Prologue - The Boss

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After countless long-distance phone calls, whining from Krystal urging her to move to Korea, her outraged former employer throwing what the American film White Chicks would refer to as a 'BF', and her innocent nails being subjected to teeth chattering from crawling anxiety, Jessica Jung found herself on a plane, comfortably seated in First Class, to South Korea - courtesy of Kwon Enterprises.

Prior to making perhaps the most difficult, life-changing decision of her twenty-two years, she had worked as a librarian in the United States. The salary had not been great, but in hindsight, it had been enough to support her family - to be precise, Krystal and her. 

Jessica drummed her fingers absentmindedly on the smooth surface of her armrest, her thoughts briefly touching upon Krystal. Ironically enough, Krystal had practically shoved her out the door during her lapse of indecisiveness. She had assumed Krystal would beg on bended knee for her to decline the prestigious job offer in South Korea, or something along the lines of an epic sister scene in a heartwrenching movie.

She had been wrong. Krystal it seemed, she thought with wry amusement, wanted more than what her simple Librarian job payed for. She wanted an allowance - the luxury of teenage shopping without restriction in terms of money, and all those things adolescents wanted to indulge in. 

So, that was how Jessica came to be on a plane to South Korea, currently descending the linoleum ramps of South Korea airport. She had received a job offer that had better pay, accommodation and, well, everything her previous job didn't. 

And this was all thanks to Tiffany Hwang - her childhood friend.

"Jessi!" an exuberant voice exclaimed, catching the attention of everyone in the vicinity.

Speak of the mushroom, Jessica said to herself, suppressing a smile. As her eyes met that of crescent ones, the smile tugging at her lips dissipated instantly, a forbidding expression crafting her delicate features. Despite knowing the inevitable, the knowledge did not lessen the impact of Tiffany Hwang tackling her to the ground. 

It was her polite way of greeting, so to speak.

"You're finally here, Jessi!" Tiffany was choking her in a stranglehold of an embrace - courtesy of not seeing each other for a year. Not bothering to remove herself from the embarrassing position sprawled on the floor, Tiffany immediately bombarded her with questions. "How's Krystal? Is she heartbroken you're here? What did your boss do when you told her you're quitting?"

Before Jessica could slap some well-deserved sense in her, a small hand shot through the air, securely grasping Tiffany's pink blouse. In a split second, Tiffany was possessively wrenched back into the arms of a petite, brown-haired midget - a nerdy one at that, complete with black spectacles that screamed 'Dork'. If that not enough indication, then her Superman T-shirt said it all.

Jessica, thoroughly jet-lagged, sluggishly heaved herself to her feet, mumbling a quiet, "Seriously."

"Hey Jessi, this is TaeTae, my fun-sized dork-"

"Kim Taeyeon - the one and only Head of Kwon Enterprises' Research and Development department at your service!" The short girl stepped forward and then proceeded to salute her as if she was a Sergeant, much to Jessica's annoyance. "Correction: I am at Fany-ah's service." To reinforce her statement, she made an embarrassing point of touching Tiffany's behind, drawing even more attention and various gasps from several onlookers.

After what seemed like an eternity of Tiffany pretending to be scandalised - Jessica knew she was pretending because she was eye-smiling - they exited the International Arrival automatic doors.

Jessica's jaw dropped - quite literally - to the ground as she was greeted with indulgent luxury in the form of a slick black, chrome-rimmed, dark window tinted Mercedes, polished to the point of where the wheels blinded her weary eyes.

Seeing her expression, Taeyeon grinned, explaining, "You get one of these company babies from the boss." She then embarrassed herself again by making a spectacular failure of throwing her keys high into the air and missing the catch, thus tarnishing the wonderful impression in Jessica's mind of the staff and, by extension, the company itself.

The journey to Kwon Enterprises was about an hour, with Taeyeon driving, Tiffany calling shotgun and Jessica sleeping in the back. According to Tiffany, they were to have a short welcoming meeting with the rest of the heads of department. After that, she would be issued her apartment keys and tour of the building, all the while being informed of her daily duties.

Frankly, Taeyeon's driving sucked. On occasion, Jessica woke up from having fallen off the backseat from sudden harsh brakes, thus compelling her to not sleep sideways. After Jessica had screamed, threatened, and finally kicked Taeyeon's seat, Tiffany took the initiative to explain that her dork derived extreme pleasure from putting the pedal to the metal like in Grand Theft Auto.

"You see, Jessi," Tiffany began, seemingly unfazed by the nerd driving them to their deaths as she glanced back, "TaeTae loves videogames, much like one of our co-workers. Her name is Sunny - you'll get to meet her today."

After many life-threatening turns, brakes that sent her flying only to be saved by her seat belt, and vulgar cursing - mostly on her part - they arrived at Kwon Enterprises. The sourness that had darkened Jessica's mood vanished as soon as her eyes landed on the company building. Ornately built in concrete and rendered a pleasant dark grey, it towered high, stretching for what seemed like miles to her tired eyes. At the pinnacle were the platinum letters 'KE' that beautifully reflected the sun's radiance.

Tiffany was the one to break her from her trance by yanking her hand while Taeyeon drove her luggage to the company apartment complex.

Jessica raised a fine eyebrow in surprise, obviously impressed at the sound of her accommodation. "We have company apartments?" she questioned with excitement. 

"Mmmm, and guess what?" Tiffany dragged her along, approaching reception and the security clearance area. "The company pays for it all. You also get your own personal phone along with your car! Awesome, huh?"

As they approached reception, Jessica couldn't help but stare at the lavish interior decor. She never considered herself poor, but after seeing what the abundance of money could buy, she could - regrettably - say she was indeed poor in comparison.

"Hey Sunny, this is Jessica, our newest staff member," Tiffany said to a receptionist, who greeted her with startling aegyo. "This is girl I was talking about before - the gamer."

If she thought Taeyeon was, well...odd, this girl was sure a contender. She was short - from one glance, even as Sunny was seated, she could tell she was shorter than Taeyeon. Her lack of nerdy quality was made up by her saccharine cuteness, from her stretching smile to her eye-smiling crescents, her pose, hand gestures, the gaming devices littering her desk - practically everything about her. 

Jessica was given a personalised clearance key card which enabled entry and exit to KE. It even had her details imprinted in black, much to her astonishment - just how much of a background check had they done on her?

Once out of the main foyer into the air-conditioned elevator, the anxiety that had tingled her spine on the plane returned. Despite that, she did not show any of her worry, maintaining her cool, expressionless - almost bored - face as she very casually leaned back against the ornate elevator bar.

"What's KE like?" Jessica asked curiously.

Tiffany twisted her lips for a moment before smiling. "It's well, how would one say? Interesting? The heads of department are really something."

"By that do you mean eccentric?" Jessica asked, adding, "Weird like Taeyeon?"

"Yah!" Tiffany lightly slapped Jessica on the arm, offended. "My Tae isn't weird...she's just special in a dorky way. Hey, if you think TaeTae's dorky, you should meet the boss - she's really, really something."

Before Jessica could voice her thoughts at what she perceived as intentionally vague words, the elevator dinged, signalling their arrival at what she suspected was the conference room level. Although it sounded weird, given the wealth of the company flaunting its riches in their expensive interior decoration, she wouldn't pass it by KE to have its own conference room taking one whole level. They were certainly rich enough.

All of the trepidation she felt just by thinking of meeting everyone died the instant she opened the door. Given KE's wealth, Jessica had fully expected plainly dressed people, all suited up for what constituted as 'proper' for an office environment, complete with cold, calculating, aged faces ready to scrutinise their newest worker.

What she had not expected was a full-out, full-scale welcoming party in the sophisticated room of what one expected a conference room to be.

She was given barely a second to adjust to the bright 'Welcome JJ!' banner hung widely across the glass windows before someone grabbed her.

"My goodness! She's exquisite! She definitely has the potential to become the next Heechul!" 

Rendered speechless at the outrageous flamboyance of a simple welcoming party, Jessica could not match a face to the undeniably male, yet silky voice, as she was - to put it simply - pulled around.

"Unnie, hi!" A relatively young girl's face appeared extremely close, eliciting a shocked gasp from Jessica. The resemblance was uncanny - it was as if she was looking at Krystal. "My name's Im Yoona, but you can call me Yoong or-"

"Out of the yay choding-ah!" An extremely tall woman adorned in sleek black shoved Krystal's lookalike away with unnecessary force, sending her crashing into someone who gasped loudly, stuttering, "U-unnie!" To Jessica's horror, this - there was simply no other word for it, especially given the wild atmosphere which had her mind spiralling - giant was armed with a gun. She felt it as she was pulled in a tight, crushing hug.

What the heck? ran through Jessica's mind. Since when did security guards attend parties?

"GUYS! LET GO OF JESSI NOW OR I'LL INFORM YURI OF YOUR IMMATURITY-"

"Inform me of what?"

The husky voice, although quiet in sound, was loud in authority, projecting quite powerfully over the pandemonium. It was if a thumb descended from the heavens, crushing the welcoming party atmosphere with startling power. Everyone let go of Jessica as if scorned, the latter wearing an expression of utmost annoyance.

Much to everyone's surprise, Jessica pointedly ignored the boss standing silently at the door as she fixed her long orange-blonde hair. It was then, when she finally turned around to acknowledge this so-called 'Yuri', that she stopped altogether.

She was like a black pearl - dark yet shimmering, from the long tresses of her silky black hair to the surprisingly natural tan complexion of her skin that simply glowed with youth. Her facial features were surprisingly soft, contrasting with her expensive, slim-fitting black attire that complimented her tan skin tone. At a glance, she appeared to be a model, with her height, but Jessica - who had never seen anyone so alluring - knew she was so much more.

She was Kwon Yuri - the CEO of Kwon Enterprises. 

Chapter One - The Welcoming Party

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An incredibly uncomfortable silence filled the room as Yuri and Jessica's gazes met, thickening to the point of where the tension and suspense could be sliced with butter knife. 

Yuri's dark eyes flickered to the outrageously large, bright banner that read 'Welcome JJ' before slowly returning to Jessica's face. 

"You must be JJ," Yuri concluded dryly with a lip-curling smirk.

If Jessica was not mistaken, Yuri was taunting her, challenging her with her unblinking eyes. Clearing her throat rather loudly in a Sergeant-like manner, she stepped up to the challenge, raising her chin squarely. "It's Jessica," she corrected smoothly, pausing for commanding effect, "not JJ."

Utter silence engulfed the conference room once more, only to be broken by a handful of hushed gasps. Jessica could have sworn she heard a female's voice whisper, "Oh my gosh, she's hardcore!" behind her, which was then confirmed when a resounding slap shortly followed with a, "Shut up, Hara! It's just getting good."

Much to everyone's surprise, Yuri merely raised a perfectly shaped eyebrow and tilted her head, silently studying her. Jessica fully expected a harsh rebuke for her unmitigated temerity, or perhaps an immediate termination of her contract – she was already envisioning her prestigious job offer being thrown out the high KE building, and an economy class flight back to the States. As such, nothing could have prepared for the warm, if not amused, smile uplifting the other woman's lips. 

"Well, Jessica," Yuri person began indifferently, beginning to close the distance between them with her long legs, "I am utterly delighted to have you under our employment."

Jessica's imagination of being on an uncomfortable seat in Economy Class to the States vanished before her very eyes. Not wanting to provide another reason to get herself fired before she even began, she quickly grasped the offered hand. 

After a rather awkward handshake in which Yuri held her hand tighter and longer than necessary, the office drama started – rather, it began from where the wild welcoming party left off.

"As you should know by now, I'm Kwon Yuri, CEO of Kwon Enterprises," Yuri introduced with another one of her warm smiles. "You'll be seeing a lot more of me from now on."

The corner of Jessica's mouth twitched. "Excuse me?" she choked out before she could stop herself, disturbed by the sexual connotations and that smile she decided was now too friendly. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Krystal's look-alike murmur quietly to a girl with long hair. Although inaudible to her ears, judging by her amazed expression, Jessica could make an accurate guess it had something to do with her 'hardcore' outspokenness. 

A slight frown creased Yuri’s smooth forehead. "Is there a problem?" she queried flatly. "If I’m not mistaken, personal assistants often meet their boss on daily basis."

"Oh-I thought..." Never before had Jessica coveted an economy class plane ticket to the States – it sounded remarkably good right now in her embarrassing predicament. "Umm, never mind. So I gather I'm your PA, then?"

"Yes."

"NO!"

Tiffany, who had been observing the interaction in amusement, burst like a bullet from the staff cluster. Face contorted with fury, she marched towards Yuri and Jessica, her legs eating the distance with an urgency that spoke volumes of her anger. She had been the one to recommend Jessica to Yuri for a job after feeling sorry for her, but not as a personal assistant! All she had been informed of was that Jessica would join the company before her excitement had taken over. Now, her anger was taking over. It was a startling, if not scary, sight to witness. 

Tiffany's eye-smile, capable of melting the hearts of anyone's soul, was nonexistent. Instead, a tightly suppressed line constituted as her mouth while her eyes, normally uplifted warm crescents, were glaring unseen beams of destruction. Jessica concluded she was severely sleep-deprived – there was no way Tiffany's fists could be engulfed by scorching flames.

Yuri swallowed thickly. Tiffany was not a happy mushroom.

Suddenly, the conference door flew open dramatically. In all her superman T-shirt glory, Taeyeon literally flew in, fist aimed forward, head bowed as if she was looking down on an imaginary town in aerial view. To top it off, she was making childlike aeroplane sounds, and remained completely oblivious to the ball of fury that was her girlfriend. Taeyeon 'flew' around the tense room at her own leisurely pace – which was painstakingly slow to everyone else - before accidentally bumping into Tiffany, in which case she finally looked up.

"Oh, hey Fany-"

Tiffany slapped a silencing hand over Taeyeon's mouth. 

"Kwon Youri, you are not making Jessica your personal assistant!" she all but roared. Stomping forward, she angrily jabbed a small finger into said person's stomach, and proceeded to do so to reinforce her point. "Taeyeon will stop groping my butt before I let you corrupt my Jessi!"

Regaining her cool composure, Yuri calmly swatted Tiffany’s finger. "First of all, Fany-ah, I'm CEO, therefore I wield the power to decide whether Jessica will be my personal assistant. Secondly, the fact that Taeyeon gropes your butt is irrelevant. And thirdly, 'corrupt' would be a strong word to associate with the likes of myself if I ever knew what you were talking about, which I can't say I do."

Perhaps, it had been Yuri's condescending tone she used in the first half of her speech that pushed Tiffany over the edge. Or maybe it had been her feigned innocence in defending her image. Either way, Tiffany finally snapped. 

Jessica wearily rubbed her poor eyes as hell broke loose. Within a split-second of Tiffany going ballistic, the wild party atmosphere returned, and had reached a new level of pandemonium that gave her a headache. Lethargically, she dragged herself to the long conference table in the middle of room, and took refuge in resting her aching head against the cool glass. Her timing was impeccable because as soon as her forehead hit the table, the heads of department began immaturely chanting, "Fight, fight, fight!"

To soothe her headache, she tried to force herself to sleep, shutting her eyes tightly. After approximately five excruciatingly long minutes, she simply gave up, infinitely frustrated and tired. In the duration of five minutes, someone had opted to stand on the stretching glass table and dance. Jessica knew this because the tremors of foot movement shook the table, all the way down to her side. In addition, while mini earthquakes wracked the table, her ears were subjected to perhaps the worst singing she had ever had the misfortune of hearing. People were even beat-boxing for the dancer. 

Jessica could not endure it any more. It was driving her insane. She did not want to be admitted into a psychiatric hospital. Krystal would attack her with cucumbers. 

Slamming her fist against the table – was it just her imagination or did the glass crack? – Jessica stood up, a Sergeant-like aura emanating off her. "SHUT UP!" she commanded fiercely, glaring eyes reducing everyone – including the boss – to useless jelly. "You!" She pointed at the dancing woman on the table, who had her chest popped out comically, "get off the damn table! You two," she thrust her finger at the beat-boxing security guard and Krystal's twin, "shut up and act your age!" Whirling around, she finally spotted Yuri and Tiffany, the former holding Tiffany by the collar, with the latter grasping the boss' long hair. Both were staring widely at her, openly gaping. 

"I’ll take the job," was all she said before promptly returning to sleep. 

It took Tiffany a total of five seconds to lift her jaw from the ground. She then laughed awkwardly, scratching her head, obviously trying to act casually and failing spectacularly. "Don't worry everyone," she said to the room at large, reverting to her eye-smiling self, "it's just the Sica-effect." 

Ignoring the strange looks, she ran to Jessica and, after shaking her violently awake, dragged her to the corner of the room. 

"Jessi, are you crazy?" she yelled urgently in English, oblivious to Yuri frowning at them from afar. "You absolutely can't take the job! Only a person completely out of their mind would want to be Kwon Youri's personal assistant!"

Jessica pouted in her confusion. "What's wrong with Yuri?"

"A better question would be what's right with her!"

The person in question only had to hear her name, English words, and the unknown term 'player' before snapping her fingers. "Taeyeon!" Yuri called out authoritatively. In a flash, Taeyeon appeared in front of her, saluting for duty. "As head of Research and Development, I fully expect you to do your job! Research the word 'player' and develop an answer. If I don't have an answer within thirty seconds, I will revoke your head of department privileges and you will be forced to dress according to KE standard. That includes - and by no means is restricted to - T-shirts, shorts, suspenders, and anything related to Superman in any way, shape or form. Also, might I add, I will be forced to inform Human Resources of any work-related butt touches, accidental or not, as well as..."

As Yuri proceeded to list the consequences, Taeyeon's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. "Okay, okay!" she agreed hastily, saluting with a speed that showed her desperation. Fumbling to open her Pokémon backpack that appeared larger than her, she took out her iPad, muttering, "Must not lose byuntae privileges," over and over like a mantra.

Once her iPad was out, she made an impressive performance of opening the internet browser and typing so fast her working hands were a mere blur. Her expression consisted of an anxiously chewed lip, bulging eyes behind black spectacles, and profuse sweat – total concentration, to put it simply. 

"Okay everyone, listen up." Taeyeon stood at her fullest – which wasn’t very tall – and cleared her throat. "According to urbandictionary.com, the term 'player' refers to a man or woman who doesn't understand the meaning of relationship, is in full reproductive mode," Yuri's eye twitched at that, "and is, well - excuse my profanity boss - an a******. A more concise term would be...hmm, what's that word that describes a girl that is prone to releasing sexual frustration in a very active way to multiple people?" she asked the onlooking staff.

Sooyoung, who had been watching the drama while eating the party food popcorn, swallowed a handful before raising her hand like a schoolgirl. "Slu*," she answered helpfully.

"Oh, right." Turning to Yuri, Taeyeon calmly summarised it by stating, "Yuri, you are a slu*."

In a black whirl, Yuri stalked over to the two American girls, muttering assurances to herself that she was not a slu* but rather a passionate, beautiful, sexy boss who just happened to have attractive personal assistants. Nonchalantly, she tapped Tiffany's shoulder, and waited until said mushroom turned around.

"Fany-ah," she began coolly, as if stating facts, "in no way, shape or form do I resemble or act like a player."

Tiffany instantly opened her mouth, remarking a sarcastic, "Oh, sure. If you aren't a player that isn't infamously known to date your personal assistants, then what about the first time when you kissed me? Or six months ago before Taeyeon confessed when you pushed me against the wall and-"

"You guys did it in the office?!" Taeyeon yelled before she could stop herself. She had followed Yuri obediently, and was now clutching said boss as if her life depended on it. 

It was when Taeyeon began publicly interrogating Tiffany about her office escapades that Yuri decided she had had enough of office drama for one day. Grabbing the couple's collars respectively – her height gave her an advantage - she wrenched them apart and dragged them over to the other staff. She pushed them into the cluster and, ignoring their complaints, silenced them by raising her hand.

"I want all of this," she gestured with her eyes to the war torn state of the conference room, "to be cleaned up by tomorrow. Seohyun, I want the updated staff files on my desk by tomorrow morning. Yoong, I want you to head down to the I.T lab and print me a layout of the KE building, as well as one of the company apartment complex. Hyo, wrap up Sales and Marketing for tonight and I want a return-on-investment evaluation on my desk by tomorrow. Sooyoung, have your department run the usual security protocols for the end of day. Are there any questions?"

As those mentioned bade Jessica in the corner goodbye, Taeyeon and Tiffany raised their hands. Yuri said nothing for a moment before casually remarking, "Go have a baby or something."

"Aigoo!" 

"Kwon Youri!" 

Just as Yuri began walking to Jessica, Tiffany caught her attention by yelling across the room. 

"If Jessi is going to be your PA, what does that make me?" she threw out in a high-pitched voice. "Are you firing me, huh?" Completely overwhelmed by the possibility, she ran to her dork and buried her face in Taeyeon’s shoulder, sobbing uncontrollably. If was as if the revelation of the scandalous affair never happened; Taeyeon immediately dropped her Pokémon backpack she was organising and enveloped her in a tight hug, assuring her mushroom Yuri was a total slu*, player, and the aforementioned profane term. 

Despite the couple being ridiculously presumptuous, to Jessica, they looked exactly like characters from a Korean drama. She leaned against the wall, crossed her arms, and simply observed Yuri sashaying towards the couple. There was simply no way to describe Yuri's swagger without associating model and catwalk – she came to this conclusion as she was given a full rear view of her boss-to-be. Unconsciously, her eyes trailed the long length of Yuri's slender form, and she swallowed.

After a short conversation between the three, it came apparent to Jessica that Tiffany was somewhat bipolar as said person literally skipped towards her. 

"Guess what?" Before Jessica could respond, Tiffany grabbed her jacket and strangled her for the second time in one day with a tight hug. "I'm not getting fired," Tiffany whispered excitedly, unaware of the choked spluttering sounds from the blonde. "Youri is making me an administrative assistant. Basically, it's similar to a PA but I'll be handling office stuff rather than Youri's appointments and whatever. Honestly, I don't know if a PA's salary is higher but considering I won't be handling Yuri, I couldn't care less! Besides, Taeyeon's head of R&D anyway, so what's hers is mine if you get what I mean. ” 

Jessica was about to remind her that barely less than an hour ago she was willing to die to save her from the fate of working as Yuri’s PA but decided otherwise. Instead, she stammered a, "Congratulations!" as best she could while being throttled.

Tiffany jerked to attention when Yuri whirled around, pointing directly at them. "Fany, hands off my PA. Sica, you’re with me."

Sica.

The nickname repeated itself incessantly in her mind. For what seemed like the hundredth time today, she incredulously thought what the heck? Since when had they transcended the part of first impressions to casual friendship? 

Together, they headed beeline for the exit to leave Tiffany and Taeyeon to clean. Taeyeon talked to her briefly at the door. According to Taeyeon, who had opted to speak on her girlfriend's behalf – said person was currently hopping in delight around the room, making a complete fool of herself – they were going to clean up and then head down to Tiffany's new work space to acquaint with the room. Jessica knew that acquaint in that context equated to office sex but said nothing, too tired to scold their rampant behaviour. She did, however, make a mental note never to touch anything in Tiffany's work space in the future.

Once in the elevator, two things finally dawned on her. Firstly, they were on a very high level of the building, and thus it would take ages for them to reach the ground floor. Secondly, she was alone with the boss in a very restricted, tight space.

"So, Yuri," Jessica began hesitantly, staring at a particularly interesting spot on the floor, "if I may ask, where exactly are we going?"

Yuri smiled. "We're going to the underground car park level. I'll be driving you to the company apartment complex."

"Oh." When Jessica finally decided to lift her head, she instantly wished she hadn't – meeting Yuri's unblinking eyes was incredibly awkward. For some reason, it felt really hot in the air-conditioned elevator. Swallowing, she tried to make casual conversation. "So, who are we going with?"

Tilting her head to one side, Yuri quizzically repeated, "Going with?"

"What I meant was who else are you driving besides me?" Jessica rephrased quickly, staring at elevator buttons, determined not to make eye-contact. What Yuri said next however, had her shocked that she reflexively looked up. 

"There is no one else, Sica. It's just going to be you and me."

Chapter Two - Of Cars and Grudges

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Jessica only had to take one step into the underground parking level before promptly dropping her jaw to the ground for what seemed like the thousandth time in one today. Moreover, her brain and mouth refused to work together as she found herself moving her lips with nothing coming out. Even her legs, which her mind screamed to move, failed to as she simply stood idly at the security door which was now threatening to close on her.

Hearing the door beep warningly, Yuri quickly grasped her wrist and tugged her PA along, chuckling mirthfully all the while. The look on Jessica's face was of mingled incredulity, envy and awe, and it was priceless. 

"What's wrong, Sica?" Yuri queried with a grin. "Car got your tongue?"

Jessica jerkily snapped out of her daze. Scoffing at her boss, she shook her arm free, hastily withdrawing it safely to her side. With obvious interest, she began wandering around the cars, fully aware Yuri was trailing behind her. 

No matter where she looked she was nearly blinded by either unbelievably polished chrome wheels, an array of pearlescent sheens she didn't believe existed, or expensively tinted windows that reflected the overhanging lights. From one sweeping glance, there seemed to be eight vehicles all parked diagonally facing the exit. She found the ratio of cars and the people at the welcoming party to be uneven. 

Frowning, Jessica walked around each of the expensive vehicles, examining them closely. Much like the crazy heads of department, the paints of the cars were indeed unique. The pearlescent colours ranged from sleek, classy black – Taeyeon's Mercedes, for example – to flamboyant, eye-catching purple, to even ordinary green. After drifting around, she came across an impressive sports car – street, if she was not mistaken – coloured a pleasant sky-azure blue. It was undoubtedly a toy for a young person, evident from its long, low body kit – she could only imagine how fast the street car was. Upon closer inspection, she was amused to see Keroro on every surface of the interior. 

"Isn't this a bit...excessive?" Jessica asked as more of a statement than a question, angling her head to stare at her boss. When Yuri remained silent, she emphasised her point by pointing at the Keroro cover of the seats. 

Yuri followed the direction of her PA's finger before bursting out laughing. "This is my cousin's car," she explained while clutching her stomach. "Yoong has developed a peculiar interest in Keroro lately. I have an inkling her obsession has something to do with Seohyun, our resident Head of Human Resources."

Jessica made one of her offhanded "Ahh" sounds in understanding – she had seen Yoona mumble something to an innocent looking girl, after all. Funnily enough, she hadn't really been properly introduced to the heads of department in the heat of the office drama. The extent of introductions went as far as when they all said goodbye, but even then she still couldn't decipher one from another, save for the feminine man called Heechul, Seohyun, and Yoona who she now knew was Yuri's cousin.

"Hey, Sica." The person in question glanced questioningly at her boss. "Guess which vehicle is mine."

After scrutinising all the cars, she pointed at a black Audi R8, guessing aloud, "This is your car, isn't it?"

Again, Yuri grinned, inwardly wondering why her PA was making her smile so much. "Good guess, but not quite." Striding over to a corner, she wheeled her Kawasaki Ninja out to the centre of the room, taking extra caution not to damage it in any way. Dramatically, she grasped the ends of the dark cover and, with a flick of her wrist, it sailed off in a black magnificent whirl, revealing an even more magnificent motorcycle.

As expected – but no less amusing than the first time – Jessica was speechless. What was more amusing was her unique way of expressing herself as while her mouth was open, her eyes appeared to be distant, reflecting the world around her as she spaced out. 

Yuri waved her spare helmet in front of her PA's face. "Sica, you there?" 

No response.

Twisting her lips in thought, Yuri decided to try again, this time with something she knew Jessica would snap at. "Earth to JJ," she called out, poking Jessica’s slightly chubby cheeks once. 

No response.

Desperate situations called for desperate measures – in Jessica's case, judging by her drooping eyes, she was sleep deprived – so Yuri changed tactics. In her sharpest, most authoritative tone, she stared into those drooping eyes and stated with deadly conviction, "Jessica Jung, you're fired."

As if a gun had been fired, Jessica recoiled, squealing deafeningly like a dolphin. "What?" she cried frantically, despair darkening her features. "You're firing me?"

"No," Yuri answered flatly, "but if you don't get on my baby, you will be."

Jessica only had to look at the motorcycle fleetingly before protesting loudly, stepping backwards, vehemently refusing to ride it. She even went so far as to refer to Yuri's Kawasaki as a scary 'thing' to which the owner took badly. Like an electrical spark, the office drama rekindled, burning hotter and brighter as their quarrelling escalated beyond Tiffany's earlier outrage. 

"I'm not getting on that-that thing!" Jessica screamed stubbornly with a scrunched face. To add to the effect, she childishly stamped her feet, and crossed her arms in defence.

Gone was the amused little grin on Yuri's face – she now resembled a cold piece of stone. "That 'thing' is my baby – my pride and joy. You're getting on it whether you want to or not," she forced through clenched teeth. 

Before Jessica could add fuel to the fire, Yuri quickly pushed the helmet on her delicate head, shutting the visor before those brown eyes could convince her otherwise. As she stood back to admire the helmet, she doubled over with laughter – she simply couldn't help it, as the headgear seemed to be bigger than Jessica's slender body. Speaking of Jessica, she was currently doing a variation of jumping and stamping her feet on the spot, whining all the while and completely unaware of how ridiculously cute she looked as the helmet bobbed. 

Laughing, Yuri picked up her sturdy leather jacket folded on the seat. Although she needed it as she was the driver, she figured she could do without it for one night. Besides, she rationalised, Jessica probably would need it to keep warm since she was only wearing a thin sweater. She attempted to put the jacket on Jessica but no avail, and would have got a black eye if not for her agile reflexes. 

"Sica, stop moving!" she commanded exasperatedly. "This is for your own good, okay?"

"Get this off!" Jessica dodged Yuri's hands and ran around the cars, waving her arms frantically, foolishly under the delusion that doing so would magically remove the helmet. "Now, right NOW!" 

After many ear-splitting dolphin shrieks, fruitless chasing of cat and mouse, and Yuri nursing an aching leg – Jessica had seen it fit to kick her violently in her escape – the two finally found themselves at a crossroads. They were panting opposite each other with Seohyun's plain green car separating them. There was barely a split-second of their eyes clashing before Yuri made her dramatic move. In one swift movement, she threw herself over the car hood like the police in action films and slid across it so fluidly Jessica froze.

"Here." Yuri pushed her leather jacket into Sica’s arms with a firmness that reinforced her ultimatum. "You either put this on, or I'll do it for you. It's your choice."

Not bothering for acquiescence – she knew Jessica's stubbornness had limits – Yuri put her own helmet on, however she did not close the visor. She strode over to the wall panel and scanned her card to open the car park security doors. By the time she turned around, Jessica had already finished zipping the jacket to the neck, and was now sulking with tightly crossed arms.

"Have you been a motorcycle passenger before, Sica?" Yuri questioned evenly, indifferent to the cold aura lowering the temperature of the room. She interpreted the scoff she received in response as a no. "Well, there's nothing really to it. Unless you want to die," her voice was drenched with sarcasm here, "don't take your helmet off at all. Also, keep your feet on the foot pegs and lean with me when we turn. Lastly, do you trust me, Sica?"

"No," was Jessica's blunt, what she hoped was insulting, answer.

"Good." Yuri reverted to her usual smiling, friendly self. "That means this will be twice as fun."

Approximately five minutes later, Jessica discovered that Yuri's definition of fun was similar to Taeyeon’s Grand Theft Auto pedal to the metal. It wasn't so much that her driving was terrible, but rather that she accelerated needlessly, seemed to love attempting wheelies with a passenger, and appeared to be immune to her dolphin screams – how that was possible eluded Jessica completely, as she was so focussed on staying alive. What was worse was that staying alive meant clutching to her tormentor. It was impossible to differentiate if she was screaming louder or hugging Yuri tighter as if her life depended on it. 

By the time they reached the company apartment complex, Jessica was convinced she was traumatised. When Yuri ordered her to dismount, her shaking legs refused to, as did her hands that were suffocatingly wrapped around her boss' middle. Even her face, which had taken refuge in the fall of Yuri's black hair, seemed to be permanently stuck. In the end, Yuri had to beckon a valet over for assistance in holding the motorcycle still while she carefully got off. The extent of Jessica's traumatisation was so great that when she dismounted, Jessica automatically curled her legs around her waist, clinging to her like a newborn. 

Apparently, Jessica was lighter than she looked – Yuri came to this conclusion when she piggybacked her PA into the apartment complex lobby with relative ease. 

After a quick chat with the receptionist informing her Taeyeon had taken one of Jessica's apartment keys earlier, Yuri accepted the other key on her PA's behalf. As she headed for the elevator, she couldn't help but notice the arms around her slackening. Perhaps, she had fallen asleep?

Chuckling quietly at the thought, Yuri pressed the floor buttons before readjusting Jessica on her back. Her PA was quite the character, she mused with an odd fondness, recalling the drama conference room, the car park, and the motorcycle mayhem.

In all her years, she had never met a real princess until now. Jessica was as close to being a princess as anything – her high-pitched squeals, cold glares with a pout, icy demeanour, and daydreaming tendencies were all traits of a princess. And yet, despite her princess qualities, she possessed the spirit of a sergeant with smouldering glares as her weapon, stubbornness as her armour, and a swagger that belied her fragility. 

Almost unconsciously, as her thoughts wandered around Jessica, so did her eyes. She found herself staring into the reflection of the polished railing of the elevator, simply observing the face of her musings. Sometime between her talk with the receptionist to the elevator, Jessica had moved her cheek to rest on the crook of her shoulder. For the first time, Yuri was given a view of her PA's facial features in their neutral state, and it was then that her theory was proven correct. Sergeant or not, Jessica slept like a princess.

The timing of the elevator ding was impeccable – she could only imagine the presumptuous accusations if she was caught blatantly staring at her PA's face, and the chaos that would ensue. Carefully, as not to wake up her PA, she walked over to the door closest to the elevator on the right. With a spectacular performance of using the wall to support her PA while she used her free hand to insert the key, Jessica's apartment door opened, revealing a beautifully furnished room and three neatly placed suitcases near the entrance. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be Pokéball-shaped sticky notes on one of the suitcases which read:

Yo Jessica ~ Just to let you know that Fany-ah and I are living on the same floor as you. Shout out (literally, since we're like at the top of the building just below Yul's penthouse) if you need anything. 

P.S While I was dragging your luggage to your room the zipper broke, spilling all of your bras and underwear, so don't get paranoid because your stuff is scattered and crumpled. I swear I didn't open it on purpose!

P.P.S You have great taste :3

Yuri rolled her eyes at Taeyeon's note and ventured into bedroom. Gently, she deposited Jessica on the bed and tucked her in snugly. She lingered for a moment, watching her PA shift to accommodate a better position on her back while lifting her arm over head like she was being punished. What an amusing character, she said to herself, smiling at the thought as she quietly exited the apartment. 

-------------------------------------------------------

It was in the dead of the night when the door to Jessica's apartment clicked open softly. A shadow slowly crept inside and blindly closed the door behind them, engulfing the hallway in utter darkness once more. 

Their first destination was the fridge, and after some rummaging inside, the door was shut with a slam. Like a creeping shadow, the person moved to the bedroom with one arm outstretched. As they bent over the bed, the figure bowed their head in a sinister way that made their hair appear as a dark, obscuring curtain. Blindly, they touched Jessica's face, gentle at first, then roughly. It took a while before Jessica finally cracked one annoyed eye open. When she did, she was staring into the face of the grudge, complete with long hair and screwed up eyes.

Jessica screamed.

-------------------------------------------------------

Yuri snapped rigidly into a sitting position as a dolphin-like scream echoed from the floor below her penthouse, reverberating all the way to her bedroom. It took her a moment to associate the scream with the Jessica, but once she did, and heard another shriek, she was already running furiously to the elevator. On the way, she swiped her mobile phone lying on the kitchen counter. Once on the lower floor, she burst through from the elevator, sprinting so fast it was like she was running a baseball home run. Not surprisingly, she hadn't been the only one to hear Jessica's scream.

Sooyoung, Sunny, Yoona, Seohyun, Heechul, and Tiffany were already there, all congregating worriedly.

"What's going on?" Yuri demanded as soon as she caught up to them.

"I don't know, we just heard Jessica scream-WHAT THE HELL, YUL, WHERE ARE YOUR PANTS?" Sooyoung yelled in disbelief, pointing at her boss' long, bare legs in mortification. Yoona instinctively covered Seohyun's eyes with her hand and glared at her cousin, mouthing nonsense. 

Yuri glared at them all. "What's wrong with my legs? And, for your information, I ran here as fast as I could."

Before Sooyoung or Yoona could speak their minds, another deafening scream resonated from the apartment, startling them all.

"Damn it!" Yuri began banging on the door, her commands for Jessica to open the door falling on deaf ears. Turning around, she addressed the heads of department. "We need to get in there now! Sooyoung, call Hara."

"Chill out guys, I got this." As Sooyoung attempted to take control of the situation, she took out her pistol from its holster and calmly aimed it at the lock.

All of sudden, Seohyun, faced with seeing a firearm for the first time in her life, began crying fearfully. Before Yuri knew it as she stared at them incredulously, Yoona was shielding Seohyun protectively, blaming Sooyoung in her booming voice for making her Hyunnie cry, Sunny was freaking out, Tiffany was pounding on Jessica's door like she was out of her mind, and Heechul was fixing his hair. 

Ignoring their insanity, Yuri whipped out her mobile and dialled Hara's number. As Hara's sweet, cheerful voice greeted her, she swiftly cut her off. "We have a situation on Taeyeon's level. I need you to get here ASAP. Don't inform reception – we don't need the press hearing about this."

Five minutes later, the heads of department insanity had reached a level Yuri never believed existed. Sooyoung had finally put her weapon on the ground after a Mexican standoff even though no one else had a gun. As soon as she had, Yoona tackled her to the ground, transforming into the alligator she was nicknamed to be. Tiffany had turned into a mother and was softly consoling her 'daughter' Seoyhun as they huddled on the carpet. Sunny was so relieved she was pouring out her soul to Heechul, stating she was "too cute" and "fun-sized" to die while the latter merely examined his nails. 

"I'm here guys!" Hara announced as she ran out of the elevator. Yuri sighed when Hara tested gravity by tripping over nothing, falling flat on her face. Sometimes, she wondered how Hara could have obtained a black belt in Taekwondo. 

Just as Hara reached the staff, another piercing scream came from the door. With one glance at each of the heads of department and the door, she put everything together. Stepping back calmly, she faced Jessica’s door before charging at it. Utilising her Taekwondo skills, she kicked the door once, splintering it with monstrous power. 

Like the S.W.A.T team in movies, Yuri and Tiffany flooded into the room, immediately heading for the bedroom. They were shocked to find Jessica beside herself crying, screaming, and kicking a blanket. As the pair raced to her, it turned out Jessica was in fact kicking Taeyeon rolling around on the floor wrapped in said blanket.

"Sica!" Yuri lunged for her and grabbed her around the middle before pinning her to the wall. 

Meanwhile, Tiffany dropped to her knees and hugged Taeyeon tightly, as if to shield her from the tyrannical princess. 

"Sica, stop fighting me! The grudge was only Taeyeon," Yuri assured her firmly, grasping her PA's flailing arms. When she was out of her mind, Jessica was strong but unfortunately, Yuri was stronger, not to mention taller. After a rough struggle – she ended up kicking Yuri in the shin again – Jessica finally conceded defeat. Instead, she resorted to verbal abuse and interrogation.

"Why were you in my room acting like the grudge?" Jessica hissed heatedly, peering over Yuri's shoulder. "More importantly, how did you get in my room? And why were you molesting me?"

"You were molesting her?!" Tiffany exclaimed, scandalised. The tables turned instantly as Tiffany sided with Jessica while Yuri stuck with her dorky friend. 

Taeyeon, who was clutching her battered arm, quickly put her hands up in defence as the combined heat of Jessica and Tiffany's glares burned her. "Hey, hey, woah Fany-ah. I think I sleep walked again. Hmm, I can't explain how I got in here, though."

"The receptionist gave you Sica's other apartment key earlier," Yuri recounted helpfully, moving to haul her Head of R&D to her feet. 

For a pregnant moment, no one moved, eyes flickering everywhere. 

"Whatever, I'm tired," Jessica announced suddenly. Before she could sink into the heavenly mattress, Yuri cut her off and caught her by the arm. 

"I'm not comfortable with you sleeping here tonight," was her simple explanation. If it were other circumstances where Jessica had not been attacked by Taeyeon, she would have immediately protested. Fate however, had it that her weariness outweighed every objection in her body, allowing Yuri free reign to drag her wherever. 

"Kwon Youri!" Tiffany was hot on their heels in the hallway. "Where are you taking Jessi?"

Yuri glanced indifferently over her shoulder. "Sica will be staying with me for the meantime while her door gets fixed."

"I-you-"

Cutting her off with her hand, she posed a question she was sure would get Tiffany off her back. "Given the state of her door, anyone could walk in. You don't want Sica molested for real, do you?"

"Of course not!"

"That's what I thought. Speaking of tonight, you should take Taeyeon to the hospital," Yuri advised with a touch of concern, remembering her dorky friend. "If I'm not mistaken, her arm is broken. Oh, and have Sooyoung bring Sica's luggage to my penthouse."

There was no need to tell her twice. As soon as the words escaped her mouth, Tiffany was already running back to Jessica's apartment. 

Once in the privacy of her penthouse, Yuri finally breathed a sigh of relief. She slanted her head to examine Jessica's condition only to find her eyes drooping. First, she was princess, then a sergeant – now, Yuri was convinced her PA was a sleepyhead. Again, Yuri found herself quelling the sudden urge to smile at the thought. 

For the second time in one night, Yuri tucked Jessica in comfortably. Moving to the other side of her large bed, she crawled in. 

It was only Jessica's first day and tears had been fallen, a gun had been involved, Taeyeon had been injured, and so much more that it hurt Yuri's head to even think about it. Time would only tell what the future would be with Sica as her PA.

--------------------------

Chapter Three - Kitchen Adventures

-----------------------------------

Sunlight poured into the spacious penthouse, bathing the two occupants of the bed in a warm, luminous glow. Given the height of the building and lack of trees, there was no dulcet chirping of birds to rouse the pair. Fortunately, the black-haired figure was so accustomed to the time that she automatically woke up. 

Yuri retracted her tongue and yawned widely as her eyes adjusted to the blinding rays of the sun bursting through the penthouse glass windows. For a while longer, she lingered in her position, enjoying the nestled heat moulded into her body, and the sweet, strawberry scent wafting to her nostrils. Instinctively, she snuggled closer, tightening her legs around the softness wriggling slightly. As her eyes sharpened, so did her mind, the grogginess that came with having a good sleep gradually fading until she was horrifyingly aware of what she was spooning – rather, who was the soft bundle of heat, and the source of strawberries. 

Shocked beyond belief, Yuri withdrew her limbs like she had been burned – ironically, she would be burned alive if Jessica ever found out about their sleeping positions. Yuri's expression turned from shocked to mortified when she found she could not move her left leg. Not only was her leg numb, but Jessica's thigh seemed to be the weight and, she realised in dismay, her source of dread for the next crucial minutes. Biting her lip, she very lightly put one hand on Jessica's shoulder and bravely slipped her other one underneath the duvet, searching for the said thigh. 

All of sudden, Jessica shifted randomly to face her, taking Yuri by surprise. Momentarily, Yuri was distracted by the sunlit golden hair splayed across the pillows that appeared angelic. Snapping out of her daze, she continued her mission – she classified it as a mission because of the disastrous consequences should she fail and the amount of concentration that was required to succeed. It came to immense relief when Yuri succeeded without disturbing the sergeant princess. Her PA was either a heavy sleeper or just extremely tired from yesterday's drama. 

Stretching, Yuri slid off the bed, running a swift hand through her tousled long hair as a makeshift comb. As CEO of one of South Korea's most prominent companies, she needed to be energised and refreshed for work, and that meant ma juice. As she ventured to her penthouse kitchen, she checked her mobile for any overnight updates, and wasn't startled to find a grand total of nine messages – yesterday had been chaotic, after all. 

Tiffany: 

Hey, I'm driving 2 the hospital with TaeTae as we speak. Oops, I shouldn't b driving and txting D:

It's Tiff again. Anyway, I'm currently waiting 4 TaeTae as she gets her arm checked. 

Oh, one last thing – if u take advantage of Jessi, I'll break into ur penthouse and throw ur ma out of the building along with ur limited edition Minnie dolls ^.^ See u at work 2day boss~

Taeyeon: 

D:

Sooyoung:

Hey slu*! Hahaha, just kidding, Yul. Before Fany ran off to the hospital, she told me to take Sica's stuff to your penthouse. Just letting you know her luggage is outside the elevator of your room and...that you're a slu* ;D

Yoona: 

YOU BABO! NEXT TIME WEAR SOME PANTS PLZ! I DON'T WANT MY HYUNNIE CORRUPTED THANKZ CUZ. 

