Here you go! Another chapter! :) 

 

It is kind of long... word count: 6,200+ which is good, right?

 

Don't forget to comment~ 

 

have fun!

 

CHAPTER THREE

 

In less than a week, their finals would finally start so Tiffany invited Jessica to her house so they would be able to study. Despite not having the same major, it was still better to study together for more insight and another brain in the room, they both thought. Which actually worked since they were about to be done with most of the things they really need to cover; at least that was the case for Jessica.

 

“Are you flying back home for Christmas?” Tiffany asked when she finished revising.

 

Jessica thought for a second; unsure if she would or not. It wasn’t like their family actually celebrated Christmas. It was more like a big party for business colleague, relatives, and friends and she honestly hated it. “I don’t think so,” she concluded. There was just no way she would want to spend time with their relatives, who only picked on everybody. They would just bug Jessica about guys they would want her to date, but there was just no way she would comply. Date a guy? No. She knew who she was and what she wanted and dating a guy wasn’t something that didn't sit well with her. “I have really annoying relatives there. My aunts will probably want to marry me off to someone,” she said as she rolled her eyes, ending with a deep sigh.

 

“What? That’s crazy.”

 

“Well, a very traditional family, whose hunger for power and wealth is more important than our happiness, is the type of people I have.” It wasn’t like she was lying. She had two cousins who agreed to their respective arranged marriages, but they said they were happy eventually so she figured it was good for them. But she really couldn’t do something like that. “At least for my paternal side that is.”

 

“Well, my parents aren’t exactly like that, but they do try to push me to date good potential business partners,” Tiffany confessed with a sigh. “But they don’t force it on us.”

 

“Well, my parents aren’t exactly forcing me. But our relatives just talk so much crap, it gets annoying.” Not liking the useless topic, she then looked at Tiffany. “Are you spending your Christmas in Korea?”

 

Tiffany paused as she looked up the ceiling. “Maybe I’ll spend Christmas here so you won’t be so lonely,” she finished with a giggle.

 

“Well, if you’re not going home, you’re more than welcome to stay with me.” Jessica flashed a smile. She figured, instead of being alone for the holiday, might as well be together. It would make her winter break better if she would be able to spend time with a friend or two. Since SooYoung would be visiting home, nobody would really be alone with her. YooNa would be flying to Europe for a family trip, and would soon be back for the New Year’s but her free time would obviously be for YuRi. Sunny, on the other hand, would be flying to Dubai for a vacation. Having Tiffany around would actually be a great thing. “It’ll be nice if you’re here.”

 

Tiffany then shrugged. “What’s it to me if I stay?”

 

Jessica chuckled. “You’re the one who said you’d spend the holidays with me, and now you’re asking what’s it to you? Can’t being with me be enough of a reason?” Tiffany paused for a little bit as she looked around, pretending to be weighing her options. “I’ll buy you a present and I’ll cook for you,” Jessica added in hope to persuade her friend. But then, she realized, there was just no way her cooking could persuade anybody to stay with her. That might even scare some since they all think she couldn’t cook. Maybe going to Disneyland or something like that would be a great idea. They could even go to New York or Las Vegas for the New Year’s Eve party since those cities throw the best ones.

 

Before she could even add those things unto her offer, Tiffany opened , giving Jessica no choice but to stay quiet. “Cook? Are you sure you’re not going to poison me?” Tiffany laughed.

 

“I know how to cook pasta, you a$s!” Jessica threw a glare at her friend. “People always doubt me. If you don’t trust my cooking, then we can get take out.”

 

“I’m kidding.” Tiffany flashed a smile at her. “I’ll spend winter break with you."

 

“No backing out now,” Jessica said as she raised a brow, waiting for a reply from her friend. Honestly, she was elated by the thought of having to spend time with Tiffany. She wouldn’t deny that she loved having the girl around since she was very fond her, maybe even smitten; however, she knew she couldn’t move forth with her feelings given who she was and especially who Tiffany was.

 

“I don’t plan to. But I still have to tell my parents I won’t be there for Christmas. Should I tell them the truth or should I just tell them I’m busy with school?” It wasn’t like Tiffany ever lied to her parents since she had always been the good daughter that every parent wanted. That was why she asked Jessica if she should tell the truth or not.

