Our First Love Story

Our First Love Story

Characters Introduction Kim Tae Yeon - 18 years old, senior at SoWon High School. She is the most popular and mysterious girl in the school. Since her parents are always abroad for works, Taeyeon decided to move out from the family's home and live in a small apartment instead. In contrast to her cute face and petite body, she is extremely cold and introverted. Since she enrolled in S1 High School, she has made no friends and never talked to anyone but her childhood friend Yuri. Her heart had built walls to protect itself, until someone breaks them one by one. "Even though I'm fighting it, I know,that I have fallen in love with you," Kim Tae Yeon

Hwang Tiffany - 18 years old, senior at SoWon High School. Fany, like her friends call her is the average girl-next-door. Not popular but also not an outcast, she is a cheerful and positive girl who only sees the best in people. Coming from a modest family, she dislikes arrogant people and thus, has a really bad impression of TaeYeon. But little did she know that soon, fate will bring them together. "I will endure all the pain as long as I can stay by your side" Hwang Tiffany

Kwon Yuri - 18 years old, senior at SoWon High School. Yuri is Taeyeon's childhood friend and the only one who understands her. Compare to her friend, Yuri is extroverted and full of energy. Despite her rich background, she is extremely down-to-earth and doesn't look down on less fortunate people. She is an eternal romantic whose only wish is to meet someone who will love her for who she is. It was only a matter of time before she felt attracted to the school's, no, the country's Ice Princess. "I, Kwon Yuri, swears that I will do anything to make you mine" Kwon Yuri

Jung Jessica - 18 years old, senior at SoWon High School. She goes by the name of Ice Princess, a result of her lack of facial expressions and I-don't-give-a-crap attitude. She was in another school before coming to SoWon for her senior year. The reason for that sudden change is unknown to all, except to her best friend Tiffany. Jessica was once a girl who believed in love and happiness, unfortunately, it was before she found true happiness. "I know I am hurting you, but please, don't give up on me" Jung Jessica

Prologue

It's almost graduation day, one year went by so fast and so many things happened. My heart is beating fast as I'm standing in front of this house. I know that our

destiny will be seal once I step inside. The strong wind sweeps through my hair as I'm recalling our memories together. The first time we met, our first conversation, our first kiss and all the tears we shed had finally lead us to that final moment. Although I'm trying my best to believe in it, I can't help but be afraid of the outcome. As I am standing there alone, my heart is calling out to you. I just need one word from you, please, say "yes" to their final question.

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Chapter 1 - Behind the Devil's Eyes

SoWon High School,

Tiffany’s POV

It was hitting me hard that it was my last year in this school. As I was standing in front of the school’s gate, I couldn’t believe that my first day as a senior had started. Seeing all the new faces, some with their excited smiles and others with a nervous expression, reminded me of myself. SoWon High School is not an elite school nor it is fancy, but to me, this place is like my second home. The friends

that I made here will always remain in my heart, even if we go on our separate ways. So on this bright and sunny day, I wanted to promise to myself, that I’ll enjoy and cherish every single day to its fullest.

“Senior Year! Here I come!” pumping up my fist in the air, I shouted. As I was running toward the school, something caught my attention.

A small group of students were gathering around, forming a huge circle in the middle of the yard. I spotted two of my friends among the crowd. “Hey, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon!” I walked toward them, “What’s going on?”

“Ah! Fany-ah, come here,” my friend Sooyoung grabbed my arm and pulled me in the front, “look!” she pointed.

In the middle of the circle, there were two students standing in front of each other, like before a confrontation. I looked at both of them and only recognized one. This face…so pure and angel-like but unreadable. Why did I feel so cold just looking at her?

“It’s Kim Tae Yeon, she got in trouble again” Hyoyeon whispered.

“What happened again?” I asked, my eyes not moving away from the scene in front of me.

“Apparently, Taeyeon pushed this new guy when he was blocking her way and he had the bad idea of asking her to apologize. Poor boy, if only he knew” she explained, a smirk on her face. I must admit, I love Hyoyeon but sometimes she

scares me. She seems to enjoy those fights a little too much in my opinion.

I felt bad for this student, it must have been his first day in a new school and he had the bad luck of meeting Kim Tae Yeon. I could understand that he asked for an apology, but unfortunately, Hyoyeon was right. If only he knew Kim Tae Yeon…an idol to some students here and a nightmare to others. I had some classes with her but we have never talked. I knew little about her life as well, just that she was from a rich family and only talked to her childhood friend Kwon Yuri. I didn’t know why such a cocky and rebellious girl was so popular; maybe it was the bad girl image that was so attractive.

While I was spacing out, Taeyeon was making her move toward the student.

“I’m not afraid of you!” he shouted, but the look on his face betrayed him.

I also wondered how such a small girl could be so scary. The boy didn’t move, maybe he should have run away when he could. Yeah…he really should have run away.

It was fast, I didn’t even blink that he already hit the floor, his hands on his nose. But what I didn’t expect was the following. I thought, we all thought Taeyeon would walk away, like she always does after a little fight but what happened next was really scary. I couldn’t even move when I saw her on top of this guy, punching him again and again…the blood on her hands, the blood on his face…What the hell was wrong with her?

I wanted to help the poor boy but I couldn’t move, everyone was just staring in

disbelief as she lashed out her anger on him.

“Ya! Kim Taeyeon! STOP IT!” A loud and clear voice yelled through the crowd.

The one and only Kwon Yuri. Sometimes, I wonder if she knows how thankful we were that she was there. Only she could stop the little devil.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” Yuri grabbed Taeyeon and pulled her up, “Come on, let’s get out of here” she dragged Taeyeon away from the unconscious body lying on the ground.

It took a few seconds for Taeyeon to come to her mind; her face full of hatred was now showing no emotion whatsoever. Then she made her her way out of the crowd.

And then, it happened. For the first time in 3 years, our eyes met. It was quick and sudden. If I had blinked at that time, it would have changed everything. That stare…those eyes, I know I should have felt scared or disgusted, but why, once I looked into those eyes, all I could see were loneliness and sorrow? Who was really Kim Tae Yeon? For the first time in my life, I felt intrigued by the devil.

It was hitting me hard that it was my last year in this school. As I was standing in front of the school’s gate, I couldn’t believe that my first day as a senior had started. Seeing all the new faces, some with their excited smiles and others with a nervous expression, reminded me of myself. SoWon High School is not an elite school nor it is fancy, but to me, this place is like my second home. The friends that I made here will always remain in my heart, even if we go on our separate

ways. So on this bright and sunny day, I wanted to promise to myself, that I’ll enjoy and cherish every single day to its fullest.

“Senior Year! Here I come!” pumping up my fist in the air, I shouted. As I was running toward the school, something caught my attention.

A small group of students were gathering around, forming a huge circle in the middle of the yard. I spotted two of my friends among the crowd. “Hey, Sooyoung, Hyoyeon!” I walked toward them, “What’s going on?”

“Ah! Fany-ah, come here,” my friend Sooyoung grabbed my arm and pulled me in the front, “look!” she pointed.

In the middle of the circle, there were two students standing in front of each other, like before a confrontation. I looked at both of them and only recognized one. This face…so pure and angel-like but unreadable. Why did I feel so cold just looking at her?

“It’s Kim Tae Yeon, she got in trouble again” Hyoyeon whispered.

“What happened again?” I asked, my eyes not moving away from the scene in front of me.

“Apparently, Taeyeon pushed this new guy when he was blocking her way and he had the bad idea of asking her to apologize. Poor boy, if only he knew” she explained, a smirk on her face. I must admit, I love Hyoyeon but sometimes she scares me. She seems to enjoy those fights a little too much in my opinion.

I felt bad for this student, it must have been his first day in a new school and he had the bad luck of meeting Kim Tae Yeon. I could understand that he asked for an apology, but unfortunately, Hyoyeon was right. If only he knew Kim Tae Yeon…an idol to some students here and a nightmare to others. I had some classes with her but we have never talked. I knew little about her life as well, just that she was from a rich family and only talked to her childhood friend Kwon Yuri. I didn’t know why such a cocky and rebellious girl was so popular; maybe it was the bad girl image that was so attractive.

While I was spacing out, Taeyeon was making her move toward the student.

“I’m not afraid of you!” he shouted, but the look on his face betrayed him.

I also wondered how such a small girl could be so scary. The boy didn’t move, maybe he should have run away when he could. Yeah…he really should have run away.

It was fast, I didn’t even blink that he already hit the floor, his hands on his nose. But what I didn’t expect was the following. I thought, we all thought Taeyeon would walk away, like she always does after a little fight but what happened next was really scary. I couldn’t even move when I saw her on top of this guy, punching him again and again…the blood on her hands, the blood on his face…What the hell was wrong with her?

I wanted to help the poor boy but I couldn’t move, everyone was just staring in disbelief as she lashed out her anger on him.

“Ya! Kim Taeyeon! STOP IT!” A loud and clear voice yelled through the crowd.

The one and only Kwon Yuri. Sometimes, I wonder if she knows how thankful we were that she was there. Only she could stop the little devil.

“What are you doing? Are you crazy?” Yuri grabbed Taeyeon and pulled her up, “Come on, let’s get out of here” she dragged Taeyeon away from the unconscious body lying on the ground.

It took a few seconds for Taeyeon to come to her mind; her face full of hatred was now showing no emotion whatsoever. Then she made her her way out of the crowd.

And then, it happened. For the first time in 3 years, our eyes met. It was quick and sudden. If I had blinked at that time, it would have changed everything. That stare…those eyes, I know I should have felt scared or disgusted, but why, once I looked into those eyes, all I could see were loneliness and sorrow? Who was really Kim Tae Yeon? For the first time in my life, I felt intrigued by the devil.

Chapter 2 - First Encounter

SoWon High School,

Tiffany’s POV

After all the commotion earlier, we have finally joined our classes. The beaten up boy was brought to the clinic and I heard that he would be fine, only that his nose was in a bad shape. I couldn’t help but think about what happened. The images kept on playing in my head. Of course, Taeyeon and Yuri were nowhere to be seen.

Taeyeon…for so long, I couldn’t care less about that name but after that morning, the only thing that I could see when I closed my eyes, were her eyes. I couldn’t help but wonder where all the sadness came from.

“Hwang Mi Young? Hwang Mi Young?” the teacher called out, bringing me back to reality.

“Yes Sir! I’m here” I shouted out, immediately regretting it as I could feel all eyes on me.

“Jung Soo Yeon?” he called out the next name.

I sighed as I looked at the sleeping girl beside me. She was already sleeping on the first day of class. I discreetly nudged her, to wake her up.

“Jung Soo Yeon?” he called again.

“AISH! What the hell? Can’t you keep quiet for a minute? Someone is trying to sleep here!” Jessica said as she straightened up on her chair and looked at me.

My eyes went big and all I could do was to pray she wouldn’t just start sleeping again. Fortunately, she sensed all eyes on her and like she does it so well, just turned to face the teacher with that same blank and sleepy expression of hers.

“Miss Jung, do you mind staying after class? I would like to talk to you” the teacher, Mr. Kang calmly said.

I didn’t know if she was just sleepy or lazy but all she did was nod. Better than nothing I guess.

“You sleepy head! You’ve missed a crazy incident this morning! Taeyeon beat up a new student” I whispered to her.

“Who cares? It happens all the time, so boring” was all she said before closing her eyes again.

As I tried to wake her up, the door suddenly opened and it was none other than Yuri, closely followed by her…Kim Tae Yeon. Yuri bowed to the teacher and apologized for being late then went to sit at her desk. Taeyeon, on the other hand, simply walked to an empty seat and sat down, not looking at anyone.

I swear I even saw Yuri sighed at her friend’s behavior.

The rest of the day went by without any incident, it was pretty boring actually. The only good thing was being in the same classes as my friends. I don’t know how I felt about having Taeyeon in every of my class but then, it was pretty easy to ignore her since she only sat there and stared at the wall or through the window.

She didn’t pay any attention in class, didn’t listen, and didn’t take any notes. Even Jessica made an effort and didn’t sleep in every class. Not that I cared about Taeyeon though…

With Sica, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon, we decided to go out and eat something after school. It was something that we’ve been doing for the past years. It was our little get-together time when we usually gossip about our school’s day. As we were crossing the street, in front of the school, I saw Taeyeon getting on a brand new convertible car and drove away. She was indeed filthy rich. No wonder she didn’t pay any attention in class, she didn’t need to.

Honey Dessert Shop,

Tiffany’s POV

We arrived shortly after to our usual dessert shop. This place is really cozy, the atmosphere is so comfortable that we can stay there for hours and talk about random things.

“Sho…today’s topic is?” Sooyoung asked while chewing a huge piece of cake.

“Well…nothing really happened besides Taeyeon’s fight” I quickly said. I must admit, it was still in my mind. “She was really scary today, I wonder what happened to her, isn’t it the first time that she completely lost control?” I asked curiously.

“Hmm…Kim Tae Yeon, 18 years old, has long shiny hair and deep brown eyes. She has been living alone since she was 16. Is the only heiress of Kim Corporation. Only friend, Kwon Yuri. Since entering high school, has gotten into more than 200 fights which are not that much in my opinion considering her reputation. She never speaks in class and the number of students who has really heard her voice is minimal. Also no official boyfriend or girlfriend to date” said Hyoyeon nonchalantly, like it was normal to know all these things about Taeyeon.

The 3 of us just stared at her, waiting for an explanation.

“Hum…How do you know so much about her?” I questioned.

“She is the most popular girl in school, those are only basic information” she responded, not taking her eyes off her ice cream.

That was when I realized how little I knew about the Devil. We’ve been in the same high school for years and I only knew her name and reputation. To say the truth, it was the first time that I was actually interested in knowing more about her. To me she was only a rebellious and arrogant kid that kept on causing trouble around the school. But of course, I had to see those eyes…these lonely eyes were going to haunt me for a long time.

“I don’t care about Taeyeon, her friend on the other hand…” whispered Sooyoung, I could barely hear her.

“YURI?! KWON YURI?! YOU LIKE YURI????” I couldn’t help screaming in the shop.

“YAH! HWANG MI YOUNG! Would you keep quiet!?” an embarrassing Sooyoung shouted at me. She was blushing already.

“So do you like her?” I whispered this time

“I never say I like her. I’m just saying…she is kind of…hot” gosh, her face was like a tomato. I wondered if she could get even redder. “And most of all, her personality doesn’t suck like Taeyeon’s”.

Touché! I could only nod and agree with her. Indeed, Yuri and Taeyeon were completely different from each other. How did they end up being so close?

“Kwon Yuri, 18 years old, daughter of Kwon Finance Co. She is still living with her parents in their 10 bedrooms mansion. She is simply Taeyeon’s childhood friend; their houses are next to each other. Also known as the romantic, she rarely gets angry and smiles whenever she can. A little bit hyperactive shall I add. No official lover as well. You should give it a try” our very own reporter Hyoyeon stated.

“Both of them suck…these rich kids; they’re just fake…and that Yuri? She might

be the worse” Jessica bitterly said.

“Sica-ah…” I tried to calm her down.

“I have to go to the bookstore. See you tomorrow” Jessica ignored our shocked stares, got up and walked away.

“What’s wrong with her?” Sooyoung asked me.

I simply shrugged. I knew she just needed time. Things will definitely get better with time.

A bookstore, somewhere in Seoul

Jessica’s POV

There was this book that I really wanted; I read on the Internet that it was the bestselling novel of last year. It didn’t surprise me when I saw only one copy left on the table. As I was grabbing the book from the table, someone else took it as well. With an annoyed face, I looked up to that person and before I could say anything…

“Oh! Jung Soo Yeon! HI!” she greeted me happily as I let go of the book.

“…”

“Don’t you recognize me? I’m Yuri, Kwon Yuri. We’re in the same class” she introduced herself.

“…” I stared at her, wondering why she was being so friendly with me.

“You really don’t know me? That’s fine. How was your first day at school???” she asked, still smiling.

“Are you…going to buy this book?” was all I said.

“I heard it was pretty good so I wanted to try and read it. I hope it is good. Do you think it is good?”

What was wrong with this girl? Couldn’t she just answer my question and leaved? “I want to buy this book so if you’re not sure about it, just give it to me” I said coldly.

“Huh? Oh…sure, please take it. I can see that you’re probably going to enjoy it more than I do. I don’t mind waiting for the new stock to arrive” she was still smiling…what was so enjoying about that situation? That smile…I didn’t like it…I didn’t want to see it anymore…

I simply grabbed the book and left her there. I think she tried to say something but I couldn’t care less. I just wanted to be away, far away from her smile, from her friendliness.

Yuri’s POV

Jung Soo Yeon or Jessica like her friends calls her. I can’t believe she simply left me here, without saying anything. As rude as it was, I can’t seem to be angry at her. It was the first time that I met someone like her. She reminds me of a less scary version of Taeyeon.

Today was the first time that I saw her in school but her odd behavior already attracted me. She was falling asleep every 10 minutes even though she tried to hide it. It’s stupid but I found it cute. I know she is different from the rest. The fact that she didn’t stuttered or tried to be sweet with me was already a proof that she was not like the other girls. I don’t know where this feeling comes from, she looks so cold and hard to approach but my only desire right now, is to be close to her.

Tiffany’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

As I came back from school, I saw my dad’s car parked in front of the building. I could feel something was odd since he couldn’t be back so early. I took the elevator to the 9th floor and walked to my apartment. When I saw the door to our apartment was left opened, I knew something was wrong, though deep inside, I wished it was my dad who came back to pick up something he forgot.

“Daddy? Daddy?” I called out from outside.

Since there was no response, I dared to go in and check. A thief wouldn’t be stupid enough to leave the door open if he was still inside.

It didn’t take long for me to understand what was going on. Before I even stepped in the living room, I was already in tears.

“…Daddy?”

Chapter 3 - Saved by the Devil

Seoul Hospital,

Tiffany’s POV

“I know everything is going to be alright, he’s going to be fine. He can’t leave me alone, he promised it” I was trying to convince myself. I had stopped crying for the last hour. I had to be strong.

“Fany…” my bestfriend Jessica was sitting beside me, comforting me.

“…Sica…He’s going to be fine, right?”

