Conspiracies
Made For You (TaengSic)
Chapter Fourteen: Conspiracies
“Hello.” Her date greeted Jessica as she approached the blonde, who was standing by her car door. She wore an ivory summer frilly dress. She accentuated her look with a small necklace with a heart pendant, and a diamond studded hair band. She flashed a smile at the older girl, in which the latter returned, smiling as well. “Were you waiting long?”
“Not really.” Jessica opened the door for Taeyeon. “Did you sleep well?” As the kid walked by Jessica, Taeyeon lowered her head, nodding a little. “That’s nice.”
After shutting the passenger’s door, she ran towards her side of the car and got on the driver’s seat. “Uhmm…” Jessica started and her eyes landed on the girl who was buckling her seatbelt. Jessica gulped down; she didn’t really know what to do or say. She waited for Taeyeon for about ten minutes, and during then, she was pacing around the sidewalk. What was their status anyway?
Taeyeon looked at Jessica, waiting to continue what she was trying to say. “Yes?” She finally spoke.
“D…di…did you sleep well?” To make it seem like she was composed, Jessica pressed her engine’s button and then started to maneuver her car.
Taeyeon giggled, “Yes.”
“Good.”
Taeyeon cocked her head to the side as she asked, “Why? Didn’t you?”
“No, no. I did.” Jessica said, her voice was shaky, but her facial expression was blank.
Flashing a smile as the kid took one look at Jessica, she sat herself comfortably on the seat. She looked outside, noticing the familiar street that they once took after their ‘date’ in the carnival. “Jessica,” she called as the car halted due to traffic. “you look really pretty.”
Jessica was a bit taken aback by the sudden compliment. She didn’t really take the kid to be the suave type. “Thank you. You look really beautiful as always.”
“Thank you.” And after that, they fell silent. To break the awkward air that was eating them alive, Jessica pressed a button on her steering wheel, turning the radio on.
“Do you have a station in mind?”
Taeyeon simply shook her head and said, “No. This is fine.”
It soon started playing I Believe by Shin Seung Hun. Great. Why the hell was this song playing right now? Jessica clenched her jaw. The atmosphere was already awkward; playing this stupid song would just make things more uncomfortable for the both of them.
“Can we switch to another station?”
Jessica pressed the seek button on her steering wheel. “Sure.” Hearing the familiar tune of a love song, the blonde switched to another station again. Finally, Jessica heard 2ne1’s new song. “Do you mind if we listen to them?”
Taeyeon shook her head. “It’s fine.”
The rest of the songs were about pop music, and they both didn’t mind. Jessica concentrated on driving, while Taeyeon just looked out the window. To break the silence, Jessica said, “We’ll be there soon.” In which made Taeyeon look her way. The car was at a stop, so Jessica saw Taeyeon nod at her.
The next song was an unexpected selection coming from a station that had projected a number of new pop songs. Big Bang’s Love Song started to play then filled the silence between the two. Yes, Jessica pretty much hated all these love songs that were playing. Like earlier, the blonde clenched her jaws and grasped the steering wheel tightly while Taeyeon looked out at the window. As the chorus approached, Jessica couldn’t help but to say, “Can we switch to another station?”
“Sure.” Taeyeon replied.
As soon as she switched the stations, she heard HowL & J’s Perhaps Love. Another love song? She thought. Jessica couldn’t help but think that the radio stations were starting conspiracies to play love songs just to make any awkward moments more awkward. Just as she was about to ask if it was alright to switch to another station, she saw Taeyeon smile and looked at her as she paused the car for the stop sign.
“I really like this song.” Taeyeon grinned.
The nerve to ask if she could change the station shriveled away. Though she heard the lyrics, she tried not to think too much about it. After all, she thought it was a bunch of stringed words that were chosen to synchronize with the beat.
Is it love? If you feel the same way, is it a beginning?
My heart keeps saying it loves you
It screams out for the whole world to hear
Why has it taken so long for me to hear it~?
