The crowd was wild with ground-shaking screams and shouts.

 

An ocean that had turned pink despite the many other fanbases.

Right now, it's Girls' Generation.

 

Jessica stood in the midst of the large crowd, waving her pink-glowing light stick furiously in the air. Pumping her fists whilst screaming right at the top of her range, she wore a glowing grin as she cheered her very loudest compared to the other fan girls and fan boys surrounding her.

 As soon as the nation's one and only girl group, Girls' Generation, hit the stage with their flashy costumes and charismatic stage presence, regardless of whether or not they were a fan, they only knew one thing.

 

Scream.

 

The hypnotic rhythm of the song consumed the whole entire indoor stadium as the eight beautiful angels claimed their rightful place on the stage, where they truly belong.  With their enticing dance moves, they lured everyone in, male and female, young and old.

 

There was just something so addictive about them that no one could put a finger on it. Maybe it was their eight, very vibrant and charming personalities. Or maybe it was their ethereal beauty and glow that set them aside from the other girl groups. They were like a drug. One sight/taste and you’re hooked forever. Everyone simply couldn't resist looking away from them.

 

Especially Jessica.

 

She probably had one of the best seats in the house.

 

Perfect view without a single disruption.

 

It was not as suffocating as the mosh pits, saving her from the ordeal of being pressed up against a bunch of bodies, drenched with perspiration and sweat

 

And it was all thanks to a certain tall, tanned and dark-haired idol.

 

Jessica lifted her pink light stick, with the name 'Kwon Yuri' specially engraved on its handle; up into the air as soon as she caught the sight of the tanned idol on the large L.E.D screen plastered up in the corner of the large indoor stadium. Her heart fluttered as she grinned as wide as she could, joining the chorus of cheers for the Black Pearl of the group.

 

The Black Pearl shot a wink, flashing a perfectly practiced smirk and the crowd swooned.

 

She absolutely loved how, whenever Yuri was on stage, she was the Black Pearl that was renowned to exude and ooze uality wherever she went. However, whenever she was with her, she was that dorky little puppy whom she knew as, Kwon Yuri.

 

Her one and only, Yuri.

 

Jessica's Yuri.

 

They had been dating for about, give or take, nine months now.

 

But with Yuri being an idol and after their latest single 'Hoot' being a rising hit, they had went on with their current, red hot Japanese album and had been flying in and out of Korea ever since. In reality, it felt like they'd only been dating for a mere two or three months, courtesy of Yuri's extremely busy schedule. Interacting mainly through phone calls and texts, with the occasional video calls, it had only been on those extreme rare days when Yuri had been given a day-off that she would drop by the bookstore.

 

But Jessica was still content, nonetheless.

 

As long as she could hear her voice— that deep, husky voice which she loved— even through a mere phone call, it was enough for her.

 

The fact that she was in her life, it was more than enough.

 

Their performance, Hoot, finally came to an end with loud, thunderous applause from the audience as the eight angels got themselves into a line. Despite panting, they were refreshed by their performance as shown by the exuberant grins they wore. Giving a small bow, they introduced themselves with a high level of enthusiasm and zest.

 

"Hello, we're Girls' Generation!"

The crowd roared and names of members filled the air.

 

'YOONA!'

 

'YURI!'

 

Then came Taeyeon, their wise leader, who delivered their mini introductory speech, earning cheers and screams from the crowd.

 

The audience cooled down a little as the members took their turns at the mic. And when it came to Yuri's turn, Jessica couldn't help but hover a tad closer to the railing of her balcony seat, grinning ear to ear.

 

The idol ended her short but sweet greeting, surveying the crowd as she finally caught sight of the familiar figure of Jessica from afar. Flashing her trademark grin in Jessica's direction, she brought her arms over her head in a shape of a heart, earning the 'oohs' and 'ahhs' from the crowd. And she didn't just stop right there, as she brought her palms to her lips, blowing a kiss and the crowd went wild with frenzy.

 

Inwardly, Jessica swooned, catching her flying kiss in mid-air and grinned. She watched as the idol gradually slipped her gaze off towards the other direction, a knowing smile plastered over her face as she waved to the audience. Though, she couldn't help but notice how Yuri's eyes seemed to wander off towards her direction every now and then.

Jessica knew; as much as Yuri would want to linger around the particular corner that she was located at, and as much as she, herself; selfishly wanted their gaze to be forever locked with one another, she couldn't. Spending an abnormal amount of time doing what most fans would call 'fan-service' at a certain spot would garner too much hype and suspicion, and that was something they wouldn't risk. Or more like, couldn't risk.

