As Tiffany stepped into the building, she was awed by the interior. If the exterior looked tall and massive, then the interior was a total different. A step into the door, Tiffany was greeted with large screens, all broadcasting various programs of documentary, the latest hot dramas, variety shows, news as well as the latest music videos hit. The lobby was classy and elegant that Tiffany could not help but be glued to every fine detail that decorated it.

Just what job did Jessica do for her to be able to extend an invitation to meet in such a place? Even though Tiffany did not pay much attention to the entertainment news, she knew enough that the broadcasting building was not a place where people were allowed to go in and out freely. There were strict measures to ensure that those entering were staffs or visitors who had business in the building rather than fans crowding outside the building.

As Tiffany gazed around her, the obvious lost look in her face caught the attention of the security not far from her. She could sense the security's suspicion, eyeing her every move. Anxious and nervous, Tiffany took quick glances at her watch, wandering where her date was, as she peeked at the security approaching her. With each step, she panicked and started cursing Jessica for her tardiness.

"Who are you waiting for, young lady?"

A gruff voice entered her ears, causing her heart to stop beating momentarily. She gulped down a mouthful of saliva as she turned slowly to meet the watchful gaze of the dutiful security guard with a small awkward smile.

"You do know that you are not allowed inside her if you are not one of staffs. Do you have any appointment?" Fearfully, Tiffany nodded, feeling the piercing gaze for the man. "Who is your appointment? Do you want to give him a call or I can check for you."

Biting her lips, Tiffany fumbled into her bag, bringing out her hand phone only to remember not having Jessica's phone number. Cursing inwardly, she sighed, lifting her head to face the guard.

"Sorry. I don't have her number. Could you check it for me? Her name is Jessica Jung."

At the name, the guard frowned, searching his memory for faces that matched the name. Being in the security post for the past ten years or so, it was safe to say that he knew the various names and department by heart. In fact, he could list most people and refer them to the respected department from the top of his head. But, Jessica Jung, he had never heard of this lady. Perhaps some newcomer, he thought while striding off to the reception.

A quick check in the database came up with negative, causing the guard to frown with deeper suspicion. Tiffany's heart pounded furiously against her chest as she looked timidly at the guard's face. From his expression, it was clear that he was not buying her story.

"There's no Jessica Jung here. Are you one of the fans?"

"No."

"If you are here to watch the music program, the entrance is the other side." At the confused expression from the girl, the guard could guess that she was not for the show, yet she did not seem to be like a stalker fan. "Then what are you here for? It's out of bounds to unauthorized people."

"I... I'm meeting my friend."

"Which friend? Would you mind calling her? We don't allow people to linger around here."

Tiffany nodded her head.

"I'm sorry."

She apologized as she turned to make her way out slowly, when a frantic voice called out to her.

"Tiffany Hwang! Tiffany Hwang! Are you Tiffany Hwang?" Tiffany turned around to see a young woman running towards her, her arms failing out towards her. "Hi, are you Tiffany Hwang?" Tiffany looked at the woman curiosity as she nodded her head hesitantly. "I'm Park Min Young. Follow me."

A quick gesture to Tiffany as Minyoung walked towards the exit. Tiffany took a quick glance at the guard before following the woman hastily.

"Here. Take a seat here."

Tiffany looked around the place as people started streaming in from various entrances. She was sitting in the front few rows with the stage directly in front of her. By the side of the stage, Tiffany spotted a banner with the word "ICE...."

Shifting her position, Tiffany found an angle that allowed her to peek at the banner.

Ice Princess. The words struck a chord in Tiffany's heart. Ice Princess. Was this the reason why Jessica had invited her? 

Tiffany frowned at the thought. She looked back to find Minyoung, but the woman was nowhere to be found. Scanning around, she noticed how everyone seemed to be holding banners of all kind, bearing different idol group names on one hand and colors of light sticks on the other. It made her wonder if she was in some kind of school camp where everyone are required to bring the same kind to differentiate them with their groups.

---

Dressed in her outfit, Jessica was pacing back and forth in the waiting room. Her eyes staring at the papers in her hand, going through all the words as she sang softly. Her dressing room was small with only a dressing table and a two-seater couch placed by the wall, and despite being a newly debuted solo singer; the room was to be used solely by Jessica. It was to allow privacy as well as to uphold the mysterious image that Jessica was supposed to have. Hence, the room was located at the far end of the corridor, avoiding all other famous idol groups and top singers.