We've finally met.. finally found love
Taeyeon started to hum along with the chorus and the words were starting to drill on Jessica’s head. Since Jessica knew that the house was near and it would only take a few minutes until the journey was over, she attempted to drown the song out by thinking of a recipe to cook and new flavors that she could mix together.
*****
“Taeyeon!” Jessica’s mom greeted from the gazebo in their garden. She stood up and hurried to the couple’s side, hugging the kid. “It’s so nice that you could make it.”
Taeyeon embraced the woman, smiling. “It’s nice to see you again, Missis Jung.”
The old lady patted Taeyeon’s bum and said, “Child, call me Auntie Sabrina.” She released Taeyeon from the hug and then looked at Jessica, who was standing beside the latter. “Happy Birthday.” She greeted and then hugged the celebrator.
“Thank you.” She pushed her mom a little to have a better view of her. “It’s funny how you seem to like Taeyeon more than me.”
“Don’t be silly, Jessica.” Her mother flashed a smile, and suddenly clung to Taeyeon’s arms. “Come dear, have a seat in the gazebo.”
Jessica rolls her eyes and decided she needed to do something inside the house. “I’ll come back in twenty minutes. I just need to do something.”
Taeyeon looked at her but before she could do or say anything, Sabrina already said, “Okay. Take your time.”
As Jessica headed towards the kitchen of their house, Missis Han saw her and greeted her a happy birthday. The old lady smiled and continued “I see you brought your girlfriend.”
“Gi..gi…girlfriend?”
“Yes, your girlfriend.” Missis Han then walked towards the exit and said, “Sabrina’s really happy that you finally brought home a girl you’re dating.”
“She’s not the first.” Jessica retorted without thinking. Did she ever bring home a girl?
A maid walked in, bowing to Jessica and then faced the old lady. “The mistress wants to see you.”
The old lady nodded, and waved her hand on the girl, gesturing her dismissal. “She is the first, Mistress Jessica. Yuri and Tiffany do not count since they are your friends.” The old lady smiled as she finally exited the kitchen.
Was she really? Jessica was certain that she at least brought other people home. Not having enough time, Jessica shrugged the idea and just started to gather all the ingredients she needed for the Spaghettini Alla Putanesca with Tuna.
****
As Jessica walked towards their garden, she noticed there were chefs in their bar area by the pool. They were probably starting soon. Tiffany, Yuri, Hyomin, Taeyeon, and her mother was seated around the table in the grandiose gazebo inspired by roman architecture. This house was a gift from her grandfather to her mother when she got married. The love for European design was one of her grandfather’s passions, and that was incorporated in the Jung’s main estate.
“Hi Jessica.” Hyomin greeted as she flashed a smile at her cousin.
Jessica returned the gesture and greeted her cousin back. She sat herself next to Taeyeon and that caused the others to make weird noises – in a manner of teasing. She eyed her friends who were seated in front of her and then asked “What?”
Each one of them shook their heads in unison, and by that reaction, Jessica already knew there was something going on. “What?!” She snapped. It was annoying to seem like these people were in a conspiracy against here. Following Yuri’s gaze, she saw a photo album that was laid at the edge of the table. She didn’t bother looking at it when she walked in, but now that she noticed it, she glared at her mom. “Mom!”
“What?” The mother in question asked as if she didn’t know what her daughter was talking about.
The blonde pointed at the item and bellowed, “Why is my photo album here?!”
“We showed Taeyeon your pictures, is that wrong?” She nonchalantly said.
Jessica glared at her mother, but knowing she couldn’t do anything since all had been done, she simply leaned back as she sighed.
“Taeyeon,” Tiffany called and so everyone’s attention was averted towards her. “it’s hard to date Jessica.”
“That’s true.” Hyomin chimed in the conversation. “I remembered when Jessica was the student council president and she was dating this girl... what’s her face again?”
“The one that caused Jessica to be rushed to the ER? Minyoung?” Tiffany asked; both of her hands were on the table as if excited about something.
