[Chapter 4]

Lieutenant Yul's Brownie

[Yuri's POV]

Shopping day with Sica! Yay! Well, things would go better if she weren't glaring at everyone...including me. Did I do something wrong? She's never been this cold to me. Maybe I shouldn't have used Krystal as my excuse to go shopping with her. Aigoo. Babo Yuri-ah! Babo! Out of frustration, I knocked myself on the head. How could I be such an idiot?

“Why did you just hit yourself?” Sica's sweet voice rang in my ears, making me gasp silently. It's been a while since she's said anything. Though she spoke with a monotone voice, I still loved hearing it.

My eyes immediately landed on her. She looked so beautiful and elegant. The only thing concerning me were those scrunched up eyebrows. If they weren't together, then they'd be far away from each other as possible. Those were apparently her only two emotions today. She was either confused or distant with reality. Her eyes were staring deeply into mine, but with a piercing effect. It seemed like she wanted something. Omo! She wants an answer! That's right! To quickly cover up my sudden action a moment ago, I scratched the side of my non-itchy face. “Err, there was a fly. Eh heh.” I quickly swatted the air in hopes that she'd believe me.

Seeing the eye roll, I knew that she bought my lie. “Whatever you say, Kwon.” Sica breathed. Yes! Trickster Yul strikes again! I mentally fist pumped in victory. I'm glad she has a hard time noticing my little white lies. Hehehe.

Again it fell silent between us. We've been wandering the streets of Seoul for a while now. Knowing that Yoona would be in the mall, and Kid Leader Taeng would be out doing her own thing, I made sure not to go anywhere near them. How bad would that be? Us accidentally bumping into each other while we're on our shopping dates. Aish. Awkward much?

We ended up passing by many shops and restaurants, only walking into the stores that I had to point out for Jessica. It was as if she weren't completely here. I mean, yeah her body was walking right next to me, but she just seemed so distant. It wasn't...natural. Everyone in the group knew that Sica would zone out from time to time when she'd get lost in her thoughts or whatever, but right now she just seemed like a walking zombie. Yah! Did somebody eat your brains?!

Without even thinking, I suddenly put my hand on Jessica's shoulder and turned her to look at me. She was obviously dumbfounded from what I've done, but I was staring too deeply into her eyes to even notice. Her milk chocolate brown eyes. How I could just stare into them all day. “Uh, Yuri?” She questioned. Uh-oh.

Her voice quickly shoved me back to reality. “Huh?” I glanced at our positions and at how close our faces had become. “Oh! Eh heh. M-Mianhae!” My lips ran as I let go of her shoulder and continued to walk down the sidewalk. Hopefully she won't-

“What was that all about?” Jessica asked, making me freeze in place. I slowly turned to see her now folded arms and stuck out hip. Uh-oh. She really wanted an answer this time. Not to mention that look she had in her eyes. They were definitely waiting for what I had to say.

I gently bit my bottom lip as I tried to brew up the quickest white lie I could think of. “You're acting as if a zombie ate your brains.” Wait, what?! That's not what I wanted to say because that was the truth! Mentally I face palmed myself...over and over and over again. Sica, why do you do this to me? I can never be...“normal” around you. Aigoo, you do too many things to my heart.

One of my crush's eyebrows rose as she rolled her eyes. “Neh. Because the streets of Seoul are completely filled with zombies, Kwon Yuri.” Ooo, talk about sarcastic. Will she buy it though? Jessica suddenly unfolded her arms and marched down the sidewalk, totally passing me as she grumbled a low, “Kaja.”

My lips pursed together gently as I watched her stomp past other Christmas shoppers. Uh-oh! I better catch up! Who knows what innocent pedestrian she might terrorize! Quickly jogging up next to her, I tapped her shoulder. “Yah, Sica. What's the rush?” Finally she stopped to glance up at me. I flashed her one of my dorky smiles, hoping she'd lighten up. Unfortunately that plan failed as she just rolled her eyes and continued walking. Hmm. Let's try that again. “We've got plenty of time for shopping Sica.” I breathed catching up to her again.