“Don’t worry, it’s going to be…” she couldn’t finish her sentence as the doctor came out of the ER.

From the look on his face, I knew. Daddy left me behind.

“Miss Hwang…I’m-” He looked down apogetically.

“No...He didn’t leave me…he promised me, he wouldn’t…” my legs went weak as I fell on the floor.

It wasn’t the first time that I felt so lonely, abandoned and weak. Somehow, it seemed like everyone I loved was leaving me.

3 days later at the funeral,

I don’t know how much I cried. The past few days were so blur to me. It seemed as if I drank too much and passed out for 3 days. The room was full of people but I’ve never felt so lonely. Why did I have to go through that again? I wish I could run away, I didn’t want to hear them say they were sorry for me, how my father was a good man, how I was going to be ok…How could I be fine without my parents?

All day, all I did was bowing to everyone and nodded at everything they said. I barely registered what my uncle told me, how he was going to take care of me,

how I could move in with them. I feel touched and grateful, but…I just didn’t know what to do. My mind was too blank to think.

When I thought everyone had left already, a middle-aged couple approached me. “Miss. Hwang?” the elder man spoke. “Please accept our condolences”

“Thank you…” I replied for the thousand times.

“I am Mr. Kim, your father childhood’s friend” his eyes were teary.

I remembered my father talking about his old friend, telling me their adventures when they were still kids. There was something about this man’s eyes. I swear I have seen them before.

“We can only imagine how hard it must be for you right now. Please, stay strong” such a soft voice, so motherly like. I knew they were nice people.

After excusing themselves, I saw them having a small conversation with my uncle; he even gave them his number.

What was going on?

Later that evening at the Kim’s residence,

Yuri’s POV

“So, your parents came back today?” I asked my best friend as we were playing Mario Kart.

“Early this morning”

“Where…are they…YEAH! I WON!” I screamed, standing up. We were even now. I just hate losing against Taeyeon.

“Babo, it’s only the beginning. The next trip is definitely your treat” she said with that stupid smirk on her face.

“This weekend? You’re not gonna stay with your parents? By the way, where are they?” I questioned her while carefully choosing my next racer.

“Wow, are you a journalist now? And stop taking my player! Let me the mushroom! Dammit!” she then started hitting me and trying to steal my controller, to cancel my choice.

How I wish I could record her in those moments, when she exactly looks like a 5 year old kid.

“They were out since this morning. Personal matters or something”

“And how long are they staying in Seoul?”

“I don’t know, haven’t talked to them yet”

“By the way, did you hear about Hwang Tiffany? Her dad passed away this week, on the first day of class. That’s why she didn’t attend school these days”

“Instead of gossiping, you better spend some time practicing at this game if you want to have a chance against me” she smirked, again.

Just because her mushroom was leading. But there were still 6 laps left…I could do it!

“I wasn’t gossiping. Everyone just knows about it...”

“Why do you even care? You don’t know her”

“I feel sad for her…she is all alone now. I heard that her mother died 6 years ago from a car accident, and now her father…”

“…”

“I admire her. She keeps on smiling even though she might feel really sad”

“Hey Kwon Yuri. Do you happen to like that girl?”

“I don’t…but...if you want to know who I happen to be interested in…” I actually

wanted her to ask me…I wanted to tell Taeyeon about HER.

“No. I don’t wanna know. Keep it for yourself” she responded quickly.

“Ya! Aren’t you my best friend? You should listen and help. Useless kid!”

“Aish…I don’t wanna know your story. You’re always too dramatic and cheesy for me. It gives me goose bumps” Taeyeon said as she faked shivering.

“OH really? Then…tell me…are you…having goose… bumps now that I have BEATEN U!!!!!!! I WON AGAIN! U LOST! YOUHOU” I was jumping up and down on her couch, screaming my head off.

“Aish…you and your stupid talking distracted me!” she threw the controller away.

“So, this weekend…what about Japan?” I asked happily.

“Whatever” obviously, she was angry.

“Come on, don’t be such a bad sport!” I teased her.

“I’m not! Anyway, let’s go out and eat something. I’m hungry” she said while grabbing her keys.

“I told my parents I’ll be back for dinner. Why don’t you eat here? Your parents might be back for dinner as well”

“So boring, I’ll go out, call you later” she said while leaving the room.

“Oh Taeyeon-ah!!!!!” I screamed out. I saw her annoyed face coming back and standing at the door. “Hmmm…I forgot to tell you something. It’s really important. I don’t know how I should say it…you see…the thing is…I WON TONIGHT! U LOSER! HAHAHAHA” I needed to enjoy this victory. I lost the last 10 weeks.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes, sighed then left the room. I was impressed at how she controlled herself; it must have been hard for her to not break anything. All in all, it was a great evening. I just won a free trip to Japan this weekend.

But something was bothering me though…Why did her parents came back?

Around 9pm at the Han River,

Tiffany’s POV

I’ve been wandering around for hours before coming here. I liked this place, it was quiet and reposing. I just liked looking at the river…it appeased me. I was at home earlier, but…I couldn’t stand it…it was just too hard to be sitting in this apartment and knowing…that my father wasn’t coming back. What was I going to do with all his belongings? What about the apartment? How was I going to deal with all this? I couldn’t help but started crying…

“Hey pretty girl! Are you alone?” I turned around and saw this guy coming toward me.

I should have stayed at home…

“Do you need some company?” he said as he was coming closer.

“I…I…I…really have to go” I stuttered, trying to get away.

But as I was walking passed him, he grabbed my arm and pulled me against him. I wanted to scream for help but the sound wasn’t coming out, I was too exhausted to fight back. He pushed me against the rail and told me how pretty I was, how he wanted to kiss me. I tried harder to break free but there was no chance. I could only close my eyes and wait, wait for a miracle.

*Broken bottle noises*

I opened my eyes when I heard this noise. The guy was lying on the ground and wasn’t moving. His head was bleeding and there were shattered glasses all around. And there she was, standing in front of me, a broken bottle in her hand.

Kim Tae Yeon

Compare to her fight the other day, her face was calmer, she didn’t look angry. Before I could say anything, she threw the bottle at the guy, turned around and left.

I was still in shock, I didn’t want to be left alone but I couldn’t move either. I stood

there and watched as she walked away.

I didn’t know if it was her conscience kicking in at that time but she stopped and paused for awhile. I guessed she was thinking of what she should do with me. I then saw her making a phone call as she was walking to the sidewalk, where her car was parked. Like a kid, I decided to go near her and wait.

It was a really awkward situation, for no reason, I felt tensed and nervous. I wanted to thank her for saving me but the words wouldn’t come out.

5 min later, a cab stopped in front of us. So that was what she did…called a taxi to take me home.

“Just-” she started to say when her phone went off.

She walked away to answer the call. I didn’t know if I should get on the car and leave or wait for her. I picked the latter. She was Kim Tae Yeon after all; I would only get on her nerves if I stay.

I was opening the cab’s door when I heard my name. “Hwang Mi Young?!”

“Yes?” I responded.

It was Taeyeon. She closed her phone and walked toward me. She then stopped right in front of me, and for the second time in not even a week, she looked into my eyes.

“Who are you?” her voice was so soft and clear…and not scary at all. Quite relaxing actually.

“Huh?”

“How do you know my parents?”

“Huh, what?”

“Whatever…come with me” she said. She walked over to the taxi driver and said something to him. The driver looked quite annoyed as he drove off. I guessed she called him for nothing.

“Get in” Taeyeon told me as she walked to her car. And once again, like a kid, I simply followed her.

“Hum…Where are we going?” I shyly asked her once we were in the car. I still didn’t dare to look at her. Even though I know she wouldn’t hurt me, Taeyeon was still very intimidating.

“…to my house” she simply answered.

“Oh…WHAT?!?!” It came out way louder than it was supposed to. I think…I even saw her jumped on her seat.

Chapter 4A – Where it all began…

On the way to the Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

We have been driving for 10 minutes now. As expected, none of us talked. To distract myself from this really awkward situation, I looked closely at her car. It was a silver Mercedes car. Inside were all leathers, of course. Instead of the CD/Radio player, it was a medium LCD screen that worked as a GPS and mp3 player. There was even a small keyboard attached to it. I wouldn’t be surprised if she could go online with it as well.

I tried to look at Taeyeon from the corner of my eyes. Her face was serious and her eyes never left the road. I could tell her skin was soft and white, like baby skin. I think she also had baby-fat. I don’t know why but at that time, I felt the urge to pinch her cheeks.

But I didn’t do it though…I was not that creepy.

I ended up looking through the window as the scenery was changing from the tall business buildings to residential houses.

15 minutes later, the car finally stopped in front of a house’s gate. As the gate’s doors opened, I saw it. It was a magnificent mansion. The white columns made it looks like the White House. As we were driving through the yard, I saw the

fountains and the different sorts of flowers in the garden. Everything looked so beautiful and I wondered why Taeyeon wasn’t living there anymore. This place was so nice.

"So…This is where Taeyeon grew up?" I thought as I was looking at that beautiful mansion, right in front of me.

The Kim’s Residence,

I followed Taeyeon as she walked into the house. The main door was already opened by a maid, who welcomed us warmly. If the exterior was stunning then I don’t know how I can describe the interior of the mansion. The entrance was round shape and facing the main door was a mini-elevator, kind of like a tube and made of glasses. On both side of the elevator were 2 staircases leading to the 1st floor. At each side of the entrance, there was a door leading to another part of the house. The lights were bright and shiny, as if the sun was right above us.

“Where are my parents?” Taeyeon asked the maid once we stepped inside.

She replied in a soft and polite voice “Mr. and Mrs. Kim are in the kitchen, Miss Taeyeon”

Miss Taeyeon…hearing it was so weird.

Taeyeon then walked through the door at the left of the entrance, which led us to the kitchen and dining room.

As I entered, I saw a man and a woman cooking something. When the man turned to look at us, I recognized him from this morning at the funeral.

“Mr. Kim?!” I bluntly said.

“Ah! Mi Young, you’re here” he said, giving me a warm smile. His wife laughed at my reaction and smiled at me.

What was my father’s childhood friend doing here? In Taeyeon’s house?

Were they…it couldn’t be…

“I brought her here like you asked. I’m going to bed now” Taeyeon said, ready to leave.

“Why don’t you stay Taengoo? Daddy and I made some soup”

I couldn’t believe they were really her parents, and they even knew my father. And Taengoo? I also couldn’t believe a cold person like her had such a cute nickname.

“Just take a seat for now. I have something to discuss with you two” her father said and even though he didn’t sound angry, I knew Taeyeon could only obey him.

Taeyeon sat down at the dining table, “please go straight to the point, I have school tomorrow” she said.

“Mi Young, do you want some soup? It’s healthy before sleeping” her mother gently asked me.

I couldn’t refuse, especially since I haven’t eaten the whole day. Taeyeon’s mother then gave each of us a bowl of soup. She also gave Taeyeon a huge bowl. Really, it was HUGE! And to my surprise, she actually ate it, without complaining. At that moment, I thought that she was still her parents’ baby after all.

While we were eating, her parents asked me some questions about my life; how was school, my hobbies, if I liked to travel, etc. Pretty usual questions for a first dinner. We happily talked about food while Taeyeon just ate quietly. Not paying any attention to us.

After we’ve finished eating, I helped Taeyeon’s mother cleaned up the table. I could see Taeyeon being annoyed; she was obviously waiting for her father to tell us why in the world I was in their house.

“We’re done eating. What are you waiting for?” an annoyed Taeyeon asked.

Her father’s face turned serious. He then looked at his wife, like asking for her approval. She simply nodded and offered me a comforting smile.

This only made me more nervous. What was going to happen?

“Well, I’ll go straight to the point then…” started her father “we want you two to get married”

*SILENCE*

“Huh?”

I looked at Taeyeon, expecting her to scream or break something but she didn’t even move an inch.

“I know it sounds sudden but we have put a lot of thought into it” he calmly said.

Sudden? Just sudden? I could think of more than thousands words that would be more suitable to describe this bomb that Mr. Kim has just thrown on us.

“Mi Young…your father has just passed away and I’m sure…”

“Do you pity me?” I cut him off.

“We want to take care you…I want to…” he stopped “Your father was a brother to me”

“He hasn’t seen you for years…” I replied.

It was true. As much as my father talked about this anonymous childhood friend of his, I’ve never seen him nor saw any pictures.

“Even though we lost contact and haven’t seen each other for years. The feelings

haven’t changed. I know he would have wanted me to take care of you”

“I…I admit that I’m really scared right now. I don’t know what tomorrow is made of but getting married? To someone I’ve never really talked to before?” I looked at Taeyeon who still hasn’t moved…why wasn’t she protesting?

“You two can have time to know each other of course. We were thinking about that actually. Mi Young, why don’t you move in with Taeyeon starting tomorrow? That will help you two get closer” He was serious…too serious for my liking.

And still, Taeyeon didn’t show any reaction. Her parents wanted me to move in with her and she had nothing to say? I stared at her, probably a stupid expression on my face.

Her father talked again “I have talked to your uncle. They won’t refuse if you accept it. They’re living outside of the city, I don’t think you really want to move away and change school”

“But I…” It came out as a whisper.

“We understand that it’s not easy for you. We really do” said her mother.

“Your father wouldn’t have wanted you to marry someone you don’t love. That’s why we’re only asking you to move in with Taeyeon for the time being”

“Wait…I’m lost…you want us to live together or get married?” I was too confused.

“For now, we want you to live with Taengoo. I know you’re a big girl but it is not advised for you to be living on your own. Taeyeon has been living independently for a while now so she can take care of you. Besides, there is enough room at her apartment.” Her father said

“I don’t think Taeyeon…” I tried to say.

“I’m sure she’ll love having some company” added her mother while looking at Taeyeon.

“…” Taeyeon hasn’t said anything since that discussion started. Her face was like usual. Blank.

“Taengoo, you know how we want you to come and live with us in New York?” asked her father.

Finally, Taeyeon came out of her silence “Are you trading with me?” she asked, looking straight into her father’s eyes. “If I don’t get married then I have to follow you to New York? Do you really have to do this” Her eyes looked hurt.

“1 year. It is your senior year now. Just focus on your studies and do as we proposed and we can figure it out later” said her father

“…I don’t understand…” I said.

“1 year?” I heard her asked “I do as you want for 1 year then I’m free?”

Was she serious? Are we really going to live together?

“One day before your graduation day. You can tell me then what is your last decision” stated her father

“What does that change? Now or next year? You know nothing will change” Taeyeon sighed.

“A lot can happen in one year. You can get to know each other better and by next year, it would be easier for us to let Mi Young live by herself if you two happen to go on your separate ways” this time it was her mother. Her soft voice made it sound so simple.

“I can tell you now that my decision won’t change, I’ll never marry her” Taeyeon firmly said.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kim…I’m really touched by your gesture but…” I started to say.

“Listen, all we’re asking you two right now is to move in together. From then, you can do whatever you want. And next year, we’ll see how it went” her father explained “It’s up to you Mi Young, if you want to move in with your relatives then we can’t stop you”

Her mother looked at me, her eyes were compassionate and warm “I admit…I wish you will be my daughter-in-law one day”

“But…You don’t even know me” I stated.

“A mother knows who would be suit for their child. I can feel you’re a special girl Mi Young. It would be a blessing to have you in our family”

“…Thank you…” I shyly said.

“So what do you two think?” her father asked us, his face was serious but calm.

“Whatever” Taeyeon said while standing up. She was about to leave the kitchen when her father reminded her.

“Please make a copy of your apartment’s keys. Mi Young will move in tomorrow” her father said, but Taeyeon just left the kitchen.

“Hmm…I don’t think this is a good idea Mr. Kim” I said, afraid of how Taeyeon would really react if I move in.

“If it’s about Taeyeon, don’t worry. She is not as cold as she seems” her father reassured me.

“Fine, its settle then” he said as he stood up. “I think you better sleep here tonight. And don’t worry for the apartment; we’ll take care of it while you’re in school” with that, he wished me goodnight.

“Come Mi Young, I’ll show you your room” her mother gently said as she held my hand.

I didn’t sleep that night, obviously, how could I sleep? I just couldn’t believe what was happening to me. One day, I was just a normal girl going to school and hanging out with my friends and now? I was sleeping on a huge bed, in a huge room and in that mansion that even if I worked my whole life wouldn’t be able to buy. But most of all, from tomorrow onward, I was going to share an apartment with Kim Tae Yeon…From all the people in this world, why Kim Tae Yeon?

It was with that question that my eyes closed…Nothing will be the same anymore…

Chapter 4B – Under The Same Roof

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

This morning, I woke up to the sound of someone knocking on my door. It took me awhile to realize I wasn’t on my own bed. No, I wasn’t in my apartment. I was in Kim Tae Yeon’s family mansion! One of the maids woke me up for breakfast. I followed her to the dining room. I was glad she led the way because it was just

impossible to not get lost in there. Breakfast was already served but I was the only one there. The maid told me to eat as I pleased while she went back to cleaning the kitchen.

“Hmmm…excuse me…?” I didn’t know how to call her.

She stopped her cleaning and turned to me “Yes? Can I help you with anything Miss Hwang?”

“Where is everyone?” I asked.

“Mr. and Mrs. Kim left for the company and Miss Tae Yeon went with them” she simply answered.

So they all left already. Why was Taeyeon going to her parents’ office so early in the morning?

“But you don’t have to worry Miss Hwang. Mr. Kim has arranged a car for you. It will drive you to school”

“Drive me to school? Wow…” I simply said.

SoWon High School,

I’ve just gotten out of the car. I especially asked the driver to drop me off as far as possible from the school’s gate as I didn’t want to draw attention on me. He also

told me he would pick me up after school.

So I was really going to move in with Taeyeon today…for REAL.

“Oh Fany-ah!” I saw Hyoyeon and Sooyoung running toward to me

“Hello everyone!” I said smiling.

They looked at each other, unsure of what to say. “How are you feeling?” asked Sooyoung.

“I’m alright, don’t worry” I smiled.

It still hurt, of course, it hasn’t been a week yet and as surprising as it might be, I was coping with it. I had to be positive and believe that everything was going to be alright.