As time ticked by slowly, the rookie singer could feel stress rising up in her, almost suffocating as she fought to breathe. Each tick of the clock was like a reminder to how quickly her stage would soon be and the thought of it just made her anxious and nervous.

With a bang of the door, the singer jumped in surprise before shooting a glare at the woman who just entered. From the beads of perspiration on her forehead, it was clear that she had run. Jessica's eyes soften as she walked towards her, offering a bottle of water.

The woman took the bottle gratefully, gulping down half of its content and took a few deep breaths before talking.

"She's here."

A smile brightened up on Jessica’s face and sparkles were seen in her eyes. However, her expression soon changed into a nervous one as she bit down on her lower lips and her fingers clutching the papers tightly.

"She's here. She's here."

The nervous girl started pacing around the limited space available, oblivious to her manager looking curiously at her.

---

Cheers and screams rang out in the air as the idols and singers took over the stage one by one. With each chant that rang out, Tiffany winced as the loud screams pierced into her ears, hitting her eardrums hard. Regardless of male or female idols, the screams were equally high-pitched with occasional low shouts coming from the scarce male population.

A quick glance at the clock told her that it was nearly forty-five minutes since she had stepped into the auditorium and with each increasing minute with insane fans, she felt as though she was about to go crazy herself.

Fidgeting left and right and with wandering gaze, Tiffany wondered when her surprise would be. No doubt she had 'confirmed' that her surprise would most likely be the Ice Princess's stage, or so she thought. Hence, by inviting her to the Ice Princess first debut and appearance on a music program, that was probably what Jessica had planned for her.

For the umpteenth time, she glanced at her program sheet. Five minutes. Five more minutes and it would be the best part of the whole show!

---

For the longest time, Minyoung watched Jessica as the latter stoning and staring blankly at nothing, her mind registering nothing that the former had said. Not that Minyoung had ever seen her dazed before, but she had never seen the always calm and cool girl, being that nervous. Usually, with a loud clap of her hand or when she would purposely say 'cucumbers', the girl would start freaking out. However, this time, no matter how much claps she clapped, or how many times she had shouted cucumbers, there was simply no response.

As for Jessica, the girl was a nervous wreck herself. She was not too sure of the reason either. Was it because it was her first time singing live? Or was she worried because she was going to be right in front of an auditorium full of audience where eyes would stare and their attention solely on her? Or was it because of the fact that a certain brunette was one of the audiences, sitting among tens of fans watching her? Or... Or...

A knock on the door before Minyoung scurried towards it, carefully opening only a slight crack so that the Ice Princess's identity would still be kept covered. A loud booming voice seeped through, jolting Jessica out of her trance.

"Ice Princess, up in three minutes."

Three minutes. It took her a couple of seconds to register the two words. Just three minutes, three minutes she would be thrown under the limelight, three minutes in which people would be staring at her singing, three minutes where people would start judging her, three minutes in which Tiffany would be looking and listening to her. Three minutes. Will she make it or will she fail?

"Sica-yah..." Two hands turned her around to face her favorite unnie and then placed themselves firmly on her shoulders. "Sica-yah... Don't worry. You'll be fine. Pretend you are in the studio and you are singing to your fans listening the radio. You will be fine."

A short encouragement and confident smile from her manager gave her a surge of energy, boosting her with confidence.

Securing her veil across her face, partially covering her features, Jessica made her way towards the side of the stage with her head lowered. Just like every other rookie singers, Jessica bowed to the staffs around, thanking them respectfully, yet still careful to hide her face. With a glance by the side of her eye, she could sense the staffs staring at her, curious about her appearance. After all, she was the Ice Princess, known for her voice and her firm decision to not reveal her face to public.

---

Tiffany glanced around at the quiet hall. The performance had ended some time ago and all fans were starting to cool down. Many were lying back against their seats as they closed their eyes, exhausted from all the cheers and screaming from before. However, as contrary to the others, Tiffany sat at the edge of her seat. Ice Princess. She was on next. That was what she had been enduring through all the loud, noisy groups for.

With a smile on her face, Tiffany waited impatiently as the announcement for the next performer went on.

