얼음꽃 (Frost Flower)

Chapter Ten

“Oh, don’t listen to her. Hwaiting, Taetae! I know you can do it!” Tiffany cheered the girl on as she agitatedly slammed another coin into the slot, all ready to take another shot at the ridiculous game. She squared her shoulders and rubbed her hands together before grabbing the joystick once more.

“Aww… look at that, how sweet.” Yoona cooed, feeling mildly jealous that the couple was so loving.

“Almost there… almost… just a little bit more… yes, come on… oh, man, no!” Taeyeon pounded her fists against the glass box agitatedly. Seconds later, she slipped a hand into her pocket to pull out another coin before dunking it into the slot.

“Three days later…” Yoona cracked a joke, which earned no response since the duo was focused on getting Mr. Teddy.

“So, uh, Tiffany, how long have you known Jessica for?” Started the girl again.

“Known her since high school. Why?” The redhead answered, eyes still on the soft toy.

“I just… well, you know… I…”

“She has a ginormous crush on your best friend, that’s why.” Taeyeon interjected, grunting in annoyance when she was unsuccessful again.

“Pretty obvious considering all the silly things you’ve done in the office trying to get her attention. All that late-coming and those less than perfect reports you’ve been turning in – uh-uh, not gonna work.”

“Yah, I didn’t mean you should compromise the standard of your work when I told you to strategize, Yoong.” Taeyeon took a break from the game to comment.

“It seemed logical at that time, alright? I’ve sorted that out with her already.” The girl argued, crossing her arms.

“Look, Yoona, I don’t wanna be a wet blanket here but I don’t think Jess is ready for a relationship. At least not at the moment.” Tiffany stated as straightforwardly as she could, watching the girl’s expression grow a little dim.

“She told you that?”

“Not exactly. But from what I’ve gathered through my daily conversations with her, that’s what it seems.”

“Has she ever been in a relationship before? I mean, ever since you got to know her.” Yoona probed deeper, expecting to milk as much valuable information from the girl as she could.

“I believe that’s a question that you should ask her directly. It wouldn’t be nice if I told you. Know what I mean?”

“Come on, you’ve gotta help me out here. Give me some clues.”

“Well… I don’t exactly have clues for you… I could try to arrange something such that the both of you can have lunch together every other day, though.”

Yoona’s eyes enlivened at the girl’s sentence, “Really? How?”

“You see, Jessica overworks herself most of the time and she misses lunch more often than not. I usually grab some food for two and we would have a meal together. Would you like to adopt this position? Of course, we’ll have to go through the typical interview and screening just to make sure you’re suitable… kidding.”

“I’ll take the job.”

“Great. You start tomorrow.”

---

Standing outside Jessica’s office, Yoona gulped and took another deep breath before knocking the door. She was not sure what was making her feel so jumpy.

“Fany?” Came a slightly muffled voice from within.

“Um, no. It’s me.”

“Who?”