As the three of us walked in class, I saw Taeyeon at her desk, looking through the window, like she always does. I couldn’t help but think about my current situation. I was going to live with this person…for at least ONE YEAR! How in the world was I supposed to do this?

“Hey guys! Where is Sica?” Hyoyeon asked us as we sat down.

“Don’t ask, it’s Sica” replied Sooyoung who was eating a rice ball.

“She is going to be late” I said as our teacher entered the class.

At the same time, outside of SoWon High School,

Jessica’s POV

“Aigoo, I’m late again this morning. Stupid public transportation, I better sue them next time” I complained to myself.

I should have run to the school but then…since when do I run? Nope, I just could take my time; the door was probably closed already. No need to rush.

I was walking at my rhythm when something caught my attention. Someone was trying to climb the wall next to the Tennis court. It was a girl with long black hair, she was quite tall but was still having some difficulties to climb the wall. Every time she would jump, grab the edge of the wall and tried to pull herself up but fail. Then she’ll start again. I started to find it amusing…until she turned around and noticed me.

“OH!!! Jung Soo Yeon!!!!!” she yelled and waved at me.

Great…just great...

“Wait!!! Can you come here please??? I need your help!” Yuri said as I was about to walked away.

“What do you want?” I asked her annoyed.

I don’t even know why I asked her…I should have simply ignored her.

She grabbed my hand and pulled me toward the wall, and though there was no one around us, she still whispered to me, “we’re late and the gate is closed”

“The gate is already closed…” I wasn’t really asking her, more thinking for myself.

“Yeah, the gate is closed that’s why-”

“I’m gonna go back and sleep” I said, once again, more to myself.

“Huh? You’re not going to sneak in?” she told me, like it was the most natural thing to do, sneak in.

“…” I simply stared at her, she should have understood by the look on my face that there was no way I would do that.

“Come on Soo Yeon, we can help each other get in” she said happily.

“Jessica, call me Jessica” I started to get annoyed with the Soo Yeon thing.

“Jessica? Like your friends call you?”

“Huh? If you knew my English name, why did you keep calling me Soo Yeon?” I said surprised.

“I know that only your friends call you by your English name and since we’re not friends…I didn’t know if you would mind or not” Yuri answered.

It was sweet. I didn’t expect her answer to be like this. She really seemed sincere and nice…but it couldn’t be right? There is always something wrong behind a sweet smile…I knew too well.

I got annoyed again. “Anyway, do whatever you want. I’m leaving”

“Wait, wait! You can’t leave, you can’t skip school!” she reminded me.

She got a point there. I couldn’t really skip school anymore since I wasn’t paying any attention in class…

“What’s your plan then?” I finally asked her.

“Here is the thing. You help me get on this wall then it will be my turn to help you”

“No, you helped me first”

“What? But…” she tried to protest.

“No discussion” I glared at her, she didn’t tried to complain.

Yuri helped me get on the wall and once I was sitting on it, she threw me my bag.

I was about to help her when I got a funny idea. “I’m sorry…” I told her.

“Huh? What?” Yuri looked up as I jumped down the other side.

“Jessica?!?! Wait!! JESSICA!!!” I could hear her scream.

“Today isn’t a bad day after all” I smiled to myself as I walked toward the school.

Yuri’s POV

“I can’t believe this…I just can’t…” I kept on repeating to myself.

What did I do to deserve this?

“AHHH!! Just because mom forgot to wake me up this morning!” I whined but no one was around to comfort me.

That’s when I realized what had just happened. That only memory brought a smile to my face.

“She told me to call her Jessica…what a beautiful name…Jessica” I smiled sheepishly.

End of school, S1 High School

Tiffany’s POV

It was finally there…the time for me to move in my new apartment. I knew the driver was already waiting for me, exactly where he dropped me off but I had to get away from my friends first before I could join him.

“Huh guys, I’m not going with you. I have something to do” I informed them.

“Where are you going? Don’t stay alone Fany-ah, let’s hang out” Sooyoung said while hugging me.

“I’m fine, really. I just…need to do something on my own today” I tried to convince them.

“There is really nothing that we can do?” Hyoyeon asked me. I shook my head. “Fine then but call us if you need anything!” she gave me a hug then drag Sooyoung away.

Sica who stayed behind asked me “What’s going on? You were weird all day”

“Me? No. YOU were weird all day and you came in late. How did you get in by the way?” I quickly asked her. Gosh. Sica and her sixth sense.

“…Whatever. I’m leaving” she suddenly said.

“HUH?” Ok…that was the Sica Effect.

After I was sure that my friends were out of sight, I walked to my meeting place. The driver was already there, of course. He opened the back door for me and I was surprised to see Mrs. Kim inside.

She told me she was going to accompany me to my old apartment for one last time and then she would go with me to Taeyeon’s place. I felt a little bit better knowing I wasn’t going to do this alone.

Tiffany’s apartment,

After a short ride, we arrived at my apartment with Mrs. Kim. It felt really weird being there again. As crazy as it may sound, I knew I would feel better in another apartment. At least for now.

As I entered my room, I got shocked. It was completely empty. Mrs. Kim informed me that they had already moved everything from my room to Taeyeon’s place. I don’t know how they did it but I was happy it was already done. It would have been too hard to choose what to take and what to throw away.

“What will happen to the rest of the stuff?” I asked Taeyeon’s mom.

“Don’t worry about it, we’ll stock everything somewhere. No one will touch them” she reassured me.

Before I left the apartment, I made sure to take our family photo albums with me.

And for once last time, I closed the door to this apartment, where I grew up. For an unknown reason, I didn’t feel sad, instead, I felt relieved.

Around 6pm at Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I spent all day wandering at home because of Jessica…Ah…Jessica…Jessica and her doll face, Jessica and her cute octopus hair, Jessica and her cold attitude…Jessica…

“Hey babo! I’m talking to you” Taeyeon called me, broking my little daydreaming. “Why are you looking like an idiot?” she asked while eating her rice balls.

“You wanna know? You really wanna know? Don’t regret it once I tell you” I excitedly said.

“Actually NO, I don’t wanna know”

“KIM TAE YEON!” I screamed while stealing her rice ball as she was to put it in her mouth.

I shouldn’t have done that…

“KWON YURI! Stop bullying little Taengoo!” my mom scolded me.

She was bringing more rice balls that she made sure to give to Taeyeon only. “So my Taengoo, how was your day?” she asked Taeyeon while patting her head.

“It was a fine day, more productive than Yuri’s at least” she laughed.

“I know. Yuri forgot to wake up this morning. Bad Yuri” my mom walked up to me and spanked my butt.

“MOM! Please, don’t do that, I’m a big girl now” I whined, embarrassed.

“My poor little thing, there is only Taengoo here, don’t be shy!” my mom started tickled me. “Taengoo, are you staying for dinner? I’ll cook your favorite dish!”

“I’d love to auntie, but I can’t tonight. I have to go home soon” Taeyeon made a sad face; she loves my mom’s cooking.

My mom gave Taeyeon a hug. “Next time then” she squeezed Taengoo then walked out of my room. “And Yul, go take a shower before dinner…and do your homework too!” she said while leaving.

I turned to Taeyeon. “What’s going on with you?” I asked her.

“Me? Nothing is going on, why?” she acted surprised.

“I know you. Come on. Spill the beans!” I urged her. “I know you’re hiding something from me. Taengoo-ah!!! TELL ME!!!” I squeezed her.

Her face then turned serious. “So who do you like Yuri?” she asked me

The time has finally come…

“Omona Taengoo!! You really wanna know??? I’m so touched…” I faked crying.

“So who is she???” she really sounded like she wanted to know.

I started to walk dramatically toward the window, looking at the dark night, I began. “She is…a beautiful girl. Her appearance might look cold but I know she as sweet as honey. Her smile is…well, I’ve never seen her smile before but I bet it’s gorgeous. And her voice, wow, so icy but hot” I turned to Taeyeon. “Ah, Taengoo, try to ima…”

My jaw dropped...I coudln’t believe it…I fell for her stupid trap again…AHHHHHHH!!!! KIM TAE YEON!!! How could she simply leave me here like an idiot, talking to myself? Stupid Taengoo!!!

Around 7pm at Taeyeon’s apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

It’s been 2 hours since I moved in Taeyeon’s apartment. I had the incredible surprise of seeing my new room, twice bigger than my old room and with all my furniture in it. I even have a private bathroom now. I was touched that they tried to

recreate my old bedroom into this one. It will help me feel more comfortable I guess.

Taeyeon’s apartment is just awesome. The living room and kitchen are in the same area. She even has a beautiful white piano next to the chimney. The couch is facing a wide LCD screen and I think she is into video games because she has all the game consoles display there. Everything is so organized and clean in her apartment. I have to be careful not to be too messy from now on.

I helped Taeyeon’s mother cook even though I’m really bad at cooking. We were chatting until we heard the front door opening. It was Taeyeon. She greeted her mother and went into her room.

Mrs. Kim offered me a comfort smile. “I apologize for her behavior, I wish she could be more sociable” her mother told me.

“It’s fine, Mrs. Kim. I don’t mind” It was true; I didn’t really care, even though it made me really uncomfortable to not be able to talk to her.

“Please Mi Young, you can call me auntie. Mrs. Kim sounds so distant” she said with a smile.

“Then please call me Tiffany! I like it better than Mi Young…” I laughed; I was really starting to feel comfortable around her.

When I thought that Taeyeon was being a cold loner, she came out of her room and set the table. The bad girl was setting the table. I was truly shocked. After she was

done, she sat down on the couch and turned on the TV.

30 minutes later, the dinner was served. I was about to sat down when auntie told us she was leaving. Her husband was still at the office so she was going to go there and wait for him. I thought it was sweet.

I walked auntie to the door as she gave me some support. “Don’t worry Tiffany-ah, give her some time to warm up to you. Taeyeon is a nice girl, she just needs times” she gave me a hug before leaving.

Then, I was all alone in an apartment with Taeyeon…What should I do? I went back to the dining table and sat down. She was eating her rice while watching TV. I was glad that the TV was on because the silence would have killed me.

I knew she was an introvert and never talked to anyone so I thought that maybe, I should be the one making the first step. “So Taeyeon, how was your day?” I tried to start a conversation.

“…” her eyes were glued on the screen.

“OK…that was embarrassing… Pheww…its ok Fany, her mother said she needs time. Don’t get angry Fany…don’t” I calmed myself. I tried to talk to her again. “Your apartment is really nice, thank you for letting me stay here” I looked at her. I didn’t really have time to thank her since yesterday.

“…”

Ok that was really killing me. I know I shouldn’t have exploded but it was really hard to stay calm. “YA! I’m talking to you! Do you know it’s rude to not answer a person’s question?” I screamed at her. She was definitely shocked at my reaction, she startled a bit.

“You…” she started to say but then paused. “…whatever”

She was really killing me…how could someone be so cold and quiet? I thought Sica was the worst cases…guess I was wrong.

10 minutes later, we were done eating and I started cleaning up…until she stopped me.

“I’ll do it” she told me while grabbing the bowl I was holding…I don’t know why she doesn’t speak more often…her voice is so soft…

“No, I’m living in your house, I should do it” I said while taking the bowl back from her.

She grabbed my bowl again. “I said I’ll do it” this time she sounded annoyed.

“Nooooooooo let me do it!!!!” I whined.

I startled her again. She made a weird face while I was whining, like a disgusted face. Even though it must have been negative, I found it cute…She let go of the bowl and sighed. “Whatever…” she said her usual word then went to her room. “Turn off the lights when you’re done” she reminded me before closing her door.

“Goodnight…” I said as the door closed. I washed the dishes, cleaned the table then turn off all the lights.

I went back to my room, took a hot shower, put on my pajamas and did my homework. After finishing my homework, I went to bed. But I couldn’t fall asleep as I wanted to. It was probably the new environment that disturbed me. I couldn’t help but think about the girl sleeping in the other room. I was sleeping under the same roof as Kim Tae Yeon.

For the next hours, I kept on rolling on my bed from side to side but still couldn’t sleep. I even tried to listen to some music to help me but it didn’t work. Finally, I decided to go watch some TV, falling asleep in front of the TV was quite easy.

It was nearly 2am when I opened the door of my room. There was a small light coming from the kitchen which made me feel scared…what if it was a ghost??? I walked really really slowly out of my room to the kitchen.

“Taeyeon?” I whispered as I looked in the kitchen, where the light was coming from.

There she was…Kim Tae Yeon, standing in front of the opened fridge and drinking a glass of water in a…KERORO PAJAMAS!!! Taeyeon was like a little frog from head to toes. She was wearing keroro pajamas, by that, I mean; it was green with keroro heads all over the pajamas…and with that, she was also wearing green slippers with a huge keroro on them…She was only missing a keroro mask then her Halloween costume would be ready.

She didn’t seem to have noticed me though. “Hmmm Taeyeon?” I called her. No reaction. “Ya Kim Tae Yeon! Don’t you remember what I said earlier???” I scolded her. Still nothing. She was still standing there, drinking her water.

When she was done, she put her glass on the sink, closed the fridge’s door and went back to her room. That was when I understood.

“SHE IS SLEEPWALKING??? KIM TAE YEON IS SLEEPWALKING!!! Oh my god!!!” I shouted out shocked. I couldn’t believe I witnessed such a thing…the school‘s little rebel is a sleepwalker and keroro lover! If only I could tell the others!!!

That night, I couldn’t sleep for another hour, too excited of what I saw. It really made my day…or night better. I didn’t know why but, I felt as if this whole living with Taeyeon thing…was going to be better than I thought.

Chapter 5 – My New Tutor

Morning at TaeNy’s apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I was so tired. I must have slept 4 hours only last night; all because of Taeyeon and her keroro pajamas. I should have taken a picture. Why didn’t I take a picture of her in her cute pajamas? With much difficulty, I dragged my sleepy body to the bathroom.

15 minutes later, I was fully changed and ready for this new day.

As I walked out of my room, I bumped into my roommate. “Oh…good morning Taeyeon” I offered her a smile.

“…” She simply stared at me then left for school without a single word.

I stand there and looked at her. At that moment, I wanted to scream and tell her how I saw her wearing a keroro pajamas but I held it in. It was better to not to make it worse.

When I went to the kitchen, I had the great surprise of see food on the table. Taeyeon cooked breakfast.For me. That little kid was definitely surprising. I sat down and enjoyed my breakfast.

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

“Ah…I made it in time, today!” I congratulated myself.

I parked my car and walked to the school. On my way there, I saw one of Jessica’s friends arguing at a food stand. I could hear her explaining how she didn’t have enough money or something. I walked to them.

“Ahjussi! I told you I have to go to school now but I will come back and pay you later. I have to borrow money from my friends; I don’t have enough money on me now.” Sooyoung explained

“What are you saying? You have to pay me now!!!” He screamed at her.

I walked to her. ”Hey, is everything ok?” I asked.

She looked at me and her eyes went wide, then she stuttered. “O…o…o…h…K…w…on…Yu…ri???”

I didn’t understand why she was so shocked, like scared of me. “Yeah I’m Yuri, are you okay?” I asked her again.

She seemed to have calm down a bit. “No…I don’t have enough money to pay for the food and this ahjussi doesn’t want to let me go”

“This little kid kept on eating for the last 30 minutes and now she says she doesn’t have enough money!” he said then grabbed Sooyoung’s wrist to stop her from leaving.

“I told you! I’ll ask some money from my friends then I’ll pay you after school!” she was trying to get away from the man’s grip.

“Let her go, I’ll pay you” I finally said.

After paying the guy, Sooyoung thanked me and we both walked to school together.

“Ah thank you so much Yuri! I will pay you back tomorrow, promise!” she told me.

“It’s okay, don’t bother about it. I’m happy that I could help you” she is Jessica’s friend after all. It’s like I was helping Jessica indirectly. That thought made me smiled.

Ah…Jessica…Jessica’s eyes, Jessica’s mouth, Jessica’s little nose, Jessica’s small hands…Jessica…

This time, it wasn’t Taeyeon’s voice but Sooyoung’s that broke my wonderful daydreaming, especially after I heard Jessica’s name. “...I don’t understand why Jessica doesn’t believe you’re a nice girl” I heard her.

“OMG Jessica talked about me?!?!?! Wow…phew…I have to calm to down…play

it cool…” I muttered to myself. I tried to act naturally and like I didn’t care at all then asked Sooyoung, as calmly as possible. “What did you say?”

“It’s just Jessica! I…I know you’re very nice” She smiled at me, at little too much though.

“Oh..okay…” Gosh, I was too scared to ask her more about Jessica.

Then out of nowhere, Sooyoung made my day.

“Yuri…why don’t you hang out with us?” She asked me “I mean, you’re often alone when Taeyeon isn’t around”

“OF COURSE!” I couldn’t hide my excitement. Sooyoung! My new hero!

“Oh really? You wouldn’t mind hanging out with us?” She looked really surprised. I guess she didn’t expect me to say yes.

“Sure! You and your friends look really nice!” I said. Especially Jessica…ahh…Jessica…

“Great! We can eat lunch today then! I’m sure they’ll be happy if you join us” She happily said.

I smiled like an idiot. “Believe me, I’m the one who’s really REALLY happy” I told her.

Today was such a beautiful day…

Later at lunch time,

I was so excited when the bell rang. It was FINALLY lunch time! I was waiting since this morning. I was going to eat with Jessica! Even in my dream I didn’t think of that. The only problem was Taengoo.I knew she wouldn’t come with us. Aish, the problem when you had a loner for a friend.

I walked to Taeyeon with our lunchboxes. “Taeyeon what if we eat with Sooyoung and her friends today?” I tried to make it sound fun, not that it would change anything.

She stared at me. “Why would I do that?”

“There are millions of reasons but I’ll only give you one” I looked at her. “To make friends” It was a bad reason actually, at least for Taeyeon.

“Whatever…” she said. She then stood up and left with her lunchbox.

Sooyoung was waiting for me. She told me that the others were already out, near the soccer field. The weather was nice so they wanted to eat outside. We left the class with Sooyoung and went to join her friends.