The introduction ended as the renowned girl group got themselves ready for the next song, 'Run Devil Run', and she braced herself for the next exhilarating performance put on by the nationwide best girl group.

 

---

 

Jessica wandered along the endless hallway located at the backstage of the Korean Hallyu Wave Concert. She had managed to squeeze herself in after much persuasion and coercing of that particularly burly-looking security guard who was on duty, his job was to look out for crazy, obsessive fans who would try their luck in sneaking backstage. She had to hand it to the guard for his firmness and that extreme... killer glare which he had shot her when she'd claimed that she had permission to enter.

 

It was only when she had decided to shove her backstage pass into his face that he'd stepped aside, muttering a gruff, curt apology under his breath.

 

For a second there, the thought of getting into a fist fight with the security guard had crossed her mind, but she’d shrugged off all ill-feelings and rage. At least she was in.

 

Jessica halted in her steps as she studied the all-so similar looking signs and doors.

 

She could have sworn she'd passed by this hallway five minutes ago...

 

Whirling around, she found herself colliding with a sturdy, stone-like boulder as she struggled to catch her footing to no avail. Losing her balance, before she could even let out a groan, she hit the ground, bosoms landing first. Jessica winced in pain, in a breath as her fingers tentatively crept towards the shoulder whereby the impact of the boulder had hit her first.

 

"Um, I'm sorry."

 

An outstretched hand was placed before her.

 

Letting out an irritated huff, her eyes flashed dangerously as they trailed up the hand, which was offered to her in apology only to falter at the last second. Eyes widening, her jaw slackened in recognition of the certain idol before her.

 

He was tall. Lean, dark and tanned.

 

Almost like Yuri, she added absently as she found herself being hoisted up to her feet by a strong arm. She cast her eyes away onto the ground as a soft pink hue blossomed against her cheeks. Chewing on the inner walls of her cheeks, she mumbled sheepishly to the ground, "It's okay."

 

And then, they fell into an awkward silence.

 

She could feel him watching with a deep sense of curiosity as his eyes wandered all over her. Like an object of fascination, his gaze bored down into her, it made her feel uneasy, causing her to resort to fidgeting with her fingers. Deciding to put an end to the whole awkward ordeal, she cleared , dipping her head into a small bow as she proceeded to walk past him.

 

"Um, you're a friend of Yuri, right?"

 

Her steps hitched as she found herself subconsciously tensing at that particular name. Rigidly, she turned to look over her shoulder as she did her best to keep her to keep her features void of any expression. Refusing to give anything away. "Yes?"

 

He let out a soft chuckle, cracking into a grin."Then if you're looking for Girls' Generation's waiting room, it's that way."

 

With a long, slender finger he pointed it in the opposite direction of which Jessica was heading. He shot her another playful grin and she gulped back her embarrassment, muttering a soft 'thank you' before attempting to go off in the right direction this time, but much to her surprise and bewilderment, the alleged 'beastly' idol jogged after her as he fell into step with her.

 

"Um, if you wouldn't mind, I could take you there since I'm going to their waiting room too." He flashed her a quick smile and winked. "Or would you rather drown in an awkward pool of silence with me walking beside you while I give out 'subtle' hints to guide you to their waiting room?"

 

Jessica let out a snort, before rolling her eyes and smirking. "Okay, show me the way."

 

The idol shrugged with a hint of a smile tugging at his lips.

 

"Follow me."

 

---

 

Her knuckles rapped against the door before she the brass knob gingerly. The icy chill of the knob bit into her fingers, sending a shiver down her spine, but nonetheless, she held firm. Despite having previously visited the dorm of the nation's girl group a couple of times already, she knew she could never ever get past all the heart-throbbing, the excitement, the rush of adrenaline surging through her veins.

 

At the mere thought of getting to see her again; to finally see that cheeky grin, that was only reserved specially for her, up close; to inhale and indulge in her scent of exotic spice tinged with the hint of warm summer; to have her arms around her while she drowned in her warmth and embrace... It sent her heart throbbing like never before as a wave of euphoria overcame all her five senses and in that moment, all she wanted was her. Only her.

 

Breathing in deeply, she twisted the brass knob.

 

“Haha, we should totally tr—“

And before she could even brace herself, she’d found herself staring into the face of one of the biggest eaters in Girls’ Generation.

 

There were a couple of loud gasps.

 

And then, everything went utterly still.

 

"Oh. My. Gosh. It's Jessi'!"

