"Yah Fany!" Sunny yelled, her voice ringing across the empty corridor.

It was past after school. They should have been home by now.

If not for the forgotten cemistry notes supposingly in Tiffany Hwang's locker.

Point was, it was not the first time she had forgotten her stuff. And Sunny had been waiting for ten minutes by her locker.

"I can't find it!" Tiffany exclaimed, eyes full of worry," Must have left it in class."

"Seriously," Sunny muttered,and in a clearer tone she said,"Just retrieve it tomorrow then.Let's go home."

Dragging a reluctant Tiffany along(who would want to climb five floors), she pushed through the glass door to the school's parking lot.

SM High was a school of wealthy families and the parking lot shone with prestigious brands of glossy limousines.

Blinded by the colors, Sunny searched vainly for their traffic vehicle, tugging an uneasy Tiffany along.

Apparently the girl was still thinking about her notes. She had that melancholic look etched on her face.

It was understandable as to how her reactions were of such seriousness-only Jessica was in the same class as her, and the blonder had a habit of spacing out in class. Tiffany, however, could not survive without notes. And the day after next would be when the test would take place.

Eventually locating the car with much difficulty, both girls proceeded to the vehicle.

The journey, however, was not as smooth as expected.

For one, both girls barely avoided a trip to the hospital.

Here was what happened: They were walking peacefully. A random car appeared out of nowhere, missing ramming into them by a few inches, swerved dangerously and nearly crashed into a row of cars.

Nothing in their sixteen years of life could be more shocking than that. They missed death by a a few millimetres.

Almost immediately, tears welled up in Tiffany's eyes. Sunny's mouth was wide agape. Both faces were pale and shined with beads of cold perspiration.

"Gosh,"Sunny breathed out, pulling her firend's hand and staring at the car which ahd nearly destroyed them.

She felt surreal. The school remained peaceful as if nothing had happened. No crows gathered. No teachers came.

The car door buckled open forceully, someone cursed, and the girls found themselves face to face witha guy.

Tall, lean. hawk-like eyes staring at them.

"Sorry. Are you guys okay? Is anyone hurt?" was the first thing that came out of his mouth.

Sunny denied automatically, recovering stead-fast from the incident. Tiffany murmered imcomprehensively in English beside her, at alarming speed.

"I'm terribly sorry," he did look so too.

"It's alright, we're not hurt or anything," Sunny said, back to normal.

She thought her was quite handsome. They stared at each other awkwardly.

"I guess..I better get going then," the guy said abruptly,giving both girls a nod and turning back to his car.

A  moment later the BMW sped off swiftly.

"That was close," Tiffant gasped out.

"Hmm..."Sunny murmered, still eyeing the place where the car left. Tffany did not miss her moment of distraction.

Grinning playfully, she poked her in the shoulder and teased,"You like him don't you?"

Sunny turned to look at her with a composed expression.

In a rather calm voice, she denied it.

"So you do like him,"Tiffany concluded, taking Sunny' trademark expressionlessly nervous face into account,"He looks really...beastly."

Trying to ignore her firend, sunny resumed walking to the car with Tiffany giggling along.

 

It was near evening, yet the house seemed empty.

Three adolescents were lounging in the living room.

A strawberry blonde and two brunteetes.

They had their eyes glued to the TV screen.

Out of the blues, the blonde announced that they were going on a banquet that night.

Everything seemed normal.

Then the brunettes managed to process the words.

"What?"They exploede simultaneously, shocked.

The blonde remained calm.

"I'm not joking.It's at seven,"she said shortly.

"Omo, why is it always us?" younger brunettes Im Yoona groaned, making a face.

"Because both of you are always at home in the evening," the blonde, Jessica Jung, said. "I know you guys absolutely detest formal parties."

"Then why are you torturing us?" older brunette Kwon Yuri said in a strangled voice.

"Because you guys need some exposure,"Jessica treid to twist around the explanation,"when you step into society, there is bound to be these sort of things you need to attend. I'm just trying to prepare you for what's waiting out there."