5 min later, we arrived at their lunch place. It was just next to the soccer field, on the grass. They put a blanket there and were sitting in a circle with their lunches. I

could see Jessica as we walked toward them. She had a sleepy expression on her face as she was eating her food. She was so beautiful and with the shiny sun, her whole body was glowing.

“Hey everyone! Yuri is going to eat with us today!” Sooyoung told her friends once we approached them.

They all looked at me. Jessica with an annoyed face, Hyoyeon curious and Tiffany surprised.

“Hi! Nice to meet you all. I’m Kwon Yuri!” I cheerfully introduced myself.

Tiffany was the first one to greet me. “Nice to meet you Yuri! I’m Hwang Mi Young but please call me Tiffany!” she smiled. I knew we’ll get along with Tiffany. She really seemed like a nice girl.

Hyoyeon also introduced herself, only Jessica remained quiet.

“Please excuse our Ice Princess there, she’s too lazy to talk” Tiffany laughed. That reminded me of my friendship with Taeyeon, how I will often speak on her behalf.

“It’s okay, we already know each other” I bluntly said.

“What? You two know each other?” a shocked Sooyoung asked.

“I don’t know her” Jessica answered as soon as the question was asked.

Okay…that was harsh…and cold…but gosh, she was still so HOT looking.

We then happily ate our lunch and talked about trivial things. I really had a great time with them.

As we were packing up, Tiffany suddenly asked me. “Oh Yuri, where is Taeyeon?”

“Hmm…Taeyeon? I don’t know where she went. She likes being alone sometimes so…” I made out an excuse. I knew exactly where Taeyeon was but I couldn’t tell her. “Are you looking for Taeyeon?” I asked her.

“No! I was just wondering since you’re always together. Ha ha ” she laughed nervously before changing the topic.

Weird…

As the others were walking back to class, Jessica was lagging behind. I took this opportunity to stay with her.

“So Jessica, what are you going to do this weekend?” I asked her…gosh, I sound like a stalker.

“Nothing” she replied coldly.

“Why not? Wanna hang out? It can be fun!”

She looked at me and rolled her eyes. “In your dreams” she said. She then walked faster but stopped immediately. She turned back at me. “You! Walk in front of me. Quick!” She shouted.

I did as she asked even though I didn’t understand. “And don’t look back! Just walk!” She ordered.

Ah~ I could listen to Jessica ordering me every single day…What a cutie.

After school at Honey Dessert,

Tiffany’s POV

Sooyoung and Jessica have been arguing with each other about Yuri since we arrived. I didn’t really pay attention to them as I had my own problems. Today, I had a hard time understanding during our math lesson. Last year, I barely passed with my grade; Math was my biggest weakness in school.

“Hey guys...” I called them but of course, they were too busy arguing that they didn’t hear me.

“You’re really annoying, if you want to hang out with her so much, do it when I’m not around!!!” Jessica scolded Sooyoung.

“What’s your problem? You should be grateful that Yuri saved my life!” Sooyoung replied back.

“She just paid for you, not a big deal! You didn’t need to ask her to hang out with us!” Jessica rolled her eyes.

“Why you don’t like her? Yuri is so nice and friendly…and she’s rich and pretty. So perfect…Yuri-ah…” Sooyoung started day-dreaming; again, she hadn’t stopped since this morning. A pissed off Jessica took her bag and left, she didn’t forget to hit Sooyoung on the head as she walked away.

After exaggerating for a couple of minutes on how much Jessica hurt her, Sooyoung ordered another chocolate smoothie to cheer her up. I tried to get their attention to my problem again. “Guys, what should I do with my Math lessons? I really can’t follow in class” I told them.

Sooyoung got her smoothie so she was of course still not paying any attention to me so I looked at Hyoyeon, waiting for her to help me a little bit. “Too bad we’re not any better than you Fany-ah” Hyoyeon said. They’re really not helping at all.

“I was thinking of getting a tutor but I don’t know who and I don’t really want to pay…” I sighed, I could probably ask another student but they would probably ask for something in return.

Sooyoung then blurted out. “Too bad that you can’t ask Kim Taeyeon.”

“Huh? Why would I ask her?” I was confused.

“Ah Fany-ah, you really know nothing about this school” Hyoyeon spoke. “Kim

Taeyeon is our school number one student”

“What? Since when?” I was shocked. “She never listens in class” I pointed out.

Hyoyeon rolled her eyes and continued. “She has always been the top student since she entered high school. As for Yuri, she is most of the time in the Top3 “ journalist Hyoyeon told us.

Interesting. I thought. So Taeyeon was a smart kid?

The 3 of us left shortly after Jessica, Sooyoung still wanted to eat ice cream but we persuaded her not to. I had to fake taking my usual bus to my old apartment to fool the two of them. I didn’t want them to know about me living with Taeyeon, not now.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

“Ah what a great day, it could have been better if Jessica actually talked to me but I still have many opportunities in the future. Every day we will eat together, I’m so happy!”I talked to myself not noticing that someone has entered my room.

Suddenly, I got hit by a pillow. I turned and looked at her, my beloved little sister. “Ya! That’s how you treat your older sister?” I screamed at her.

She stuck out her tongue at me. “You deserve it, babo!” she said before running away.

“YA! Yoona! Come back here you rude little thing!” I shouted as I chased after her until the kitchen. My mom was cooking and my daddy reading newspapers.

Yoona stopped behind my father and whined. “Appa! Yul wants to hit me!!!” she acted scared. What a good actress, I thought.

I sighed and sat down at the table. “She threw a pillow at me while I was studying…” I pouted.

My sister then made fun of me. “She wasn’t studying. She was mumbling something about a certain Jessica. And her face looked stupid” she laughed.

“Can one of you say something please?" I asked my parents.

My dad spoke up. “Yoona stop teasing your elder sister!” but then he whispered to her “Who is this Jessica?”

Yoona smiled and whispered back “I don’t know but I guess Yul really likes her because she’s always day-dreaming about that girl. Ha ha” then they laughed together.

They really thought I wouldn’t hear it? Sighed~

That little game continued through dinner and until I went to bed. Like with my

sister only it wasn’t enough, my parents had to act like little kids as well. Poor me…

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

When I came back today after school, I found Taeyeon sleeping on the couch. I couldn’t help but studied her sleeping face. Her face was like a baby face, it was a little bit creepy when I saw her eyes though. It looked like they weren’t fully closed. Of course, I had the smart idea of wanting to check whether her eyes were closed or not. So I went closer…closer to her face…

“What are you doing?” she asked me, now her eyes were opened.

I literally jumped away from her and shook my head. “I…I…didn’t do anything! I dropped my phone so I was just…ha ha” I laughed nervously.

Taeyeon was probably still sleepy so she didn’t really think about it, she put on her I-don’t-care-face and went to the kitchen. She took an envelope from the table and gave it to me. “From my parents” she simply said then went back to the kitchen.

I opened the envelope; it was a letter from Taeyeon’s parents. They apologized for not saying goodbye before leaving for New York. They promised to come back as often as possible and wished me good luck with Taeyeon. They also wrote down their phone numbers in case of an emergency. I felt really sad that they left. I was

starting to get really comfortable around Taeyeon’s mother and I didn’t really thank them either, that made me feel bad.

Then I thought about Taeyeon. She didn’t really spend time with her parents since they came back. Most of the time, I was around when she saw them, which wasn’t a lot.

“Taeyeon! Do your parents only stay a few days when they are back?” I asked her. I’ve been wondering how much she actually sees her parents.

She didn’t expect my question. I could feel it wasn’t her favorite topic. “A few days is enough…” she said. I didn’t understand what she meant by that but I felt as if, I shouldn’t ask her more.

“Hmm…Taeyeon-ah, can I ask for a favor?” I sweetly said while facing her at the table.

“No” she immediately answered. She didn’t even think about it.

“What? Wait I didn’t even tell you what it was!” I quickly said “I just need you to help me with mathematics. I don’t want to fail for my last year! PLEASE!!!!” I begged her.

“…No…”

“Aish…why?” I asked angrily.

“Find someone else, I’m busy” she found a stupid excuse.

“Just a few hours per day, I’ll cook for you!” I traded.

She rolled her eyes “You can’t cook…” she told me.

“YA! Who said I can’t cook???” I screamed at her.

“It’s obvious that you can’t…anyway, I said NO” she said annoyed.

She was about to leave when I blurted out. “You’re too busy waking up during the night in your keroro pajamas???” Hehe she had to help me now.

She turned around and looked at me with a shock expression. “What did you say???”

“I saw you sleepwalking in your keroro pajamas last night. It was very cute!!! I even took some pictures for souvenirs!” I said with my brightest smile.

“You’re lying…” she tried to convince herself.

“You’ll see tomorrow if I’m lying. Don’t say I didn’t warn you when the whole school sees it!”

“You…” she sighed…I knew I won this battle.

“YEAH! So it’s settled! You’re my new math tutor Taeyeon! Congratulations!!” I

shout happily while dancing around. I happily waved at her as she closed the door to her room.

“You’re the best Fany!” I praised myself.

If Taeyeon was the smartest student, I shouldn’t have any problem studying with her. I was confident I would definitely improve with her tutoring. And of course, I was hopeful that maybe, through these tutoring sessions, we might get more comfortable around each other and maybe, even become friends. That night, I slept extremely well; things were starting to get a little better every day. I couldn’t ask for more.

Chapter 6 – YulSic Mission!!!

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

It had been a month since I got Taeyeon to be my tutor. Since then, she would help me review what we learned the day in class and also kept an eye on me while I was doing my homework. Asking Taeyeon to help me was a smart decision but I didn’t expect her to be so serious about it.

She was quite scary as a teacher. It was another side of her that I discovered during the past weeks. Sometimes, she would threaten to not let me have dinner if I didn’t finish my homework or if I couldn’t solve a problem that she gave. Her harsh tutoring was having good result though; I could tell that I got much better in this subject.

The only downside was; no more leisure time. I could also tell that my friends were growing suspicious because I would always disappear right after school.

“Hey! Are you done yet?” her cold voice asked me. “Stop dreaming if you’re not done. Its dinner time soon so if you want to eat…” she threatened me.

I couldn’t help but screamed at her. “YA KIM TAEYEON! I’ve been working hard for 1 month now!!! Can’t you go easy on me???”

“I’m working hard as well…be quiet and study” she said, her eyes glued on her Nintendo DS. Yes, that’s what my tutor always did while I had to do my homework…She played games.

“Taeyeon-ah…can we do something fun during next week vacation?” I asked her. I know that Sooyoung and Hyoyeon are out of town with their families. Only Jessica and I didn’t have any plans for now.

“…”

“Taeyeon-ah!!!” I called her while bouncing on my chair.

She sighed. “Be quiet, you’re annoying me” she said.

I pouted. “Taeyeon babo!”

For the past weeks, our relationship consisted of few exchanges. Whenever we talked was because I was complaining to her. Even though we haven’t become best friends or friends, things were definitely getting better, which made me really happy.

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

I could sense that Tiffany was hiding something from me. Every day, she would sneak out after class is over and then disappeared somewhere. Sooyoung and Hyoyeon didn’t notice antything about it but I knew Tiffany too well. She wouldn’t be so crazy about her studies and rushed back home to study, there had to be something. So today after class, I had to follow her.

As expected, as soon as the bell rang, Tiffany picked her bag and stormed out of the class. I, for once, put some effort into my running. Fany wanted to leave so quickly that it wasn’t hard to follow her without being noticed. As I was running after her, I bumped into someone. The shock knocked both of us to the ground.

I didn’t even need to look up to see who it was; her voice was more than familiar.

“Oh Jessica!!! I’m so sorry, are you okay?” she said while pulling me up, and when I said pulled me up, it means grabbing me and putting me on my foot, likes with a child.

“Yah! Can’t you look at where you are going?” I scolded her before remembering my mission. “NO! Where is she??? I lost her because of you!!!” I scolded her again.

“Huh? Who?” she asked confused.

“Tiffany!!!” I started to walk toward the school’s gate but Fany was nowhere to be seen. “Aish~ even my running was good today” I complained.

“You were following Tiffany? How weird! I was following Taeyeon!” she blurted out.

I looked at her. “Why were you following Taeyeon?”

Yuri then explained to me the whole situation with Taeyeon, how she would leave immediately after school and how she stopped coming to Yuri’s house for the past weeks. They mostly saw each other on weekends because of their trip.

So Taeyeon was being as weird as Tiffany for the past weeks. I wondered if they have anything to do with each other.

“Do you think there is something between the two?” she asked me.

I didn’t even have to think about it. “Of course not! Taeyeon is probably the last person Tiffany will hang out with” I said confidently. “Fany doesn’t like people like Taeyeon, heartless and rude”

I thought Yuri would get angry for a second, the look on her eyes told me I shouldn’t be that harsh toward her friend. “Taeyeon isn’t like you guys describe her…” she simply said.

I knew it would be better to drop the subject; obviously, we didn’t have the same opinion about this. “So what are we going to do now that we lost track of them?” I asked her; still angry that I couldn’t follow Fany.

She thought about it. “Well, we can follow them tomorrow! We’ll be better prepared as well and can work efficiently together!” She said happily.

“Why would I work with you? I don’t need to follow Taeyeon” I stated to her.

“You’re right…maybe I can help you follow Tiffany and I’ll follow Taeyeon another day” she proposed.

“Why should I let you help me?”

She immediately said. “I have a car? It’ll be easier to follow Fany if she takes the bus or jump in a car!” it was a good reason…

“Fine, I’ll let you help me” I told her “Be prepared for tomorrow!” I said while walking away.

“Oh Jessica! Wanna hang out now?” She asked me.

I turned around and shouted “IN YOUR DREAMS!” before leaving the school.

The next day in school, Yuri was acting weird all day, she would occasionally look at me and made weird signs that I couldn’t understand. Then during class, she would throw paper at me with messages like ‘I’m ready to follow Tiffany!’ or ‘I can’t wait!’ written on it. She is such a kid I thought.

After our last afternoon class, Yuri and I followed Tiffany as she ran away. I noticed how Taeyeon was still on her seat when we left. So there was no way these two could be seeing each other or something. Yuri and I followed Tiffany outside of school and once there, Fany was being more careful as she walked slowly. What was she hiding?

We were still behind Fany when suddenly she stopped. I didn’t think twice as I pushed Yuri to the side while I stand still. Fortunately, Fany stopped to tie her shoes and after she was done, she walked away. On the other hand, Yuri was less fortunate. I didn’t know really see where I pushed her…she actually fell in the bushes…obviously she wasn’t really happy.

Just before she could scold or scream at me, I changed the topic. “Quick we’re losing Fany!!!” I told her while helping her out of the bushes.

“Aish…I’m so dirty now…my new clothes…” she whined as we stalked Fany again.

This time, both of us stopped and hide behind a car when we saw Tiffany getting on someone’s car. Their backs were facing us so I didn’t know with who she was. But when I turned to look at Yuri, her jaw was dropped and her mouth widely opened.

“What? What? You saw something???” I asked her curiously.

Still with a shock expression, she revealed. “This is…this…is…Taeyeon’s car…”

I didn’t believe her. “You kidding? It can’t be Taeyeon!” It really couldn’t be…

“I know Taeyeon’s car and I definitely know how the back of her head looks like. It is Taeyeon!” she said still looking at the car.

“So now what? Where is your car? We have to follow them!!!” I told her.

Yuri quickly went to take her car as I waited for her. We were really lucky because even though Taeyeon and Fany drove away before Yuri came back, we were still able to spot them afterwards. This time, I told Yuri to be careful because if they saw us then we’re done. After a 10 minutes ride, Taeyeon’s car went into an underground parking.

I didn’t even need to ask that Yuri explained to me. “This is the parking for Taeyeon’s apartment building…” she was still shocked.

“Why is Tiffany going to Taeyeon’s apartment? What’s going on???” I asked Yuri

even though I knew she had no idea as well.

Yuri parked her car outside of the building and we sat there for at least 30 minutes. We didn’t know what to do, too scare to learn the truth I guess.

After what I thought was an eternity, Yuri spoke up “Do you want to go and check?” she asked me.

“Should we? I’m not sure I want to know…” I replied. It was true, whatever they might be doing or for whatever reasons they’re with each other, I didn’t really want to know.

“Me neither…but then, we followed them until here so…” she said.

Then suddenly, Yuri got out of her car and start walking toward the building’s entrance. “I’m going in but if you don’t want to then wait here for me” she instructed me.

The curious side of me won over and I followed Yuri inside. We were both nervous once we stepped into the elevator. Two of our friends were just seen together but it made the two of us rather uncomfortable. We arrived on the 9th floor and walked to the apartment 909, once there, both of us stopped and wait, for what? I didn’t know myself.

On an impulse, Yuri rang the door bell and my heart stopped beating until the door opened. What I saw next was beyond my imagination…

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I heard the door’s bell rang while I was under the shower; I turned off the water, grabbed a bathrobe and slowly opened my room’s door. I wanted to see if Taeyeon was going to open the door but she wasn’t in the living room, I wanted to wait a little bit and see if she would come out of her room but the bell kept ringing so I went to open it myself.

It was a bad idea.

As soon as I opened the door, my jaw dropped and my eyeballs popped out. There right in front of me, with their jaws dropped as well, were Jessica and Yuri. I didn’t know what shocked them the most; me in Taeyeon’s apartment or me only wearing a bathrobe, my hair still wet IN Taeyeon’s apartment. ..Maybe both…

Like it wasn’t shocking enough, right at that moment, Taeyeon decided to show up…only wearing a bathrobe as well, hair still wet. “Who is it?” she asked before seeing the two shocked faces.

Then the four of us stood there, looking at each other. I thought one of us would break the silence but none of us talked nor moved. We were just standing there like some idiots, until Taeyeon took matter in hands as she pulled me back a little and simply closed the door, leaving Yuri and Jessica outside.

“What are you doing?” I asked her once the door was closed.

“Just ignore them and go change” she told me before disappearing in her room.

I was about to go in my room when I heard their voices…“YA HWANG MI YOUNG! OPEN THE DOOR RIGHT N.O.W!!!” Jessica screamed.

“YA KIM TAEYEON! OPEN THE DOOR!!!” Yuri was screaming as well. They were both screaming and kicking the door hysterically.