Before Jessica could even register what was going on, a certain queen of eye-smiles had launched herself upon her, enveloping her in a spine-crushing hug, followed by a barrage of squeals and screams. "It's been such a long time since we last saw you! The others will be so thrilled to see you, oh my god."

"Omo, Sica-yah, it's been such a long time. We've missed you so much!"  And out of nowhere came Sooyoung as she plopped herself on her, arms slung around her as Jessica found herself nearly tipping backwards from the weight of the two idols pressing against her. Much to Jessica's relief, with a final bear hug, the two idols withdrew themselves from her as they patted her roughly on the back. "And especially someone... That dark-skinned kid over there."

 

They parted away from her, revealing the Black Pearl of Girls' Generation standing merely a few arms length away from her. She could see the surprise and disbelief shining in her eyes as she blinked at her dazedly, lips hanging apart slightly.

 

Jessica sent her a coy smile as she made her way slowly towards her till she was standing right beneath her nose.

 

"H-how...? Tell me this is not a dream… Right?"

 

Jessica smiled, giggling lightly as she wound her arms around the taller girl's waist before leaning in to embrace her warmth fully. She tilted closer towards her, brushing her lips over the shell of her ear and she felt the idol tensing under her touch. She whispered lightly, making sure to press herself closer towards the tanned idol. "Is this enough to convince you that it's not a dream, Yuri-yah...?"

 

A hitch of breath.

 

Jessica smirked before breaking into giggles as she drew herself back, deciding to finally put an end to all that teasing. She reached forward, pinching and pulling the edges of Yuri's full cheeks. "Earth to Yuri-yah. This is not a dream. I am here in front of you right now."

 

The idol winced as she tried to swat her hands away from her cheeks. "Okay, fine, fine. I'm convinced. You're real, you're real. Leave my precious cheeks alone... Ouchy..."

 

Jessica let out a giggle or two, deciding to spare her once and for all as her fingers left her cheeks before she s her arms around her neck. She glanced up at her, meeting her eyes as she allowed herself to drown in those inviting dark, chocolate pools. She smiled.  "I missed you, you fool."

 

Yuri cracked into a full-blown grin, pearly-whites revealing themselves from between her full lips as she spoke in that deep husky voice of hers. Absentmindedly, Jessica couldn't help but note that she sounded ten times better in person than on the phone.

 

"I missed you too."

 

And they could have spent the next few hours or even days staring into each other's eyes as they held each other close; if it weren't for a certain shikshin of the group. It was when Yuri had subconsciously inclined in towards her— or her lips— when Sooyoung cleared , flashing the two of them a look of warning as Stephanie instantly jumped on the bandwagon, taking on her cue.

 

"Ah, Taecyeon-oppa! What's up?"

 

Upon that, they instantly parted from each other, albeit reluctantly, as they straightened themselves out whilst standing close to each other such that their shoulders brushed.

The male idol who had been standing by the door for the entire time let out a light-hearted chuckle as he entered into the waiting room with a slight falter in his steps. "And I thought you guys had forgotten all about me", he joked and the occupants in the room let out an awkward chuckle. The idol from the male idol group, 2PM, scanned the almost empty waiting room with a raised, curious brow. "Where are the other five members of your little posse?"

 

"They're out doing greetings and we… uh, were just about to leave for our shift too.” Stephanie shifted nervously, smiling rather mirthlessly— mostly out of politeness— up at the male idol. “So... what brings you here, oppa?"

 

If the male idol had noticed Stephanie’s sudden discomfort, he definitely paid no attention to it as he shrugged his shoulders in that easy-going, light-hearted manner he was known for, a smile easing its way up to his lips before directing a glance at Yuri.

 

“Well, that dark-skinned kid over there promised to trade signed albums with me. 2pm’s ‘Hands Up’ album for Girls’ Generation’s latest Japanese album? Our boys are really big fans of you, y’know?” he winked, flashing a blinding smile, which could have sent a horde of fan girls fainting. Except. The few members of the nation’s girl group, including Jessica, weren’t exactly fans. And were already, more or less, immune to the deadly charms of male idols by now.

 

Everyone turned to fixate their attention on the Black Pearl of Girls’ Generation.

 

“Well, Yuri-yah?”

 

Said girl thumbed the hem of her sleeves.

 

“Hmm… Boa-sunbaenim is leaving in five minutes…” she murmured to no one in particular, her thoughts fogging up her eyes. Letting out a defeated sigh, she glanced up at the equally tanned idol before her with a weak smile plastered across her face. “Ah, oppa, I hope you wouldn’t mind hanging around in our waiting room. I’m so sorry but if you could give your album a few more seconds, we really have to catch Boa-sunbaenim today.”

