A/N: One swear word lol. Gaspers!

Vocal practice today, and Jessica was in a foul mood. The only good thing was that she had a light schedule and was pretty much done. Taeyeon still had a few things to do and Jessica was pretty sure Tiffany was not done yet either. She decided to head to the lounge and rest for a bit before she went to the dance studio to touch up some moves while she waited for the other two.

In reality, she was only waiting for Taeyeon. She and Tiffany were still a little on the awkward side and it would be weird if Jessica made a huge effort to wait for the girl after practice. And now Tiffany was preoccupied with Nayeong too. So despite the slight jealousy that kind of seeped through Jessica’s self-control, and the burning urge to make her affections to Tiffany more noticeable, Jessica gritted her teeth and refrained.

At the lounge, she was surprised to see Nayeong sitting at a table, headphones plugged in and watching something on her laptop screen, laughing to herself periodically. Jessica honestly felt uncomfortable with the woman, and she really didn’t know how to approach her. She was afraid that one insensitive word or one misplace breath would break her, just like last night.

Jessica had never seen someone cry with such reckless abandon, displaying so much raw emotion with no inhibitions. As trainees, they were always told to manage their image, so even when they wanted to cry, they had to cry ‘prettily’. Jessica hated it. It was all so fake! It almost defeated the purpose of crying in the first place.

Nayeong’s endless tears last night were different. It tore Jessica’s heart out just hearing it, and having to see it too…see Nayeong clutch at Tiffany like a fading lifeline, see her desperate tears run down in endless branching rivulets, see her delicate body shake with each wracking sob… Jessica had felt erse standing there witnessing all that. She barely knew the woman, what gave her the right to witness Nayeong in her most exposed and fragile state? The woman had laid bare everything last night, with a visceral rawness that almost scared Jessica. Almost.

Jessica didn’t know how she would handle it if last night repeated itself. The ice princess had never been known for her tact and sensitivity. She decided it was definitely for the best if she just didn’t interact with Nayeong much. She walked in and acknowledged the woman with a stiff bow and made her way to the coffee vending machine. She was about to press the button for normal black coffee when she became aware of a rich, pungent, alluring aroma swirling about the room. The instant coffee from the machines had never smelled that fresh and invigorating…did it?

Nayeong must have noticed Jessica sniffing the air. She removed her earbuds and walked over to Jessica, smiling. It was a kind smile, a genuine smile. A smile that eased Jessica’s previous nervousness. A smile that a woman of her circumstance almost didn’t have the right of showing. Either she was a fantastic actress, or the woman was a lot more resilient and tough than Jessica had given her credit for. Jessica was almost sure it was the latter.

“Sumatra Black Satin coffee. One of my favorites,” Nayeong said as she went over to the counter to pour Jessica a steaming cup. Placing the cup on the table she was on, Nayeong gestured for Jessica to join her, removing the laptop to make room. Jessica hesitated, but found herself smiling a little. It was hard not to like this woman.

Minutes later, the two found themselves chatting like old friends catching up over a cup of java. The woman was approachable in a very compassionate way. There was also a vulnerability to her that made her companionship that much more endearing. Jessica understood why the normally reticent Tiffany was so much more open with Nayeong, and she envied the woman for it.

They were discussing their favorite dramas when Yeonhi, Miyeon, Yuki and Junghwa walked in. Jessica scowled. She glanced over and was a little surprised to see Nayeong herself didn’t exactly look warm and inviting as she too spotted the four newcomers. The new disagreeable company sat one table down from where Jessica and Nayeong were situated, and they almost instantly started bickering about who should pay for coffee and snacks from the vending machines. In the end, Yeonhi spotted the freshly brewed pot by the side and went to help herself to some, making sure to look pointedly in Jessica and Nayeong’s direction to acknowledge that she knew the coffee was probably theirs but she didn’t give a rat’s about it. Jessica was already half standing to give the girl a piece of her mind when Nayeong’s soft hands on her arm stopped her.

“They’re not worth your anger, and it’s just coffee,” the older said calmly, soft enough so that it wasn’t discourteous, but loud enough for everyone to have heard it. The four girls had the audacity to shoot them glares and Jessica almost lost it. But the firm pressure of Nayeong’s hands on her arm kept her just calm enough to not fly off her handle.

The two settled back down, though Jessica was still glowering. Moments later, there was another addition to the lounge. This time it was someone none of them had expected to see. The president of SM Entertainment. Mr. Lee Sooman. All five of his trainees immediately stood and bowed low in greeting. Nayeong on the other hand, looked upon the man with an amiable familiarity.

“Mr. Lee,” Nayeong said as she stood up and bowed. Jessica watched in awe as their president walked right up to Nayeong and gathered her into a fatherly hug…and…was that a glimmer of tears in his eyes?

“How are you feeling dear?” the president ask concernedly as he led Nayeong back to the table and sat down with her, effectively taking Jessica’s spot. Not that Jessica minded, she was more just baffled at how Nayeong and the president knew each other, and judging by the way the president was so concerned with Nayeong’s well-being, Jessica guessed that he knew about Nayeong’s incident too.

The two of them sat there and talked in soft hushed tones, discussing a variety of things that neither Jessica not the four other girls still in the lounge could quite catch. But Jessica was almost sure she heard ‘Tiffany’ quite a few times as well as a person called ‘Dr. Kim’ and another called ‘Lexi’. Regardless, before she had much time to comprehend and make sense of what little she had overheard, the president was already headed out the door.

“Dinner sometime Nayeong-sshi, see if you can get Tiffany to agree. Take care of yourself!” and with that he was gone.

Jessica already knew that trouble was brewing even before the sturdy footsteps of the president had faded. That last comment the president had said before he took his leave left so much to be misconstrued.

Damn it…doesn’t the man know how that sounds? How unprofessional that is? What problems this will cause?

The four darn girls were already abuzz with goss