I had no choice but open the door. They would have scared the neighbors if they kept on screaming like that. So I let them in and told them to stay in the living room while I go changed. They didn’t complain nor comment. They were way too shocked to say anything. I didn’t even know how I was able to stay so calm. Taeyeon’s I-don’t-care-attitude was slowly rubbing off on me.

15 minutes later, I came out of the bathroom only to face a quite angry Jessica sitting on my bed. I didn’t even have time to think about what to say that she started scolding me. “Fany! What the hell are you doing half naked in Kim Taeyeon’s apartment?!?!” she shouted.

“Okay, first, I wasn’t half-naked and second, stop screaming!!!” I shouted back. “It’s not what you think, really!” I tried to explain to her.

“Not what I think? Then what is it?” she was staring at me, giving me the typical mother-look.

“It’s a long story” I told her, but her face was even scarier than before. “But I’m going to tell you everything now…” I quickly added.

That’s how I started to tell Jessica the whole story…from my first meeting with Taeyeon’s parents at my father’s funeral to our tutor-student’s relationship. I could tell Jessica had a hard time believing me but then, there was probably not a single story that was good enough to explain my presence in Taeyeon’s apartment.

After having a little talk, resulting in Jessica accepting the fact that I really had to live with Taeyeon, we went to the living room. During my talk with Sica, I thought about what Taeyeon and Yuri might be doing on their side, if they were having the exact same conversation.

Of course they weren’t…The two of them were playing some video game and acting like children. I thought for a while that maybe Taeyeon has already explained to Yuri so they just acted like nothing happened but when Yuri saw me, she immediately asked. “So Tiffany, why are you here?”

“Huh? Didn’t Taeyeon tell you?” I asked surprised while looking at Taeyeon who was still playing her game.

“I asked her but she didn’t bother telling me…she told me to ask you so…” Yuri who was still looking at the TV screen stopped the game and looked at me.

“Huh…I’ve just tell the whole story to Jessica…” I told her but she kept on looking at me with her puppy eyes. “But fine, I’ll tell you everything as well” I said.

“You’re not playing anymore?” an annoyed Taeyeon asked Yuri.

But before she could answer, Jessica who was sitting beside Yuri took the controller from her. “I’ll play with you” she said “well if you’re not scare of losing against me” she teased Taeyeon.

Taeyeon looked at her then as usual, she said. “Whatever…” and the two of them started playing against each other while I talked to Yuri.

That evening, Yuri and Jessica stayed for dinner. I even had the extreme pleasure to be sitting on the couch with Jessica playing video games while Yuri and Taeyeon were cooking. Of course Taeyeon didn’t want to do it, actually she wanted to kick them out of the apartment, but Yuri started whining and pouting and she was so noisy that Taeyeon gave up. I also think that she didn’t have a choice because she had to have dinner and neither Jessica nor I could cook, and letting Yuri cooked by herself was also dangerous.

After dinner, Sica and I washed the dishes while Yuri and Taeyeon were playing games again.

“So how many rounds tonight?” asked Yuri as she changed the game. They were about to play Mario Kart now.

“Out of 5? It doesn’t matter, I’m gonna win!” Taeyeon smirked.

Wait?! Taeyeon smirked? Since when does Taeyeon smirk??? It was the first time

that I saw that. Another side of Kim Taeyeon.

“What are you two competing for?” I asked as we finished washing the dishes. I went and sat down beside Taeyeon. “Can we play too?”

“No” Taeyeon replied.

“Come on Taengoo! It can be funny! Let them play with us!” Yuri tried to convince Taeyeon.

“I bet she’s scared of losing that’s why” Sica teased.

“Whatever…I don’t care”

“Fine then! We’re playing!!!” I said happily. “What’s the prize?”

“Hmm…if you win against Taeyeon and me, you can go on vacation with us” Yuri proposed.

Taeyeon eyes went big as she hit Yuri’s shoulder. “What are you doing? I don’t want them with us” she said.

“Oh Taengoo! Are you already sure you’re going to lose against us?” I teased her. It was weird calling her Taengoo…it sounded as if we were closer.

“Fine…” she sighed. “Out of 5 races then, if you win then you can come with us.”

“Yeah! Come on Sica! Let’s get our free vacation!!!” I excitedly shouted.

So we started our little competition.

On the first race, I was against Taeyeon. We fought a little over the game’s characters because she picked the mushroom that I wanted, so after whining a little bit, she gave it to me. It wasn’t the first time that I played this game, but obviously Taeyeon was better. Of course it didn’t help that Jessica was sighting and commenting beside me. The second race was Yuri against Sica and for unknown reason, Jessica won way too easily. Even I suspected Yuri of letting her win even though there was no reason for that.

At the end, Sica and I won the competition, mostly because Yuri sucked that night. She lost her two races against Sica and me while Taeyeon lost against Sica. Taeyeon got angry after losing and started hitting Yuri with a pillow. The two of them really looked like children. It was definitely a side of Taeyeon that I’ve never imagined. She still had that introvert attitude but it was different. I could actually tell that behind that I-don’t-care-about-you face, she was enjoying our company.

“So where are we going next week?” I asked them. I didn’t really care about the destination, I was just happy to go on vacation, especially after all this tutoring.

“Well we still don’t know…” Yuri said.

Jessica then looked at them. “It’s next week, you should know already!” she said. “How are you going to do with the plane tickets?” she asked.

“Just prepare your passport and luggage. That’s all you need to care about” said Taeyeon. She then stood up. “I’m tired; we still have school tomorrow so you two should leave” with that, she went to her room.

Yuri and Jessica left shortly afterwards. I’d never expected for them to found out about me living with Taeyeon like they did today but I was glad they finally knew the truth. I felt relieved not having to lie to Sica again. And of course, I was too happy thinking about my vacation next week. Who would have thought that I, Hwang Tiffany would spend a week vacation with the cold Kim Taeyeon? I sure still can’t believe it.

Outside of TaeNy’s apartment,

Yuri’s POV

We just got kicked out of Taeyeon’s apartment; I still can’t believe that my best friend is living with someone that she barely knows. But of all the girls she could have been living with, I’m glad it’s Tiffany. What else? If not for both of them, I probably wouldn’t be able to spend almost a whole day with Jessica. I’m not even thinking of next week…vacation with Jessica, a whole week!

“Hmm…Jessica, where do you live?” I asked her as we left the apartment building.

She looked at me suspiciously, like I was going to do something bad. “Why do you want to know?”

“Huh to drive you back of course!” I smiled at her. It was already dark outside and I wouldn’t let her take the public transportation while I could drive her safely to her home.

She looked at me and was probably considering my proposition. “I’m fine, I’ll take the bus” she finally said.

“No it can be dangerous outside and it’s late, I’ll drive you, please?” I gently asked her. I couldn’t believe that I was almost begging a girl to let me drive her home.

“I told you it’s fine” she said annoyed. This girl is so stubborn, still wanting to act cold.

I knew that I could ask her a thousand times and she would still refuse so instead of annoying her, I used another strategy. “Well that’s kind of sad…thinking that you could be sleeping in your bed in less than 15 minutes if I drive you” I acted like I felt bad for her. “But its fine, the bus will takes you only 30 minutes more I guess.”

I could see she was hesitating so I acted as if it was already decided. “Okay so do you want me to walk you to the bus station?” I asked her while pointing to the right direction.

Jessica thought for a second then walked to my car. “No I’ll go with you” she said as she stopped beside my car’s door. I couldn’t help but smile at her behavior.

I drove Jessica back to her house and like I told her, it did take about 15 minutes. Nothing really happened during the drive, I did most of the talking as she stayed

quiet most of the time. When I finally arrived at her house, she was already asleep in the passenger’s seat.

What happened next was beyond my control. I knew it was bad and that I shouldn’t have done it, I tried to fight against my instinct but it was too hard. The light from the street lamp was reflecting on her face, she was like a sleeping princess…so beautiful and perfect.

I studied her face; her small nose that perfectly fits her delicate face, her fringe that was hiding her forehead, and her cheeks that look so smooth that I was fighting the urge to touch them and finally, her lips…they were slightly reddish and I knew they were soft before even touching them. I hated myself for what I have done, but it felt so nice… For one second that my lips brushed against hers, I was the happiest girl alive.

I then gently stroke her cheeks. “I’m sorry Jessica…but I think I have fallen in love with you” I softly whispered to the sleeping princess.

Chapter 7A – A Whole Week by Your Side

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

The day was finally here. I’ve never been more excited on a Saturday morning, but this time, it was different. In about two hours, I was going to board a plane with my friends. Our destination?

“YEAH!!! I’m going to Bali!!!” I was screaming and jumping around like a little kid.

Taeyeon who was in the living room, scolded me “YA! Can’t you keep quiet? I can still change my mind if you keep on annoying me!”

I was packing in my room since early this morning because I didn’t know what to bring with me, I have a lot of clothes and I couldn’t bare not to bring some of them. Taeyeon, on the other hand, had done packing the night before. She was so fast at packing; I bet she had vacation clothes for every time she went abroad.

Our plane was at 1.30pm, we could have got one earlier but Sica didn’t want to wake up too early so Yuri booked a later flight. After our little bet last time, resulting in Sica and me winning a free week vacation, Taeyeon forced Yuri to be in charge of the organization. Yuri is fun so I believe it would be a real success!

1 hour before leaving the apartment, I came out of my room with my luggage. At

first, Taeyeon didn’t pay any attention to me, until she heard me struggling me with bags.

“What’s that?” she asked me.

“What’s what?”

“What are all these stuffs” she pointed at my bags.

“My luggage” I answered honestly.

“You’re not taking all these” she told me.

“And why?”

“We’re leaving for 1 week, you don’t need 3 suitcases. 1 is enough” she rolled her eyes before looking back at the TV screen.

“But I only took my favorite summer clothes!” I whined.

“I don’t care, it’s one suitcase or you stay at home” she said.

Finally I put as much clothes as possible in the biggest suitcase that I had then showed it to Taeyeon. She wasn’t really happy because she probably knew what I did but she didn’t say anything either. After checking once again that we didn’t forget our passports, we left the apartment. We decided to meet at the airport with Sica and Yuri. I hope Sica woke up on time…

30 minutes later, we arrived at Incheon Airport and waited for Sica and Yuri before checking in. Well we didn’t have a choice since Yuri had all our tickets confirmation. Thankfully, they arrived 10 minutes after us. Sica had her typical morning face while Yuri was smiling so much that I wondered if her mouth was hurting her. And probably because our Ice Princess is lazy, Yuri was not only pulling her own suitcase, but Sica’s as well. Would Taeyeon do that for me? Nah…

“Hey everyone? Ready for vacation?” Yuri asked us, her smile was SOOOO bright!

“YES! YES!” I shouted again.

Sica and Taeyeon were like two dead fishes. If I didn’t know them, I would have blamed it on the morning but we all know the truth.

We then proceeded to check in. Our timing was right perfect as we only had to wait about 20 minutes before boarding the plane. And for the first time in my life, I was seating in first class! Once the plane took off, Sica immediately fell asleep. I knew Jessica could sleep whenever and wherever she wanted but I thought that she might be faking it…because Yuri was being too excited and kept asking her how she felt. Once again, I saw the contrast between Taeyeon and Yuri. Once she sat on her seat, Taeyeon was completely focused on the TV screen in front of her. She would sometimes scold Yuri for being too noisy or complaining that I talked way too much but that was it. I was glad that Yuri was there because between the silent Taeyeon and sleepy Sica, there was no one else to share my happiness and

excitement with.

Hotel resort, Bali

After a long flight, we finally landed on the beautiful island of Bali. It didn’t take us long to pass the customs and retrieve our luggage. To get to our 5-stars resort, we took a cab. On the way to the hotel, we were all looking at the scenery, all of us were amazed at how beautiful the island was, even Taeyeon. Unfortunately once we reached the resort, a problem was awaiting us.

“So Miss Kwon, you have the rooms 703 and 704, both with a single king-size bed…” the receptionist was saying while giving out the key cards.

Taeyeon’s eyes went big. “Huh wait, we wanted two shared-rooms” she said to the lady.

The receptionist looked at her computer and apologized “I’m sorry but your reservation is for 2 single rooms. We don’t have any shared-room left.”

“What?” Taeyeon asked. “What do you mean by no more shared-rooms left?”

“We’re really sorry but we only have 2 single rooms available for the week.”

“Its fine, we’ll take it” Yuri finally said as she took the keys.

“Ya Kwon Yuri! What did you do?” Taeyeon scolded Yuri once we were away

from the lobby.

“It’s not my fault! We booked too late that’s why!” Yuri explained as she walked toward the elevator.

“You could have chosen another hotel then!” Taeyeon continued. “I don’t want to share a bed!” she complained.

Yuri then shouted “NO! I don’t want to sleep with you either!” her face was really unhappy. “I can’t sleep with Taeyeon!!! She sleep-talk so much that it is horrible!” she said.

Taeyeon gave her a I’ll-kill-you-later look then sighed. “So she sleep-talk and sleep-walk as well…” I said to myself.

“What did you say?” Taeyeon suddenly asked me.

“HUH? NO! Nothing…I…said it doesn’t matter with who I sleep” I found an excuse.

“Really??? OKAY! So Tiffany you can share the room with Taengoo!” decided Yuri, her smile then grew big. “Oh!! Jessica! We’re sharing the other room!”

I think Sica was too sleepy to even care with whom she was sharing a room, the girl probably only wanted to crash on a bed and visit Dreamland. I looked at Taeyeon but she didn’t show any sign of objection, maybe annoyance but then, Taeyeon was often annoyed.

We were all pretty tired from the trip so we decided to eat dinner at the hotel’s restaurant before rejoining our rooms.

TaeNy’s Room, Bali

I was a little nervous when we entered our room, it was the first time that I shared my room with someone I’ve known for about a month. Our room was quite spacious, no surprise for a 5-stars hotel. The bed was huge and there was even a couch.

Taeyeon and I took turn for the bathroom. When Taeyeon came out of the bathroom, she was wearing a dark blue pajama’s pant with a white shirt. This reminded me of the time I saw her with her keroro pajama.

I started to giggle at that thought. “What’s so funny?” she asked me.

“Where is your keroro pajama???” I teased her. “I think its suit you better” I said while laughing.

“You…whatever…” Taeyeon said as she walked to the bed, took one of the pillows and threw it on the couch.

I looked curiously at her. “What are you doing?” Taeyeon was already lying on the couch.

“I’m sleeping on the couch, you can take the bed” she simply answered without looking at me.

“What? No I’ll take the couch” I said. I haven’t thought about the bed problem yet…

She sighed as she turned on the TV. “Either you sleep on that bed or you go sleep outside” she then looked at me, her eyes were telling me to do what she asked me to.

We then watched TV for a while before going to sleep. I don’t know exactly when we both fell asleep but I woke up around 3 am with Taeyeon on the bed…She was lying next to me, in a very awkward position, like she was doing yoga. I didn’t know what to do, being so close to Taeyeon made me nervous for some reason. I thought that I could wake her up and then she will go back to sleep on the couch, but then, Taeyeon suddenly moved from her initial position and was now facing me. Her baby face was so close to mine that I could feel her breathing. My heart stopped beating for several minutes as I looked closely at her. Taeyeon’s sleeping face was so peaceful and angel-like that I couldn’t wake her up. I wondered for awhile on what to do then decide to go and sleep on the couch instead.

As I turned my back to Taeyeon and started to move away, I suddenly felt her right arm hugging me, like she was hugging a pillow. Then slowly, I felt myself being pulled closed to her body. I could felt the heat of her body, her regular breathing on my neck… My heart was beating so fast that it could have jumped out. And although it was awkward, I couldn’t deny that I felt extremely comfortable sleeping in her arms.

Same night, YulSic’s room, Bali

Yuri’s POV

OMG! I was going to sleep in the same room as my Princess Jessica, same room and maybe same bed??? She didn’t really react when we planned the room, maybe she also wanted to be with me??? We dropped our luggage and Jessica went to take her shower first.

I was lying on the bed when she came out. “Jessica! Which side of the bed do you want???” I asked.

“What are you talking about?” Jessica said as she threw herself on the bed. “You’re sleeping on the couch.”

My jaw dropped. “WHAT? We’re not sharing a bed???” I asked in disbelief.

“For the last time Kwon Yuri, IN YOUR DREAMS!” she told me before kicking me off the bed.

I fell on the floor and stayed there for awhile, when I realized that Jessica wouldn’t change her mind and that she had fallen asleep already, I went to take my shower, put on my pajama and went sleeping on the couch, my best friend for this week.

Morning, TaeNy’s Room, Bali

Tiffany’s POV

The next morning, I woke up exactly in the same position as I fell asleep. With Taeyeon hugging me. I was about to sleep again when I felt Taeyeon moving behind me. It didn’t take long for her to wake up and realize what was going on.

In less than 1 second, Taeyeon woke up, realized she was hugging me then jumped off the bed. I didn’t know what to do so I didn’t move, acted like I was still sleeping. It was funny, I could hear Taeyeon pacing around the room and repeating to herself. “It’s nothing, it’s nothing, I didn’t do anything bad, she won’t even know about it” she kept saying then she went to the bathroom. Even after she came out, she was still mumbling to herself. “Calm down Taengoo, nothing happened, forget it, forget it”. I really had to hold my laughter, too bad I couldn’t look at her, her face at that time was probably priceless.

I “woke” up 15 minutes later and had to act like I didn’t know anything. Taeyeon told me that we were going to meet with Yuri and Sica and have breakfast but she avoided looking at me when we talked. I wasn’t sure but she looked like she was blushing a bit. Cute Taengoo.

On the beach, Bali

The weather was so perfect in this afternoon. The four of us didn’t really want to do anything besides resting on the beach. There weren’t that much people either.

We brought some food and drinks and sat down on these long comfortable chairs. Taeyeon and Jessica were being lazy and boring as they only lay on their chairs.

“Don’t bother me” Jessica told us. “Go and swim”

“I can’t swim!”

“I can’t swim” Yuri and I shouted at the same time. We then looked at each other surprised. “Yuri? You can’t swim???” I asked her.