I know that it's hard to hear with the cars zooming by and the people chattering around us, but I could have sworn that I heard her grumble a soft, “Let's just get this over with already.” Ouch. Now I know something's wrong if she's this cold to me. Me! Kwon Yuri! The ultimate lady seobang! I need to figure out what's wrong. Not just because it's my sworn duty as Lieutenant Yul, but because I don't think I can stand a frozen Sica. This... This isn't Sica. This is the evil Ice Princess that I can't possibly love. I need to free the real Jessica Jung that's stuck deep in her frozen castle. I need to melt the ice.

Trailing along, I found it best to just ignore her words. Arguing about what she said wasn't going to get me anywhere. In the end, we walked down the sidewalk in silence. Supervising an Ice Princess that could calm herself down was much easier than getting in her face and asking 20 questions on what was wrong.

Eventually, Jessica's pace slowed and her marching turned into more of a drag than anything else. How can I cheer you up Sica? I felt my lips purse without my command as I took a glance at our surroundings. There! “Hey Sica! Let's go there! Please?!” I pointed an eager finger towards a store that was widely known for selling character plushies, teddy bears, and anything soft and comfy that you could wrap your arms around.

It took a while for Jessica's eyes to venture from in front of us to the store sign. After a while, my crush locked her eyes onto me before giving a small nod of approval. “Neh. Let's see if there's anything good.” She uttered in a monotone voice again.

Too excited to keep calm, I snatched Jessica's wrist and dragged her into the toy filled store. Now I can look for something to get her and not Krystal! But of course, using her sister was the best excuse ever! I can look at so many things and she won't even know! Hehehe. A giant smile plastered itself on my face at the thought, but thankfully we had just stepped through the store doors. It wouldn't be hard to convince the Ice Princess that the sight of the countless plushies was what made me smile so widely.

Immediately my eyes took a good long look around the place. It sure has been a while since I've been in here! There were so many stuffed toys now! Oh! And there's a whole aisle devoted to Disney things! Where is...“MICKEY!” I screamed joyfully as I let go of Jessica's wrist and rushed to my favorite character, picking up a medium sized stuff and hugging it tightly against my chest.

Yah! Babo! You're here looking for a present to get Sica! Not you! Reluctantly I put the plush back in the aisle and composed myself. Hopefully no one saw. However, when I turned to look at something else, I was met with plenty of eyes that were staring at me confusingly. Aish. So I did make a scene. How embarrassing. My head hung shyly as I forced myself out of the Disney aisle. Over and over again I mentally face palmed myself.

Then it hit me. Sica was gone! I scanned the area and found no recognizable face. Aigoo! I knew I shouldn't have left her alone! For all I knew, she was probably traumatizing some little kid with one of the plushies! Okay Yul, just stay calm and look around. She's probably trying to find Krystal a gift also. That was our original plan today anyways. Getting myself together again, I casually strolled through the store, checking every aisle and corner that a shopper could possibly access. Curse this place for being so huge!

Just when I was about to give up, I peeked into one of the aisles I had already checked earlier and finally found my crush. She looked so lost just standing there. Aniyo, she was staring at one of the plushies! Omo! Was it something she wanted to buy for Krystal? My head tilted just a little to look at what it was, but I still couldn't see it clearly. Hmm... Suddenly she reached out and grabbed the stuffed toy, holding it out in front of her. Omo! It was Brownie! I have to admit, that puppy plush is definitely cute. Sica slowly hugged the dog and held it tight against her chest before resting her head on top. I don't think that's for Krystal. A giant smile slowly grew on my face as a plan brewed in my head. Now I knew what to get her.

Hoping to not get seen, I slowly walked away from the aisle that Jessica was in. If she saw me watching her, then of course she would know what I would be buying her! I wanted to keep this present a surprise! That means that I'd have to purchase that Brownie without her knowing. But how? Hmm... I put a hand under my chin in thought as my legs kept moving beneath me.

After a short while of unconsciously walking, I accidentally bumped into someone. “Omo! Mianhae! I should have-” My eyes finally locked onto the person I crashed into before glancing down at the Brownie plushie in her arms. “Oh. I found you.” I cheered with a small smile. Jessica simply nodded and hugged the stuffed toy even tighter. “Oh. Is this for Krystal?” I questioned pointing to the gray and white animal.

Glancing down, my crush pursed her lips gently before looking up at me again. “Ehh...I guess?” She shrugged nonchalantly. “I don't know if Krystal will really like it.” Her eyes then fell back onto the puppy plush. There was something about how she stared at the toy that made her seem like she was longing for something, but what? I quickly pushed the thought out of my head, concluding that I should probably ask her about this later on.

