The third time Kwon Yuri had decided to drop by, it was totally unexpected and she had definitely not seen that coming. At all.

It was a quiet day where business wasn't all that booming. In fact, the store was nearly stark empty with the exception of her tending to the stocks of books that had arrived at the dark little corner at the back of the store. The month was ending, Winter-break was just a stone throw away and the new stock of books was swiftly making its debut into the store. It was only going to be an amount of time when Jessica would find herself working full-time instead of the regular part-time to pay off her tuition fees for college.

Though she do admit that she did like the solitude of being alone, but this was a little too much for her liking. The deafening ring of silence in the store was driving her nearly insane and if it weren't for the noisy old compressor of the air-conditioning, she would have shot herself in the head to get rid of the annoying ring.

It was only times like this; she thanked her boss for the new arrival of stocks. At least then, she would have at least something to do, instead of swiveling about in that creaky chair by the cash register all day while suffering from the effects of boredom.  Now, that's another thing to talk about.
 
For the first few hours during her shift, she had been toying over the idea of calling her best-friend-forever, Tiffany Hwang. Usually, Tiffany would be more than willing to answer her calls, especially when it was from her, herself. But being the considerate friend Jessica was, she knew she would be disrupting and most likely distracting Tiffany away during her photo-shoot and had decided against the idea of calling her; which of course left her with a phone in hand, bored and restless.
 
But at least now, she had something to do.
 
Though, stacking and packing books wasn't what she would ideally call 'fun'.

But maybe if she were to add in the element of 'music' to the equation of boring mundane work, it might be able to bring in the 'fun' factor. With that, she began to pick up on a simple melody. A melody that had been stuck in her head for the entire week and was just dying to be sung.

And she did.

Soon, she had found herself singing whilst she carried an armful of books before sorting them into their appropriate shelves under its genre. Singing was admittedly, her guilty pleasure. It was something she only did when she was sure she was alone which obviously made the bathroom a favorable to do all that singing she had been penting up the whole day.
 
Tiffany did hear her sing. Once or twice. She wasn't too sure if she was actually teasing her when she'd said she was a pretty darn good singer, but after that remark made by Tiffany, she had made it a note to never sing in front of anyone ever again. It was just an embarrassing ordeal she had to go through and once was more than enough.

That was until a certain somebody decided to chance upon her out of the blues.

"Hey there."

That voice which came so smoothly. Deep and husky with a sultry, ear-pleasing edge. It had definitely shocked her out of her wits, jumping out of her skin. Letting out a sharp yelp, she lost her grip of the books in her arm as they found its way into the air, then, the ground, scattered all over the place. Through the adversity that was going on at that moment, she struggled to find her footing to no avail, losing her balance as she fell, bottom first onto the hard ground, ungracefully.
 
"I'm sorry, did I scare you?"
 
There was a dark, tanned outstretched hand place in front of her. Numb with shock, her eyes trailed up the hand as she found herself staring into the smiling face of Kwon Yuri again. Her smile was light and sweet; it stretched its way up into her eyes as they beamed down at her as crescents. In her opinion, her eye-smile was a million times more beautiful and sincere than Tiffany's. Subconsciously, her stomach fluttered.
 
Flushing slightly, she placed her fingers tentatively into her open palm and with a firm grip; the tanned idol lugged her up to her feet with a grin. It was then; her eyes finally took in the details of what the idol was wearing.
 
She was dressed less shabbily this time round; wearing a dull-colored branded adidas hoodie with a sweater beneath, her usual dark-rimmed glasses  and skinny jeans that was the 'in' thing right now. To put it simply, she was exceptionally an eye-candy despite the somewhat less fashionable clothes compared to what she was usually seen wearing at the airport. But that was of course to keep up her image as a member of the nation's girl group. Yet, here she was, a high-profiled idol standing in a shoddy-little bookstore. It made her wonder sometimes, how certain people could look so beautiful in just simple clothes. It didn't make any sense, that if she was the one in those clothes that the idol was wearing, she would probably look like some sloppily-dressed townie.
 
But back on track.
 
Regaining back her senses and snapping out of her apparent reverie, Jessica caught sight of the mess which surrounded her and muttered a curse in English, her native tongue, beneath her breath. "Crap, the books!"
 