 

Jessica shrugged. “It’s up to you. If they’re going to be fine with you to not go home just because we’re going to Disneyland and maybe New York or Las Vegas, then sure.”

 

“What!? We’re going on a trip?!” Tiffany looked surprised, but she wore  a smile on her face, so that told Jessica she didn’t plan ahead of herself.

 

“Unless you don’t want to and we can just stay here in LA and watch movies or shop or something.”

 

“Okay, I’ll tell my parents that you’ll end up being alone so I decided to stay with you.” She then pulled out her phone. “You don’t mind talking to my parents, right?”

 

She shook her head, but was still unsure. She might end up being hated by them, and her father might yell at her for that. So she then said, “Are they going to be mad?”

 

“They’ll be furious, that’s why I’m going to introduce you to them,” she said as she rolled her eyes. “No duh. They’ll be fine. Last time, YeJin and Irene didn’t come home for Christmas since they were with their boyfriends and they both study in New York, so  yeah.”

 

Boyfriend? That was a boyfriend! Not just a friend like her. What would they think of her now? That she forced Tiffany into this? She figured, if she had a daughter and her daughter wouldn’t come home for the holidays, she would obviously be heartbroken. “Tiffany, I---”

 

“Hi Dad!” Tiffany was waving at her monitor. “Is mom there?”

 

Her words drained the color in Jessica’s face. That was one of the most powerful people in the business industry and one of her father’s major supporters. What would he think of Jessica when she was the reason why Tiffany wouldn’t be home? Maybe she should’ve just asked Tiffany to lie; it sounded much better now.

 

“Yeah, she is,” Jessica heard him say. Then, after it there were muffled voices.

 

“Hey, Jessica, you’ve met my dad before right?”

 

“Yeah,” she said since they had met in charity events, her father’s campaign, her father’s gala, or even sometimes at the company parties thrown by her father or mother; whichever one was having a party. She recalled talking to him a couple of times, thanking him for his constant support, but nothing more. It was the speech she prepared whenever she met up with her father’s supporters. She gulped down the lump that built in . “A few times.” Well, he wasn’t necessarily scary. Actually, he was pleasant; however, that usually was the front people had.

 

“That’s good then.” Tiffany then looked back at her laptop and then waved. “Hi Mom!”

 

“Hello, dear, how are you?”

 

“Actually, I’ll introduce you to a friend of mine,” she said as she raised her hand, motioning for Jessica to come close to her.

“A boyfriend?” it was her father who asked.

 

“My friend. I’m sure you know her,” she said as she pulled Jessica by the arm since the girl’s steps were small and slow. “Jessica, my parents.”

 

“Hello Mister and Missus Hwang, it’s nice to meet you both again,” she said as she bowed formally.

 

“Oh! Hi, Jung Jessica, right?” he asked with a smile. “How are you?”

 

“I’m doing pretty well. Thank you for asking. We actually just finished studying,” she said as she looked at the pile of books they had on the table.

 

“You’re attending the same university? Small world, huh?” he said and then looked at his wife. “She’s Senator WooSung and Chairman HyeKyo’s daughter, remember?”

 

The woman then smiled at Jessica, having the same features as Tiffany; she was just a little bit older. “Of course. She went to the same primary school as Tiffany and Ailee.”

 

“Ailee?” Jessica mumbled.

“Oh, that’s YeJin. You can say that’s her English name, I guess.” She shrugged. Jessica swore her friend could be a scatter brain sometimes. “Anyway, Mom, Dad, I won’t be home for the holidays, okay?”

 

“Oh? Why? Is school that stressful?” Her mother sounded worried.

 

Tiffany shook her head. “It’s actually fine, but I’m staying since Jessica’s going to spend the holidays alone. We’re going to Disney and maybe New York or Vegas.” After finishing, she looked at Jessica, “Right?”

 

Jessica swallowed her saliva before saying, “Right.” She knew she couldn’t just be tensed so she looked at Tiffany’s parents and said, “I promise we’ll be responsible.”