My head slowly nodded as we stood there, both looking at the gray and white dog wrapped in her arms. She doesn't know if Krystal would like it because she wants to keep it for herself. With the topic at hand being about buying her younger sister a present, I decided to keep my mind settled on getting something for her. Maybe Jessica won't be suspicious of me if I start asking about things Krystal would like. Plus, this shopping day wouldn't be completely random if I actually succeeded in doing what we had originally planned.

I glanced around the place in arms reach and picked up a teddy bear around the same size as the toy in her arms. “Do you think Krystal would like this?” I watched Jessica's eyes slowly peel off Brownie and land on what was in my hands. Judging by her straight faced look, it was rather disapproving. Hmm. Let's try again! Holding the bear in one hand, I then grabbed a kitty plushie and held it up. “Or this one? Does Krystal like cats?” Still, Jessica had that same unsatisfied look on her face the minute it landed on the newly presented animal.

Again Yuri, again! This time I grabbed multiple stuffs and held them up for Jessica to see. “What about this one? Or this one? Does Krystal like this one?” Before I knew it, both of my arms were full of countless stuffed toys, hoping to get just one nod of approval from the older girl in front of me. One thing I did notice from Jessica was that with each toy I showed her, her eyebrows would slowly start to collide. Was I really this bad at guessing what her sister would like? Okay, let's try again. “Do you think Krystal likes-”

“Look Kwon.” Jessica suddenly breathed out irritatedly. “If you're really this obsessed with my sister then why don't you just buy all of those things for her, huh? Why don't you just buy her every toy in this store? Then maybe she could pick out whatever it is that she wants! So quit asking me what she does and doesn't like because right now, I just don't care about my sister.” In her arms was a tightly squeezed Brownie that looked desperate for air. Her words were filled with pain. That much was obvious. Before I could read anymore of her facial expression, Jessica quickly pivoted on the balls of her feet and began to walk away.

My eyes trailed her as she distanced us further. So...Krystal's the problem? Her own sister is the reason why she's like this during the holidays? In my arms were the many stuffed animals that I had picked up, but even their happy faces weren't enough to turn Jessica's frown upside down. I quickly dropped all of the toys into a bin with other stuffs before chasing down the clearly upset Ice Princess. In such a rush, I ended up clipping someone's shoulder. “Mianhae!” I called out taking a quick glance back and then rushing towards Jessica again. On a regular basis, I would have turned and apologized with a bow, but not today. The only thing I knew about the person I bumped into was that they were blonde. It must have been a tourist.

My eyes quickly settled on that auburn haired girl that my heart was falling for. I need to get to the bottom of this. I need to make this Christmas the best Christmas ever for her! Finally catching up, I hooked my hand onto Jessica's shoulder and quickly turned her around to face me. “Yah Sica. Why don't you care about your sister? Isn't that what Christmas is all about? To be happy and to spend time with your family?” My head tilted to her innocently.

Jessica rolled her eyes in annoyance. At this rate, I wouldn't really be surprised if her eyes rolled right out of their sockets! Ew. I don't wanna think about that. “Well Christmas hasn't been the same anymore.” Her answer was completely mumbled under her breath as she sighed heavily and glanced from side to side, but thankfully I caught her irritated sentence. Before I could question what she meant, her eyes locked onto me and with a much louder voice, “Can we just not talk about Krystal or the holidays anymore?” Her voice was harsh, but I could easily sense the pain that was intertwined with it. She was hiding something. My job was to figure out what.

I pursed my lips gently at her request. Something about those two was obviously causing her to act like this. Seeing her so annoyed with everything, I took this chance to push her buttons. Maybe then she'd spill the truth out of annoyance. I wish there was another way, but I guess this was just a risk I'm gonna have to take. “Wae?” My eyes stared deeply into hers and there...I spotted the unspoken pain.

With an annoyed sigh, Jessica placed the Brownie she was clutching onto in a bin of assorted stuffed toys and looked at me right in the eyes. “Because I have my reasons Kwon. Now stop asking okay?” Jessica huffed out another sigh. Ouch. Talk about harsh. “I'm going to be outside. Go buy Krystal whatever and then come find me so you can take me home. Alright?” Her arms folded across her chest as she stuck her hip out. “If you aren't out there in 15 minutes then I'm going to call one of my drivers to pick me up. Got it?”