“Oh! I know! That girl who ate pickles and then kissed Jessica!” Yuri started laughing. “Oh man, that was funny! After making out with the girl, Jessica started choking!” She laughed even harder, and everyone else did the same thing. What was so funny about being sent to the hospital anyway? Jessica simply glared at them and finally settling her gaze on Yuri, who was still laughing like a hyena.
“Very funny, guys. Very funny.” Jessica mumbled. Park Minyoung was her long time friend. The blonde confessed her feelings to Minyoung when they were in Junior year of High School, and that relationship lasted until they graduated. It was a lovely relationship; not one Jessica would consider her true love, but indeed they loved each other.
It was still clear to Jessica that their relationship was simply there for comfort. Them being together felt right – like it was something that should have happened long before. Good friends dating each other wasn’t that bad, right? They did spend more than a year together, and they were still friends even up to now.
“It was funny! Minyoung was really worried about you!” Tiffany added.
Jessica rolled her eyes at them and looked at Taeyeon. “Don’t believe a thing they say. They’re a group of retards.”
Sabrina raised a brow. “You’re calling me, your mom, a retard?”
“Yes.”
“This is not how we raised you.”
Once again, Jessica simply rolled her eyes. She looked back and saw her father walking towards them. They must be starting now.
“Why did we have to ask other chefs to cook for us when there are three chefs here?” Hyomin asked her uncle as he walked in the gazebo. “You should’ve made Jessica be more useful than usual.”
Scoffing, the blonde couldn’t help but say, “Excuse me? You were the one who stayed in this house for four years without doing anything. You were never useful. I, on the other hand, have a restaurant…” Tiffany cleared . “that I share with Tiffany, of course. So again, excuse me?”
“You’re excused.” Hyomin said as she waved a hand at Jessica. “If you weren’t so busy flirting it up a notch in the US with Tiffany, you would’ve known that I went to charity events with your parents. Remember? Grandpa Park Albert’s charity organization? Something that you should be handling. See how nice I am to you, cousin?”
“First of all, I wasn’t ‘flirting it up a notch’ in the US.” Jessica raised her finger, starting on counting. “Second, I do remember the organization. I’m actually going there next week. Third, you were in the orphanage just because your school needed to help a charity and you thought that since I owned one, it’ll be more convenient. Forth, you’re not nice to me. You’re in these cahoots to tell Taeyeon all my bad points.” Jessica then skimmed the room, eyeing each one of the people there. “What kind of family and friends are you? Are you trying to scare her away?”
“Hey, I’m not part of that.” Joseph shook his head at his daughter. “Just them.”
Sabrina and Hyomin sighed at the same time, and the mother couldn’t help but say, “So typical. Always washing his hands.”
Jessica’s father smirked, “I’m a lawyer for a reason. Harvard year 85. Seoul University class 88.”
“Whatever, dad. We all know you’re in cahoots with them.” Jessica simply crossed her arms.
“You sponsor an orphanage?” Taeyeon asked, trying her best to switch the subject.
Jessica piloted her body to a more comfortable position to have her body facing Taeyeon. Nodding, the blonde then said, “Yes. My mom’s dad sponsored this orphanage about two hours away from Seoul and since he left all his assets to me, I figured I have to continue supporting that orphanage, too.”
The kid looked at Jessica, mesmerized by the blonde’s action. Ever since Taeyeon found out about President Jung Sooyeon, she couldn’t help but admire what she had done to the students of the school. Of course, raising funds for their scholars to continue to college was simply one of them. But to Taeyeon, the most magnificent thing President Jung did was to unite the scholars and the heirs and heiress as one. During her reign, there was no discrimination towards those who were slightly less fortunate – like Yuri. Each president that took over the student council kept this as their priority. They all saw what Jessica tried to do – to simply enjoy high school without any titles. Taeyeon flashed her set of perfect white teeth and said, “Oh. That’s awfully nice of you.”
The former president simply smiled softly at her.
