Friday, October 28th 2022

“Hey baby! How’s being a loner coming along?”

“Fine and *cough!* dandy Jessi *cough!* *cough!*”

“Stephanie! Are you sick?! Have you been wandering the streets again while I’m gone?! You did didn’t you?! God I knew I shouldn’t have left you al–”

“Calm down Jess! Just a common cold! And no I was not wandering the streets like some lost soul.”

“No? Then pray tell what the hell were you doing?! And don’t say you forgot to wear a jacket or something stupid like that Stephanie. I know you. I know you like no one else does. You hate wearing jackets and you insist on going out in just your hoodie whenever you can get away with it. I’ve seen you come home soaking wet from rain and sleet and you have never once fallen sick. You have the health consistency of a freaking bull! So I know you must have done something utterly idiotic. I am going to ask you one more time. What the hell did you do Stephanie?”

“Sweet baby Jesus…woman you would make one scary wife.”

“Stephanie Hwang!”

“Jessica Jung!”

“Hwang Miyoung! Don’t make me drive there and confront you!”

“Ok-ok-ok! I’ll tell you! Just…just promise me you won’t drive. It’s snowing out and the road conditions are terrible. Your dad’s car hasn’t been winterized yet and you aren’t exactly comfortable with driving in general. I can’t have anything happen to you Jess. You know that.”

“…So then…tell me. I don’t want to have to worry about you Steph. It’s…it’s Christmas, and you should be here! Beside me. With me. But you aren’t. So the least you can do is to not worry me.”

“I know…I…I uh…I went for a swim.”

“…Like…in the freaking ocean? You’re…not in Seoul are you?”

“…”

“WHERE IN THE EFFING HELL DID YOU GO STEPHANIE?!”

“Jeez tone it down some Jess, I can sense my stereocilia dying…I’m in Buan.”

Jessica felt a flare of anger when Tiffany didn’t offer a more detailed explanation. But then again, she should have been used to this. This was Tiffany after all…

The brunette took a few deep breaths. She didn’t want to yell at Tiffany over the phone. It would do no one any good and it would hardly be helpful to upset Tiffany when they were miles away.

“When are you coming back?”

“Tomorrow.”

“…”

“Polar bear dipping is kinda popular in America. I’ve seen my brothers do it when we went to Vancouver one winter,” Tiffany added semi-jokingly after Jessica’s silence.

The younger girl could practically feel Jessica’s wrath over the phone and she knew Jessica was trying extremely hard not to tell her off for being an idiot. Which she was in all honesty.

Jessica knew there was something else Tiffany hadn’t told her, but she didn’t want to force the girl to tell her at the moment. She was more taken aback at how casually Tiffany had made mention of her two deceased brothers.

Lately, she has noticed that Tiffany was a little more at ease with dropping casual comments about her family. Sometimes it was just a short sentence.

‘Jaxon used to like sleeping on his stomach like that too.’

And sometimes it was a little more.

‘It was my mom’s recipe. She made the best lasagna I’ve ever tasted in my life! Dad would refuse to eat anyone else’s lasagna. He claimed that he meant what he said when he vowed to be faithful to mom on their wedding day. And apparently that included her lasagna.’

Whatever it was, Jessica knew it was a huge step for Tiffany. It was a sign that the girl was starting to let go, and Jessica had never been more proud of the younger girl.

So, Jessica chose to take Tiffany’s word for it and just leave it at that.

At least for now.

“Whatever you say…just…promise me you’ll take good care of yourself and get better ok?”

“Mmhmm.”

“Can I get a more affirmative answer than ‘Mmhmm’?”

“Sir! Yes sir!”

“Insufferable …”

“Listen princess, I gotta run ok? I’ll talk to you later when I get back to Seoul.”

“Fine. Take care and be careful! You better eat your goddamn medicine Stephanie or I swear I’ll drive all the way to Buan and force-feed it down your throat!”

“Done and done! Bye!”

“Wa–”

But Tiffany had already hung up.

Jessica huffed angrily and made a mental note to punish Tiffany when she got back. She pinned the note to the back of her head. Emblazoned, highlighted, embossed, and in bright blinking neon signs.

“Sooyeon! Honey! Your father’s taking us all out for lunch at that burger joint you and your sister love so much! Go get dressed, it’s thirteen below zero and I don’t need you getting sick over the break!” came her mother’s voice at the bottom of the stairs.

“Ok mom! I’ll be right down!”

“And tell Soojung to remember to layer up! It’s better than wearing one thick layer!”

“M’k!”

“And don’t forget t–”

“Mom…Krystal and I are grown now. We know how to take care of ourse–”

“You know how to take care of yourselves? Really now? So why is it that every time I head over to your dorm, I see either Taeyeon, Hyoyeon, or Tiffany cooking your meals? And that girl! Tiffany! She spoils you more than I do! I swear she treats you like a princess and does everything for you! I’ve been meaning to sit her down and talk to her about it actually. She can’t be at your beck and call twenty-four seven. Goodness knows her schedule is just as jam-packed as yours! How in the world does she still find time to baby you like she does?! And now she’s spending Christmas alone. ALONE SOOYEON! Why didn’t you insist on bringing her home with you!”

“Mom I tr–”

“Well you didn’t try hard enough. I talked to Mr. Lee and he said that Tiffany turned down his and his wife’s offer to spend Christmas with them too. I have half the mind to have your father drive over there and throw her into the trunk of the car!”

“Mom! That’s called kidnapping! And I tried mom! I really did! In fact we all did! Stepha