A deep gulp slithered down my throat as I nodded to her. “Arasso.” I mumbled, watching her do a quick 180 and exit the store. I want you to tell me what's wrong Sica... I let out a sigh and picked up the Brownie that she had lovingly held onto this whole time. Making the stuff toy face me, I petted its head as if it were real and looked into its glass-like eyes. “What's wrong with Sica, Brownie?” I mumbled with a pout.

When, of course, the plushie didn't respond I heaved out another sigh and hugged him tightly. I never realized how good it felt to hug something...or someone! My eyes shot over to the exit where I could barely see my crush fiddling with her cellphone. “She only started acting like this when her sister got into a relationship...” My own words from yesterday's meeting echoed in my head. That's it! I snapped my fingers as the light bulb in my head lit up. I finally had a good hunch as to why Sica was acting this way! Why didn't I see it before? Ah...babo Yul. As always.

After mentally facing palming myself over and over again, along with an actual face palm, I quickly composed myself and headed for the register. Not before a pair of something very small, yet elegant, caught my attention. I walked up to the pair and gazed at how they shone in the light. So beautiful. I picked up the pair and took a closer look, only to smile like an idiot by myself. Either way, these two babies were coming with me.

“If you aren't out there in 15 minutes then I'm going to call one of my drivers to pick me up.” Uh-oh! I don't know how long I was standing there, but instantly I bolted to the cashier with the puppy and the matching items. Even if 15 real minutes haven't passed yet, if Jessica feels that 15 minutes passed, then that would be enough for my crush to make that one phone call! It wouldn't be the first time that would happen either! Thankfully I was able to stand in line when there were only a few people a head of me. In no time I had made the quick exchange of money for merchandise.

Since it was holiday season, the cashier neatly placed the stuffed toy into a green and red bag before covering the top with matching colored wrapping tissue to keep its contents a secret. The cashier then looked at me, “Did you want these in a bag too?” she asked holding up the pair of tiny presents that were sitting in their now closed boxes.

I waved a rejecting hand then reached out to her. “Aniyo. I'll just put them in this one.” I answered, lifting up the bag with Brownie in it. The cashier nodded and handed over the pair of boxes into my hand. In a quick motion, I slipped one of the boxes into my pocket and the other into the bag. If everything goes well, this will surely be Jessica's best Christmas ever. Exiting the store with a big smile slapped across my face, I happily walked up to Sica and held up the bag. “I'm done! I'm not too late am I?” I couldn't help myself. I was way too happy with the new plan that I had brewed up in my noggin.

Sica faced me and tapped her thumb on her phone making the screen turn a dim shade of red and display a 0:02. Seeing that, I knew that she had just hung up before she could even speak with anyone that worked for her family. Phew! “I was just about to call my driver.” Jessica answered me coldly. Although, I do have to admit that how she was now wasn't as bad as when we were still in the store. “Now c'mon. I wanna go home.” She mumbled walking down the sidewalk without me.

My car was parked in the parking garage across the street from the movie theaters...and that was a bit of a long walk from where we were. That meant either one of two things; we walk in silence or I ask her what happened between her and Krystal. Something about her younger sister getting into a relationship doesn't really answer all of my questions. There has to be more to this story that I'm missing. Since I already spent a majority of the day with a silent Sica, I wasn't planning on sticking to option one. So now, it was time to play 20 questions until I pushed her buttons to the point where they broke.

First thing's first, recite the questions in my head. Suddenly asking about what happened between the Jung sisters would get me no where. I had to play things cool and slowly lead to why Jessica didn't want to talk about Krystal...or the holidays. Neh. That's a great first plan Yuri! Gently, I cleared my throat, hoping she would notice. Fail. Let's try a different approach. “So uhm...” I started, making sure I had her attention before continuing. “I hope that this present will make her happy.” A weak chuckle escaped from my lips as I held the bag out in front of us for her to see.

“Yeah sure. I'm sure she'll really love it.” Ouch. More Sica sarcasm. Aniyo Yuri. Just don't let it get to you. “Can we not talk about Krystal on the way back?” Her head turned to me as we continued walking. The look in her eyes were somewhat pleading, if they could talk. It made me feel bad about trying to push her buttons. Maybe I shouldn't...