 

“Yeah, Jessica’s a good person so we won’t get in trouble.”

 

“Well, if that’s what you decided on doing, we really can’t do anything but support you, right?” her father said and then he looked at his wife. “You feel the same, right?”

 

“Yeah, it’s really fine.” She then flashed a smile at Jessica and said, “Tiffany’s a handful so I just hope you won’t get sick of looking after her.”

 

“I’ll try my best,” Jessica said as she bowed. “Thank you for letting her stay.”

 

“It’s really not a big deal. It’s Tiffany’s decision so we can’t do anything about it,” Mister Hwang said.

“Thanks Daddy, Mommy. If we do go to New York, do you know if Irene and YeJin are going to be there?”

 

“Irene was for sure staying, but we still don’t know about Ailee. She’s unpredictable,” her mother said. “Anyway, dear, your father has a meeting to go to so we’re going now, okay?”

 

“Bye!”

 

“Nice to see you again, Jessica,” the older lady said. “We’ll grab a meal when you’re here. Invite your parents.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Tiffany was adorably waving at them and then click the end call button. “So that solves it!”

 

Jessica sighed deeply in relief as she closed her eyes, shaking her head. “Why’d you put me on the spot like that? I was really nervous.”

 

Tiffany laughed and said, “Come on. It’s not like I said we’re dating.”

 

“Because we aren’t.” Jessica said plainly.

 

“See? Why were you nervous? You’re not used to meeting your friends’ parents?” Tiffany raised a brow at her. Jessica simply rolled her eyes since her friend didn’t really understand where she was coming from. It wasn’t the type of introduction she was normally put in; plus, she was the reason why Tiffany wouldn’t be home anyway.

 

“Because I haven’t even greeted them before this and then you won’t be coming home because of me. That’s because.” Jessica eyed her. Sometimes, Tiffany lacked logic in her head. Whatever she wanted, she was sure do get it or do it, which frightened Jessica in a way or two since her friend might even get herself in trouble because of this spoiled attitude.

 

Tiffany flashed her a smile. “It’s fine, Jessica. But maybe we should plan our trips if we’re going. Booking to New York will be a pain because of the ball drop, but Las Vegas, we can either drive there or fly. Your call.”

 

This made Jessica think. If they really wanted to go to New York for the New Year’s eve parties there, they both would need to settle everything like their flights, hotels, and even their agenda. It wouldn’t be good to just go there and walk around. Maybe watching musicals would be nice since they both appreciate it anyway. Las Vegas was also great since they could shop there and watch shows. Maybe gamble for a little bit, but they both weren’t gamblers anyway. But the cirque du soleil there are just lovely. Maybe the could go to either Celine Dion or Elton John’s concert, or both concerts. But whatever they did would be great, honestly. They could stay home and just hangout and Jessica would be fine with that; however, she wanted to at least make Tiffany’s time worth not seeing her family. “Well, what do you want to do?”

 

“I’ve never been to California Adventure, so we should go there. I don’t care about Disneyland, but California Adventure is a must,” Tiffany explained and paused,thinking to herself. “I want to go watch some shows in Vegas, but I also want to go watch shows in New York.” She sighed. “Can we go to both?”

 

Jessica laughed. “Sure. Why not? I’d love to meet your siblings if they’re there anyway.”

 

“You’ve met YeJin before, but I don’t think you’ve met Irene.”

 

“Yeah, well, I remember YeJin vaguely.”

 

“This will really be a fun winter break!” Tiffany said enthusiastically. “But please don’t get sick.”

 

Jessica laughed. She remembered a month ago when Tiffany took care of her, and she should treat this vacation to show her gratitude to her friend. “Thanks for taking care of me last month.”

 

“I’ll take care of you any time, but I’d appreciate it if you’re not sick at all.” She sighed as she stood up, gathering her things. “I really hate worrying.”

“Nobody dies from a cold, idiot.”

 

Tiffany looked at her with opened, not believing that her friend called her idiot. “That’s rude. Idiots aren’t even supposed to catch a cold.”