P.S Sooyoung-unnie told me 2 say this...YOU'RE A SLU*

Heechul: 

Hey Yul, about last night...how is my twin? Yes, you heard me – I have officially dubbed Sica as my twin. Bite me boss :3 Actually wait...that's reserved for my twin, isn't it? I bet you're biting her or something equally kinky. Hehe, wait till I tell everyone at work! >:]

Hara:

Hey boss-unnie. I told reception to have Sica-unnie's door fixed. DW, I didn't tell them the details, only that the hinges were failing. I made up that Taengoo-unnie and Fany-unnie were having rough love against the door and it broke LOL. THEY TOTES BOUGHT IT! KNOW Y? BECAUSE AFTER I TOLD THEM, THE PAIR WALKED PAST RECEPTION WITH TAENGOO CLUTCHING HER ARM LMAO AND SHE HAD WILD BED HAIR. I'm so smart yeah. 

Laters boss-unnie~

Hyoyeon:

OMG Sunny told me what happened last night. Haha, Jessica is jjang :] B4 u ask, I was on a d8 last night with this guy Junho. Just telling u about my d8 b4 Heechul hears about it – that she-man loves gossip, and he’ll be pissed to know some1 knew before him. I think he's a woman stuck in a man's body. Might call him Heechul-unnie from now on...

Yuri chucked to herself at the messages as she prepared the ingredients and blender for her morning ma juice. Even through text messages, Tiffany managed to give her an eye-smile and threaten her about seducing Jessica. The news that Hyoyeon was dating however, was relatively new – she quickly made a mental note to investigate this 'Junho': who he worked for, what his occupation was, and any other relevant details of his past. It was a necessary precaution to be sure, and that meant paying a visit to her cousin's floor. 

Soon enough, the penthouse silence was broken by the grinding sound from her state of the art blender. As she held the lid securely on the stainless steel appliance, she craned her neck to check on Jessica spurred by a sudden urge. Since her penthouse didn't have many walls, she was given a clear view of the bedroom, and her sleeping PA. Although Jessica's features were blurry from a distance, her orange-blonde tresses stood out like golden treasure on a tropical island in the waves of the cream and aqua rumpled bedding. 

After drinking her healthy ma juice, she went to retrieve Jessica's luggage near the penthouse door, briefly wondering if she should leave Taeyeon's Pokéball sticky notes. The prankster inside – the side of her influenced by the head of department chodings – egged her to leave them as they were on the luggage, just to see Jessica give Taeyeon hell at work purely for entertainment. In the end, her professionalism and judiciousness had its way, allowing Taeyeon to live another day – to have only a broken arm, so to speak.

Heaving the last of the suitcases next to the bed, Yuri glanced impulsively at her sleeping PA before disappearing into the adjoining bathroom. 

-----------------------------------------

Jessica was convinced she had died by Taeyeon's grudge hands and gone to heaven. The mattress beneath her was paradise itself - being the best money can buy, it was soft yet firm, making her want to sink into it forever. Even the lingering scent on the plump pillows was heavenly. It was slightly sweet, with a subtle hint of fruit essence, and all woman allure carrying a dry wood and earth undertone. It was as if the fragrance had been infused into the luxurious bedding, releasing its unique smell every time she shifted. Like a surreal dream, the bed evoked the feeling of floating on air, of being completely and complacently carefree.

Unfortunately, dreams were not reality, rather a figment of one's imagination – in Jessica's case, of her perfect bed, until she realised that the aforementioned bed was not in her possession, to which she finally woke up.

As soon as she did, and found herself tangled in a sea of blue blankets, she screamed, her fragile state of mind that came with Taeyeon's grudge attack going ballistic. When she became aware of the running shower, her panic escalated so rapidly that she accidentally fell off the unknown – albeit, heavenly – bed. Rubbing her sore head, her eyes went wide when the shower stopped suddenly. Throwing herself back on the bed, she fumbled for one of the plump pillows. Once securely in hand, she bolted to the closed bathroom door. 

The door opened in a haze of steam followed by a very worried, very bare Yuri clad in nothing but a short white towel. "Sica? What's-"

Yuri had expected to find Jessica on the bed out of her mind, not an incoming pillow to the face. With monstrous strength, she was walloped by said pillow, the sheer momentum sending her flying painfully against the wall. In her disoriented state, she failed to notice that the towel had slipped from her grasp as she braced herself, rendering her completely naked with her long, tanned legs stretched out. What was worse was that when she finally lifted her drenched head, Jessica it seemed, judging by her flaming red face and gaping mouth, had seen everything. 

Before Yuri could say something, Jessica sprinted to the steamy bathroom and slammed it shut, locking it soundly. 

-----------------------------------------

Breakfast was an impossibly silent, awkward, strained affair. Yuri and Jessica sat opposite each other with three metres of black marble separating them as they ate on the long kitchen counter. Everything about them was tense - Yuri was staring hard at her bacon and eggs, her hair falling down around her face like a shielding curtain to conceal her face while Jessica gazed at the stainless steel fridge, seemingly trying to melt it with her eyes. 

Normally, Yuri would be smug about revealing her assets – she knew she was attractive – but she wasn't. Jessica was no Tiffany, or any ordinary PA for that matter, no – she was a princess, and princesses were supposed to be protected, even from sexy bosses. 

Yuri felt suddenly very guilty.

"Yuri."

Keeping her face devoid of emotion, she nonchalantly turned her head, succeeding in appearing casual. "Hmm?" was her querying reply as she ate a spoonful of egg. 

"Could you pass me your buns?"

Completely disregarding the fact that the bread rolls were on her side of the counter, Yuri choked on her food, and lapsed into a rough coughing fit. Jessica's resolve to ignore her boss and her blatant nude escapades shattered pathetically at the spluttering sound. Before she could stop herself, she hopped off her kitchen stool. Swinging her arm back for momentum, her hand descended hard on Yuri's shaking back. The slap was so painful that Yuri hoarsely yelled out, "Sergeant!" after she was able to swallow her food. 

"What did you say?" Jessica asked curiously, a sharp glint in her eye. 

Not wanting a real slap, Yuri quickly said, "Nothing." 

It seemed her simple response was enough to satisfy Jessica. The atmosphere suddenly became tense when Jessica realised her hand was lingering on Yuri's back making small stroking ministrations. Withdrawing it hastily, Jessica hid her expression by taking her empty plate to the dishwasher. She took refuge in taking her time putting her dishes on the rack and dismissed how foolish she looked with only one plate and cutlery. By the time she turned around, she had managed to compose herself, much to her contentment.

"So," Jessica began coolly, folding her arms across her cardigan, "about this morning-"

"Nothing happened," Yuri finished for her in a flat voice as she set down her cutlery. Resting her chin on her hands, she gazed at her PA intently before confirming the story. "You saw nothing, right?"

"Right. Nothing happened."

-----------------------------------------------------------

"YOURI DID WHAT?"

It was approximately one o'clock in the KE building. Tiffany, who had been working diligently in her new office space, had gone to the staff kitchen for coffee. Coincidentally, Heechul had also chosen to refill his coffee cup, and ended up catching the same elevator as Tiffany. Since Heechul was so feminine and loved pink – he wore a pretty pink cashmere sweater today – the two immediately began talking about the latest edition of Vogue. After commenting on the absurd seasonal fashion trend, they began talking about last night's chaos, at which point Heechul casually mentioned that Yuri and Jessica had slept together. 

That was how Tiffany came to be in front of Yuri's office. 

With a loud bang, Tiffany threw open the door, sending it crashing against the wall. Trailing behind her was Heechul with the biggest lip-curling smirk from his repertoire and shining eyes that sparkled with glorious happiness. 

If Taeyeon hadn't been having a chat with Yuri about the condition of her arm, the latter would have died a painful, tragic death at Tiffany's hands. This was evident when Tiffany took one look between Yuri at her desk and Jessica bending over filing reports before lunging for the boss. Instantly, Taeyeon had grabbed her girlfriend's jacket in defence while Yuri had panicked, instantly incriminating herself. 

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!" Tiffany exclaimed in outrage, her hands clawing the air as Taeyeon held her back. "IT HASN'T EVEN BEEN A WEEK AND YOU'VE ALREADY SEDUCED JESSI!"

In her defence, as she had never seen Tiffany so furious, Yuri was throwing out whatever was on her mind. After some shouting on both parties, Yuri finally confirmed that they had indeed slept together but did so without partaking in strenuous activities. Unfortunately, Yuri also ended up blurting that they might as well have had sex since Jessica saw her naked the next morning. Whatever vindication Yuri might have earned flew out the window after that. 

"Oh my gosh, you saw Yul naked?" Taeyeon asked Jessica with wide eyes when the latter had finally looked up from filing.

Heechul's ears perked up at the juicy revelation. "My twin saw Yuri naked?" In a flash, he was mass messaging the heads of the department, relishing in the office gossip and drama. 

At being called a player, Yuri began yelling that Tiffany had also seen her naked and had acted oppositely to Jessica. 

"Oh please, it's not like you haven't seen me naked, Fany!" Yuri retorted waspishly, reverting to the cool CEO she was before Tiffany had barged in accusing her being a player. "If I recall, you loved it!"

The green-eyed monster of jealously finally showed its face on Taeyeon. The whole time, she had been pleading for her mushroom to calm down. It was only when Yuri began describing a scandalous drunken night in avid detail, and Tiffany had blushed, that she snapped. Using all the strength she possessed in her fun-sized body, she yanked Tiffany back with her uninjured arm, causing her mushroom to elicit a shocked gasp. As soon as their eyes met, Taeyeon covered Tiffany's mouth with hers, silencing the incoming protests. 

Yuri gazed them incredulously before shaking her head, thoroughly at a loss with their rampant behaviour. Surging to her feet, she headed straight for the elevator, snagging Jessica and Heechul on the way. 

"Are you sure it's safe to just leave them there?" Jessica whispered worriedly, glancing behind at the passionate couple as they walked to the elevator.

Shrugging, Yuri said nothing, unconcerned as if Taeyeon and Tiffany making out was a daily ritual. If anything, she was more worried about what the state of her office would be when they were finished, and the fate of her innocent chair. 

In the elevator, she took out her phone as the supposed twins became talking amicably. She messaged Yoona to do a background check on Hyoyeon's mystery man. After lunch, they were going to head down to the I.T labs anyway for a daily report, so it was convenient. Stowing her phone, she leaned back against the elevator railing and listened in on the twin's conversation. 

"So, what do you think of Yuri's penthouse?" Heechul was asking Jessica randomly.

Jessica looked thoughtful for a moment. When she finally answered Heechul's question and began describing how beautiful the penthouse was, she did so with childlike enthusiasm, even going so far as to comment on the kitchen's innovative features. For some reason, it irked Yuri that Jessica was talking so animatedly with Heechul. It wasn't because she despised Heechul - she actually liked his quirkiness - but rather that Jessica didn't show the same excitement with her. In fact, their conversations were either awkward or strained - in more extreme cases, there was no conservation, only kicks flying.

Twisting her lips in annoyance, once they had reached the kitchen floor, she strode out of the elevator so fast the twins only saw the silky ends of her flowing black hair as she disappeared around a corner. Frowning at her coldness, Jessica scurried after her boss, finding it ironic that they had swapped personalities. 

By the time she caught up with Yuri, the latter was already busy at the stove, her back pointedly turned. 

Biting her lip anxiously, Jessica quietly enquired, "Do you need help cooking lunch?" Despite her terrible cooking skills, she felt compelled to offer assistance - Yuri's aloofness was something she was not accustomed to, and she hated it.

"Make me some ma juice," Yuri ordered in a clipped, unfriendly tone. "There's ma in the fridge. Just add some water and blend it."

What the heck was ma? Jessica asked herself silently, frowning at Yuri's back. Shrugging, she opened the massive stainless steel fridge and examined its contents. To her surprise, it seemed to be organised in a special way for each head of department. She came to this conclusion after seeing an entire row of junk food, and a big, bold note that read: SY'S LIFE. EAT AND DIE! To add to KE's odd food arrangement, there was a whole row crammed full with nothing but sweet potatoes. 

After ten minutes of frustrating searching, Jessica finally found a plastic container with the label 'ma'. Funnily enough, Yuri's row consisted of healthy foods, and even had her nemesis cucumbers. Wrinkling her nose at the smell, she quickly grabbed the container and slammed the door shut. Much to her irritation, it took another ten minutes for her to find the blender.

She plugged it in before realising she had no idea what to do. In high school, she had failed food technology, and could only make tuna with mayonnaise - even then, she struggled to open the containers that seemed to abhor her small hands. Chewing her lip, she considered asking Yuri for help, however she quickly abandoned the idea, not wanting to seem incompetent. 

"Just add some water and blend it."

Right, all she needed to do was add water, the already chopped ma, and blend? She could do that - at least, that's what she thought before disaster struck. 

Jessica had been so proud of herself for being able to remember Yuri's instructions that she forgot to put the lid on the juice maker. As soon as she pressed the blending button, the sliced ma went everywhere. Her face, her lovely white cardigan, the kitchen counter - nothing was spared in the ma's wrath as the vegetables ricocheted off the blender sides high into the air.

At the grinding sound louder than it should be, Yuri peered over her shoulder, only to find her PA shielding her face with her hands as vegetables went flying. Cursing under her breath, she lunged for the power adapter, avoiding the blender itself. Once the appliance had been unplugged, Yuri rose menacingly to her feet, fully prepared to scold her PA.

One look at Jessica's big, innocent, teary eyes however, made her narrowed eyes soften. Before Yuri could comprehend what had exactly gone wrong, or how her anger had been so easily soothed, Jessica buried her ma-covered face into her chest, hugging her suffocatingly like she had done so on the motorcycle. Her scowl splitting into a smile, Yuri brought her arms around her tiny trembling PA, all the while marvelling at how much trouble the figure against her had caused and would continue to cause in the future. 

"You're not firing me, are you?" Jessica's voice was a forlorn whisper.

Yuri grinned into Jessica's sticky golden hair. "No, but if you ever hit me with a pillow again, I will. Got it?"

"Whatever. As Taeyeon put it, you're a slu*."

And, just like that, they were at war. Jessica was the first one to break away. Reaching for the blender's contents, she threw it at Yuri, splattering her right in the face. In retaliation, Yuri ran to the fridge, searching for potential weapons. Much to her dismay, everything was either blunt, circular, or simply too tasty to use. It finally came down to either Seohyun's sweet potatoes or her cucumbers. She ended up grabbing the long, sword-like cucumber, as Yoona would kill her for using Seohyun's precious sweet potatoes as weapons. 

Like a ninja, Yuri made a dramatic entrance of rolling out from behind the fridge. Brandishing her makeshift cucumber sword, she pointed it directly at Jessica's throat and grinned. 

"Yield," she demanded firmly. 

What she had not expected was Jessica literally yielding, collapsing to the ground.

---------------------

Chapter Four - Gossip Boy

-------------------------------------

"Sica-unnie..."

"We were only twins for ten minutes and yet fate has cruelly severed our non-biological ties."

"We're screwed! She's dead! The police are going to be on our asses! Everyone run! CRAP!"

"Hey, is that ma juice on her face? Damn it, Yul! Why couldn't you have used something tasty to drink like apple? I'm so hungry and that crap on her isn't edible!"

"You giant shikshin! Sica is unconscious and all you can think about is food?" 

There was nothing Yuri wanted to do other than bash her head against the kitchen counter as her heads of department lost their sanity. It was starting to become an hourly ritual for them. As soon as Jessica had fainted, she had played it off as the feigning death tactic, one that seemed almost realistic. When she had lowered her cucumber weapon, much to her confusion, Jessica hadn't moved – instead, she merely lay crumpled on the messy ma-covered floor with the limpness of a discarded rag doll. After poking her soft, slightly chubby cheeks and her rousing words falling on deaf ears, it had finally dawned on Yuri that Jessica had actually fainted.

In her uncharacteristic panic, she had called for Heechul lingering at the elevator, and therein laid her mistake. The resident Quality Insurance Manager had pranced into the room, taken one look at Jessica sprawled on the ground, and whipped his mobile, screaming melodramatically into the receiver that his twin had died. Within minutes, there was a disturbance in the hallway, prompting Yuri and Heechul to investigate. Once the elevator had reached the level, there was a fraction of a second before multiple cursing figures tumbled out of the doors. Sooyoung was the first to fall, followed by Yoona then Hyoyeon. Since they were so tall, their obstructing bodies stopped everyone from exiting the elevator – all except for Tiffany. 

In a rather spectacular manner, Tiffany leapt over the office chodings while her girlfriend attempted to and failed. This was evident when Taeyeon miscalculated the combined height of the human stockade and jumped, only to add to the accumulated pile of bodies. Since she was so small, her arm cast weighed her down, and ended up smashing her head against Hyoyeon's spine. It was a good thing Tiffany whizzed past Yuri instead of scolding her for 'killing' Jessica because as soon as she did, Sunny began shouting at Sooyoung while Hara egged her on. The only sane person in the elevator was Seohyun who had her hands folded against her chest worriedly. 

After thirty seconds of chaotic shoving and screaming – Sooyoung was hysterical because the elevator was threatening to close with its incessant beeping – everyone finally made it into the kitchen. That was how Yuri came to be rubbing her throbbing temples while everyone freaked out at Jessica's unresponsive, seemingly deceased, state. It hadn't taken long for the blame to be pointed – once Sooyoung's presumptuousness had manifested in the form of a blithely accusing finger, the chodings had immediately followed suit. 

"Is Sica-unnie dead?" Seohyun enquired fearfully, one hand moving to cover her heart. 

Sooyoung was still adamant Yuri was to blame. "Yes, and you know what, Seo?" After scaring Seohyun by widening her eyes, she rounded dramatically on Yuri once more, shaking her finger in emphasis. "Yul killed her. Why do you think she's so calm and composed? It's because-"

No one ever discovered Sooyoung's reason because Tiffany gasped loudly. 

"I think she's dead!" Tiffany screamed in horror as she bent over Jessica's unconscious form. Completely losing it, her hands seemed to be desperately searching for a pulse – to the rest of the staff, it looked like she was strangling the blonde. Soon enough, she began shaking Jessica so hard in her despair that it took the combined strength of Taeyeon, Sooyoung and Hara to wrench her away from the unconscious PA. Even as she was being dragged away screaming Jessica's name, her nails clawed the kitchen floor tiles. Unknown to everyone – they had been too shocked by Tiffany's madness – Jessica was stirring from being throttled. 

"Chill everyone!" Yoona announced in a frantic tone that belied her reassuring words. "I remember reading this on the internet. When a person stops breathing, falls into unconsciousness and loses a pulse it means they've gone into cardiac arrest." When no one moved save for Sunny running out of the kitchen to help restrain Tiffany in the hallway, she gave them all a look. "Are you guys serious? Whatever...long story short, someone has to administer CPR."

As if a magical hammer whacked the remaining staff on the head, Yoona's instruction was met with immediate protests. Hyoyeon was the first to protest, flatly stating she was in a relationship and that although Jessica was jjang, she couldn't steal her first kiss in such a way.

"What the hell?" Yoona shouted incredulously over Tiffany's screams resonating from the hallway. "It's not like I'm asking you to date her. Besides, how do you know Sica-unnie has never been kissed before?"

Yuri, who had been hovering over Jessica worriedly, snapped her head around so fast by all rights her neck should have cracked. 

"Jessica randomly told me when I was talking to her this morning," Hyoyeon replied hastily, visibly cringing at Yuri's smouldering glare. "Look, if it's not such a big deal then why don't you do it? You're obviously the only here who knows how to administer CPR."

At that, Yoona quickly stepped back, her actions vocalising her thoughts. Glancing surreptitiously at an oblivious Seohyun, she lied that she was involved with someone and that she would be technically cheating on her secret lover.

Heechul's eyebrows immediately rose at the gossip. "Oh, so you're dating someone? Who's the lucky guy or girl?"

"Fine, forget I asked," Hyoyeon muttered under her breath. Turning to the Quality Assurance Manager, she interrupted his gossiping with a, "What about you, Heechul-unnie?"

As soon as Heechul began ranting that Jessica and he were twins and that it would be considered incest even though they weren't biologically related, Yuri closed her eyes. If no one administered CPR soon, Jessica would die, and it would be her fault. 

Decision made, Yuri breathed in deeply, preparing herself. As she slid across the tiles, her lips suddenly felt dry, chapped. Licking her lips, she brushed stray golden tresses clinging to Jessica's cheek with extreme tenderness, as if the woman was made of glass, shattering at the slightest touch. For some inexplicable reason, she couldn't look away from those soft features, nor could stop herself from caressing the pale cream of Jessica's skin. She was so engrossed in her ministrations that she failed to notice Tiffany entering the scene, the hushed silence engulfing the room, and the countless jaws dropping to the floor. 

There was a moment's hesitation as Yuri tucked her hair behind her ear with an atypically shaking hand before she moved. Lowering her hand, she unsteadily grasped Jessica's chin and eased those pretty pink lips open. The sight was too much bear that she closed her eyes, instead trusting her senses to guide her head as she dove down. At first, when her lips touched nothing, Yuri had thought her co-ordination had failed. When her lips however, made contact with something velvety smooth sweetened by strawberry gloss, Yuri knew their mouths had met. 

For a second, she relished in the sweetness of Jessica's soft lips until she realised it was a matter of life or death. To the mesmerised onlookers, it looked like Yuri was kissing her PA with her mouth moving when in reality she was merely opening her lips for easier access as she breathed air. Impulsively, Yuri slowly opened her eyes, only to freeze, chilled by her PA's gaze. Jessica, it seemed, had not gone into cardiac arrest. In fact, Jessica was very much alive, and was peering directly up into her eyes with a combination of shock, confusion, and something indecipherable - if Yuri hadn't known any better, Jessica was enjoying it.

"That's my Yul everyone!" Sooyoung began chanting proudly, raising her palms and dropping them to a silent beat like a gangster.

Sooyoung's voice seemed to transfer the pair back to reality. 

"What the hell are you doing?!" Jessica shrieked deafeningly as she shoved Yuri off her. Furiously wiping her lips, she surged to her feet, thrusting a shaking finger at her boss. She was about to interrogate but decided that utilising the empty stainless steel, deep pot on the stove would converse her thoughts more eloquently. Like a malevolent spectre, she loomed over Yuri, heavy pot suspended in the air. 

The rest of the staff didn't really understand what happened in the space of a few seconds. All they saw in the end was Jessica cowering in a tiny ball on the ground, her pot discarded haphazardly, and Yuri brandishing the sword-like cucumber. The wild look in her eyes gave the impression she didn't fully understand what she was doing, which she didn't. As soon as Yuri realised how malicious she was being, she instantly threw the cucumber weapon away and ran to her terrified PA, gathering her close. Much to her surprise, instead of throttling her, Jessica opened the floodgates of tears into her neck. 

Yuri ended up carrying Jessica bridal-style out of the kitchen, but not without enduring Tiffany's abuse.

"You're a bully, Kwon Youri!" Tiffany was spewing, struggling as she was held back by Taeyeon, Hara, and Sooyoung. "Jessi is allergic to cucumbers and you use it against her! I-"

"I'm going to deduct the costs of buying a new office chair from your next pay," Yuri informed Tiffany over her shoulder. And, with that, Yuri kept on walking, for once more worried about her PA than Tiffany's wrath. 

-----------------------------------------

"Oh my gosh I'm so sorry you feel that way. From the bottom of my heart, I totally feel for you, my dear. Kwon Enterprises is one of South Korea's best, most honest companies so when I say we're disappointed at ourselves by how you reviewed our product, I truly mean it. It's like when that beautiful girl got shot on last night's episode of that Korean drama. Oh, you watched it too? Yes, I know right? How outrageous. Anyway, thank you for taking the time to call us about your complaint."

Heechul indifferently put the phone down and stretched his long legs, his lazy position contradicting his sympathetic phone call. 

"Is that what you say to every customer?" Jessica asked with amusement, smirking. 

Cracking one eyelid open, Heechul lazily returned their twin smirk. "Pretty much. Those loser customers ring me, I console them with saccharine words, and they go back to their mediocre lives with the knowledge I supposedly acquiesced to their demands."

Jessica chuckled softly, wondering how is it that a quirky character like Heechul came to be the Quality Assurance Manager. "Don't they call back again or something?" she couldn't help but ask. "I mean, what if the product is faulty again?"

"Eh," Heechul muttered offhandedly, shrugging. "The same people never call back. If a KE product is crappy, it's usually a one off thing, probably caused by the people handling the goods if you know what I mean. We're actually good at what we do here."

Nodding, Jessica began stacking some of the files Yuri ordered her to collect. 

"So..." 

"So?" Jessica repeated questioningly as she swivelled her chair around the room to gather papers littering the desk.

Heechul eyed her contemplatively for a while before smiling like a Cheshire kitten. "So," he began quietly, as if they were conspiring, "what's up with you and Yuri?" To emphasise his point, he pointed at the loose casual clothes adorning Jessica's slender body. 

"Oh, you mean these?" Glancing down at her big black shirt and shorts, she looked up, her expression nonchalant. "Well, the whole ma incident made my clothes sticky so Yuri gave me some of her spare clothes."

"Really," Heechul drawled in a voice that suggested he believed otherwise. "Hmm, I see."

It took Jessica a moment to register the tone of the man's voice. By the time she did, and whirled around frowning, Heechul was grinning wickedly at her. Glaring darkly, Jessica scoffed at the unspoken insinuation and busied herself with clipping pieces of paper together. Always a gossiper, Heechul suavely slid his chair right next to the blonde, compelling her to acknowledge him. 

"I mean really," he emphasised in an exaggerated drawl, "is there nothing going on? You can tell me, you know. Not that I would gossip, since everyone knows there's some juicy stuff going on between you and the boss with all that raw sexual tension, but yeah – you can trust me with secrets."

Raw sexual tension? Jessica thought to herself. What she ended up saying was, "What the hell?"

"Well, firstly, Yuri always dates her PA. As you can see, she hasn't slept with you yet unless you were lying about this morning-"

Still embarrassed at seeing Yuri's nude body, Jessica blurted out, "Of course not!" Pushing the steamy images away – she cursed her vivid imagination – Jessica slammed the stack of papers she had been organising on the desk. 

"Why so defensive?" Heechul queried innocently. When there came no response, save for Jessica's lip twitching, he lifted his hand and continued to list the evidence before he was interrupted. "As I was saying, Yuri hasn't made a move. I'm inclined to believe she genuinely likes you otherwise you'd be pregnant right now or something. Secondly, although she's not my type, you saw her naked. She's hot, right? Oh my gosh, you're blushing. My twin is blushing!"

Before Heechul could take a picture of the pink tinges colouring her cheeks, Jessica fled the room, reports clutched tightly to her chest. She literally sprinted to the elevator and jabbed the up button twenty times. To her horror, when the elevator doors opened, it wasn't empty. 

"Sica-unnie!" 

Jessica wasn't given a chance to flee for Yoona took one look at her and hauled her inside. Once the top floor button was pressed, Yoona began talking rapidly, informing her she was heading up to Yuri's office and had just received Heechul's gossiping text.

"So I heard you like my cousin."

Normally, Jessica wouldn't have said anything, but the fact that Yoona said it as a statement instead of a question disturbed her. 

"I don't like your cousin," was her icy, blunt answer. 

Yoona frowned and checked the mass text for affirmation. "But Heechul-oppa messaged all of the heads of department saying you thought Yuri was - I quote - 'a hot piece of-"

"No!" Jessica exploded, interrupting whatever Heechul claimed she had said. "I do not like your cousin. She is my boss, as she is for you, and I am simply her PA. This morning, I saw her naked but nothing happened. We did not have wild passionate sex last night, I do not think she's a hot piece of whatever you were going to say-"

"A hot piece of cake you wanted to eat up."

"-and the clothes she gave me was purely out of genuine kindness."

Silence engulfed the elevator as Yoona blinked sporadically, seemingly at a loss of what to say to Jessica's defensive confession. Unlike Heechul, who seemed convinced they were attracted to each other, Yoona merely shrugged. "If you say so, Sica-unnie. Anyway, we can find out if my cousin has a thing for you or not."

"How?" Jessica asked a little too fast. Cursing inwardly, she leaned casually against the elevator railing and feigned being engrossed in the paperwork she was carrying. 

"Since KE is one of South Korea's most recognised companies, we attend a lot of social events." She waited for Jessica to nod before continuing. "Every year, there's this charity date auction and all the leading companies attend. The organisers randomly select people from different companies to be auctioned off. Hypothetically, let's say you were one of the people chosen. If Yuri bids for you to get whatever luxurious date they managed to put together, then-"

"Then Yuri must like me," Jessica finished.

"Yep." Yoona looked thoughtful, and when Jessica asked what she was thinking about, she smiled cheekily. "I'm just thinking about something random. You know my cousin is one of the wealthiest people in the world right? I mean, she's in that magazine 'Forbes' or whatever. Anyway, it's funny because if you were chosen, and Yuri did like you, then she'd win the auction hands down. When it comes to things she likes, she's pretty ruthless. No wonder Heechul suspects that she likes you – I mean, she hasn't made a move yet...well, other than flashing you, sleeping with you and giving you CPR. The fact that she's taking it slow means she really wants a relationship with you, otherwise-"

"I'd be pregnant already," Jessica finished for the second time as she remembered Heechul's weird choice of words, her face turning stony. If anything, Yoona's words were more disturbing than amusing. What if Yuri really did like her? More importantly, what if she was chosen? Yuri would win hands down, according to Yoona. 

Infinitely anxious, she tapped Yoona on the shoulder. Curiosity killing her, she couldn't stop herself from asking, "When is this so-called charity date auction?"

Yoona laughed at her worried expression. "Babo...didn't anyone tell you?" she told the other woman amusedly, unaware that what she was going to say wasn't what Jessica wanted to hear. "It's always at the start of the year. In fact," the doe-eyed woman checked her mobile calendar, "it's next week." 

Chapter Five - Movie Night

-------------------------------

Darkness had already descended on South Korea by the time Yuri and Jessica finally entered the privacy of the penthouse. With the touch of a wall panel button, glorious light brightened every expensive surface, nearly blinding Jessica with its sheer fluorescent radiance. It was as if the lights had opened her eyes for she finally noticed penthouse features. The morning had been so eventful she had barely noticed the interior décor.

The penthouse was a modern, stylish affair with immaculately white walls – although lacking in photographs, the expanse of bare white seemed to compliment the simple design of the décor. Cream marble cooled her bare feet as she walked leisurely over the threshold, past the spacious lounge, to the master bedroom. Plopping her body face first on the king size bed, she relished in its heavenly softness. She was convinced true happiness was attainable because of the bed beneath her. 

"Sica, what do you want for dinner?" Yuri's voice echoed from the kitchen. "Is kimchi fried rice okay?"

Rolling onto her back, she made a sound that fell between a grunt and muffled choking. 

"What was that? Did you faint again?"

Sighing, Jessica lazily got to her feet and headed to the kitchen. For a CEO of such a successful company, Yuri could be such a babo at times. 

"If I fainted," she began in a drawling, mocking voice as she entered the kitchen, "I wouldn't be walking and talking now would I?"

Yuri responded to the sarcasm with an equally sarcastic laugh, not bothering to raise her head as she diced green onion. 

Smirking, Jessica took a seat on a high stool, rested her chin on her hand, and simply watched her boss do what she considered manual labour. Her eyes fell on Yuri's strong yet dexterous hands, appearing so dark even underneath bright light.

"I would ask you to help me but I think you showcased your cooking abilities this afternoon spectacularly," she remarked coolly, noticing the brown eyes fixated on her fingers. 

Before Jessica could retort, there was a loud buzz from the door. Groaning, she grudgingly hopped off the stool and headed for the penthouse entrance. Just as she opened her mouth near the speaking panel to ask for identity, Sooyoung's voice came from the other side of the door, demanding that she stop being a slu* and open the door. 

"Did you just call me a slu*?" Jessica said into the panel, her voice cold, sharp like an icicle. 

Sooyoung was barely given a second to realise it was not the boss at the door before Jessica, quick to perceive insult and simmering after Yuri's snide remark, began venting her anger into the small, innocent wall-mounted device. By the time Yuri came to investigate the ruckus, kitchen knife in hand, Sooyoung and Yoona were cowering behind Taeyeon and Tiffany respectively. It would have looked convincing except for the major detail that Taeyeon and Tiffany were significantly shorter than them and hence the two giants might as well have stood straight. All of this was visible in the small security screen above the wall panel. 

Instead of cowering at Jessica's tyranny, Taeyeon cheerfully waved at them and went on her toes to press her nose into the secret security camera. How Taeyeon knew where the hidden camera was escaped them. It was when Taeyeon began making silly faces that Jessica decided she had had enough and threw open the door.

"What do you want?" Jessica queried irritably. "How did you know where the camera was anyway?"

"Head of R&D," Taeyeon said as if it was self-explanatory, which it somewhat was. Turning to a bemused Yuri, she pulled out a DVD from her Pokémon backpack and waved it in front of her face, going so far as to push it against her nose. "Tonight is movie night."

Yuri swatted the DVD away from her face. Pointing the razor-sharp knife at Taeyeon, she frowned. "I don't remember inviting you over, nor do I recall movie nights being a routine thing. Besides, don't your apartments have televisions?"

"Yeah, except you have a massive LCD TV," Sooyoung butted in from behind Tiffany. "Anyway, I'm hungry so move it or lose it." Without further ado, she brushed past everyone, Yoona in hand, and ventured to the kitchen. It was not long before pained grunts and cries came from the kitchen.

Immediately, those at the door were on the scene, each wearing different expressions as Yoona and Sooyoung fought over the contents of the saucepan. Jessica was about to mutilate them but, oddly enough, Yuri bet her to it. Knife brandished, she jabbed the air threateningly, much a like hunter fending off animals. In her eyes, Yoona and Sooyoung were indeed animals when it came to food. The chodings looked like they were having an internal battle if the kimchi fried rice was worth Yuri's wrath. 

"You either put the saucepan down or I'll do it for you." The unmistakable edge to Yuri's voice was reinforced by the hard, unrelenting glint in her eyes. For good measure, she thrust the kitchen knife once – the result was the chodings flinching, letting go of the saucepan. 

Yoona miserably watched her cousin transfer the kimchi fried ried to a plate. "Unnie, this is so unfair," she whined, pouting. "How can you choose Sica over your own sweet, dear cousin?"

"Babo, Sica and I didn't even eat lunch thanks to you," Yuri reminded her with a sharp look. "Did you forget that I caught you and Sooyoung red-handed eating our lunch?"

Thoroughly chastised, Yoona looked away, unable to admit she was wrong. And, just like that, Yoona began crying.

Immediately, Yuri was fussing over her, enveloping her in a tight hug, insisting that the anguished sobs of "you love your PA more than your own cousin" were simply not true. All it took to appease Yoona was a promise of a home cooked meal – as soon as Yuri swore she would cook, it was as if the food incident had never happened as they reunited sweetly with a hug. Halfway through the heartfelt moment, the onlookers had deemed the drama as melodramatic and decided the leather sofas were better, all except for Jessica.

For a moment, Jessica was convinced Yoona's tears were genuine – after all, how could a person turn the waterworks on so easily? She soon discovered the answer when Yoona winked at her over Yuri's shoulder, giving her a thumbs up. 

----------------------------------

Twenty minutes later, after Yuri's cooking promise had been fulfilled, everyone found themselves comfortably seated on the black luxurious U leather lounge set. The two chodings occupied one side with Taeyeon and Tiffany on the opposite end, leaving Yuri and Jessica in the middle respectively. Surrounding them was a sea of blankets of different colours, plump pillows, and Yoona's gigantic keroro plush toy. When Sooyoung had tactlessly asked why she had it when the show "sucked" her answer had been a punch to the thigh – suffice to say it was hard enough to silence her. 

Silence however, pain-induced as it was, could only last for so long, especially when other emotions became overwhelming – such was the effect of horror movies. 

One after the other in the dark, Sooyoung, Tiffany and Jessica screamed vociferously, retreating into the safety of the blankets. In contrast, Yoona, Yuri and Taeyeon howled with laughter, each of them pointing at the LCD TV and nudging the person next to them, so amused by the supernatural horror that they failed to notice said people were traumatised. 

"Sica, look at the old woman's face!" Yuri shouted loudly, nudging her PA. 

She was so engrossed in the horror movie that she unconsciously entwined her fingers with the ones clutching her shirt. With each horrific scene, Jessica burrowed closer to her until she was sitting in Yuri's lap. Unlike Jessica, who had taken to physical comfort, Sooyoung and Tiffany had opted for a more vocal way of releasing their emotions. Tiffany was screaming her heart out even though she had hidden her head underneath the blanket for the whole duration of the movie while Sooyoung, having less restraint, was shouting "Babo! Don't go in there!" furiously at the characters, hitting Yoona every time some sinister monstrosity popped up, and shoving popcorn into her mouth simultaneously.

The movie finished with Taeyeon jumping up and down on the spot, overjoyed she had predicted the old lady to be the killer. 

"In your face Im choding!" she gloated triumphantly, running around the lounge while doing a variation of her dorky victory dance. 

Yoona, meanwhile, was rubbing her aching body – if she hadn't known better, she had been Sooyoung's punching bag throughout the entire movie. Said abuser was stuffing her face with popcorn, oblivious to the midget circling the room, her long legs propped on a cushion. Tiffany was in no state to slap sense into her girlfriend and merely lay sprawled on the couch, seemingly dead. 

Unaware that the movie hadn't ended – the credits were still running – Jessica slowly opened one eyelid, peering over the fluffy blankets. It was then, when she came face to face with an equally stunned Yuri, that she finally registered their close proximity. To add to the awkwardness, their hands were still entwined underneath the blanket. 

"I-you," Jessica stuttered, face a red tomato, "what-I-"

"I want to watch a romantic movie!" Tiffany announced suddenly, getting to her feet to stretch. 

Since the lights were still off, Tiffany failed to discern Jessica's pink-tinged cheeks and Yuri's rapidly blinking eyes. After snagging her girlfriend by the jacket, she dragged her back to the couch and plopped herself right next to Jessica and Yuri, inadvertently sending the blonde tumbling off the couch. Reflexively, Yuri latched her hands onto Jessica's tiny waist, catching her mid-air. As their eyes met, with it came the realisation of just what exactly happened. Yuri was so mortified that her fingers went slack and with a squeak, Jessica hit the floor. 

"Who wants refreshments?" Not bothering for a response, Yuri grasped the back of the sofa and vaulted over it, fleeing the scene before the sergeant came to life. 

"Yuri-yah!" Sooyoung carelessly raised her hand, accidentally smacking Yoona in the face. "Get me a glass of water."

Once in the kitchen, Yuri sank to the cool tiled floor, finding it unbearably hot. She began to fan herself but soon deemed the freezer a better cooler. 

By the time she had Sooyoung's glass in hand, the movie had already started. Yuri took her time walking back to the lounge, unsure as to why she was lingering, but nonetheless continuing to. She handed Sooyoung her drink and slowly retook her spot on the sofa. As she lowered herself to the leather upholstery, she did so cautiously, fully expecting a world war to be instigated by Jessica. Thankfully, she was allowed to sink into the leather softness, although she might as well have sat on hard wood – expensive and comfortable as the couch was, she simply couldn't relax. It didn't help that Tiffany had chosen an English movie she didn't understand called 'The Notebook'.

On the other hand, Jessica was so immersed in the movie that she barely registered Yuri stiffly sitting next to her.

In contrast to her horrified screaming underneath the blanket, Tiffany was actually watching the television this time around – she was so absorbed into the movie that her eyes were disturbingly unblinking, giving the impression they would fall out of their sockets at any moment. Jessica, too, was riveted by the movie, her mouth wide open. Even though Sooyoung barely understood the movie, it somehow managed to pique her attention, so much so that she put down the popcorn to fully watch it.

The three were in tears by the end of the movie. 

Sooyoung was wiping her eyes on Yoona's keroro plush toy, uncaring that the show it came from "sucked" as she remarked earlier while Tiffany was crying into Taeyeon's hair who was fast asleep in her lap snoring blaringly. Yoona, meanwhile, was having a laughing fit for no apparent reason, probably amused at Sooyoung's emotional state. 

Jessica lifted a shaky hand to wipe her tears but found she couldn't. Slanting her head, she saw the blurry outline of Yuri's face against her shoulder through her watery eyes. When her tears finally fell, she saw Yuri sleeping for the first time, and couldn't help but laugh weakly at the tongue poking out. She went to extricate her arm out of Yuri's grip but no avail – every time she wriggled her arm, her boss would simply snuggle closer, thinking she was a pillow. Biting her lip, she glanced around in the faint darkness for help but as it seemed, judging by the two unmoving lumps on either side of the sofa, everyone else had fallen asleep. 

Weariness outweighing all thoughts, Jessica shifted to accommodate a more comfortable position and closed her eyes. Just for tonight she would let Yuri use her as a pillow, although there was no guaranteeing what would happen in the morning. 

Chapter Six - Scandal of the Year

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Life for Jessica at Kwon Enterprises slowly began to revolve around Yuri. There wasn't a day that passed where she didn't see her boss – one could say it was to be expected given her job, more so because of their living arrangements but for Jessica, who had encountered Yuri in scenarios a normal PA would never come across, it still felt weird.

Mostly, her mornings were somewhat normal – that is, if you called occasionally waking up to a tongue near your face normal. It was occasional for her because Yuri, having developed an alarm clock in the recesses of her brain, normally arose before her. The times where Jessica woke up first were rare, but the number of times where she didn't scream at said tongue were even rarer.

After either a comfortable or a strained breakfast – depending on who woke up first – they would then go to the work together. Jessica hadn't been given a company vehicle yet so that left her to be a victim of Yuri's juvenile motorcycle driving. When she had enquired one day after a particularly harrowing ride – an old man had actually shook his walking staff at them – when she was going to get a car, Yuri had coolly stated she was in no position to demand. Her dismissive, condescending comment resulted in a silent staring battle in which self-preservation for Yuri had its way as she regained her common sense and ran inside the building.

To put it simply, an unhappy Jessica meant death. 

Jessica would then trail after Yuri around the building taking notes, give her opinion if asked, and run errands here and there. The errands consisted mostly of going to the head of department offices to collect or give paperwork, usually involving a conversation or two. Although she wasn't much of a talker, Jessica found that there was something to be gained from running errands – the more she talked to staff, the more she discovered how crazy yet hardworking they could be. 

Take Sunny for example, the receptionist on the ground floor. Every morning, or when she checked out of the building, Jessica would spend a few minutes talking to the short, aegyo-filled girl. She seemed cute enough – perhaps a little too cute – and diligent, always manning the front desk, telephone in hand. What really impressed Jessica, though, was that Sunny could multitask – there wasn't a time where she recalled the girl having any one hand empty or still.

Lunch break, however, was a completely different story. It was like in primary school – once the bell went, or in the KE's case, when the clock hit one o’clock, the staff went wild.

Today, when Jessica went out of the building to get Yuri and herself lunch, she obviously had to pass reception. Nothing could have prepared her for the horrific sight of Sunny screaming at her computer, throwing sheets of paper in the air, and subjecting the front desk to violent abuse. The receptionist had apparently been playing a computer game called 'Call of Duty: Black Ops' against Taeyeon several floors above. Jessica had come to this conclusion after hearing Sunny curse Taeyeon into oblivion, a loud series of gunshots, and what she assumed was a grenade going off. In the background, since the speakers were turned on full blast, she could hear Taeyeon's ajumma laugh followed by Tiffany cheering in English.

Twenty minutes later, when she returned with American food and water bottles in hand, Sunny was still playing Call of Duty. The only difference was that Seohyun had come down from her office to watch while she munched on sweet potato mash. The Head of Human Resources was fascinated yet afraid – every time someone died in the game, instead of mimicking Sunny yelling into the gaming mouthpiece, Seohyun would cringe but also lean closer.

"What's the score?" Jessica asked as she leaned over the desk, plopping the fast food on the surface. "Is Taeyeon cheating again?"

Sunny glanced at her briefly before returning to the computer screen, hunching in concentration. "The midget is going down," was all she said, short yet eloquent.

Jessica stared her in disbelief, wondering if the woman knew she was shorter than Taeyeon. Before she could remind the receptionist, Seohyun distracted her by peeking into the contents of the brown paper bag.

"Sica-unnie," Seohyun began in a grave voice, "you're not going to eat this are you?"

Worried at her tone, Jessica inspected the food, fully expecting to see a parasite or bug. Much to her confusion, there was only two packets of fries and two cheeseburgers. Was there an invisible insect in there or something? Was the fast food chain infamous for bad quality food?

"If you eat this sort of stuff, you'll die," Seohyun deadpanned. 

Jessica's eye twitched – for a second, it looked like she was going to slap Seohyun. To make things worse, Seohyun began ranting in a matter-of-fact voice on how deadly fast food could be. Unnecessary recounts of junk food-related deaths, statistics from anti-junk food activists, bloated expressions – there was nothing Seohyun left out. 

"...the oil they fry the meat in - if it's even actually meat and not a combination of fat and animal cut offs - is hazardous to your health, Sica-unnie. Aside from it ruining your appearance, the possibility of diabetes, heart disease, and strokes-"

"Hey Sica," Sunny interrupted as she sprayed Taeyeon with several rounds, "if you happen to go to Taeyeon's level, can you slap her for me?"

Jessica nodded and, taking advantage of Seohyun looking away fleetingly, she snatched the brown paper bag and ran to the elevator, scanning her security card along the way. For what seemed like the first time since she began working here, no one took the elevator, leaving her to enjoy the solitude free of crazy personalities. It wasn't that she hated working at KE, rather that everyone seemed to be high on sugar. Once the elevator had reached the top floor, Jessica broke off from leaning against the railing and headed to Yuri's office. 