Instantly, she was back down onto the ground again, frantically picking up the books and through her distress she did not managed to catch the glimpse of the idol following after her, hunching her back as she crouched down low, fingers picking at the books as well.
 
It was then, at a certain point of time that their fingers brushed and she flinched, drawing her fingers away as if scalded by burning hot lava. She jolted up and for the first time, realized the close proximity between the two of them. Yuri, herself, had noticed it as well and for a split second she could have sworn a light pink hue claimed her cheeks, but in a split second, it was gone.
 
The big-shot idol broke into a grin, passing her the book she had collected on the floor. "Here,"
 
"Thanks... Please don't mind me. If you're looking for English guide-books it's over at that corner there."

The idol trailed after her pointed gaze before returning her attention back at her again, smiling. "It's okay; I want to help you with the books. Since after all, I'm the one who frightened you in the first place."
 
She was stoked and was actually pleasantly surprised by the idol's kind nature to help her. She had heard many stories (or mostly rants) from Tiffany who occasionally had to work with female and male idols during some of her modeling gigs, that despite their extraordinary beautiful exterior, they weren't exactly "pretty" on the inside. She had reported to have seen how pampered and snotty they were on the set, commanding everyone about as if they were pure royalty; and that was something she couldn't really tolerate.
 
However, Tiffany had one day mentioned during dinner, that the members of Girls' Generation were pretty sweet, charming and totally down-to-earth during one of the photo-shoot. And for the first time, instead of insults spewing out of , she was actually overflowing with compliment which was a nice change for once. But Jessica was nonetheless, skeptical about it and had merely rolled her eyes when her best friend began gushing over the leader and presumed 'dorkiest' member of the nation girl's group.

As much as she would ever admit it, Kwon Yuri was far more of a dork than Taeyeon, in her opinion, but she digresses. Since, ever after watching a few too many variety shows with that particular Black Pearl on it, she had more or less developed a soft spot for the idol and she just can’t help but laughing along at her funny and weird antics during the variety show 'Invincible Youth'.
 
Waving the under-cover idol off lightly while placing the last few books on top of the pile she was hugging on to, Jessica dragged herself up to her feet, wobbling slightly in the process. "It's okay; I've got everything under control now. You just keep browsing. Let me know if you need anything."
 
The Black Pearl of Girls Generation pursed her lips as if considering if she should offer her assistance to the struggling store assistant, but after watching Jessica steadily regaining back her momentum in slotting the books into its specific genre, she gave a small shrug and a cordial smile.
 
"Okay,"
 
And with that, she reverted back to her dull yet steady routine of packing, sorting and slotting. But for some reason, something felt... different. The boredom was gone. The sleepy, dreary atmosphere that usually cast her sleeping spell over her had vanished. Instead, Jessica felt pumped with the adrenaline flowing through her veins, fueling her with the energy to spur on through her mundane job and suddenly, she became more aware of things.
 
She became more aware of the sudden tension in the store that was threatening to snap like band. She became more aware of the silence that was simply lying on the tip of her tongue, waiting to be disrupted. And every time she let out a heave or plopped down heavy stack of books, she couldn't help but feel a pair of eyes drilling itself into the side of her skull. As much as she wouldn't like to admit it, she did indeed, stole some quick, furtive glances at the idol who was lingering by the shelf in front of her. There were even times when their gaze tend to meet and the idol would let out a soft chuckle, eyes forming crescents as she would turn away sharply, embarrassed from being caught staring.
 
With one final sigh, Jessica placed the half-empty box filled with the new arrivals aside. At least when Sunny returns from her sick leave, she would have at least something to do instead of doing nothing but slacking.
 
Kwon Yuri sauntered over to her with a small smile.
 
"You've got what you wanted?"
 
"Yeah,"
 
And like the usual, she lowered her gaze upon the book, picking up her scanner, zapping the book in the process. "It's twelve-fifty. Thanks for the purchase, please come aga—"

"I didn't know you could sing."

For a second there, the scanner had nearly fallen out from her grip. She snapped her head up at the idol, astounded and bewildered out of her wits. She could feel that familiar burning sensation creeping up her neck to her cheeks and ears as she lost the power of her speech momentarily, eyes flashing blankly at the beautiful, tanned woman who was standing before her, eyes smiling down at her.