---

Her breathing started to quicken, her face muscles tensed up, her palms started to become clammy. A quick peek outside was enough to make her sweat buckets. All the spotlights, all the eyes, all the attention, was going to be towards her and solely on her only. Saying she was nervous was an understatement, she was anxious, worried, and nearly gearing a nervous breakdown. If not for the constant nagging of her manager and the thought of Tiffany outside, Jessica would have fainted on the spot already, embarrassing herself greatly, not to mention having ruining her image.

Stepping onto the swing, she gripped tightly on the safety rope buckled around her. Her company had insisted on making a rather grand entrance, despite her protest of being afraid of heights. Her heart was pounding way faster and harder than ever before as she willed herself not to look down.

With countdown from the floor manager, she steadied herself, determined to do her best.

---

It had been some time since the announcement yet there was no sight or no sound from the Ice Princess. It was understandable that it may take some time for each stage, but somehow, there was a sense of uneasiness. She was anxious and nervous, for reasons she did not understand. It was not like she was going to meet her idol face-to-face, not like she was going to talk to her, and not even getting her autograph. She was just sitting there, listening to her sing among the tens of audience in the hall.

Frowning at that thought, she slumped back into her seat, somewhat disappointed. Not that she expected to talk to her in the first place, but knowing that the Ice Princess was so near yet so far was just, simply disappointing.

Just as Tiffany was about to slump deeper into her misery, a melodious voice rang out from the speakers, catching Tiffany's attention immediately at the familiar voice.

Can you tell me how could one miss, what she's never had. How could I reminisce when there is no past. How could I have memories of being happy with you, boy. Can someone tell me how can this be?

The whole studio was engulfed in the alluring voice, captivating everyone who had heard it. Following everyone, Tiffany glanced around the hall curiously, only to find nothing that you give away the identity of the singer.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn back to the stage when a light suddenly shone down in the middle. A figure descended slowly. Tiffany tried to squint in order to catch a glimpse of the Ice Princess, just like many other people around her. All of them were craning their necks, squinting their eyes, some even half crouching just so to catch a glimpse, even if it was just a small part of her face. However, all they could see were faint outlines of her features. Still, one thing for sure, the Ice Princess was slim, petite in size and definitely has beautiful skin and features.

---

I missed the times that we almost shared. I miss the love that was almost there. I miss the times that we use to kiss. At least in my dreams. Just let me take my time and reminisce. I miss the times that we never had. What happened to us we were almost there. Whoever said it's impossible to miss when you never had. Never almost had you

The end of the chorus and the bridge of the music came on. Slightly losing her concentration during the bridge, her mind started to focus on the thousands of eyes in front of her. Though she was unable to see them clearly due to the bright light shining on her, she could still sense the curiosity everywhere; the audience, the staffs and everybody.

Her heart started pounding faster, her breath quickened, her teeth bit down on her lips and her hands clenched tighter on the microphone. She was starting to feel the suffocation from those gazes, all the attention that was focus on her. The heat radiating from lights above her, they were distracting her, bringing out past memories that she wanted to forget, that she wanted to throw away, that she wanted to lock it at the back of her mind and never to touch it again. Yet, all these past events, though dated years ago, they were coming out to the surface, starting to play across her mind and across her eyes vividly. It was as though she was relieving those memories again.

Shutting her eyes tightly, Jessica forced herself to not think, to simply focus on the music that was playing. She willed her mind to repel all unpleasant thoughts, to purge of all unwanted useless thoughts. She imagined herself to be in her studio, the only comfort zone she had apart from her house, imagining the spotlight to be one of those normal fluorescent lights that lit up the room, the audience to be all her unseen fans, only listening to her through the speakers. She imagined herself to be closed up behind the doors, away from all prying eyes. All the imaginations, it made her feel safe and calm, as though there were opaque walls surrounding her. Nobody was able to see her, just like her studio. These thoughts gave her peace as she lifted her microphone once more. This time, she was in her own world.

---

Tiffany continued staring at the figure with unblinking eyes. She, like the others, had long given up trying to catch sight of any features of the singer, now lying back to enjoy the music. Like any other music lovers, she wanted to close her eyes to allow the smoothing voice calm her heart, yet there was something about this Ice Princess that made her curious. The body shape, the fingers, the height, the shadow, everything about her screamed familiar, as though she had seen her before. The sense of familiarity with the Ice Princess like she had known her before, yet no matter how much the girl racked her brain, nothing came to mind.

Frowning, she wondered.

Just who was this Ice Princess? Was she the one she had thought she was?

-TBC-