration, mentally slapping herself in the same process. She should have listened to Tiffany when she was nagging, but no, she decided to ignore her best friend and started to pick a stupid pair of earrings. Now her plan was about to be ruined. “No! I won’t.”

“You better not. I’ll have Yuri stop by your place soon okay? She’s already off anyway.” 

“What?! Why?!”

“To make sure you’re not going out. I know you, Jessica. You better not go out.” Tiffany hung up before Jessica could even argue further.

“Damn it!” Jessica cussed. Why did her friend have to check on her? It wasn’t like she was a five year old that still needed babysitting. She stomped towards her bedroom, brows scowling in frustration. She was all ready to go and here called Tiffany to stop her plans of watching a good movie that she didn’t even have any idea of.

Feeling defeated, Jessica headed towards one of her spare room that she had converted as her library and it also functioned as her office. If she couldn’t really go out and have fun, the blonde decided to just work at home. It had been quite some time now since she last actually looked at the value of her stocks. Well, needed not to say, Jessica had a very good stock market agent that usually informed her if the stocks were going down or not.

She read her paternal cousin’s email, who also happened to be her stock market agent. It seemed like most of her stocks actually increased its values. Of course, not all of her stocks went up, but at least the huge ones did. If Jessica was really into gambling in the world of stock market, her grandfather gave her all the assets she needed to be a legend in that field. With millions of dollars’ worth of shares in each company, her grandfather was one of the few people who were known in that field of expertise. Unlike her grandfather, Jessica was using a trusted broker, Yunho. So in the eyes of the stock market world, Yunho was the owner of Jessica’s shares.

Jessica wrote an email to Yunho to sell her 0.92% stocks in DELL, which valued to a couple of millions of dollars, and buy stocks from OPMG. DELL had been going down the drain these past couple of days that it would be suicidal to take the risk. She noted that her highest stocks, Milano, were consistently going up. It was the only company her grandfather instructed her to never play with. She practically owned twenty-two percent of that company. It was a world class hotel intended for the rich and famous. Staying in a regular room a day would make one blow at least more than five hundred dollars, and that would be the cheapest. She knew that her grandfather was close to the founder of this company who also happened to be Korean, and once studied in Italy and was fascinated by its glorious architectural designs. 

Moments after she sent the email to Yunho, instructing him to sell her stocks to others and buy stocks from other companies that she saw potential in, Jessica heard the her doorbell. She sighed knowing it was her pesky, immature, tall friend. Because of Yuri’s girlfriend, Jessica couldn’t help but feel upset even about Yuri’s height. Everything about that couple was a pest in her eyes. Tiffany’s stupid eye smile, Yuri’s curves, Tiffany’s nice legs, everything.

When walking towards the door, Jessica heard the bell ring again and was soon followed by a knock. “No one’s here!”

“Jessica, be nice! Open the door!” Jessica heard as she was now by the door, contemplating if she should open it for her friend.

“No! Go die!”

“That’s a way to treat your friend?! Open up! I brought you some…thing. Food!”

“Are you gonna poison me!? Just so you know I don’t have you in my Will.”

Jessica heard Yuri knocked again. She would be bugged by that stupid, tall girl and that stupid, evil best friend of her if she wouldn’t open. But she wanted to go out and because of these two, she couldn’t. She could actually sneak out, but she would be nagged at by Tiffany who was worse than her mother and father combined. 

Jessica opened the door without bothering to look who was there. It was only Yuri so she headed back to the living room. “Ehem…” Yuri cleared . “Aren’t you going to invite me in?”

“When did you ever need invitation to my house? You barged in here the other day and turned it to your love hotel.”

“EHEM!” Yuri exclaimed. 

Jessica rolled her eyes and shot her friend with a glare over her shoulder. Her eyes widened, she couldn’t believe who she was seeing. “Tae-Taeyeon?!”

Taeyeon flashed a smile and the spoke, “I brought you sandwiches.” She raised a fancy paper bag. 

“Oh! Come in. Please.” Jessica walked towards the door and grabbed the paper bag from Taeyeon, and she didn’t forget to shoot her friend a glare along the process. The glare pretty much meant Why the poop didn’t you tell me she was here?! The blonde only got a smile as a response. 

“I promise there’s no poison in it this time.” Taeyeon tried to joke.

“Oh no! I didn’t mean for it to be like that. I just really talk to Yuri like this.” Jessica tried to explain in a hurry. She didn’t want Taeyeon to feel guilty. Next time if Yuri said she broughtsomething, Jessica made a mental note to make sure it wasn’t Taeng and actually just a thing.

