It was an average day at work.

Jessica had spent nearly more than half the time of her shift lazing in the chair by the cash register, head propped up on her palm as her eyes trailed upon dull set of looking books through her heavy-lidded eyes. Really, she had half the mind to fall asleep on her shift if it weren't for a certain, aegyo-filled girl — Sunny— to take an absence from work from illness. Now, she was put in-charge of the whole store and one book stolen, torn, damaged, etcetera, would mean a smaller and lighter pay-check for the month. She was even resorted to work double-shift to make up for Sunny's absence, much to her protest; but that was quickly dealt with when her boss agreed to pay her more for her double-shift.

And currently... all she had to do was to try her best to keep her eyes peeled from falling asleep at her work-station for about... another hour and a half before calling it a day and locking up. It will be only then, she'll be able to retire home and crawl her way back to her cozy, good old friend— her bed.
 

Jessica let out a dreary sigh, eyes sweeping past the store lazily. If only a 'cute', 'hot', attractive-looking guy were to walk in and whisk her away... or at least make life a little more colorful for having something to ogle at instead of daydreaming and staring into the empty space right in front of her. Work was such a mundane chore and the atmosphere at her work-space wasn't making things any better.

But that was soon going to change.

Jessica perked up instantly at the sound of the light jingling of the wind-chime attached to the door. Even though it was resonating and charming in a way, it was also something which she'd found irritating and annoying since the first day she'd took up the job. However, just when she was about to dismiss whoever that was waltzing through the door as something irrelevant in her life; she did a double-take.

Something was just awfully off with the customer that had ambled through those doors. Maybe it was the way she had carried herself through the store. Yes, Jessica was definitely sure it was a 'she' despite the baggy sweat shirt with the hoodie pulled up with the scarf loosely draped over the neck. Call it women's intuition or the fact that she was more attentive and sharper to certain details of a person. Like how she'd noticed long dark locks of hair being tucked in that hoodie or how that men probably wouldn't have that upright, graceful poise of a woman.

Even the clothes she wore was just plain suspicious.

An idol, probably? With those dark-rimmed glasses that didn't seemed to fit, sliding off the bridge of her nose, looking slightly too big for her face, it could be possible. 

She sank her teeth into her lips, biting back a squeal. Just the thought of meeting an idol, male or female got her all hyped out. Now, finally after months of idling and lazing around, she'd finally gotten the action she had been looking for. Admittedly, the true reason to why she had decided to interview for this particular part-time job as a clerk in a bookstore was to have some physical contact with those hot-shot idols in the k-pop industry.

It had been a known fact that their dorms were located a few streets away and if they were to drop by any bookstore, it would be an indie-looking one where no one would bother to give a second glance. But however, for the months she'd been working here full-time during Summer and Winter break and part-time on regular days, she'd seen mostly anything but idols.

Till today, hopefully.

Composing herself down, she wiped off that silly-looking smile she had had on, breathing deeply as she reclined back into her chair, wearing her usual look of indifference while she allowed herself to run her gaze over the features of the suspicious-looking customer.

Sun-kissed skin, a deep mocha-color. Sharp nose, high cheek bones, plush pink lips and finely chiseled features.

Could it be a member from the nation's girl group, Girls' Generation, whose dorm is particularly nearby?

It was at that moment the suspicious-looking girl's head snapped up towards Jessica, pausing in mid-browse. In that instance, her heart stopped beating and her breath hitched, their gaze interlocked. The girl in sweat shirt and glasses regarded her with a pair of critical brown eyes, piercing her soul with an intense gaze as Jessica returned her gaze in a cool and collected manner. However deep inside, she was trembling uncontrollably in both fear and anticipation.

Think Ice Princess, Jessi, she might even be an idol anyway, she chided herself mentally as she held the girl's gaze steadily.

 

Catching her breath as she regained her poise, Jessica tore away from the strange girl's stare and distracted herself by staring out of the window, admiring the view outside of the store while she ignored the pair of eyes that were boring itself into the side of her head. It was only when she realized that the girl had stopped staring at her, that she allowed herself to let go of the breath she had been subconsciously holding on to, heaving a small sigh of relief. Before long, she was simply staring into the empty spot in front of her blankly as she drifted off to her daily fantasies and daydreams all over again.