Aniyo! You have to do this Yul! How are you gonna fix the problem when you don't even know what the problem is? C'mon Lieutenant Yul! You can do this! I let out a gentle sigh to calm my nerves. “Sica...did something...happen between you and Krystal that you wanna talk about?” I had to squeeze past a few people before looking over to her. When our eyes met, Jessica quickly turned her head away. Still, I was able to catch the sadness hidden in her eyes. C'mon Sica...tell me.

“I don't wanna talk about it...” She answered softly. So something did happen. Her eyes fell to the pavement beneath us as her legs kept in time with each other. Step. Step. Step. “It's about something stupid anyways.” Jessica suddenly added.

The way she looked so down broke my heart. I didn't like seeing her sad. I never did. There was always something in me that wanted to make her happy. But before I could turn her frown upside down, I had to figure out what the problem was. “Sica, you can always tell me what's wrong. I hope you know that.” Without much thought, I wrapped an arm around her shoulders and immediately I felt this electrifying feeling surging throughout my body. Jessica slowly leaned her head on my shoulder as we continued to stroll down the streets of Seoul. At this rate...I'm gonna die from our skin ship before I even find out the answer.

My crush took a while to answer. It was as if she was debating in her head with whether or not she should spill the details. Omo! Sica! Do you not trust me?! Kwon Yuri?! I'm the ultimate lady Seo- “It's just...it's such a stupid reason to get upset over. I don't wanna waste your time with something so pointless.”

Waste my time? Sica, I don't know how you could possibly do that. The arm that I kept around her shoulder squeezed her reassuringly. “Sica, I'll always be here for you. Now c'mon. Tell me what's wrong.” I looked to her as we continued to walk. Would she tell me? I hope she does. I won't stop asking until she finally explains, no matter how long that will take.

Her eyes were still settled on the ground as she stayed quiet. There was no doubt that she was really thinking about whatever it was that was on her mind. I didn't mind the silence though. I would wait for forever for Jessica to finally answer me. As long as that thing that she's been keeping a secret would finally stop troubling her, I'd be happy. Eventually, Jessica breathed out a sigh. I could just feel that she was ready to spill the details. Tell me Sica! C'mon! I know you want to! Her head finally lifted as she stared blankly in front of us. “It's really stupid Yuri. I'm sure-”

“It's only stupid if you hold it in.” I subconsciously blurted out. Omo! I can't believe I just said that! I felt my breath hitch as panic began to override my emotions. That was just supposed to be a thought! Babo Yul! Babo! Aish! Mentally I face palmed myself, or rather, I imagined myself bashing my own head into the wall constantly. How can I be such an idiot and just blurt out something like that?!

Just when I was about to really have my palm come into contact with my face, a gentle, “You're right.” came from the short girl wrapped in my arm. I decided to stay quiet for now. Maybe she'll continue talking if I don't interrupt her thoughts. From what I could see, Jessica's expression saddened a bit. “Honestly, I'm just jealous of Krystal.” She finally confessed.

I gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze. “Wae? She's your younger sister so she should look up to you. Shouldn't it be that she's jealous of you?” I tried to keep my voice calm as I spoke. I didn't want her to sense how eager I was getting for an answer.

Jessica paused for a minute as she figured out how to word everything. Would she even continue explaining to me or not? “I'm jealous of Krystal's relationship.” She spoke. “She has someone that she can call hers. She has someone that calls and texts her all of these romantic things. She gets to go on dates to the movies or to restaurants.” Suddenly, Jessica paused for a moment as we continued to walk. “She gets to be in love...”

There...I felt the deep pain that she was hiding. Everything was starting to make sense now, but still I felt like there was something more she wasn't explaining. Why was it that she would be more harsh during the holiday season if her sister has been in a relationship for longer than that? Still, at least I knew part of the problem, and I knew just how to fix that. But I'll save that for later. Right now, I still have to be nosy Lieutenant Yul and dig up more answers. My fingers that were curled around the handles of the bag tightened gently. “So...you wanna be in love too?”

Jessica stayed quiet. Her eyes looked lost in thought as she continued to stare in front of us. “Is that too much too ask?” Slowly, she turned her head to look at me. Those chocolate orbs of hers didn't hold the sweetness that I could get a sugar rush off of. They looked so empty.