"I really do appreciate your lecture, Teacher Jung,"Yuri said sarcastically.

"Yuri-ah...help me out," Jessica modified her tone of speech into a warmer one.

There had always been a reason why Yuri and Yoona disliked banquets held by the Jungs.

Jessica' father was almost always present.

And he was the only parent whom they cannot get along well with.

Firstly, the look on his face just terrifies you. It was as if he'd caught you doing something wrong.

Yuri and Yoona were never the duos for ettiquette as well. They could imitate ladies perfectly, but that did not mean they like it.

Thirdly, when Jessica's father spoke, his voice whoud be chilling and unfriendly. Perhaps it's a Jung thing?

In conclusion, Yuri and Yoona were uncomfortably intimidated by him. This made Jessica sad. Her Daddy was not at all the person he was now. He could smile. He could joke like a child. He could love his daughter so well.

These traits still remained, but ever since the death of his wife, he was the 'Ice King' of the business society.

Yuri and Yoona were aware of this, but how could one's feelings change if the impression remains?

That was why they had never straightforwardly refuse any of the invitations.

"Arasso,"Yuri, being the older one,replied,"but you'll have to get us ice-cream on the way."

Yoona's mouth formed a wide grin upon the magical word.

"Ice-cream!Ice-cream!"she excalimed, face alit with excitement.

Jessica and Yuri watched her, amused.

"Yah,Im Choding,"Jessica scolded,"you're becoming like Sooyoung."

 

Somewhere kilometres away, a tall girl sneezed. She had a fleeting visulalisation of a voice who sounded so much like her blonde friend Jessica,scolding herself for being an incurable shikshin. Dismissing the confusing thought, she shifted in her seat and glance at the person opposite her.

"Yah,"the girl called,"yah Kim Taeyeon."

The person responded with a bored stare.

"Hmm?"came the reply.

"Do you think I should order the mega double cheese or the king-sized Dr Pepper?" the tall girl asked,eyeing her menu intently as if it was the most important decision in her life.

Taeyeon let out a long sigh.

"Sooyoung-ah,settle with what you like."she replied tiredly,shifting her eyes to the window.

They had picked a seat right at the corner of the restaurant, beside the large window pane.

The restaurant, Cafe de la Villem was a frequent gathering spot for the girls/

It had almost been their half-home when they were in their first year of high school,when the nine of them becamse the best of friends. They'd spent nearly every evening there. The place was much plainer then.

seohyun,the maknae,would be reading her book and frowning at anything she deemed unhealthy.Yoona,Yuri and Sooyoung would be making a fool of themselves.Tayeon,Hyoyeon and Sunny would be chatting and giggling like ajummas and Jessica nad Tiffany would be teasing each other about their American accent.

They had spent such a long time here, that the manager had grown fond of them.

However, that did not cure Sooyoung's indecisiveness of food.

"Brainstorming over food again?"

Both girls looked up and found a waiter smiling at them with a pad and pen ready in his hands.

"Oh.Sungmin,"Sooyoung greeted,"annyeong."

"Is it me or is it true that your working hours seemed to have increased?"Taeyeon questioned. He never had night shifts.

Sungmin grinned proudly and nodded. Hloding up a peace sign, he happliy announced that he was promoted.

"Really?"Sooyoung exclaimed,eyes becoming scarily wide,"does that mean that we'll get a further member discount?"

Abruptly,Sungmin's face fell as he became noticeab;y crestfall. Sooyoung could hear him chanting in his brain,"Praise me!How hard I have worked!"

She exchanged a significant glance with Taeyeon.

"But of course to us the hardwork you've put in is more important of course,"Sooyoung chimed,with Taeyeon nodding at the side, applauding.

A grin spreaded slowly acroos Sungmin's face.

He was in the same class as Sooyoung.However, both had met long since they were in kindergarden,when they were neighbours. Sungmin would always go to Sooyoung's house for brownies. Sooyoung was always the girl who protected him from the bullies in elementary and Sungmin would always be by her side when others tased her about her overly large appetite. They were best friends who still kept in contact when Sooyoung left for Japan during her middle school days.When she returned,there was no on she knew in school except him,before she became friends with the Jessica who was the transfer student then.

