"Salmon? Check. Zucchini? Check. Asparagus? Check." Taeyeon surveyed her cart. It was already half-full with the ingredients Jessica needed, but she was sure she missed something; she always forgot at least two things. Last time it was the fish, so Jessi had to make do with the vegetables (they had salad that night.) Honestly, why did her best friend even ask her, of all people?

Oh right. Initiation. Flower boys. Torture.

A shudder ran down her spine as she imagined just what horrifying thing Jessica was doing to them. Well maybe calling it horrifying would be an exaggeration, but it's not like Taeyeon knew anything about it. The people who've lived to tell the tale—those who haven't been completely scared out of their wits—have only said it was scary/terrible/traumatising, but they never really told her exactly what her best friend did.

'I should really finish buying all these stuff so I can go home,' Taeyeon mentally checked and re-checked the list of ingredients in her mind. She definitely forgot something, she just didn't know what. 'Maybe I should call the guys for help...'

She tried calling all five of them, but no one answered. "Ugh, whatever. I'll just buy the whole vegetable section then. I wonder how much cucumbers cost..."

•••

(In the flower boy flat, thirty minutes after Taeyeon left)

Sweat poured down the boys' backs. Their hair clung to their faces, their shirts were wet.

"What, you can't even do thirty push-ups ? Come on, the past guys could do triple that." Jessica crossed her arms and stared down at the huffing boys. Books were scattered on the floor around them. "So what if I placed five algebra books and dictionaries on your backs, this is only the first challenge!"

No one answered—they didn't even look at her. The girl frowned. Maybe she had gone too hard on them, but it's not like she planned to do anything other than this (this was just the physical part of the initiation; it had four parts).

She had to give them props, though, because even when their arms shook, they kept on going. At one point she thought Kyungsoo would collapse, but he managed to do the thirty push-ups she asked, no, commanded, them to do.

Jessica sighed, "all right, all right, get up. I'll give you three more minutes to rest. Drink some water, change shirts—just do anything to make yourselves not-ewwy."

She leaned against the wall and watched as all five of them slowly stood up, picking up the books around them and heading to the kitchen without meeting her eyes. She bit her bottom lip. She didn't go too far, right? She did worse to the past guys, and they barely bat an eye.

The difference was that these boys were too soft, she realised, even Jongin who claimed to have abs. "Hey," she called out, stopping them in their tracks. She cleared . "This is only the first part, so if you don't want to go through the remaining three...just tell me."

"Then what? You'll make Taeyeon move out?" Sehun, perhaps the most brazen of them, asked. His face and voice were still completely emotionless.

"Yes." Not really. Her best friend liked living with these guys, and she supported her. She wasn't going to let them know, though.

"We'll go through with it." Luhan cut in. His back was turned to Jessica, but his voice was hard enough to make it clear he was serious.

A small smirk formed on her lips, guess they weren't as soft as she thought they were. "Okay then, if you say so," she walked away from the wall and stood in the middle of the room, "now line up."

The boys did, this time with more determination evident on their faces. Jessica couldn't help but to make one more jab. "Just so you know, the last guy who went through me is still in the hospital."

They didn't even blink.

"Well then, if you really want to go through with it...The reason I told Taeyeon to go to the grocery was to test her," she looked from one guy to another, "and you."

"Any minute now, she's going to realise she forgot some ingredient, again, and of course she'd be too embarrassed to call me, so—"

Kyungsoo jumped as something in his pocket vibrated. He took out his phone; Taeyeon's name flashed on the screen.

"Don't answer that!" Jessica warned. After a few more seconds, it stopped. Then Luhan's phone went off, and he didn't pick up, too. Then Sehun's. Baekhyun's. And finally, Jongin's.

"Interesting..." Jessica said aloud. They looked at her questioningly. "What? That call was the test, part two, and I'll discuss that with you all individually in part three. Part three starts...now, so go to your rooms and wait for me to call you out."

They were still standing there. "MOVE!"

•••

"Please tell me you aren't going to stay all-Charlie Chaplin on me."