I gave her shoulders a gentle squeeze and shook my head to her. “Aniyo. Everyone wants to be in love. It just depends on the person you fall in love with.” My lips curved into a small smile as I watched her lips quickly mimic mine. There's that grin I loved seeing. Don't you know that I've fallen in love with you? Slowly she rested her head back on my shoulder and I could feel that electric feeling surging through my body in short bursts. What did the bursts mean? Ehh, I wasn't going to put much thought into it. All I knew was that I loved the position that we were in as we continued down the way.

Before I knew it, we were already in the parking garage and the both of us were in the front seats of my car. I glanced over to her and noticed that the two of us still had our smiles on our faces. Time to commence Operation: Happy Sica part two! I placed the bag with Brownie in it in the leg space for the back seat. Turning my head forward, I made eye contact with my crush. “Sica, are you hungry?” I tilted my head innocently for her in hopes that she'd agree.

Seeing her nod made me smile. “Did you wanna go and get something to eat?” I held my breath as I waited for her answer. Just say yes. Please say yes.

Jessica seemed to have thought about it for a minute. Was she debating with whether she should have dinner with me? Before I could really put much thought into it, she nodded her head again. Perfect. I quickly revved the engine to my car and backed out of our parking space. “Just no fast food okay? I always get sick when I eat at those places.” Her lips pursed together as if hoping her little request wasn't too much.

A chuckle escaped my lips as I nodded. Even better! For once, everything was going just as planned. “That's fine with me. I know just the place.” Immediately, the route I wanted to take was forming in my head like a GPS system. With that, I drove off to our favorite dine-in restaurant.

“We're here!” I cried out happily. Maybe I was a little too happy seeing as Jessica almost hopped out of her seat as if I had pressed some secret ejector seat button. Regardless, the minute she saw the name of the restaurant I had taken her to, a bright smile quickly slapped itself on her face. “Kaja! I'm really hungry.” I complained with some aegyo as I held my tummy.

Sica giggled at my little antic and stepped out of the car. It wasn't long for me to follow suit and lock my four wheeled baby. That was until after I sneakily took out her present from the back seat. Jessica seemed a little too excited to eat at her favorite place to notice the Christmas colored gift in my hand. After being shown where we'd be seated, I quickly stashed the gift under the table and draped the table cloth over it for keeps sake. Now, it was time to play it cool and figure out when the best time was to give her with the present.

Finally! Dinner is served! I didn't realize how much I was actually hungry! Aigoo Yul! Take it slow! If you finish too soon then there won't be much time for you two to spend together! At least with some food on your plate she'll have to wait for you to finish before asking you to take her home. Aish! Think Yuri, think! I wanted to face palm myself again, but with the knife and fork in my hands, that would be more deadly than I'd intend it to be.

My attention quickly focused on Jessica to keep myself from accidentally stabbing my noggin. Omo! She was upset again? I watched as she slowly took small bites out of her dinner. There was obviously something more troubling on her mind, or was she still thinking about the whole love thing? Either way, it was time to figure it out. Her being this sad at her favorite restaurant was completely out of the ordinary. “Sica.” She lifted her head to me curiously. “Is there something that's bothering you?”

Though it looked involuntarily, I watched as her lips pursed together in thought. “Aniyo.” She mumbled softly. Her eyes glued onto her plate as she pushed around the tasty bits of food with her fork. “Why do you ask?” Jessica lifted her head to look right at me.

Because I can see how empty your eyes are. I wanted to confess, but that would probably be too creepy. “I'm just wondering.” My voice was steady, hoping not to throw her off. “What are you thinking about?” I tilted my head gently as I stuffed my mouth with some vegetables.

Jessica was quiet for a moment as she let my words register into her head. It took her a while to make eye contact with me, longer than when she would normally space out. Now I knew that whatever was on her mind was really troubling her. “Krystal.”

This time my lips were the ones that squeezed together. “Wae? Is there something else about her that you wanna talk about?” I tilted my head the other way with my eyes still locked clearly on her.

My crush diverted her eyes away from me. “Aniyo.” Her voice was practically inaudible! Speak up Sica! I can barely hear you! Slowly, she lifted her head and we shared a gaze. There it was again, that empty feeling whenever I would look in her eyes. Aish. She's hiding something me. I'm going to make her talk.

“Sica. I know there's something wrong. Can you just tell me what it is?” I tried my best to sound concerned instead of letting out the slight irritation that was building up inside of me. Getting mad at her would make her do nothing but be more conservative than she already was. I had to play my cards right to get the answer from her.