 

“Then doesn’t that mean I’m not an idiot and you are?” Jessica laughed, liking that she was able to turn it around to Tiffany.

 

“Shut up.”

 

Still laughing, Jessica couldn’t help but say, “My god. I wonder why I only met you  now?” as she wiped the tears that built in her eyes.  “You’re such an idiot.”

 

“Why? If you met me sooner, would you have dated me instead of the b!tchface?” Tiffany barked, killing Jessica’s mood.

 

Sure, she was no longer involved with Taeyeon, but sometimes she still thought of her actions. It wasn’t like she thought of Taeyeon; it was the mere fact that she decided so poorly on who to give her life to. She was more offended that Tiffany verbally put that she was the better choice over her ex, which was nothing but the truth. “Sometimes, you make it easy to murder the mood.”

 

“You know I didn’t mean it like that.”

 

“I know,” Jessica said. It wasn’t like Tiffany had ill intentions because for months now, she knew her friend only meant well. And if only Tiffany stayed looking at her like that. It wasn’t conceited of Jessica to think that Tiffany liked her at this point because it was pretty obvious. She contemplated on asking Tiffany out on a date, but she knew they couldn’t go beyond a fling so what was the point? Tiffany deserved a guy who would be there for her and who could hold her hand in public, not somebody who was cowardly.  “There are times, I end up thinking, you’re kind of dateable,” she finished with a scoff. “If only things were different, right?” It wasn’t like she was lying. Tiffany was a genuine person all around, and it was easy to like the girl; Jessica already did, but she couldn’t do much with it anyway. There was a difference between liking someone and loving someone. And she told herself before that she would no longer date anybody she simply liked.  Or the fact that Tiffany was somebody very important in a world she didn’t want to offend. Sure, she wasn’t far from Tiffany; however, they both had a responsibility to their families to uphold. That was why she couldn’t simply ask the girl out on a date. It was better for her to stay there as a friend than try to embark on a hard journey just to prove that there was a possibility of a happy ending - at least for her it would be the case. “If only we’re half ourselves, right?”

 

Tiffany shrugged as she wore a tight-lipped smile. “But we’re not.”

 

“It’s all good.” Jessica then collected her things. “We’re going to California Adventure, Las Vegas, and New York, right?”

 

“Yes!”

Jessica smiled. “Okay, let’s work on our tickets then since it’ll be crazy if we can’t book now.”

 

*******

 

“Thank goodness we’re done with school!” One of the people said. Since they were in a large group of students, Jessica wasn’t really familiar with some of them, while most of them were her friends or acquaintances. They figured, they should all get together in a bar to celebrate - they still didn’t know if they passed though. But they didn’t really care at this point since they were free. Most of them were Koreans, studying in there as international students so she was somewhat familiar with some of their faces. Their group ended up occupying two large tables so they could all fit. Obviously, Jessica’s set of friends ended up sitting together.

 

“I can’t believe that we’re sitting with the ever so mysterious Hwang,” Taecyeon, a mayor’s stepson, said. Jessica was civil with this guy despite the fact that she thought he arrogant. Since his father was in the same party as her father, they had met a couple of times, especially when his father was trying to his way to the national list instead of the local government. She heard of TaecYeon’s good-doings with outreach programs with some of his friends from high school that was a decent all-boys school in Korea. So sometimes, she would end up thinking he was somewhat of a decent guy, until he started to speak about money and other people’s background, of course. “Jessica,” he called so the girl looked up, asking him what he wanted. “I want you to meet some of my friends, too.” He then grabbed a guy by the neck and said, “This is ChanSung.” If Jessica’s memory served her right, his grandfather was a former diplomat, but other than that, there wasn’t much she knew or recalled about him.

 

“Nice to meet you,” Jessica greeted as she beamed a smile, raising her cocktail.  

 

“Don’t be so formal! You talked to him before already,” Taecyeon laughed. “On the phone. Back in high school, he had a major crush on your best friend? So I arranged for you guys to talk, remember?” He then pointed at the guy next to ChanSung. “That’s Nichkhun, by the way.”

 

“Hello,” Jessica looked at the second guy that was introduced, and then back at TaecYeon. “Maybe?”