“She wanted to be a fish when she was a kid so she tried to breathe underwater but failed miserably and nearly drown. Since then, baby Yul is scared of deep water” Taeyeon revealed the story before Yuri could say anything.

“Ya Taengoo! Why did you tell my story?” Yuri scolded Taeyeon.

Jessica who I thought was already sleeping, burst into laughter. “HAHA you wanted to be a fish? How weird!!” Sica made fun of Yuri.

Yuri simply ignored Sica’s comments and grabbed my hand. “Come on Fany, we’ll play together. Let’s not stay with these mean girls” she said as we walked away.

We played with the sand for a while, building castle and digging holes everywhere like little kids. After we got bored playing with the sand, we played soccer, passing the ball to each other. From time to time, I would take a glimpse at Taeyeon and I’m sure that she smiled and laughed at our behaviors sometimes. I wished she

would stop caring about her image and joined us, I know she would have a great time.

While I was looking at Taeyeon, I didn’t pay attention to Yuri who kicked the ball at me. I couldn’t catch the ball and it landed on the water. I ran to pick it up but I didn’t realize that I was going deeper and deeper into the water as the waves kept on pushing the ball away from me. Before I knew it, my feet weren’t touching the ground anymore and the last thing I saw was a wave hitting me.

Taeyeon’s POV

I’ve been watching these two kiddies played with the sand for a while now, I didn’t know what was so fun about it but they were having a great time. Why wasn’t I playing with them? I was far away from Seoul, from people that might know who Kim Taeyeon is but still…I couldn’t get away from this mature, calm image that characterized me.

As I watched Yuri and Tiffany played with each other, I couldn’t help but smiled at their antics. These two are really something. I noticed that Tiffany would sometimes glance in my direction, but I didn’t know if she was looking at me or at her sleeping friend. Talking about Jessica, I’ve never seen a girl that can sleep so much.

Yuri and Tiffany were done with their holes; they dogged 2 big holes to compete with each other, I didn’t know who won though. After they were done with their little contest, they switched to play soccer. While Yuri kicked like a crazy girl,

Tiffany was clumsy, sometimes missing the ball and kicked the sand instead. It was funny watching them but I felt a little sleepy so I closed my eyes for a while and enjoyed the nice weather.

I might have felt asleep a little, Yuri’s voice woke me up. She was standing near the water and calling for Tiffany. I immediately stood up and ran toward her. Yuri’s screaming also woke Jessica up.

“What’s going on? Where is Tiffany?” I asked Yuri as I looked around.

Yuri was really anxious as she spoke to me. “I…I…don’t know…she…she…went to pick up the ball and…and now…” she was stuttering. “she…she can’t swim…I…I…just turned around for a minute…”

I didn’t think twice. “You keep looking and tell me if you see something!” I told Yuri before running in the water as fast as I could. I swam in the water until my feet couldn’t touch the ground, Fany must be around there somewhere…she must be…

I looked around me but there was nothing. I looked back at where Yuri was and saw Jessica; both of them were looking for Tiffany. Then I heard Yuri’s voice again…

“TAEYEON!!! THERE THERE!! THERE IS SOMETHING!!!” she screamed while pointing at something.

I turned to my right and then, I saw her…I didn’t know I could swim that fast

without feeling tired. From then, everything went too fast. I caught Tiffany and brought her back on the beach. My mind wasn’t working anymore, even though I must have looked extremely calm from the outside, I was really scared and nervous. Tiffany was lying there, unconscious and she wasn’t breathing.

Then I did the only thing that I knew, I did CPR on her. How many times did my lips touch hers? In such situations, I was still thinking of trivial things. My heart was beating so fast that it hurt. But, was my heart beating fast because I was scared for Tiffany’s life or because I was, in some way kissing her?

My heart stopped when Tiffany started moving and spit out water. That’s when my whole body felt tired of all its effort. Yuri and Jessica helped Tiffany until she fully regained consciousness. I saw her opening her eyes and sitting down, slowly realizing what she has been through. I stood up and looked at her, my eyes were probably distant, my mind, too, was slowly understanding what I’ve just experienced.

“Tiffany are you okay???” Jessica asked her friend.

“I’m so sorry Tiffany, I shouldn’t have looked away” Yuri was apologizing, her face hasn’t changed, she was still scared and anxious.

“Do you want to go to the hospital?” Jessica continued to ask her.

Tiffany looked around a couple of times, and then she smiled like she always does. “Don’t worry, I’m fine now” she said while looking at them.

And then, I lost control of my emotions. “Why are you smiling…” I started telling her. “DO YOU REALIZE YOU COULD HAVE DIED?” I shouted. “WHY AREN’T YOU MORE CAREFUL? YOU CAN’T SWIM BUT STILL WENT INTO THE WATER! ARE YOU CRAZY???” I looked straight into her eyes…she is so careless…fragile and careless…

I left them there, after venting my anger out, I walked away. Why was I so angry that she almost killed herself? I only knew this girl for more than a month; I shouldn’t care that much. I shouldn’t have felt nervous at the thought of touching her lips. What was this feeling? What’s going on with me?

Chapter 7B – A Whole Week by Your Side

On the Beach, Bali

Tiffany’s POV

The last thing that I saw was that huge wave, and then everything went black. When I opened my eyes again, I saw Yuri and Sica with worried faces, it took me a moment to realize what had happened. Yuri was apologizing and Sica asking if I wanted to go to the hospital, their faces were so worried. Was I that close to death?

It took me a lot of energy to smile, to reassure my friends. I wasn’t feeling well, I was still shocked but I didn’t want to scare them so I did was I do best, I smiled.

“Why are you smiling…?” It was Taeyeon, her voice was so cold and distant. I didn’t see her immediately, even though she was standing just in front of me. I noticed that she was completely wet. She didn’t go in the water though or did she?

She was looking directly into my eyes. “DO YOU REALIZE YOU COULD HAVE DIED??? WHY AREN’T YOU MORE CAREFUL? YOU CAN’T SWIM BUT STILL WENT INTO THE WATER! ARE YOU CRAZY???” she shouted at me. Her voice was so cold but her eyes, they were warm and sad? Right there, I wished I could be the one to ease her pain, take away all the sadness,

She didn’t say anything else; she broke our eyes contact and left. I stayed there looking at her back, moving farther and farther away from me. Again, I felt something in my stomach…an uneasy feeling; it hurt to see her walking away from me.

“She cares about you.” I heard Yuri said. She was also looking at Taeyeon.

I looked at Yuri, waiting for her to continue. “Every time she scolds you, argues with you, teases you…every time that she just, say something. It shows that she cares.” Yuri explained. She then offered me a smile. “I’ve never seen Taeyeon run so fast, swim so fast and react so quickly. She’s always so slow.” she laughed.

I didn’t understand what she was saying, Taeyeon ran, swam?

“I’m not a Kim Taeyeon’s fan but I must admit she really impressed me this time.” Jessica said. “I didn’t expect her to put so much effort into saving you.”

“What are you two talking about?” I finally asked. The more they were saying, the more confused I became.

“I’m sorry Tiffany. I didn’t pay attention when you got into the water. I didn’t see when you…” Yuri started apologizing.

I cut her off. “Stop apologizing Yuri, it’s not your fault, really!” I pat her back. It was only my fault for being careless. “Then what happened?” I asked her. I wanted to know.

“All I could do was calling your name. Taeyeon arrived and I explained it to her but before I could finished, she was already in the water, swimming and looking for you. I would have never forgiven myself if Taeyeon wasn’t there…if she didn’t react so quickly.” Yuri explained.

“So…Taeyeon…saved me?” I asked.

She saved me…again…

“She reanimated you as well. I was relieved that Taeyeon knew how to do CPR.” Jessica said. “She was really perfect.”

She did CPR on me? Taeyeon? I shouldn’t have bene thinking about those things, not after being so close to death, but at that moment, the only thing that was on my

mind, the only picture that I was seeing was Taeyeon’s lips on mine.

“Tiffany, let’s go back to your room. You need some rest” Jessica told me.

My eyes were still on Taeyeon, she was sitting on a rock far away from us but I could still see her figure. “Hmm…no, you two go first, I want to talk to Taeyeon.” I told both of them.

“Can’t you talk to her later?” Sica insisted but then Yuri pulled her away.

“Come on Jessica, I’m sure Tiffany will be okay. She’s with Taeyeon” Yuri told Jessica as she pushed her toward the hotel.

I watched the two of them leave; Sica was hitting Yuri for forcing her to leave. I couldn’t help but smile at the two. They were cute together; it was obvious that Yuri had more than friendly feelings toward our Ice Princess.

I breathed deeply as I walked in Taeyeon’s direction. As I came closer to her, I could see her face, her eyes looking at the vast ocean. She was thinking about something, something important for her I guessed since she didn’t even notice my presence.

I tried to climb on the rock but didn’t really know how to. “What are you doing?” I heard her voice. I looked up and saw her looking down at me; her face was once again, emotionless.

“I’m trying to climb on…” I answered her. “It’s okay, don’t bother about me, I’ll

figure it out alone” I told her.

Taeyeon stood up. I thought she was going to walk away again but she simply offered me her hand. She helped me get on the rock and went back to where she was sitting. I sat beside her. None of us talked, but compare to the first time we were left alone, the silence this time was…comfortable. I didn’t feel awkward or nervous, just relaxed, being there by her side.

After a long silence, I took my courage and spoke up. “I..I’m sorry” I told her.

We were both looking at the beautiful ocean in front of us.

“For what?” she simply replied.

“For being careless, for worrying everyone. I’m sorry”

“…”

I finally turned and looked at her. “And thank you…for everything” I said. It came out as a whisper.

After a long silence, she finally spoke. “Babo” was all she said. But it was enough, because I knew she care.

We sat there silently, enjoying this beautiful view and as I took a look at Taeyeon, I could see she was more relaxed. Her expression was softer and I could almost see her smiling. I took a deep breath then smiled. Although we only sat there, not

talking, I will always cherish this moment.

YulSic’s Side, Bali

Yuri’s POV

I let Tiffany and Taeyeon alone, these two probably needed some time together, especially after what happened. I was surprised that Taeyeon showed her emotions this time, she is always calm and hide her feelings so well but I didn’t expect her to care so much about Tiffany, after such a short time together. I had to pull Jessica away though, if not this clueless girl wouldn’t let them alone.

We were walking back to the hotel with Jessica; it was still early afternoon so I wanted to do something with her. “What do you want to do now?” I asked her when we reached the hotel.

“Sleep”

“Again? Jessica we’re in Bali! You can sleep tonight, let’s go somewhere” I tried to convince her.

She thought for a moment. “Fine…I’ll grab my bag and we can go” she told me before walking to the elevator.

While waiting for Jessica, I looked at some touristic brochures to find something for us to do. I must admit I was a little scared that Jessica would dump me there

and sleep in the room, but 5 minutes later, she came down, with her handbag and a light sweatshirt.

“We are we going?” she asked me. Her face wasn’t showing any enthusiasm but I was getting used to that.

“I heard that you like art and museums so I thought we could visit some and then go shopping?” I proposed. “There are some other nice places but we might want to go with Taeyeon and Fany some other day”

“That’s fine with me, let’s go” she agreed. I didn’t expect her to agree with me so easily, usually I have to beg her before she agrees.

We took a cab and visit some nice museums; I knew nothing about art, whereas Jessica looked really interested in what she was looking at. Fortunately, we also went to an archeology museum which was much more interesting for me. The museum visits weren’t that fun but I found myself another activity. Taking pictures…of Jessica! Her face was so pretty when she was looking at paintings so I took a bunch of pictures. Whenever she would turn around and caught me, I’d give a lame excuse like; I was taking picture of the painting instead and it worked. I did that the whole time; Jessica would walk around and looked at things, while I took pictures of her. Even though she was quiet most of the time, she would smile from time to time and even laughed at me when I tried to guess what was on some paintings.

After the museums, we went shopping downtown. Jessica once again was browsing around while I took pictures of her; I wanted to make a photo album,

Jessica in museums, Jessica shopping. She bought a couple of things, some small souvenirs. It was totally random stuff but she seemed happy.

Until she stopped in front of a jewelry shop and looked through the window. She was looking intensely at a silver ring, I wondered if it was her dream ring or something. But I didn’t ask her.

“Jessica, wanna have dinner” I asked as I approached her.

I startled her at bit. “…I’m tired…I want to go home” she answered without looking at me. Her eyes were still on that ring.

I didn’t want to insist since I knew something was bothering her, she looked sad and was spacing out all the way back to the hotel. We went to our room and she immediately changed her clothes, putting on her pajama and went to bed. I tried to ask her if she wanted to eat something but she refused to answer me. Then my phone rang and I didn’t want to bother her so I went outside to answer my call.

“Alo?” I answered.

I heard Tiffany’s voice. “Yuri? Where are you guys? Wanna come and eat with us? We’re downtown” she sounded happy. I guessed her little talk with Taeyeon went well.

“Hmm…no. We’re at the hotel and Jessica went to bed already…I’ll just eat something here” I told her.

“Are you sure? It’s boring if you stay alone!”

“No, I’m fine, we went downtown this afternoon too so I’m a bit tired as well. You two have fun, don’t worry about me” I said.

“Okay then. Oh by the way, Taeyeon want me to tell you that you’re a lazy fish. See you tomorrow Yuri!” I could picture Tiffany’s bright smile as she talked to me.

As much as I wanted to smile, I couldn’t, my mind was filled with Jessica’s sad face.

Downtown Bali with Taeyeon and Tiffany,

Tiffany’s POV

I successfully convinced Taeyeon to go shopping with me after our little moment on the beach, she wasn’t really excited about it but she still accompanied me. She was probably scared to leave me alone since I tend to put myself in some dangerous situations. Taeyeon wanted to call Yuri and asked her to come with us, but I stopped her. I wanted to let Yuri have some quality time with Jessica.

I had a really nice time with Taeyeon. That kid was still really quiet but the atmosphere between us was different. We walked around the shops and I would try on some hats and clothes. Taeyeon would either laugh or make a blank face. That was her way of telling me whether I looked bad or not. After the shopping, we

decided to eat in a local restaurant. We were about to enter the restaurant when someone called Taeyeon’s name.

I looked at my left and saw 1 guy and 1 girl; I’ve never seen them before. Both of them looked really arrogant.

“Oh My! Look who is there! The popular Kim Taeyeon!” the guy said in a mocking tone.

I looked at Taeyeon; she was slightly behind me and was looking elsewhere. I could feel she was controlling her temper right now.

“So what are you doing here Taeyeon?” he continued. “Daddy’s little girl is having a nice vacation?”

Then the girl spoke up. “She’s probably here to avoid all the business dinner”, she smirked. “Hiding here and spending daddy’s money”

“Oh…is it too much hard work for you little Taeyeon? To act as a perfect kid?” he provoked her again.

I looked at Taeyeon again, she hasn’t moved and her face was extremely calm…too calm maybe.

She startled me when she grabbed my hand. “Let’s go eat Tiffany” She said as she was about to pull me in the restaurant. Wasn’t it the first time that she called me Tiffany? It made me feel something…

“What? You’re already leaving us?” The guy talked again. “You’re not even introducing your little toy to us?” he said…talking about me.

Taeyeon stopped on track. She let go of my hand and turned to face the two people.

“How much did you pay her to hang out with you?” the girl asked. What was wrong with these people?

Taeyeon clenched her fists; I knew what it meant…Fortunately, I stopped her before she moved.

“Don’t…do it, Taeyeon-ah” I whispered to her. I was in front of her, stopping her from walking toward them.

“Step aside…” she told me without looking away from the guy.

I held her right hand with both my hands, to calm her down. “They’re not worth it…please?” I looked at her. Her eyes seemed to have calm down a bit when we looked at each other. I gave her a smile, proud that she hasn’t lost control.

“Little girl, don’t be naïve” the boy then spoke to me. “Don’t fall into her trap; the whole mature and cool concept is tricky. She is just a rich kid acting cold and smart to attract poor girls like you”

I couldn’t take it anymore; I turned around and looked at them, my right hand still

holding Taeyeon’s. “Who said I was naïve?” I told them. “It’s obvious you two are jealous of her. You can try as hard as you want, you’ll never come close to Taeyeon!” I blurted out.

“Oh my…are you already in love with that fake kid?” he asked me.

I stared at him…confused, his question surprised me…I couldn’t have fallen for her…right?

I didn’t have to answer his question, Taeyeon pulled me in the restaurant and this time, we didn’t look back.

The dinner was extremely calm; I tried to talk to her and lived up the atmosphere but it wasn’t easy. Even I kept thinking about what happened.

“You…shouldn’t hang out with me” I heard her say. Her voice was soft, so soft that I wondered if I heard it right.

“Excuse me?” I looked at her confused.

“What happened earlier, it’s gonna happen again” she told me. Her eyes were fixed on her food.

“I don’t care about what people say…as long as…” I didn’t finish my sentence. I didn’t know how I felt about Taeyeon but one thing I knew was…I wanted to be with her, I wanted us to have more vacation together, I wanted us to hang out after school, to do things that friends do.

“Silly girl” she said while looking at me. Then she continued to eat with a little smile on her face.

“Who are you calling silly? Little kid” I teased her. My voice came out too loud though. Some other customers turned and looked at us.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes. “Be quiet and eat” she ordered me.

I couldn’t help but smile. Behind her cool face, Taeyeon was actually very shy and get embarrassed easily. I noticed how she doesn’t like being the centre of attention. I wondered what these two crazy people meant when they said Taeyeon was hiding from business dinners. Did she need to attend business dinners for her parents? I decided to push these thought aside and enjoy my dinner.

Later that night, Taeyeon and Tiffany’s Room, Bali

I was looking back and forth between the empty bed and Taeyeon lying on the couch. I was thinking of last night…when we shared a bed, accidently. I thought that maybe Taeyeon should just sleep on the bed with me since she was going to sleep-walk anyway. Not that I enjoyed sleeping with her…

“Hmm…Taeyeon-ah…” I called her.

She looked at me. “Why…why don’t sleep on the bed? With me…” I dared to ask.

“Huh?” her mouth was wide opened. Obviously, my question shocked her.

“I mean…there is enough space on the bed, it’s more comfortable as well” I told her.

“I’m fine on the couch, just go to bed” she said.