In her usual sergeant fashion, Jessica entered the spacious office, shutting the door quietly behind her. Like every other lunch break, she wheeled her office chair in front of Yuri's desk and sat down, setting the food on the table before munching her own. The silence that followed was comfortable – they seemed to have come to an unspoken agreement to refrain from mentioning the CPR kiss, the bathroom incident, the movie night three days ago and anything remotely related to cucumbers.

"Oh, I forgot to mention we have our first staff meeting today for the year," Yuri informed her after swallowing some fries. "I had Sunny email everyone to meet in the conference room after lunch."

Jessica nodded seeing as her mouth was full of fast food goodness. She watched Yuri devour the cheeseburger with hungry fervour, somehow finding it strange. It seemed almost a crime for someone as sophisticated as Yuri to be eating something as lowly as cheeseburgers and fries. And sophisticated she was, from the elegance of her neatly tied ponytail with a small yet fitting side-fringe to the black, expensive suit she wore tailored to absolute perfection. 

Curiosity eating at her, she voiced her question. "You seem to like American food. For someone that blends ma, I pegged you as health conscious as Seohyun."

Yuri laughed, the sound bubbly, mirroring her smile. "Not necessarily," she replied amusedly, exaggerating her point by eating a heap of fries with the enthusiasm reminiscent to that of the shikshins. "Usually I eat healthy so I guess this,” she raised the remains of her cheeseburger, "is an indulgence. In fact, it seems like an eternity since I've had American food."

"Really?" Jessica tilted her head to the side, more curious than before. "Wasn't Tiff your PA before me, though? American food is her life only second to heels – I'm surprised she hasn't killed you yet with her giving you burgers and fries everyday."

Yuri shook her head, her smile turning faintly bitter. "Fany-ah never really got me lunch because she always hung out with Taeyeon during her lunch breaks. Why do you think I made her an administrative assistant and hired you instead?"

"Weren't you two an item?" Jessica questioned as images of the office drama flooded her mind. It was difficult for her to picture Tiffany hanging around Taeyeon when she apparently was involved with the boss.

A wry laugh escaped Yuri's lips, the charming quality gone. "We were never really an item," she explained truthfully, throwing her rubbish in the bin with a flick of her wrist. "It was more of a 'friends with benefits' thing so we never really broke up because there wasn't a relationship to begin with. Now, when I think about it, I think Tiffany used me to make Taeyeon jealous."

So the player got played, Jessica thought to herself, unsure if she was supposed to feel sympathy or amusement at the irony. 

Together, they caught the elevator down to the conference room level, falling back into the same relaxed silence. When they entered the conference room, gone was the massive banner welcoming her to the company – in its place now hung a large projector screen. In addition, the blinds had been pulled down, effectively dimming the brightness of the room. The only source of light came from the overhead projector, the multiple laptops on the desk, and Hara's phone as she texted. With a quick scanning glance down the stretching conference table, it dawned on Jessica that they were the last to arrive.

Not ten seconds after her revelation, the conference room door banged open, Taeyeon and Tiffany rushing inside looking like they had just woken up. Taeyeon, who had opted to wear a pink bowtie and suspenders matching with Tiffany's pink blouse, was in a worse state than her girlfriend. Scarlet lipstick was smeared around her lips and, to top it off, her bow tie was crooked - her shorts even seemed to have been hastily shrugged on. The only thing that gave Tiffany away was her wildly tousled locks – sex hair if Jessica wasn't mistaken, which she wasn't.

"Crap, are we late?" Tiffany panted breathlessly, using Taeyeon as support as she bent over for air. When no one responded, merely continuing to stare at them in disbelief, she slapped Taeyeon's arm chidingly. "Babo! That's the last time I'm going to your office to eat your so-called 'cookies'."

Taeyeon scoffed disbelievingly, crossing her arms over her chest. "There were actually cookies on my desk if you didn't notice. It's not my fault you were too busy making love to me in my mouth with your-"

A loud cough interrupted their lover's quarrel. "As interesting as your cookies are, Taeyeon, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to tell us about it later." Pointing at the vacant seats, Yuri tapped the glass surface of the table with her other hand, obviously impatient.

Once Taeyeon had stopped talking about her cookies, the meeting began. To kick things off, Yuri made a short, concise speech about the importance of each staff member.

"Every single person in this room has an important part to play in Kwon Enterprises as you all should know well by now." Pausing for effect to make eye-contact with everyone, she continued, her voice powerful and not at all droning. "It doesn't take a genius to know that Seohyun can't carry out Yoona's job as Head of I.T with the same work ethic and vice-versa."

Yoona glanced quickly at Seohyun before averting her eyes, afraid she would get caught.

"I assume everyone has their presentations ready?"

There was a collective nod around the room with Jessica being the only exception as she sat next to the boss. Taeyeon was the first to give her presentation on the Research and Development department. Setting her Pokémon backpack on the table, she fumbled around inside for a bit before producing her laptop. She hadn't bothered to clean the smeared lipstick, so when she stood in front of the projector screen in all her short, fun-sized glory, the scarlet line across her mouth was blithely oblivious, like a splash of red among the darkness.

Basically, the presentations were generally about last year's performance in each department. Moreover, statistics and graphs accompanied the bullet points to depict the text visually. Pros and cons of the department for the year were emphasised at the last slide which prompted staff discussion on where there was room for improvement. It was a completely boring affair for Jessica, more so when professional discussion turned into heated debates if someone had disagreeing views.

At times, Jessica fell asleep, only to be nudged by Yuri. It happened so frequently that Jessica finally snapped, and snapping during a serious business meeting meant subtle attacks underneath the table. Keeping her gaze fixated on the projector screen, she subtly elbowed her boss in the side. Not one to back down, Yuri retaliated by pinching Jessica's thigh excruciatingly hard to the point of where her PA squealed. It was as if Jessica had a sign that screamed 'Look at me!' plastered to her forehead – at the sound of her high-pitched squeal, every head snapped to stare at her.

"Is there something you would like to contribute, Sica?" Yuri queried innocently, forcing herself to keep a straight face while the choding inside her roared with laughter.

The temptation to slap her boss into oblivion was so great that Jessica had to flex her fingers underneath the table, all the while soothingly rubbing her throbbing thigh. Arrogant jerk, she thought to herself. What she actually ended up saying was a scathing, "Nothing at all, Yuri."

"I see," Yuri stated coolly, in a voice only Jessica registered as mocking. "Please refrain from disrupting the presentations then. It's really immature, not to mention disrespectful as it demonstrates your inability to reciprocate the same courtesy others bestow upon you."

As soon as she was able, Jessica punched Yuri as hard as she could without making a scene. She snickered quietly when her boss cursed soundlessly, leaning forward on the table for support. 

The remainder of the staff meeting went smoothly without violence underneath the table or chaos – that is, until it came to Hyoyeon's presentation.

There was nothing wrong with Hyoyeon's power point in terms of information, and as such, everyone paid close attention to her Sales and Marketing overview. In fact, Yuri would have praised Hyoyeon for taking the time to calculate the seemingly endless accounting figures if not for the last slide. It was conspiracy – there was no way Hyoyeon could have managed to get hold of the picture without conspiring with those there on the night.

In the image, enlarged to fit the whole projector screen, taken on a cybershot camera with crystal-clear quality complete with background music from Korean dramas, was Yuri snuggling up to Jessica on the leather sofa from the movie night three days ago. What really set it apart from being a good laugh to scandal of the year was the placement of Yuri's face, the positioning of her hands, and just what her legs were curled around. 

"Oh my god! You slept with your face in Sica-unnie's boobs?"

"It's funny because Yul's sleeping on top of Sica."

"Yul is finally becoming the man."

"S-Sica-unnie? Why is Yuri-unnie touching your thigh? Why are her hands going down-"

"I knew it! I totally knew it! They are doing each other – no wonder my twin blushed the other day!"

"I thought I was the only byuntae but you sure proved me wrong, Yul. High-five!"

"That's...hot."

"Wow, you really are a slu*, Yuri."

Everyone was going wild over the picture without restraint. 

The three chodings responsible for creating the last slide were high-fiving, Taeyeon was rolling around on the floor laughing uncontrollably, Hara was taking multiple pictures of the scandal for future use and Heechul, flamboyant and arrogant as always, was prancing around the room screaming, "I knew it! I know my twin so well!" Despite having reservations about Yuri and Jessica dating, Tiffany was fanning herself, finding the picture hot even though she wanted to strangle the boss. Even Sunny at reception had received word of the image via Hara's mobile, and had replied back with hundreds of spammed exclamation marks. The only person who didn't fully understand was Seohyun – instead of going crazy, she stared at the picture in confusion.

The stars of the scandal were too mortified to take control of the situation. Yuri was hiding her face in embarrassment while Jessica had buried her nose into the carpet under the delusion that doing so would make the scandal disappear. 

"Are you guys ever going to let us live it down?" Yuri forced herself to ask despite already knowing the answer.

"Nope."

Chapter Seven - Melons

----------------------------------------------------

Tiffany:

Hey boss. Heechul-unnie and I am coming 2 ur penthouse right now! We're taking Jessi shopping and there’s nothing u can do about it! ^.^ C U in 30secs.

Taeyeon:

Yo~

My mushroom is going shopping with your gf. Let's get drunk and high while they're gone! LOL J/K. I'm gonna COD it out with Sunny and Yoong so if you wanna join we're playing via multiplayer lan. PW is 'Byuntae' case sensitive ;]

Yuri quickly messaged back, flatly denying that Jessica was her girlfriend or anything intimately related. True to Tiffany's word, Yuri only had to press the send button before multiple poundings wracked the penthouse door coupled with loud, demanding voices. She glanced at Jessica from the corner of her eye lounging on one the outdoor recliners, wondering if she knew about their so-called shopping spree. Judging from how intently she was reading her English novel, she had no idea which, Yuri knew, would be problematic. When Tiffany wanted to shop, there was no stopping her hedonistic desire to buy that which she did not necessarily need. 

As soon as she opened the door, Tiffany and Heechul, dressed in their Saturday shopping best, swept past her as if they owned the place, not bothering to acknowledge her presence. They headed straight to the outdoor terrace, grabbed Jessica, and hauled her to the bathroom all in the space of a few seconds. Expectedly, Jessica protested along the way but eventually conceded defeat and settled for staring accusingly at Yuri as she was dragged across the threshold.

Once the shower was running, the fashionably pink duo finally acknowledged her existence and walked into the kitchen. Next to them both in pink, Yuri felt somewhat out of place in her own home in her casual shorts, black singlet and lacking accessories which certainly said something about their clothes.

"What are you planning to do today while we're out?" Tiffany questioned randomly as she helped herself to the breakfast leftovers on the marble counter. "Damn it, why don’t you have coffee in your penthouse?"

Yuri smirked at her and said, in a very Seohyun-like way, "Coffee is hazardous to your health."

"Hey, Yuri," Heechul said over his shoulder as he rummaged through the fridge, "even though we're going to pay for the clothes, you better reimburse us after. Since we're going to buy my twin something stunning for the charity date auction, I think it's only fair you pay for it."

Raising a hand lazily in affirmation, Yuri retrieved her laptop from the terrace and set it on the kitchen counter. Even on a Saturday, there was work to be done, reports to be read, and figures to be checked. Thanks to Hyoyeon's last slide, the meeting hadn’t really ended as everyone had gone ballistic for what seemed like an eternity. As CEO, it was only natural she took responsibility in examining the emailed pros and cons power point slide for the Sales and Marketing department. 

"Yay, Jessi's ready!" Tiffany slid off the kitchen stool with an excitement that only came with the prospect of shopping.

Yuri was about to merely wave them goodbye until she remembered something as she reached for the home phone.

"Sica, wait!" Hurrying after them in long, quick strides, Yuri reached into her back pocket, producing a slim, white device. "Here, take this. I had Yoong tweak it a little to have the head of department contacts, future scheduled dates and whatever else you'll probably need. Unfortunately, Yoong found it funny to put the picture of us as the background. She must have fiddled with the system because the wallpaper seems to be permanent."

Jessica could not conceal her surprise as Yuri placed a brand new white Nokia N97 onto her palm. Her mouth failed her as she stared at it unblinkingly, rendered speechless at the innovative creation and the aforementioned scandalous wallpaper. In America, she had seen countless advertisements glorifying the mobile phone to be wondrous – now, as she held it in the palm of her hand, she could not help but agree. With its unscratched screen, sliding capabilities, and modern features, who wouldn't fall in love with it?

"What's wrong?" Yuri queried worriedly, misinterpreting her PA's silence. "Do you not like it? Is the colour an eyesore?"

The warmth radiating from Yuri's fingers against her bare arm seemed to bring her to life. Blinking sporadically, Jessica hastily shook her head, clutching the phone to her chest in delight. "It's beautiful," she assured her boss quietly, embarrassingly adding, "but I don't really know how to use Nokias, especially a model like this new one."

A flicker of understanding passed over Yuri's dark eyes. It was quite amusing, if not a little bit endearing, to know that her sergeant princess PA was clueless about technology. Chuckling softly, Yuri moved forward, reaching for Jessica's hand. Using her fingers as a guiding tool, she pointed here and there, giving a basic outline of the Nokia n97. 

"I had Yoong put my number on speed dial," Yuri was telling her informatively, pointing to the shortcut key. "All you need to do is press this or otherwise type my number manually, though I doubt you would memorise it since it's already saved into the phonebook contacts."

Once the short tutorial ended, it finally dawned on Jessica that Yuri had been guiding her fingers with her own. The awkwardness was back in the air, thickening with each passing second as Yuri held her fingers until it was suffocatingly unbearable. Therein lay the irony – despite the feeling of embarrassment, neither could let go for some inexplicable reason. 

Heechul, who had been interestedly watching them, smirked at the sight. Striding forward, he remarked, voice dripping with sarcasm, "Touching, though it may be, I'm sure you two lovebirds can continue holding hands later."

He didn't have to ask twice because Jessica retracted her hand as if scorned, whirled around on her soles of her flats, and disappeared in the elevator so fast Yuri's hands were still suspended in the air.

--------------------------------------------

Half an hour later, Jessica was convinced no one in KE could drive without acting like a juvenile, asinine delinquent. It should be a crime for the KE's head of departments being able to purchase whatever car they want. She had assumed Taeyeon was a child behind the wheel with Yuri probably being a teenager on a motorcycle, but Heechul proved just how presumptuous she had been. Next to them, Heechul was an infant behind the wheel. If Jessica hadn't known him to be tall, outrageously flamboyant and in his twenties, and sat blindfolded in the back seat of his purple Mazda RX8, she would have concluded Heechul was an infant that had mysteriously managed to get his little hands on a sports car.

Upon arrival at a massive shopping complex somewhere in South Korea, Tiffany and Heechul – quite literally – had to pull her disoriented form out of the sports car by the ankles. Jessica managed to pull herself to her feet, although she might as well have stayed in the car because she swayed like a drunken imbecile.

"Come on, Jessi!" Tiffany looped an encouraging arm over her shoulder, Heechul doing same on the opposite side. "We haven't gone shopping in ages, not since that crazy time when we were little kids. You should be excited!"

"Yeah," Heechul agreed from her right, grinning. "If you’re worried that we'll turn you into Lady Googa or whatever her name is-"

"Gaga," Tiffany corrected.

"-yeah her – although I must admit that androgynous person has got some style, no matter how attention seeking it is - then you have nothing to worry about. By the time we're done with you, there won't be a person at next week's charity event that won't think you're delectable. You'll be the belle of the ball."

----------------------------------------------------

"What do you think, Heechul-unnie?"

"The colour is all wrong."

"That's what I thought, too. I mean, it makes her look white – not like the sexy, alluring pure white but the pasty, ghostly white."

"Yeah, whiter than she actually is."

"Can you imagine her standing next to Youri? It's like yin and yang."

If the conversation didn't stray towards Jessica’s alleged dating with the boss or how pale her complexion was, Tiffany and Heechul veered towards how supposedly "massive" her breasts were.

"Wow, this dress makes her melons massive!"

"Totally hot, right? If we weren't related, I'd date you for sure, twin."

"Damn you, Jessi! I'm so jealous of your boobs. Why can’t TaeTae have a pair like these?"

"What bra size is your girlfriend?"

They literally dragged her into every boutique store, forcing her to try on every dress on display all the while scrutinising her like gay art critics, complete with the barrettes – they wore matching, fine-knitted ones – and the arrogant, cool pose of the fingers grasping the chin.

"Too long – if it were any longer, it would touch the ground. Are you a grandma or what?"

"Too short – you look like a slu*! Honestly, has Youri influenced you or something? Have you been taking lessons from her? If so, then you'd pass the test with flying colours!"

What the hell? Jessica thought to herself. She didn't even want to try the revealing halter dress in the first place!

"Twirl around. I didn't say spin, I said twirl! TWIRL, DAMN IT!"

"Show off your S-line more. Curve your spine this way."

"Push your bust out a bit. If you have the melons, make some watermelon juice with it! Push it out!"

"SHUT UP! STOP TALKING ABOUT MY MELONS AS SOME SORT OF PROFITABLE OBJECT FOR MAKING JUICE!"

"She's right!" Heechul yelled mindlessly in agreement, waving his arms wildly in the air. "Lady, she needs something that sells her melons better! Go get us that really sexy black boob tube dress pronto!"

If she did not flee from the pink duo soon, Jessica was convinced she would become clinically insane. Once in the safety of the changing room with locks – all the other ones had merely been curtains that failed to ward away the two fashion critics – she whipped out her new Nokia N97. 

Who would be her knight in shining armour? 

With her sanity at stake, she quickly scrolled through her contacts and ended up calling the one person she knew was still sane in the company. 

"Kwon Yuri speaking."

"Yuri! Help me!"

"Sica?" Yuri's husky, even voice had risen sharply at the desperation in her PA's voice. "What's going on? Where are you?"

"I’m-" Jessica stopped abruptly, knowing the truth would sound ridiculous. "I'm at the mall thirty minutes south of the company apartment complex on the top level. Heechul and Tiff have disappeared and there's this disgusting guy stalking me. He touched my ass!"

"He touched your what? Where exactly are you? What shop? I'll be there in fifteen."

"Some shop called ‘Melons Are Us!’ with a really weird salesperson."

In the space of fifteen minutes, Jessica had managed to find a beautiful dress in the otherwise expensive shop too revealing for her tastes. As soon as she had laid eyes on it, she had instantly fallen in love. It was simple yet elegant, from the pure white fabric that frilled out at the bottom to the midnight-black silk bow at the waist. Despite the shop having an abundance of short, revealing dresses, this particular one had the perfect length, teasing with how much leg it exposed but not to the extent of where Tiffany suspected she had taken slu* lessons from Yuri. The cleavage was acceptable, too, tastefully showing just the right amount of her so-called “massive” melons.

"It's beautiful, if I may say so, twin," Heechul commented as he swiped his credit card. "All we have to do now is look for some hooker heels to match your dress."

Tiffany's eyes brightened at the mentioning of heels, shining so bright Jessica thought she glimpsed a tear of happiness.

As soon as the dress was encased in the clear, plastic cover, Jessica braced herself before breaking into run. In the blink of an eye, she was out of the store, dress securely in hand. 

She would die before going high heel shopping with Tiffany and Heechul.

"Sica!"

Jessica whirled around on her flats at the urgent, loud voice. In all of her motorcycle attire glory, Yuri was sprinting towards her - leather jacket, skinny jeans, black Chuck Taylor sneakers and all. With her long, dark hair flowing behind her so dramatically, the worry in her expression and the motorcycle headgear acting like a shiny steel helmet in her gloved hands, Jessica was convinced Yuri was her knight in shining armour.

At that moment, it was as if today's shopping pain had finally caught up with Jessica. In a blur, she blindly ran towards her boss, ignoring Heechul and Tiffany's voices sounding in the vicinity. Their hands fitted together like two halves of a whole that fell into place when they ran for it, moulding perfectly.

"Where's the jerk that groped you?" Yuri asked darkly as they dashed down the stairs. 

"There was more than one and they're right behind us." Jessica jerked a thumb over her shoulder, referring to Tiffany and Heechul staring at them blankly several metres away. "They wouldn't stop talking about my melons."

From that moment on, Jessica decided she would never again shop with Tiffany and Heechul. On the upside, she had managed to find the perfect dress in the unlikeliest of shops for the charity auction date.

She most certainly would be the belle of the ball.

--------------------------------------------------

Chapter Eight - To Bid or Not to Bid

----------------------------------

After the traumatising shopping Saturday – Jessica vowed to never again go shopping with Heechul or Tiffany – the week seemed to pass by in the blink of an eye. All she recalled was enduring the repercussions of Yuri coming to her aid in the form of spammed exclamations, whistles in the hallway before the staff bolted at the sight of her glare, and general immature comments. Taeyeon, the byuntae she was, even messaged her with nothing but a wink bolded for emphasis – suffice to say that Yuri had made her work overtime for that. The ironic thing was that she was hailed like a hero as everyone left the building on that very eventful Monday night, high-fiving her for her exploits, as if she had won a great battle for the company.

One moment, Jessica found herself dozing off in Yuri’s penthouse and before she knew it, she was standing in Hara’s company apartment as Security’s second-in-command applied her make-up. Hara had offered to be her makeup artist for the night to which she had agreed at the last minute. Initially, she had intended for Heechul and Tiffany to do her makeup but after Saturday, and picturing herself working a Lady Gaga inspired look, there had been a change in plan.

“All finished, Sica-unnie,” Hara said as she stood back to admire her handiwork. “Wow, not to sound conceited or anything but I did a good job. You look smoking hot!”

Curious to see if she resembled Lady Gaga, Jessica walked over to the full-length mirror, only to gasp at what she saw. In her place was a startlingly pretty woman adorned in soft, pale white, complimented by a dark silken bow clinging around her waist. It took her a while to grasp the fact that she was that pretty woman in the mirror, the very same one with a bare, natural complexion and alluringly smoky eyes. Even her hair, an eye-catching orange-blonde, appeared shinier, like it had kissed by the sun, simply radiant even in a simple yet elegant bun.

“Crap, it’s already six fifty,” Hara swore loudly, rushing around the room for her clutch. “We had better get moving otherwise we’ll be late.”

Much to Jessica’s horror, Hara set her leg on the dresser, revealing a rich amount of skin. The sight of Hara’s exposed legs didn’t bother her as much as the black holster being strapped against her thigh, and the knife concealed in it.

“Are you allowed to bring that?” Jessica choked out, eyes wide saucers. “Isn’t that a bit...excessive, even for security?”

Hara giggled sweetly at her consternation, reaching for her hand. “Would you rather I bring a gun instead?” Not bothering for a response, she pulled Jessica along, locking her apartment on the way out.

Just as they exited the reception lobby, a sleek, silver Audi R8 pulled up in front them, stopping at the driveway. After the tipping the valet, they were off to the charity auction event in a haze of smoke.

------------------------

They were able to get to the venue in eight minutes flat, but not without speeding, precarious swerves that had both of them screaming their lungs out, and several near-death experiences. It seemed almost a relief to hand over the car keys to the stunned, gaping valet who stood inches away from the Audi’s front bumper.

Walking into the venue lobby was something Jessica would remember for the rest of her life. There was a difference between going to house parties and high-class social events. Unlike house parties, where everyone was too intoxicated to acknowledge or even notice your presence, the charity auction event seemed to thrive on the guests’ arrival. The atmosphere was different, too, with a buzz of excitement hanging in the air coupled with amicable chatter.

As soon as she had passed the automatic doors, it became glaringly obvious that every eye in the vicinity was trained on them – on her. Jessica couldn’t help but flush under public scrutiny – she really hated being the centre of attention. It didn’t help that the lobby was packed with people, all dressed to impress in their finest in a rainbow of colours that hurt her eyes.

Hand in hand, they swept past the throng of high-class people, heading beeline for the auction hall itself. The hall was colossally grand, filled with countless of circular tables and chairs, and at the very front was a stretching stage concealed by a dark scarlet curtain. With a sweeping glance, she located the rest of the staff seated in the very middle of the hall. What stood out, though, among the staff, was Yuri.

Even from afar, she could differentiate Yuri from the others. Her posture, her clothing, her hair – Jessica had become so accustomed to Yuri’s appearance that she could probably spot her from a mile away. Unlike every other female, Yuri was not in a dress, but she seemed to stand out more – if not completely – from the rest of the crowd. Shiny, tight black leggings clung to her daintily crossed legs like a second skin while a dark sleeveless blouse hugged her torso, revealing a tantalising amount of midriff. The high heels encasing her feet were not simply high – they were what Heechul would refer to as killer “hooker heels” and yet they classy, made dazzling by the embedded jewels. Instead of her perfectly straight hair, dark curls cascaded down her nape, curling just so around her slender neck.

Jessica’s footsteps were somewhat muted by the carpet, even more so by the exuberant conversation from the KE staff. As such, it came to be a surprise when Yuri slowly raised her head, angling it in her direction slightly, as if sensing her approach and seeing her black high heels before finally meeting her gaze. Following Yuri’s abrupt silence, everyone at the table turned to the newcomers. Within seconds, Heechul was in front her, gushing over how “sexy” she looked, Tiffany was expressing her love with her high heels, and the chodings were immaturely whistling. It seemed everyone was impressed by what she was wearing, commenting that it was hot, sexy or both, all except for her boss.

For a moment, Jessica was disappointed, even though she didn’t fully understand why she sought Yuri’s approval. Yuri was only her boss, after all, nothing more. Perhaps, it was because tonight was her first social event in accordance with KE and it consequently made her want approval for something, or because she was simply nervous. Either way, her crestfallen expression split into a smile when Yuri finally spoke.

“You look beautiful, Sica,” was all she had said, but it was enough.

There was something profoundly different from being called beautiful in comparison to sexy or hot. Both technically meant the same thing, but what was different was the sincerity behind it, and the way it was spoken.

Smiling, Jessica couldn’t help but reciprocate the genuine compliment. She was about to reply with a clichéd response that mimicked Yuri’s words but decided otherwise. Instead, she took the empty seat next to her boss and, making direct eye-contact, said honestly, “You look very handsome tonight, Yuri.”

“Thank you,” Yuri returned with one of her dorky, Taeyeon-like grins. “So, what do you think of the place? Have you spoken to anyone?”

When Jessica had said no, she did not have the pleasure of meeting anyone, and confessed it was rather daunting given the number of people, Yuri merely widened her grin.

“Come with me,” Yuri instructed as she rose to her feet, holding out her hand out chivalrously. “I know everyone here – at least, those that matter, if you get what I mean. I can introduce you.”

Together, they went to the lobby, Yuri leading while Jessica trailed behind her, hands entwined. People stared at them as they brushed past, some with raised eyebrows, others muttering inaudibly. It must have looked strange given how contrastingly different they were dressed, although Jessica suspected Yuri’s mere charismatic presence was the source of the attention fixated on them.

“This,” Yuri began as they came across four women, each as beautiful as the clothes they wore, “is Nicole, the CEO of Kara Unlimited. Nicole, this is Jessica, my PA.”

Introductions were all around, hands were shaken, random jokes were said, and eyes flickered around as each person spoke. It turned out the people at Kara Unlimited were very pleasant, even though Jessica had just acquainted with them. From the conversation, she gathered Nicole spoke English and that Kara Unlimited were good friends with Hara.

Soon, Jessica was introduced to all the important people in the business world. There seemed to be a male version of Kwon Enterprises called SuJu or SJ Corp with the only difference being one more person in staff. They were all very charming, each in their own way, and uniquely handsome. It came to no surprise that they were good friends with Heechul, as Jessica suspected he would be working at SJ Corp if not with Kwon Enterprises.

Another male-oriented company was F.T Island to which Yuri introduced her to after SJ Corp. At first, Jessica thought their company name was a joke, more so because of their small staff consisting of five people. It was later when they began briefly talking about business that Jessica discovered they managed a hotel resort on an island in South Korea, hence the name. They had other people working for them of course, but since the workers were not really co-owners, they didn’t have a reason to attend the social event.

“It was nice meeting you, Jessica,” Jonghun murmured politely as he shook her hand to part. “We should get going – dinner is going to be served soon I think.”

Just as they were going to head back into the hall, Jessica heard her name called out, felt Yuri tense next to her, and her boss’ hand tighten.

Curious, Jessica turned around, however all she saw were blurred faces of people she did not know. She was about shrug it off until the man in front of her brushed past, revealing a familiar face.

“Jay?”

“Jess!”

In a matter of seconds, Jessica found herself lifted off the ground, pressed against a solid chest scented with a cologne that triggered her memory. Sure enough, once she was lowered to the ground, she came face to face with none other than Jay Park, CEO of Park Industries, her childhood friend from America.

“What are you doing here?” Jay asked, both excited and confused, as to why she was here.

Jessica punched his arm roughly, scowling. “What’s that supposed to mean? Are you not happy to see me?”

“Of course I am,” Jay assured her with a laugh, rubbing his aching arm. 

It was when Jessica punched Jay that Yuri had had enough. Taking a single step forward calculated to announce her presence, she questioned, in a low voice, “Who’s your friend, Sica?”

Again, introductions were all around, but they might as well have had a punch on. The two CEOs were determined to battle each other without making a scene. Glaring fiercely at each other, drawing themselves to their full height, trying to break the other’s fingers when they reluctantly shook hands – there was nothing they didn’t do. Jessica, meanwhile, was chatting to who she discovered was Hyoyeon’s mystery man, Junho, and as such was completely oblivious to the hostility behind her back.

With one last hug between the reunited American friends – Yuri was scowling over Jessica’s shoulder – they returned to the hall.

Dinner was a delicious affair of scrumptious South Korean delicacies served with as many servings as one desired. Opposite Jessica sat Sooyoung, giving her a full view of the Head of Security, and Yoona sitting next to her. Rather than utilising the unlimited servings of food, they seemed to be abusing it, demanding third helpings of each dish. What really surprised her, though, was Tiffany – her best friend kept feigning to accidentally push Seohyun into Yoona.

“What are you doing?” Jessica hissed under her breath, nudging Tiffany roughly in the ribs after a particularly hard shove nearly had Seohyun’s face splattering her soup. “Are you trying to kill Seohyun or what?”

Ignoring her, Tiffany pushed an oblivious Seohyun again, succeeding in getting her to crash into Yoona’s shoulder. She pointed her chopsticks at Yoona and Seohyun repeatedly until it finally clicked in Jessica’s brain. Instead of scolding her, Jessica shoved Tiffany which caused a chain effect, sending Seohyun falling into Yoona’s arms. The two Americans held their breath as Yoona gazed deeply into Seohyun’s eyes like a scene from an epic movie, her alligator mouth wide open. 

It all came crashing down when Sooyoung raised her hand, carelessly hitting Yoona in the back, causing her grip on Seohyun to go slack.

Immediately, Tiffany was screaming at Sooyoung across the table, unaware or otherwise uncaring that she was making a scene. Taeyeon was immediately on her girlfriend’s side, even though she didn’t understand what was going on, Yoona was egging them on through mouthfuls of noodles, and Hyoyeon was howling with laughter. Sooyoung, all the while, was staring at her with wide eyes, discretely shoving food into her mouth every now and then as she endured the abuse.

By now, everyone in the entire hall was regarding them strangely, even the charity hosts standing on stage. Yuri made a threatening to gesture the hosts and then opened her mouth to talk into an imaginary microphone. It took them a while to decipher the action, by which time Tiffany had opted to jab her chopsticks menacingly at Sooyoung across the table.

“Excuse me everyone, but could I please have your attention?” As if the drama had never happened, everyone turned their attention to the stage, attracted by the bright lights switching on. “I would like to take this opportunity to welcome everyone to the annual charity date auction.”

Yuri buried her face in her palms, infinitely relieved that a full-scale war had not started at their table. Without any more interruption from their table, the auction event began, the hosts taking their time to address each and every company. Having attended the event several times, and listened to the same speech over and over, she was already bored within the first thirty seconds.

“Cheat, anyone?”

There, in Taeyeon’s uninjured hand – her other arm was still encased in plaster – was a pack of playing cards, still in its plain box. A collective nod around their table was enough affirmation for her to deal the cards.

It was rude to play cards while someone was speaking, but Yuri’s inner choding had its way, leaving her no other choice than to pick up her small pile of cards. Just as the game began, Tiffany set down her cards, politely excusing herself to go to the toilet.

Five minutes into the game, the first cheat was called. Since there were eleven people playing, it meant less cards and a higher chance of cheating. Three aces had already been played, so when Sooyoung coolly set down a single ace with a rather unconvincing face – perhaps due to the guilt of cheating – it was only natural someone called her bluff.

That person was Yoona.

“CHEAT!” Yoona yelled boisterously, jumping to her feet reflexively. Too caught up in her conviction that Sooyoung was cheating, she began pointing wildly at the shikshin. “I freaking know you cheated you cheater!”

“Im Yoona?” The host called out in the microphone. “Does that mean you are bidding on Chansung from Park Industries?”

Everyone was looking at her expectantly, having misinterpreted her outburst for excited bidding. Once again, Yuri saved the day, rising to her feet. “Don’t mind my cousin,” she told everyone at large, drawing every eye upon her, “she’s drunk on wine.”

It seemed her vague explanation sufficed for the auction event returned to full swing. It turned out Sooyoung had indeed cheated, playing a three of hearts instead. When Sooyoung had conceded defeat with a loud curse, Taeyeon had erupted with laughter, burying her face into the tablecloth. Five minutes later, Tiffany came back from the toilet, nonchalantly taking her seat.

The game intensified to the extent of where everyone was on the edge of their seat, peering over their cards to squarely meet each others' gaze. Seohyun had the best poker face by far, her facial expression perfectly emotionless, composed. The intensity in the game was so great that when Seohyun’s name was called by the host, she missed it completely, continuing to stare unblinkingly at Hara over her cards.

“Seohyun.” Yuri waved her hand in front of the woman’s face, gesturing to the stage. “You’re being auctioned off. Go on stage!”

“She’s being what?” Yoona blurted out uncontrollably. She watched Seohyun slowly make her way up the stage, forgetting about the game completely. The spotlight shone on Seohyun brightly, making her even more vulnerable than she already was standing before a massive crowd. The sudden urge to dash onto the stage, grab Seohyun, and make for it was sorely tempting, but she killed the urge.

“Bidding starts at one thousand.”

Before she knew it, there were voices coming from every direction, even from those she knew personally. It eventually came down to Junsu from Park Industries, SJ Corp's Kyuhyun, and someone called Yonghwa who she didn’t know but instantly decided she despised.

“Ten thousand.”

“Fifteen thousand.”

“Twenty thousand.”

“Twenty-five thousand.”

Yoona couldn’t take it. Someone was going to buy a date with Seohyun. She would die before someone corrupted her innocent Hyunnie. With that solely in the forefront of her mind, Yoona stood up, thrust her auction paddle high into the air and yelled, “One hundred thousand!”

The gavel slamming the podium was loud, projecting even louder with the microphone. It was all too much for Tiffany who burst into tears of happiness, burying her face into Taeyeon’s shoulder. There was a stunned silence at the KE table, broken only by Tiffany’s sobs muffled against her girlfriend’s dress. Even Sooyoung, who was expected to ruin the moment as Seohyun dazedly walked down the stage, remained as she was, openly gaping in shock, the cream of her dessert sliding down her chin.

Jessica high-fived Tiffany under the table, knowing it was not a simple coincidence, but rather the product of her best friend's scheme. Tiffany had excused herself earlier, after all, and it didn't take a genius to put everything together. When Tiffany wanted something, she always had her way.

While everyone was in awe of the auction outcome, Jessica leaned forward, whispering into Tiffany's ear, "I imagined it was difficult to persuade the host to have Seohyun auctioned. What did you offer them to rig the auction?"

A second later, Jessica gulped when her name was called. In the space of how long it took for everyone's eye to land on her, she already knew the answer to her question.

Tiffany had offered her to be auctioned off to persuade the hosts' mind.

The next few moments happened in a hazy blur. One minute, Jessica was frozen in her seat and in the next, she was numbly ascending the stage stairs, the echo of her high heels clicking sounding abnormally loud in her ears. The surreal dream became a reality when the bright, overhead spotlight shone on her, bathing her in luminous light.

Two weeks ago, when Yoona had formulated a plan to fathom the extent of Yuri's alleged crush, it had sounded great. Now, as Jessica stood on stage, she felt very much like a piece of meat about to be sold at a market.

"Bidding starts at one thousand."

--------------------------------

Chapter Nine - World War Three

-------------------------------

As soon as the gavel hit the podium, a myriad of voices came from every direction. Auction paddles were thrust so fast in the air it was like a Mexican wave – when one buyer yelled out their price, it was most likely the person next to them to yell a higher offer, and thus the cycle to win a date with Jessica began and escalated wildly.

Everyone – including the KE staff – seemed to be thriving on the action, loving every second of how hot a commodity Jessica was, all except for Yuri and Heechul. While Sooyoung was shouting nonsensical remarks that went along the lines of, “You go, girl!” and “Sexica for president!” and Hara whistled excitedly, Yuri merely sat stiffly in her chair with one leg tightly crossed over the other, one hand propped against her cheek. Whenever someone would place a bid, her eyes would flicker to match a face to a voice before returning to observe Jessica underneath the spotlight.

From what she had observed in her brooding silence, there were two men that were extremely determined to buy a date with Jessica. Seo Ji-seok, the heir to one of South Korea’s leading entertainment agencies and Jung Heechul, the Research and Development Head at ZE:A Incorporated. It irked her because Jessica had only been working at Kwon Enterprises for a little over two weeks, and to know that the two men knew nothing about her PA but was willing to pay a fortune get to know her was disturbing.

Despite her desire to bid just to save Jessica from the fate of an inevitably terrible date, Yuri maintained her silence. It would be pointless – not to mention a waste of her breath – to partake in the frantic bidding when she was wealthier than everyone in the room. Really, all it would take was for her to bid a tiny fraction of her wealth in order to silence all bidders.

The only person that rivalled her in terms of accumulated assets, status, and influential power was Jay Park but he wasn’t bidding. Like herself, he seemed to be a spectator for the charity auction. Yuri knew, though, from his fixated gaze on Jessica as he sat a few tables away, that he was biding his time.

“Hey, Yul.”

Yuri stared questioningly at her cousin, turning her head slightly. 

“Are you going to bid on Sica-unnie?” Yoona enquired carefully, infinitely curious to discover whether or not her cousin liked Jessica.

Across the table, Heechul, who had been shaking his fist at every man that raised their paddle, snapped his head around to stare at the cousins so fast it was a wonder his neck was still intact.

When Yuri said nothing, continuing to watch Jessica closely, Heechul pointedly clicked his fingers. “Well?” he pressed demandingly, his narrowed eyes expectant. “Are you going to buy her or not?”

“Why does it matter?” Yuri matched his uncharacteristically hard gaze with one of her own. “Besides, why are you so concerned?”

Heechul rolled his eyes, muttering an incredulous, “Seriously?” He dramatically raised his arms, gesturing to everyone in the vicinity with an urgency that spoke volumes of his suppressed anger. “Look at all the repulsive people here. Do I really need to say what they intend to pull on the organised date if they win one with my twin?”

There was a twisted sense of truth behind his insinuation. The majority of the men bidding on Jessica were decades older than her, not to mention hideously old and undoubtedly corrupted in more ways than one. There was only a select few who were handsome with the wealth to compliment their image, but none of them seemed to be what Yuri deemed as ‘good enough’.

From what the leaflet outlined, all of the dates were organised with F.T Island, After School Professional Catering, and 4minute Magic Massages. The date itself was not really a single night but rather a luxurious weekend affair at F.T Island’s hotel resort complete with full room service, massages, and the picturesque view of the sandy beach.

Yuri dropped the program onto the table, shifting in her seat to get a better look at her PA. Gone was her PA’s sergeant demeanour – Jessica now stood nervously underneath the spotlight with her hands clasped defensively against her chest. Inwardly angled feet, pursed lips, downcast eyes refusing to meet the scrutinising eyes of those in the audience – it was blithely obvious Jessica was uncomfortable. It was so different from the PA that fearlessly slapped, punched and screamed at her that – for perhaps the first time in her life – Yuri felt the first inklings of worry.

Yuri had every right to be worried because it was not long before havoc was wrought.

What happened in the space of a few seconds was worse than anything Yuri could have imagined. It wasn’t a wrinkly fossil that bid on Jessica, no – it was Jay Park. After the price had been raised to fifty thousand, Jay had finally made his mark, surging to his feet dramatically. Not everyone had witnessed him actually stand up, since they were too immersed in the auction, but Yuri saw it as clear as the cloudless blue sky on a bright, sunny day.

In a voice so sure, so certain it ignited some sort of spark in Yuri, Jay thrust his paddle in the air, yelling over the wild horde, “One hundred thousand!”

Yuri wasn’t sure what she did, or why she did it. Call it rivalry spurred on by Jay’s arrogant certainty in himself or the desire to save Jessica – in the end, all she registered was a shocked silence in the hall as she stood with her paddle raised, and the hosts repeating her price of one hundred and fifty thousand.

No one in the hall made a sound or even dared to move, other than lowering themselves to the cushions of their chairs. The only exception was Heechul and Yoona – while the crowd went down, they jumped up proudly to their feet, clapping enthusiastically for the boss, cutting through the silence with yells of, “Take that you feculent maggots!” and “That’s my cousin!” respectively.

Although Yuri was caught off guard at her own actions, she nonetheless played the situation coolly, waving her paddle slowly, as if to mock the previous bidders before inclining her head and resuming her seat.

“I guess you really aren’t a slu* if you’re sticking to one woman,” Sooyoung deadpanned.

Tiffany was about to agree but she never got the chance to even start, for a sharp movement out of the corner of her eye caught her attention. 

“Two hundred thousand,” Jay shouted, rising to his full height. Pausing for effect, he shook his paddle for emphasis and sank to his chair, but not before making eye contact with Yuri.

It was a challenge and they both knew it, from the tiny, almost lazy movement of his spiky head to barely acknowledge her to the way he lightly brushed his shoulder in her direction with such nonchalance Yuri wanted nothing more than to slap the invisible smirk off his face.

Perhaps, it had been the mocking ease at which Jay beat her price, or the slightest curl of his lips that pushed Yuri over the edge. It didn’t really matter, though, because it was obvious she had indeed tumbled over the edge – over the fine line of civility that prevented them both from being arrested for homicide.

Jumping to her feet, she bellowed, in the loudest, most commanding voice she could muster in her fury, “Five hundred thousand!”

Everyone was staring incredulously at her, but she ignored them completely, whirling around to face Jay squarely. “What do you think you’re doing?” she threw out scathingly over the short distance between them, uncaring of the repercussions at that very moment. “First, you have someone in your sad excuse of a company date my Sales and Marketing Manager and then you go bid on my PA even though you already know her? Are you kidding me?”

“First of all,” Jay began calmly – a little too calmly for those who knew him, “Park Industries is not a ‘sad excuse of a company’ – we are just as efficient, if not more, than Kwon Enterprises. Secondly, Junho is entitled to date whoever he wants, as is your Sales and Marketing Manager. You don’t have ownership of your staff!”

Yuri laughed disdainfully, sarcasm saturating her voice, reducing its huskiness to be nothing more than a sharp, cutting weapon. “The last time I checked I was CEO of Kwon Enterprises, and Sica was my PA, not yours,” she retorted, crossing her arms over her chest. “Did you forget to examine the paper showing KE’s exceptional sales or were you too busy doing nothing productive in your office to read the details in bold?”

“Shika?” Jay repeated derisively, sneering mockingly at her. “What are you speaking – engrish? For the record, it’s Jessica or is basic pronunciation really beyond you?”

Everyone at the KE table was about to give Jay a piece of their mind for insulting their boss. It was expected Yuri would be the one to retaliate, and as such it came to be a shocking surprise when Yoona beat her to it. Picking up the nearest plate which just happened to be Sooyoung’s dessert, she gripped it tightly before flinging it across the tables, snapping like an alligator, “That’s my cousin, asshol*!”

Time seemed to slow down as the plate topped with an assortment of fruits all garnished to delicious perfection in cream shot threw the air. Bits of strawberry pieces slid off the plate, creating the gunpowder effect as scarlet tinged with miniscule black seeds flew off the spinning fine china, hitting the unlucky people beneath as it sailed to its target. In a painfully loud spatter, the plate hit Jay’s face cream side first, fruit flying haphazardly on impact.

“Yoong, you’re so hardcore!”

“Wow, you should play COD with me! With an aim like that, I can finally beat Taeyeon on team battles!”

“Did you just…?”

“MY DESSERT! IM YOONA!”

How the next few moments happened, no one really knew. Similarly, no one bothered to think about the consequence of their actions, as the chaos was simply overwhelming.

All Jessica had seen from her vantage point on stage was Jay charging murderously at Yoona, Yuri shoving her cousin out of the way from the impending attack, Hara whipping out her killer knife from her holster, and Sooyoung pulling out a gun from a hidden compartment of her dress before hell broke loose. It was Kwon Enterprises versus Park Industries, all of the other companies as spectators, and the professional photographers of the high-class social event as the paparazzi having a field day. They were thriving on every scandalous moment the two rival companies were giving them as fists descended on limbs, feet and heels flew in all directions, enraged snarls howled in the air and shots were fired.