 

“He used to be a basketball player for our school. Then when you we had a game against your team, he saw JooYeon and was smitten by her. Then I called you and told you about it, remember?” He raised his brow.

 

Well, there were too many people asking JooYeon out, so it was impossible for her to remember. The look on TaecYeon’s face made it seem like with a simple explanation, a vague one at that, would make the girl remember.  “I have a really terrible memory.”

 

“Well whatever, so at least you get to meet Jessica,” he said as she looked at ChanSung. “After all, she did kind of helped you in the past.”

 

“Thank you very much. Because of you, I had the courage to ask JooYeon out.” He bowed his head.

 

If Jessica helped him that much, not consciously, then she figured she shouldn’t insist that she didn’t remember the guy. It was probably half a decade ago so it wouldn’t even matter now. Plus, she didn’t recall JooYeon dating anybody named ChanSung, so it wasn’t even an issue. “Tiffany, ChanSung thinks you’re really cute by the way.”

 

“Can you stop playing cupid?” Jessica said to TaecYeon. He was always like this anyway so it was understandable, but it was annoying to always be chummy when they were complete strangers just minutes ago. It especially annoyed Jessica because of the fact that TaecYeon was trying to set Tiffany up with somebody.

 

“What? Tiffany told me she’s single.” TaecYeon shrugged.

 

Jessica looked at her friend, surprised by what he said. “You did?”

 

Tiffany cocked her head to the side and said, “Aren’t I?”

 

Jessica simply looked at her, and then smiled softly. When she averted her gaze to the approaching figure, she noticed that their food was already heading their way. “Finally! I’m so hungry!”

 

“And you’re drinking before eating?” ChanSung asked Jessica; his tone was somewhat worried.

 

“He’s right. You shouldn’t do that.” Nichkhun sounded concerned, too.

 

“I’ll be fine. We just started and I only had one drink.” Jessica smiled softly at both of them.

 

“I ordered some appetizers for everyone, too, you know?” TaecYeon said as the server placed a couple of different appetizers on the table.

 

“Stop buying stuff. We can pay for the meals, you know.” YuRi said, feeling bad about it.

 

At first, Jessica was also uncomfortable whenever he offered to pay. But since he was insistent, she stopped caring. Why bother if he was the one adamantly offering?

 

A guy then came and wrapped an arm around TaecYeon’s neck. “It’s okay. It’s the people’s money anyway.” Well, TaecYeon’s father was under a lot of heat lately for corruption so it was only natural to hear such comments, but even as a joke, it was rude to say that.

 

TaecYeon then elbowed the guy’s gut playfully; he then laughed and said, “What are you trying to imply?”

 

The guy then rubbed his stomach to ease the pain as he sat next to TaecYeon. He shrugged before answering and said, “All politicians do it.”

 

TaecYeon then laughed even harder. “Sometimes, that tongue will get you in trouble, bro.” He then pointed at Jessica. “Majority chairman, Senator Jung’s, eldest daughter is right there.” The blonde looked at the guy, who turned white from shock, maybe, so the girl simply nodded in recognition. “This is DongWook, by the way. His tongue is pretty sharp, but he’s like that because his dad le----”

 

“My name’s Lee DongWook. I’m currently a law student. If my comment hurt you, maybe----”

 

“I’m Jessica. This here is Tiffany, right there is YooNa and YuRi. The tall girl and the short girl that went to the bathroom just now is SooYoung and Sunny respectively.” It was only natural to give their names since they were in the same circle anyway. There was no point in trying to start a fight with somebody who only practiced their freedom to express their thoughts. Even if she wanted to tell him that her father wasn’t that type of man since they had all the money they could want even without corruption, there were other politicians who practiced it. So what was the point? To help her family’s reputation? A single man wouldn’t be able to damage it anyway. Grabbing the utensils in front of her, Jessica placed the table napkin on her lap and then started to eat the barbeque ribs she ordered. She looked to her side and saw Tiffany eating the chicken wings the girl asked for and then to the other side, YuRi was enjoying mac and cheese, whilst YooNa was happily cutting her burger.

