“Are you sure, you’re all right now?” the brunette with the natural eye smile asked as she saw the blonde enter the bathroom. A smile played on Jessica’s lips as she turned to look at her concerned cousin. 

“I’m fine now, Tiff…Stop worrying…I only had a cramped foot and it’s okay now…I’ll just take a shower and then we’ll head down for lunch…” Jessica mused before she closed the door without allowing for Tiffany to make a reply. 

The 22 year-old brunette sighed before sitting down on Jessica’s bed. Her thoughts came back to the incident that happened not long ago. She recalled Taeyeon saving her cousin in the pool and envy immediately took over. ‘Why was I too slow to jump in and save her?’ Tiffany asked herself. 

Although she was a little heartbroken, she still had an advantage over her cousin’s fiancé. Tiffany was more than just a cousin; she is Jessica’s best friend and Taeyeon’s just a stranger to her cold cousin. Tiffany knew that it would take eons for Taeyeon to finally break through Jessica’s icy walls. The brunette eyed the closed bathroom door. 

‘When will you realize how much I love you?’ Tiffany thought to herself as she wished she will be able to relay her silent message through the door. 
 

***

Jessica’s mobile phone on the sink began to vibrate as the blonde began to take a shower. She parted the shower curtain a little before reaching over for her phone. It was an SMS from someone. 

To: Agent Purple

There is an email message for you. A new mission. Please check it before midnight.

From: Code White

Jessica typed in a quick reply before resuming her bath.

To: Code White

Sure, I’ll check it soon. Thank you. 

From: Agent Purple

The blonde resumed her bath as the hot water began flowing freely down her smooth figure. Her thoughts went back to the incident at the pool. Of all the men she had wrapped around her little finger, it was the young man named Kim Taeyeon who had to show her such sincerity in his actions. And not only that, it was the same guy who had a reputation as bad as hers. 

‘Some similarities we have…’ Jessica snickered as she washed herself. ‘But there’s one thing different about us…I live two different lives…’

The blonde girl made herself relax for awhile under the warm torrents of water that soothed her skin. She had quite a morning exercise in the pool thanks to her evil little cousin and her boyfriend. Jessica had to admit that those two were really made for each other although she sometimes became envious of their relationship. 

In Jessica’s eyes, Yuri was the perfect boyfriend anyone could have. He was a gentleman and he cares a lot for his girlfriend. The young Jung had lived with Yoona long enough to see the Kwon’s determination in making Yoona fall for him. Yuri would usually come early to wake the blonde’s dongsaeng and serve her a breakfast he had specially prepared for her. 

Yes, Jessica was a little envious and a little cold to him sometimes but she had never seen Yuri falter in his love for her dongsaeng cousin. It wasn’t long until Yoona finally opened her heart to him and they have been inseparable ever since. Jessica was impressed with the supermodel so she gave him a special privilege of having his own room in the house – one of the guestrooms that was supposed to house visitors who were staying over.

Jessica’s thoughts then went back to her own life. In her perspective, it was quite monochromatic but it had a few secrets of its own. Her distinctive position in the business world was, to her, just a façade of what she really is. There was more to her than meets the eye and only a few handful knew her secret. 
 

***

Tiffany looked up when the door to the bathroom opened. Her eyes widened when she saw her Jung cousin wrapped in a towel with nothing else underneath. The blonde blatantly strutted towards her walk-in closet with a mobile phone on her hand. There was a serious look on her face although she gave Tiffany a reassuring smile as she passed by. 

“I thought you had fallen asleep while taking a bath, Jessi…” Tiffany teased as she followed the older girl with her eyes. A slight chuckle came from Jessica as the blonde thought about what to wear. She got a set of clothes and momentarily closed the closet to change. 

“Tiff…you should know that I’m wide awake now since I don’t want to lose to my would-be fiancé…” Jessica replied from the closet. She failed to see Tiffany’s face turn from bubbly to sour at the mention of the word ‘fiancé.’ 

When the blonde had finally finished changing into her clothes, she saw a distant-looking Tiffany sitting quietly on her bed. “Hey Tiff, is something wrong?” Jessica asked as she waved a hand over her cousin’s face. The dazed brunette awakened from her reverie and blinked a few times before focusing her vision on her cousin’s concerned look. 

“Uh…It’s nothing, Jessi…” Tiffany did her best to smile before standing up and dragging a surprised Jessica out of the room. “Let’s head down for lunch!”
 

***

Taeyeon felt like he was alone. He just caught Yuri and Yoona in each other’s arms when he exited the bathroom. The couple was comfortably settled on the couch right next to the window of Yuri’s bedroom. The Hallyu star felt envious for a moment. 

‘Ugh, what was I thinking? I’m not supposed to be jealous of Yuri since almost all of the girls are after me…’ Taeyeon thought as he brushed away the uneasy feeling. 

The two love birds soon noticed that Yuri’s cousin had already exited the bathroom fully clothed with a towel over his shoulders. “Ready for lunch, Taeng?” Yuri mused as he and his girlfriend stood up. 

Taeyeon gave them a smirk in reply as they all headed out towards the great dining hall where the Jung and Kim parents were already settled. Much to their surprise, Yoona’s two older cousins were already seated at the table. 

The Jung parents noticed the trio as they entered the room. “Come on kids, have a seat.” Mr. Jung said as he motioned for the three to settle down. Taeyeon noticed Jessica and Tiffany’s sour expressions and he wondered why the two were not in their usual mood. Well, Tiffany was not in her bubbly mood anyway since Taeyeon had gotten used to Jessica’s icy demeanor as he got to know her. 

“Taeng…please have a seat beside our daughter. You two will be together from now on…” Mr. Jung mused much to the mothers’ delights. Now, Taeyeon finally knew the reason why the two close cousins looked gloomy. 

“Father…Can I at least sit with Tiffany? I have a lot to catch up with her…” Jessica pleaded while Tiffany looked on with hope in her eyes. The Jung parents vehemently stood firm on their decision and Taeyeon had no choice but to comply with them much to Jessica’s distaste. 

The young Kim ended up sitting between Jessica and Tiffany as they dined with the family. The Jung heiress and the Kim heir felt that this would be the calm before the storm as they both stole glances at the celebrity couple sitting from across the table. 

Yoona and Yuri didn’t mind the couple who were staring at them. The two celebrities acted normal as they went about eating the food that was presented to them. 

“Yoona, Yuri…May we know what you have planned for their second competition?” Mrs. Kim suddenly asked. Everyone gave their attention to the youngest couple as they tried to decipher what they have planned. 

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