"Excuse me."

Came a deep husky voice which pricked the bubble of her reverie as she bit back a groan from escaping , fighting the urge to not send death glare at whoever had the audacity to disrupt her precious daydream. That was until; Jessica noticed she was staring into those pair of eyes again. Watchful and heavily guarded. She snapped back right into her senses, shaking away the bleariness left in her as she dropped her gaze upon the book lying on the counter.

How to speak English in thirty days.

Her eyebrows nearly quirk in amusement as they travelled back to the girl with the shady-looking sweat shirt with a baseball cap tucked beneath it. She gave her a quick once over.

Tall, dark and beautiful.

Somewhat fits the description of the Black Pearl of Girls' Generation, Kwon Yuri. That is, if she was an idol in the first place, but judging from the fact that she was oozing charisma and an aura that screamed 'untouchable', it was highly possible that she could, indeed, be an idol from the industry.

"Nineteen dollars, thirty-five cents." Jessica responded smoothly, scanning the book as digits appeared in the screen of the cash register. Nonchalantly, she reclined back into her seat, hearing it squeak beneath her in protest as she pursed her lips, waiting for the could-be idol to fish out the money from her purse to purchase her book.

She fumbled with the money before handing it to her and Jessica couldn't help but feel incline to lift a pencil-thin eyebrow at that. Wordlessly, she slotted the money into the cash register, swiftly drawing out her change as she handed it over to the girl who seemed to be eying her with sudden interest.

The girl leaned forward and Jessica could have sworn her heart nearly leaped out of her ribcage. The girl squinted her eyes, a small but sweet smile gracing her lips. "Thank you, Je... ssica."

 

Jessica froze up upon that. Every single muscle in body suddenly decided to just stop working and she stood there, at the back of the counter dumbfounded by the girl before her. She was stoked, awed by the beauty of the girl up close and at the sight of her smile, it took every single ounce of her willpower from swooning over such a pretty smile, which she'd seriously wished she had. And last but not least, she was left speechless.

Tanned skin, dark hair, deep brown eyes and a laid-back, teasing smile. Sweat shirt with hoodie, baseball cap, and dark rimmed glasses. No doubt, it was definitely Kwon Yuri from Girls' Generation.

The under-cover idol, continued to watch her, that teasing smile was still playing at the edges of her lips, eyes twinkling with amusement and anticipation.

And all Jessica could say was...

"Thank you for coming, please come again." 

The standard greeting after serving a customer and it was the first thing she'd though off that had been unconditionally blurted out. She'd sworn it came off as mechanical. Definitely. There went her opportunity to give an impression on one of her favorite idol in the k-pop industry. Down the drain. Tarnished. She was probably going to think of her as some regular clerk at the bookstore now. But then again, that was also a fact she couldn't deny.

She was a bookstore clerk, but she was also a part-time waitress at star-bucks and a college student at that too. But still, there was no escaping reality that was still a bookstore clerk and nothing more.

The idol seemed to be taken aback by her cold and possible 'mechanical' response but quickly regained her poise, that renowned smile of flitting back onto her lips and with a soft chuckle of amusement under her breath, she whisked away from the counter. Before Jessica knew it, she was gone and all that was left of her was the gentle ringing of wind-chimes and the lingering scent of Summer, when even thought it was currently Winter.

--- 

"YOU WHAT—?" sputtered Tiffany as she choked on her glass of water which she'd casually gulp down seconds ago while asking how her day was today.

Jessica lifted an amused brow, setting her things down before sauntering over to the dining table where Tiffany sat, hacking and wheezing of how the water had went down the wrong pipe. Her eyes travelled over to the dishes splayed over the table, nose perking up, catching the whiff of home-made pasta. She fought the urge from making a face. "You made this?"

"Yes..." With one final gasp and a gulp, she straightened herself up, eyes flaring up at Jessica with that crazy little spark in her eyes. Noticing the incoming threat, Jessica began to back away, retreating back to her room with the thought of washing up before dinner till a raspy voice (probably from all the coughing) called out to her. "Stop right there, Jung Jessica. You can't possibly just leave like this while you leave me hanging like this. Get your back and tell me everything. Now, or else."