In short,they had know each other for most of their lives till now.

"Thanks.Now what will your order be?"

Sooyoung was instantly troubled. In the end, it was Taeyeon(as usual)who helped her made her decision.

The girls chatted randomly while waiting for their orders after Sungmin had left,when Taeyeon seemed to have spotted something interesting.

Her eyes practically sparkled and she grinned with her gums.

"Yah!Kang Daesung!"she shouted across the restaurant, gesturing wildly.

Everyone around them stared in alarm before returning to their own business. Taeyeon was embarrassing at times like this.

Anyways,said guys managed to locate the source of voice and proceeded on to their table.

"Yo,"he greeted,"having dinner?"

He was tall. His face had a joker feeling around it. His eyes practically disappeared when he smiled

Kang Daesung,their joker friend.

"Yeah,come on,sit," Taeyeon said, gesturing towards the seat beside Sooyoung.

Interestingly,Sooyoung's face seemed to have become tanner as Daesung made himself comfortable. She took a large gulp of ice coffee and choked on it.

Taeyeon sighed inwardly at her friend's behaviour.

To her knowledge, sooyoung had a long-time crush on Daesung ever since they became friends. Even Sungmin was aware of it. However,Daesung reminaed clueless. How pathetic.

Trying hard to conceal her blush,Sooyoung asked in her most casual voice,"Where's the others?"

The 'others' were made in reference to the usual gang of jokers Daesung hung out with,namely Kwon Jiyoung(G-D),Choi Seunghyun(T.O.P),Dong Youngbae(Taeyang)and Lee Seunghyun(Seungri).

"They've abandoned me,"Daesung said. He actually managed to sound pitiful.

Taeyeon snorted.

"I'm thirsty," Daesung suddenly announced,randomly grabbing Sooyoung's cup of coffee and downing it in one.

Sooyoung hid her embarraseement by smacking him hard on the head.

"Yah!Kang Daesung!Pay for your own drink,seriously,"she chided,crossing her arms.

"Jeez,it's only a cup of milo,stingy woman," Daesung retorted,pouting.

"It's not milo,it's coffee,"Sooyoung corrected him,"call me stingy one  more time and be off with your head."

Daesung pretended to cower in fear."Have mercy, your Majesty."

Taeyeon watched their antics laughingly. They sure got along well.

 

Jessica examined her surroundings boredly.

After half an hour of preparation(when the triplets threw on the dresses her father sent and scraped on some make-up),they had eventually arrived at the banquet, held at a place Jessica vaguely recognised as her grandparents' house. She had not been there since five, moreover it was redecorated such that Jessica could not recognize the garden at all.

It had been fifteen minutes,most of the guests have not arrived yet,but her father was nowhere to be seen.She found it strange. Her father would never just disappear on occassions like this.

Anyhow,she hoped Yoona and Yuri could finish their share of ice=cream soon.Eating before the guests arrive indicates bad etiqutte.

"Miss Jessica,"a polite voice called form behind her,"Master Jung requestst for your presence upstairs."

All three turned and spotted a typical butler-like elderly man dressed in a tuxedo.

So her father had been here all along.

"In that case we'll be waiting for you here unnie,"Yoona said professionally,assuring the blonde that they would be fine by themselves.

After a nod,she followed tha old man along.

 

Jonghyun was feeling awkward sitting beside his father and would-be father-in-law.

Frankly speaking, he felt that his in-law was unfriendly.

He did not even smile once.

Jonghyun supposed that that was alright in the world of business.

"You have a handsome son, Mr Kim,"Jung Taehyun commented,examining Jonghyun from head to toe.

"I am sure your daughter would be beautiful as well,"Kim Jisung replied,laughing.