"Ah, don't take it the wrong way. I mean, you have a really beautiful voice when you sing, but I bet you probably have a lot of people telling you that already."
 
She gulped while trying her best to calm herself down inwardly, her heart thumping so loudly that she could hear it ringing in her ears.

"Thank you... I... don't really receive many compliments, though."
 
Her eyes widened upon that as she genuinely looked surprised upon that, inching closer towards Jessica.
 
"What? Why?"
 
"Because the only time I ever sing would be in the bathroom or when I'm alone..."
 
The idol blinked. Once. Twice. Jessica could literally count off those dark, beautiful lashes. And then, Kwon Yuri broke into a fluster of chuckles, bringing her fist over to lips as she pursed her lips to keep her giggles in bay.
 
"And you're adorable too.”

Her heart fluttered wildly at that heart-warming smile and she could predict that she probably looked as red as tomato now. Kwon Yuri her carrier bag, stealing a quick peek into it before throwing one last smile at Jessica.

"Ah, well then. I guess, I should leave..."

And before she left, she turned to look over her shoulders, mega-watt grin in place.

"By the way, you should smile more often, not just when you sing. Oh and I see that you're finally wearing your name-tag today, Jessica. Well, see ya' around!"

With the jingling of wind-chimes resonating in the air, she was gone like the wind.
 
And for the first time in a long while, Jessica smiled.
 
---
 
For the next couple of days, she didn't appear.
 
And for some reason, that disturbed Jessica a little. It was as if, she was gradually getting accustomed to the idol's surprise visits that popped out from nowhere; and the absence of that usual surprise, the smiles, the pounding of her heart in her ears, it made her feel uncomfortable. Part of her found something lacking... something that she couldn't really put a finger to.
 
It first began with that face with the smiling eyes and smile-lines flashing perpetually in her mind, and she found out that half of her thoughts surrounded her. Then, it turned into wishful thinking. Hopes that maybe that deep, husky voice would intercept her thoughts and she would look up from the cash register, overwhelmed by her beauty. Soon, came the doubts that maybe... maybe that was probably the last time she would ever see her in person again. That she would never hear that throaty chuckle, have that rare whiff of summer during winter. Eventually, she accepted all that, turning into resignation as she began chiding herself for bearing such foolish thoughts.
 
Seriously, who was she to even think about the great Kwon Yuri, the Black Pearl of nation's girl group, Girls' Generation? She was lucky that the celebrity had even chanced upon this bookstore.  After all, she was just... a nobody and getting to meet Kwon Yuri, touching her and even interacting with her was a great honor; and that was more than enough.
 
"Hello."
 
For a short second, she had nearly donned the particular person who had interrupted her precious thoughts while she stared blankly into her fashion magazine with one of her infamous death glares. That was, until she realized the face that she was staring into.

Weariness was written all over her face. She could see the dark eye rings hanging beneath her eyes that lacked its usual radiance and spark, and she found part of herself withering at the sight before her as that smile that was plastered over her face seemed merely forced.

"You're back for more books?" inquired Jessica as she snapped her magazine shut, trying her best to smoothen out her voice as best she could.

"Nope. I'm here just for you." She let out a dry laugh and it was only then she realized why she couldn't recognize her voice in the first place. It was rough and raspy, almost like was dry as the Sahara. She would have blushed deep red if it weren't for her voice to be at its usual silky and flowing texture, but instead it came off as a little hollow and empty.
 
"What do you want of me?" The idol quirked a brow at that, a small smile cracking at her lips.

"Let's have a quick bite, and I shall tell you."
 
Her heart did a mini-leap.

Was... was Kwon Yuri asking her out on a date?
 
Nah, that shouldn't be possible, she'd doubt that this particular top-profile idol would ever swing for the other team. Wishful thinking.
 


Her eyes flickered up at the clock hanging by the wall briefly and she found herself deflating with disappointment. Biting back a frown, she turned towards the idol. "I'm sorry but my shift ends in about three hour’s time..."
 