 

TaecYeon then elaborated on each of the girl’s background and riches, which was just so like him. He liked talking about who was in the high society circle, exclusive members of private clubs and all the likes. Maybe because he had only been there for less than a decade, he felt the need to show off his stepfather’s wealth to make it seem like he fit just right in.

 

“Jessica, do you guys want to hang out when we’re all in Korea for the break?” TaecYeon asked as he finished chewing on the nachos he ordered. At least he had a little bit of manners now. The girl remembered TaecYeon, the first year they met, he would always talk even with his mouth full.

 

“I’m actually staying here for the break,” she said to him.

 

“What? You don’t like traveling on a commoner’s plane?” the rude guy said. “You can always charter a jet or maybe you guys already own one.”

 

Owning one? To just make people raise more brows at political families? Was he an idiot? Plus, her father never even traveled a lot since he was glue to the country as a dedicated public servant, whilst her mother thought that owning something like that was ridiculous when they could simply use the money to revolve in their business. A ten million dollar plane, when in cash, would still be a decent investment in their company, being able to finance a small branch office. “Ac---”

 

“If you want, you guys can use mine to go back home. It’s currently in New York with my siblings since my mother’s there now, but i---”

 

“Wow. You’re guys are another level of rich.” He laughed.  What was his problem anyway? It seemed to Jessica he was jealous or something. “I really can’t believe that all my life, I was ignorant on how rich people live.” He then pointed at the plates in front of the girls. “Who eats pub food with utensils? Really? Knife and fork for ribs, chicken wings, and burgers? That’s really bizarre.”

 

He was in a different level of rude. If they were a different level of rich, he was beyond rude, making Jessica upset. She could see YooNa looking at him, scowling. Again, before she could say anything, somebody beat her to it.

 

“Ladies,” TaecYeon called. “I’m really sorry about him. He’s really not this bad.”

 

“So he’s just specifically rude to us today, is what you’re saying?” YuRi said.

 

“What happened?” SooYoung asked as she caught the moment, some of the people with them, who was seated at another table, looked at their way. YuRi then told SooYoung and Sunny to seat and explained things to them.

 

“You know, I really don’t like using this, but who do you think you are?” It was now YooNa. “First, you insulted Jessica’s father, you’re actually lucky she didn’t say anything. Second, you mock us because we’re rich. And third, you laugh at us because we have table manners. Were you raised in a barn? We’re sorry we’re from, as you put it, another level of rich.”

 

“Guys, I’m apologizing in his behalf.” ChanSung bowed his head. “We aren’t as rich as you or TaecYeon or influential s---”

 

“And that makes us different?” Jessica finally spoke. “Because we were born privileged, that gives him a reason to mock us?”

 

“Really, DongWook is a nice guy once you get to know him. I’m vouching this.” Nichkhun was in a panic.

 

“It must be the alcohol talking.” He then slapped DongWook’s shoulder. “Apologize! You were really a d!ck.”

 

“Yeah, man! That’s no way to treat the girls!” Nichkhun and ChanSung followed.

 

Jessica gave a smile as she shook her head, her hand raised in front of her chest, stopping TaecYeon. “Don’t force him. It really will end up seeming like he’s a peasant in my eyes.”

 

DongWook laughed again. “I was kidding. I was just trying to pull your leg to see if you guys are just going to shut up if you were made fun of. But really, the utensils part is really new to me.”

 

“Peasants, serfs, plebes, they weren’t taught to look like a king, that’s why,” Jessica said with a smirk on her face. “Also, I lost my appetite.” She wiped with the napkin from her lap, sitting it on the table after. She called the server over. “Can you close my tab.”

 

“Do you want it on your card?” he asked with a smile on his face; Jessica then nodded.

 

“Close mine, too.” YuRi said, she and YooNa were in one tab, whilst Jessica was paying for Tiffany’s.

 

“And mine,” SooYoung said.

 

“Mine, too!” Sunny said.

 

“Mister Lee DongWook, I just hope you don’t attempt to work in any of the fields we’re in,” Tiffany said with a sly smile, obviously threatening the man.