Two weeks before,Jonghyun got into the position of being a fiancee due to the family tradition of marrying another noble family when the time comes. He happened to be of age. There was much protest then, but what could one do when you've been threatened by your grandparents to disable all your credit cards and being shipped off to a rural village in god knows where to spend your life farming?His grandparents were exceptionally scary. Not just the threat, but the expressions on their faces.

Anyhow, Taehyun and Jisung were long-time business associates and also high school friends.

Thus it came as no surprise when they deicided to marry their daughter and son together.

A creak in the door shattered the silence in the room. All three head snapped up.

A girl stepped into the room.

She was clad in a blue satin dress.

Her hair was strawbeery blonde,wavy and donwn to ther shoulder blades.

Her eyes were large and glassy.

Her face radiated a sense of cold beauty.

"Ah Jessica,"Jung Taehyun said,standing up and escorting his daughter towards the couches.

Up till now,Jessica was clueless about her position.She had thought it was the usual business meeting.

"Annyeonghaseyo,I'm Jessica Jung,pleased to meet you,"she greeted politely,giving them a ninety degree bow before sitting down.

Jisung smiled.

"This is my business associate Mr Kim Jisung and his son,"Taehyun introduced.

Jessica gave Jisung a slight bow before he eyes landed on Jonghyun.

She had to admit that he was handsome.But that did not mean he impressed her.Growing up in a well-off family,she had seen plenty of good-looking and charming guys.

But..wait a minute.He looked familiar.That face with the high cheekbones and  soft brown hair...

Wasn't he the school heartthrob Kim Jonghyun?

Jonghyun thought that the girl before him seemed familiar as well.

In the end,he concluded that he must not have met her before if he had not have any memories of talking to her.

Anyway,she was beautiful.It seemed that she'd built a barrier around hersulf though,because nothing about her was intimate.

"As both you and Jonghyun-sshi here will be turning seventeen soon..."Taehyun started.

Jessica's heart lurched. Omo...where's this heading to?

"We have decided that two of you shall be engaged,"he finished,glancing at his daughter.

Silence floated into the room.

Jessica was the only person in the room who was shocked. Engaged?Engagement meant a lot of things...

But engaged?Her?At sixteen?

Has the rest of her life been already planned out for her?

Seconds ticked by. Jessica was still in a state of shock. It was difficult task trying to conceal her frustration before the three. Her face was icy,yet inside she was burning.

"Isn't it a bit too early?"Jessica inquired,voice painstakingly smooth.

The Kims were surprised at her lack of response. Weren't the women in charge of screaming?

"That is why we have decided to have to engaged then married,dear,"Taehyun explained,"and it is not going to be permeanent of course. I would never put my daughter's future into questioning."

Both Jessica and Jonghyun were pleasantly surprised. Not permeanent?Does that mean...?

"Both of you can decide to break the engagement after spending a year with each other,"Jisung said,"but we rather you not."

Jessica let out a small breath.Not bound by life after all.

 

Yuri adn Yoona had finished their share of ice-cream by then and were chatting idly.

Then,guests started to arrive.Yoona felt unsure of what to do.The host fo the banquet was obvously no present,so should they, the host's daughter's friends,welcome the guests instead?

Yuri,on the other hand,was glancing at all the guests idly.They were pretty people.

"Wonder what's taking Sica-unnie so long,"Yoona thought aloud,eyeing the guests who ere seemingly searching for Jessica's father,nervously.

However,her worries were soon dispersed when Jessica was seen descending down the stairs with her father and two other males.

Yoona sensed that something was wrong instantly.The expression on Jessica's face did not seem right.

"What happened to her?"Yuri murmered,noticing the unusual iciness pasted onto her friend's face.

It seemed colder than normal.

Soon,Jessica's father and Jisung separated himself from his daughter and went off to welcome the guests,leaving Jessica standing awkwardly with Jonghyun.

Yoona was bewildered.Why did Jessica not approach the,?Was it because she didn't know where they were?

Yuri,howver,caught on faster than her 'twin'. Perhaps because she'd watched far too many dramas,but she got a feeling that the guy standing beside her friend would sson be a big part of Jessica's life.