Jessica paused in her tracks, casting Tiffany a long side-way glance. "Or else what?" she challenged with smirk.

"Or else expect an icy-cold wakeup call tomorrow that matches your personality. I'm sure you remember that morning really... clearly, don't you?"

Mutely, Jessica made her way back to the dining table, sliding into the seat before the eye-smiling princess, who was not only a school-mate at college but her roommate as well.

 

"Since you're here, let's have dinner first, shall we?" beamed Tiffany as Jessica shrugged carelessly, picking up her utensils.

She poked at her pasta tentatively, glancing up at her best friend, "You sure this is edible, Tiff'?"

"Yes, it is, Jessica. I followed the recipe book exactly." She sounded annoyed at that, muttering through gritted teeth as Jessica took a hesitant bite.

It tasted sapid. Which... is an achievement if Tiffany did actually make this which is highly doubtful ever since her go at omelette turned out into a kitchen disaster with the oven catching fire and the end result was a black, charred kitchen and a burnt omelette.

"So you say you ran into Kwon Yuri?"

"I guess... She was in under-cover when she dropped by the store." Tiffany ears perked up upon that, the clattering of her fork and spoon was heard.

"She dropped by the store?" She asked with disbelief, scooting in closer. She could just feel that smile of hers radiating off her now without even looking up from her plate.

"Um yeah..." Jessica took another bite, relishing over the taste of the pasta. The cheese was light and the taste was just right. Simple but good, it tasted great. "Are you sure you're the one who made this?"

"Yes, I did, Jessi." she fanned her off impatiently, leaning in further as her eyes lit up with anticipation. "What did Kwon Yuri buy at the store? And ooh, how was she like in actual person?"
 

"She bought a book on how to speak English or something. She's exactly how she is on the television. Tall, dark and beautiful." 

Tiffany gaped at her as she shot her a pointed look.

"What?"

"Isn't Yuri your favorite member of Girls' Generation?"

"Yeah, she is. What about it?"

"You're strangely calm about this... If I was in your place, and that was Kim Taeyeon who walked right into that bookstore instead of Kwon Yuri, I would have been squealing and screaming for her to give me an autograph."

She sighed, jabbing her pasta with her fork. "The point is, I'm not you, Tiff'."

"Come on, Jessi; tell me you were at least one bit excited when you realized it was her."

Jessica dropped her eating utensils upon that, staring up at Tiffany while letting out an exasperated sigh. She was wearing that hopeful smile of her. Bright, sparkling eyes twinkling up at her. It was her infamous puppy eyes again. Jessica groaned out loud, throwing her hands up into air in frustration.

"Fine. I was. My heart skipped a beat; I was overjoyed to see her. Ecstatic. I was bouncing off the walls. Now, happy?"

"Yes, I am. So how's the pasta?" She grinned cheerily.

"Great, tastes awesome. You didn't make this, did you?"

"Urgh, fine. I didn't. I bought it down that western stall, a few streets away from here."

"I knew it."

"Yeah, yeah. Did Yuri say anything to you in particular?"

Jessica froze in mid-bite.

 

A soft yet musical chuckle and a small, teasing smile.
 

 

She flushed, turning slightly red in the cheeks which didn't go unnoticed by Tiffany who sprang straight up in her seat, a gleeful smile playing at the edges of her lips.

 

"She did say something, didn't she?" cooed Tiffany.

 

Jessica flickered her eyes up at her, pursing her lips before casually placing a spoonful of pasta into .

"No, she didn't. She just said thanks and that's it." She surprised even herself when she shot right up from her seat and the next thing she knew she was standing with both feet firmly placed onto the ground. "I... I'm full. Thanks for getting dinner. I'm going to go wash up now."
 

And before she could allow Tiffany to protest, she briskly made her way to her room, closing the door after her, burying her face into her hands. 

Beautiful brown eyes and beautiful easy-going smile... 

Husky, sultry voice... 

It was all that consumed her mind right now.