“I actually need to go. Don’t do anything per---ouch!“ Jessica slapped Yuri’s arm before she could even finish the sentence. “Not only do I have a very demanding, scary girlfriend… I have an abusive friend, too.” Yuri then faced Taeyeon, “I hope you don’t mind being alone here. Jessica’s going to take you home, okay?”

“B--but I---“

“Bye!” Yuri ran towards their apartment that was in the end of the hall, opposite Jessica’s. Sometimes, Jessica felt like she never really moved out from their shared apartment since they were the only tenants of the top floor.

“I’ll drive you home later.” Jessica said as she started to walk towards the kitchen. “Follow me.” The kid did after she shut the door behind her.

“You have such a nice apartment.” Commented Taeyeon as she tailed Jessica, looking around the very organized unit. It had this modern feel to it with mostly black and white motif.

Jessica looked over her shoulder, “Thank you. I try to keep things tidy around here.”

“I can tell. It’s really arranged nicely. Very modern.”

“Did you eat yet?” The blonde asked as she set the paper bag on the counter top island in the open spaced kitchen.

Taeyeon shook her head, “When I got to the restaurant, Tiffany and Yuri asked me to help them make something for you to eat.”

“And they forced you to come here and take it to me?” Jessica walked towards her pantry, grabbing some ingredients and setting it up on the granite counter top island.

Taeyeon shook her head again, “They offered me if I wanted to come here with Yuri, and I gladly accepted it.”

“You want to help me cook?” Jessica asked as she finally sat the last piece of ingredients on the counter top. Judging from Taeyeon’s nervous reaction, Jessica then said, “Actually, why don’t you bake chocolate chip cookies and I’ll cook your favorite pasta. Okay?”

“That seems more doable.”

Jessica giggled, “Cooking’s not complicated at all.”

“Says the person who went to school to learn it.” The kid chuckled, finding her tease funnier than she expected it to be.

Jessica smirked. Nice one, Kid. 

The blonde didn’t expect that type of comeback especially coming from Taeyeon. She really needed to get to know her more since what she knew about the girl was not much. Jessica headed back to her pantry and grabbed some ingredients for Taeyeon to use. She eyed the chocolate chip bags she had, “Do you want milk chocolate or white chocolate?”

“Maybe I should make both since I like white chocolate better.”

“You too? I like it better, too.” Jessica grabbed the bag and a can of macadamia nuts. “It’s good with these, too.” She shook the can to show it to Taeyeon.

“Maybe we should just make the cookies together. You don’t have to cook the pasta.”

“I don’t think you’ll last a day without my yummy pasta.” Jessica joked, and Taeyeon giggled along.

“True, but Tiffany, Yuri, and I made enough food to feed a couple of people. So we can just eat the sandwiches. They actually taught me how to make it look really presentable and yummy at the same time.”

“Yummy?” Jessica chuckled. This girl’s choice of words really amused her. How could someone like her ever be considered as boring?

“Yeah. They’re really good at what they do.”

The blonde shut her eyes, nodding. “Of course. Like you’ve said, we did go to school to learn it.” She then headed to the cupboard behind her, taking the kitchenaid she had kept in there. “How was your day by the way?” 

“It was okay. Nothing unusual.” The kid walked towards Jessica, helping the blonde carry the kitchen aide. “How about yours?”

Jessica shrugged, “I planned on going out to watch a movie, but Tiffany didn’t let me.”

Taeyang laughed as she set the item on the counter top. “She seemed like a mom to you.”

Jessica sighed as she shook her head, “Tell me about it.” They both started to mix the ingredients to make the dough. 

“What made you want to be a Chef?” Taeyeon asked as she was handling the kitchenaid the way Jessica taught her.

Pressing her lips together, moving it from side to side to decide on where to start her story, “Well, my grandmother was a master chef.”

“Was she? She must’ve been really good.” 

Jessica was collected, but she wanted to proudly say that her grandmother’s cooking was the best. She had always thought that, and even until now, her opinion remained the same. “She died when I was eighteen.”

The sound of the machinery suddenly came to a stop. Taeyeon looked Jessica in the eyes, “I’m sorry to hear that.” 

Jessica curved her lips upward, “It wasn’t your fault. It was cancer, but I guess it is fine now. I mean, she’s finally pain-free.”

Taeyeon smiled back without showing her perfect set of teeth, “I’m sure she is.”

“Well,” Jessica started again, going back to their original conversation. “My grandmother was known throughout the world. She even studied in France and the USA to sharpen her skills. When I was young, I always see how much fun she had in the kitchen so she began to teach me.” Jessica then looked at Taeyeon in the eyes and it seemed like that gaze hit Taeyeon hard. Like, it seemed like there was a brush of emotions that filled her- a brush of passion. “That pasta you love to eat was something my grandmother created. Only few people actually know the ingredients.”

“Then I could say that your grandmother was really a wonderful chef.”