A gentle sigh escaped her lips. “I already told you what it is Yuri. I'm jealous that she gets to be in love.” Her answer to me was mainly emotionless, but I could still hear the slight pain in her voice. Not to mention that I could still see that empty feeling in her eyes. There was more. Keep digging Yuri! You'll get the answer soon!

I placed my fork and knife down before wiping my mouth. “Jessica. I'm not that kind of friend that you can plainly lie to and get away with it. Especially when it's something that's really bothering you. I know there's something more than just that. So tell me, what is it?” My fingers intertwined with each other as I rested my wrists on the edge of the table.

Her attention lowered to the food on her plate. She didn't want to see the look in my eyes. The look that was begging for her to give me an honest answer. The look that cared so deeply about her. “There's nothing.” She answered

“You're lying.” I bluntly stated. It's time to put my foot down. No more avoiding the question. No more simple answers. It's time that she talk. “I know there's something more because for the past couple of Christmases you've turned into this complete Ice Princess that doesn't want to deal with anyone.” A cold glare came my way at the mention of her nickname the others had given her, but that was currently ineffective since I was so desperate for her answer. “You weren't this sad about Christmas before Krystal got into a relationship so now there has to be something more. There has to be something about Christmas and the holiday season that you're completely dreading right now and I wanna know what it is.”

Jessica sighed deeply and put down her utensils before looking at me right in the eyes. “Fine. You wanna know why I don't like Christmas?” I rose my eyebrows eagerly for her to continue. “It's because I don't celebrate Christmas alright?”

My eyebrows scrunched together at her explanation. That was something I honestly wasn't expecting as her answer. “You don't?” She shook her head to me. “Wae? I mean, I guess you could be celebrating something else, but-”

“Yuri...” She interrupted. “I don't celebrate Christmas because...” Her eyes stared deeply into mine before lowering back onto the food. It was like she was debating with herself with whether or not she should tell me her reason. Either way, I was here to listen to what she had to say.

“I have no one to celebrate it with.”

I felt my eyebrows rise in shock. So...that's why she's so upset during the holiday season? But... “I don't...I don't understand, Sica.” My head shook in confusion as I scrunched my eyebrows back together. “Don't you celebrate it with your parents? Your drivers and house keepers? What about your own sister?”

Jessica gulped down whatever was lumped in and then looked up at me. “My parents let our workers off for the holidays so that they can spend time with their family while they're overseas in different places to make sure our company doesn't loose potential buyers for next year.” She paused for a moment. “It used to be just Krystal and I spending Christmas together. We'd open our presents and then go out to have fun. Ever since Amber and her have gotten in a relationship, she's always with her. Krystal and I can never have any sister bonding time anymore.” Jessica confessed sadly. “It would always be the Kryber couple plus Jessica. Do you know how much of a third wheel I felt whenever I'm with them?” Her eyes were pleading to me in hopes that I could relate.

Mianhae Sica, I'm not really sure how it feels like since my brother moved out years ago. “The past couple of Christmases, Amber would invite Krystal to go to California so that they could spend time with her family. That leaves me at home all buy myself for weeks Yuri.” Slowly, Jessica's arms wrapped around herself. “I can't tell you how lonely I get when I'm there by myself.” I could see the tears already welling at the bottom of her eyes. Her being this lonely was really affecting her. Aniyo! Don't cry!

Instinctively I reached up with a napkin and wiped away the tears that so badly wanted to spill over, dabbing carefully so that I wouldn't ruin her mascara. “Why didn't you tell any of us about this Sica?” I questioned while lowering down the napkin. Only then did I realize her shocked expression. I guess she wasn't expecting me to wipe away her tears.

Eventually she settled down and composed herself. I knew that the last thing she wanted was to be seen crying in public. “I didn't want to trouble anyone.” Her voice was soft, but I was able to catch it over the chattering diners around us. “Christmas is about spending time with the family. Just because I can't spend time with my family doesn't mean I should stop other people from spending time with theirs.” She never peeled her eyes away from me and I knew that it was an honest answer.

Yuri, I think it's time to fix the problem. “Sica, you should come and spend Christmas with me since you're always by yourself.” I suggested with a smile. “I'm sure umma and appa won't mind you joining us for the holidays.”