 

“Aw, I’m hurt. Looks like I’m nowhere as important as Boa-sunbae to you girls, huh?” He did a faux expression of hurt, flinching away slightly as Yuri slapped him playfully on the back.

 

“Deal with it”, she laughed but Jessica couldn’t help but notice how her dark chocolate eyes had darted towards her for a split second. And in that brief moment, she had managed to catch the worry, the hesitancy and reluctance in her eyes. “Well, in the mean time, you could have some chit-chat with Jessica here.” As friendly as Yuri had put that out, there was that slight narrowing of her eyes and the stiffening of her smile— lips etching a little far too wide— which came off subtly as a warning to the male idol.

 

According to her Yuri-dictionary, it had probably went something along the lines of: Touch my property, and you die a terrible death.

 

Oblivious to the warning Yuri had subconsciously sent him, Taecyeon shot a lopsided grin back at her, nudging the girl. “Sure, sure.”

 

And before Yuri could even open in response, Sooyoung had shoved her aside dexterously, the moment she had heard the ringing of the warning bells— the sudden twitch of Yuri’s lips into a frown. She flashed a wide grin at the male idol, dipping her head in a small bow. “Well then, we shall take our leave now, Oppa. We’ll be back before you know it!”

 

Not giving the idol from 2PM a chance to reply, Sooyoung slammed the door of the waiting room in his face, leaving both Jessica and Taecyeon alone in their waiting room.

 

---

 

 

“So… your name is Jessica?”

 

“Um, yes.”

 

“Ah! How rude of me, I’m Taecyeon.”

 

“Yes, I know. You’re from 2PM.”

 

She watched him shift in his seat once more as he proceeded to play with his fingers, eyes darting all over the place. With every tick of the clock, she could almost see the gears in his head working out questions to aid himself in this awkward silence of a battlefield.

 

“Hmm, are you from the States? I assumed so, just because…” he trailed off, eyes almost seemed to be reaching out to her— pleading her not to make things any more difficult for him.

 

Jessica suppressed a snort.

 

“Yes, I’m previously from the States and I do speak fluent English, in case you were wondering.” She hid her smirk behind a sweet smile as she tried her very best to come off as sincere and cordial as she could. However, it went against her personality of an ice-cold princess and all she could hope was that she didn’t seem all that forced and indifferent.

 

The male idol’s eyes instantly lit up as he inched closer towards her with a crazy spark in his eyes. “Oh really? Which part of the States were you from? I was from Boston. Lived there when I was ten, kinda spent my high school days there, y’know?”, he shot off at her in what she would probably have considered her main, native tongue, English.

 

Idly, she mused to herself at how most of the Korean-Americans she had met, seemed all hyped out over meeting a fellow friend from the States. Granted, maybe she wasn’t just as enthusiastic as Stephanie and Taecyeon, she was still, nonetheless, thrilled to finally speak in a language she had known since birth.

 

“I was from San Francisco. Ah… I sorta’ lived half of my life over there till I was twelve. So, yeah…”

 

“San Francisco? Hmm, I’m surprised. You look way too fair for a ‘Cali-girl’.”

 

“Hmm, even if I’d lost my tan here in Korea, you would never know.”

 

“Hmm… wouldn’t we like to find that out?” He winked, as the resonance of his deep, husky undertone reverberated through the small waiting room. It was only then, Jessica had realized how wrong the sudden turn of their conversation was.

 

What the hell was she doing?

 

She mentally chided herself before regaining her poise as she straightened herself out and rearranged her expression, hardening them by a bit.

 

“Burritos and hot dogs…” she started, before giving herself a mental slap to how stupid that probably had sounded to him. “Do you miss them? It’s hard to even chance upon them in Korea.”

 

“Of course I do!” the idol chuckled as he reclined his back against his seat and it was only then, Jessica allowed herself to relax briefly. “They were my favorite snacks.”

 

He ran a finger through his hair carelessly, flashing her a grin that was probably meant to melt her heart.

 

Jessica had remained rather unfazed despite forcing a small smile up at him just because she felt obliged to be polite.

 

And just because, a small part of him resembles Yuri…

 

“Hey… how did you know that I was heading for Girls’ Generation’s waiting room?”

 

The male idol raised an amused brow, leaning back as a throaty chuckle escaped from him.