Jessica nodded as she eyed the dough. “You should put the white chocolate and macadamia nuts.”

“Oh right!” The kid complied and listened to Jessica’s instructions. After the ingredients were finally distributed equally, they both balled it up together and placed it on a pan. 

“So, what made you want to be a lawyer?”

“It may sound cheesy though…”

Jessica shook her head, “I don’t think it will if it’s your reason to pursue your passion.”

“Well…” Taeyeon started as she placed the last dough on the pan. “I want to help people. Especially those people who can’t afford a good lawyer.”

“I see.”

“I told you it’s cheesy.”

“No. Not at all. I find it admirable.”

“You do?” Taeyeon’s eyes somewhat widened in disbelief.

Jessica nodded as she placed the pan inside the oven. “When I took law, I just really followed what my parents wanted from me. I didn’t really have anything in mind like to help the poor or anything like that. I was pretty selfish.”

“I’m sure you’re not.” Taeyeon frowned at Jessica. Not once did Jessica showed selfishness to Taeyeon, so hearing these things come from Jessica’s mouth somewhat saddened the girl.

Jessica smiled, “It’s true though. I chased after my dreams. I guess that’s what you should do. No matter what happens, chase after what you think you want and you think you should get. Don’t settle for something your parents planned for you.”

“I’ll try.”

Jessica headed towards Taeyeon and patted her head, “I’m sure with such prestigious decision your parents are supporting you.”

Taeyeon gave an awkward smile, “They kind of do.” Which caused the blonde’s brow to raise, asking for the kid to elaborate her words. “At first, they wanted me to take management and then get a master’s degree on that.”

“But?”

“But I don’t want to run a business.”

Jessica nodded, understanding Taeyeon. She was in the same shoes as her just years ago when her parents were forcing her to go into Law and take over their firm. “I think business is really interesting, though it’s hectic. Just follow what you want and I’m sure you’ll be fine.”

“They finally allowed me to take Law though.”

“Oh? Then shouldn’t you be happy?”

Taeyeon flashed a wonderful smile, but Jessica couldn’t decipher on whether or not Taeyeon was really happy or sad. 

“I am happy, but I sometimes wonder what they’ll do with their business if I don’t take over.” Taeyeon shrugged, “I don’t really think about it that much.” She finished with a smile.

“You shouldn’t.” Jessica walked over to the oven, checking if the cookies were baked, and it was. The blonde turned the oven off, removed the pan from the oven and placed it on top of the microwave, letting it cool down a little. 

The blonde then heard crumpling noises coming from behind her and it was Taeyeonn taking the sandwiches out of the paper bag. They were in their clear containers that they used for takeout in their restaurant.

“I heard from Tiffany that your restaurant have a separate refrigerator for pickles and it’s likes.”

Jessica chuckled, “Yeah. Actually, it may be weird but we really do.”

“Wow” escaped Taeyeon’s lips.

The blonde then walked towards the corner of her room, and carried one stool bar then placed it by Taeyeon. She walked back and took another one and she sat it close to the other chair. “Tiffany’s just really paranoid. She thinks I’d kill myself if I actually touched those things.”

“She’s just really concerned.”

Jessica smiled, “I know.” Of course she knew. They had been friends since they learned the alphabets and whatnot that it was no question to her that Tiffany was just being protective.

“You should eat now.” Taeyeon offered the sandwich to Jessica as she sat on the bar stool. 

“Thank you.” Jessica took a piece and sat next to Taeyeon. “Eat some, too.” Taeyeon smiled and took a bite of what she made for Jessica. After seeing Taeyeon took a bite, Jessica also followed and ate the piece of sandwich in her hand. “This is good.” Jessica wasn’t really just being nice. It truly tasted good. It was the same ingredients they had in the restaurant, but it tasted really, really good. “Wow... delicious.”

Taeyeon flashed a proud smile, “Then stuff your face with the sandwiches we made for you.”

“You should eat.” Jessica commanded as she got off the chair. She opened her refrigerator and eyed the variety of bottled drinks she had in there. She grabbed whatever her hand decided to take and walked back to Taeyeon.

Taeyeon eyed Jessica as the blonde set the bottles on the counter top. “How’d you know?” the kid cocked her head sideways.

“Know what?” Jessica took a seat, munching on her sandwich at the same time.

“About the apple juice?” Taeyeon’s words caused Jessica’s brow to scowl, not knowing what the kid was talking about. “It’s my favorite drink.”

“I---I didn’t?”

“Oh? I see.” Taeyeon laughed, embarrassed.

“I might’ve unconsciously remembered that you were drinking a lot of apple juice at the park. I guess that’s why I grabbed it.”

“Maybe.”

“Time for the sweets?”