"..."

"Come on, I'm being nice here. Just talk. Or whisper for all I care."

Kyungsoo didn't budge.

Jessica rolled her eyes, "Fine, be that way. Anyway, so you're Do Kyungsoo, the mysterious flower boy. Taeyeon's told me all about you."

"..."

"Apparently you're her favourite cook, second only to her mother." The boy's ears turned red. 'Finally, a reaction.' Jessica continued, "She said your voice sounded handsome on the phone, but is way better in person. She talks about how you're hard to decipher, which is why she keeps trying to crack your facade. And she keeps mentioning your smile, most particularly the shape of your lips."

Kyungsoo raised a hand to his mouth, the corners of his lips turning upward, and looked down at his lap. He didn't know Taeyeon thought of him like that, heck he didn't even think she noticed him with all the other larger-than-life personalities in the flat. Sure they had that one early morning episode, but he would've never thought Taeyeon would think about him other than that time.

His face was completely red by now. Then he felt Jessica stare at him intently and looked up at the girl across from him. "What?" He wrote down.

"About that call...you're also the person Taeyeon trusts the most out of the guys."

"Ho—" He started but stopped, suddenly remembering his dare. Kyungsoo was about to write something down when Jessica stopped him.

"Now I know I'm not some licensed psychologist or anything like that, but I am Taeyeon's best friend and I know her like I know myself. She called you first, that's why I know. Now the question here is, with everything I've told you thus far, what're you going to do about it?"

Just when she thought Kyungsoo was going to write something down again, he opened his mouth.

"I..."

•••

"Ah, pretty boy Luhan," Jessica mumbled as the pink-haired boy sat opposite her. Taeyeon was right, he really did look like a puppy.

"Pardon?" He asked, earning a glare from the ice princess. To be honest, Jessica was more of a cat person.

"Nothing," she said and crossed her legs. "You...Taeyeon feels the most comfortable around you."

"Wha—"
"It probably has to do with the fact that you two have the same personality, according to her, that is. Or the fact the you're the cutest and nicest among everyone here, again, this is according to her. Or maybe it's because you remind her of a puppy, and Taeyeon loves puppies."

Luhan stared at her, bug-eyed. His mouth was open and his brain was having trouble processing everything. He did notice that they were quite similar, but everything else he was completely clueless about. Cute? Like a puppy? He usually hated being called things like that; it hurt his pride as a manly man. But why was he feeling the opposite of that now?

"I-I don't quite know what to say."

"Well you better answer my next question." Jessica threatened, leaning in and staring directly into the boy's eyes, searching for something. "What now? I've given you all that information, so what's your next move?"

Luhan stared back before closing his eyes, sighing, and finally answering.

•••

"I thought you were supposed to talk to us individually? Why am I with him?" Sehun pointed accusingly at the person beside him.

"Hey!" Baekhyun whined, moving around in the chair he shared with the younger boy. "It's not like I want to be stuffed here next to you either!"

"Shut up, both of you!" Jessica massaged her temple, feeling the inevitable headache that was close to arriving. She couldn't fathom how her best friend managed to live with these loud idiots. Well Taeyeon was a bit of a loud idiot too, but Jessica found that part of her endearing; these boys were just plain irritating.

"The reason I called both of you is because you're on the same level right now." 'And it wouldn't be so bad to have a little drama in this apartment.'

Sehun scoffed, "In what way am I on the same level as him?"

"Yah! I'm older than you!"

"Biologically, yes. Mentally and physically? Nah." The younger boy smirked. "And I've seen you , there's not much to brag about."

"OH SEHUN! DON'T LIE YOU LITTLE—"

"Oh my god, STOP IT!" Jessica screeched, her nails digging into a couch pillow as she tried to suppress her growing annoyance. "Taeyeon feels the same way about both of you! There, I said it, can you please just leave and call Jongin?"

The two abruptly stopped. Baekhyun's cheeks were pink. "Wait, hold up. What kind of feelings are we talkin' 'bout here?" Sehun raised an interested eyebrow.