Taking a closer look,Yuri thought her looked familiar.

"Yuri-unnie,shuoldn't we go there?"Yoona's voice distracted Yuri from her thoughts.

"Let's go,"she said,leading the way.

 

Jonghyun felt the tension.A tension he had never felt when standing beside any woman except his mother and grandmother.

He could not figure out why.Having spent so much time with girls,why could he not being a natural conversation with the girl next to him?

Was it because of her beauty?

Was it because of her family status?

Or was it because of her freezing demeanor?

He did not know.

But one thing he knew-this was not someone he should mess with.

He was just about to turn around and start talking when he noticed two girls approaching them.

 

"Sica-unnie,"Yoona called,bouncing towards her,Yruri close behind.

Jessica was nervous,a rare sight. How should she tell her friends?Guys,I'm going to be engaged!Mad right?Hahaha!

She suppressed her groan. How did her life turned out like this?

Nevertheless,it would seem rather impolite to not introduce Jonghyun,who was considered a guest.

"Annyeong,"she greeted them,"this is Kim Jonghyun-sshi.He is my father's long-time business associate's son."

Both Yuri and Yoona turned their attention onto Jonghyun,who gave them a ninety degree bow.

"Annyeonghaseyo,"he said,somewhat uncomfortably.

"And these are Yuri and Yoona-sshi,"Jessica introduced,motioning slightly to the duos,who bowed as well.

They stood there for a few seconds, when Yuri shot Jessica a questioning look.

Who is he?

Jessica sent back a distress signal.

Yoona suddenly cleared rather loudly.

"So,uh,Jonghyun-sshi,we've never seen you around before,nice to meet you,"she said politely. Somehow she thought that the relationship between Jessica and Jonghyun wasn't as simple as business.

Jonghyun casted a sideway glance at Jessica. Seriously, why is he behaving like this?Like a...dork?

Jessica,meanwhile,was in a dilemma.Would it be better to tell the truth,or to conceal their engagement for the whole year and break it as if nothing has happened?

Yuri found this pause suspicious.Jessica's expression was so weird...it was as if she was contemplating on her answer.

"We're engaged,"the blonde eventually confessed in that trademark calm voice of hers,nearly choking on her own words.

The YoonYul twins' eyes widened whilst their jaws dropped.

The words hung in the air.

"Oh,that's nice,"Yoona said meekly, secretly feeling bad for Jessica.

"Yeah,congratulations,"Yuri exclaimed,shaking hands with an awkward Jonghyun,"by the way have we met?You seem familiar."

Trust Yuri to bring that up at the wrong moment.

"I don't think-"

"Yah hyung!"A loud voice interrupted is speech.

Four heads turned to find four alluring guys staring at them.One,the one with red hair,was waving at them in a black tuxedo.

Jessica sighed inwardly. She really wanted to go home then.

 

"Annyeonghaseyo,we're Jonghyun's buds,"the red-haired guy greeted them politely.

Yuri suddenly realized where she had seen Jonghyun before.They attended the same school.He, with his group of charming playboys,were the heartthrobs fo their school.That grou seemed to have arrived at the banquet as well.

Frankly speaking, Yuri did not recognize him instantly as she and her friends did not usually pay attention when it came to this kind of things. Thinking back,she felt somewhat outdated.

They waited for them to introduce themselves one by one.

There was this guy called Lee Jinki,whose hair was jet black and eyes brown.

Then Kim Kibum,the one with dyed red hair.

Choi Minho, with wild messy brown hair and burning eyes.

And Lee Taemin, with hairstyle similar to Minho's.

"Hyung, we heard that you're getting married,"Lee Jink,who preferred to be referred to as Onew,said seriously.

Jonghyun, surrounded by his hyungs,was left with no choice but to confess.

They showered him and Jessica with congratulations, as expected. Why were they(Jessica and Jonghyun)the only ones who felt low?Why?

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Author's note: It's my first time writing so sorry if there's any grammar or spelling mistakes.