 

“Yuri, that little punk…”

 

And at the mention of that name, she caught her breath. Her ears perked up as she tried to contain herself. Steadying her breaths, she braced herself for a glance at the tanned male idol whose eyes were trailing after her with mild curiosity and fascination.

 

“I’ve seen you hanging around the eight of them, once or twice before. Tricked me into thinking that Girls’ Generation had gotten a new member, you.”

 

Jessica dipped her head in an effort to suppress a blush at the idol’s flattery, but nonetheless, she’d urged him to proceed on, listening attentively.

 

“At first, I’d thought you were their new manager, but then again I realized you seemed closer to them than a manager. Then, I noticed that you frequently hung around Yuri more than the others, so I knew you had to be a friend or a relative of some sort”, he paused, pursing his lips as he furrowed his brows at her. “I’m jealous of you, it’s really hard to get close to any one of them, y’know? So naturally, I assumed that you two were close. Hmm… Classmates?”

 

“Nah, we’re… just close friends.” She swallowed. Hard. As she drove that last bit out of her, something deep within her twinged. She pressed her lips together into a thin smile. “It was a coincidence that we’d met and we hit it off instantly. So yeah…” she brought her shoulders back, shrugging away the dull ache of her heart.

 

It was at times like this that it hurt. It had always pained her to introduce herself as Yuri’s friend. Just a friend. Nothing more, nothing less. Just friends. As much as she wanted to shout and announce to the whole world that they were together, she couldn’t. As much as she wanted to display her affections for that one and only tanned girl of her dreams, she couldn’t.

 

She knew. She knew very well that she shouldn’t be greedy nor should she be unhappy about this. She knew, she shouldn’t impose any more on her. The fact that she was able to be by her side, be with her, was more than enough.

 

It should have been more than enough.

 

“Oh, I see. Then I guess you’ve probably been exposed to some of that kid’s weird antics by now, huh? ”

 

She let out a laugh upon the memory of one of her favorite KkabYul-antics. “You bet!”

 

“Has she shown you her dinosaur impression yet?— ”

 

The door slammed open.

 

Tanned face, sharp features and those beautiful deep, dark eyes. They searched the room desperately before finally meeting her own pair of eyes. Upon interlocking their gaze, Jessica had ceased her giggles and laughter and for the briefest of a moment, all she saw was her.

 

That swirl of emotions. She’d managed to capture that certain wild look in her eyes, which died down as soon as she melted into those comforting chocolate pools. However as they darted towards her side, where the ‘beastly’ idol resided, they visibly grew a few shades darker, hardening considerably.

 

Jessica shot Yuri a reassuring smile to which the latter simply ignored, moving past her, eyes glued on no one but Taecyeon, himself.

 

Yuri smiled.

 

But there was something off about it. Like how it didn’t reach her eyes. Or how there seemed to be that imperceptible hint of venom dripping off it.

 

“Aish, Kwon Yuri!”, panted Sooyoung who nearly broke through the door, swallowing gulpfuls of air with her hands planted onto her knees. And finally came Stephanie who trailed in weakly.

 

“Taecyeon-oppa! I hope you didn’t wait long for us…” Yuri’s eyes flashed towards Jessica momentarily and she flinched, catching sight of a slight frown on her lips, masked with the façade of a smile. “Here’s our album you wanted.”

 

Wordlessly, Yuri shoved their Japanese album roughly into Taecyeon’s hands as soon as he’d gotten up from his seat to receive their album but he paid her no mind, probably brushing it off lightly as playful banter.

 

He grinned, scrutinizing every corner of the album, their signatures on the front. “Cool, I’ll be sure to show this to the rest of the gang. Our new prized possession to show it off to the other male idol groups.”

 

 A practiced smile plastered itself over Yuri’s lips as she let out a hearty chuckle which came off a wee bit too overbearing. The remaining members of Girls’ Generation, namely Stephanie and Sooyoung, watched on shiftily, exchanging worried glances with one another as they sensed the sudden turn of atmosphere.

 

Catching sight of the deep crimson cover of 2PM’s latest album being presented to her, she had swiftly swiped it out from the male idol’s grip. Without even giving him a chance to speak, Yuri had cut him off brusquely. “Ah, is that 2PM’s album? Whoa, it looks cool!”

 

“Then you better promise to show it to the remaining five of you and remember to ‘Put your hands up, p-p-p-put’!”

 

“We will… We will, oppa.” And this point of time, Yuri was already muttering through gritted teeth as her smile faltered fleetingly. Sensing the warning signals setting off, Sooyoung stepped in once more for damage-control.