"That's for me to know and for you two to figure out," she smirked. "Oh Sehun, Byun Baekhyun, may the best man win." Jessica turned her attention to her nails, blowing at imaginary specs of dust. "Now leave."

"But—"

"LEAVE." And off the two idiots went.

•••

"Just so you know, I don't usually enter places yelling out free style raps."

"Mhmm," Jessica mumbled, staring dully at Jongin.

"I really don't."

"Yeah sure, I believe you."

"Well, uh, okay then." Jongin smiled awkwardly. It was the first time he's ever been so uncomfortable around a woman. Usually he'd be all suave and say pick up lines, like the ones he regularly uses on Taeyeon. This girl was like a rock—a cold, cold rock.

"Soooo..." He began, not knowing what to talk about. The weather? Sports? Or was she into depressing stuff like death and oblivion?

"Listen, Jongin, I'm just gonna get straight to the point—I was actually worried about you."

'Well that was unexpected.' "Why? I mean, thanks for looking out for me, but we've only just met and all."

"Not like—ugh," Jessica ran a hand down her face. Yet another clueless guy. "I was worried because Taeyeon said you were some -deprived, hormonal bad boy who kept making jabs at her."

"She said that?"

"No, I lied." Jessica deadpanned. "But that's what I initially thought of you, that's why I was worried. But Taeyeon disagreed and said you were just playful, and I guess she was right."

"She defended me?"

The girl groaned, another headache was coming on. "Yes, now will you stop repeating what I say? The point is, I was worried about you, but Taeyeon came to your defence. Now what do you have to say about that?"

"...thanks?"

Yup, there it was—headache #2. "That means to some degree, she cares about you—as a friend—so don't you think you should stop with all the innuendos and flirting? Taeyeon doesn't need to go through another bad boy phase."

Jongin frowned, his eyebrows knitted together. "I don't understand."

Jessica sighed, "I'm telling you this only because Taeyeon is like a sister to me. She only falls for two types of people: silent guys and bad boys. You, Jongin, are somewhat under the latter. Right now, obviously, she doesn't have any romantic feelings for you, seeing as she called you last, but who knows? So you better forget all your pick up lines or else you might find yourself with a smitten Taeyeon. You wouldn't want that, right?"

Jongin's heart jumped and he tried to swallow the lump forming in his throat. He couldn't speak. He couldn't think.

Jessica raised an eyebrow and stared at him questioningly. "You wouldn't want that, right Jongin?" She repeated.

After a few seconds, he answered, "Of course I don't."

•••

When Taeyeon arrived that afternoon, she found her best friend on the couch, playing with her phone. 

"Hey," she greeted, placing the bags on the kitchen counter as she looked around the flat. "Where're the others?"

"They're all freshening up for lunch." Jessica looked up, "You didn't forget anything, right?"

"Pssh," Taeyeon waved a hand in the air as she chuckled awkwardly. "Of course I didn't, come on, Jessi. I have, like, super sharp memory skills."

"Mhmm," came the other girl's reply. Taeyeon plopped down beside her. "Sooo, what happened while I was gone? Did you guys have...fun?"

"Sure we did," Jessica mumbled with her eyes once again trained on some game. "We talked and all. I also happened to mention Dongjun."

Taeyeon nodded, "Ah yes, Dongjun. He's the last person you initiated, right? I wonder how he's been doing at the hospital. Must be hard for him to be there 24/7."

Jessica nodded absentmindedly, "Well what can he do? He's a doctor."

badum tss

OHMYGLOB GUYS, can you believe it's almost my tenth chapter? I'm super excited! :D

Anyways, I kind of gave a little clue here on who Jessica's rooting for, who do you think he is?

And oh, the Sicapocalypse isn't over yet, since you've only seen up to part three, so please look forward to part 4 keke

By the way, I'm planning a little surprise for you guys, because you're all so great, so please look forward to that, too!

xx

((i'm so sorry if this chapter —i really think it does ><—please don't hate me ;~;))