 

“I was just kidding around, but to answer your question, I don’t plan to working in any of the fields you’re in,” he nonchalantly said.

 

Tiffany nodded and said, “I’m glad to hear that. We’re not so sensitive so I won’t carry ill-feelings towards you, but I think you should watch your jokes from now on. You just might meet the right crowd to piss off.” Never did Jessica imagine for Tiffany to be like this, but she actually liked it. At least Tiffany could fight, but then again, why couldn’t she? This girl’s family brushed elbows with influential people, too. A tiny fry like DongWook was nothing to her.

 

“If you’re not so sensitive, there’s no need to leave, right?” ChanSung asked. He really seemed the genuine type.

 

Jessica smiled at him. “We’re not sensitive. But I have a really bad allergies to douchebags, I hope you understand.” This caused DongWook to laugh, which made Jessica look his way. “The smell of peasants can cause me to start choking, I might start vomiting, I hope you understand.” The last part was for DongWook. “We’re raised in another level, right? We’re just not used to commoner’s air,” she said sarcastically.

 

“Commoner’s air made us strong. We don’t end up getting hurt by just words.”

 

“It’s not like you’re really a commoner, so shut up.” TaecYeon said. “Guys, we should forget the whole thing, yeah?”

 

“I’m a commoner now. My mother’s bankrupt so---”

 

“So don’t preach to us if your family went bankrupt. If you’re upset about that, it wasn’t our fault, okay?” YooNa then said. “Maybe if you were a little bit nicer, some people might even consider helping you.”

 

“And be more in debt?” he asked, almost as though broken. Jessica didn’t know why but it seemed like they were just the outlet of his frustrations. Sure, that was a bad thing to do, but if he couldn’t blame his family for his situation, might as well blame those around him, right? “Look, if you guys were offended by it, I’m sorry that I didn’t grow up in the same upbringing as you. Sure, we had a small business growing up, but obviously big sharks like your family just trampled over that. But---”

 

“It’s fine. The next time we meet, I hope that you’re not as pathetic. I might even forget about this incident,” Jessica said. For some reason, she felt somewhat guilty because it was true. Her mother’s financial company walked on a lot of small businesses to expand their riches. Hwang conglomerate also didn’t give small time players to grow. YooNa’s family was the number one distributor of gas in Korea. Not only that, SooYoung’s family owned the best hospitals in the country. JooYeon, who was her best friend studying in London, her family was a big construction company and also a family that was in the import and export business as well. So there were a lot of people upset with them. “Also, don’t blame us for what our parents have. Because we were born into this.”

 

Their server then got back with their receipts to sign and then asked, “Do you ladies want a to-go box with that?” since he noticed the food were barely touched.

 

Jessica smiled gently at the server. “No, thank you.” She wrote a hefty tip and then stood up. She looked at TaecYeon. “Don’t worry. This will stay here.” She knew he was probably worried if her father would end up hearing about his friend. “Lee DongWook,” Jessica called so the man just looked at her. “Don’t be too angry at the world. Tell the world to go itself and move on.”

 

“Stop talking to him, Jessi!” Tiffany said as she pushed Jessica to start heading to the door.

 

“Ca.” Jessica reminded.

 

“I’ll start calling you Caca if you keep doing that!” Tiffany said as she wrapped her arm around Jessica’s.

 

“Caca? You’re saying I’m sh!tty now?” Jessica was trying to brush Tiffany’s arm off, acting offended. “Hey, where should we go eat dinner?”

 

“Well, anywhere but here.” YooNa rolled her eyes. “I really hate people like him.”

 

“I know, right? What’s his issue?” YuRi said.

 

“I wasn’t there for the whole time, but he did seem like a d!ck,” Sunny said.

 

“I feel like eating steak. We should go to Craft,” SooYoung said, which they all agreed on. Might as well order a porterhouse or a wagyu. Lobster bisque did sound good, too. They all walked to the parking lot. Since YuRi brought her car, YooNa would be with her. Jessica brought hers, so Tiffany, Sunny, and Sooyoung would end up with her.

 

“Jessica! Jessica! Jessica, wait!” Someone was calling from across the street. The blonde looked over her shoulder to see DongWook running towards them. Just when he was close enough, he caught his breath and said, “Thank goodness you guys are still here.”