I knew she would be stubborn so I had no other choice than raise my voice. “YA Kim Taeyeon! Why don’t you just do like I asked you?” I scolded her.

I was waiting for her to fight back or scold me but she only sighed. Then she stood up, took her pillow and went on the bed. She looked like a little girl whose mother has just scolded.

As I lay down next to Taeyeon, I could feel her body tensed. I knew what she was thinking about, I was thinking about it as well.

I turned off the lights. “Don’t try to take advantage” I joked.

“Not even if you asked me” she teased me back.

“Ya! Don’t be so mean” I hit her.

“Hmm…Taeyeon-ah…thank you” I said before closing my eyes.

I smiled even before I heard her response. “Babo” she whispered.

I knew immediately when she fell asleep, because I felt Taeyeon’s arms hugging me again, like she did last night. I wondered if she was dreaming…if yes, was I in her dream? I smiled as I, too fell asleep.

Around the same time, Yuri and Jessica’s Room, Bali

Yuri’s POV

I woke up at the sound of Jessica’s voice. Immediately, I ran to the bed and sat beside her. She was having a nightmare.

“No…no…t..tell…me…it’s not true…” I heard her say. “Please…please…don’t…leave me…” she said as she reached out her hand, searching for someone.

My heart broke at the sight of her beautiful face crying. I gave her my hand. She held it tightly. I couldn’t help but gently stroke her hair, trying to reassure her as best as I could. Slowly, Jessica moved a little bit as her head went to rest on my laps, her hand still holding mine.

“Don’t worry…” I whispered to her. “Even if I’m not the one you’re looking for…I’ll always be by your side” I finally fell asleep with Jessica on my laps.

Next morning, Yuri and Jessica’s room, Bali

I woke up earlier than usual, Sica hasn’t moved during the night. I slowly let go of her hand, then gently put her head on the pillow. I was lucky that Jessica is a heavy sleeper, even if jumped on the bed, she wouldn’t wake up. I made sure that she was sleeping comfortably before going back on the couch. It was better if Jessica didn’t know what happened last night…I wouldn’t know what to explain to her and now that Jessica seemed to be friendlier with me, I didn’t want to hurt our relationship.

That’s how I acted the whole week, like nothing happened, like I didn’t know that she called for someone in her dreams, like I didn’t know she shed tears because of that person…I acted like the Kwon Yuri that everyone knows, happy and cheerful.

However, my heart was bleeding on the inside…

Rest of the week from Yuri’s POV

I tried to forget about my feelings for the rest of the week, as expected, Jessica didn’t know about what happened…she was asleep after all. It was easier this way, in no time, Jessica was back to her old-self, no more nightmares, no more sad face; she was really enjoying her vacation with us…with me.

On Tiffany and Taengoo’s side, these two were still the same. Fany was always excited and wanted to do every single activities; from diving (even though she can’t swim) to kayaking, she wanted to do them all. Of course, Taengoo would always scold her and acted annoyed, but at the end, she would do as Fany asked. Taeyeon was just too weak against Tiffany’s aegyo.

We did every single thing there was to do in Bali and I went back home with thousand and thousand of pictures, only half of them were of Jessica only. In one of this picture, there was Jessica in front of the window shop, looking at that ring.

My heart hurt again…

I brushed these sad thoughts aside. I should forget about this 2nd night in Bali, I should only keep the happy memories. After all, I did spend a whole week with Jessica. I was able to see her smiled, teased me, played with Tiffany, being lazy and sleepy. All these were enough to make me feel happy. A whole week by her side was enough.

I didn’t care about the identity of the person who broke her heart; from now on, I would make sure that she always smiles.

Chapter 8 – Yuri Put In Quarantine?! TaeNy’s Apartment, Tiffany’s POV It was Thursday night; I was playing Street Fighter IV with Taeyeon, the one who lost has to wash the dishes. Usually, I wash the dishes because Taeyeon is the cook, but this time I helped her so we were kind of even. She let me choose which game I wanted to play, so of course I chose a fighting game, the only kind of game I was good at. You can randomly press the buttons and still be able to win. I’ve won a lot of times already and every time that I won, Taeyeon would be a bad sport; saying how she wasn’t feeling well, I was lucky or blamed me for distracting her. I was winning 2 rounds out of 5 when her phone rang. Usually, Taeyeon never picks up her phone when she is winning, but because she was losing, she answered her phone. I knew it wasn’t Yuri who was on the phone because Taeyeon would have started scolding her for calling and distracting her during a game. Taeyeon and her lame excuses. So when Taeyeon didn’t scream, I knew she was talking to someone else. She was talking with a soft voice, very calm and nice. “Of course I don’t mind, I’ll be happy if you come” I heard her say on the phone. She was even smiling.

Who is that person that got Taeyeon to talk so softly and even smile on the phone? “I’ll come and pick you up after school” she continued. “No I’ll come, why do you want to take the bus when I can drive?” I didn’t really want to listen to her conversation but then, if it was private, she would leave and not stay beside me. “They told you about it? Hmm…It doesn’t matter, you can sleep on my bed, don’t worry” she reassured the person of the phone. “I’ll come to your school tomorrow so wait for me at the school’s gate, ok?” I tried my best to not look interested in her conversation; it wasn’t easy since she was sitting beside me. After she was done, Taeyeon simply continued playing. I was dying to ask her with whom she was talking and who was coming tomorrow but I knew she wouldn’t tell me so I didn’t ask. Besides, I’ve just beat Taeyeon at the game and she had to do the dishes so it was better not to bother her since she was already angry for losing. That night, I couldn’t sleep at all because of that mysterious person. Could it be Taeyeon’s lover? She did say that person can sleep on her bed after all…What if it is Taengoo’s lover? What would I do?

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV Yuri didn’t come to school today, that hyperactive girl never missed classes. I wonder what happened to her. “Fany-ah, do you know where Yuri is?” I asked. School was over and I was walking out of class with Tiffany, who by the way was really weird since morning. “Nope, even Taeyeon doesn’t know, she tried to call her but no one picked up” she answered me. “And where is Taeyeon? She is not driving you back today?” I asked Tiffany. Still no one in the school knows about her living with Taeyeon, they were still hiding it but every day after school, Taeyeon would still drive her home. So it was weird not seeing Fany sneaking out of class like she always does. “Taeyeon has to pick up someone” she told me. Her voice sounded worried. “Who is it?” “I really don’t know but she, or he, is going to spend the night at the apartment…and probably sleeping in Taeyeon’s room” she said sadly. “Maybe it’s a close friend…and why do you worry about that?” I asked

suspiciously. “I’m not worried! I just want to know who it is since she or he will be staying next to my room” she found an excuse. It was too obvious that Taeyeon has grown on her. “And you! Why are you asking about Yuri? Are you missing her?” she asked me back. “Who said I miss Yuri? I’m glad she isn’t here, she’s too noisy!” I quickly said. Fany wasn’t convinced though. “Are you sure you don’t miss her?” she teased me. “I’m sure you enjoy her company very much! But are too scared to admit it!” “Not at all! She is noisy and crazy, always smiling and laughing for no reason…” I mumbled. “But don’t you think it’s weird when she’s not around?” she seriously asked me. I thought for a moment. “…” “Fine, don’t say anything. I know how you’re really feeling!” Fany smiled. How could you know how I am feeling Tiffany? Even I don’t know…

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV When I got back to the apartment, Taeyeon was already there but our mysterious guest was nowhere to be seen. I was about to go and change clothes when the door from Taeyeon’s room opened. It was a tall girl with long black hair. She was probably as tall as Yuri but her skin was whiter. When she saw me, she graciously bowed. “Hello, nice to meet you, I’m Seohyun.” She greeted me politely. Her smile was very innocent, her looks too. “Taeyeon’s girlfriend???” I accidently blurted out. Taeyeon who was sitting on the couch, drinking a glass of water spat it out. Then both of them with a shocked expression said “WHAT?” I looked at both of them, smiling. “Or maybe you’re not Taeyeon’s girlfriend…” I laughed like an idiot. “I think you have misunderstood” she started saying. “I’m Taeyeon little cousin” she explained. How embarrassing…

I tried to act as if nothing happened. “Nice to meet you Seohyun. I’m Tiffany” I greeted her back. “I’m happy to meet you Tiffany unnie” she smiled. It was really easy to talk to Seohyun; she was so polite and sweet, like a little kid. She wasn’t surprised to see I was living with Taeyeon so I concluded that she knew about it. We didn’t talk much though; Taeyeon obliged us to do our homework before dinner. T-T During dinner, Taeyeon’s phone rang, and this time, it was obviously Yuri. “YA! Where were you today? Why did you skip school babo?!” she scolded as soon as she answered her phone. “What? You’re stuck at home? Why?” she asked surprised. Seohyun and I looked at each other, wondering what was going on. “Are you for real? Like really?” she seemed shocked. “I thought you got it already? Well, I had it so you should have as well” I was completely lost at their conversation, Taeyeon was surprised but not in a bad way and she was smiling too. She had been smiling more often these days. Actually, since we were back from Bali.

“Want me to come over? You must be bored at home” she told Yuri. “Told you, I had it already. What? Tiffany? I don’t know…let me ask her” she said. Taeyeon was going to ask me something when she heard Yuri screamed on the phone. She rolled her eyes while listening to Yuri. “How am I supposed to know if you don’t let me ask her?” she scolded. “Aish I’ll come tomorrow so please ask Auntie to make some rice balls! Hehe” Taeyeon smiled. “Ok see you tomorrow, bye!” she hang up then turned to us. “Any of you already had chickenpox?” she asked us. Seohyun and I thought for a moment then nodded. “Yes unnie, I had it already” Seohyun replied politely. Taeyeon then looked at me. “Yup me too” I told her. “Why?” “Because Yul has it right now and we’re going to see her tomorrow so if you haven’t had it yet, you can’t come” she explained. “Yuri has chickenpox???” I shouted which startled Seohyun a little bit. Taeyeon rolled her eyes again. “Lower your voice a tiny bit please” she told me. “Yeah Yoona caught it from one of her classmate and now its Yul’s turn” she grinned. “And we have to go see her, it’s gonna be funny!”

“We’re going to Yuri’s house? YEAH! I’ve never been there before!” I said happily. “You’re coming too Seohyun, it’s Saturday tomorrow and we have no plans anyway. You can meet Yuri’s little sister Yoona. She is just a year older than you” Taeyeon said gently. It was nice seeing Taeyeon speak so gently to someone; she must really like her cousin. “Oh Taeyeon! Do you think I can ask Jessica?” I asked. “I think Yuri will be happy to see Sica!” Taeyeon thought about it. “Why not? If she wants to come” she simply said. Later I called Jessica and told her about Yuri, surprisingly, she was really motivated to go visit Yuri. It was mostly because she wanted to see Yuri with red pimples all over her face but I knew that deeply, she missed her new friend. We were watching TV with Taeyeon when Seohyun went to change into her pajama. When she came out of the room, my jaw dropped. She was wearing a keroro pajama! It was kind of similar to Taeyeon’s but the color was different. “Seohyun? You like keroro too?” I asked her. “I LOVE keroro!!!” she gave me a big smile. “Taeyeon unnie doesn’t really like keroro though” she said.

I looked at her confused. “But Taeyeon has a keroro pajama too” I told her. Taeyeon then stared at me. “Yes, I gave it to her for her birthday this year!” she said happily. “I’m happy that you wear it unnie!” she smiled at Taeyeon. With that, the pajama’s case was finally solved.

Kwon Residence, Tiffany’s POV We woke up around 9 this morning, Taeyeon wanted to be at Yuri’s house before noon because she wanted to eat lunch there. Before going to Yuri’s place, we went to pick Sica’s up. I was happy to go and visit Yuri; I’ve always wondered how her family was, since Yuri is quite crazy. I wasn’t disappointed…Once we arrived there, I saw her house. It was as big as Taeyeon’s family house and then, I noticed the house next to it. It was Taeyeon’s house! So these two grew up next to each other, they probably spent their whole life together. Even though the two houses were equally big, it was obviously different. There was even a playground outside of the house and a sand statue of what I supposed

was Yuri and her sister. I was surprised when Taeyeon simply opened the door to the house without ringing the bell. The four of us went in, took out our shoes and wore slippers that Taeyeon gave us. She even knew where to find them. “Oh Taengoo!” I heard an adult voice called out. An elder woman who looked a bit like Yuri came out; she immediately jumped on Taeyeon to give her a hug. I looked at her quite shocked. Even Sica was surprised. “Auntie! Good morning!” Taeyeon greeted her. “I came with some friends” she said then went to introduced each of us. “OH my! She is so cute!!!” Yuri’s mom said while getting closer to Seohyun. “You should be around Yoona’s age! That lazy kid is still sleeping but I’m sure she’ll be happy to meet you! You two can be friends!” she went on saying. No doubt she was Yuri’s mother; they’re exactly like each other. Always smiling and talking. Her mother then turned toward Sica and me. “And OH MY! You girls are so pretty!!!” she complimented us. I saw Jessica blushing. “Taengoo! You sure have some good taste! Your girlfriend is really beautiful” she was talking about me. This time, I felt myself blushing. “Who? Her? This clumsy and clueless girl? She’s more of a bother actually”

Taeyeon said looking at me. “YA! Say it again if you dare!” I immediately respond to her. Yuri’s mom laughed. “You two are already like a couple! How cute!” she told us. “And you Jessica? Are you dating my little baby Yul?” she asked Sica. Jessica’s face was like a tomato now. “Huh no, we’re just friends” she said. “Haha…for now” Yuri’s mom whispered but I heard what she said. “Anyway, I’m going to cook for lunch. Yul is in her room” she indicated us. “And girls! Be at ease! This house is like your house” she told us before leaving. We followed Taeyeon to Yuri’s room. Compare to Taeyeon’s house, it was easier to find your direction since they put a sign on every door and even some sign with an arrow to indicate where was the kitchen, the playroom, etc. How to know it was Yuri’s room? Well, there was a sign on the door with “Awesome Yul” written on it. Typical of our Yuri. This time, Taeyeon knocked on the door. “Kwon Yuri! Are you naked?” she asked. My eyes, Jessica’s eyes and Seohyun’s eyes popped out at the same time. What kind of question was that? “You wish!” we heard Yuri’s voice replied from the other side. Taeyeon then opened the door to Yuri’s room.

Yuri was lying on her bed which was full of pictures. It was like Donald Duck’s uncle with his pool of money. As soon as she saw Jessica, she screamed. “STOP! Don’t come in! Wait! WAIT! WAIT!” she screamed as she ran toward us, pushed us outside then closed the door. Taeyeon was so shocked that she couldn’t even scream at Yuri. 5 minutes later, Yuri opened the door again. “Okay! Everything is fine, you guys can come in!” she smiled. What the heck? I looked on her bed and saw that the pictures were gone…what was she looking at that she didn’t want us to see? Weird. All of us stopped and looked at Yuri. Her face was full of red pimples…well, since she was having chickenpox. We looked at her for about 1 minute before bursting out of laughter. “Ya! It’s not funny! Like you never had it before!” Yuri whined. She went back to sit on her bed. “It’s different, we were cute and you look funny” Taeyeon teased her. I look around Yuri’s room, her bed was on the right of the room, at its feet, and there was a comfortable couch. Both the bed and the couch were facing an immense white screen on the wall. Yuri told me that it was her TV and computer

screen. She doesn’t need to go to the theater with such a big screen. We sat down on the couch with Jessica. I noticed how Yuri’s eyes were on Sica’s all the time. The poor girl, she was probably crazy about the Ice Princess by now.

Yuri’s POV I couldn’t believe Jessica was in MY room, sitting on MY couch! I really have to bless Tiffany for bringing my Jessica here. “Jessica! I’m happy that you came visit me!” I told her. Tiffany who was beside her, laughed and asked me. “You’re only happy that Sica came? We should leave then” Fany teased me. “No! I’m happy that all of you came! I’m stuck here until next week I think” I told her. “All because of my sister!” I complained. At that moment, a pillow hit me on the head. “Such a bad sister! How can you blame your cute little sister like that?” Yoona who was standing by the door said. “Hey Yoong! What’s up?” Taeyeon asked her. These two get along so well with each other, Yoona never bothers Taengoo and always listen to her. So not fair.

“Taeyeon unni! Where have you been?” my “cute” little sister greeted her favorite unnie while coming in the room. “I was a little busy. Come, let me introduce you to my classmates” Taeyeon started. “This ramen girl is Tiffany and this octopus girl is Jessica. They’re our classmates”. Jessica and Tiffany were close to smack Taengoo but they controlled themselves. “And finally, here is my beloved little cousin, Seohyun! She is 1 year younger than you!” she told Yoona. Seohyun smiled and greeted my sister politely. I noticed how Yoona smirked a little. What kind of evil plan she had in mind again? “Nice to meet you Seohyunie! I’m Yoona! Come let’s go play!” she said while dragging Seohyun out of the room. “Take care of her!” Taeyeon shouted after Yoona. “Ah…kids these days” she sighed. We stayed in my room for a while, simply talking and watching some TV shows. 30 minutes later, my mom called us for lunch. She had prepared rice balls for Taeyeon and some of her specialties since we had guests. During dinner, my mother and Yoona couldn’t stop talking nonsense and I didn’t know why, but they kept bothering Jessica with some weird questions.

“So Jessica, what do you think of my Yuri?” my mom suddenly asked. I thought Jessica was going to spit out the food when my mother asked her that question. “Huh…well, she is funny” she nervously answered. “Baby Yul is hilarious! You two look really good together!” my mother added. “Yeah I’m sure unnie would be happy to have such a gorgeous girlfriend” Yoona said while smiling. I decided to kick her ass later. I looked at Taeyeon, begging her to help me get out of this delicate situation but that useless kid was only laughing and eating her rice ball. I tried my best to change the conversation. “Seohyunie, Yoona didn’t scare you too much, did she?” I asked maknae. “No she was really nice” she responded. A smile appeared on Yoong’s face. “I think we’d make a great couple too!” Yoona said while looking at Seohyun. “Please, let my little cousin out of this” Taeyeon said. “She’s too innocent” she patted Seohyun’s head. “Unnie! Do you mean I’m not innocent?” Yoona whined to Taeyeon.