---



Kwon Yuri was all that she could think of for the next few following days. Every time the wind-chime by the door rung, her head would expectantly snap up, half-expecting to see that tall, lean and dark figure sweeping in gracefully. And when she realized that it was just some other regular customer walking in, she would lower her head back to her paperwork once more, ignoring the world that revolved around her till someone required her attention at the cash register.  She wouldn't lie. But she was hopeful to see that idol again despite chiding herself incessantly that it would be completely irrational for a big-shot idol to risk her identity to step foot into this shoddy-looking bookstore again.

Once and that was enough.

And idol wouldn't even want to be spotted here. It was probably a disgrace.

That was probably going to be a once in a life-time experience... Meeting an idol in person, that is and she was contented at that, meeting her favorite idol in the industry at least once.

She caught herself sighing wistfully while stacking the paperwork, of orders placed on a couple of books, aside again.

She mentally pinched herself.
 

Seriously, why are you sighing like a love-sick school girl? She's just an idol. A female one at that. Buck up, Jessi, and be glad that youeven had the chance of meeting her in the first place.

The piercing jingle of her mobile ringtone resonated through the silent bookstore as it brought her momentarily out of her reverie and internal ramblings with herself. Checking, the caller i.d as she ignored the accusing gaze pointed at her, she brought her phone to her ear.

"What do you want, Tiffany?"

"Anything but your cooking."

"Yeah, yeah..."

"Hey—!"

 

"Ah, do they have Taco Bell here in Korea?"

"Fine, I'll just go with the regular old MacDonald’s."

"Yeah, the usual."

"Urgh, not this again."

"Yes, now bug off, I've got a job to do."

"Um, excuse me." A flowing, deep yet husky voice cut in through their conversation. It was smooth, slicing through like butter. There was a light 'plop' of a book being placed down at the counter as she craned her head up, eyes flickering up at the customer. Upon the sight of the figure standing before her, she nearly lost her grip on her phone. 

It was her.

Tiffany's voice reverted her attention back onto her phone however it didn't manage to get rid of that racing feeling of her heart beating rapidly in her chest or that her palms began to feel all cold and clammy.

"Urgh, don't you have our dinner to buy? Anyway, I've got to go. Duty calls." Eyes flashed back at the under-cover idol who merely quirked a curious brow upon that.

And the line went dead.

Jessica let out a sigh, shoving her cell phone back into her pocket, eyes falling upon the book as she picked it up gingerly. "I apologize for the delay." she murmured softly with head lowered, trying her best not to meet the idol's gaze. More like trying to ignore the fact that she was dressed almost similarly to the day from before except that her hoodie was down and that her scarf seemed to wind up above her chin, covering .

"That will be thirteen-forty-five."

"You speak English?"  She was stunned for a second or two. Entranced by how her long delicate fingers had trailed up to her scarf, tugging it slightly below her lips as it revealed a warm, sincere smile.

"Yes, I do." The smile grew wider and her heart thumped a little faster.

"Hmm... You... Are you a native speaker from America then?"

"Yes. Yes, I am."

"Ah... that explains your name... Jessica, right?" Her eyes travelled to the side of her chest where her name-tag supposedly resided and she found her cheeks heating up for some apparent reason. "And... you're not wearing your name-tag today."

"I... I lost it." she blushed, playing with her fingers nervously.

She chuckled. Lightly, softly like a musical tinkle and it warmed her heart considerably. "Ookay... Jessica." And that only made her blush deepen any further as she tried to avoid her gaze to no avail. The way she had pronounced her name with that slight lingering Korean accent that gave her name a more authentic-feel. 'Jeh-shi-ka'. She liked the way her name rolled off her tongue.

"Th-thanks for the purchase please come again." She caught herself stutter and so did the idol whose grin seemed to stretch further across her features.

"Oh I probably will drop by again if all those English books decide to do me no justice. I guess it's high time I should find myself a tutor, right?" she winked, chuckling as she flashed her killer mega-watt grin again. Before Jessica could even comprehend what had just happened, the idol was already out of the store with only the remnants of her beautiful smile and husky voice floating about in her head.