Sooyoung, it turned out, judging by her firearm pointed upwards, had fired two bullets at the ceiling as a threatening, completely non-violent tactic to ward the PI staff. In response, Taecyeon, PI's Head of Security, had produced his own gun and the two were now having a Mexican standoff.

“Put your gun down you-you beast!”

“Only after you put yours down first!”

After hearing the gunfire, Sunny had hidden underneath the table, rocking back and forth as she hugged her legs protectively to her chest. She was feverishly mumbling, “Is this the punishment for playing too much COD?” repeatedly, seemingly insane, ignoring the table shaking under heavy movement. The table shaking was due to Taeyeon and Tiffany moving about on the surface grabbing every item that could be thrown and used as a weapon. Cutlery, dinner rolls, glasses – they threw it all at Wooyoung who was using a silver platter as a makeshift shield, the two going so far as to chuck the useless napkins, only to have them travel one measly metre before sailing to the ground pathetically.

Meanwhile, Hara was battling Chansung in a game of fencing using knives while Heechul attempted to with a long breadstick. This became apparent when he lunged forward impressively, breadstick in hand, only to have it sliced in half by Chansung’s dinner knife. Instead of attacking directly, he settled for swiping the space in front of him, under the delusion that doing so would – in some magical way – inflict actual damage while Hara dodged Chansung’s swift jabs looking very much like David and Goliath respectively.

Near them, Yoona was releasing her earlier frustration at Junsu for bidding on her Hyunnie in the form of a dangerous food fight. Their barricades were the upturned tables, and their weapons were anything they could get their hands on. Nichkhun had already been ‘killed’ by a particularly nasty smash of a plate to his head, rendering him unconscious. Once Seohyun had realised the brutality of her actions, she had been so overwhelmed by guilt that she burst into tears, and ended up crying into Yoona’s back while the latter fought for her honour.

The only two that seemed to retain a shred of their sanity was Hyoyeon and Junho, the dating couple. Rather than join the battle, they sat far away at a vacated table, having a romantic moment as they fed each other dessert, giggling away together at some inside joke.

It was world war three in here, Jessica thought to herself, torn between the two companies. While she was good friends with Jay, she also had a responsibility to Yuri who had been nothing but kind to her in the past two weeks and a bit. Desperate times called for desperate measures – with that firmly in mind, she pushed the host off the stage, muttering a quick apology.

Removing the microphone from its stand, she grabbed it securely, kicked off her high heels, and jumped off the stage, screaming into the small device for the madness to stop. To her horror, in the middle of the battlefield, Yuri and Jay were rolling around on the ground. 

“Break it up!” she screamed in her dolphin-like voice, but her command fell on deaf ears for the high pitch of her scream was so great it broke the speakers with an electrical crackle. Throwing the useless device away, she braced herself before diving into the fray, rolling in between the two CEOs.

It was a good thing the police arrived otherwise Jessica would have been crushed by being sandwiched to death. Someone finally managed to wrench Jay away from her and Yuri, leaving them to lie wearily in the heart of the battlefield. The moment of relief did not last long however, for an officer hauled Yuri away, handcuffing her. Yuri did not go down without a fight and neither did Jessica. 

“Take these off! Do you know who I am? I’m Kwon Yuri!”

“Hey, that’s my boss you’re arresting! What do you think you’re doing? Take them off now - right NOW!”

Taeyeon, hand in hand with Tiffany, shoved through the crowd, marching straight to the officer handcuffing Yuri. In the blink of an eye, the police officer was trembling underneath the combined heat of their abuse. Tiffany was actually jabbing the man in the chest, uncaring it was considered a punishable offence, in comparison to Taeyeon who was agreeing to everything her girlfriend was spewing without hesitation.

“If you want to arrest her, you’ll have to go through us!” Tiffany was screaming, completely beside herself. “There’s no way you’re taking her without handcuffing us after we beat your sorry-”

“That can be arranged.”

Startled at the voice, Jessica whipped around, expecting an intimidating person, most likely a male. It astonished her that the voice belonged to a short, chubby woman probably in her thirties, complete with a mushroom ‘bowl-cut’ hairstyle.

In her scariest, most authoritative voice, Jessica demanded furiously, “Who the hell are you?” as she stepped forward, her arms crossed tightly against her chest.

“Kim Shin Young – Chief of Police.” 

Chapter Ten – Operation: Romantic Getaway

-----------------------------------

Kim Shin Young had not lied about everything being arranged.

Not ten seconds after Yuri was dragged away in her hooker heels, an officer was onto Jessica, handcuffing her and hauling her along, outlining in a detached voice reminiscent to that of policemen in American movies her rights, the court of law and the usual load of rubbish. In the end, Jessica decided to go along quietly, if only to prevent a fine or punishment for offending a police officer. The others, however – excluding Sunny who was too terrified to be difficult and in fact ran to the police van for refuge without being handcuffed - seemed to ignore the need for self-preservation, evident when they did not go into the police van without causing another scene for the paparazzi thriving on the spectacles so generously provided.

“Drop your weapon!”

“You drop yours first! Who are you to tell me to disarm? What are you – the police?”

“That’s exactly what I am!”

Sooyoung was perhaps the worst out of the KE staff to handle the situation with restraint. She was either very brave or foolish – Jessica was inclined to believe the latter, as she watched with wide eyes KE’s Head of Security fling her gun haphazardly before running to the nearest table, diving for the untouched dessert. Even then, Sooyoung didn’t go quietly, yelling through mouthfuls of sponge cake something indecipherable as she was pulled across the dirtied carpet by two officers.

Similarly, Heechul and Hara were responding eccentrically to the unwelcoming bleakness of a night in prison. On top of one the tables unaffected by the company clash, Heechul, grasping the sliced breadsticks, was duel-wielding them in a flurry of lunging jabs, stabbing every policeman’s hand within proximity while Hara clung to his back, somehow managing to stay latched on in spite of the sharp movements as he danced quickly on his toes. Eventually, though, he fell off the table – rather, he tripped over the rumpled tablecloth – and as soon as he did, officers were on him and Hara like a pack of wolves. As he was pulled outside, he yelled in outrage, “That’s prada, pal!” and “Easy on my skin – I just exfoliated!” while Hara tried to use her doll-like innocence to her advantage.

Yoona and Seohyun could not have been any different – instead of being defiant, they were strangely sorrowful as the reality of Nichkhun’s concussion had struck. They still, however, made a scene, more-so on Yoona’s part. Like the flick of a switch, she transformed into the alligator she was nicknamed to be when an officer handled Seohyun a little too roughly with the handcuffs. Suffice to say that the man received a perfectly dark, round black eye while Yoona had to be controlled by four officers as she fought against her restraints to comfort a crying Seohyun.

The only two who rivalled that of Sooyoung’s madness was Taeyeon and Tiffany. After Shin Young’s introduction, they had taken position on the table again, throwing anything and everything at the police squad circling them. Tiffany even went so far in her insanity to take off her high heels and throw them at an officer, only to reflexively dive for them, frantically screaming, “No - my Jimmy Choos!” Following her unhesitatingly was Taeyeon, jumping for the sake of her girlfriend, right into an open area. In a loud thud, the hard sound painful to hear as accompanying it was Tiffany’s deafening scream of worry that put Jessica’s dolphin shrieks to shame, Taeyeon hit the ground, falling into unconsciousness. 

Crap hit the fan after that as Tiffany ballistic. It took ten people to subdue her, by which time Hyoyoen had joined in on the fray, immediately backed by her boyfriend. Park Industries had another field day, accusing Junho of treachery, resulting in a schoolyard boy fight. In the end, everyone in Park Industries was arrested and Tiffany was confined in a separate police vehicle with her unconscious girlfriend to appease her wishes while the rest of the KE staff was restricted to one van.

-----------------------------

After much heated debate, much sweat, tears, mugshots of each person and demands for snacks in spite of it being lowly prison food – Sooyoung had been adamant, claiming she had been deprived at the social event – KE and PI were allowed their freedom.

It turned out the charity event hosts weren’t pressing charges against either company for causing a public disturbance. When Jessica had openly asked why, the man she had roughly pushed off stage said both companies were the event’s most famous, cherished guests. In filing charges against them, the charity auction event would likely be cancelled in the years to come simply because of KE and PI’s support and absence should they be banned. If anything, despite the damage caused, the media attention the event would garner would increase the event’s popularity, something they had endeavoured to achieve in the past but never managed to until now – until the public brawl. What was more in their favour was that according to the host, Yuri had technically outbid Jay on the auction with her price of half a million, thus earning her a date with Jessica to F.T Island’s hotel resort.

Once details of Yoona and Seohyun’s date was exchanged, as well as Yuri and Jessica’s, the hosts left, leaving the rival companies in the hands of Kim Shin Young, Chief of Police extraordinaire.

“So,” Shin Young began slowly, pacing in front of them, her hands clasped behind her back, “so.”

“So?” Yoona repeated impatiently.

“I suppose you consider yourselves lucky, huh?” She had regarded them all sternly, shaking her head in particular at the two CEOs before beginning to rant in a low, chastising tone. “Hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of damage, not to mention injuries in the police ranks and yet you are free of charge from the hosts. You must be pleased with the turn of events.” When no one said anything, trading ‘what-the-hell’ glances with each other, she stamped her foot, causing everyone to flinch. “Well? Are you proud of yourselves?”

Sooyoung raised her hand like a schoolgirl, nodding in response. “I must say I’m a little-”

“Silence!” Shin Young barked, slamming her hand against the nearest surface which just happened to be the nearby wall. “I will not be spoken to like that so directly!”

Everyone expected Tiffany to voice her thoughts, as she was the outspoken one, but Taeyeon bet her to it. In all of her short, fun-sized glory, almost equal in height to the Chief of Police, Taeyeon stepped forward, saluting for effect. In the background, Yuri covered her face with her hands, already suspecting the outcome.

Sure enough, after Taeyeon had stated coolly “no offence” and then proceeded to offend Shin Young by criticising how inadequate the police station was and that she abhorred how they were treated – everyone’s injuries had not been examined – deathly silence had ensued. In the end, after a painfully tense staring down between the two, the Chief of Police burst into laughter, stunning everyone.

“You kids run along,” Shin Young ordered dismissively as she devoured a rice cake she had produced out of thin air. “I won’t be charging anyone with assault because then I’d have to charge everyone which leads to paperwork which leads to my being strapped to my desk. If you know what’s good for you, scram!”

They did not need telling twice. In a rush, everyone was out of the police station, desperate to escape the prison bars that seemed to have been closing in on them with each passing second. Outside, in the chilly night, the KE staff stood to one side while PI hovered on the opposite end, waiting for their taxis.

Jessica shivered instinctively, hugging her bare arms in the hope to keep warm. The arrival of the police had been so hasty that she forgot her jacket, leaving her to be subjected to the chill of the midnight wind. All of a sudden, she felt the gliding sensation of smooth fabric sliding against her skin, blanketing her upper body in pleasant warmth. With it was the faintly familiar scent, one she vaguely remembered waking up to every morning, and secretly liked.

Surprised, she turned, lips parted in disbelief, to stare at her boss standing barefoot on the pavement in nothing but her sleeveless blouse and torn leggings, broken heels in hand.

“Aren’t you freezing?” she couldn’t stop herself from asking, frowning. Feeling guilty since it was technically her fault for her boss' war torn state, she went to remove the jacket, but Yuri was insistent she keep warm.

Grabbing Jessica’s hand, Yuri murmured a quiet, “Keep it,” and instead smiled. Even in the dark, her smile was visible, the soft curve of her lips sincere. “If anything, you need it more than me. I’m sorry for the torn state of your dress.”

Jessica looked down at her frayed dress, finding it indeed ripped in some places. Shrugging it off, she lifted her gaze to stare at boss. It was then that she noticed the bruised, purple crescent darkening Yuri’s cheek, the painful split-lip and streaks of scarlet colouring her mouth.

Immediately, Jessica was fussing over her, ignoring the mumbles of “I’m fine, don’t worry, Sica,” and the refusing hands constantly barring her from examining Yuri’s condition. It took Jessica dishing out a sergeant-like command in order to make Yuri lower her hands, but even then her boss was determined to look away like a child about to be reprimanded for schoolyard fighting.

And, schoolyard fighting it had been, Jessica thought to herself silently as she pressed a tissue against Yuri’s bloody lip. If anything, tonight had confirmed that the KE staff – even the big, bad boss – had a childish, wild side to them that was unleashed in protectiveness. Strangely enough, it was quite endearing, simply because it showed how closely-bonded the workers were – how far they were willing to go, consciously or not, to defend one another.

Maybe – just maybe – Kwon Enterprises wasn’t so bad after all.

-----------------------

The following Saturday morning saw the building swarming with the paparazzi. This was evident when Heechul ventured outside to go to the local mall for the latest edition of Vogue, only to freeze in the lobby at the media hounding on the glass doors guarded by security. Whipping out his mobile, he yelled frantically into the small device, alerting the boss in the penthouse. As a result, Yuri had banned everyone from leaving the building, thus compelling them to invade her penthouse to watch Korean dramas on her LCD television.

While everyone crowded on her U leather lounge set, Hara idly switched through channels until it came to the breaking news one. No one could suppress their reaction to Sooyoung’s frightening, wide-eyed expression on the channel from last night showing her firing gunshots in a shaky candid camera. It would have been terrifying to witness if they didn’t know her personally.

The chodings – excluding Sooyoung, of course – were having the time of their life laughing at the television. Taeyeon even appeared to be choking between spasms of laughter, clutching Tiffany next to her who was still sulking about her Jimmy Choos that had been confiscated, classified as ‘evidence’ of assault. Said high heels were still at the police station, and as such, since she couldn’t leave the building, she silently mourned their parting. Jessica, meanwhile, was too busy tending to Yuri’s split-lip to notice or even laugh. Since they were unable to leave the building, Yuri could not get her lip properly stitched, thus leaving the task of tending to the injury up to her. She didn’t mind though – after last night, she had gained a new level of respect for the boss. Also, there were a lot of things she couldn’t do in life such as cooking, and luckily first-aid wasn’t one of them.

Still, although her handiwork wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t as great as actually getting proper medical treatment. She had said so to her boss who merely shrugged.

“How are we supposed to get to the hospital?” Yuri leaned back into the couch, scooting a bit for her PA to comfortably sit next to her. “Speaking of going out, how are we going to get you and Seo to your date, Yoong?”

The events of last night had finally dawned on Yoona this morning when Hyoyeon and Taeyeon had made an immature comment about her and Seohyun’s romantic, getaway date. Yoona had nearly given them a black eye each if not for Seohyun walking into the penthouse, appearing perfectly fine. There had been no indication on her face that suggested she even remembered Yoona bidding one hundred thousand for her, defending her honour or giving the police officer a black eye. That was how Yoona came to be sitting crestfallen on the couch, hugging one of the cushions in comfort, no longer retaining the image of an alligator but instead a sad, sulking little child.

Jessica was about to suggest something completely outrageous for the sake of it when Sooyoung jumped to her feet, her eyes as wide – if not wider – than the live recording of herself on the television screen.

“I have an idea everyone!”

------------------------------

“Everyone in position?”

There was a collective response from the walkie talkies, affirmations sounding from everyone on the team. Pressing the talking button on the device, Yuri and Jessica confirmed they were indeed ready for their completely juvenile yet genius plan should it work. If last night’s charity auction date had been insane, then what they were going to attempt would be considered suicide in terms of the media attention they would gain should they fail. Fortunately, the KE head of departments were crazy enough to go along with Operation: Romantic Getaway.

The plan was easy and simple and altogether juicily scandalous: Taeyeon and Tiffany would make a scene worthy of grasping the paparazzi’s attention, Hara and Sunny would slip past the front entrance to the complex car park to drive two cars since they were so small, Heechul would pull a bend and snap for the media and Hyoyeon would perform a dance spectacle while Sooyoung watched everything from the camera feed in the security room. Essentially, Sooyoung had outlined that it would all gain the paparazzi’s attention, hence allowing Yuri, Jessica, Yoona and Seohyun – who were at the ready with their weekend luggage – to make a run for it without any hassle on their auction dates.

“Okay, Yulsic and Yoonhyun is a go!” Sooyoung yelled into the walkie talkie, staring at the security feed. “Taeny, go make a scene!”

“What the hell?” Jessica responded over the connection, sounding outraged. “What are these couple names you’ve given us? Do you want to die?”

As startled at the iciness in Jessica’s voice as they were, Tiffany and Taeyeon ventured outside, feigning surprise at the flashing cameras. In a whirlwind of movement, Taeyeon did a spectacular fail of twirling Tiffany as she tried to copy the dipping part in dances she had seen on television. With a loud thud, Tiffany hit the floor.

“What the hell are you doing?” Sooyoung screamed into the walkie talkie, slamming her hand against the table. “Babo, you weren’t supposed to drop her!”

If anything, the paparazzi loved the fact that Taeyeon had dropped her girlfriend for Tiffany was yelling at her for her dismal failure.

Sooyoung was hysterical on the walkie talkie. “The plan is going out the window! I repeat Operation: Romantic Getaway is failing! Quick, Heechul-unnie, bend and snap!”

Hips swaying suggestively, Heechul sashayed outside the building, pretending to drop his designer sunglasses. Mimicking Legally Blond, he bent over, right in front of the cameras, and snapped, giving one of his charming smirks for the effect as he glanced over his shoulder. Just as the cameras went wild, Sunny and Hara snuck out of the lobby, both dressed in matching black outfits, to the car park. Heechul could only capture the attention of the paparazzi for so long, though. With a bark from Sooyoung through the walkie talkie, Hyoyeon rushed outside and, after waving her hands at the camera, burst into a popping routine.

As soon as she began, the four central to the plan dashed outside, luggage clutched in hand, sneaking right behind the paparazzi’s backs. The adrenaline of the stunt was so great that Yuri and Jessica unconsciously held hands, running alongside each other in a blur. It came to be a great relief when Hara and Sunny pulled up around the corner in their respective vehicles. Jessica grabbed hold of the walkie talkie, shouting at Sooyoung to shut the hell up. Once Hara and Sunny had quickly exited the vehicle, and they were strapped in safely, in a haze of smoke, they were off.

It was only a weekend at F.T Island's hotel resort. By the time they returned, the media would have forgotten about the charity date auction, they would have had a relaxing holiday, and everything would be the same. What could possibly happen in two days?

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Chapter Eleven - A Moonlit Moment

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It was early afternoon when the sun was at its hottest. Lounging comfortably on one of the outdoor recliners in close propinquity to the swimming pool, Jessica released a relaxed sigh, thoroughly enjoying the pleasant atmosphere of F.T Island’s hotel resort. The sky seemed to mimic her mood, as there wasn’t a single cloud in the endless expanse of bright blue. 

Next to her, Seohyun sipped a tall glass of water, the telling sound of ice cubes indicating so. Similar to Jessica, she wore a white cotton summer dress, sunglasses, and a hat. The only difference was that while Jessica had a plain summer brim hat, Seohyun wore a Keroro cap – a limited edition one, purchased on ebay for a staggering price. Sometimes, Jessica questioned what went on inside Seohyun’s head. She was a health fanatic to the point of where eating a hamburger was an abominable crime against the preservation of health and yet she was willing to spend anything for Keroro merchandise.

“Seohyun.”

Said woman glanced at her questioningly, peeking over the frame of her dark sunglasses.

Jessica didn’t bother to return her gaze and simply said, in a voice so blunt, so completely honest, “You’re weird.”

“Unnie, that’s very demeaning.” Seohyun was frowning at her stonily. “Wait, why am I weird?”

Jessica slanted her head and stared at the bright green cap on Seohyun’s head, emphasising her point by poking Keroro’s beady eyes. “This,” she drawled, continuing to lazily poke Keroro’s eyes, “is why I think you’re weird.”

Hearing no response, Jessica sighed and shifted to accommodate a better, more comfortable position on the recliner. She crossed her bare legs, rested the back of her head on her arms, and closed her eyes. The silence following was tranquil, only to be broken by the distant sounds of water splashing. It was probably Yuri and Yoona; the cousins loved to swim, according to Seohyun. Yuri had tried to get her to join them, but she had flatly refused, stating that sunbaking – or more accurately sleeping – sounded better than swimming. She had said sunbaking at the time, but what Yuri didn’t know wasn’t detrimental to her health.

So, that was how Jessica came to be dozing off, sprawled on the outdoor recliner with not a care in the world. It wasn’t long before the random occurrences over the duration of her working at KE invaded the recesses of her mind. The dream had started off with Taeyeon madly clawing at her face, only to dissolve into the traumatic shopping Saturday. Somehow, Tiffany had managed to get her hands on killer “hooker heels” five inches high and was insistent she try them on. In the end, after a particularly heated argument in which she stated said heels would render her disabled, Jessica had to run for dear life as Tiffany chased her around the mall.

Suddenly, when Tiffany finally caught up with her, the dream changed. The high heels in her hand blurred, becoming rounded. If Jessica did not know any better, given the events that occurred on that disastrous shopping day, she would have thought the spheres resembled melons, at which point she jerked awake at the sheer disturbing memory. As disturbing as the memory of the melons was, nothing could have prepared her waking up to a very wet, very revealing Yuri bending over her with her tanned melons inches from her face. For a pregnant moment, Jessica simply stared until her sanity finally returned from its seemingly short holiday on F.T Island.

“What the-” Jessica violently shoved Yuri away from her, sending the boss plummeting into the swimming pool behind her. Before Jessica knew it, once Yuri had emerged from the watery depths, she was yelling at her boss, interrogating her with demanding questions that went along the lines of, “Why were your melons in my face?” and “Why were you bending over me while I was sleeping?”

Yuri flipped her drenched hair out of her face, frowning all the while. Instead of answering the accusatory questions, she untied her sodden sarong and wrung it angrily, the sharpness of her movements speaking volumes of her annoyance. Yoona standing next to her couldn’t have been anymore different as she doubled over with laughter. In the end, she had to wipe tears of mirth from her eyes which would have made Sooyoung proud.

“Well?” Jessica was standing with arms crossed against her dress, feet turned outwards, her demeanour reminiscent to that of a sergeant. “Care to explain?”

“What about you and your supposed sunbaking?” Yuri shot back, throwing her saturated sarong onto the recliner. “I came here because I was worried you would become fried rice in the heat but you were sleeping all along.”

“Fried rice?” Jessica echoed incredulously, her hard, sergeant exterior cracking underneath disbelief.

If she thought Heechul’s repertoire of vocabulary was peculiar, then Yuri was a sure contender. It was then, in her lapse of conviction, that Jessica noticed two things: that Yuri was worried for her wellbeing, despite her weird way of showing it, and that her boss was clad in nothing but a wet, black bikini that accentuated every curve of her body appearing light bronze underneath the sun’s rays. Yuri had removed her sodden sarong, leaving her endless legs bare. There was something stunning about the darkness of her skin, of how it glistened as rivulets of water clung to it, of how the clinging droplets descended down how body, beginning from the fine ends of her raven hair down the soft curves of her chest all the way to her shapely calves.

Yuri rested a concerned hand on Jessica’s flushed forehead, finding it ridiculously hot. Shaking her head, she uttered a chiding, “See? I was right - you’re burning up from the heat.”

Lifting an atypically shaky hand to her cheek, Jessica found she was indeed burning up. It wasn’t the fact that she was flushed that bothered her – it was that she didn’t know why.

------------------------

Yuri was convinced she had died and gone to heaven. 

4minute Magic Massages were worth every part of half a million she had paid for. As the company name suggested, the massage was for four minutes, but each second was like a touch of heaven. The kneading ministrations 4minute’s Hyuna performed on her bare skin was indescribable. It was almost sensual, the way Hyuna’s fingers moved across her skin, lingering in just the right places to ease the tension away from her skin, and yet it was still professional.

Yuri lifted her head and rested it on her arms, angling her head in Jessica’s direction. The blonde was lying face down on the massage table, covered in nothing but a white towel that lay draped on her lower body. Before she could stop herself, her eyes trailed the slender length of her PA’s figure. There was something utterly attractive about the milkiness of her skin – if anything, the purity of her complexion emphasised her deceptively angelic appearance.

By the time the massage was finished, Yuri was still staring at her PA, unsure as to why she was doing so but unable to do anything other than continue her somewhat voyeuristic moment. Technically, she was being a voyeur but what Jessica didn’t know wasn’t harmful to her health.

Once Hyuna and Gayoon left, Yuri lingered for a moment before sliding off the massage table. She arranged her white towel around her body securely – the memory of the bathroom incident was forever etched in her mind – before moving towards Jessica.

“Hey, Sica,” Yuri murmured in her husky voice, gently stroking her PA’s creamy shoulder. So soft, she marvelled, however she quickly shook her head at the odd direction of her thoughts. It must be the heat, she thought to herself. With more firmness, she shook Jessica by the shoulder.

If Yuri was not familiar to Jessica’s sleeping tendencies, she would have immediately come to the conclusion that the blonde had died. Judging by the way she was unmoving, even to Yuri’s increasingly frantic shakes, anyone would think Jessica had died. But Yuri was not anyone, no – she was Jessica’s boss, had shared a bed with her on occasion, and that made all the difference.

Speaking of beds, according to Jonghun, there was only one suite for them to share over the two days. That, incontrovertibly, meant one bed. They had been sleeping together back at the KE apartment complex everyday with little complication – that is, if you discounted the violent beginning resulting in a deep crack in the wall, courtesy of Jessica’s monstrous strength - so why did Yuri feel it was going to be different?

-----------------------------------

“I think she likes you.”

The afternoon had passed by comfortably, the setting sun heralding the moon that descended upon F.T Island’s hotel resort. Long gone was the blazing sun, instead replaced by a cool, evening breeze. Oriental lanterns of warm red patterns dangled around the dining area of the hotel, casting a dim, almost intimate light around the vacant decorated tables. Had the dining area been full, the atmosphere most certainly would have been different – passionate, even – but since they were the only four people on the whole island save for the owners and staff, the tables were empty, candles unlit.

In accordance of the charity date auction, they were seated outside on the upper terrace to heighten the romantic effect. That was how Jessica came to be seated elegantly on the comfortable chair, bluntly informing Seohyun that she thought Yoona liked her. She knew for certain Yoona did, but since the resident Head of Human Resources was oblivious to the infatuation, she found it more fitting to simply state the obvious first.

At first, Seohyun had said nothing, too preoccupied on picking what she deemed unhealthy, oily, or anything that resembled junk food off her plate. When she finally spoke, it was of complete shock, like she was at a loss of what to say.

“Yoong likes me?” was all she had said, her eyes wide as she stared at her plate, chopsticks poised midair.

Jessica did not consider herself to be a violent person. She was violent, yes, but only in the face of fear, and normally never wanted to whack others. For some reason, though, she wanted nothing more than to slap Seohyun in the face in order to put some sense into her.

Frustrated, she forced herself to sound even when she replied, “Yes, Yoong likes you.” When Seohyun said nothing, she took the initiative to say everything she had observed over the past few weeks. “Seriously, Yoong is devoted to you. Have you seen her sports car? Outrageously expensive, I know, but more importantly have you seen the car seat cover? It’s as Keroro as it can get with the seatbelt strap covers even having a custom patterned design. Did you know that she sleeps with a massive Keroro plush toy? When we had a movie night a few weeks ago, she was hugging it like a baby. Heck, she even paid two hundred thousand just to go on a date with you!”

Her voice must have sounded irritated for Yuri and Yoona paused at the threshold, lingering at the door. “Everything all right?” Yuri queried curiously, worry lacing with the huskiness of her voice. The cousins shared a look before striding to the table with Yuri taking a seat next to her PA, attempting some humour and failing so spectacularly that Taeyeon would have given her a high-five had she been present. “Did Seobaby scold you for eating something unhealthy on your plate, Sica?”

Jessica kicked her boss underneath the table, smirking when her foot hit its target – Yuri’s toe. That, effectively, shut Yuri for the night in making lame jokes. Unfortunately, as pain-induced as her silence on jokes was, nothing stopped her from initiating idle conversation across the table.

“So,” Yuri started randomly, switching her gaze to everyone on the table. She ended up directing a question at Jessica, as Seohyun seemed determined to stare at Yoona who in turn pointedly ignored her gaze. “How was your massage? Did Gayoon work wonders with her fingers?”

Jessica, however, was not paying attention to Yuri either. Instead, she was constantly alternating her eyes at Yoona and Seohyun like an unseen tennis match was occurring between them. After dropping the atomic bomb on Seohyun of Yoona’s crush, she had fully expected something to happen, or for the former to take the initiative.

Nothing whatsoever happened. The two weren’t even partaking in Yuri’s trivial chatter.

Perhaps, it had been because Yuri’s random questions had annoyed her, triggering her to snap or the fact that her boss was nudging her underneath the table. Either way, Jessica ended up snapping.

“For cucumber’s sakes!” Slim hand descending on the table with a loud bang, she pointed at the Yoona and Seohyun almost violently like a mother reprimanding children. “Yoona, you like Seohyun. Seohyun, Yoona likes you. Have a baby or something already and save us all the tension!”

Ire sparked for some reason, Jessica stood up, pouted and huffed, and then stormed away from the terrace in stomping steps. She meandered aimlessly around the resort, following only her instincts to turn direction when the moment presented itself. After minutes of wandering, she found herself on the wooden path that led to the beach. The seawater smell gave the place away, but what really spurred her into realisation was the gradual build up in sand at her feet, leaving faint impressions with every uncoordinated footstep.

“What was that all about?”

Jessica glanced over her shoulder, surprised to find the boss descending the short flight of sandy stone steps. She said nothing for a moment, content with staring at the moonlit water in the distance while her thoughts lingered on Seohyun and Yoona. Krystal would have been shocked had she been here, as she had acted like a frustrated mother. It was a sensitive subject, her deceased mother, but for some reason Seohyun's obliviousness - or had it been ignorance? - and Yoona's atypical behaviour when it came to approaching her crush had compelled her to say something.

After all, had Yoona not paid two hundred thousand to win a date with Seohyun all for the sake of love?

And yet, Yuri had paid double that and more at the charity date auction. Suddenly, she became very aware of her boss standing closely next to her, of how Yuri was invading her private space. She punctiliously observed Yuri out of the corner of her eye, taking note of her stance, her hair blowing in the wind, her bare legs revealed by her shorts - practically everything until her roaming eyes became blithely obvious.

"You look like a woman who has something she wants to say but shouldn't," Yuri observed lightly, smiling faintly in amusement. "A penny for your thoughts?"

A penny...it was ironic that Yuri had paid millions of pennies for a date with her.

"Yuri," Jessica began hesitantly, turning to face her boss somewhat shyly at first and then inexplicably finding an inner strength to find answers, "why did you bid for me?" There was a pause, the wind intensifying, sending their hair flying in different directions, until she finally brought herself to ask, "Do you like me?" 

Chapter Twelve - Yulsic Gone Wild

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Yuri was a very composed person by nature, always the sane one in the company in the whirlwind of eccentric personalities. Even long before she had inherited her deceased parents’ billion dollar company, she had – for the most part – always kept her demeanour cool. People who were not intimately acquainted with her even concluded she was impassive, perhaps even to the point of where she was an archetypical CEO of a prominent company.

After hearing Jessica’s unexpected question, though, it was fair to say that her cool exterior shattered at the sheer force of her PA’s unpredictability.

Words failing her, her mouth parted on its own accord, the little amused smile fading completely. All she could do in her speechless state was stand there numbly on the beach, unable to hear the crashing splashes of the waves as Jessica continued to stare at her unblinkingly. The intensity of Jessica’s gaze was startling – her eyes, normally a soft, earthen brown or icy depending on her mood, were expectant. It was so different to the rare eye-smiling angelic blonde or tyrannical sergeant princess that Yuri found herself at a loss of how to respond.

“Yuri, do you like me?” Jessica repeated louder, her voice firmer this time, ever-so expectant.

An eternity passed right before her eyes as Yuri remained unmoving, unresponsive to her to question. The wind sent her boss’ long, midnight hair everywhere, but it seemed like no fierce current of air or even a storm could jerk Yuri to reality – to answer her question that hung heavily in the air. The heaviness plaguing the air as a result of her insatiable curiosity and expectancy was intensifying. Jessica could feel it – in the air, with each passing second, driving her insane – and for a moment she thought Yuri would never answer.

Then, in a torrent of chilling wind, Yuri finally spoke, and Jessica’s reaction was purely instinctive, purely eloquent in expressing her emotions.

“No, I don’t like you, Sica.”

Jessica slapped Yuri so hard that Sooyoung would have followed suit had she been present, simply because it was so “hardcore” as Hara had said at the welcoming party.

Gingerly, Yuri lifted a hand to her burning cheek, Jessica’s sheer audacity far outweighing her shock. “Did you just slap me?” she breathed slowly, dangerously, rubbing her cheek with a lethargic speed calculated to intimidate.

“Yes, I just did.” Jessica was mildly shocked at her own temerity but nonetheless played the slap off coolly. “What are you going to do about it,” she paused for dramatic effect so as to really emphasise the derogatory meaning of her words, “slu*?”

Yuri’s eye twitched madly. Jessica’s smirk faltered at the sight. Yuri clenched her free hand, balling it into a fist. Jessica’s eyes became wide saucers.

It was difficult to tell whose exterior was more expressive: Jessica’s suddenly shaking, fearful body, complete with an anxious face after fully comprehending she had single-handedly slapped the Kwon Yuri, or said boss who was equally shaking not out of fear but fury – fury that her PA had just slapped her. What was worse was that Jessica had acted nonchalant, even going so far as to call her a slu*.

In a flash, Jessica whirled around her on her feet, breaking away from the beach to the resort. And, just like that, Yuri was after her, hell-bent on exacting some sort of retaliation. After all, it was not everyday that someone like her was slapped in the face, by a PA no less.

It was cat and mouse in F.T Island’s hotel resort in which every corner, every stair, and every obstacle was an obstructive weapon.

On one occasion, when Jessica had glanced fleetingly over her shoulder, she had shrieked in terror at how close her boss was. Her mind as wild as the KE staff personalities compiled together, she ended up hurling a cushion from one of the dining room chairs. Unfortunately, she had always been bad at sports – she had failed Physical Education class every year – and thus her aim was completely off. Instead of hitting her target, the expensive cushion sailed straight past Yuri’s face who didn’t even bat an eyelash at the failed attack.

The chase eventually gravitated to the outdoor swimming pool where disaster struck. Clumsy as ever, Jessica tripped on the wet flooring, receiving a nasty gash on her leg as a result. The upside was that when Yuri had finally caught up to her, scowling and an even more menacing sergeant than Jessica could ever be – how that was possible eluded Jessica completely given her frantic state of mind – she tripped. If anything, Jessica’s eyes nearly popped out of their sockets as time seemed to slow down as Yuri sailed through the air. In a big splash, Yuri plummeted into the pool, drenching Jessica in water from impact.

There was something beautifully petrifying about the way Yuri emerged from the water. It was both incredibly sexy and utterly scary in how she slapped both palms onto the tiles, pushing herself out of the pool using sheer strength so that water ran down her drenched body in streams, making her singlet and shorts cling to her dark body like a second skin. For a split-second, as Jessica’s eyes were riveted by the sight of her boss being wet and dangerous and altogether a sergeant in her own right, her erratically beating heart threatened to burst free from her chest. When that fleeting moment of appreciation dissipated however, in the blink of an eye she was back to screaming for her life as she dashed away from the pool.

The hotel resort staff seemed to be taking a holiday of their own as there was no one in sight. Even Seohyun and Yoona were absent, evident when Jessica banged on their suite yelling that Yuri was going super saiyan on her for no apparent reason.

Jessica was on the verge of breaking their door down when Yuri rounded the corner. Screaming her lungs out so that the hallway was reverberating due to her dolphin-like shrieks, she ran in the opposite direction, reaching her and Yuri’s suite. Fumbling with the keys, she silently prayed that Seohyun and Yoona would at least get together before Yuri throttled her alive. It came to be a massive relief when she managed to insert the key, despite her wet hands shaking uncontrollably, and was able to quickly enter the suite, shutting the door behind her.

For a moment, when no noise came from the hallway, Jessica was convinced she had lost her boss – that is, until Yuri’s husky, demanding voice came from the other side.

“Open this door right now!”

Jessica squealed loudly, flinging the keys haphazardly. “N-no way!” she all but screamed.

“Sica, you had better open the door or I’ll break it down!”

“Go away, slu*!” Jessica shot back before she could stop herself. “Sooyoung was right – you are a slu*!”

A fierce pounding wracked the door as Yuri indignantly yelled, “How the hell am I a slu*?”

“You freaking lead me on by flaunting your melons right in my face!” Equally angry but also scared, thus rendering her completely rash, Jessica punched the door, moaning in pain when her knuckle stung on impact. “You even kissed me-”

“That was CPR!”

“-so how is that not leading me on?”

All was quiet after that, prompting Jessica to be completely still, clutching her sore hand and bloody knee. How it happened in the space of a few seconds, Jessica did not know – all she heard was the audible click of Yuri’s key in the lock, her voice reaching the unadulterated level of fear itself, and the sound of the door slamming open. In a blurry tumble, Yuri tackled her to the bed, five-foot four tanned wet body and all. Hands were flying everywhere, feet were kicking the innocent bed, clothes were ripped in the heat of the quarrel – it was all pandemonium at its finest.

“Hey Yulsic, we heard yelling all the way from reception-HOLY MOTHER OF MELONS!”

“Y-yoong, why are their clothes ripped? Why is Sica-unnie only in her bra? Why are Yuri-unnie’s shorts wet-”

“BABO! I TOLD YOU TO KEEP YOUR PANTS ON IN FRONT OF MY HYUNNIE!”

“See, I freaking knew it. Yuri is not a slu* - she’s sticking to one woman!”

Click. “This is just gold." Click. “I’m photographing this and putting it on my next Sales and Marketing power point presentation!”

“Whatever, I’m videoing this! I’m going to title it ‘Yulsic gone wild!’”

“To think I’d said I rather stay back at the apartment and play COD…”

“Yul, does that mean Fany and I can do this in the office, too?”

“Yah, Kwon Youri! You are such a hypocrite, always telling me and TaeTae off for our rampant cookie adventures!”

To make the situation even more scandalous, Jessica reacted in an incriminating way by retreating underneath the blankets, clad only in her bra and shorts. Yuri, on the other hand, pointed menacingly at them all, torn between strangling her PA to death and slapping them all.

“What are you guys doing here?” She interrogated darkly, drawing herself to full height. “More importantly, how did you get in the resort? The charity date auction closed the place so it was just us here!”

The KE staff, never having seen Yuri so incensed, began stammering whatever was on their mind. Half of them hastened to answer while the remaining staff was convinced she was changing the subject, bombarding her with a variety of immature comments that all circulated around her and Jessica’s supposed ‘Yulsic gone wild!’ affair. It didn’t help that their clothes were ripped – Jessica’s blouse even lay incriminatingly on top of the rumpled bed – and that they were both soaking wet, all retaining evidence of having wild fun.

According to Hara, who had been filming their misleading quarrel, they had found themselves utterly bored at the company apartment complex. Sooyoung had been the one to suggest surprising them at the hotel resort, stating she was also hungry, Taeyeon and Hyoyeon had driven everyone in two separate cars, and Tiffany had been the one giving directions. If Yuri hadn’t known better, she would have thought they had gone on a road trip to get to the island and hijacked the ferry – she certainly would not have put it past the chodings to attempt such a juvenile thing.

Sighing heavily, Yuri allowed herself to calm down, slowly lowering herself to the messy bed. “Let me get this straight,” she began irritably, proceeding to count her fingers, “you were bored, the Korean drama channel wasn’t working, Sooyoung was hungry for gourmet food and suggested you surprise us, Taeyeon and Hyoyeon drove all of you here, the chodings hijacked the ferry, and you persuaded F.T Island’s management to allow you entry on the basis of your whim to see us because you were simply bored?”

“Yeah,” Heechul butted in, stepping forward as no one else responded. Winking at Jessica peeking over the covers, causing the blonde to squeal and hide underneath the blankets, he dropped the bombshell by adding, “Except you forgot we’re here to stay for the remainder of the holiday.”

Yuri covered her face in her hands, already knowing the answer before the words came from Heechul’s mouth. 

Suddenly, she was dreading the next Sales and Marketing power point presentation.

---------------------------

Chapter Thirteen - Hot and Cold

---------------------------

The night was an eventful one to say the least for everyone in the resort. The vociferous yells, abuse wracking the walls and immature snickers were a series of chain effects, with the catalyst of the affair being Yuri and Jessica’s unwillingness to cooperate on the luxurious bed of their suite. Normally, they shared a bed without trouble however the recent circumstances rendered them unable to simply lie peacefully next to each other. It wasn’t simply because they chose not to be civil in their sleeping approach – it was that amicable agreement was beyond them.

Jessica, naturally, having been so callously rejected, was the instigator of the trouble. Sleeping in only her bra and shorts – for some mystifying reason, all her undergarments had magically disappeared with only Pokéball sticky notes left in its place as some sort of poor compensation – she was tired, she was sleepy, and she was furious. As such, the anger coursing through her entire being was so intense she could not succumb to sleep, which consequently heightened her fury even more. Since her source of bitterness lay less than a metre next to her, it was only natural she unleashed her ire and subjected her boss to adverse retribution.

It had started off as a slight kick to the thigh that could have been excused as accidental, perhaps as a repercussion of a nightmare, but then the attacks became blithely intentional. Yuri, the calm person she was depending on her mood, had ignored the kick to her leg at first all the while silently calling her PA every pejorative term she could conjure in her feigned sleeping state. Patient as ever, she had even tolerated the seemingly accidental punches, nudges, and jabs until Jessica did the unthinkable – she pinched her. It wasn’t a light punch either, no – it was one of those excruciatingly painful, quick-as-lightning pinches that stung like a Chinese burn afterwards.

Reverting to her super saiyan mode, Yuri had grabbed the sausage pillow between them that failed to ward her PA’s cheap attacks away and repaid the favour of the embarrassing shower incident. As fast and deadly as a snake, she struck like a coiled viper, whacking Jessica with said makeshift weapon so hard the blonde flew off the bed. The scream that came was so loud Taeyeon and Tiffany next door subjected the wall to harsh, frantic poundings while Heechul somewhere on the same level shrieked in a high-pitched tone that was only reserved for the female species.

In retaliation, Jessica screamed her lungs out as she lay pathetically on the floor in her bare undergarments, taking pleasure in knowing it would annoy Yuri, which it undoubtedly did. This was evident when Yuri’s irritation manifested in the form of a throttling, which then led to a wrestle on the floor where more chaos ensued. Jessica was defiant, inspired by a newfound energy to fight her boss in every way but unfortunately Yuri was stronger, not to mention bigger in terms of weight, strength and overall power. While Jessica packed a punch, capable of reducing the proudest of people to whimpering uselessness with her deadly glares, Yuri was a force to be reckoned with.

After screams of terror, grunts of frustration, flailing legs, and the raw sound of limbs colliding, Jessica was conformed to the ground, clawing the air uselessly, as Yuri straddled her. With iron-clad fingers shackled around her wrists – not to mention the weight of her boss on her stomach – Jessica was left with nothing but remnants of her chipped pride in fragments.

For the second time in her duration of working at KE, Yuri ordered, calmly yet with an authoritative edge, “Yield.”

Acquiescence would only chisel what was left of her pride, but Jessica was not left with any other alternative. Turning her head to the side, the dejected movement betraying her sergeant spirit, Jessica let her limbs go slack, indicating her surrender. She would not – could not – bring herself to actually utter the words of defeat. Although Yuri’s triumphant smirk had her itching to slap her twice in one night, she suppressed the sudden urge, instead trying to slow her uneven breathing.

Once she was given her freedom, and Yuri returned to her side of the bed, Jessica remained as she was, bound by some sort of unwillingness to move. After being absorbed in her thoughts, she ascertained that she didn't find the bed unappealing but that her body didn’t want to move lest she wanted the gash on her leg to stretch. In the rush of the chase, she had completely forgotten about the injury, too preoccupied by running for dear life. Now, she was feeling the pain.

“Sica?” Voice soft with sleep, laced with concern if Jessica was so inclined to focus on the husky tone than her wound, Yuri called out from the bed, “Are you coming back to bed?”

“Why do you care?” Jessica retorted waspishly, wincing as the gash stretched when she attempted to stabilise a sitting position. She glared at her boss when she saw the black tumble of tousled hair coming into view, a pair of dark eyes peering curiously over the edge of the mattress.

Bitter, Jessica forced herself to her feet, hissing quietly at the transient sting. She ignored Yuri sitting up on the bed in alarm as she limped to the bathroom. The light was on with a flick of a switch, illuminating the creamy white tiles of the lavishly decorated bathroom. Hot on her heels, Yuri followed her into bathroom, pausing at the doorway, as if hesitant in her approach before garnering confidence. She took one look at the nasty injury on Jessica’s slender leg, the hastily produced first aid kit and the expression of poorly masked pain before taking hold of the situation.

Yuri was met with resistance, Jessica flatly refusing her help, but she was insistent. It took a while for Jessica to allow her to examine the wound until she somehow slipped on the edge of the bathtub, landing haphazardly inside. Yuri took advantage of the opportune moment and gently yet firmly took hold of her PA’s leg, holding it still. It was smooth underneath her fingertips, and startlingly frail, with a willowy shape and a complexion so fair it appeared angelic. For a moment, she relished in the petal-softness of Jessica’s skin, absently ghosting her thumb over the pale slenderness until she registered the smouldering glare fixated on her.