Kwon Yuri hung her head, letting her particularly baggier hoodie than the usual one fall over her eyes, masking away part of her face. However despite this, she had still managed to catch a small glimpse of a frown and her cheery disposition from before instantly faded into a mere memory. Even though she did her best to hide her disappointment, Jessica could feel it literally radiating from her entire being.
 


She was crushed; and that was a fact.
 


For some reason, at the sight of her current state, it struck her a dusty chord deep in her heart and somewhere, buried deep, something twinge.
 


"But I guess I could end my shift earlier since after all, there hasn’t been a single soul at all in the past few hours." The hooded head before her jerked up towards her, a perplexed expression scribbled all over those perfectly chiseled features as she offered a ghost of a smile to her. "Give me a minute while I lock up and change out of this uniform. In the mean time, wait out for me at the back entrance; I'll be out in a few."
 


Instantly, it was as if the weariness of her face had faded, she casted her a bright grin, flashing her pearly-whites.
 


 "Okay."
 
 


---



 
 
At the sight of the tall, lean figure leaving the store, Jessica instantly doubled up on her movements. At a speed of light, her phone was in her palm, pressed against her ear as she heaved in deeply, bracing herself for whatever was going to happen next. Clearing , she mentally prepared herself to speak in a sickening sweet voice that no one would ever catch her doing other than the person over the line.
 
The endless dial tone ceased and came a muffled 'hello'.
 
"Hey, my dearest boss and friend, Sunny-ah, how're you feeling?"

There was a sigh and a groan over the line.
 

 
 "Well, can't I just be a kind and considerate friend and store-assistant for once? But really, how are you doing with the measles?"
 
Jessica did a quick sweep of her parameters, checking the cash in the register while she clipped her phone to her ear with her shoulder.
 
Everything was clean.
 
No trash.
 
No— Oh there was that magazine of hers lying by the counter and a few books out of place at the corner.
 

 
 
"Urgh, fine, you're sharp as hell, Sun, I'll give that to you, but I'll just cut right down to the chase now. I need to get off my shift early due to some emergency."
 

"What? Your girlfriend, Tiffany, demands you back home to do your dirty laundry again?"

 
 Jessica let out a scoff while fumbling with the blinds of the shop and flipping the 'open' sign.
 
"Seriously, Sunny, has the measles gotten to your head already? Tiff' and me... I don't even want to think about it."
 
There was a dry laughter and she rolled her eyes in response despite the fact that the caller over the line wouldn't be able to see it.

 "Chill, I'm just joking; I doubt you're gay anyway."

 

She froze, breath hitching, a sense of guilt flooding in her as she let out a nervous laugh to complement Sunny's dry humor.
 
"Yeah..."
 
 

 
 
Jessica blushed red, right down to the roots of her hair, mumbling more like to herself. "I... think so...?"
 
 

 
 
"Yeah, fine. Bye."
 

 "Bye and good luck, Jessica."

 
 
With the line going dead, she let her gaze linger over her cell phone for a second or two. She pursed her lips and shrugged the awkward air away.
 
Boy was Sunny sharp. So sharp that it was scary.


 
---
 
 
"Hmm... I hope you wouldn't mind Japanese food."

"Oh, it's okay, I like Japanese food."

Her eyes shifted from the menu to the idol in front of her and she paused. Under the orangey-luminous glow of the restaurant, her complexion seemed rather more pallid than usual and it definitely brought out the tired, listless glow in her eyes and that worried her a little. Thoughts began to wander and she pondered if she had been eating right and sleeping well in the past few days of her disappearance.

It was then a small movement caught her eyes as the idol away her hoodie, ruffled her hair slightly as she tugged against the zipper of her baggy jacket.

"What are you doing? Aren't you afraid that someone would recognize you?"
 
The idol halted in her movements, craning her un-shield head up at her with a raised brow. "Oh, so you noticed after all..."

Jessica inched her head up, taking a few furtive glances around them, letting out a sigh at the sight of the empty restaurant with the exception of the both of them as she slumped back down into her seat, turning towards the idol.

"You should at least pull that hoodie over your head. What if the people working here see you?" She lowered her voice, speaking in harsh whispers as the idol merely smiled serenely at her, fanning her away.
 