 

“Ah, oppa. Um, I’m so sorry but we have to pack up to leave now. So if you could excuse yourself…”

 

“Yes, yes. The others are probably still off with the other groups having fun, they wouldn’t be back till later so don’t bother waiting, oppa.”

 

“Fine, sheesh. I know I have to leave when I'm not wanted.” Taecyeon let out a defeated sigh. “Tell the others, I said hi.” And as he proceeded to leave, he turned to look over his shoulder, beaming at Jessica in particular. “It’s been fun talking to you, Jessica. Get her to show you the ‘dinosaur’, kay’?”

 

With one last wave and chuckle, he left.

 

--

 

“Aish, this kid…”

 

“Is going to be the death of us.”

 

The queen of eye smiles and shikshin of Girls’ Generation shot an accusatory glare at the tanned Black Pearl who merely lifted an amused brow at the duo.

 

“I’m sorry that you two aren’t as athletic as I’d thought you guys to be.”

 

“You little…” breathed Sooyoung as she threatened to lunge towards her with a clenched fist. Shaking it off with an exasperated sigh, she directed her gaze towards the blonde who was watching on with amusement, sharply pointing a finger at the accused. “Sica-yah, do you have any idea that because of this dark-skinned kid over there, we had to rush through our greetings with our sunbaes just because she’s afraid that a certain beas— OOMPH!”

 

It happened in a blur as Yuri nimbly went for the cushion lying innocently before her. In a blink of an eye, she had launched it at Sooyoung without missing a beat before masking away her actions with the pretense of innocence.

 

Yuri shrugged, a taunting smirk teasing the corners of her lips as Sooyoung bit back a growl, pouncing at the tanner girl, which promptly resulted in a mini game of tag between the two girls in the small waiting room.

 

With the diversion created by the tanned duo, Stephanie took the opportunity to steal the blonde away to a quiet corner of the room much to the latter’s surprise.

 

“Seriously, Jessi, what was that all about?”

 

Jessica flinched, slightly taken aback by the harshness in the brunette’s tone.

 

“What was what?” she whispered back just as harshly, eyes darting back and forth from her face to the rather distracting background behind them. Stephanie knitted her brows at her, lips pursing into a thin, deep line.

 

The idol sighed, lightly palming herself against her forehead. “Did you know that Yuri deliberately rushed through all five greetings just to get back here as fast as she could, just because she was afraid that Taecyeon would make a move on you?”

 

Jessica was speechless. The pit of her stomach stirred as something akin to that usual wave of euphoria flowed through her veins, causing her heart to soar just by a little. It was a wonderful sensation and it made her heart race, such that she could hear the steady thumps, pounding in her ears. Her eyes strayed towards Yuri who was beaming gleefully as she dexterously maneuvered out of Sooyoung’s grasp.

 

A small smile lifted the edges of her lips.

 

“Did… she?”

 

“Yes, she did. And look, I don’t know what she saw when she entered the room, but I guess whatever she saw five minutes ago, probably made her insecure and jealous…”

 

Realizing that the blonde was no longer paying any attention to her, the brunette trailed after her gaze, only to find her staring in the direction of the tanned doofus with a silly smile. Stephanie sighed, shaking her head slightly but still, a smile couldn't help but inch its way up to her lips at the sight of the two lovers.

 

“Jessica.” Shaking all that away, Stephanie gripped Jessica by her shoulders, forcing her attention upon her once again. “Have you heard what I’ve said? Kwon Yuri is an easily jealous dork. She’s probably brooding over you and Taecyeon as we speak. Go do what you’ve got to do. Make it right. Make her happy, girl.”

 

“Wait, wha—“

 

“Choi Sooyoung, come on, let’s go get the rest back!”

 

“Give me a moment, gotta catch Kkab Yul first…”

 

“Sooyoung.”

 

“Okay, okay. Fine.” She directed a death glare at Yuri before rolling her eyes in submission. “I’ll get you next time.” Grudgingly she proceeded with a stare-down with the Black Pearl till Stephanie decided to tug her away and out of the room.

 

--

 

“Just where are you dragging me to, Sica-yah?” grumbled the tall, lean idol who was being whisked away by a certain blonde albeit reluctantly. If her scowl wasn’t an indication of her bad mood, then the dark, glowering glint in her eyes would serve its purpose.

 

Fingers intertwined with one another, Jessica gave her an encouraging squeeze as well as sparing her a glance from the corner of her eyes, a smile painting the edges of her lips.