“Well?” Jessica shook her leg pointedly, biting back a hiss at the erupting sting. “Are you going to bandage it up or are you going to continue leading me on?”

In a snap, Yuri quickly returned to reality. Hands deft, much like a doctor tending to a patient, she silently disinfected the gash, applied some salve and carefully covered it with a roll of bandages. The sudden lack of lingering touches or tenderness shouldn’t have bothered Jessica, as she was convinced that after today, she loathed her boss for leading her on, but it did.

-------------------------------

“Unnie!”

Before she could say Keroro, Yoona tackled her to the ground, enveloping her in a suffocating, deathly tight hug as soon as she set foot in the dining room. Thoroughly at a loss of what to say, Jessica settled for awkwardly patting Yoona on the back. Before she could pose a question, Yoona was pulled back almost violently by someone while the KE staff interrogated her about last night.

“So, how was it?”

“Did she do that thing with her tongue?”

“Fany-ah!”

“Hell, the walls were vibrating – literally.”

Jessica gave everyone the look, the one where her eyes alone spoke for themselves. One by one, their faces fell, becoming pathetically crestfallen. If anything, Jessica was disturbed by how much they thought last night had been ‘Yulsic Gone Wild’.

“We thought Yuri went caveman on you or something, like one of those primitive men driven by instinctive desire when they see a big, juicy-”

“What Sooyoung is trying to say,” Hyoyeon interjected smoothly, “is that we thought you and the boss went wild.”

Jessica shook her head, laughing almost bitterly, the sound making everyone – even Seohyun, who was slow on the uptake – frown. “Nothing happened,” Jessica said simply, crossing her arms over her chest. “If you consider her being a slu*, strangling me and then leading me on, then yes – that happened. Other than that, though, Yuri and I slept on opposite sides of the bed.”

With that, she brushed past the KE cluster, hungry for some breakfast. By the time she had filled a bowl with fruit, and had taken a seat at one of the dining tables not upturned by last night’s chase, Tiffany and Taeyeon had processed everything and were immediately on her case.

“What do you mean by ‘leading you on’?” Tiffany questioned slowly, lowering herself to Taeyeon’s lap who sat opposite Jessica. “Do you mean to say that you asked her if she likes you?”

Jessica had intended to remain silent – which she did - but the telltale flicker of her eyes was a habit Tiffany knew all too well.

“You did?” Tiffany all but screamed, prompting the KE staff to swarm around their table like moths to a flame. They were indeed moths to flame because once they heard Jessica’s answer, their reactions were all instantaneous, and not at all showing they were sane.

Immediately, as if to defend her best friend’s honour, Tiffany darted towards the outdoors where Yuri sat checking her emails on her laptop, muttering “Kill” and “Kwon” that, although fragmented, made a lot of sense when put together. She most certainly would have given Yuri a piece of her mind if not for the restraining hand darting to catch the ends of her shirt, and Taeyeon securely ensconcing her in a tight back embrace.

There was no stopping Sooyoung – once she had heard the fatalistic answer, she had whirled around her feet, locked her gaze on the boss, and began marching to her. She did not get far however, because Jessica’s shocking words caused her to halt completely.

“Forget it,” Jessica called out to KE’s Head of Security calmly, “it’s fine. I don’t like her either. She’s a jerk.”

The chorus of “WHAT” was so loud Yuri glanced suspiciously at them through the glass windows before resuming her perusal of checking her emails.

Yoona went to slap Jessica, but ended up grabbing her by the shoulders because slapping her would be suicidal. “Unnie!” she breathed urgently, shaking the blonde frantically, making her golden hair bounce comically, “you can’t say such things!”

What things? Jessica thought to herself with a frown. Was the fact that ‘Yulsic Gone Wild’ not real a crime against nature? Was it blasphemy? According to the KE staff, who were all staring at her in disbelief – Tiffany was still attempting to extricate herself from Taeyeon’s arms to beat Yuri senseless for her heartlessness – it was.

Out of all of them, Yoona was the most shocked and angry. When Jessica asked why, she found out that Yoona felt indebted to her for last night’s drama at the dining table. 

“I know it sounds weird, but you’re like my mother despite the fact that we’re nearly the same age!” Yoona was shaking her more furiously now, to the point of where Jessica’s eyes became glazed over as her world spun. “Because of you, Hyunnie and I are official!”

Like a female attracted to gossip, Heechul was instantly on their case, bombarding them with demands about the passionate details. Overwhelmed by the shocking content of the questions, Yoona released Jessica to grab hold of Seohyun as the KE staff swarmed around them. For once, the spotlight was not on her about her love life, but Jessica knew it would return faster than she could say Keroro.

-----------------------------------

After the Yoona and Seohyun hype had died down – the former had refused to describe last night while the latter just smiled shyly - true to Jessica’s prediction, everyone was onto her love life like Tiffany was when she saw a pair of Jimmy Choo heels. They seemed to have conspired while she lounged near the pool, coming up with various machinations that all circulated around one objective: to get her and Yuri together.

Refusing to allow Yuri’s rejection to dampen her holiday spirit, Jessica had ignored everything that came her way by immersing herself in a good book, hiding behind her sunglasses, and her trusty hat. Much to her misfortune, the clothing thief had struck again, this time stealing all of her clothes leaving nothing but a skimpy deep blue bikini in her suitcase. Seeing as she had no other alternative – she was unwilling to approach the KE staff for spare clothes out of fear of them interrogating her about last night – she reluctantly wore the revealing ensemble.

What happened after that was beyond Jessica’s control. She had ventured outside to sunbake for a bit, but unfortunately ran into Yuri, who was again flaunting her melons in her black bikini. They had skirted around each other awkwardly, much like how a person on the street does with a stranger that keeps going the same way, until finally Yuri took charge. For the first time since last night, she grabbed Jessica by the arm, attempting to veer past her. It would have worked smoothly had Taeyeon not been so inconveniently running past, shoving them both into the swimming pool.

Instinctively, Yuri had reached out for the closest solid object possible, and that meant Jessica. In a messy tumble, they fell into the deep end of the watery depths, all skin against skin and arms around each other. It was awkward to say the least, with Yuri’s hand in such a compromising, intimate position reminiscent to that of the Sales and Marketing power point picture and Jessica’s face mere inches from her boss’ as they kept afloat the water together.

Reality hitting them hard like a hammer, Jessica had swum to the other side of the pool, desperate for some space. As she hopped out of the pool in her haste, she could have sworn she saw a pair of binoculars peeking from the bushes near one of the trees.

Dinner was an even worse affair.

Much to Jessica’s annoyance, the clothing thief had left a beautiful white dress in her otherwise empty suitcase. To add to KE’s devious plan, Jessica had been detained by Yoona about a trivial manner, thus leaving her to be the last one to walk into the dining room. As soon as her high heels – again, the clothing thief saw it fit to steal all of her shoes and replace them with hooker shoes – clicked against the marble, every eye was upon her.

It finally became apparent to Jessica what exactly they were plotting, and just who the clothing thief was. She took one look at the empty spot next to Yuri, the Pokéball sticky notes that matched Taeyeon’s shirt, the sparkle in Tiffany’s eyes and put everything together. Still, she played along, if only to sate her hunger without causing a scene. Therein, however, laid her mistake, for they ended up causing a scene for her.

Halfway during dinner, one by one, everyone excused themselves to leave. Jessica did not know what was more painful – having to sit alone with the boss in suffocating silence, or listening to the ridiculous excuses the KE staff said that contradicted their personalities. Sooyoung, for example, had stated she was so full she could not stomach another meal which – judging by the wistfulness in her eyes lingering on the plates of food – was utter, complete fallacy. Heechul even announced he would be helping Tiffany reapply her makeup, and was either unaware or uncaring that he was a male and therefore was not allowed in the female bathroom.

As spectacular as their fail excuses were, Jessica had to give them props because they achieved at least one part of their plan – leaving her and the boss at the table alone. If only the KE staff knew that Jessica was determined to spite her boss and, with an air of supreme coldness, stood up from the table and walked away.

-----------------------------

Yawning, Yuri walked out from her penthouse bathroom, infinitely glad to be back in the company apartment complex. While the weekend holiday had been relaxing enough, excluding the tension between her and Jessica, it was just that – a holiday. Refreshing as it had been, she was not naïve to believe that holidays lasted forever. Her train of thoughts suddenly stopped altogether when she emerged from the bathroom.

There, right before her, bending over the edge of the bed, was Jessica, still adorned in her beautiful white evening dress. It wasn’t so much the fact that her PA was there that shocked her, rather that she had not prepared for the much needed sleep that was needed for work tomorrow.

“Sica? Why aren’t you-”

Yuri abruptly stopped speaking when her PA straightened to full height, revealing the reason why had been bending over the edge of the bed.

Jessica was packing.

The words were out of her mouth so fast she barely even registered herself saying them. “Where are you going?” Yuri was staring at her unblinkingly, clutching the door frame tightly.

Glancing over her shoulder, Jessica zipped the last of her suitcases, the sound projecting quite loud. For a moment, her resolve cracked at the sight of her boss’ expression – it was one of mixed emotions, and yet she could not decipher them at all, sparkling as they were in Yuri’s dark eyes. But then she remembered – relived the moment where Yuri sent her world crashing down – and hardened her resolve.

Taking in a deep, steadying breath, Jessica stated, firmly and clearly, “I’m moving to my old apartment downstairs.” When Yuri said nothing, continuing to just stare at her with that almost sad, downcast orbs, she added, “Reception informed me of its repair when we got back.”

As she swept out of the room, dragging her luggage along, the part of her that liked Yuri clamoured for her to turn around or to even just stop. For some reason, she didn’t stop moving – didn’t stop taking further steps from Yuri. Perhaps, it was because she never really liked Yuri at all. It was then, when she quietly closed the penthouse door behind her that she finally understood why she kept walking – because she wanted Yuri to be the one to stop her, gathering her close, telling her that she did not want her to go, and it never happened. 

Chapter Fourteen – Invincible Youth: Departure

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The sudden turn of events caused Yuri to feel a multitude of emotions, ones she had never experienced before. It wasn’t so much because her routine had changed as a result of Jessica’s departure, rather that she felt something she had never in all of her life – loneliness.

One minute, Jessica was in her life and the next, she was packing her bags, gone before Yuri could grasp comprehension. Jessica was not completely absent from her life, given that she was her PA and therefore was required to report to her on a daily basis, but she might as well have quit her job altogether. Whenever Yuri allocated her a task, Jessica tended to hurry away in the blink of an eye, either out the door of her top office or by busying herself at the filing cabinets with her back pointedly turned.

Lunch was a painfully lonely part of the day, in which Yuri – as per usual – ate her food in her office, preferring the solitude instead of the incessant chatting in the staff kitchen floor. The only thing that was missing was Jessica’s presence at the other side of her desk, the cute sounds she made when munching her lunch, the peculiar manner in which she held held her chopsticks and the sweet giggles accompanied by abuse to the nearest solid surface that warmed the atmosphere whenever her PA laughed at her dorky jokes. 

Change was apparently healthy, but for Yuri, she did not like the change – the distance between her and Jessica that seemed to be slowly yet surely and painfully widening after each day.

What happened at work however, paled in comparison to what Yuri felt at night in her penthouse - rather, what she didn't feel next to her when she moved her arms. She had never really noticed how lonely her penthouse was without another soul until Jessica left. Her massive bed had always been big but the heavenly softness always compensated for its size. Now, it seemed too empty – too large for her to sleep in alone. She did not know what she missed more – the electrical sensation tingling her skin when Jessica slept next to her, occasionally snuggling up to her in sleep, nuzzling her petal-soft cheek against her shoulder when she thought Yuri was sleeping, or the strawberry scent that was beginning to fade each day.

The year was progressing rapidly, despite the melancholy slowly seeping into her life. Sooyoung’s birthday had passed, with it the extravagant surprise party Heechul and Tiffany had taken to like crazy little girls planning their tenth birthday. The birthday party would have been a blast, save for the fact that Yuri spent the night broodingly sipping plain water as she observed Jessica mingling with Jay Park with something akin to distaste. 

Since Hyoyeon was romantically tied with Junho, all of PI had been invited to Sooyoung’s birthday extravaganza themed ‘Food’. Unsurprisingly, the KE staff had opted to each wear a full-body suit resembling their favourite food. Yoona had planned her outfit weeks in advance, having ordered a hamburger costume online. By the end of the party, though, she was wearing nothing but a gigantic slice of tomato and curl of lettuce around her neck over her shirt and shorts as Seohyun had berated her for becoming junk food itself, claiming she was promoting obesity to a degree she would not tolerate. Yoona, the coward she was when it came to her girlfriend, had immediately removed every article of her costume that was either “disgustingly unhealthy” or simply “too oily” despite the fact there was not a speck of oil saturating her outfit.

For a split-second, when Yuri glimpsed Jay resting a hand against Jessica’s slender waist, she nearly lost it. Remembering the chaotic charity auction event, she had grudgingly stayed on the couch, and settled for crushing her plastic cup of water in her hand under the delusion that it was Jay’s spiky head. Besides, what reason did she have for going ballistic if Jay was touchy with Jessica? She might have said jealously, but then that only branched out as being a result of love.

For the thousandth time, her brain fit to burst from the single question she asked herself over and over, Yuri wondered if she was indeed in love.

-----------------------------------

“Yul! We’re coming in!”

Annoyed at the distraction, Yuri rubbed her temples as the bellowing voice came from outside her office. Sure enough, there was a hurried stomp of footsteps before her office door was flung open with a bang. Looking very much like mobsters, the chodings plus Tiffany and Taeyeon marched right up to her desk. They stood each with crossed arms, saying nothing. The only exception was Tiffany who – without preamble or even a statement as to why she was there – slammed her palms on her desk, the sheer force threatening to fissure the wooden surface. The only thing on the table that rattled at the impact was the littered pens – Yuri’s face remained stony.

“Kwon Youri,” Tiffany began menacingly, “you had better stop acting like a slu*!”

Lips straight, thinned, Yuri leaned back into her chair – her brand new chair, thanks to her staff’s sexual escapades – and regarded them with narrowed eyes. She didn’t speak at first, but when she did, it was in a dismissive tone which was emphasised when she looked down at some reports. “As redundant that derogatory term is,” were her indifferent words, “I have to order you to refrain from bothering me with unnecessary interruptions. If there are no further insults, I suggest you return to your lunch break otherwise I’ll deduct how long you bother me from your pay checks.”

“You damn right know I will!” Yoona yelled as she was pulled out the office by Tiffany by the sleeve. “Know why? Because the kitchen floor has something you’ll never have if you keep ignoring your feelings – it has Sica-unnie!”

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“My cousin likes you.”

“Go away.”

“She likes your melons.”

“She’s never seen my melons.”

“That’s not what she told me just then.”

“I heard yelling, even from the kitchen floor. You weren’t talking about my melons.”

“Why so defensive?”

“Why so persistent?”

Yoona and Jessica were having one of those awkward, forced conversations whereby the one questioning was tenacious in their interrogation while the other responded with clipped, cold answers. To top it off, separating them was a metre wide black, cool marble counter that was symbolically as dark as the mood of the conversation.

“Sica-unnie, I’m pushing you for your own good.”

“I’m your ‘mother’ remember? It’s not the opposite way around. Don’t push me, Yoong.”

“What if I like pushing you? What are you going to do about it?”

“The question is not what I am going to do about it, but what are you going to do when I stab you with my chopsticks.”

At that, Yoona said nothing. Jessica could be very blunt when she wanted to be, and this was one of those times. She yelped when Tiffany and Taeyeon shoved her off the stool, sending her crashing into Seohyun who had been listening intently to their strained conversation.

“Jessi, if I weren’t so scared of you stabbing me with your chopsticks I would so slap you right now!” was the first thing Tiffany said – screamed actually, given the urgency in her voice as she bravely faced the sergeant princess.

Jessica addressed them no differently than she did with Yoona. “Try it and I’ll slap you so hard you’ll be back in America.”

“Try it on my mushroom and I’ll slap you so hard you’ll be back in Yuri’s penthouse!”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Your argument is invalid.”

“You are invalid.”

“Pokémon sucks.”

“Yah!”

Mortally offended, Taeyeon was on the verge of slapping Jessica. It was a good thing Sooyoung pushed the couple away for her own session of interrogation. Had the slap so much as touched a blonde strand of hair on Jessica’s cheek, Taeyeon would have become an invalid.

“You’re just as bad as Yul, Sica!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know what? You and Yul are both the same.”

“Oh? How did you manage to conjure that one up?”

“You’re both ignorant, proud, and madly in love with each other.”

“That’s nice. When you think of anything else, be sure to let me know.”

The rest of the KE staff seemed to take turns in persuading her that Yuri reciprocated her feelings. Sunny, Hara, Hyoyeon, Seohyun - one after the other, they pushed whoever was off the stool to attempt to melt the icicle that was Jessica. Much like those before them, they were unsuccessful and left with tightly shut lips, the result of either Jessica threatening them with her chopsticks, her quick rebuttals or the effect of her smouldering glare. At long last, it came to be Heechul’s turn. Instead of chatting, he took things to extreme which consisted of grabbing Jessica by the shoulders and shaking her senselessly.

“For the good of all that is Yulsic, could you please stop being in denial and move back into Yuri's penthouse?”

The only response was the audible snap of chopsticks which had everyone fleeing in terror.

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In response to Taeyeon’s upcoming birthday, Yuri had indulgently allowed the resident Head of R&D to organise whatever she wished. Having been so aloof from the KE staff lately, she found it was only fair she grant Taeyeon a single wish.

Taeyeon had single-handedly planned a week-long outing for the company. The prospect sounded exciting, simply because Yuri loved the outdoors and had not gone camping for what seemed like an eternity. Not even the loneliness in her life could stop her from bouncing around her penthouse on a Saturday night as she packed for the camping trip the next day. Instead of expensive office suits, she packed comfortable track pants – hooded jumpers in place of blazers. Gone were the high heels, replaced with her trusty ugg boots and practical sneakers.

Since they were going camping for a week, she had given charge to the food supplies to Seohyun and Sooyoung. Therein laid her mistake because Seohyun, the health fanatic she was, refused to pack the junk food Sooyoung had gone crazy to buy in her shopping spree. Suffice to say Yoona and Sooyoung had another one of their Mexican standoffs in the office. In the end, Hyoyeon took charge of the food packaging while Yoona and Sooyoung partook in a world war of their own.

When the day finally came, everyone was well and ready outside the company apartment complex. Like her, Sunny, Taeyeon and Hyoyen were ecstatic about the camping trip while Tiffany, Heechul and Jessica looked like they had done a combination of drinking citric acid and falling off the wrong side of the bed. They huddled closely on the pavement, retaining the appearance of triplets with their matching barrettes, pink fur-lined jackets and immaculately white sneakers. Juxtaposed next to the rest of the KE staff, they were laughably impractical as their clothes would become dirty at the slightest dust of dirt yet wondrously fashionable.

“Hey pink triplets!” Sooyoung called out from the bus as she helped Hara lift boxes of non-perishable food. “If you’re done looking pretty, come here and load your stuff on the bus!”

With a flick of her hand, Tiffany beckoned Taeyeon towards her. “You heard the shikshin, TaeTae,” she said, pointing expectantly at her pink suitcases. “Load the stuff onto the bus!”

"What am I – your slave?” Taeyeon bit out in disbelief, pouting. 

“Well, duh.” Tiffany poked Taeyeon lightly on the nose, as if she was an adorable dorky midget, which she undoubtedly was if her oversized hooded jumper, Pokémon backpack and massive beanie was any indication. “If you do as I say, I’ll make it up to you in the tent tonight.”

Taeyeon was gone with the pink suitcases in tow so fast Jessica barely registered the hidden meaning underlaying her best friend’s words. By the time she turned to regard Tiffany, half mortified and amused, her best friend was already on the bus. It must be nice, she mused, having someone to cater for your every need. Being the last on the bus, she carefully loaded her bag and shut the luggage compartment securely. To her disbelief, when she lowered the metal door, she came face to face with none other than the infamous Kim Shin Young painted where an advertisement would normally be shown.

Her suspicions were confirmed when she ascended the short steps of the bus, for the Chief of Police herself sat in the driver’s seat, all rearing to go.

“Well, well, well…” Shin Young gave her a one over, taking in her pretty pink appearance with a laugh. “If it isn’t Jessica Jung, PA extraordinaire, Yuri’s woman, the blonde of the century, the-”

“Not to sound rude or anything,” Sunny interrupted, either oblivious or uncaring she was contradicting herself, “but could you please put the pedal to the metal? I’m really excited to catch some chickens!”

Chickens? Just what the hell kind of a camping trip was this? Jessica asked herself incredulously. 

The revelation that chickens would be involved had Jessica in worse spirits, but nothing could darken her mood further when she finally saw where she would be sitting for the duration of the bus ride. The KE staff, scheming eccentric people they were, had obviously conspired together as there was no coincidence in there being only one empty seat. Ever since the hotel resort drama, she had managed to distance herself from the boss, but there was no avoiding Yuri this time.

Jessica didn’t know what was worse – the fact that she was going to be sitting in a tight, cramped seat next to Yuri or that her sixth-sense told her she would most likely be sharing a tent with the boss for a week if the KE staff had their way. 

Chapter Fifteen – Invincible Youth: The Bus Trip

------------------------------------

Approximately five minutes into the bus trip, Jessica found her earlier assertion to be incorrect. There were things worse than sitting next to and possibly sharing a tent with the boss – much worse things.

It had started off pleasantly normal enough, something that was so rare given the KE staff’s eccentric personalities Jessica thought it was dream come true. True to the nature of reality, though, dreams are just that – dreams, figments of one’s imagination separated from reality. As such, being anchored from dreams to reality is always a harsh one, usually due to a manifestation of a nightmare or physical shake. For Jessica, it was no different despite the lack of a nightmare, as the chodings certainly compensated for it with their outrageous dancing, failed rapping, bizarre gestures to those outside the bus and general immaturity by becoming a nightmare for her to endure.

The chodings seemed to have a fondness for rapping, evident when a popular rapping song came on the radio. It wasn’t so much strange when Sooyoung began rapping, rather that with one vociferous yell she compelled the other chodings to follow suit.

From her vantage point of her elevated spot at the very back of the bus, she was given a full, clear view of everyone, and it was a physical pain to her eyes. The same thing could not be said for her brain though, as pain would be an understatement, scarred as it was already from KE’s antics over the past weeks.

As if they were part of a notorious gang parading on the streets, Sooyoung, Yoona and Hyoyeon stood up on the bus, raising their hands to the beat of the rap song. Jessica didn’t know what was more painful to watch: the chodings unleashing their inner rap star – albeit failing spectacularly – or Taeyeon joining in on the embarrassment and adding to it by toppling over in the middle aisle when the bus jerked to a halt at a traffic light. Time seemed to slow as Taeyeon sailed through the air, heightening the suspension of disbelief effect. When she turned in the air though, Jessica was taken aback by her mortified expression as she – quite literally – looked like Tiffany had withdrawn her enticing proposal in the tent.

Tiffany of course, had jumped to her aid, helping her midget to her feet. It was beautifully touching to watch them have a moment amongst the sea of craziness and, for a moment, Jessica felt a brief tightening in her heartstrings. Her face fell however, when Tiffany and Taeyeon joined in on dancing to the song. Sometime later, Hyoyeon performed some impressive popping skills. It would have been spectacular had the KE staff not held onto her body and gasped exaggeratedly when she popped, pretending they were shocked by an electric current.

By the time they reached a convenience store encroaching rural South Korea, nearly everyone was up on their feet dancing, singing, making out in the case of Taeyeon and Tiffany or doing a combination of the first two. If anything, it reinforced Jessica’s assertion that the KE staff were children trapped in adult bodies.

The only exceptions were Seohyun, Sunny and Heechul, although they might as well have started dancing. They were no better than the rest of the KE staff. With Sunny pulling another one of her BFs in her seat, raging at her Nintendo DS every time she fell prey to a slippery banana on Mario Kart, Seohyun awkwardly sitting by herself while Yoona literally danced on her, shaking her backside right in front of the resident Human Resources Head and Heechul whistling out of tune as he fastidiously manicured his fingernails, feet daintily propped on the adjoining seat, they certainly were no better.

Unwilling to sit uncomfortably next to her boss, Jessica made for the head of the bus. The problem was not getting past the KE staff, no – it was getting past Yuri. The KE staff had made is so she was sitting next to the window, making it nigh impossible to extricate herself without touching her boss. When she really thought about it, Yuri was at fault, too. After all, how could the KE staff planned for her to sit next to the window if Yuri had not initially sat closer to the aisle?

Lips straight, thinned, Jessica addressed her boss saying, in a voice so deceptively calm, “Would you mind moving, boss?”

Perhaps, it had been her forced toned of voice or the fact that she did not explicitly address her boss as she used to. Either way, Yuri did not let her pass and instead, crossed her long legs, effectively and infuriatingly barring her way.

“I do have a name, you know,” Yuri said in turn, turning to fixate her with a pointed look, “so I suggest you use it – and politely.”

Flexing her fingers in restraint so as not to lose her job, Jessica forced a smile – a grim one. “Fine, if that's what it takes for you to move then fine. Kwon Yuri,” she began politely, so graciously it was almost scary, “would you mind moving?”

“What’s the magic word?”

The temperature of the bus dropped several degrees.

Jessica had been on the edge these past few weeks, ever since she moved out of Yuri’s penthouse. Seeing her boss everyday at work and having to ignore her, finding excuses to not be alone in her presence – it was all so hard, more-so because of their date that was anything but romantic. Now, as she stared into Yuri’s utterly beautiful face, torn by wanting to reach out to caress her sun-kissed skin and strangling her – the images in her mind were certainly a strong incentive – her control was rapidly degenerating.

Ignoring the mocking question, Jessica stood up, fully intending to disregard her boss and her beautifully crossed legs. She tried to ignore how lovely they were despite the unflattering track pants – she had seem them bare after all, that and a whole more – and raised her leg, putting it over Yuri’s thigh. Try as she may, Yuri’s crossed legs were positioned too high for her to successfully lift her other leg over them. In the end, Jessica was left standing awkwardly over Yuri’s thighs.

Seeing as her feeble attempts to lift her leg while stabilising an upright position was futile, she finally conceded defeat, forcing herself to ask, “Do you mind uncrossing your legs?”

Yuri didn’t move, save for her lowering her fingers to rhythmically tap the armrest. The way she did so was blatantly mocking, but what she said next nearly drove Jessica over the edge. “You forgot my name as well as the magic word.”

“Move your legs.”

“Say my name.”

“Would you stop being an ass and move?”

“Say my name!”

“Fine! Kwon Yuri!”

“There, that feels better, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, now move.”

“What’s the magic word?”

“Melons.”

“Melons?”

“Your melons, you egotistical, insufferable slu*.”

“What kind of melons?”

“I don’t know – juicy ones?”

“Quite right, although not the answer I’m looking for. I’ll say it again: What’s the magic word?”

“For cucumber’s sakes…please!”

“What? I didn’t catch that. Could you repeat it?”

“Please!”

“Please what? I seem to have developed a short period of amnesia.”

“Please move! Please move your goddamn legs because it hurts!”

“For a couple who hate each other, you two really are wild. Was the hatred all an act?”

At the high-pitched intonation of Heechul’s voice, it suddenly occurred to Jessica just how incriminating – how wrong – their conversation was. Judging by the wide-eyed look on Yuri’s face, she was just as mortified, if not more. The fact that Jessica stood between Yuri’s legs, touching her thigh with the area where the sun didn’t shine only added to the scandal.

Before she could justify their actions, the entire KE staff was on their case, bombarding them with comments and proud slaps on the back. Half of them seemed to be angry, accusing them of driving them insane for the past weeks with the silent treatment while the other half were over the moon they were partaking in illicit, what they considered ‘Taeny-like’, acts even in the back of a bus which, contrary to common belief, was not at all shameful and instead extremely raunchy. How they managed to construct such a theory was beyond Jessica who finally lost it.

Taking advantage of Yuri’s temporary shock, she forcibly pushed her boss’ legs down, effectively lowering them. In a whirl of suppressed fury, she moved past Yuri, shoved through the cluster that was the KE staff and headed for the front of the bus. The influx of questions behind her was instant but she ignored them completely, lowering herself stiffly to the seat behind Kim Shin Young.

The Chief of Police regarded her curiously through the side-mirror, her small eyes partially obscured by the straight-cut fringe of her bob haircut. For a moment, it was extremely awkward as no one said anything, the silence only broken by the crunching sound of the tires on gravel.

Finally, Jessica spoke, although it was not really a question and rather a demand given her angry state. “Why are you here again?” was what she ended up saying.

“I’m your bus driver,” Shin Young replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Jessica’s eye twitched. “What I meant was why are you here, driving us?”

“I’m here because I’m a bus driver. I drive buses, you see.”

As their conversation continued, Jessica was beginning to think she was the only person sane on the bus. As the Chief of Police, she would have thought Shin Young to be quite normal, despite letting them off for causing a public disturbance given the paperwork.

Obviously, she was wrong.

“Where are you driving us to?” Jessica queried irritably, changing topic from the reasons surrounding Shin Young’s bus profession. “It looks like you’re taking us to the middle of nowhere.”

“We’re going to Yuchiri, to the village.”

“Oh, so it’s a village?” The relief in her tone must have palpable, for Shin Young hastened to add that they were not staying in the village. Instead, she was driving them to the outer region away from the village. 

Frustrated, Jessica rubbed her temples, again questioning the existence of sanity in the bus. “Why did you bother to mention the village if we’re not staying there in the first place? It’s misleading, not to mention totally irrelevant.”

Ignoring her words, Shin Young proceeded to probe about her so-called "Scandal of the century" with Yuri. How she knew about it given that she didn't work for KE eluded her completely. The Chief of Police was left ignored in turn as Jessica returned to the back of the bus. The party was still in full swing, but she somehow managed to dodge everyone as they were riveted by Hyoyen's chest pops.

It came to be a great relief when she found Yuri dozing off, complete with her tongue peeking from her rosy lips. In the space of her hanging out at the front of the bus, Yuri had fallen asleep with her head turned inwards between the seats, slightly facing the window while her hands clutched her makeshift pillow consisting of her hooded jumper. For a few seconds, Jessica admired the sight, finding it weirdly cute. If only the world could see how the big, bad Kwon Yuri looked like when she slept...

Shaking her head at the amusing thought, Jessica moved forward, biting her lip at what she was going to have to do. She lingered in the aisle for a moment, garnering confidence, before finally moving. Lightly, as to not disturb her boss, she took hold of Yuri's long legs to configure them so that she was given room to move. To her dismay, Yuri's legs refused to move, remaining stretched out as best they could in the cramped space.

After a whole frustrating minute of staring at her boss, her mind weighing the psro and cons of ideas, she finally decided to change tactics. Still biting her lip, Jessica placed both hands on top of the seats and deftly lifted herself so that she was precariously crouching on the armrest. It was wobbly, shaking slightly at her lightweight, and as such it came to be a relief when she managed to climb over Yuri and into her seat.

Suddenly, Yuri moved her head, finding her shoulder. The abruptness of her movement was so unexpected Jessica froze, rooted to her seat at the weight resting on the crook of her shoulder, and the silky tresses tickling her cheek. She fully expected something to happen, maybe for Yuri to somehow register in her slumber that she was not a pillow and subsequently turn her head. Instead, Yuri nuzzled her shoulder warmly, as if she was her pillow, much like the movie night. And, just like the movie night, Yuri found her arm, clutching it lovingly. 

Everything mimicked the movie night - the subconscious unwillingness for Yuri to let go, the placement of their bodies, the silence around them as the KE staff were now partying at the front of the bus - it was all the same. The only difference was why Jessica allowed Yuri to snuggle against her. Last time, she had allowed it just for the sake of not waking everyone up. This time, she let Yuri use her as a pillow because she liked her boss - because she wanted to relish in the moment, for she knew that when she woke up Yuri would only see her as her PA.

-------------------------

Chapter Sixteen – Invincible Youth: Tent Trouble

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The moment the pink triplets placed their immaculately white shoes on the earthen ground, taking the forest setting in one sweeping glance, there was an outbreak of mutiny between the KE staff.

“There’s no way in hell I’m camping in this-this feculent swamp for a week!” Heechul had screamed in that very same, high-pitched voice reserved for the female species reminiscent to the time in the hotel resort. Snagging an equally disgusted Tiffany and mortified Jessica, he tightened his hold, snapped his head at the bus, like it was the quintessential embodiment of cleanliness among the feculence he so vociferously yelled, and made for it.

In an instant, everyone was on their cases, lunging for them. The happy campers in particular, were the most excited for the camping trip and as such reached the trio lugging around sluggishly in their matching pink outfits in the blink of the eye. Taeyeon, the midget she was, tackled her girlfriend to the ground as a tiny ball of ninja-like speed, mercilessly ruining Tiffany’s pretty pink fur-lined jacket. Although she managed to subdue her girlfriend, Tiffany did not go down quietly, evident when she hoarsely yelled, “You can’t make me stay! I’m not going down like this!”

Meanwhile, as the couple wrestled on the ground, further dirtying Tiffany’s designer jacket, Heechul was melodramatically sobbing as Hara and Sunny manhandled him. The two were ruthlessly yanking at his ankles while he gripped the doorhandle of the bus, retaining the image of a horizontal board in midair. Heechul’s determination to hijack the bus was given full, clear exposure as Hara and Sunny ended up pulling him so hard the handle’s hinges broke. In a blurry whirl, the three flew back at the sheer momentum of their yanking, rolling around on the earthen floor several metres.

The only person left fleeing was Jessica. For a moment, as she neared the bus, she thought she was going to make it. Kim Shin Young’s face never looked so appealing for in the adrenaline of the moment, Jessica did not see her as the crazy Chief of Police, no – all she saw, through her brightly shining eyes, was her one way ticket out of the hellish forest with a bowl cut.

All of a sudden, she felt a pair of strong arms curl around her waist and, just like that, her fate was sealed. Like Tiffany however, Jessica did not go down easily or quietly. In her retribution, she opened her mouth wide, shut her eyes tightly as she flailed against the unknown person thwarting her freedom, and screamed – loudly. It was not just a scream, nor was it her usual dolphin-like shriek, no – it was something more deafening, something more powerful that reduced everyone in the vicinity to whimpering weaklings clutching their ears as they sank to the earthen ground at her sheer thunderous screech.

“Sica, you’re killing everyone! Stop screaming!”

In that very instant, she knew who the person behind her was. There was only one person who called her ‘Sica’ without an honorific. If anything, Jessica’s screech reached an unprecedented decibel, threatening to shatter the glass windows of the bus. Even when Yuri covered her mouth firmly with her hand, effectively ceasing her sonic scream attacks, Jessica continued to writhe in her arms, unwilling to accept her fate.

They stayed like that for a moment, with Yuri holding her PA closely, covering her mouth, while the latter shook violently. Yuri’s arms never relented in keeping Jessica against her chest, nor did she say anything. Instead, she simply stood as she was, tall and dark and the reason why Jessica would have to survive the countryside for a whole agonising week.

Later, when it was time for lunch, and Yoona approached her glowering ‘mother’ sourly eating her cup noodles, the extent of Jessica’s ire became evident. The menacing snap of her chopsticks was indicative of her mood.

------------------------------

After a tense lunch in which the triplets, dirtied and scowling and altogether sitting away from everyone else, the time came to set up the tents. Out of spite, Tiffany announced she was sharing a tent with Heechul and Jessica while she pointedly refused to meet Taeyeon’s wide-eyed gaze.

The protest was immediate.

“Yah!” Taeyeon shot to her feet, marched over to her girlfriend, puffed her chest as menacing as she could – which was not very menacing at all, given her vertically challenged height – and stated authoritatively, “You’re sharing a tent with me and that’s final.”

“You think I’m going to willingly stay in your presence after your little ninja stunt?” Tiffany asked derisively, crossing her arms. “Not a chance. That’ll only happen when you stop touching my butt.”

“But…” At that, Taeyeon’s expression changed into an adorable confused frown. “…that’ll never happen.”

“Exactly!” Tiffany exploded, thrusting her hands dramatically in the air. Mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like “cute midgets” she stormed off, heading for her suitcases, leaving Heechul and Jessica standing awkwardly.

Turning to his twin, Heechul murmured a monosyllable, “So.”

“So?” Jessica echoed questioningly. “We’re still sharing a tent right?”

Heechul was about to say confirm their tent arrangements until she caught Hara’s eye behind Jessica. Their plan to get Yuri and Jessica together was still in action, but he found himself torn between going against the KE team out of spite and going along with it. Like a tennis match where spectators’ eyes went back and forth, Heechul shifted his gaze between an expectant Jessica and rest of the KE staff, all of whom were staring unblinkingly his way. The staring match would have continued had Hara not produced his expensive manicure set and threatened to throw it in the bonfire in the background. In a rush, Heechul was chasing after her, imploring her for mercy. 

As she was left standing there alone, Jessica finally acknowledged her fate. This time, she really didn’t know what was worse: sharing a tent with the boss or the fact that Shin Young and her stupid bus was probably halfway across the countryside to the city.

---------------------------------------------

Darkness had descended upon the KE staff, with it a cool, evening breeze. Around camp, a select few had already constructed their tents. Sunny, Hyoyeon and Sooyoung had set up their tent easily enough, given that the shortest of the three was a natural at camping. Moreover, Seohyun and Yoona, the lovely young couple they were, found success in setting up a tent for the first time. When Sooyoung had tactlessly pointed out Yoona was a coward when it came to her girlfriend, meekly following Seohyun’s strict orders, the resident I.T Head had nearly punched her. She had nearly punched her because Seohyun had rested a comforting hand on her arm and, just like that, the alligator was placated. Sooyoung had been left gaping at the two as they retreated to the privacy of their tent, astonished the alligator had been tamed. 

Unfortunately, the same could not be said for everyone else.

Hara, for the most part, was an adept at camping. Having been camping with her family, she was hardened and seasoned in the art of constructing a tent. One could say she would probably survive a night in the jungle with nothing but her Ugg boots. Despite her natural affinity to the outdoors however, Heechul’s hostility to anything remotely relating to the wild diminished any chance of her surviving the night at the rate they were going. Every time she had the supporting poles in the right position, Heechul would either be screaming in terror at nonexistent bugs he claimed to be viciously attacking him, jumping around at the sound of the bushes rustling or just generally being antagonistic.

It was hard to say who was doing a poorer job than them. Taeyeon and Tiffany were certainly struggling, more-so due to the latter. It wasn’t so much that Taeyeon was horrible at tents, but rather that Tiffany knew nothing about them. Tiffany, the fashionista she was, appeared to be more worried about the ends of her cute track pants becoming dirtied than having a shelter over her head to survive the night. It didn’t help that Taeyeon’s inner prankster was showing itself, apparent when she poked Tiffany’s butt with the metal poles for her own disturbing entertainment while the victim was blatantly unhelpful as she read the English translation of the instruction manual, either unaware or uncaring her girlfriend did not understand what the hell she was saying.

Meanwhile, Yuri and Jessica were at war – again. 

“Sica, this tent isn’t going to construct itself,” Yuri frustratingly threw over the deflated heap of material that was their tent. “Would you mind getting up and helping me with the poles?”

Instead of acquiescing, Jessica merely smirked, thoroughly enjoying the sight of her boss breaking a sweat. “What’s the magic word?” she teased.

Her words being used against her was the last straw for Yuri, who had been labouring for the past five minutes in the hope of somehow constructing the tent herself. Pointing directly at Jessica, staring at her squarely, she stated quietly, in a voice carrying a thousand threats, “You will help me or else.”

“Or else what?” Jessica challenged bravely.

“Or else I’ll force feed you cucumbers.”

Disgusted, Jessica’s face scrunched up. “You wouldn’t dare,” she intoned lowly, the silkiness of her voice concealing her terror at the mentioning of her nemesis vegetable.

“Try me.”

Fortunately, self-preservation overcame her pride, leaving Jessica no other alternative to follow – albeit grudgingly, if the childish stomping of her shoes were any indication – Yuri’s demands. No matter how much Yuri threatened her however, they still had difficulty setting up the tent.

The only thing they had managed to do right was arrange the tent on the ground. It lay lifelessly on the ground, acting as a barrier between the two clashing egos. Next to them were the metal poles, larger than average nails and their luggage.

Yuri stared at the tent blankly before lowering herself to the ground. As she took hold of the flaps, she distractedly ordered, “Sica, go read the instruction manual to me while I configure the poles.”

What was she? Yuri’s personal slave existing only to cater for her every need? Mortally offended, Jessica walked over to the tools with tightly crossed arms. Instead of reading the Korean side, she purposely read the English translation purely out of revenge.

“Arrange the tent according to the picture-”

“Sica,” Yuri interrupted with a sigh, “I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“-on the opposite page labelled with numbers…I’m sorry, Yuri, what did you say? I didn’t quite catch that.”

Yuri was about to strangle her PA for what seemed to be the thousandth time ever since their date. Luckily for Jessica, Yuri managed to quell her homicidal urge, settling for muttering to herself she needn’t commit murder because her PA was clueless at camping and, by extension, could not be blamed for her antagonism.

All it took for Jessica to be serious was another threat consisting of cucumbers, to which the blonde immediately reverted from her immature child to a scowling sergeant princess. Even as she took hold of one of the poles, the scowl was forever etched on her otherwise beautiful face, threatening to become permanent. Yuri had nonchalantly said so, callously stating that if she continued to frown, the creases around her mouth would be an eyesore.

“You’re such a bully,” Jessica remarked vehemently, her frown deepening. “I don’t know why or how I ever came to have a crush on someone so insufferable like you.”

Just as she said that, the pole acted on its own accord, flying out of her hands. With a distinctly loud smack, the metal end whacked her delicate chin, causing her to elicit a pained cry. She was so taken aback by the inexplicable attack that she landed flat on her butt while tears clung to her eyelids. Before she could gingerly touch the sore spot, Yuri was leaping over the tent, the pole discarded in light of her injury. It was even more surprising when Yuri gathered her close, as if to soothe the pain away, wrapping a supporting arm around her shaking frame.

“Are you okay? Where does it hurt? Do you need me to get the first-aid kit?”

The bombardment of questions swamped Jessica, but it was the concern that really rendered her speechless. If her desire to have her crush reciprocated wasn’t deceiving her, she would have thought Yuri genuinely cared about her. The harsh reality though, was that Yuri did not care for her.

Suddenly, as if a wall had slammed between them, Jessica jerked to life. Pushing her boss away timidly at first, then more firmly after finding conviction, she scooted back across the grass. For a split-second, her delusional love deceived her yet again. It was not possible for the hurt in Yuri’s eyes to be real. It had to be the trick of the dim light the bonfire cast – of that, Jessica was certain. 

As they worked in silence to finish setting up the tent, they could not have acted any more differently. Jessica was determined not to spare her boss a second’s glance while Yuri inexplicably found her eyes gravitating towards her PA. Yuri found herself saying nonsensical things, finding excuses to initiate conversation. Much to her sinking heart, Jessica only responded with short, clipped responses, making it painfully clear she was not in the mood to talk.

It was even stranger when Jessica stated she would be staying out for a while. Foolishly, Yuri had believed her PA, and settled for staring at the ceiling of the tent in silence. It was minutes later that she realised Jessica had taken her sleeping bag with her. She decided to linger in the tent, clinging to the hope that Jessica would return soon, but nothing happened. All was quiet, both inside and outside the tent, save for the distant sounds of a flowing creek nearby.

Curious and admittedly worried, Yuri unzipped the tent flap, peering out into the darkness. The bonfire had died a while ago, with it the dim light and warmth. For some reason, she didn’t need the bonfire to see as her eyes immediately found the silhouette of her PA. In her sleepy state, it took her a moment to realise that Jessica was sleeping in a very uncomfortable position, one that would have aching repercussions in the morning.

Quietly, so as not to disturb anyone or cause another scandal, Yuri crept out of the tent. She reached her PA in a few soundless strides, her long legs eating the distance between them with ease. As she neared Jessica, her dangerous sleeping position become painfully obvious, so much so that it hurt her eyes to even look at the angle of that fragile neck bent forward.

Yuri hesitated for a second before moving forward, legs purposeful, hands outstretched. As she tenderly scooped Jessica in her arms, she was reminded of how light her PA was, despite her sergeant spirit. It amused her so – how such a slim body could contain such an unyielding soul, one that almost seemed to be wrongly bestowed upon her. And, bestowed it was, for Yuri had never had the pleasure of meeting someone so fierce enough to challenge her. They had their moments, but for now, as she had Jessica tucked against her chest, she acknowledged she did not regret listening to Tiffany’s advice to hire her.

Mysteriously, Jessica’s sleeping bag was nowhere to be found. It was either that or her sleepy eyes could not discern the lumpy shape in the darkness. Too lazy to get a torch, she simply returned to the shelter of their tent, making sure to zip the flap. Jessica would probably slap her senseless when they woke up – of that, Yuri was sure – but there was no gauging the extent of her wrath if she were to discover small, deadly itchy bumps over her lovely skin.

Gathering that slender figure close in her big sleeping bag, she kept Jessica warm throughout the night with her own body heat.