“Jessica’s really nice despite how she looks.” Tiffany chimed in the conversation, bursting the bubble that the two were slowly creating.
“Now that you think about it,” Joseph added, holding his chin. “My child’s not wearing those gangster outfits anymore.”
“Oh right.” Sabrina then looked past Taeyeon, to Jessica. “I saw your bike in the garage. Usually, when you leave it here, you’ll be back the next day to pick your baby up. It’s been there for more than two weeks.”
“It must be because she doesn’t want Taeyeon to think she’s scary or anything. You know, she kinda looks like a gang leader. So how will she seduce Taeyeon if so?” Yuri joined in.
“But that’s good! My daughter’s finally dressing appropriately nowadays.”
All Jessica could do was sigh. What’s the point now? If she was to argue, they would end up picking on her some more.
The blonde saw the kid shake her head. “I think she looked very pretty when she wore those cool outfits.” The girl then bowed her head low.
“Hey now!” Hyomin said. She pointed at Jessica, “I don’t need you two to be flirting in front of me! Why are you blushing, huh?!”
Jessica simply looked away, “I don’t blush!” She saw Missis Han walking towards them, carrying what she cooked earlier. “Let’s just eat. Stop ganging up on me.” She nodded once towards their stewardess, and everyone looked.
“Finally! The food’s here.” Joseph said.
There were seven servers dressed in outfits that followed the stewardess behind; each was carrying a silver tray full of the appetizers. As they entered the gazebo, they each headed behind the person they were assigned to. “Good evening.” They all greeted at the same time. They leaned forward a little, placing the food on the huge marbled table.
The head chef stood before then and said, “This evening’s appetizer is Crab Artichoke Dip. I especially picked the best crabs to use, Paralithodes camtschaticus.”
“Ah, red king crab.” Yuri said, grabbing the fork in front of her and took a small amount of the food and then tasting it. “Great choice. It’s delicious.”
“Thank you.” The head chef bowed.
“You can really savor the flavor melt in your mouth. I can’t wait for the main course.” Tiffany then added.
“Dad, you did make sure there are no cucumbers or the likes this time, right?” Sabrina asked, as she took a bite of her food. “We don’t want another 911 call.”
“Mom.” Jessica glared at her mother.
“What? I’m just making sure you’re not going to the ER again. It happened more than five times so we just need to be more cautious.” Sabrina then held Taeyeon’s hand. “Don’t worry. We don’t think you’re the responsible one for the last time. It was Jessica’s fault.”
“Oh no. I still feel bad because of it. I know I did her wrong.”
“Nonsense!” Joseph exclaimed, causing everyone to look his way. “Jessica needs to learn how to say no anyway. You didn’t do anything wrong.”
“I agree. She should’ve spitted it out the moment she noticed there was relish.” Tiffany smiled at Taeyeon.
“Great. You’re all ganging up on me. Just eat!”
They all ate from the first course to the fifth, which was Wagyu meat all the way from Japan. The Jung family really went all out on this small celebration, bringing in nothing but the best for their daughter. Now, the servers placed Spaghetti Alla Putanesca with Tuna in front of them. “Now, this course,” the head chef began. “was cooked by Miss Jung Sooyeon, the celebrator, herself. I believe this was for the young lady over here, right?” he finished as he looked at Taeyeon.
Tiffany snorted a laugh, keeping herself from bursting at the statement.
Jessica simply gave them a smile and started to eat the viand in front of her.
The night went by fast. It was already time for all of them to go. After telling Taeyeon everything embarrassing about Jessica, they finally stopped and let the poor blonde go.
“Goodbye, Taeyeon.” Sabrina hugged the girl as they all stood in front of Jessica’s car. “Don’t hesitate to call us if Jessica ends up bullying you, okay?”
“I’m not the bully here mom. It’s you.” Jessica crossed her arms and leaned on her car.
“Awwe!” Sabrina released Taeyeon from the hug and walked in front of the blonde. “Is my baby jealous?”
Jessica walked away, knowing that her mother will pinch her cheek. “We’re leaving now. Bye.”