"Relax; I doubt anyone could even recognize me when I'm looking like that. Without makeup, moreover. I think instead of me, you would be the one who would be passed off as a star." Jessica's cheeks began to color. "Oh, and that reminds me, we haven't really formally introduce ourselves. How rude of me to know your name, while you don't. Well... Officially, I mean." The idol reached out a tanned hand at her, a broad grin hinting at her lips. "I'm Kwon Yuri, nice to meet you."
 
"I'm Jung Jessica... Yuri-ssi, I think you should really—"
 
"Just call me Yuri and drop the formalities, alright? And it's really warm in here, I'll put the hoodie back on when we're out of here, I promise." She sent her an assuring smile which didn't quite reach her eyes as she glanced back down onto the menu in deep concentration again.
 
Something was off, Jessica was sure of this despite only meeting and talking to the idol once or twice. Her current demeanor was different from her past encounters, the usual laid-back and easy-going presence was absent from her. Instead, she seemed more tensed than relax than she would usually seem.
 
"You seem really exhausted... Are you okay?" She treaded lightly, afraid that she would somehow offend the idol.

Those dark brown eyes shot right up at her from the menu and she flinched imperceptibly. Surprise. Shock. All that flashed through those eyes and there was that hint of anxiety swirling in them as well, but as soon as she blinked, it was gone.

She forced a smile and a nervous chuckle, "Ah, it's just that our schedule have been real packed recently and we're coming back with our third album next week, so we've been spending more time than usual perfecting our choreography. I guess all that is tiring me out a little, but don't worry it's only just a phase. I'll be up and stronger than ever soon enough."
 
Jessica let a smile tugged at her lips, "That's good to hear. I'll be waiting to hear of your comeback soon."

"Thanks," She grinned and there was that shadow of the usual spark in her eyes. "So have you decided what to order yet?" Giving a small nod in response, the idol smiled, snapping her fingers in the air to attract the attention of the waitress who was lazing by the counter.
 
As soon as the waitress scurried towards their table, they placed their orders, sending the flustered-looking waitress away swiftly lest she somehow managed to recognize Yuri in her plain clothes. Jessica allowed a frown to surface on her lips as the waitress returned with nothing but a cup of hot ocha* for Yuri. Apparently that was all that the idol had ordered and that bothered her a little.
 
"Aren't you going to order anything else?" Jessica approached with slight apprehension.
 
"It's okay, I just had a heavy lunch with the girls awhile ago, I'll just watch you eat for the time being." she grinned a playful grin and Jessica melted inwardly at the sight of it.
 
Nodding, though looking slightly unconvinced, she decided to not probe any further, falling into a peaceful silence which was soon broken by the tiny chatters initiated by the idol. It was merely small talks and nothing more. The idol indulged a little more in herself and Jessica listened attentively, despite knowing most of her details from following her as a fan, but nonetheless, she couldn't just go ahead and scare the idol off with the knowledge she had about her. Now, that would be just plain stalker-ish of her. But one thing she'd learnt about the idol was that her sincerity seen in most variety shows was real. When she talked about herself, you could really see the passion in her eyes, the joy of finally attaining her goal and living her dream. When Jessica spoke, she would listen just as closely, nodding and absorbing everything she'd said.
 
Every now and then, she would crack some jokes and she would laugh, then they would talk some more. It wasn't long till she began to feel slightly more comfortable sitting face to face with an idol. Talking and joking about like close friends. Never once had Jessica thought she would ever have the chance of meeting Kwon Yuri, much less even talking to her. It all just felt surreal, just like a dream.
 
"How's your chawanmushi* coming along?"
 
"Tastes great. You know, you should at least have something other than ocha. Here, have a bite." She offered, raising a spoonful of her chawanmushi up at the idol, who raised her brows in amusement, a small smile gracing her lips.
 
Jessica instantly caught herself, a raging blush fighting its way up to her cheeks as she began to feel the embarrassment drowning her entire being. What the heck was she doing? This was an idol in front of her, she should have at least been more mindful of her actions. The overly long hours she had spent with Tiffany were rubbing off her now.
 