Jessica's lips pursed tightly at my offer. “A-Are you sure they wouldn't mind? I don't wanna take up all of your family time together if I tag along.” It wasn't hard to notice the hesitation in her voice. She really didn't want to be a burden.

“Don't worry about it.” I shooed the air between us. “My brother always brings his girlfriend who's studying here from overseas and my parents like to watch old TV shows that I never liked. If you're a third wheel then I guess I'm a spare tire.” I joked, glad to see that Jessica was finally smiling. Oh how I missed it. “You're welcome to join us, Sica.” I smiled to her sincerely. “I even got you a present!” In an instant, I grabbed the double colored bag from under our table and held it up for her to see before placing it in her lap.

Jessica stared at the green and red bag with wide eyes before up at me. She then grabbed the bag to examine it further. “Isn't this the gift you bought for Krystal?” Her head tilted to me. Even if she was confused, she looked so cute!

I gulped down any fears that were suddenly lumping up in my throat. C'mon Yul! You can do this! “Earlier I said, 'I hope this will make her happy'.” A slight grin grew on my features. “I never said that it was for Krystal.” I chuckled. “And truthfully, I only used Krystal as an excuse to go shopping with you.” My eyes settled purely on her chocolate orbs. “I wanted to buy something especially for you, but I wasn't too sure on what to get so I thought that if we went shopping together then something would come to mind.” I gestured to the bag in her hands. “Go on, open it.” I encouraged with a nervous smile.

Slowly, my crush grabbed the wrapping tissue and pulled it back to reveal the gray and white Brownie that was happy to see her. Immediately her face lit up at the sight as she pulled out the dog and hugged the plushie tight against in arms. “Gamsahamnida Yuri.” Jessica thanked while practically suffocating the toy in a hug. Good thing it wasn't alive. She then stopped for a minute and looked at me. “But, I don't understand Yuri. Why did you make me open this present now? Christmas isn't until Tuesday.” Jessica looked right in my eyes for an answer.

“I know Christmas isn't for a couple of days, but I thought that you needed something to cheer you up. Plus...” I smiled and grabbed the colorful bag, reaching in to pull out the little box that she obviously missed. “There's something I want to ask you.” Deep in my chest I could feel my heart pounding strongly. Hopefully it won't explode before I can ask her this simple question. Was it really a simple question though? I gulped down every bit of lumped up protest that was in my throat.

In my hands I turned the box so that when I would open it, the item inside would be facing her. “Jessica Jung. We've been best friends for years now and I can't help but feel the need to take it further than 'just friends'. I want to be more than that.” Slowly, I opened the little black box and revealed the elegant looking ring that was inside it. “Jessica Jung...” I paused to calm myself down, but my heart that was beating in overdrive just wouldn't settle down! Curse you heart! You're making my whole body shake! Even my voice! Aniyo! You need to say this with confidence or she'll never take this seriously! C'mon Lieutenant Yul! You can do this! I stared right into her chocolate colored eyes.

“Will you be my girlfriend?”

N/A: Aigoo! Mianhae readers for taking a whole month to update this! A whole month! OTL I'm sooo incredibly sorry! School has started for me and I've got Chemistry AND Precalculus this semester! What was I thinking?!? And since I'm gonna be a Chmistry major, I can't really mess around in either of those classes you know? I already forgot to turn in some Chemistry homework because there's just so much! Aish! My brain is going to explode! My schedule has gotten SO packed with everything that I could barely get any writing down at all! If it's not school, its homework. The only time I can type is late at night! Aigoo. Mianhae! OTL

Anyways, here is chapter 4! The Yulsic's story is told! What do you think? Are you mad at the cliff hanger? xD What is your guess on Sica's answer? Let me know! ^^ I hope I didn't let you down with this chapter. v_v I already know that I've let you readers down with taking forever just to update. Mianhae again! OTL

With the littlest amount of free time left [seriously I'm procrastinating my math homework right now that's due tomorrow.] I'm already starting the next chapter! I hope that it won't take a whole month, but I'm getting  sooo cramped with school that I can't make guarentees on what I'll be able to upload the next chapter. Aigoo. But please be patient! This story is about half way finished already even if it isn't the holiday season anymore! I'll keep continuing it! Please look forward to the next update! I've got to do homework now. T^T Annyeong!

-Jeo