 

“It’s a surprise”, she giggled, winking but not before catching a frown on the other girl's face. Laughing, she grinned up at her, holding onto her a little tighter as she stepped up her pace. “You don’t have to be jealous y’know?” Jessica murmured softly into the air.

 

Despite having her back towards Yuri, she could almost hear her frowning behind her.

 

“I’m not.”

 

“Well, wouldn’t you like to know what we were talking about back there?”

 

“O-of course… not.” Yuri muttered sorely through clenched teeth.

 

“Oh really? Taecyeon-oppa did speak of some interesting and amusing stuff, y’know?”

 

And it was at that moment, when she felt her fingers slipping out of her grasp that she halted her steps. Sighing, Jessica made her way back to her. Wrapping a finger tenderly around Yuri's chin, she very gently angled her downcast face up, forcing her to meet her eyes.

 

Jessica beamed brightly at her, flicking her playfully on her forehead. “My jealous dork… I’ve never heard you speak of your dinosaur impression before. Remember to show it to me later, okay?” Fingers lightly threading through her soft dark locks, she tousled her hair lightly before going for her fingers again.

 

And as the couple began to pick up their pace all over again, Jessica couldn’t help but notice the light bounce in her partner’s steps. But most importantly, she could almost hear her smiling from behind.

 

--

 

“Unnie!”

 

As soon as they entered through the doors of f(x)’s waiting room, Jessica was instantly glomped on by a certain, tall, dark-haired beauty.

 

“Hello to you too, Soojung-ah.” Jessica breathed, returning the hug with an even tighter one that was supposed to crush the bones of the younger girl. “Miss me?” She then proceeded to mess up the younger girl’s hair by roughly ruffling it, but the girl paid her no attention as they held one another close.

 

From the corner, she could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickle, courtesy of the Black Pearl of the nation’s girl group who was glaring daggers at Krystal.

 

Finally deciding to spare Yuri the misery of undergoing the grueling torture of watching on any further, both sisters parted. However they were still closely connected as their arms were still slung across each other's shoulders.

 

“You could have at least told me you were planning to drop by…” pouted Krystal and as she caught sight of Yuri, her eyes widened slightly, dipping her head into a small, polite bow. “And you even brought Yuri-unnie along too.”

 

Jessica grinned, patting her sister on her head wordlessly, before surveying the room filled with her group-mates who were trying their best in minding their own business. She lowered her voice to a whisper, “Hey, Soojung-ah, do you mind if I steal you away for a bit?”

 

“Of course, Unnie.” She beamed as she passed a quick note that she’d be back in a few minutes to her group-mates before heading out of the waiting room with Jessica and Yuri in tow.

 

Yuri, who had been observing silently, raised a curious brow at Jessica.

 

“Well, I’d figured I might as well take the opportunity to introduce the two of you formally, y’know?” Readily, she placed a comforting hand on Krystal’s shoulder. “Yuri, meet Jung Krystal or Jung Soojung, my adorable little sister.” Wrapping her arms around the younger girl, she nuzzled her lovingly.

 

“K-Krystal Jung is your sister…?”

 

“Mmhm, we’re an unlikely pair aren’t we?” she laughed, reaching over to plant a soft peck on Krystal’s cheek to which the latter flinched, trying to pry her away from her cheek to no avail.

 

“I… uh, well… Okay. Wow. Now it makes total sense…”

 

“You’re kinda slow, Yuri-unnie.”

 

“And I totally see the Jessica in you now, Krystal. Are the Jungs mostly this curt and blunt with people?”

 

“Maybe…” giggled both sisters.

 

Ending her little jest with her younger sister, Jessica straightened herself up before ambling over towards Yuri as she slipped her fingers between hers, intertwining them together. Breathing in deeply, she steeled herself. “Soojung-ah… I’m sure Unnie has mentioned this over the phone once or twice that Yuri-yah and I…” and she just couldn’t help but falter.

 

had suddenly turned extraordinarily parched and there was that big block of ice which prevented any words from escaping her parted lips. And Jessica just stood there, wavering, as she had never been more afraid and vulnerable. The fear of rejection, dejection and disgust had constricted itself around her like a veil, suffocating her, trapping her.

 

She chanced a quick glance at the tanned idol.

 

Dark brown eyes with those mesmerizing chocolate pools, she allowed herself to indulge in its warmth just for a little while as they shone back at her with the reassurance and support she needed. Yuri gave her fingers a quick squeeze, followed by an encouraging smile.

 

“Well?” urged Krystal, a ghost of a smile playing at her lips at the sight.