 

“What do you want?” SooYoung asked.

“I want to be your friend.” He smiled at Jessica as he reached his hand out. “I’m sorry for how I acted. I just don’t like rich people from our country. Actually, I hate rich, bratty kids.”

 

It was the first time someone was ever straightforward with her, so it was a nice thing. Obviously, a lot of people were upset because some were just born fortunate, whilst others had to struggle financially. But didn’t the world realize that they had their different standards of worry? Even if he was rude to Jessica at first, she couldn’t help but forgive the guy. He probably just had his set of worries. If she was into guys, maybe he wouldn’t be so bad since he had a backbone and could stand up against people. He had his vision, he seemed. But if it was friendship he asked, Jessica could give that. It wasn’t like she was playing all-mighty from the very beginning.

 

“Because you’re poor---”

 

Jessica cut SooYoung’s words. “I’m sorry, who are you?” DongWook was taken aback by Jessica’s action. “Have we met before?”

 

“You’re kidding, right?” DongWook looked at her, surprised.

 

“If you want to be my friend, I don’t mind.”

 

“Are you kidding me?!” It was SooYoung, who exclaimed. “You really have the worst judgment of character!”

 

“What? Some people deserve another chance, you know.” She shrugged and then looked at the guy. “Get my number from TaecYeon. I’m in a rush now.” She then got in the car and Tiffany followed, getting in the passenger seat and the two were in the back. Jessica then pressed the start button. She started to maneuver her car, leaving the guy on the street.

 

“You’re serious about being his friend?” Tiffany seemed worried.

 

“Yeah. Why not?”

 

“Do you suddenly swing both ways?!” SooYoung asked, furious. “I can’t believe a guy like that made you look his way!”

 

“What? No! I just think it isn’t a bad idea to have a  truthful person like him around.”

 

Sunny sighed. “Why do you keep being interested on weird people?”

 

Jessica shrugged. “He seemed like a nice person though.”

 

“Are you blind?!” SooYoung sighed this time. “After being insulted, you think he’s nice?”

 

“He did say he was kidding. Sure, at first I thought he was rude, but why can’t we be the better person? If he became my friend and we actually end up being good friends, that’s great, right? I ended up with more friends. If he’s just a douche, then too bad.” And this had always been Jessica’s issue because she ended up being friends and trusting people too easily. But in her defense, what was to lose? Being disappointed? But the world was full of disappointments. She couldn’t remain sheltered and be afraid of pain.

 

“Whatever.” SooYoung rolled her eyes. “You never listen anyway.”

 

“Jessi, you really think it’s fine?”

 

“Ca. And yeah. Why not? If you ended up thinking I was just the brat back then and not give me a chance to be your friend now, you won’t be here, right?”

 

Tiffany nodded and kept mum, but then SooYoung asked the girl how she would spend her holiday to change the topic. “I’ll stay here with Jessica.”

 

“Oh?” SooYoung said in a singing tone accompanied by soft, playful giggles. “Spending your vacation with Jessica, eh?”

“Sounds like it’ll be a blast.” Sunny giggled with SooYoung.

 

Jessica already knew what those two were thinking, but they really weren’t far from it. She did like Tiffany but was restrained by their backgrounds. However, that wouldn’t stop her from being the girl’s friend, right? At least, even as a friend, they would still be able to enjoy each other’s company. “Oh, shut up!” she then bellowed. She looked to her side, and saw a tint of pink on Tiffany’s cheek, causing the blonde to smile. Maybe, just maybe, they both felt the same way.

 

 

 

 

 

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Some of you might end up thinking TaecYeon's back story is the same as LeeTeuk's back story rom Soul Searching. The thing is, most of my characters are realy based on real people I know. :) So, it's like that. :) At least, the person I based those two from isn't as bad as LeeTuek, but isn't as lenient as TaecYeon. He's somewhat in the middle. LOL. Try dealing with that in person, right? Pain in the . Haha.

 

 I look forward to reading your responses! :) I'll answer questions you have, no matter what they are. :)