------------------------------

Chapter Seventeen – Invincible Youth: The Toilet

-----------------------------

Yuri was forcibly awakened by a frantic, almost violent shake to her shoulders. Bemoaning her sleep deprivation, she reluctantly opened her eyes with a lethargy so slow anyone would have misconceived she was intoxicated. Her sleep inertia was so heavy it required a vicious slap to her droopy face to fully awaken her – or at least so she was acknowledging Jessica, albeit hazily. 

“What do you want?” Yuri slurred tiredly, groaning in despair when she checked her mobile for the time. “Sica, it’s one in the morning. I’m going back to sleep.”

Unfortunately, Jessica was tenacious, delivering another slap to her face. “Babo, I need to pee – now.”

For the sake of sleep, Yuri was on the verge of ordering her to pee in the tent when she finally regained her sense of logic. Her acquiescence however, was not a kind one – she made an extra effort to illustrate this as she prepared for the long trek into the wilderness. Every movement was accompanied with a groan, every yawn obnoxiously uncovered in front of Jessica’s face – she even went to the length of carelessly shoving her PA and blamed her sleepiness.

“What are you – drunk?” Jessica chastised scathingly, rubbing her stomach from where Yuri allegedly elbowed her by accident. If anything, her boss proved what others had labelled her as wrong – that she was the quintessential exemplification of grumpiness in the morning. Next to Yuri, she seemed kind, and that was certainly saying something.

It took them a while to make it outside the tent, but even then difficulty arose. It was pitch-black, chilling to the bone and eerily quiet, save for the distant sound of a flowing stream nearby. Jessica had not anticipated such an icy weather, nor had she even thought to bring a thick, durable jacket as a precaution. Standing outside in her white pyjamas, she might as well have not worn anything at all for the biting chill rushed through her inadequate clothing regardless. At the sudden shine of a torch illuminating her, Jessica yelped, tripping over clumps of grass.

“Seriously,” Yuri began derisively as she instinctively went to help her PA up, steadying her by the elbow, “how did you expect to go camping and survive with only a fashionable wardrobe?”

Whatever good intention Yuri had behind her actions dissipated at her words. Offended, Jessica wrenched her arm free, setting a good distance between them. It wasn’t only Yuri’s derision that belied her kindness towards her that hurt, no – it was her sempiternal need to exert her superiority. Yuri was just as insufferably egotistical as she was a walking contradiction, changing from an attractive, generous boss to an overbearing CEO that Jessica found her love-hate quandary an even bigger labyrinthine. 

Her inner fury outweighing all thoughts, Jessica began walking in any direction, her anger manifesting outwards into childish yet eloquent stomps that spoke volumes of her emotions. It was cold and it was dark, but she pushed those thoughts into the furthermost recesses of her mind. Perhaps, this was why she felt the instinctive urge to oppose Yuri at every turn. Even if she suffered in the long run, the fugacious pleasure – no matter how miniscule – was worth it all, just to spite her boss.

Jessica had only taken a few meandering steps before Yuri caught up with her, slowing her pace so they walked side by side. As the torch illuminated the grassy ground before them, the power difference between them turned from subtly mocking to blatant for she realised that Yuri had the torch – the light in which she clung to.

In her galloping pride, Jessica had opted to increase her pace, only to discover – yet again – that she needed Yuri. A particularly steep depression in the ground had her falling forward, and she would have if not for her boss. Just as she slipped, gasping, Yuri reflexively reached for her, snaking an arm around her middle. She never felt more useless as Yuri’s warmth enveloped her, providing her with the heat she failed to muster herself. Even the way her boss held her lingeringly, linking her hands around her middle, as if to placate her fears for her safety, mocked her.

“I don’t need your help,” Jessica remarked sourly, extricating herself from the embrace. She had not taken five steps before Yuri snagged her hand. Although the battle for freedom that ensued was rather childish, it did reflect their situation to an extent, one which Yuri did not ignore.

Tightening her hand around her PA’s deceptively slender one, Yuri openly asked, “Why do you keep opposing me at every opportunity?” A pause, then the one question that constantly invaded her mind, “Do you hate me, Sica?”

Instead of answering, Jessica remained silent, grudgingly trudging beside her. She didn’t have to answer, though, for the silence said everything.

The trek to a place far enough from the stream was a silent yet ironic one. Despite the tension between them, what linked them together were their hands which mimicked their sentiments. Jessica was adamant on letting go – on forgetting her crush that had turned sour – and repeatedly tried to extricate her hand, but to no avail while Yuri did the complete opposite. Instead of pushing Jessica away – of ignoring her confession – she thought nothing else, replaying the bitter words of her PA’s confession and refused to let go of their melded hands.

As soon as she able, Jessica slipped her hand free from Yuri’s when they came to a patch of earth near a log. It was then that she realised she had no idea why they had stopped.

“Why are we stopping here?” Jessica questioned in the most rude, uncompromising tone of voice she could muster, which turned out to be waspish. “I thought we were going to the village to use their toilet.”

“Yuchiri?” Yuri shook her head, producing some items from her backpack. “The bushwalk to the village is too far for a simple toilet trip. Besides, this is a camping trip, is it not? What’s a camping trip without the satisfaction of digging our own toilet?”

For a moment, Jessica said nothing, blinking in confusion. When she finally put the spade, the long white tube and the dry patch of earth together, it was as if the world had reached the apocalypse.

“I-you-toilet-ground-”

“Yes,” Yuri said simply, unleashing her inner choding by shining the torch underneath her chin, retaining the image of one telling a chilling horror story. “I’m going to dig you a toilet in the ground.”

“Never!”

Ignoring the outburst, Yuri diligently began digging a rectangular hole. It had to be rectangular in order to appropriately cover the mess after they were done lest she want anyone to stumble upon it. Once Jessica finished her business, she would simply scoop the pile of earth and throw it back into the hole. Five minutes into the task, Yuri found that digging a hole was easier said than done. She was left with little doubts that her smooth, slim arms had been through a workout and probably had gained some guns in the process.

Wiping the sweat from her face, Yuri dropped the spade and stood back, marvelling at her handiwork. The torch had been angled on the log to illuminate the area since Jessica had not been in any state to hold it for her. Speaking of blondes, where the hell was Jessica?

Although mildly concerned for her PA’s safety, she knew Jessica well enough to know that her pride had limits. True to her suspicions, Jessica was in fact just a few metres away from her. Just by looking at her silhouette, Yuri thought the blonde was dancing, strange as it was. Under the brightness of the torchlight however, it was a completely different story.

In all of her pyjama glory, Jessica was hopping frantically on the spot, one leg covering the other in a rather unconventional manner of opposing the systematic need for the human body to excrete. Even her hands, small as they were, shook uncontrollably as they attempted to push her legs together. What really had Yuri’s mouth gaping was Jessica’s facial expression. Contorted by her suppression for the dire need to pee, Jessica’s face was the personification of all that was cute. The adorable way in which she bit her lip, the blowfish-puffed cheeks, the tightly shut eyes – Yuri had never seen anything cuter in her entire life.

Chuckling quietly at the sight, Yuri walked over to her PA, taking her by the elbow. Although Jessica mewled in protest, she ignored them. She was beginning to understand her PA needed a push – several, actually – to overcome her mountainous pride whether she wanted them or not.

So, that was how she came to be shining the torch on Jessica as she stood over the hole. Out of respect, she pointedly looked the other way.

“Are you done yet?” Yuri asked impatiently.

“I’ve never felt so humiliated in my entire life.”

“Was that a yes?”

Yuri mistook the rustle of clothing to be that Jessica had finished. When she peeked out of the corner of her eyes, she was so taken aback by a partially naked Jessica that she gasped incriminatingly.

“Don’t peek you slu*!”

The slap to her face was so painful she groaned in pain, reflexively dropping the torch to gingerly rub the stinging spot. As if there was another apocalypse with the light vanishing, Jessica began screaming, her shrieks echoing incessantly in the forest. It was so deafening that Yuri struggled to locate the torch, reduced to crawling on the forest floor as she tried to cover her ears. Miraculously, Yuri’s hand brushed a solid object to her right. Diving for it, so that she was on her back, she raised it in euphoria, directly to where Jessica was.

There, in all of her partially nude glory, was Jessica, bending over pulling in the midst of her pulling up her underwear. Yuri would have enjoyed the sight had Jessica not been murderously staring at the direction of the light - at her - with pure, unadulterated homicidal intent in her eyes brown, brown eyes.

Yuri had never scarpered so fast in her entire life. 

------------------------------

Everyone at the campsite was on high alert.

Armed with flashlights, backpacks filled with necessities should they go missing, and makeshift weapons – Heechul was even holding his sharp manicure cuticle remover at the ready – the KE staff congregated in the middle of the campsite.

Naturally, Sooyoung had taken charge of the situation since she was Head of Security. As soon as she had heard the echo of a scream, she had bolted upright, pistol in hand, only to hit her head against the metal pole of the tent. Subsequently, her pained yelp had awoken Sunny and Hyoyeon, who then opted to scream for no particular reason. The noise from their tent reached the others in the campsite and thus the chain effect occurred. At first, Yoona and Seohyun had dismissed the trio for being the chodings they were until they heard the resonating scream from the forest.

So, that was how everyone came to be huddled in a tight cluster in the campsite.

Sooyoung had just finished briefing everyone when Taeyeon burst from her tent, clad in a hastily adorned oversized hooded jumper, baggy pants, Pokemon slippers and a lopsided Pikachu beanie that covered one eye. Sunny was on the verge of yelling at her for being so slow on the situation when she spotted a very dishevelled Tiffany emerging from the tent. Sure enough, Tiffany had lipstick smeared around her mouth, tousled hair and was in the midst of adjusting her bra strap.

“What’s going on?” Taeyeon queried without preamble, saluting for duty. It was then, when she glanced at everyone, that she noticed the absence of two people. “Hey, where’s-”

“Shut it midget!” Sooyoung shoved Taeyeon into Tiffany’s arms, effectively making them a pair. “Pairs, I want you to move out! Use anything you have with you to mark your path so that you can backtrack if we find the boss and her lady love. Any questions? Got it? Ready? Comprende?”

“Since when do you speak Spanish?” Tiffany interjected curiously.

Sooyoung stared at her with equal curiosity. “I should be asking you the same question.”

Before anyone could respond, there was a scintillating flash in the sea of darkness that was the forest. There was a collective brandishing of makeshift weapons as everyone turned, looking very much like they were going to fight the incoming entity to the death. The light flickered as it neared them, shining sporadically, going in all directions.

"Oh my gosh, it's a wisp!" Hyoyeon yelled.

Sunny, the hardcore gamer she was, slapped Hyoyeon in the face, yelling, "Those only exist in World of Warcraft or Nox!"

Yoona thought otherwise. "Babo, it's a person!"

Heechul, who had been fearfully facing the forest with his cuticle remover brandished, completely lost it when he yelled, “Don’t be ridiculous, Im choding! It’s a monster!” In a terrified whirlwind, he pocketed his cuticle remover and retreated behind the relative safety of Sooyoung, clutching her from behind. Out of everyone, she did have the only gun, after all.

Every eye widened when the light took human form, turning out to be none other than Yuri – the big, bad boss. But as she ran to them, it was clear she was anything but the big, bad boss the media hyped her to be for she was running for dear life. Not far behind, Jessica was hot on her tail, surprising everyone with the velocity at which she was running. It was common knowledge Jessica was a failure when it came to sports, and as such, the rapid movement of her slim legs took them all by complete shock.

Completely controlled by fear, Yuri took one look at cousin, seemed to view her as some sort of refuge, and grabbed her by the shoulders. In her madness, she switched their positions so that Yoona was facing the forest – facing Jessica.

“As your boss, I order you all to stop Sica!” Yuri yelled as best she could in her breathless state. Desperate times for desperate measures – Yuri had that in the forefront of her mind when she bellowed, “If you want to keep your jobs, do as I say!”

How it happened, no one really knew, for they were too focused on keeping their jobs. Everyone seemed to have taken to the boss’ command literally for they lunged for Jessica like a horde of animals, tackling her mercilessly to the ground. For the most part, it seemed like they had succeeded in subjugating the sergeant princess – that is, until Jessica emerged from the mountain of groaning bodies as some sort of harbinger of doom, emanating an aura so dark she appeared to be evil incarnate.

Yuri could have sworn she saw her life flash before her very eyes.

-------------------------------------

Chapter Eighteen – Invincible Youth: The Fine Line

-------------------------------

Advancing towards Yuri menacingly, her every step leaving indented footprints deepening with the force of her fury, Jessica was malevolence personified. The way she walked, the way she glared – if mere looks could kill, Yuri was certain she would have died a million times over, charred crispy by the simplicity of Jessica’s murderous gaze that sinisterly reflected the scintillae of the stars. With the flickering chatoyant illumination from the flashlights behind her as the KE staff were in the midst of surging to their feet, adorning her with a pale, ethereal silhouette, she looked both angelic and ghostly – the essence of a harbinger with an allure that belied her homicidal intentions.

Naturally, Yuri began stammering whatever raced through her mind, uncaring if her concatenation of words was nonsensical.

”Now, now, Sica…calm down, okay?”

“Calm down?” was all Jessica said, but the high-pitched incredulity in her voice compensated for the lack of pejoratives.

Realising the cooing quality of her voice was lost in her trepidation, Yuri quickly withdrew her words.

“I mean no! Don’t calm down! I mean yes – calm down!”

Time seemed to slow as Jessica took the final step towards Yuri, mercilessly crushing the dried leaves underneath her dirtied shoes. The crunching sound it made was amplified by the imminent doom, projecting so loudly it was abnormal. Life was prematurely over, soon to be fatalistically ended by the sergeant princess. Yuri thought of nothing else but that resigning train of thought as she closed her eyes, unable to muster the courage to face Jessica. If there had been any ironic moment in her life, this was it. To die at the hands of one of her employees – her PA, no less – was ironic to say the least.

Or so she had thought.

Just as she closed her eyes, there was a series of loud thumps, grunts, and frustrated yells. Torn between shock and fear, Yuri hesitated before opening her eyes, struggling in the process. Had anyone been looking at her, they would have probably misconceived she was having an epileptic spasm induced by terror and curiosity. When she finally opened her eyes, she could not suppress eliciting a gasp at the rough sight of her staff manhandling her PA.

There, before her very eyes, illuminated by the rapidly flickering flashlights, was Jessica fighting the mob that was the KE staff. She stood in the very centre of the throng, viciously clawing the air with her deceptively slender hands, spewing profanities that would have tarnished Seohyun’s innocence had she been so inclined to hear which, unfortunately, she was if Yoona’s insistent hand to cover Jessica’s mouth was any indication.

“Sica-unnie, stop swearing! You’re supposed to be my mother!”

Tiffany, who had her fingers entangled in the silky ends of Jessica’s tresses, immediately endorsed her remark. “Yoong, censor Jessi’s swearing! I don’t want my Seobaby corrupted!”

“Seobaby?” Taeyeon echoed dubiously, eyes wide saucers. Her grip on Jessica’s wrist slackened at her girlfriend’s outburst. “What the-have we adopted the maknae or something? When were you planning to tell me? ”

Before Yuri knew it, Taeyeon and Tiffany were bickering about the supposed adoption while the maknae in question attempted to placate her alleged parents. Seohyun’s attempts were just that – failed tries for Sooyoung, having wrapped both arms around Jessica’s stomach in a stranglehold of a restraint, began yelling crazed things.

“Sergeant Sic is out of control!” Sooyoung was screaming deafeningly, struggling to restrict said sergeant princess. “Quick, Hyo, get my gun!”

The command was so insane that Hyoyeon instinctively slapped Sooyoung hard on the back, uncaring if it increased Jessica’s chances of breaking free. “Have all of those burgers gone to your head?” Hyoyeon bellowed incredulously. “If you shoot Jessica, we’ll go to jail!”

“I knew it!” Seohyun exclaimed in triumph, forgoing her ‘parents’ at the remark. “Those junk food activists were right! Junk food does go straight to your head, addling your brain.” When Sunny gave her a deadpan look, she hastened to recount the scientific articles substantiating the pernicious links of unhealthy fast food with brain damage. “I read this article on the internet about people pertaining fast food to the inconsistencies or impairment in the brain resulting in rash, poor decisions. In the case of Sooyoung-unnie, she’s clearly had a burger too many-”

“And where exactly did you read this article?” Sunny questioned disbelievingly, frowning. 

“Wikipedia.”

At the mentioning of that deplorable website, Sunny immediately exploded into a rant, aggressively condemning the inaccuracy of Wikipedia. Given her internet and gaming obsession, it was only natural she had a lot to say about the website considering they allowed anyone to edit its content.

The only staff members who were not partaking in the madness were Hara and Heechul – the tent roommates. Instead of adding to the pandemonium, the two were sitting comfortably near the bonfire they had seen fit to reignite. Between them was Heechul’s expensive manicure set – the very one Hara had threatened to incinerate – along with his sharp cuticle remover he had previously intended to use as a makeshift weapon. Humming songs out of tune, the two were either oblivious to the madness or simply uncaring of losing their job as Heechul expertly “pimped” out Hara’s nails while the latter was in awe of his expertise.

Yuri had thought the madness had finally reached its peak, but what happened next was truly unprecedented.

Needless to say a spider appeared out of nowhere, crawling over Jessica’s blonde hair, dangerously close to Tiffany's fingers. It was a tiny, somewhat furry thing, given its little legs, appearing so small in the sea of gold that was Jessica’s luxuriant hair. In Tiffany’s eyes however, it was a monster – a misshapen creation of all that was evil. As such, when she glimpsed it after narrowing her eyes a fraction, hell broke loose.

Naturally, Tiffany retracted her hands like she had been scorned, screaming her lungs out. Tiffany began crying into Taeyeon’s hair, muttering something about bugs while her girlfriend played the role of a mother hen. The couple juxtaposed with the rest of the KE staff could not have been anymore different. Reacting more violently, the chodings roughly pushed Jessica forward. With their combined strength – Sunny and Seohyun included – they shoved her so hard Jessica went flying, straight into the hands of the one she longed to murder.

In a rough tumble, Yuri and Jessica hit the forest floor – flying limbs, gasps, grunts and all. It was a good thing Jessica’s face crashed into Yuri’s melons otherwise she would have broken her nose at the collision’s impact. The same thing however, could not have been said for Yuri who gasped when she felt a pressure on her chest. It was even more shocking when Jessica dazedly lifted her head. It wasn’t Jessica’s expression that had her gaping, nor was it the attractive tousle of her blonde hair, no – it was the tiny spider crawling on the bridge of her nose.

Before either could stammer a word, the distinct sound of the safety of a gun being triggered stole their attention. Judging by Sooyoung’s wide, frantic eyes, it was clear she did not know what she was doing, which she didn’t. Peer pressure was a dangerous thing; it was never more apparent now, as Sooyoung’s hand holding the gun shook at the force of Tiffany shaking her from behind clamouring her to fire.

“What are you waiting for?” Tiffany asked hysterically, yanking on Sooyoung’s arm. “Shoot the little monster!”

Sooyoung was torn between acquiescing, just to banish Tiffany’s fears and facing the wrath of the sergeant princess. Eyes imploring, she glanced between a stunned Jessica straddling an equally stunned Yuri, Tiffany and Taeyeon who was mindlessly agreeing with her girlfriend, unaware that her endorsement would result in Jessica’s untimely death.

Before the shot could be fired, Yoona burst from nowhere, lunging for Sooyoung. Her mouth wide open like an alligator, she kicked Sooyoung’s arm in defense of her 'mother'. Every eye in the vicinity followed the outline of the gun, each with something akin to hope, dread or insouciance in the case of the Heechul and Hara lazily observing the scene from the bonfire. In their delusional state, half of the staff expected it to stay suspended in the air while the other half reflexively jumped for it. As such, when the gun fell into Seohyun’s hands, there was a stunned silence shortly broken by a whirlwind of responses.

“Hyunnie! Im Yoona loves you! Give the gun to me!”

“If you don’t shoot the spider, I’ll disown you, Seobaby!”

“Oh, so you did adopt her! Wait, we’re not even married yet!”

“Hey Seo, what’s it like to hold a real gun? Is it as heavy as the ones in COD: Black Ops?”

“I’ll swap you my gun for a bag of sweet potatoes!” 

“Babo! What kind of Head of Security are you to be so easily disarmed?”

As loud and demanding as everyone was, none of them could compare to Yuri falling into protective, authoritative mode. Rising to her feet, she thrust her finger in the air, directly at Seohyun whose lip quivered at the sight. In a voice so commanding, so powerful the unspoken threats underlying her words were palpable, she roared, “Don’t you dare point that gun at my Sica!” Yuri even went so far as to ensconce Jessica safely, pushing her PA so that she was all but hiding behind her. 

For a pregnant moment, no one spoke, save for Seohyun sniffing as tears welled in her eyes. Yuri’s menacing appearance was heightened by the fact that she had raised her voice at the baby of the gang. It had come to be an accepted unwritten rule that Seoyhun was not to be ridiculed, injured or harmed in any way. The epitome of innocence, she embodied all that was pure in life, as much as Sooyoung argued otherwise given her relationship with the alligator of the company.

Seohyun’s fear was given full, heart-wrenching clarity when she flinched upon Yuri closing the distance between them in a single imposing stride. Trembling, she wordlessly presented the gun away from her, as if the object was beyond her to even hold. Yuri’s eyes softened a fraction at the sight, and for a moment she looked like she wanted nothing more than to embrace the baby of the company.

Still, things had gotten out of control and it was her duty as CEO to make things right.

Grasping the handle of the gun, she shook it slightly, testing its weight. She made her way her back to Jessica and, without preamble, without any trace of her earlier fear, traced the arc of her cheek. Gently yet firmly, she took hold of Jessica’s fingers trying to squish the small spider and pushed them away from her face. Her eyes seemed to be looking for the little monster, roaming over Jessica’s delicate features. Once she had found it, she coerced the spider to transfer to her finger, lightly running her fingertip over Jessica’s smooth cheek.

She was fully aware of the fixated gazes on her – on the gun – but she ignored the KE staff completely. If anything, she wanted them to see what she was about to do for with it would come a lesson. 

Bending down, she dug her finger into the forest floor, as if to encourage the spider to crawl off. When it did, and immediately scarpered, she surged to her feet, moved back to a safe radius, pointed the gun at the ground with a steady hand and fired a single bullet.

Whether the spider survived or not if her aim had been accurate was irrelevant. Flinging the gun to the side, Yuri snagged Jessica’s hand, heading beeline for their tent.

Once inside and the tent flap zipped ensuring privacy, Jessica couldn’t help but ask, “Why did you do that?”

“There’s a line between crazy fun and madness,” Yuri answered quietly, sliding into her large sleeping bag. She waited until Jessica was lying comfortably beside her before continuing. “It was all good fun until they pointed a gun at you. I had to do something.”

It was a simple, if not reluctant answer but for Jessica, who longed for an indication that Yuri cared, it was enough. Although it was still dark, they stared at each other for a moment, the sounds of the staff outside fading away. Even after Yuri fell asleep, Jessica continued to lie on her side, staring at her boss. 

“You say you don’t like me but your actions speak otherwise,” Jessica whispered, more to herself than her sleeping boss. “Kwon Yuri, you sure are something else – a pervert, too.”

Finding her eyes beginning to droop, Jessica allowed herself a small smile, relishing in the sudden revelation.

Yuri cared.

----------------------------------

Chapter Nineteen – Invincible Youth: Bushwalking

------------------------

“Seohyun, I would like to apologise for my harshness towards you last night. It was warranted given the circumstances, but I realise you were inconveniently in the wrong place at the wrong time – catching the gun in the madness at the worst time, really. With all my-”

“Unnie,” Seohyun interrupted soothingly, with an air of sapience beyond her years, “don’t worry. I understand.”

Words failing her, Yuri closed her mouth, only to open it again. “You understand?” she repeated dubiously, mystified by the baby of the company who was anything but. “Let me get this straight. I played bad boss last night, nearly making you cry, and you understand?”

“Yes.”

“No!”

Out of nowhere, the alligator that was her choding cousin snapped her jaws. By that, snapping her jaws meant a colourful rainbow of verbal abuse coupled with a violent, almost crazed lunge at her. If Yuri hadn’t been related to Yoona, she would have probably grabbed the nearest solid object – which just happened to be the white toilet tube – utilised it as a makeshift weapon, and brandished it menacingly to ward away the alligator flying through the air.

Try as she may, Yuri was blood related to Yoona, so much so that they were often mistaken as twins. So, with a heavy sigh speaking volumes of her annoyance, Yuri nonchalantly flicked her hair, twisted her body to the side, and simply let her cousin fly right past her. With a resounding thud followed by a piercing scream, Yoona collided into the two pink fashionistas.

Her cousin crashing into Tiffany and Heechul was a tragedy in itself. The aforementioned duo, having endured sleeping in a tent in what they had seen fit to announce was “hell” and “punishment for stealing Taeyeon’s cookies” – said girlfriend had appeared mortally wounded at the knowledge of her precious cookies subjected to binge-eating – had just applied their beauty facial masks. It was normally applied in the evening, but given last night’s mayhem, there obviously had been no time.

Yuri watched the scene explode into chaos as if were a daily occurrence, which it actually was. Heechul’s pink headband he had opted to wear to keep his styled fringe from his forehead somehow flew high into the air from Yoona’s collision. It was as if the pink thing was the gunshot signalling a race – in this case, a full-scale fight in the wild – for as soon as it hit the ground, lying pathetically in the dirt, hell broke loose.

It was nothing new, really. 

Heechul clutching his dirtied face in mortification as if the apocalypse had arrived, releasing a scream in a high pitch reserved for the female species, was nothing new given his feminine tendencies. There was nothing abnormal about her dear cousin breaking into a speedy run after releasing just who she crashed into. One thing did surprise Yuri though, and it was not the KE staff’s inactivity as they merely observed the scene – it was Tiffany falling face first with her facial mask on the verge of drying in the mud.

Indifferently, she turned to Seohyun, remembering their conversation. “What did you mean before?”

“Unnie,” Seohyun said with a laugh, patting her shoulder with an understanding that rendered Yuri speechless, “I understand why you yelled at me. With Sica-unnie’s safety threatened, it’s only natural you’d want to protect her.”

Yuri stayed silent, unsure of what to say. When she thought about it, she had been a mother hen for her PA, strange as it was. Was it not moments before the gun incident that Jessica was clamouring for murder? In spite of it, she had been overcome with an instinctive protectiveness and more. She had yelled at the Tiffany and Taeyeon’s ‘baby’. She had never exerted authority over her staff – other than deliberating on serious company matters – but last night, she had made an exception.

“You look bemused.” Taking her by the elbow, Seohyun guided her boss to an area well away from the chaos. “A penny for your thoughts?”

The idiom struck a chord within, resonating in the recesses of her mind. With the resonance came a distant memory of walking along a sandy beach underneath the pale moonlight. In her reminiscence, she remembered the wind – how cold, unforgivingly whipping it had been, like it had a violent mind of its own – but more importantly, she remembered Jessica and the shattering question she had asked. It had been a shattering question because, in hindsight, it had caused a rift between them when they had been living so amicably together.

She jolted when she felt Seohyun’s hand tugging at the sleeve of her hooded jumper. Blinking, she stared at the resident Head of Human Resources, expectant.

“Do you like Sica-unnie?”

Yuri sighed heavily at that. “I don’t know,” she admitted quietly. She averted her gaze, intending to avoid from the question entirely. Unfortunately, she was not given a chance to forget for she inadvertently glimpsed Jessica emerging from their tent.

From a distance, Yuri watched her, unable to draw her eyes away. Jessica was normally not a morning person, but for some reason, there were no traces of sleep deprivation marring her delicate features. As Jessica stepped into the warm sunlight, stretching her lissom body, the rich glow of her blonde hair was breathtaking. They were like flowing streams of the richest gold, cascading over her slim shoulders with opulence that made Yuri’s breath in her chest hitch.

Yuri found it fascinating how Jessica could appear so angelic, yet paradoxically possess a sergeant spirit. It had never been more apparent now – more piquing – as she watched Jessica survey her surroundings blankly at first, as if lost, only to be harshly anchored to reality by Yoona knocking into her shoulder. Jessica, judging by her stern scolding for Yoona’s inconsiderate lack of manners and the following guilty expression, had taken to the responsibility of being her cousin’s ‘mother’ – literally.

By the time Jessica was finished, Yoona was nought but an ashamed child, looking thoroughly chastised, complete with her feet turned inwards in resignation to the berating.

“Unnie, I don’t think this is going to end well.” Biting her lip, Seohyun pointed to an incoming force of retribution in the form of Tiffany, Taeyeon and Heechul.

Yuri took one look at Tiffany’s muddy face before instinctively jumping to her feet.

Seoyhun was right – this would not end well.

After gauging the extent of Jessica’s wrath – barely surviving in the process – and taking into account the trio’s incensed expressions, Yuri was left with little doubt that the impending drama would likely result in homicide.

“You have to keep your little rascal on a tight leash!” Tiffany roared furiously, wiping the mud sticking to her face with a paper towel. “Look what she did to me! I look like-like-” No one ever discovered who or what she looked like for she suddenly lunged at Yoona cowering behind her alleged mother.

Tiffany was a tyrant when she was furious but Jessica was a steadfast sergeant. Pitting them together, the two American respective ‘mothers’ clashing were force to be reckoned with. It was a good thing Yuri acted as a mediator between them, effectively preventing any slaps on either party, although she couldn’t do much about the swearing. It wasn’t just colourful swearing – it was colourful English swearing. Even Taeyeon, who was expected to follow her girlfriend’s lead unquestioningly, was at a complete loss of how to join in on the verbal abuse and instead, simply stood to the side with her mouth agape.

“Omo!” Yuri yelled, distracting them all by shakily pointing at Tiffany’s face. “There’s a spider on your face!”

Just as Tiffany released an ear-splitting scream, Yuri put her arms around her cousin and PA, compelling them to tag along. Huddling closely, the three quietly dispersed from the scene, appearing very much like an intimate family.

Once at the kitchen area, Yuri dropped her arms, leaving Jessica and Yoona to sit on the rug.

“What do you want for breakfast?” Yuri asked them, rolling the ends of her hooded jumper in preparation. “There’s instant food, but I’d rather you not eat it so early in the morning. Not only is it unhealthy, it’s also lazy – for people who can’t be bothered cooking.”

Jessica gave her a sharp look. “I think you’ve been hanging around Seobaby too much. You’re starting to sound like her.”

“Not really,” Yoona disagreed from her side, resting her head on Jessica’s shoulder. “Yul has always been like that. One time, when I slept in her penthouse and went to eat chips in the morning, she went ballistic.”

“Ballistic is a strong word, Yoong,” Yuri remarked as she busied herself with lighting the rustic camping toolset.

“You know what?” Yoona’s eyebrow creased as she recalled the aforementioned breakfast drama. “I think ballistic isn't strong enough. You know how I told you about eating chips that morning? Well, I never got a chance to savour the potato goodness.”

“Why?”

“Because unnie snatched the chips out of my hand, ran to the balcony, declared to the world at large it was unhealthy and then threw it over the railing. Not long after, reception called to inform us of a complaint from an ajumma who had claimed she was brutally hit with a chip packet from our company apartment complex.” Yoona shivered here, clutching her mother tightly for physical comfort. “It was so scary when we were called downstairs to face her. Do you know what’s worse? Yul told the ajumma it was my packet of chips when she was the one who threw it in the first place!”

Completely overwhelmed with grief, Yoona buried her face into Jessica’s shoulder, sobbing without restraint. Instantly, Jessica was fussing over her, soothingly rubbing her back, wholeheartedly agreeing that Yuri was a “bully” and a complete “slu*” to those closest to her.

Yuri, meanwhile, rolled her eyes at the melodramatic scene. She knew why Yoona was victimising herself to Jessica. After all, given that she caused drama in the early morning, it was only natural she would want to avoid another scolding.

Even if she wouldn’t bring herself to admit it, Yuri had to silently concede that her cousin was a damn good actress.

------------------

Whatever hostility existing between the two American ‘mothers’ of the maknaes resulting from this morning’s drama dissipated upon hearing the activity of the day.

Bushwalking.

Heechul, the outspoken man he was, likened the activity to suicidal. Needless to say, Jessica and Tiffany had instantly agreed, bombarding Yuri with furious protests. When Yuri had calmly stated that the group activity was not optional, and that they were to walk ten kilometres following a cyclic trajectory so that they would arrive back at the campsite in approximately an hour, the KE staff saw another outbreak of mutiny.

This time round, unlike before when the pink trio had made for it separately, the idiom ‘every man for himself’ did not apply. On the contrary, the pink trio banded together, taking their final stand in the middle of the campsite. The three stood defiantly on the large central tree stump, each with their backs touching. This time, they were ready – they were armed. With Jessica holding the toilet shovel, Tiffany clutching Taeyeon’s box of cookies that acted as ammunition and Heechul brandishing his sharp cuticle remover – he had seen fit to carry it with him at all times ever since Hara’s threat to burn it – they were armed, and they were dangerous.

For the second time, Yuri played the role of the big, bad CEO, stepping forward with an air of supreme authority. Face dark, demanding, she dropped an ultimatum. “Drop your weapons or we’ll do it for you.”

As scary as she was, Heechul and Tiffany were not listening. Instead, Tiffany was throwing Taeyeon’s cookies at Sooyoung, Yoona, and Hyoyoen, all of whom were taking imposing steps towards her. In Tiffany’s crazed state induced by the horror bushwalking wrought, she failed to notice that the three were simply taking steps for the cookies. Every time Tiffany threw a cookie, the three would dive for them, more worried about the cookies touching the ground and thus becoming inedible than not going bushwalking. 

Similarly, Heechul was fending off the combined advancement of the rest of the KE staff excluding Yuri. Standing unyieldingly in his pink sweater, dark slacks and immaculately white sneakers, he was both fashionably handsome and out of his mind.

“I’m not your unnie!” Heechul was yelling, throwing balls of cotton at whoever dared to take a step forward. “Stop calling me your unnie!”

“Unnie!”

“Take that you aegyo-filled midget!”

It was now or never for Yuri. If she did not make the first move, they would be arguing in the same spot for hours, even after Tiffany had thrown all of Taeyeon’s cookies.

“Sica,” she intoned lowly, “I’m giving you one last chance. Drop the shovel to the ground or I will do it for you.”

The threats lacing her voice must have pierced through the wall of defiance and madness for Jessica’s lip trembled. For a moment, Yuri thought she had finally gotten through to her PA – that is, until Jessica released a shrieking battle cry and rushed forward with more madness than the other two combined.

“You won’t make me, Kwon Yuri!” Jessica all but screamed, swinging the shovel. Try as she may, her state of mind did not magically grant her the raw strength needed to lift the shovel at waist level necessary to actually hit something. Her failure to swing the shovel rivalled that of Taeyeon’s office failures in general as she managed to lift the cumbersome tool a few centimetres.

Quick as lightning, Yuri lunged for her, brutally tackling her to the ground. The shovel was knocked to the side in the shove, discarded uselessly to the side, leaving Jessica completely and utterly useless. Even as she went down, Jessica refused to resign herself to the reality of bushwalking ten kilometres.

--------------------------

In the end, the KE staff managed to subdue the pink trio and force them to partake in the bushwalk. It had been difficult to force them, but with their combined efforts, they had formulated an infallible method.

With the help of a tightly knotted rope, Taeyeon had managed to force her girlfriend into walking. The rope was currently tied around both her and her girlfriend’s waists, forming a compelling force of sorts. Whenever Taeyoen marched forward, Tiffany was left with little alternative other than to follow her lead lest she wish to be dragged along the forest floor. Naturally, she had tried to escape but with the baby of the company guarding her rear, Tiffany had no choice. 

Seohyun could be quite scary when she wanted to be.

Finding she was unable to escape, Tiffany resorted to the only weapon she had left - her voice.

“I want a divorce.”

“What?”

“You heard me, Taeyeon. I want a divorce.”

Hyoyeon snickered from Taeyeon’s side. “Fany called you Taeyeon! You’re not her Tae anymore!”

Ignoring the resident Sales and Marketing Manager, Taeyeon frowned over her shoulder. “We’re not even married. How can you possibly divorce-”

“I don’t care! I want a divorce!”

The KE staff utilised the same method for Heechul. Given his height and speed at running should he attempt to escape, everyone had agreed it was better if he was connected with the tallest of the group. Since Sooyoung was the tallest, not to mention the toughest out of them all given her Head of Security status, she had the rope tied around her waist. Like Tiffany, Heechul resorted to using his voice as a weapon – a sneaky, enticing weapon.

“If you let me go, I’ll give you a month’s supply of food.”

Against her will, Sooyoung faltered in marching along the bushwalking route. “What kind of food?” she queried curiously, licking her lips.

Before Heechul could drop the atomic bomb of delicious food that would set him free, Sunny quickly snatched his expensive manicure set from his backpack. Tossing it to Hara with a clumsiness that had Heechul clamouring for mercy, she raised her finger, effectively silencing his pleas.

It was blackmail, but desperate times called for desperate measures. Plus, she was enjoying the bushwalk and the scenery, and if blackmail was what it took to quell all urges for Heechul to escape, then she would do it no matter how much it would hurt her ‘unnie’.

“If you want your manicure set,” Sunny began in a tone of voice that belied her aegyo, “I suggest you keep walking without complaint.”

With the KE staff covering Tiffany and Heechul, that left Yuri and Yoona responsible for Jessica’s compliance. Instead of the rope, Yuri had personally seen to Jessica’s participation – physically. Leading the company, the cousins had Jessica firmly in their grasp with an ironclad hold of her slender fingers on either side. Like before, they retained the image of a family, even if it wasn’t a happy one if Jessica’s deepening scowl was any indication. The pink trio seemed to have a single thing in common – escape, which was quickly foiled with their voice as a last weapon resort.

“I hate you both.”

“I know, Sica.”

“I rue the day I began working at Kwon Enterprises.”

“Of course you do, Sica-unnie.”

“I’m going to set fire to your ma and Keroro collection.”

“Go ahead.”

“Stop agreeing with me!”

“Okay,” the cousins agreed collectively.

Thoroughly annoyed, Jessica flared her nostrils in the hope to release her anger since her hands were rendered useless in the cousins’ grip. They had been walking for what seemed like hours, passing by trees and trudging along dirt paths that looked the same. In all honesty, she didn’t what she hated more: the unevenness of the ground, the earthen scent it emitted, the possibility of her sore legs giving way or the fact that Yoona and Yuri had both her hands trapped in their grip so tight escape was an unattainable dream.

By the time they stopped to rest, her legs were like jelly, wobbling uncontrollably as she came to a halt. Mumbling something about Seohyun, Yoona released her hand, scurrying after her girlfriend, leaving her and Yuri awkwardly alone away from the KE staff since they had been leading the pack.

The opportunity was just too good.

"You can let go of my hand now," was Jessica's fair, what she hoped was sincere, request.

"No."

Every profanity know to man exploded in her mind, but thankfully, her considerable restraint prevented them from bursting free from her mouth. Instead, she simply asked, "Why?"

"I don't trust you." To reinforce her statement, Yuri tightened her hold, her expression unyielding. "How do I know that as soon as I let go, you're not going to slip away from me?"

"I won't."

Unspoken was the test of trust between them hanging in the air - in the way Jessica ceased trying to slip her fingers free as she had fruitlessly done so for the whole duration of the bushwalk. For a while, Yuri stared at her, simply stared into her eyes, trying to decipher a lie. As the silence stretched, Jessica thought Yuri was never going to let go, but then she did.

"I trust you," Yuri murmured quietly, releasing her ironclad grip. Their fingers lingered, brushing against each other, as if coming to terms to letting go was difficult.

As she was given freedom, Jessica felt guilty of what she was going to attempt to do. It would probably destroy whatever trust they had built, but it wasn't fair that she was forced to participate in the death of bushwalking. Hell, the whole camping trip hadn't been fair, with its feculent conditions, crappy food, disgusting insects and last but not least on her abhor list the toilet - or rather, the absence of one and instead the hole in the ground that constituted as one.

In the blink of an eye, as soon as she could no longer feel the warmth of Yuri's hand, Jessica broke away from her boss. She didn't know where to go but anything was better than resting when she knew what came next - more walking, more torture. Spotting a clearing, she ran towards it, ignoring Yuri's voice behind her. Her mistake to run for the clearing became evident when her jelly-like legs finally gave way at a deceptively grassy depression on the ground, sending her body flying.

All Jessica heard was Yuri’s panicking voice before blackness swallowed her world.

-----------------------------

Chapter Twenty – A Kiss

---------------------------

The first thing Jessica glimpsed when she groggily opened her eyes was a grey, furry little ball staring at her curiously, mere inches from her face. She was on the verge of screaming when the little grey ball shuffled forward and, without any warning, without preamble, did the unthinkable – it licked her. Then, it mewled softly, placing its little paws against her cheeks.

Shocked beyond belief, Jessica closed her eyes tightly, opened her mouth wide, and simply let loose with a scream. Throwing open the white linen covering her, she quickly slid off the bed, only to feel her left leg collapse. That was how the KE staff found her – moaning in pain as she rolled on the linoleum floor, very much retaining the image of a person who had just tested the temporary impairment of a broken leg which, painfully, she did.

With the speed of a SWAT team, the entire KE staff flooded into the room, the look on their faces suggesting they were ready for a full-scale world war. Taking the situation in a swift glance, Yuri rushed forward, skidding to her knees. Placing her arms underneath Jessica’s spine and legs, she effortlessly lifted her PA, depositing her gently on the hospital bed. The exceeding, obvious care in her actions swamped the KE staff by surprise, but it was the little grey ball of fur shuffling across the ground that stole the show.

“Heebum!” Heechul yelled with a gasp. Dropping to his knees, he wriggled his fingers beckoningly, thoroughly pleased to have found the kitten. 

Jessica, however, was not pleased, and glared at him as Yuri hovered at her hospital bed. “Heebum?” she repeated angrily, sitting up straighter, only to be firmly pushed down by Yuri in response to placing pressure on her broken leg. “Is that what you called that-that thing?”

Naturally, Heechul ignored the insult. “After the bushwalk, Sunny felt so remorseful for blackmailing me that she bought me this kitten as an apology.” Patting said kitten affectionately, he then proceeded to throw the poor animal high into the air, single-handedly scarring it for life. “Isn’t he the cutest thing in the world?”

Just as he caught the mortified kitten, the doctor that addressed Jessica’s injuries waltzed inside the hospital room, his white coat billowing behind him dramatically. Whatever reprimand on his tongue for the KE staff making a ruckus in a hospital or Heechul bringing an animal undetected died a tragic death underneath Jessica’s smouldering glare, and with an embarrassed clearing of his throat, he dashed out of the room, breaking into a run once he had reached the corner. Mumbling something about chasing after the doctor, Tiffany pressed a kiss against Taeyeon’s cheek whose face immediately split into a grin and exited the room.

Frowning, Jessica blew a straying strand of blonde hair from her vision. “I thought Tiffany wanted a divorce.”

“Turns out she figured your safety was a bigger imperative,” Taeyeon replied with a shrug, remembering Tiffany’s horror when Yuri had returned to the resting spot carrying Jessica bridal-style. “As soon as she saw you in Yuri’s arms, she went ballistic, even with the rope around her waist.”

Jessica was at a loss of what to say in response to that and the vivid image in her head of Tiffany pulling another one of her crazy acts. Hyoyeon, the choding she was, had told her all about Tiffany’s nails scraping the floor when she had gained consciousness a few hours after the kitchen incident weeks ago. She had been shocked to hear Tiffany losing it, and still was as the incident came to the fore of her mind. 

It was chilling to say the least.

Biting her lip, she decided to change the topic. “So, what happened? I remembered tripping over something in the forest.”

“Your leg gave way before you tripped,” Yuri answered quietly, shifting at her bedside. Her tone was quieter than usual, laced with something else – something akin to cold anger. It wasn’t the anger Jessica had been privy to during the camping trip that had resulted in Yuri exerting authoritative, albeit fair, commands. It was much more than easily placated anger induced by protectiveness, and Jessica shivered in spite of herself at hearing it.

“You know what?” Sooyoung announced to everyone in general, clapping her hands together. “I think I’m going to head to my apartment. I desperately need a shower and I’m so hungry I could eat Heebum. Who’s with me?”

Jessica knew what the resident Head of Security was aiming for. She opened her mouth to agree, only to have Yuri usher everyone out of the room, closing the door behind them with a quietness that mimicked her demeanour. For a pregnant moment, neither said anything, the tension in the room thickening to the point of where it could be sliced with a butter knife. When they did speak, it was at the same time, broken by single sentences.

“Why did you run away from me?”

“I want to go home.”

“I’m afraid that’s not going to happen.”

“Are you threatening me?”

Their gazes clashing was like an electrical force, sparking dangerously when Jessica narrowed her eyes at her boss who didn’t even bat an eyelash. Out of nowhere, Yuri pulled out a piece of paper from her hooded jumper. It was the first time Jessica noticed her boss was still wearing her camping clothes, strange as it was. If she had been rushed to the hospital – which she probably had been if Tiffany’s bipolar personality was any indication, given the kitchen disaster memory – then how come Yuri hadn’t changed into less casual clothes like the rest of the KE staff? She didn’t have time to contemplate an answer for Yuri stood in front of her bed, cleared her throat, and proceeded to bombard her with predetermined questions that sounded more like interrogative accusations.