*****
What a night. Jessica didn’t expect that everyone in her family would end up throwing her off the cliff just like that. Of course, she was expecting things like those from that stupid couple – Tiffany and Yuri. But from her parents? Not at all. It was the first time she actually brought a date home, and she didn’t expect the turns of events to be like this. Embarrassing baby pictures? Her cucumber incidents? Park Minyoung? She sighed and that made Taeyeon look at her.
“Is there a problem?”
Jessica simply smiled a little, “No. I was just thinking about how rowdy my family was. I’m sorry if they were overwhelming. I’m sure they were just trying to make you feel more comfortable… of course, to attain that, they all gang up on me.”
“They were really fun to be around with.” The kid expressed. “They really love you. I can tell.”
Comments like these would usually make Jessica conceited and answer with ‘Of course. I’m lovable’ but of course, now was not the time to do so. The blonde became taciturn. Oddly, there are things that made her speechless, and most of the time, they’re related to Taeyeon.
“Did you have fun?”
Nodding, Taeyeon answered, “Of course. Everyone was pretty fun. And because of this, I found out more things about you.”
“You can always ask me.”
The kid nodded again. “Thank you for cooking the pasta. I really appreciate it. Even though it was your birthday, you went out of your way to cook the food.”
“I like cooking for you.” Jessica said. The statement brought memories of Taeyeon happily eating the food – like she truly appreciated the meal – to Jessica. And that was why Jessica liked cooking it for her. She used to not really care about their customers because all of them were pretty the same. They go to the restaurant, eat, pay the bill, and then leave. But Taeyeon was different. She ate the same thing over and over again, but each time she did so, she had this expression on her face. A contented expression that Jessica loved seeing.
“You make it sound like I’m a shikshin.”
The blonde couldn’t help but laugh. A shikshin? With such tiny appetite, she doubted that Taeyeon would even think that. “Well, if you’re a shikshin, you’re lucky you’re dating a chef.” Jessica looked at Taeyeon as the light turned red. Taeyeon’s brows were raised, stunned by what Jessica said. It then hit the blonde. Dating? They were dating!? “I mean! You know! Like, fake dating! Like friendly dates!” it simply slipped her mind that this relationship was unofficial. She simply sighed to collect her mind together. What were they? How was she supposed to treat Taeyeon anyway? This was stupid! But then, she didn’t particularly like the girl enough to really date her. So maybe... this was good?
Jessica mentally slapped herself to come back to reality. She should seriously stop over-thinking things. To change the subject, Jessica then said, “I won’t be here next weekend.”
“Oh?” Taeyeon looked in front of her as the light turned green. “Are you going to visit the orphanage?”
“When I turned fifteen, I asked my parents to celebrate my birthday at the orphanage. You know? Instead of throwing a huge party for me, I asked them to throw a party for the kids. Well, of course, I got both. But I like it when I celebrate my birthday with these kids. I feel… at home?” A rich girl spending her time and birthday at an orphanage? Taeyeon couldn’t help but admire Jessica more. She didn’t know anyone who would do that simply because she grew up with the type of environment for the rich and famous. So hearing something humanitarian like this was something rare to the kid. “Since these kids are less fortunate, throwing a party for them would be better. I’ve gone to countless of parties, but not even once have these kids experienced such luxury. Don’t you think us, fortunate kids, should give as well?”
“Of course.”
“It may just be me though. But I find it heartwarming to see their smiles when they see toys or clowns… or even magic shows. Every year, even though I was in the states, I would always fly back here to celebrate my birthday with them.”
“So you’re doing it next week instead?” Taeyeon was curious.
Jessica nodded, “Since I was in the hospital last week, I couldn’t make arrangements so I moved the party next week. Tiffany is coming with me, too. And Yuri.”
“Can… can I go with you?” Taeyeon looked down, hiding the pink on her cheeks. “I wanna see them.”
The smile on Jessica’s face grew wider. “Of course! It’ll be fun!”
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