Just when was about to retract her spoon back in embarrassment, the idol leaned in. And before she could even stop herself, Yuri had already taken a bite of her chawanmushi from her spoon. She grinned up at her, her lips. "Mhmm... Delicious. It really does taste good." At that very point of time, Jessica swore her heart nearly stopped beating. Either that or she was so sure it was going to explode.

"Um, so what do you need of me?"
 
The idols eyes perked up on that, dropping the ocha down back onto the table top with a soft 'clink' as she began fishing out something from her pocket. "I needed help on some things." Long, slender fingers skillfully unfolding a piece of parchment, she laid it out in front of her. "I don't understand some of the words here and I'm not sure of the pronunciation of certain words."
 
"For example what's the difference between 'affect' and 'effect', 'expansive' and 'expensive'? They all sound the same and how do you pronounce this word?"

"Well... 'Effect' means to produce a result and um, 'affect' means to have... sort of an influence on. And that's pronounced as 'boh-key' and 'flem'."

"Ah, I see, I see... How about 'expansive' and 'expensive'?"
 
"Um well... 'Expansive' means... um...  very wide and large," She gestured with her hands, "and 'expensive' means costly, like something is priced at a large cost." Nodding, the idol began penning down notes furiously. Watching the idol intently, Jessica took a sip of her soda. "Don't you have an English-speaking member, Stephanie?"
 
"Ah, I just didn't want to impose on Fany. The rest of the other members have been bugging her lately." She grinned, folding back her parchment back into her pocket before taking a sip of her tea. "Hey, do you want to trade numbers?"
 
Jessica very nearly choked on her soda as she struggled to keep a blank expression, chewing on the side of her cheek while bobbed up and down. The idol's features dulled a little, mistaking her silence as hesitation and reluctance as she began to look a little flustered and abashed, letting out a shaky chuckle. "It'll be easier for me, y'know? Like when I've got any questions, I've got someone other than Fany to ask."

Jessica bit her lips and swallowed hard, trying her best to soothe her racing heart from going any faster as she played it cool.
 
"Um, yeah, sure."
 
Yuri's eyes lit up with relief, breaking into her usual grin. "Thanks,"
 
Swiftly, the duo exchanged their phones. As Jessica began tapping her number into the cell phone of her favorite idol from the k-pop industry, she couldn't nearly contain the excitement she was feeling inside as it manifested physically, causing her fingers to tremble incessantly. Steady her shaking hands, she handed the phone back to the idol, not before catching a glimpse of the amount of notifications, popping out at the phone's side-bar.
 
"You've got a lot of miss calls and messages..."
 
"I do?" The idol typed fervently into her phone, her expression instantly turning grave and severe. She glanced up at Jessica, a frown claiming her lips as she furrowed her brows in an apologetic manner. "I'm sorry, but I've got to run." She sprang up from her seat, purse slung over her shoulder. "But it was fun chatting with you." And before Jessica could even open the reply, she was off, briskly walking towards the exit.
 
She had no idea what had came over her as she saw the sight of her back fading rapidly. It was as if the two of them were tied to a string. A tight string, that when the idol took her leave, she found her heart tugging along with it. It was almost as if her instincts took control, before she knew it, the idol's two-syllabus-name had found its way out .
 
"Yuri!"

The idol froze, looking over her shoulder and for a split second the world came to a stand-still. For once, she threw caution to the wind and forgot about her surroundings; disregard the employees of the restaurant. The last time she had left in such a breezy manner, she was gone for nearly a week. If this time she were to leave, would she ever return again?
 
Fleetly making her way to the idol who looked plain dumbfounded, she unwound the muffler she was wearing around her neck. Tipping forward, she lightly draped it around the idol's bare neck.
 
"Take this; I've seen how you had shivered when we were making our way here. We can't afford you catching a cold now, when you're coming back next week, can we?" she smiled, hands falling back to her side as the idol buried her nose into her muffler.
 
"Thanks... I've really got to go, see you around, Jessica." She pulled up her hoodie and despite not being able to see her lips, she was able to sense the usual smile behind the muffler. With a small wave, she watched the idol's silhouette fade into the surroundings from afar.
 
She shivered.
 
The weather had never felt colder without her smiles.
 
 
---
 
*ocha — Japanese green tea
 
*chawanmushi— egg custard dish found in Japan