“Your actions demonstrated a complete lack of logic.”

“Now, wait a minute, that’s not-”

“Fair? That’s quite rich of you to say when you destroyed my trust.”

“Trust? Oh, so you’re playing the trust card? Isn’t that a bit-”

“True? Yes, you did shove my trust in my face after I let go.”

Every question was written planned, every possible repudiation already planned against, and every one of her answers were shot down in a matter of seconds. Frustrated, Jessica buried her head in her hands, hating her boss and her stupid planned arguments. Spying a jug of water next to her bed, she went to grab the handle, only for her arm to falter as she felt something stretch painfully. To her horror, there were stiches marring the length of the arm with purples crescents darkening her milky skin.

“Your arm scraped the forest floor when you rolled down the hill,” a sudden a voice said from her side, startling her. It was a kinder voice, although still quite soft. Nonetheless, Yuri seemed to have registered her pain for she leaned across the bed and grabbed the jug.

If anything, Jessica’s frown deepened, furrowing her eyebrows in even further. Her boss’ gentlemanliness was touching, but it wasn’t enough to simmer her anger once it had been sparked. She went to grab the plastic cup once Yuri had poured enough water, but her sore limbs prevented her from swiping fast enough, leaving her painfully and shamefully at her boss’ mercy.

Seething, Jessica allowed Yuri to lift the plastic cup to her chapped lips. She longed to rip the supporting hand placed at the back of her head but sorely suppressed the urge. The water sliding inside her mouth was cool but it might as well have been scalding hot in her mouth.

Yuri was physically close at her side, holding the back of her head for support, but why did it feel like she was miles away?

-------------------------------

Jessica was discharged from the hospital later that day. Normally, any other person would have been ecstatic, infinitely relieved to be away from the blandly coloured walls of the hospital that seemed melancholic in itself and the sterile machines whirring incessantly in the background. Unfortunately, Jessica was not any other person who had just broken their leg and injured their arm, rendering her laughably disabled to a degree. It was bad enough she could not walk without crumpling to the ground, much less hold a pair of crutches to stabilise her slim frame with her stitched arm that ached excruciatingly.

It was nothing short of embarrassing to have Yuri push her out of the hospital in a provided wheelchair. In all honesty, Jessica did not know what was more embarrassing: the fact that Yuri was a famous woman known for her charitable donations loved on every floor of the hospital, thus resulting in crowds of people fawning over her while she sat miserably in the wheelchair like a paraplegic, or her misfortune for having a broken left leg with her right arm threatening to bleed through the stitches.

The pink duo plus Taeyeon came to pick them up in the latter’s dark Mercedes, all of them looking freshly showered and exceptionally clean as they exited the sleek black vehicle that was the exemplification of wealth itself. Next to Tiffany with her designer sunglasses and her long hair billowing spectacularly in the wind, Jessica had never felt so inadequate in her entire life.

“Jessi, you look so depressed,” Tiffany commented sadly as she lodged her sunglasses above her forehead. “Was Yuri being a bully again?”

Tiffany’s tone was intended to be teasing, more-so with her sweet eye-smile, but when Jessica was angry, she was angry. “Yes,” she gritted out through clenched teeth, “she was being an ass. Help me into the car will you?”

Taeyeon, the saluting dork she was, went to follow her sergeant-like order but Yuri bet her to it. Shaking her head to show she had the situation handled, Yuri gripped Jessica’s uninjured arm. With surprising ease, Jessica found herself lifted into the backseat, strapped in securely before she knew it. Yuri went so far as to click the seatbelt for her, much to her dismay. Sure, she had broken her leg and injured her arm, but strapping a seatbelt was not beyond her and they both knew it.

The ride to the company apartment complex would have been a tense one had Heechul not been present. For some reason, Heechul possessed this uncanny ability to lift her spirits through his flamboyant antics. There was also the factor of Yuri sitting between them in stony, brooding silence while their conversation circulated around her. Since Jessica was unable to exact any pleasure from physically wreaking her anger on her boss – she was not foolish to consider herself stronger – she relished in Yuri’s exclusion from her and Heechul’s playful banter.

There was also Heebum.

Jessica had started off on bad terms with the kitten, but now, as she played with the little rascal in her lap, she could not bring herself to hate him. It was an indirect silent form of retaliation from Yuri’s repudiation in the hospital and they both knew it. Every time Jessica giggled sweetly at Heebum playing with her blouse, Yuri would flex her fingers, obviously jealous but otherwise unable to simply obtrude on their fun.

When they reached the company apartment complex, it was a completely different story. 

It seemed every time Jessica gained leverage or derived pleasure from maliciously exacting revenge in some way, the tables would turn. Their roles reversed when Jessica was forced to rely on Yuri’s assistance in exiting the Mercedes. In spite of it all, nothing could compare to opening the door to her apartment only to find her belongings missing and feeling the impact of the bombshell that all her clothes had been transferred to Yuri’s penthouse.

-------------------------------------

Life for Jessica became a nightmare upon adjusting to Yuri’s penthouse. In the past, she had adjusted to living with Yuri comfortably, and had been saddened by their parting even though she couldn’t bring herself to admit it aloud, much less to herself. Thus, she had wallowed in the bottomless pit of darkness for days on end, leading up to the hellish camping trip. This time around, living together was different – they were different.

It wasn’t so much that Yuri treated her appallingly that had Jessica abhorring life. On the contrary, Yuri catered to her every need without question. Cooking meals, helping her dress in the morning respectfully given her inability to do so with her aching arm, running a bath for her and assisting in lowering her to the warm watery depths while pointedly looking at the shampoo bottle, making sure her leg cast did not fall in the water while she perused her laptop in propinquity of Jessica bathing – she did it all without complaining.

Yuri’s strict duty to her wellbeing was one of the things that made Jessica’s blood boil. 

For once, she wanted Yuri to do something – anything – so she could scold her. It was a low wish, but for Jessica, who had her boss playing the role of the PA, it was something she secretly desired but never brought herself to vociferously demand. More importantly, she wanted Yuri to play the role of the pervert as she had done so in the past while she helped her clasp the lock of her bra, or even while she was bathing as she occupied herself with her laptop, but nothing happened. There was no straying perverted eyes, no disrespectful voyeurism, no lingering touches like they used to – nothing. Everything that had spiced their previous living arrangement had disappeared like it had never happened.

Jessica used to hate Yuri’s Kawasaki Ninja, and with it, the memories of their first ride together in the city but now, as she sat in the passenger seat of Yuri’s Aston Martin DB9, she missed it and the craziness that came with the velocity on two wheels. Strange as it was, she even missed smoothing the lapels of Yuri’s leather jacket and zipping it up enthusiastically to her neck, and with it the familiarity of knowing she was wearing something that belonged to her boss. If anything, the change to the luxurious Aston Martin reinforced Yuri’s stringent duty to her wellbeing since a motorcycle was detrimental to her condition.

If there was one thing Jessica truly missed, it was wrapping her arms tightly around Yuri’s waist when they turned corners. It wasn’t simply because she was given an opportunity to touch her boss, but rather that when they swerved around corners, she felt safe. The tingling sensation induced by fear had always wracked her body, compelling her to clutch Yuri for dear life, but her boss had always patted her thigh in reassurance before turning.

All of the simple things in life had lost its meaning altogether, fading away until Jessica longed to feel them again, if only to cherish the sentimental value she used to take for granted.

--------------------------

It was a little over midnight when Jessica finally conceded she would not get any sleep tonight at the rate she was going. Ever since she had moved in with Yuri, sleep had eluded her, resulting in dark circles underneath her eyes. If it wasn’t for her makeup concealer, Yuri would have certainly kicked a fuss which was something she avoided at all costs. To have to share a bed with her crush treating her as a responsibility and not reciprocating her feelings – it was all too much, too hard, for her to ignore and fall asleep like she used to. 

Rubbing her eyes, Jessica pushed her body into a sitting position, pushing the duvet to one side. She briefly considered waking Yuri to help her to the toilet but crushed the urge after the reality of their emotional estrangement sank depressingly in her mind. Her condition compelled touches between them, but unlike before, there was no intimacy involved or even an awkward feeling to it. The touches were now so devoid of meaning that she was willing to move around without help, for it only reminded her of the loss of the simple things in life.

Spotting the crutches resting against her bedside table, Jessica hesitated, sending her slumbering boss a quick glance before reaching for it. Her stitches had healed well since her discharge from the hospital, allowing her to press her light weight on the crutches enough to move. She took one step at first, testing how well she could walk with the crutches, and then another. What began stiffly and hesitantly at first soon became a rhythm, improving steadily as she garnered confidence. She had become so used to having Yuri’s hand at her side that she had forgotten what it was like to achieve something on her own. Therein laid her downside, for when she reached the tiled bathroom, the flooring was different, much slipperier given the damp ground.

As Jessica fell painfully, inadvertently ripping the sensitive skin around her stitches, she bit back a scream, instead gasping. Soft as it was, unlike her, Yuri was an incredibly light sleeper. She was rendered helpless in the bathroom doorway, facing the massive bed, unable to anything but watch Yuri lift her head wearily at first plagued by sleep inertia, registering her missing presence before turning to look at the direction of the light.

“Sica?” Clambering over the duvet, Yuri rubbed her eyes. 

It wasn’t the sight of her boss rushing to her side that had Jessica dumbfounded – it was the dark circles underneath those pretty eyes she had never seen before. How had she not seen it before? The answer came to her so hard and fast Jessica touched her own dark circles, recoiling at the similarity that hid the product of their emotional estrangement.

Makeup – the product that deceptively hid what lay beneath.

The possibility that Yuri had been suffering in silence just like her was too much to handle. Grabbing the nearest object, she flung the toilet roll at Yuri, blinking back tears. If Yuri had been suffering, then why had she held back, treating her like a responsibility – like a princess? To the public, it was a convention to be an untouchable princess but with Yuri, she didn’t want to be viewed as one. Being a princess was just a defence – a façade – and it hurt that Yuri, after everything, could not see through it.

Still, Yuri dodged the toilet roll, skidding to her knees. The scene of Yuri helping her would have played itself again had Jessica not succumbed to her churning emotions. One after the other, she grabbed the toilet rolls until there was none left stacked on the rack, uncaring if it hit Yuri or not.

“I quit.”

“Sica?” For the first time since the hospital incident, there was emotion in Yuri’s voice, and it was one of high-pitched panic in all of its sharp, frantic essence. “W-what did you say?”

“I quit,” Jessica sobbed pathetically as she finally let the onslaught of tears she had been crying silently fall. “I quit my job! I can’t work for you anymore!” Before she could rein her emotions, she was mumbling fragmented thoughts. “I can’t stand being around you anymore! I can’t continue existing as a disabled responsibility! I-I can’t…”

“Sica, don’t-”

The term of endearment pushed her over the teetering edge. “Don’t call me that!” Jessica exploded, unable to stop the flow of tears leaking from her eyes.

Suddenly, all the dark thoughts that had been devouring her inside burst free, manifesting in form of a stinging, harsh slap to the face. The heartless rejection, the touches devoid of meaning, the insufferable force of the KE staff constantly pushing them together – it all coincided in that single moment when Jessica slapped Yuri on the cheek so hard her face swung to the side. 

One slap was not enough.

Blinded by tears, Jessica drew her hand back for momentum, hell-bent intending to deliver another fierce slap to that beautiful face she longed to caress with affection.

She never got a chance to deliver the slap for Yuri’s hand shot out of nowhere, grabbing her wrist. It looked as if Yuri was going to twist her wrist but then the unexpected happened. Instead of crushing the delicate structure of Jessica’s wrist, Yuri slid her hand upwards, trailing her fingers across the petal-soft texture of her skin until their fingers were entwined. Then, using it as an anchor, she pulled Jessica against her, hugging her so deathly tight with emotions of her own she had bottled ever since she could remember.

“You can slap me as much as you like, or even set fire to my ma collection as you mentioned before,” Yuri murmured against the smooth shell of Jessica’s ear in a forlorn whisper, “but you can never quit. I won’t let you because I-I like you too. I was hesitant to return your feelings because, well…I had never felt such intense feelings before. Hell, I didn’t even know what love was! But then when you left I felt so-so…” Eloquence disappearing in her confession, Yuri simply closed her mouth, knowing she had said enough.

When she finally drew back, resting her hand on the small hollow of Jessica’s back, all was silent. There were no tears, no sobs, no slaps – that is, until Jessica delivered another brutal slap against the same spot of her flaming cheek. Mouth agape in bewilderment, Yuri tentatively touched the raw spot, unable to come to terms with the last slap.

“Babo!” Jessica grabbed Yuri's collar tightly, menacingly raising her fist in warning. “You think you can just flaunt your melons by hugging me, stutter in your half-assed confession and touch my backside like a sexy pervert?”

Judging by Jessica’s lips crushing hers, it was clear Yuri could do just that – flaunt her melons, stutter endearingly and act the pervert in order to finally seal their moment of confessions with a sweet, urgent notion.

A kiss.

-----------------------

Chapter Twenty-One – Cold Noodles

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As soon as Yuri and Jessica set foot onto the marble flooring of the Kwon Enterprises building, passing through the glass automatic doors that separated the outside world from the hyperactivity that existed in the company, a scream erupted from reception. It wasn’t just an ordinary scream of terror, nor was it was one of shock – it was one of a fanatical aegyo gamer by the name of Sunny taking in the sight of Yuri supporting Jessica against her, the two appearing very much like a loving couple which, unfortunately, they were.

By no means did the two loathe the idea of being in a relationship. On the contrary, given the loneliness depressing them for what seemed like an eternity of sleeping apart despite the propinquity, it seemed like a celestial gift. Yuri, having never been in a proper relationship before, found the concept of having a girlfriend difficult to comprehend but nonetheless sweet while Jessica, who had no idea about relationships at all, was happy to test the waters as she went along. If there was anything unfortunate about their relationship, it was not their affection for each other – it was Sunny hastily mass messaging the entire KE staff.

In her mindless frenzy, Sunny forgot to restrict her mass messaging. This became evident when Jessica felt the buzz of her Nokia N97 in her pocket. Careful not to place pressure on her left leg, Jessica dug her fingers into her pants and flipped her mobile open, tapping the view button. If Jessica found the text message stupid, she soon discovered that reading it aloud made it all the more utterly ridiculous.

“Come down to reception. Slu* and sergeant making out in lobby. Bring popcorn. Melons involved.”

Next to Jessica, Yuri couldn’t believe her ears. Swiping her PA’s mobile, she reread the ridiculous text message, her mouth falling when she registered her notorious nickname with her very owns eyes.

“What am I – the resident slu*?”

Jessica seemed to find the nicknames trivial, and instead was disturbed by the unnecessary mentioning of melons. Self-consciously, she looked down at her chest, shivering with the sudden memory of the traumatising shopping Saturday. Certainly, she had melons – a very nice set actually – as did everyone else in the company excluding Heechul. Was it really necessary to include melons in her text message? Would it add spice and drama to the scandalous hype, thus compelling the KE staff to reach the ground level faster?

As soon as the elevator dinged, opening, Jessica soon discovered her answer.

When she was a little girl, Jessica had always wanted to visit a zoo but now, as she leaned against Yuri in the middle of the lobby, her childhood dream shattered before her very eyes at the sight of the KE staff charging out of the elevator like a horde of crazed animals. There was no denying the atavism in the KE staff rushing out of the elevator so crazily it was like a repeat performance of the ma disaster incident.

Naturally, given that she was the one closest to the door, Sooyoung charged first, only to foolishly trip over gravity. It was a tragedy in itself for her collapse caused a bodily obstruction outside the elevator. One by one, each with a scream varying in pitch depending on their state of mind – Heechul was the loudest, closely followed by Tiffany – the KE staff fell over. Vociferous screams echoing in the lobby, legs entangling so complexly it was labyrinthine, the elevator beeping warningly – it was madness in its pure, unadulterated form.

It came to be a gloriously blockbuster moment when someone managed to extricate themselves from the mountain of bodies. Breaking free from the throng of bodies so dramatically her hair whipped Hyoyeon’s face harshly, causing her to elicit a pained gasp, Hara rushed towards the couple, sprinting with the velocity of a marathon runner. Yuri covered her eyes when Security’s second-in-command tripped over a dangling shoelace, flying forward. It was just as painful to watch as it was for Hara smacking the marbled floor.

For what seemed like the umpteenth time since she began working at KE, Jessica sighed. Today was going to be a really, really long day.

--------------------------------

At approximately ten o’clock, there was an incident on the sixth level – a violent one.

Yuri had been diligently working in her top office, sorting through stacks of reports from each department regarding the functionality of the company in light of their one week absence to celebrate Taeyeon’s birthday. Normally, she dreaded such menial, meticulous work but for some reason she didn’t mind the task today. She spent a while pondering reasons for her increased tolerance and nearly resigned herself to the reality that she would never discover a reason until her eyes fell on her mobile phone.

The model was sleek, innovative, but it wasn’t the new technology that piqued her attention – it was the wallpaper. Somehow, her cousin had gotten hold of her mobile and fiddled with the homepage settings, selecting the scandalous picture in memory of the movie night. Like Jessica’s Nokia, Yoona – the I.T genius she was – had inexplicably managed to make the wallpaper permanent. Setting down the report she was perusing, Yuri picked up her mobile, gazing at the wallpaper with something akin to fondness. 

At the time, she had been mortified of the scandalous picture and how licentious it painted her to be. With her face buried in the snug cleavage of Jessica’s melons, her arms snaked around the woman’s middle, and her legs resting where the sun didn’t shine while the blonde in question was fast asleep, it screamed ‘pervert’. Now, seeing as they were together, the picture brought a small smile to her face. With the urge to smile came an answer – a realisation – to her odd optimism, and it was all because of her PA.

Just as she relished in the thought, her mobile vibrated from an incoming call. Sliding it open, she wiped the smile from her face, characteristically businesslike when she answered, “Kwon Yuri speaking.”

“Youri! Don’t you ever check your caller ID? Anyway, come down to the kitchen level! Jessi is throwing a bf!”

“Bf?” Yuri repeated in confusion, sitting straighter in her office chair. “What’s a bf and what does it have to do with Sica? Wait, a bf means boyfriend in English slang, doesn’t it? Why is Sica throwing a boyfriend around?” The sudden possibility of Jessica cheating on her following their confession last night hit her with the speed and force of a train. Voice chilling, low, she rumbled, “Is Sica cheating on me?”

“Of course not! Jessi told me you guys only got together last night after some half-assed confession. Speaking of which you slu*, what did you say to her? She told me she was on the verge of quitting! Is that true?”

“Ask no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.” Yuri was already out the door and in the elevator when she informed Tiffany she would be there in less than five. Stuffing her mobile in her blazer, she impatiently abused the button for the kitchen floor, uncaring that doing so did not speed the elevator.

Admittedly, she was worried when she it came to Jessica. Even before they were together, her concern had always outweighed everything else. The incident in the shopping centre was testimony to that in how she unquestionably rushed to Jessica’s aid upon hearing a man had molested her. Now, with Jessica’s injury, especially in light of last night’s fall in the bathroom, her concern was even greater. She had become so accustomed to being at Jessica’s side, allowing herself to be utilised as a human crutch, that she now regretted allowing Jessica to venture down to the kitchen.

Yuri had protested at first, reminding Jessica of her ripped stitches as a result of her audacity to walk by herself. Naturally, Jessica had argued her case, stating that they had rushed to the hospital to have them fixed. They had argued over the trivial matter, approaching a stalemate, until Jessica used the final weapon in her secret arsenal – her pout. Every breath in her entity had protested, every fibre clamouring for resistance, every logical thought screaming no – in the end, Yuri had conceded defeat. The defeat had been shameful, proving her – the big, bad boss – to be fallible, but the short, content kiss had been a slice of sweet heaven.

Smiling at the thought, Yuri exited the elevator in a daze, relishing in the memory. When she rounded the corner however, she was anchored to reality harshly at the sight of Jessica violently swinging one of her crutches at the KE staff.

Suddenly, she knew what a bf was.

“Screw you, your stupid cameras, and your immature jokes!”

True to her screaming word, Jessica had indeed screwed the security camera in the kitchen area. The only evidence of the security camera in question were the wires emitting sparks among the decimated heap of metal, devices and broken screens lying pathetically in the corner of the room.

Yuri’s mouth went agape in horror when Jessica miscalculated the momentum in her swing. It would have been hilarious had Jessica not broken her leg or required stitches in her arm, thus making the movement highly detrimental. Before she knew what she was doing, Yuri was sprinting across the kitchen tiles, her only thought being to catch her girlfriend before she fell and worsened her condition. Her legs had never moved so fast in her entire life, nor did she register the pain of hitting the floor in her success of allowing Jessica to use her body as a pillow.

Even as Jessica fell down on Yuri, she refused to quieten, evident when she scrambled to her feet. Yuri was forced to wrap her arms around Jessica’s stomach in restriction, linking her hands tightly at her front. When Jessica was angry, she was angry and, unfortunately, there was no stopping her in her rampages.

“Get off me, Yuri!”

Yuri ignored her completely, rounding on the KE staff. “What did you say to her?”

“Nothing!”

“They cracked immature jokes about us!”

“Sica,” Yuri began slowly, glancing down at her girlfriend, “if it’s just jokes, you should be able to ignore them.”

Across the room, Sooyoung stepped forward in agreement, placing her hands on her hips. “Yul’s right. You know we’re just joking. Didn’t your parents ever tell you to play nicely?”

As soon as she ventured into parental territory, Sooyoung knew she had immediately said the wrong thing for the temperature of the room dropped several degrees.

“My parents never had the chance to teach me anything because they died in a car accident when I was six,” Jessica hissed darkly, glaring unseen beams of destruction so smoulderingly Seohyun gasped in terror, hiding behind Yoona. “Why do you think I accepted this job offer to support myself? Do you think it was because I actually like being driven insane by immature people everyday?”

Seething, Jessica broke free from Yuri’s hold, unable to bring herself to speak. She was fully aware of everyone’s gaze following her every movement as she struggled with the crutches – the most intense being Yuri’s – but ignored them completely, retreating behind her golden fringe. The pain of straining her stitches stung, yet she somehow managed to make her way to the glass, circular table to the side of the kitchen area, plopping down into a seat with a sigh.

“Sica.”

Releasing another sigh, Jessica slanted her head to acknowledge her boss – now turned girlfriend. There was surprising softness in Yuri’s eyes, in the way she comfortingly reached out to grasp Jessica’s hand, enfolding it warmly with hers. If Jessica didn’t know any better, she would have thought her boss understood – the understanding in her dark eyes certainly said so, as did the caressing of her fingers.

“You know,” Yuri started solemnly as she brushed her fingers over Jessica’s delicate knuckles, “I never told you this but my parents died in an accident too.”

Jessica silently inclined for her to continue, patting her fingers in a patient, understanding gesture. 

“I was eighteen when it happened,” Yuri continued, smiling sadly at the memory. “My parents were flying on their private jet to South Korea from the States. That was how I came to inherit my family’s company – Kwon Enterprises.”

“I’m sorry.” In all honesty, Jessica was, even though she held no accountability whatsoever. It wasn’t simply because it was common courtesy to express condolences – it was because she could sympathise with Yuri’s loss.

Yuri merely shook her head, pushing the memory away. “Don’t be,” was all she mumbled, but it was enough. Rising to her feet, she leaned forward to press a soft, meaningful kiss in Jessica’s blonde tresses. “I’m going to make us lunch. I’d ask you to help, but then that would be a recipe for disaster.”

Scoffing, Jessica slapped Yuri’s backside as she sauntered away, marvelling at how such a person could change her mood with a teasing insult. Tiffany had been right on her first day of work in the elevator. Yuri was really, really something - something different, and Jessica loved different.

----------------------------

“So, how was it?”

“How was what?”

“Sica-unnie, don’t play dumb. You know exactly what we’re talking about.”

“I’m not playing dumb. If there’s a game I’m playing, it’s the one with the chopsticks. Now, I’m sure you remember that game Yoong – or should I remind you?”

Gulping, Yoona retreated to the relative safety of her girlfriend, peering over her shoulder in such a terrified way that only her big eyes were visible.

Sooyoung, possessing much more aggression, brutally slammed her fist against the glass table in frustration. “Yah! Spill the beans! What was your first kiss like?”

“Did Youri do that twisting thing with her tongue, swirling it around-”

“If you keep on talking about your past affair, I’m going to get a divorce!”

“Oh, that’s rich,” Tiffany drawled, sarcasm saturating her words as she indignantly turned to face Taeyeon. “I thought we weren’t married?”

Taeyeon’s facial expression was comically mortified, but it was her spectacular failure to respond that caused Hyoyeon to burst into raucous laughter, smacking her face into the glass table. Even when Yuri returned from the kitchen stove carrying two bowls of naengmyun – one without cucumbers of course – spasms of uncontrollable laughter still wracked Hyoyeon’s body.

A comfortable atmosphere settled in the room as everyone ate their respective lunch, occasionally broken by idle chatter, juicy gossip or simply immature comments in the case of the chodings. It was as if Jessica had never thrown a bf, for she ate with gusto, thoroughly enjoying her girlfriend’s exceptional cooking.

“Hey Sica,” Yuri said as she chewed her cold noodles, “out of curiosity, what was the immature joke?”

“I’d rather not say.”

“You mean you can’t or won’t say?”

“Oh fine.” Rolling her eyes at the KE staff’s collective grins, she obliged, albeit stonily, deadpanning, “Yuri and Jessica hiding in the bush - trying to have a baby push, push, push.”

Yuri, who had been happily chewing her cold noodles, wasn’t prepared for such immature raunchiness. As such, she lapsed into a coughing fit, doubling forward with a raspy wheeze. Immediately, Jessica was slapping her back, her food forgotten in light of her overwhelming concern. The sight of Jessica taking care of the big, bad boss with so much compassion was too much for sentimental Tiffany. Bursting into tears of happiness, she too smacked the glass table when she leaned forward, sobbing something that sounded awfully suspicious like “They really are trying to have a baby” and “How cute.”

Sighing at the melodrama, Jessica leaned forward, whispering into Yuri’s ear, “I never want to get married.”

“Why?” There was a touch of sadness in Yuri’s voice, low as it was when she whispered in return. “Did I do something wrong?”

“Of course not, silly,” Jessica teased, patting her boss’ thigh in assurance. “It was meant as a jest but really – if this is how Tiffany responds to me patting your back, can you imagine her at our wedding? As for the head of departments, I don’t even want to imagine what they’ll get up to.”

The sudden mental image of Tiffany crying melodramatically, Taeyeon being the best man despite her contradicting gender, her cousin instigating a cake war, Sooyoung rapping when Jessica glided down the aisle possibly leading to her girlfriend throwing the flowers at said Head of Security in fury, Hyoyeon popping on top of the grand organ, Hara filming their wedding kiss, Seohyun scolding her alligator for disruptive behaviour, Sunny playing her PSP as she stood in the front as a bridesmaid, Heechul prancing around like a giddy little girl, and Heebum acting as the ring bearer in midst of madness was too much for Yuri.

For the second time, Yuri choked on her cold noodles.

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Chapter Twenty-Two – The Kodak Moment

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In the early hours of the morning, underneath rumpled bedding littered with carelessly strewn clothing, lay two women. The state of the massive bed was messy, hinting a passionate tryst, but the state of the bedroom was even messier, screaming wild sex on every surface. Lacy lingerie draped the edges of the mattress, dangling in such a way it was clear they had been thrown thoughtlessly while empty soju bottles lined the bedside table, exuding the strong bitterness of alcohol.

With her head feeling fit to burst, Jessica opened her eyes – rather, she struggled to. Sleep inertia, coupled with the lethargy induced by the excessive consumption of alcohol, plagued her every limb but it was her head that ached the most. She even struggled to accommodate a sitting position, and only succeeded in doing so after several attempts all of which ended in her head hitting the pillow. Under other circumstances, a pillow would have been soft but to her splitting head, it was sheer agony, causing the ache to worsen unbearably.

Just what the hell had she done last night on her birthday bash?

Yawning involuntarily, Jessica went to rub her sporadically blinking eyes, only to realise she was completely naked, at which point she let loose with a scream – somehow managing to do so with a hangover.

Soon, another voice was screaming along with her, covering her with a blanket, and then many more. In her hysteria, all Jessica could see were blurry bodies filling the room. Like her, they too were screaming, although for reasons she suspected had nothing to do with her horror of unknown circumstances leading to her nudity.

When she finally registered the unmistakable frantic voice of her boss screaming next to her, Jessica immediately burrowed into her body. The warm feeling of comfort however, shattered as soon as she blindly searched for Yuri’s hand for instead of finding fingers, she felt something undeniably round.

All too soon, Jessica was screaming.

“WHY ARE WE BOTH NAKED?

“Well, you can’t expect to – how do the head of departments phrase it – ‘try to have a baby’ with our clothes on, do you?

“WE HAD SEX?”

Yuri looked contemplative, sticking her bottom lip out. Finally, she responded, although her words were far from helpful or comforting for she said, with astounding nonchalance, “I would like to think we made love. It sounds so much more…romantic despite your relentless stamina and demands for me to-”

“BABO!” Jessica went to deliver one of her sergeant slaps however she never landed the brutal blow for she miscalculated how far she brought back her hand for momentum. In a messy heap, she tumbled to the floor like a drunken woman which, unfortunately, she was if the soju bottles were any indication. It was when someone else began screaming that Jessica finally remembered there were other people in the room.

“SICA-UNNIE!” At the doorway, Yoona’s eyes were wide saucers, looking as if they were about to pop out of their sockets from sheer shock-horror. “WHAT-I-YOU-MELONS-”

“What’s all this fuss about melons?” With an air of complete innocence, Taeyeon casually strolled into the bedroom munching on a double choc-chip, freshly baked cookie. The cookie hit the floor with a loud thud as soon as her eyes fell on Jessica’s exposed assets.

Yuri, the possessive boss she was, threw what she initially thought was a ‘boyfriend’ at the sight of Taeyeon licking her lips at her girlfriend’s assets. Swearing so foully Seoyhun would have been scarred for life had she been present to hear the curses, Yuri threw herself off the mattress, her only intention to shield her girlfriend from the perverted eyes of the resident R&D Head. Just as she managed to adequately cover Jessica with the white sheet she previously had wrapped around her, Tiffany inconveniently decided to enter the scene carrying a cookie of her own.

The double choc-chip cookie joined the one on the floor at the sight of her ex-lover’s bare backside.

Soon, everybody was throwing a bf in the bedroom, each of which for different reasons. Yuri was yelling at Taeyeon for her voyeurism as she clutched Jessica, Tiffany was screaming at the boss in scorn for living up to her notorious nickname, and Yoona merely stood there with her mouth agape. 

Essentially, this all happened while Taeyeon was being herself drooling at what she had just glimpsed.

----------------------------

“Yuri, what happened last night, other than...that?”

Yuri chuckled at her girlfriend for being such a prude. She decided to tease her for it, feigning innocence when she asked, “Other than what?”

“You know exactly what.”

“Hmm,” Yuri thought aloud, pausing in the act of shampooing Jessica’s hair to lift her finger to her lips, “can’t say I do. Would you mind elaborating on just what ‘that’ entails?”

Annoyed, Jessica huffed, crossing her arms against her chest. She was sitting in the exquisite bathtub in the privacy of their bathroom while Yuri, perched on the edge of the white marble, washed her hair. Surrounding her were a multitude of foamy, soapy bubbles that formed a white cloud of protection around her body, concealing her every asset from view. As she gathered more bubbles, she realised how unnecessary her actions were. Last night, Yuri had seen everything. For some reason, out of everything, all she could seem to remember now was that. With the steam rising from the hot water came equally steamy images of their lovemaking, and before she knew it, Jessica was blushing – furiously.

“You’re thinking about it aren’t you?” 

Embarrassed, Jessica averted her gaze, staring at plaster cast. If anything, her inability to meet Yuri’s gaze incriminated her further, and she mentally reprimanded herself for her own stupidity.

“Was it your first time?”

Again, her actions betrayed her – rather, her lack of, for her silence spoke of her virginity prior to last night.

Grinning at the unspoken answer, Yuri returned to the task at hand. Lovingly, her hands gentle, she rinsed the shampoo from Jessica’s golden locks, making sure the bubbles didn’t burn the eyes by using her hand as a cover. Once the shampoo joined the cloud of bubbles, she squeezed a generous amount of conditioner in her palm before applying it to her girlfriend’s hair. The massaging motion of her fingers against Jessica’s scalp was quietly sensual, but more than that it was tender – it was caring.

Even if Yuri didn’t admit it then, she did care for Jessica – deeply.

-----------------------------

“What were you doing in our penthouse this morning?” was the first thing Jessica said to the invaders of privacy when she entered the living room, all freshly dressed, although still nursing a hangover.

Our penthouse.

Next to her, Yuri smiled happily, unsure as to why she felt elated but smiling nonetheless. It amused her so – how Jessica could act like a sergeant even with a broken leg as she limped towards the furnished settee. She was content to listen to her girlfriend verbally abuse Taeyeon, Tiffany and Yoona, all of whom were at a complete loss of what to say. It wasn’t so much that they were scared to retort, rather that everything they said was shot down so fast it left them with a disinclination to speak.

It came to be a relief when there was a buzz at the front door for Yoona hastened to answer it, desperate to avoid a scolding from her supposed mother. When she returned, she wasn’t alone, and seemed reassured by the presence of the entire KE staff in the face of Jessica’s scolding.

“Wow, Sica-unnie’s birthday was crazy.” Spotting the birthday girl in question, Hara raced towards her, performing a spectacular front flip so that she landed right next to Jessica on the sofa, bouncing lightly at the impact. Casually draping an arm around Jessica’s shoulder, innocently oblivious or otherwise uncaring of the confused look she received, she queried, “How are you feeling miss ‘I’m gay and I’m proud’?”

The silence following was so awkward that Yuri told cleared her throat, catching everyone’s attention. “Guys,” Yuri began with a sigh, already knowing what the incredulous response would be, “Sica doesn’t remember anything.”

“WHAT?”

Jessica cursed softly at the volume of their collective shock, instinctively rubbing her temples. “Seeing as I can’t remember anything, I guess I was drunk last night, okay?”

“You weren’t just drunk,” Yuri corrected from her side, being the smartass she was, “you were wildly smashed.” Her voice dropped to a barely audible whisper when she murmured into her PA’s ear, “I have the scratches on my back to prove it.”

Normally, Jessica would have smacked Yuri for her smartass behaviour. Unfortunately for her – fortunately for Yuri – the hangover was so head-splitting that it overwhelmed all violent thoughts, allowing her boss to live another day. As Jessica dropped her hands from her forehead, she became disconcertingly aware of the smug, secretive looks on everyone’s face.

For what seemed like the umpteenth time, Jessica wondered just what the hell she had done in her drunken disorientation on her birthday. Hara, it seemed, judging by her bright expression, had all the answers, and it was all stored into one compact device: a digital camera.

Jessica was torn between swiping the camera and making off with it and forcing herself to watch its contents, if only to have her curiosity sated regardless of whether or not she enjoyed it. The chance of success was slim given her broken leg, more-so because Hara was holding the camera. The sweet, doll visage was deception itself with the hidden power in Hara’s body. Jessica had to admit that even if the circumstances had changed, and that she hadn’t broken her leg, she wouldn’t make it out of the penthouse without being tackled to the ground. Either way, she would fail, and then the alternate universe would become a painful reality for she would probably break her leg as a repercussion.

So, with a heavy heart, Jessica remained as she was using Yuri as her human pillow while the KE staff moved to sit on the sofa. Even with the daunting inevitability of watching her rampant drunken antics on camera, she managed to take some comfort in the enveloping warmth of Yuri’s body. As if sensing her thoughts, Yuri stroked Jessica’s stomach, even as she stared at the LCD television. Since they were lying down on the sofa, they were able to comfortably stretch their legs while the others were cramped together. It was their penthouse, after all, and was further warranted by Jessica’s condition.

Having a broken leg did have its perks.

-----------------------------

“Sica-unnie, say hi to the camera!”

“Hi? You want me to say hi? I F#*!ING HATE CAMERAS!”

Mortified beyond belief by her violent drunkenness, Jessica covered her face, burrowing deeper into Yuri’s embrace. She didn’t even need to watch that part of the video for the cussing said it all – that, coupled with the thud of her spectacular fall when she hit the floor in an attempt to grab said abhorred digital camera. There was no way she could have landed a hit on Hara, KE’s Security second-in-command, leaving no alternative explanation other than that she fell.

While Jessica suffered in humiliation as footage of her drunken self played in crystal-clear quality on the LCD television, everyone else was having the time of their lives. With everyone surrounded by a sea of different coloured blankets, popcorn being thrown whenever the chodings couldn’t control their laughter, and the footage feeding their amusement, they most certainly were having a blast.

The start of her birthday party had been normal enough with Hara following her around like a cameraman filming a documentary, occasionally giggling at random things. It was funny to see the KE staff greeting the camera, some wishing short yet sweet birthday wishes while others opted for a more hands-on delivery. Take Taeyeon for example, the midget she was wearing a beautiful Gucci black dress. When Hara approached her with the camera, Taeyeon pressed her face against the lens and kissed it shamelessly, sealing it with a, “Sica, your butt is the second best in the company!” Needless to say everyone pretended to vomit at the saliva sticking to the camera lens while Tiffany slapped her for that. Heechul, the fashionista he was, had acted as the fashion police for the birthday party, commenting on the fashion blunders and wonders.

But as the night progressed, the amount of alcohol she consumed increased, and soon the documentary was not of her birthday party – it was of her violent, drunken antics.

Jessica thought she had seen it all until the video reached the moment of cutting the cake. Why she watched was beyond her, but if there was something she did know, it was that they never got a chance to cut the cake.

“Oh my gosh! Jessi, you are such an animal!”

“Wow, that’s so…slu*ty, just like Yul.”

“See? I was right – Sica does have a great butt! The shape is so curvaceous with just enough junk in her trunk!”

“Unnie, I don’t see any junk other than the alcohol bottles in the background, nor do I see a trunk of any type.”

“Sica-unnie, I always thought I was ridiculously pretty but now I know where I get it from – you!”

“She got it from her mama, Yoong got it from her mama, choding got it from her mama…”

“Twin, I am totally straight for you.”

“I thought you were always straight. Isn’t that why you shared a tent with Hara?”

“Nope. Heechul-unnie just painted my fingernails. Pretty, right?”

At that very moment, as she watched herself on television stand on the table in all of her drunken, shirtless glory, there was nothing Jessica wanted more than to fall into leather upholstery, bury her face into it, and never surface. Every time she thought she had seen it all, fate cruelly reminded her there were worse, more embarrassing things in life.

“Everyone, I’m gay for Kwon Yuri and I’m proud of it! TAKE THAT!”

Then, she proceeded to make a complete and utter fool of herself by slipping on the mountain of cake, sending splatters of chocolate in every direction. The disorderly drunkenness became a Kodak-moment when Hara zoomed in on her face caked in chocolate before swivelling to capture Yuri’s shocked expression with her hand covering her mouth. Like any other movie, the KE staff gushed at the sweetness of the happy ending of Yuri carrying her disoriented form bridal-style out of the room. Tiffany even melodramatically burst into tears.

Jessica never hated life more than she did at that moment. Burying her face into Yuri’s shoulder, she lamented the cruelty of life, albeit in a rather angsty teenage sort of way. “I want to die.”

“Don’t say that.”

“You were sober the whole night,” Jessica mumbled against her neck, drawing back to pin her with a sharp look. “Besides, have you ever been shirtless on top of a table before?”

“You’re right. Point taken.”

As Jessica settled against her once more, breathing into her neck, Yuri was spurred by the sudden urge to cheer her up. “If it’s any consolation,” she whispered softly, breathing against the soft shell of Jessica’s ear, “your birthday party was the best I’ve been to.”

“How so?” 

The huskiness of Yuri’s voice caressed Jessica in ways more than one when she breathed, “All of that chocolate cake sticking to you made that all the more delicious.”

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Chapter Twenty-Three – News of Engagement

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“Everyone, I’m getting married.”

There was a collective explosion of shock, each manifesting outwards differently. Despite the variation in responses, the correlation was that food flew in all directions, hitting everything and everyone. Since it was lunchtime in the KE building, everyone was seated around the circular table on the kitchen level.

Hyoyeon couldn’t have picked a worse time to announce her engagement.

Heechul and Tiffany, the little girls they were trapped in an adult’s body, squealed with fanatical excitement, immediately squashing Hyoyeon as they gushed over the proposal details. In their frenzy, it didn’t occur to them that they were subjecting the resident Sales and Marketing Manager to insincere, if not completely violent, shakes as they attempted to gauge the extravagance of her marriage proposal.

“Who’s the lucky man?”

“Did he drop on bended knee?”

“What carat is the engagement ring?”

“Does that mean you’ll be moving out of the company apartment complex?”

“Are we expecting little dancing Hyoyeons anytime soon?”

Sooyoung, in all of her blunt, tactless glory, butted in with a deadpan, “I thought you were gay.”

“Lee Junho is the lucky man; yes, he did drop on bended knee; let’s just say the engagement ring is enough to break one’s pocket; no, I will not be moving out of the company apartment complex and no there will not be any mini Hyoyeons dancing around the office anytime soon.” Turning to Sooyoung, Hyoyeon said, in a voice equally deadpan, “I’m not gay. That’s Jessica, remember?”

It was as if Jessica had a massive sign hanging from her forehead, for everyone turned to stare at her, each with an array of expressions.

“What?” Jessica snapped defensively, crossing her arms in a huff.

Taeyeon pointed at her. “You’re gay.”

“I am very aware of my partiality to women, thank you very much.”

“Taeyeon, stop harassing my Sica,” Yuri intoned warningly as she swatted Taeyeon’s accusing finger. “You do realise that you’re also gay with Fany, right?”

“I am very aware of my partiality to women, thank you very much.”

“Yah! You copied exactly what I just said!” Reflexively, Jessica went to slap Taeyeon however Yuri kept her in check, using her body as a mediating barrier. Naturally, the newfound couple quarrelled over the triviality, oblivious or otherwise uncaring that the KE staff was privy to their little catfight. And, catfight it was indeed if Jessica’s nails as cat claws or Yuri’s low growls of displeasure when she was subjected to vicious clawing were any indication which, amusingly to the others watching, it was.

In the end, after a lover’s scuffle that could be mistaken for peculiar touchy affection, Jessica found herself conformed against the glass table, flattened against the length of Yuri’s torso. Try as she may, Jessica was unable to free her shackled wrists, leaving her to breathe raggedly as her stomach hollowed, her spine following the contour of the edge of the table. The flattened position was made worse by Yuri’s long, dark hair tickling her neck, forming a shiny curtain concealing their faces from view.

“Yield,” Yuri commanded with a triumphant grin, mere inches from her face.

Unfortunately for Yuri, Jessica was resilient – as stubborn as the boss herself. Yuri’s strength to gain leverage was proven to be pyrrhic when Jessica ultimately ending up winning the war. Smiling duplicitously sweet, she lulled her boss into a false sense of security, slackening her arms. Quickly and painfully, she rammed her knee into Yuri’s backside, causing her boss to elicit a gasp as her hands involuntarily flew to the sore spot.

“So,” Jessica began smoothly as she nonchalantly smoothed the lapels of her crinkled jacket, smirking at the incredulous looks around the table, “now that we’ve established my inclination to,” she feigned a cough, blushing furiously here, “a certain babo, have you set a date for the wedding?”

For a moment, Hyoyeon said nothing, chewing her lip pensively. After what seemed like an eternity, she decided to speak, however the length of her pause did nothing to lessen the atomic impact of her wedding scheduled in three weeks.

“Three weeks?” Heechul fisted his perfectly styled locks in such a way that suggested the apocalypse was fast approaching. “Three weeks is not nearly enough time to organise your wedding! Do you even have your wedding dress fitted?”

Even Sunny, who possessed a ‘whatever’ attitude towards fashion and, by extension, wedding extravaganzas given her gaming obsession, vociferously freaked out. In her madness, she went so far as to grab Hara by the shoulders and subject her to rough shakes while the woman in question was yet to retrieve her jaw from the ground in shock.

The prospect of the wedding in three weeks was startling in itself, but nothing could compare to Tiffany rounding on the bride-to-be, cupping her face with so much enthusiasm it physically pained Jessica to see the hedonistic glint in her eyes. It wasn’t so much that Tiffany handled Hyoyeon’s cheeks roughly, rather what she said to her partner in crime.

“Do you know what time it is, unnie?”

The question was obviously rhetorical. The fact that Heechul responded with an equal – if not greater – air of hedonism merely made the horrible nightmare become a reality.

“It’s shopping time.”

Jessica fainted into Yuri’s arms.

-------------------------

By the time Jessica stirred, Yuri had already taken her to their penthouse. When she lazily opened her eyes, she was met with the sight of Yuri angrily pacing in front of the foot of their massive bed, her long legs eating the carpet in such a way it spoke volumes of her fury. Judging by her boss’ rapid speech, sour scowl deepening with each pace of her foot, and the way she irritably held her mobile phone against her ear, she was in no mood for affection.