 

“Um, w-well… Y-Yuri and I...—“

 

Snaking an arm around her waist, Yuri held her close. “We’re together.”

 

Krystal blinked.

 

Once.

 

Twice.

 

Thrice.

 

It started with her chest heaving slightly and her smile growing wider and wider till she could no longer contain herself any longer that she had finally cracked into a tiny fit of giggles.

 

“Well, that wasn’t too hard, was it, Unnie?”

 

Jessica flushed, along with Yuri who could only bring herself to stare at their interlocked fingers.

 

“Ah really… The two of you… you’ll have my blessing and support all the way despite… you two being girls and Yuri-unnie is an idol and you’re just a…—“

 

“Yah, Jung Soojung!”

 

“I’m just kidding with ya, Sis’.” And then she turned towards Yuri, eyes hardening considerably as they filled with an unreadable spark. “And Yuri-unnie, word of warning, if you’re planning to live with this woman right here, don’t expect her to cook for you. She’ll burn down the house in a heartbeat.”

 

“Yah, you little…”

 

“Ah, Unnie, you’re crushing me!”

 

“That’s what you get for spouting nonsense about your Unnie…”Overpowering the younger girl, Jessica caught her in a headlock as she ground her knuckles against her younger sister’s head despite Krystal’s constant begging for her to stop. “I’ve been taking lessons lately, you little rascal.”

 

“You are?”

 

A particularly husky voice chimed in and like always, it toyed with her tender heartstrings, causing her to pause in mid-wrestle. A light hue of pink bloomed against her fair cheeks as she met her eyes sheepishly while slackening her grip against Krystal.

 

“Hmm, that’s great! I can’t wait to try Sica’s cooking”, grinned Yuri and Jessica was utterly blown away, at a total loss of words as she stood red-faced before her with her heart bursting with joy.

 

“Wait till you try Unnie’s signature kimchi fried rice…” muttered Krystal along the sidelines as the older Jung deliberately shot a death glare in her direction.

 

“Soojung-ah, we’re leaving without you!”

 

With a small pout, the younger Jung turned towards the couple. “Looks like I’ve got to make a move now, have fun you two!” And with a bid of goodbye (a peck on the cheek for Jessica), the duo watched as she jogged around the little bend, silhouette fading into the background.

 

Once again, they were left alone.

 

Yuri let out a short huff.

 

“And I guess, that finally explain how you’d managed to get in without trouble from security. And to think that Krystal was actually your sis—“

 

Sensing something was up; it was only then, that Yuri noticed the coy smile the blonde was wearing as she moved in towards her with remarkable feline grace. With a delicate hand lightly placed against her shoulder, she felt herself tense in anticipation as she caught her breath at the beauty of the girl before her. And when Jessica leaned in towards her, she nearly forgot to breathe and her heart had nearly stopped beating as she drowned herself in the thunderous thumps in her ears.

 

For a second there, her mind wandered wild and far. She had thought that the girl was going to kiss her right there and then in the middle of the hallway, but like the tease she was known for, she bypassed her lips or her cheeks.

 

She froze as she felt Jessica's hot breath enveloping the shell of her ear and she subconsciously took in a whiff, relishing in her sweet unique scent of mint. Fresh mint. She loved it.

 

“Well, our sweet Yuri-yah, are you going to treat me to a candle-lit dinner after this?”

 

Her voice, velvet and silky, it sent a tingle down her spine. As Jessica drew herself away from her, a smirk was sighted on her lips, she wondered idly to herself if she’d always been such a tease right from the start.

 

“Let's see… for the penalty of flirting with Taecyeon, you’re paying this round.”

 

“You’re such a jealous dork,” she had perked her lips up in a small pout, which Yuri just couldn’t help but fall for.

 

“I’m your jealous dork, remember that.” She winked, pinching her lover’s cheeks affectionately.

 

“Yes, yes… And just when is my jealous dork going to show me her hilarious dinosaur impression?”

 

“I can’t believe of all topics, you two decide to bring up the most embarrassing one about me.”

 

“Hmm… maybe it’s because I find it really cute and adorable of you?”

 

“…”

 

“Aha, you’re blushing. So I take it that you’re paying for later?”

 

“W-we shall see…”

 

“Ahh… Yuri-yah, you know you’re the best right?”

 

“Only the best out of the best.”

 

“Right, right…”

 

“You’re definitely one of the best I’ve ever met so far, my adorable jealous dork.”

 

Fin.

---

 

A/N: Heads up, sequel to Not once, but twice is coming soon! :)