As such, it came to be a surprise when Yuri looked her way, sensing her consciousness in spite of the heat of her argument on the phone. Jessica rubbed her eyes as Yuri swiftly approached her, sliding across the comforter until she was leaning against the headboard. Even as Yuri persisted in verbally abusing her caller, she somehow managed to drape an arm around Jessica, drawing her close. 

“…no, you’re not coming to the wedding and that’s final. If you do, I’ll have my Head of Security detain you by any means necessary.”

The caller was barely inaudible from her side. Jessica burrowed closer, intent on matching a name to a voice.

“Is that a threat, Yuri?”

“Why, yes – I suppose it is. Are you considering disregarding my threat?”

The voice was vaguely familiar, yet not at the same time. Frowning, Jessica rested her head against Yuri’s shoulder, biting her lip in intense concentration.

“I suppose I am. You’ll find that I don’t take to threats kindly.”

Yuri’s voice was drenched with sarcasm when she remarked, “I’m shivering.”

“You should be.”

Just as Jessica was on the verge of identifying the caller, Yuri abruptly disconnected the call, tossing her mobile on the duvet. For a moment, neither uttered a word, content to enjoy the warmth of their embrace. Jessica was torn between voicing her thoughts and unwillingness to add fuel to Yuri’s uncharacteristic fire. She was so used to seeing the kinder, more playful side of her boss that she was hesitant in her approach, if only because cared. Her absent nuzzles against Yuri’s cheek must have been blatantly lacking in affection for said woman slanted her head, acknowledging her fully.

“Are you a curious cat, Sica?”

“You could say that,” Jessica admitted tentatively, biting her lip. “Actually, never mind – you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to.”

Yuri sighed. Sometimes, her girlfriend could be very persuasive when she wasn’t trying. Stupid unconscious utilisation of reverse psychology – what she actually ended up saying was the name of her mortal nemesis. “Jay Park.”

“Jay Park?”

“Yes, the man I was threatening,” Yuri affirmed indifferently, as if threatening people was a common convention. “After the charity incident splashing the tabloids, I thought it was best one of us didn’t attend the wedding. That person is him. Naturally, he didn’t take to the idea enthusiastically.”

“Is he coming to the wedding?” Jessica enquired carefully.

It was Yuri’s turn to be careful as she narrowed her eyes fractionally. “Do you want him to come?”

Jessica merely shrugged, but the movement was eloquent in projecting an answer. Satisfied, Yuri brushed her PA’s cheek with her lips in a fleeting, light caress before reluctantly drawing away. As much as she preferred revelling in the comfortable solitude of their penthouse, they were late for an engagement. She told Jessica so as she helped her to her feet, allowing herself to be used as a human crutch.

“What are we late for?”

“Dress shopping with the fashion police.”

If it wasn’t for Yuri’s strong, comforting presence as her personal human crutch, Jessica would have fainted twice in one day.

-----------------------------

Luckily for them, the pink fashionable duo was too busy to acknowledge their arrival, much less pester them. On the contrary, it seemed everyone was preoccupied, especially the bride-to-be in choosing her wedding gown. There as a buzz in the air, one of tingling excitement heightened by the three week deadline, and it seemed everyone was under its contagious spell as they bustled around while shopping assistants hurried after them.

Jessica couldn’t conceal her surprise at the sight of Hyoyeon standing in front of the full-body mirror. Adorned in the finest pure white fabrics that hugged her slim body magnificently, she was the epitome of beauty – the perfect bride. The strapless gown clung to her waist closely, leaving little imagination to the trained eye the curves underneath while the flare of the dress spanned out majestically, very much like royalty with a slight, embroidered ruffle.

With the help of Yuri – she saw it fit to leave her crutches at their penthouse – she staggered to the resident Sales and Marketing Manager.

“You look beautiful,” Jessica breathed in awe, moving forward to touch the fine silk. Just as she expected, it was smooth, tailored to absolute perfection.

Next to her, Yuri tilted her head, content to examine the dress from a distance. “I thought you would have gone for the traditional look.”

“We thought about it but decided I would look like an ajumma from an old dynasty,” Hyoyeon said using her characteristic, albeit weird, imagery. “Besides, you only get married once if he’s the one, so why not wear a modern gown?”

“Do you think he’s the one?” Yoona yelled from across the room, prancing around like the choding she was in her bridesmaid dress.

Like Yuri, Seohyun had her reservations regarding the wedding. The only difference was that while Yuri disapproved of Junho because of his affiliation with Park Industries – the company of her nemesis – Seohyun was of the peculiar opinion that Hyoyeon would be tied to the same man for seventy-five years. Technically, there wasn’t anything wrong with her reasoning, just her expectation to live for a long, long time.

Jessica fixed her with an incredulous look. “Are you suggesting Hyoyeon will live for a hundred years? Not that Hyo won’t live a long, healthy life,” she hastened to add, “but I mean your expectation is pretty high.”

“Unnie, you’re right,” Seohyun acknowledged solemnly. Turning to Hyoyeon, she patted her bare shoulder apologetically, ignorant that her next words were a blithe, contradicting insult. “Hyo-unnie won’t live for a hundred years because of all those burgers she’s been eating.”

Before Yuri knew it, the advocates for junk food – the chodings inclusive of the resident gamer plus the American ‘mothers’ – were repudiating Seohyun’s philosophical views, ganging up like a horde of angry protestors who had just been informed burgers were going to be targeted for unhealthy food consumption genocide. The heat of the berating was so hot that she drifted away from the scene, Jessica tugged along in tow.

Yuri was careful to alleviate the pressure on Jessica’ left leg as they strolled around the boutique store. There were endless mannequins displaying an array of gowns from halter, strapless and cocktail styles to flowing or even flaring arrangements. 

Jessica, who had been examining a ruffled white dress with a critical eye, blurted out, “I feel like we’re shopping for our nonexistent wedding.”

Yuri chuckled at that. “Are you against weddings, Sica?”

The shrug she received in response was lazy but eloquent in voicing her answer. “Hey,” Jessica began abruptly as she remembered something, “how come you’re not a bridesmaid like the others?”

“I was originally chosen to be one but since you broke your leg, I had to decline the honour.” To emphasise her point, Yuri tightened her arm snaked around her PA’s middle. “Besides, every paraplegic needs their human crutch, right?”

“Very funny,” Jessica muttered sarcastically, clapping her hands in such an exaggerated way it made a mockery of her boss.

“I try, Sica, I try.”

It was a big fat lie and they both knew it. Regardless, Jessica continued to use Yuri as her human crutch, leaning against her as they meandered around the boutique store. If there was something shared between them, it was a mountain of pride, leaving Jessica to withhold her gratitude. She didn’t need to say anything, though, for her special kiss of thanks in the changing room was sweeter than any uttered appreciation. 

------------------------------------

Chapter Twenty-Four – The Bachelorette Party

----------------------

Normally, one expected a bachelorette party to be an extravaganza, celebrating the bride’s last moments of freedom before the inurement to the drudgery of marriage. There was obvious exaggeration regarding the whole fiasco, given the belief that marriage was a sentence to boring housewifery, the pain of bearing children, and all of those predetermined negatives about money, settlements and decisions.

For the KE staff, a bachelorette party meant a private bash in Yuri’s lavish penthouse. With wealth came the paparazzi, and with the media came the inevitability of an unprecedented scandal. Yuri, the protective CEO she was, flatly shut down the original plan of Hyoyeon’s bachelorette party to be held in a nightclub. Naturally, the chodings had whined and complained each with startling atypical aegyo, however Yuri had remained resilient to her family’s pleas.

“Family? You consider us family?” Sooyoung dramatically threw her arms at the temerity of Yuri using the family card as a reason. “Family my ass! If we were really your family, then you wouldn’t be such a party pooper!”

The choding bond was given full, clear exposure when Yoona sided with the resident Head of Security. Unlike Sooyoung however, she opted for a more dramatic way of imploring, and it was victimising herself. Eyes endearingly widened, teary, Yoona clutched her cousin’s shirt with such desperation her acting seemed real – that is, until Jessica unleashed her inner sergeant, at which point the resident alligator’s façade shattered.

“Stop arguing with your cousin! What part of ‘no’ do you not understand, Yoong?”

“Yah!” The blow to Yoona’s intelligence was enough to spark her anger. In the face of her ‘mother’ however, her ire was overpowered by Jessica’s smouldering gaze. It was more of a child throwing a tantrum, really. “This isn’t fair! It’s not even Yul’s bachelorette party! Besides, we’re all of legal age for clubbing!”

Yoona was undeniably fierce however Jessica was a sergeant. Pitting them against each other, there was laughable competition. The decision had already been made – it was simply Jessica’s heavy words about family that made it a reality.

“You know that family is a sensitive subject when it comes to your cousin, Yoong! That goes for the rest of you! Both of our parents died prematurely in accidents so when we say we consider you guys as family, we mean it! You’ll probably hate Yuri and me for restricting the bachelorette party to our penthouse but that’s what happens in families! We argue and fight! But it’s not the fighting that keeps a family intact – it’s the making up, the forgiveness, and maturity in understanding we did what we did because we care.”

The family encomium was too much for Tiffany. The only foreshadowing of her emotional breakdown was her lip wobbling increasingly as Jessica scolded them out of love. When Jessica admitted that she cared in her own violent, tyrannical way, Tiffany burst into tears, running forward. She hugged her fellow American so hard that Jessica was lifted into the air, dangling awkwardly. If her suspension in the air was awkward, the way Jessica patted Tiffay’s back was even more awkward for while it was a consoling gesture, her face told a completely contrasting, indifferent story.

The bride-to-be finally stepped forward, seeing as it was her bachelorette party. “If we’re not allowed to party at a nightclub, then we’re allowed to trash your penthouse, right?”

“Not necessarily ‘trash’,” Yuri responded a little too quickly, suddenly imagining her beautiful penthouse in a state of disrepair, “but yes – you can ‘party’ here for the night.”

Seeing as her mother was preoccupied in consoling Tiffany, Yoona approached her cousin tentatively, hopefully. The look in her big, deceptively innocent eyes was endearing when she asked, “Are we allowed alcohol?”

“No.”

“Unnie,” Yoona whined, appearing on the verge of tears, “since you’re not letting us party a nightclub, at least let us have our alcohol. It’s only fair.”

Fair was the key word. Luckily for Yoona and unluckily for Yuri, the boss acquiesced, if only because she held a soft spot for her already spoilt-rotten cousin. It was a shame she didn’t realise at the time just how detrimental alcohol could be.

--------------------------------

As soon as Yuri opened the door to her penthouse, she immediately regretted it, for the chodings wheeled three trolleys laden with alcohol bottles. She didn’t know what was more infuriating: the excess of alcohol or the fact that the three waltzed into her penthouse with an air of indifference – as if they owned the place. Soju, imported vodka, beer and spirits – there was nothing but hard liquor.

“When I said alcohol, I didn’t mean buying the whole liquor store!” Yuri yelled as she hurried after them. A quick, swift scan told her they either forgot to buy wine and champagne or disregarded the thought completely. “Where’s the wine and champagne?”

“Wine and champagne?” Yoona laughed derisively, doubling forward onto the handle of her trolley. “Are you kidding, Yul? What are we – old people?”

“Are you calling me old?”

“Who’s old?” Jessica threw out offhandedly as she breezed into the living room adjoining the kitchen. Her reaction to the three trolleys filled with alcohol was more vociferous, if not completely worse, than Yuri’s. “Yah! What the hell are you doing bringing all of this-this-”

“This stuff,” Sooyoung interjected with emphasis on what Jessica couldn’t say, “is what made you announce your sexuality on birthday, so don’t be hating miss ‘I’m gay for Yuri and proud of it!’”

Effectively, that statement killed all of the words on Jessica’s tongue. It was blunt – perhaps insolent – but there was an element of truth underlying it. Jessica was gay for Yuri and proud of it, after all, although she was still adverse to the alcohol. Unable to throw back a retort, she conceded defeat, silently moving to the kitchen. It had been nearly three weeks since the dress shopping incident and her leg had healed well, allowing her to discard her crutches.

Along with Yuri and Heebum – Heechul had just so happened to need a babysitter for his precious little baby every time – Jessica had visited the hospital for a few checkups. If bringing an animal into a hospital was against protocol, no one complained, simply because of the crowds of doctors, surgeons and patients flocking to Yuri in recognition of her charitable donations. Unlike before, Jessica was not bitter of the attention for Heebum, the little rascal he was, stole her attention.

The doctor who had scarpered at the sight of her glare certainly didn’t say anything at the sight of Heebum. After examination, deeming her leg healed, the plaster cast had been removed. 

There had been something infinitely sad about the removal of her cast. While the temporary impairment had been infuriating, sometimes leading to the occasional ‘bf’, the moments that accompanied her dependence on Yuri to be at her side were unforgettable. There was also the sentimental value of the KE staff’s graffiti scribbled on her cast. In memory of their graffiti, Yuri had bought her a black stand for the cast and had the incision glued. When Jessica had enquired about it, Yuri had merely said it was to ensure the cast’s preservation.

“When you think about it, the fact that it was cut open then glued represents our family. No matter how much we fight, or how you and I fought our feelings for each other, in the end we always made up. I would like to the think the glue represents that.”

At times following such meaningful words, Jessica found Yuri’s depth of understanding and emotional capacity to be surprisingly deep. Even her message on the cast was deep, despite the small text on the plaster in comparison to the others. While the other comments were immature yet bursting with affection, Yuri’s was short, simple and meaningful.

Yulsic <3

Heechul, the feminine man he was, had written:

Heesica = Twinsica 

xoxo.

Next to his message was Heebum’s tiny paw print in black ink to seal the deal. The ‘xoxo’ had raised a few eyebrows at the time when everyone was signing her cast, but it was nothing compared to the others.

Omma, I love you! Please don’t have any babies because I want to be an only child >:]

Touched beyond belief, Jessica had enveloped her choding in a tight embrace, assuring Yoona that she would not be having any children in the near future given that it was physically impossible with her partiality to women – to Yuri. Said cousin had looked mildly disappointed at her scientifically true words. Luckily for Yuri, Jessica had yanked her into the embrace, effectively turning the frown into a smile.

The second biggest message was from Tiffany. Funnily enough, while it was massive, no one seemed to understand a single word for it was written in English.

Jessi, you’re such a total babe for breaking your leg.

Much love from your BFFL Tiff xx.

If Seohyun hadn’t politely stated it was her turn to sign the cast, Jessica and Tiffany would have talked to each other in English for the remainder of the day.

Unnie, you’re so scary but I guess that’s how you display affection. I hope your leg heals and that you live a healthy life.

P.S If you keep eating burgers, you’re going to die an early death.

Hara seemed to enjoy mentioning her scandalous drunken moment, as exemplified in her neat message:

You’re so crazy it’s awesome, unnie! If you ever want to relive your birthday bash, I’ll burn you a copy.

Ironically enough, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon didn’t write anything when they usually had a lot to say, even though most of it was immature and insulting. They did, however, blackmail Sunny – the best cartoonist in the company – into drawing a picture. Scrawled in the corner of the picture was Sunny’s apologetic plea for mercy.

About the picture...don’t kill me D: It was either drawing that or having them throw my PS3 out the window! ILY sergeant Sic!

The cartoon was nothing short of the chodings’ imagination brought to life by Sunny’s artistic hands. If anything, it was a mathematics equation with addition signs, so at least Jessica was comforted by the fact that they had used their intelligence – somewhat. The cartoon entailed a coloured pair of watermelons, a mortified emoticon resembling a person’s face moments before death, and a sergeant’s hat in the army. Added together, the answer was her stony face with the caption ‘Sergeant Sic’.

Lucky last but not the least perverted was Taeyeon with nothing but a bolded wink.

While her message was the shortest, the size of the wink bolded using a thick black permanent marker compensated for the length, making it the biggest on her plaster cast.

Naturally, Taeyeon received five punches for her wink: one from her girlfriend jealous of her wink, one from the victim of her wink, one from Yuri because she could and was possessive, one from Yoona because she had the tendency to follow her mother and last but not least, one from Sooyoung.

Needless to say Taeyeon retaliated with a painful punch of her own to Sooyoung whose hit was unjustified.

---------------------------------

“Do I dare venture in asking how much money you spent?”

“Well,” Sooyoung began, pausing in unloading the trolleys, “since you did venture, I’d say the liquor cost a little over three thousand. The spirits were the most expensive, costing about eighty each depending on the imported brand; the beer was relatively cheap with a twenty-four pack of Coronas priced for forty per box; imported vodka was a bit pricy at about seventy give or take with the better brands and the soju was at the usual price.”

“Don’t forget the punch ingredients,” Hyoyeon added over her shoulder, rummaging the kitchen cupboards in search for plastic cups. “Since I chose the biggest, most elaborate punch bowls, it was pretty expensive. We decided on two different punch recipes so I had to stock up on Midori to make melon punch and fruit to make Sangria. I don’t know why but the ajumma at the shop raised her prices for fruit. I swear it’s because she found out I’m getting married. She probably heard that my bachelorette party was tonight and wanted to empty my pockets. It’s a shame my pockets are deep, no?”

As Yoona unpacked the shot glasses, arranging them neatly on the marble kitchen surface, she calculated the cost of the glasses. “There are eleven of us, right?” Not bothering to wait for her cousin’s input, she continued her verbal calculations. “The shot glasses are normally cheap but since I had everyone’s name custom-labelled at the store in fancy font, it cost extra. If you plus the price of the cocktail shaker – which was pretty expensive, might I add – then the total cost comes to a little under five hundred. That, plus the ice bags and the food, brings the total to a-”

“You ordered food?” Yuri exclaimed incredulously, becoming more mortified by the second.

On cue, Taeyeon entered the penthouse carrying stacks of pizza boxes. She was carrying so many that her face was nearly obscured by the mountain of pizza boxes, and only through Tiffany's directions could she manage to move about. To add to the bachelorette party, Tiffany was behind her girlfriend with her arms full of manicure sets shortly followed by their alleged adopted daughter. Judging by her conflicted expression, Seohyun was torn between helping Taeyeon despite her loathing for all things unhealthy and pushing her trolley holding various beauty items.

Just as Yuri thought she had seen it all, Sunny and Hara decided to harshly remind her about the nonexistent line of partying by making a dramatic entrance. Directed by Sunny’s commanding voice, Hara moved about the penthouse effortlessly holding a computer screen.

“Why are you bringing computers into our penthouse?” Jessica yelled from across the room as she hovered around the kitchen. “Are you going to have a gaming lan session in here?”

Yuri, too, was baffled by the appearance of the computer screen, her mouth falling agape as she wordlessly moved to Jessica’s side. The couple stood dumbfounded in the middle of their penthouse as the KE staff actively moved about, ignoring them completely. Before they knew it, ice shaking was heard from the kitchen, Taeyeon was howling with ajumma laughter while she triumphed over Sunny in COD, the fashionable duo plus Hara were having their own little pedicure and manicure session in the bathroom, and Seohyun was ranting to her anyone who listened about the crime that was the existence of pizzas.

Everyone seemed to be doing their own thing while deafening bursts of gunfire, explosions of grenades and gaming rages filled the penthouse.

“This is madness!” Yuri bellowed in despair over the blaring noise.

“Madness?” Jessica enfolded her girlfriend’s hand tightly in her own. “No – this is KE.”

--------------------------------

Sometime later in the night, everyone eventually drifted from their respective definitions of fun to the kitchen. It seemed the kitchen tiles were suitable to sit on for everyone congregated in a circle on the white tiled floor. The only sober ones among the staff were Jessica, Yuri and Seohyun. Jessica was adamant on remaining sober out of fear of another drunken scandal while Yuri insisted water was delicious. It wasn’t by any means delicious, but it did get the KE staff off her back, leaving her to play the role of the caretaker. Throughout the night, there had been several incidents. If it hadn’t been for her level-headed thinking, the media would have had another field day.

“Say,” Hyoyen slurred in her drunken stupor as she cleaned the floor with a towel, “these tiles look similar to ones in my bathroom.”

Worried, Jessica whispered into Yuri’s ear, “Is she always like this when she’s drunk?”

“I’m afraid so,” Yuri replied with a curl of a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

“Unnie,” Seohyun addressed hesitantly, tapping Hyoyeon’s shoulder, “you do realise that all of the bathrooms in this building are the same, right?”

“Yah!” Quite violently, Hyoyeon whirled on the baby of the company. Since she was so drunk, she swayed as she turned, nearly smacking Seohyun in the face. She made up for her miss by flicking Seohyun on the forehead, remarking with honesty induced by alcohol, “You need to find a man! Stop being so uptight about life!”

Just as Yoona defensively lunged for Hyoyeon spewing obscenities, Yuri took trenchant action. Grabbing hold of her cousin’s collar, she yanked hard, single-handedly preventing a disorderly, drunken scuffle.

“Everyone,” Jessica said at large, rising to her knees, “I think it’s time this bachelorette party ended.”

“NO!”

Her announcement was met with immediate protests fuelled by the fire that was alcohol. Sooyoung even went so far as to roughly shove Jessica to the ground, causing the blonde to elicit a surprised squeal. In her drunkenness, she failed to register that her actions sealed her damnation to purgatorial hell. To add to the drama, Taeyeon evilly cackled at the sight of Jessica menacingly rising to her feet to tower over the resident Head of Security.

“Don’t,” slap, “you,” slap, “ever,” slap, “hit,” slap, “me,” slap, "again!"

“What are you going to do about it,” Sooyoung ventured with equal amounts of bravery and foolishness, pausing for dramatic effect as she grinned triumphantly despite the stinging pain of the slaps, “slu*?”

Just as Jessica loomed over Sooyoung, preparing to execute the final killing blow – Sunny was screaming “K.O! K.O!” ecstatically in the background – Yuri once again took decisive action. With the swiftness of a cat, she latched onto Jessica’s hips, exhaled as she gathered strength and yanked – hard. There was fierce protest on Jessica’s part in the form of pinching, biting and slapping, but Yuri remained resilient and instead, trapped her girlfriend in her embrace by bringing her legs around her.

“Sica, Sooyoung’s drunk,” Yuri reminded her calmly. “She’s one of those drunks that picks fights with people so don’t pay her any attention.”

“Damn straight I’m drunk!” Sooyoung roared fiercely rising to knees, only to collapse. Ironically enough, when she hit the floor, her face hit a pizza box. Before anyone could utter a word, Sooyoung opened it, sniffed its delicious contents, and without preamble began devouring a slice with gusto.

“Let’s play a game,” Hara suggested out of nowhere, giggling for no reason.

Tiffany raised her shot glass in agreement. “Let’s play ‘I never’,” she added loudly, much louder than her usual loquacious self. “We go around in a circle saying something you have never done. Everyone who has done it then downs a shot.”

“Only idiots would play such a stupid game,” was Jessica’s immediate insult.

“That’s why you should be playing.”

“Yah!”

Yuri tightened her arms around Jessica’s chest in restraint as she attempted homicide. Like her girlfriend, she too thought the game was a recipe for disaster and said so, albeit with less hostility.

“Fine.” Tiffany broke the circle and leaned forward, pushing a shot glass towards the baby of the company. “Seobaby, you’re playing and no ‘buts’ otherwise we’ll contact child services and disown you. Since the two slu*s are being party poopers, Yoong, you’ll drink twice as much to make up for their lack of drinking. Jessi’s your omma, right? That’ll make it-”

“Okay, okay!” Seeing as she was unable to move from Yuri’s embrace, the mother in question settled for frantically waving her arms in defeat. “Tiff, I’ll play! Yoong’s wasted so I’ll drink twice for her. Is that fair?”

“Yes.”

“No!” Yuri exploded before she could stop herself. Images of a topless Jessica declaring to the world she was gay flooded her mind, arousing both desire and horror. “You’re not drinking and that’s final!”

Jessica rounded on the boss with a burning glare, complete with heavily narrowed eyes. “Do you think I actually want to drink?” she muttered disbelievingly. “I’m only doing it for your cousin otherwise she’ll need a stomach pump. Think of your dear cousin!”

“Yeah, think of me!”

“Shut up!” Sooyoung threw the pizza slice she was eating at Yoona, only to realise as the unhealthy goodness sailed through the air what she had just done. Ironically enough, the two fought like animals over the pizza slice, oblivious to the fact that there was pizza boxes scattered everywhere.

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After many tantrums, arguments, punches and madness in general, the drinking game began with Seohyun as the bartender to refill shot glasses. Since she was of age, she was given the choice: play or play the role of the bartender. To compensate for Seohyun’s refusal to drink, Yoona had to drink twice as much which meant Jessica had to down shots on her behalf. It was a family cycle for Yuri, having conceded defeat, had to drink twice as much to compensate for Jessica since she was adamant her girlfriend keep her clothes on. To salvage some of her pride, she refused to believe she had succumbed to peer-pressure and instead was participating out of the goodness of her heart.

Taeyeon played first.

After contemplating a suitable answer, she confessed, in all honesty, “I’ve never refrained from complimenting a nice butt.”

And so, as silence settled in the penthouse, the first round of drinking began with everyone excluding Taeyeon gulping a shot. The tipsy people were sloppy, causing vodka rivulets to leak from the corners of their mouth while the sober ones swallowed it in one go.

Tiffany wiped her mouth with the back of her sleeve as she pondered what to confess. Finally, she admitted, “I’ve never actually tried one of Tae’s famous cookies.”

The confession was so lame that everyone expected each other to drink except for Taeyeon. As such, when Seohyun whispered into Yoona’s ear that she had tried one of Taeyeon’s cookies, jaws hit the ground.

“You’ve tried one of her cookies?” Yuri bit out in disbelief, knowing she would have to drink extra.

Seohyun smiled sheepishly at the collective incredulous gazes. “What can I say, unnie? I was in the staff car park and Taeyeon pulled up next to me in her black Mercedes offering a cookie on her way home. It was pretty tasty.”

“Taeyeon, you are such a paedophile,” Jessica remarked bluntly.

Taeyeon, offended, brought herself to her full height as best she could while sitting on the tiles – which wasn’t very high – and puffed out her chest in denial. Tiffany, on the other hand, interpreted the news of Seohyun trying one of Taeyeon’s cookies as sweet, given they were her supposed adoptive parents.

Jessica’s jaw hit the floor as Tiffany emotionally gushed over her girlfriend’s kindness. They were drunker than she initially thought.

Heechul adhered to the clockwise direction and voiced his confession. “I’ve never been straight.”

Everyone except Sooyoung and Hyoyeon downed their shots. As if understanding his owner, Heebum meowed, placing his paws against Heechul’s leg. For some reason, Hara found Heebum funny – very, very funny. She found it so funny that she doubled forward, smacking her face against the tiles, and stopped moving altogether. If it wasn’t for her audible snores, the KE staff would have immediately thought she had died.

Hyoyeon took the initiative to confess, seeing as Hara had passed out. “I’ve never had sex.”

“You’ll be getting some soon,” Sooyoung assured her teasingly, patting Hyoyeon’s lap comfortingly.

As funny as the confession was with Sooyoung’s attempt at a joke, a tense air engulfed the penthouse, filling every crevice and cranny. Unspoken was the curiosity of who was a virgin among them, for each and every eye, droopy or not, swivelled around the room. No one said anything when Taeyeon and Tiffany gulped their shots – they were rampantly unashamed about their sex life – nor was there any reaction to Heechul and Sooyoung tentatively picking up their glasses.

Feeling her cheeks burn in embarrassment, Jessica buried her face into Yuri’s arm and discretely swallowed her shot. It was clear she failed for subtlety for fingers were pointed at her so fast it was almost accusing.

“Yul, you slu*!”

“Omma?”

“KWON YOURI! HOW DARE YOU DEFLOWER JESSI?” 

Swearing in English, Tiffany went to slap Yuri into oblivion, only to have Taeyeon push her to the ground. The couple twitched a bit before passing out on top of each other.

If the KE staff found Yuri and Jessica drinking to be scandalous, they simply lost it when Yoona pushed a vodka shot towards her cousin to compensate for Seohyun and raised her own glass. It wasn’t so much Yoona having sex that shocked them, rather that she had done so with Seoyhun – the baby of the company.

“You slept with Seobaby?”

“What the fu*k?”

“M-maknae?”

“Unnies, please – it’s not that big of a deal. Yoong was very experienced about it, actually. We had a candlelit dinner at that nice place we used to go to when were young before returning to the company apartment complex. It was very romantic with the candles and incense in the background. Oh, and the Keroro pillow was so-”

As soon as Seohyun mentioned Keroro, associating it with the recount of her first time, Sunny fainted. The passing out seemed contagious for Heechul took one look at Sunny’s lax form, Heebum, Seohyun’s face and then his kitten again before losing consciousness, hitting the floor. Without warning, Sooyoung clutched her stomach and vomited into the pizza box before passing out from both the stench and the alcohol. The barfing went from one choding to another for Hyoyeon, glimpsing the vomit, excused herself to the bathroom, somehow managing to make it across the tiles in her drunkenness. Even from the bathroom, her retching sounds reached the kitchen. Judging by the loud thud resonating from the bathroom, it was clear Hyoyeon had passed out.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Yoona mumbled uneasily, covering her mouth. With surprising strength, Seohyun hauled Yoona into her arms and hurried out of the penthouse.

Out of nowhere, Jessica giggled at the outcome of events.

“You’re drunk,” Yuri pointed out, however not unkindly. The laughter was in her twinkling eyes and in her belly-deep laughter so contagious it wracked Jessica’s slender frame. Before either of them knew it, they were both chuckling for no apparent reason as they sat on the kitchen floor.

Once the laughter died down, Yuri patted Jessica’s shoulder, effectively capturing her attention. “Sica,” she murmured quietly, “we should finish playing the game.”

“I thought you didn’t want to play?”

“Well, let’s just say that I’ve changed my mind.”

“I don’t have anything to say,” Jessica confessed, pouting in her drunken inhibition. She lightly hit her boss as soon as she started laughing at a private joke. “Yah, why are you laughing?”

“No reason.” It was clear there was a reason but Jessica was too drunk to see it. Grinning mischievously, Yuri leaned forward, whispering in her girlfriend’s ear.

“What? Why?”

“Just say it. You don’t have anything to say, right?”

“But…it would be a lie.”

If anything, the grin curving Yuri’s mouth widened. She didn’t say anything, merely waited for Jessica to repeat what she had just whispered. It took a while for Jessica to form the words on her tongue, but after comfortably holding each other, she finally said it.

It didn’t matter though, for Yuri would have waited forever.

“I’ve never been in love.”

The hesitation, the tentativeness, the tone that suggested she believed otherwise – it all made Yuri’s grin widen even further. With her heart beating erratically and her eyes sparkling with affection, Yuri picked up her glass and gulped its contents.

It took Jessica a few seconds to understand the meaning of it all but when she finally grasped comprehension, her eyes widened in realisation. Twisting in the embrace, she grasped Yuri’s collar, menacingly raising her fist.

“Are you trying to woo me with your half-assed confession of love?”

The position was reminiscent to the unforgettable kiss in the bathroom. The only difference was that Yuri was the one to move forward and seal the half-assed confession with a kiss. 

Chapter Twenty-Five – Fashionably Late

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Yuri groaned as she stirred at the incessant ringing of her phone. As she came to, groggily shifting to a sitting position, it suddenly dawned on her that every phone connection in the penthouse was going off and that she was completely naked in the master bedroom. Her Blackberry, Jessica’s Nokia, the main phone in the kitchen – they were all ringing, filling the penthouse with dial tones, while pleasant and catchy individually, mixed together horridly to form a cacophony of noise.

It didn’t help that her head was fit to burst, as if some violent soul had slugged her with a baseball bat in the cranium, fracturing her skull. The dial tones of the multiple phones thudded abnormally loud in her ears, threatening to kill her sense of hearing. Glancing over her shoulder, she spotted Jessica fast asleep on her back with her arm lifted against the headboard, seemingly in punishment. For a moment, Yuri forgot that the phones were ringing, mesmerised by the tantalising amount of creamy skin the duvet failed to hide – that is, until her mobile went to voicemail.

“I’m busy at the moment so leave a message. If you’re important enough, I’ll get back to you.”

“You damn right it’s important, you slu*!”

“Sooyoung,” came Tiffany’s reprimanding voice, followed by a series of rustles that gave the impression the phone was subjected to swiping fingers which, unbeknownst to Yuri, it was, “stop swearing in church! How many times do I have to tell you?”

“Slu* isn’t a swear word, Fany. Besides, Yulsic are probably trying to have a baby as we speak!”

“Yah!”

Ominously, the connection went static, buzzing incomprehensibly until the call was abruptly ended. For a whole minute, Yuri stared at her mobile phone on her beside table with a blank echo in her unfocused eyes. She was trying so hard to make the connection of a church, Sooyoung allegedly swearing, Tiffany scolding her in a low hiss, and the mystery of last night accountable for her hangover that her eyes, aesthetically dark and hazy, reflected her messy surroundings.

Messy was an understatement, actually. Still, it was nothing in comparison to her state of mind as she struggled to remember last night.

Frowning in confusion, Yuri swivelled her gaze to the bedside table, processing the stacks of shot glasses and hard liquor bottles. If her eyebrows crept upwards fractionally at the stench of alcohol, they simply shot to the ceiling when she noticed the purple bra dangling on one of the handles. Fingering the lacy texture cautiously, she lifted it to eye-level, and stared at it for another whole minute only this time, she put everything together. The hedonism of the extravagant bachelorette party, the drinking game, the kiss that had led to something very, very intimate – it all linked to one thing.

Hyoyeon’s wedding.

“The wedding!” Yuri cried loudly, diving for her mobile with newfound energy. “Two fifty? Crap!”

They had ten minutes.

In a whirlwind, Yuri tumbled off the edge of the bed, inadvertently snagging the duvet and, by extension, her PA. Hitting the floor was hard, but having Jessica fall on her was harder, knocking the wind out of her. Even as the blonde fell, Jessica remained suspended between the reality of Hyoyeon’s wedding beginning in a few minutes and the alternate macrocosm of dreams. Under normal circumstances, Yuri would have allowed her PA to sleep but as it was with Hyoyeon’s wedding, they were going to be late.

“Sica!” Yuri called out, addressing her girlfriend loudly. “Wake up!

Jessica mumbled something slurred that sounded strangely like "five more hours".

Normally, people clamoured for five minutes – not because the short time was truly convalescent, only that it was a figure of speech, one crafted in delusion. 

Jessica wanted five more hours. Yuri openly gaped at her.

If it wasn’t for her mobile buzzing, Yuri would have stayed staring at Jessica with her mouth agape, rendered speechless. Jerking to reality, Yuri hastily hoisted Jessica in her arms bridal-style and rushed to the bathroom.

Nine minutes.

Since they were both already unclothed, Yuri wasted no time in rushing inside the shower cubicle and shutting the screen. Fumbling, she pushed Jessica against the wall with her body while blindly reaching for the temperature knobs. As she struggled to hoist Jessica in an upright position while groping for the knobs, it suddenly dawned on her how uselessly she had spent her wealth – how little of it she had put to good, practical use. The shower cubicle was not simply tight – it was suffocating in more ways than one with the cramped space that was the definition of enclosure itself and the delicious friction of Jessica’s body against hers.

It was both a blessing and a curse when Yuri managed to twist one of the temperature knobs. Fortunately for her, the chill of the shower’s imbriferouness dampened her desire, leaving the imperative of the wedding to be top priority. The only downside was the water jolting Jessica to reality – violently and vociferously so.

“C-COLD!” Jessica screamed, the high-pitch of her voice drowning with the strong spray of the water. “IT’S FREEZING!”

Instinctively, Jessica burrowed close to the only source of warmth, barely registering anything with her pounding hangover. As soon as she did however, and felt something undeniably woman, she recoiled, smacking her head against the wet glass.

Eight minutes.

Yuri, who was mindlessly forgoing the leisure of emollient embrocation as she frantically squeezed liberal amounts of shampoo and conditioner everywhere, flinched at the drowning scream.

“Yuri,” Jessica choked, visibly mortified, futilely trying to conceal her nudity, “I-I-”

“You’re what?” Yuri vigorously washed her hair with one hand, her other flying to Jessica’s golden locks. “Naked? Of course you are. Why are you so embarrassed? It’s not like I haven’t seen it all before. I loved the way your golden tresses splayed against the pillows last night with your-”

“WE HAD SEX AGAIN?”

“Unless I can find another explanation for the scratches on my back, then yes – we made love.”

If the shock of their passionate tryst wasn’t enough, discovering they had little time to get dressed certainly compensated for it.

Seven minutes.

Jessica was so drenched with water that when they rushed out of the shower cubicle, she unceremoniously slipped, dragging Yuri down with her. The wet tiles proved to be a hazardous obstacle of its own when they clambered to their feet, rushing to the bedroom. By some celestial power, the dresses they had bought a few weeks earlier were in pristine condition in the sea of messiness that was the state of their bedroom. In a flurry, Jessica threw the damned pink thing on, barking orders at her girlfriend to zip her up.

“I’m so wet!” Jessica hissed as she flipped her wet fringe out of her face. As she launched herself over the bed to grab her Nokia on the bedside table, only then did she register the innuendo in her words.

Yuri’s raised eyebrow certainly seemed to be in accordance.

“You pervert!” Grabbing the nearest pillow, Jessica hurled it mercilessly at her boss, her cheeks reddening so furiously she didn’t even need to apply makeup blush.

Yuri dodged the incoming pillow fluidly, bending down. When she emerged, she threw a pair of sparkly silver Jimmy Choos at Jessica without preamble. How items managed to be pushed underneath the bed eluded them both – all Jessica registered was Yuri throwing matching clutches, wallets, jewellery, and makeup necessities at her with a speed so swift she only had to blink her eyes to find another article in her arms. Before Jessica could protest, precariously balancing the items in her arms, Yuri quite literally materialised next to her and propelled her out of the penthouse.

Six minutes.

In her characteristic clumsiness, Jessica slipped in the elevator, crashing into the railing. The items in her arms were discarded, scattered on the elevator floor, but nothing could compare to her rage. She was so angry she punched the elevator buttons, only to clutch her aching knuckles in sheer, excruciating agony and bemoan her spurred stupidity. 

Yuri, meanwhile, was on her mobile to reception.

“Have a valet drive my Aston Martin to the front of the building. If it's not there within the time it takes for me to ride this elevator, you’re fired. Is that clear?”

Naturally, the receptionist was stammering in the mouthpiece, hastening to comply if the shuffling in the background was any indication. Yuri abruptly ended the call. It was rude to be sure, perhaps authoritarian, but she found that at times of desperate situations, she needed to resort to desperate measures.

This was one of them.

“Five minutes...” Yuri trailed off as she closed her mobile. Cursing foully, she dropped to the ground, lying against the elevator wall. Since she was still wet, the dress clung uncomfortably to her skin like there had been a humid weather vicissitude in the course of their five minute shower. If anything, it was a world record to shower, dress and get to the elevator in five minutes. The unpredictability in their relationship was certainly something else.

It made Yuri smile.

“How can you smile at a time like this?” Jessica asked incredulously, pinning Yuri with a disbelieving look. She, too, checked her phone, cursing quietly at the time. “At this rate, we’re not even going to make it to the ground floor, let alone the wedding ceremony.”

“Sica, Sica, Sica,” Yuri tutted in a chiding manner, exaggeratedly shaking her head as if she was reprimanding an insolent child. “Patience is a virtue.”

Jerk.

What Jessica actually ended up saying was nothing – only executing a fierce slap that spoke volumes of her struck nerve. It seemed Yuri had developed prophetic foresight against her slaps for before she could smack that sun-kissed cheek, her wrist was caught by snaking fingers. And, just like that, with her wrist shackled, Jessica was yanked forward, pressed against the notorious jerk herself.

Yuri was indifferent as she wrapped both arms around Jessica’s middle to draw her close. “You trust me, right?”

“No.”

“Your hair smells like flowers,” Yuri remarked distractedly, revelling in the sweet wafting redolence. “What was I saying again?”

“You were being a complete and utter slu-”

“Oh right,” Yuri interjected smoothly, placing a silencing finger against Jessica’s lip. She produced her phone with her other hand, sliding it away from her girlfriend’s body. “See this map? The church is in the vicinity so it’ll only take approximately four minutes depending on the traffic.”

For some reason, Jessica did not like the sound of that. Yuri was a juvenile driver – of that, she was certain, having been subjected to her boss’ delinquent driving on both a motorcycle and a car. Still, practicality had its way, leaving her to keep her thoughts to herself. If they were to arrive at the wedding ceremony on time, it was inevitable that Yuri would put the pedal to the metal.

Just as Jessica opened a tube of designer lipstick, the elevator dinged, signalling their destination to the ground floor. She barely had enough time to snatch the strewn items on the floor before Yuri grabbed her arm and pulled her out of the elevator.

Four minutes.

“No! My Marc Jacobs clutch!”

“Forget it! I’ll buy you another one!”

“How can you say that? A Marc Jacobs clutch is one of a kind!”

“Fine! Hurry up and grab it then!”

Jessica launched herself back into the elevator just as it was about to close. As soon as she grabbed said clutch, long fingers encircled her ankles, tightening. Before she knew it, she was flying out of the elevator and on her bare feet with Yuri – quite literally – shoving her out of the building. True to reception’s word, Yuri’s Aston Martin was parked outside in the reserved parking area in all of its black, chrome-wheeled, dark window-tinted luxurious glory. 

“Miss Kwon, your vehicle is-”

The poor valet never got a chance to finish his rehearsed sentence for Yuri pushed him out of the way.

In her altruism, Jessica rushed to the young man’s side, excusing Yuri’s callousness on her own behalf. “Are you hurt?”

“N-no,” the valet stuttered, surprised by the pretty woman’s heart for a complete stranger.

“Don’t mind my boss – she’s just like that when she hasn’t had her daily ma juice.”

“What’s ma?”

“It’s this disgusting concoction she drinks to keep-”

Unfortunately, Jessica never got a chance to inform the valet the effects of ma juice because Yuri scooped her up and threw her into the passenger seat.

Three minutes.

“What happened to patience being a virtue?” Jessica threw out sharply as she hurriedly strapped her seatbelt.

“It died a tragic death in light of a three minute deadline.”

It was so true that Jessica could not find anything to say since Yuri’s actions were justified. Instead, she slapped Yuri’s arm, suddenly hysterical, and commanded, “Drive, babo!”

In spite of knowing speeding was necessary, the prior knowledge did nothing whatsoever to alleviate the adrenaline of Yuri putting the pedal to the metal. Jessica clutched the armrest for dear life when they abruptly rounded a corner. Her world was lopsided the entire time, teetering on the edge of completely falling on her. On occasion, she shut her eyes tightly when the clarity of the stretching road dissolved into haziness, instead opting to voice her thoughts with terrified screams.

Two minutes.

“Yuri, slow down!”

“It’s the freeway!”

“I don’t give a cucumber if it’s the freeway! I DON’T WANT TO DIE!”

“If you die, then I die with you. We can be together on the other side-”

“WHAT KIND OF TWISTED LOGIC IS THAT?”

“Why, it’s the Kwon kind, of course.”

“Of all the insufferable, arrogant, delinquent-”

“Beautiful?” Yuri suggested helpfully. Her expression however, died when an ajumma overtook them, and then infuriatingly decided to drive at a turtle’s pace. All of sudden, she was swearing, Jessica’s was lamenting that she was too young to die – that she hadn’t lived all there was to live and would never experience the excitement of buying Marc Jacobs’ latest designer product – and the ajumma was winding down her window. The curses spewing out of the ajumma’s mouth was not so much as offensive as her extended middle finger.

One minute.

In a swerve spanning so wide across the road that Jessica nearly fainted, Yuri turned exited the freeway, driving on the pedestrian path. By the time they reached the church, and exited the car, Jessica was on the verge of vomiting and crying, staggering clumsily out of the Aston Martin. On the other hand, Yuri exited the car with an air of total indifference and strode to her girlfriend in quick, efficient strides. Being the good boss and girlfriend she was, she helped Jessica with her high heels before strapping on her own.

Once inside the church foyer, she reached for Jessica’s hand, grasping it comfortingly. Her voice was smooth and composed when she asked, “Are you ready?”

“Why do I feel as if we’re the ones getting married?”

“Perhaps it’s just wishful thinking,” Yuri replied with a shrug. She flipped a section of her tousled hair before pushing the white, wide set doors open.

Every eye fell on them.

Curiosity, surprise, outrage in the case of Sooyoung making gesticulative death threats as she mouthed obscenities – the scrutiny was instant and, judging by the colour rapidly reddening Jessica's cheeks, it was palpable. They could not have made a more dramatic, powerful entrance for Yuri’s cool, disinterested gaze was full of insouciance befitting of her notoriety as a big, bad CEO while Jessica shyly leaned into her in an unspoken need for protection – for comfort. Unquestionably, Yuri gave her that comfort, forgoing holding hands to curl her arm protectively and possessively around Jessica.

Yuri knew who was in the audience, after all. The thought of Jay watching made her lip curl.

The plan hadn’t been for them to be bridesmaids given Jessica’s injury so they quietly made their way to the front reserved seats. On the altar, Sooyoung flared her nostrils at them while Tiffany glared but Yuri paid them no attention.

As far as she was concerned, they were not simply late – they were fashionably late. The curling of her lip curved into a smile at her musings. It turned into a fully-fledged grin when Hyoyeon appeared in the colossal doorway looking picturesque of the perfect bride.

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