“You’ve never been innocent!” I told her. We continued to argue until we finished eating. Yoona and Seohyun disappeared again after lunch, I was hoping Yoona wouldn’t be a bad influence on Taeyeon’s cousin, if not, she would probably kill me. Taeyeon, Sica and I went back to my room for a little karaoke session. Tiffany insisted to help my mother to clean up the kitchen.

Tiffany’s POV I stayed with Yuri’s mom and helped her wash the dishes. I also felt really comfortable around her, like with Taeyeon’s mom but it was different. Taeyeon’s mom was really delicate and soft speaking whereas Yuri’s mother was more like a big child; loud and friendly. “I was wondering when Taeyeon would bring you here” she suddenly told me. “Her mother told me about the little arrangement. I was dying to see how you look like” “Taeyeon’s umma talked about me?” I asked her. “She really likes you a lot” she smiled. “I can understand why”

“I don’t think I am anything special” I told her. Sometimes, I wonder what Taeyeon mother saw in me. “Believe me, no one else is better suit for Taeyeon. I can see that you’re already doing a good job with that kid” “I don’t think she has changed” “Her eyes definitely had changed” she looked at me. “Can’t you see it? There are less sadness and loneliness in them” “I…” I haven’t really noticed anything. Sure, Taeyeon was different from the first day we met but, it wasn’t because of me, or was it? “I can tell by looking at her, she’s happier now even though she’d never admit it” she laughed. “She’s a stubborn kid” “You seemed to really know her well” I stated. “Taeyeon is like my 3rd daughter” she admitted. “You know, she basically grew up in this house, with Yuri” she told me, a warm smile on her face. “I consider her as my daughter, as much as Yuri and Yoona see her as their sister” “Are you close to Taeyeon’s parents?” I asked her. They should be close since Taeyeon spent her whole childhood at Yuri’s home.

“We’re close friends. We don’t have the same lifestyle but I admire them” she admitted. “They’re good people and I believe they’re good parents. Taeyeon knows that too…” “I know I shouldn’t ask, but Taeyeon doesn’t seem really close to them, I wish she would be livelier when they’re around” I dared to tell her. “Ah look at you! Already worried about her relationship with her parents! How cute!” she teased me. But her face quickly turned serious again. “Taeyeon loves her parents of course; she just doesn’t know how to act as a child around them. I think she grew up too fast” “I also think she is too serious and calm. I was surprised to see how different Yuri and Taeyeon were” I smiled. “Oh don’t compare her to Yuri! My baby Yul is just from another planet” she laughed. “Actually, they’re quite alike but there are some sides of their personalities that they don’t show easily” I was going to ask Yuri’s mom another question about Taeyeon when I heard her voice. “Auntie, do you have some dessert” Taeyeon asked as she came in the kitchen. “Sure there is a cake in the fridge, let me cut you some parts” Yuri’s mom said.

“Ramen, you are gonna sing with us?” Taeyeon asked me. I changed my hairstyle a little bit last week and since then, she kept on calling me Ramen. “You should come, Sica is crazily singing while Yuri keeps on scratching herself” she laughed. “Tiffany, can you tell Yuri to put some cream on her body? And tell her to stop scratching if not I will tie her up” Yul’s mom instructed me. I pushed Taeyeon as I walked out. She was so annoying and kept teasing me for the past week. If it wasn’t a sign of our closeness, I would have killed her already, that little kid. We stayed at Yuri’s house until after dinner. Unfortunately, Yuri’s dad was abroad for work so we couldn’t see him but we promised to Yuri’s mom that we would definitely come back to visit her. Seohyun was also very happy to have a new friend; she kept on talking and giggling with Yoona. I wished I’d more time with Yuri’s mom as I felt there were a lot of things I could learn and understand about Taeyeon while talking to her. I hope that one day; Taeyeon would be comfortable enough around me to talk about her past.

Chapter 9 – This Secret Life of Hers

S1 High School,

Tiffany’s POV

I saw Taeyeon leaving the apartment very early this morning but she didn’t attend school later on. It wasn’t the first time though; she would sometimes wake up very early and disappear the whole day. I’ve never asked her where she spent her time if not at school. I guess…there are things that I’m not supposed to know.

We were eating lunch at our usual spot with Sica, Yuri, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon. I wanted to ask Yuri if she knew where Taeyeon were but because Hyo and Sooyoung were there; I had to wait until we walk back to class to ask her.

“Yuri-ah! Do you know where Taeyeon is?” I asked her. We were both walking ahead of the others.

“Hmmm…Taeyeon? I know but…” she began.

I looked at her with my puppy eyes. “Please tell me Yuri-ah!!! I won’t tell Taengoo! I promise!!” I begged.

“Hmm…I think it’s better if you ask her Fany-ah…Aish, don’t look at me with those eyes, it’s creepy!” she told me as I tried to convince her with my puppy look.

“Wah you don’t think it’s cute? Even Taeyeon don’t say I look creepy…” I

complained. “If it was Sica, you’d love it! Don’t you Yuri?” I teased her.

“Wh..what? What are you talking about?” she tried to deny.

“Listen, what if I tell you a secret about Sica? Would you tell me about Taeyeon?” I stopped walking and looked at her.

I knew she couldn’t refuse my offer. “OKAY! DEAL” she shook my hand. I think her eyes were sparkling of happiness.

“So? Where is Taeyeon?” I immediately asked her.

“I can’t tell you directly, Taeyeon would kill me BUT I can show you something that will make you understand” she smiled.

“Huh what’s the difference?” Yuri and her complicated plan give me headache sometimes.

“There is a difference! Anyway, we’ll go together after school” with that, she ran to catch up with the others.

She forgot to ask me about Jessica…how weird.

After school, Yuri took me to a newspaper stand. “Huh Yuri, what are we doing here?” I asked her confused.

She was looking for some magazine. When she finally found it; she took it. “Do

you ever read business magazines?” she asked while giving it to me.

“Do I look like someone who read them?”

“True…Anyway, take a look at it, you might find something very interesting” she told me.

I flipped through the pages; there was nothing interesting, mostly news of last business transactions with pictures of people I’ve never seen in my life. I was about to scold Yuri for tricking me when I saw a familiar face on one of the pages.

“Taeyeon-ah?” I said while looking at the picture.

The title of the article says “The heiress of Kim Corporation, Kim Tae Yeon strikes again”. On the right page, was a picture of Taeyeon wearing a black suit and shaking some businessman’s hand. The picture was probably taken at some press conference. I read the article a little bit and it was talking about how Taeyeon was able to get a partnership with some Japanese Co. for her father’s company. Apparently, it was a huge deal because lots of Korean companies were fighting for it as well. The journalist that wrote this article was probably a fan of Taeyeon because the word “smart” and “genius” were often used.

“So do you understand now?” Yuri asked me.

My eyes were glued on the magazine. “I…I…How come?”

Yuri took the magazine from me and put it back on the stall. “Taeyeon has been

helping her father since she was around 14, that’s why people in the business see her as a little genius” Yuri said, her face was a little bit sad when she said this.

“14? Isn’t it a bit young?”

“She is the only heiress…someone has to take over some day and the earlier you learn, the better you get” she simply said. It was obvious that Yuri didn’t agree with this statement.

“So that’s why she leaves early in the morning and sometimes the whole weekend…” I stated. That explains why sometimes Taeyeon would come back on Sunday evening and be very tired.

“Her parents are in New York so she has to keep an eye on the office in Korea. She must go there at least 3 times in a week” she explained to me.

“I’ve never ask Taeyeon but what exactly do they do?”

“Well, at first they were only in the advertising business but then they invested in real estate and recently telecommunications. Taeyeon has just got a 5 years partnership for the advertising branch of the company. This Japanese company will only employ and use ads that come from Tae’s company. They didn’t reveal any numbers but I can tell you, it’s a LOT of money” Yuri told me as we got in her car. “Taeng worked her butt off on this project, I don’t even know how she was able to attend school” she sighed.

“Everything make sense now…Hmm, do you know if she has to attend business

dinner as well?” I asked Yuri. I remember this incident in Bali with these 2 annoying kids; they mentioned something about Taeyeon attending business dinner.

“Huh how do you know?” Yuri was surprised at my question.

“In short, we bumped into 2 teenagers while in Bali and they kept on provoking Taeyeon and saying how she is spending her father’s money and one of them said she was hiding from business dinner. Something likes that. I’ve never seen them before but they looked like rich kids.” I explained.

“Hmm…yeah probably some kids from rival companies. A lot of these kids are jealous of Taeyeon because she is already successful at such a young age and because they can’t hang out with her, they are mean to her instead” she told me. “As for business dinner…it’s those kind of boring charity dinner where all rich people and their children attend to show off how successful they are and if lucky, you can score some business deal. Taeyeon hates it but there are times where she has to go…its business” Yuri sighed again. It must be hard for her to not be able to help her best friend.

“What about you? Do you also need to help your parents?” I directly asked her.

She laughed. “Nah, my father would kick me off the company if I step in. I won’t be able to stay a day sitting in an office. Business is not my thing. You know? I always say that the biggest difference between Taeyeon and me is that…while my future was still blurred, hers was already decided. “

“That’s why she has to keep a mature image whenever she goes…” I said while looking through the window. Yuri was driving me home as we spoke.

“Taeyeon has always been a quiet girl, even when we were still kids. The only times that she was a “normal” child was when we played together in my house, because there, she didn’t need to be well dressed, sit properly, speak slowly and softly like she was talking to the queen or something. No one was judging her.”

“But how come she got herself into so many fights in school? She knows it would damage her reputation and image”

“First of all, a lot of things that you heard are only rumors. It’s true that Taeng got into some fights but not that much. Her problem is, she kept everything inside and sometimes, she exploded. I always tell her that she is lucky, if someone was smart and took picture of her fighting that would ruin everything.”

Our conversation ended when we arrived at the apartment. I was about to get out of her car when Yuri reminded me. “Fany-ah! It’s my turn now!” she said.

“What your turn?” I asked her confused.

“I told you a lot about Taeyeon so now you have to tell me things about Jessica” Yuri parked her car in front of the building entrance.

“Sure! What do you wanna know?” I asked.

I was sure Yuri only wanted to know random things about Jessica but then she took

out a picture and showed it to me. “Where did you get this?” I asked her as I looked at the picture. It was a picture of a very familiar ring.

“I took it in Bali…Jessica looked really interested in this ring so…What does it mean to her?” she asked me. I saw the concern look on her face.

“Yuri…I know we made a deal but I promised to Sica…I can’t tell you, I can’t even talk about it with her…” I sincerely said. “All I can say about this ring is…never show this picture to her, don’t let her see it...” I advised her.

“I…I understand…” she said disappointingly. Sooner or later you’ll find out Yuri…

“I’m so sorry Yuri-ah”

“Fany…am I going anywhere? Is chasing after Sica a lost cause?” It was the first time that I saw Yuri so…low-spirited, her voice wasn’t lively anymore.

“Don’t give up on her. If there is one person on earth that can make her smiles again, it’s you” I smiled at her.

She smiled weakly. “Yeah…and if there is one person on earth that can change Taengoo, it’s you”

I realize how Yuri and I were in the same position; both of us want to get closer to someone who wasn’t ready for any closeness.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

That evening, I wanted to do something for Taeyeon since I knew her little secret. It was probably a bad idea, but I still wanted to try. Cooking! I looked up on the internet for some nice but easy recipes since I could barely make plain rice. I chose to cook rice and side dishes with a bowl of soup. It took me 2 hours to finish everything. But at least, it didn’t taste that bad. I set the table and waited for Taeyeon.

She came back around 8 pm, as expected, she was really looking tired. “What’s going on?” she asked me once she saw the dinner table.

“Tada!!! It’s my treat!” I said happily. I walked to Taeyeon and forced her to sit down. “I put a lot of effort into it so you have to eat everything!” I ordered.

“Wait! You cook it? You? Yourself?” she asked me. Obviously, she was unsure of the result.

“YA! I can cook if I want!” I got angry. “Can’t you just say thank and eat?”

“Okay okay fine but if I got sick, I’ll sue you” she threatened me.

I observed Taeyeon closely as she tried the first dishes; meat and vegetables. She started chewing slowly then ate some rice. I was waiting for her to give me some critics but she was only eating.

“So???? How is it???” I asked her.

“Well, I’m not going to die today” she answered.

“Does it mean it’s good?”

“I didn’t say that”

“Kim Tae Yeon! I worked hard for this result, just compliment me!” I whined.

She sighed then looked at me seriously. “Tiffany, your food is amazing. You should open a restaurant!”

I held my laughter. “Thank you” I said while putting a serious expression.

“You’re welcome” she then smiled. I couldn’t help but smiled as well.

Watching Taeyeon eating the food that I cooked made me very happy.

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

I did as Fany told me. I forgot about this picture and about the ring on it. If Jessica wanted to forget about it then I shouldn’t try to find out. For the past few days, we got closer with Sica. She would always scold me for being noisy now or asked me

to jump off the roof because I was bothering her. It might sound mean but it was her way of communicating with me. I tried my best to be lively and cheerful around her and make her laugh. Thing were really getting better until that day in class, when the teacher asked to talk to me personally.

“Yuri do you mind staying for a minute? I have something to ask you” the teacher told me when the bell rang.

I was supposed to drive Jessica home so I told her to wait for me. She was standing outside the classroom when I talked to the teacher.

Staying with me and the teacher was another student. “Yuri, I’d like you to sit with Park Gyu Ri and help her during class.” The teacher asked me.

Park Gyu Ri was a girl with long brownish hair; I heard that she was the daughter of the school’s principal or at least, he is a relative of hers. I supposed she was failing in this class thus she needed someone to help her.

“Huh why me?” I asked me. There were so many students in this class…why me?

“Well you and Taeyeon are our best students but I don’t think Taeyeon would agree” he said. Of course Taeyeon wouldn’t agree.

“Hmmm…I’m really sorry to bother you Yuri but I really need your help” Gyuri who was beside me, said.

I thought for a moment. “Just in class right? I really don’t have time after school” I

lied.

“Yes just during my class”

“Fine, I don’t mind if it’s only during one class” I said directly. She was lucky that I wasn’t sharing a desk with Jessica, if not I wouldn’t have agree at all.

“Okay so its settle now. This will take effect from tomorrow onwards” The teacher said before leaving the class.

I was going to tell Gyuri I would see her tomorrow in class when the girl literally pulled me toward her for a very very tight hug. “OH Yuri-ah I’m so happy that you accepted to help me!!!!” she said while hugging me, once again, very tightly.

I didn’t know what to do until I heard someone coughing. Jessica. My back was facing the door so I couldn’t see her but I knew she was looking at me…at this girl and me hugging.

“Kwon Yuri, I’m leaving first” I heard her cold voice said. I didn’t even need to think, my body was acting by itself. I quickly pushed Gyuri away and ran after Jessica.

“Jessica wait!” I said while catching up with her. “That’s not what you think!!! She jumped on me!!” I explained to her.

Sica’s face remained very calm but I could tell she was really angry. “I don’t care who you are hugging. You do whatever you want” she told me coldly.

I walked passed her and stopped right in front of her. “Ya! Go away!” she ordered me but I stood still.

I looked at her. “I want you to care…I want you to look at me like I look at you. I want you to smile at me like I smile at you. I want you to see me Sica…” I sincerely told her how I felt.

Jessica looked at me confused; she wasn’t expecting these words coming out of my mouth. Was she so oblivious to my feelings? “Wh...What are you talking about?” she asked me. She was so clueless…

I looked right into her eyes. “Jessica I’m in…” I was telling her when someone cut me off.

“YURI-AH! Yuri-ah!!!” I heard someone calling my name. I turned around and saw Gyuri running toward me. “Yuri-ah! Wait!” she said as she reached us.

I sighed and turned to look at Sica but she was already running away. “Jessica!” I called her but I felt Gyuri’s hand on my wrist, stopping me from running after Sica.

“What do you want?!” I angrily asked her. I didn’t mean to be harsh but…I couldn’t help it.

She let go of me and looked kind of scared. “I…I’m sorry but you forgot your bag” she handed it to me.

I took it without looking at her. “Thank you and I’m sorry for just now” I sincerely apologized.

Before she could say anything, I was already running. I tried to look for Jessica but she was already gone…she probably took another path or was hiding somewhere. I tried to call her though I knew she wouldn’t pick up.

I really screwed up this time...

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

Since I learned about Taeyeon’s secret, every time we eat dinner, I’d ask her to put on the news channel. I was praying for the news to talk about Taeyeon or the company because it was hard to keep this secret from her.

We were watching some TV shows when I decided to ask her. “Taeyeon-ah, can we do something tomorrow?”

“No” she replied quickly, her eyes still on the TV.

“Why not???? It’s Saturday!! We should go out!!” I started whining. Most of the time, I always get what I want when I whine.

Taeyeon cringed at my aegyo. “I’m busy tomorrow. Go play with Yuri and Sica”

she told me.

“No I want to play with you!!!” I continued with my aegyo.

“Ya! Since when are you so annoying! I have to work tomorrow!!!!” she blurted out.

Touché.

“You have to what????” I acted like I didn’t hear it right.

Taeyeon realized her mistake. “I have something to do so don’t bother me” she said.

“You said you were going to work? Where? At the company? Can I come?” I bluntly asked her, she will know sooner or later that I knew so…

“Ya! Why do you ask so much? Who told you I work at the company?” she questioned me.

“You just said it” I smiled at her.

“No I didn’t!” she was starting to get frustrated.

“Yes you did!”

“No I didn’t!!!”

“Can I come with you?” I asked her again.

“I know who told you! Yuri told you right? I’m gonna kill her!”

“No Yuri didn’t tell me! You did it! During your sleep…yeah during your sleep” I lied.

“Huh? What kind of nonsense is that?” she didn’t believe me.

“You said it yesterday night…when you were sleep-walking and sleep-talking” I quickly added. Sometimes I’m surprised at how smart I am.

Taeng stayed silent for a while. “Aish I can’t believe it!” she got angry.

“It’s ok Taengoo-ah! I’m proud of you!” I smiled and patted her head. “So can I come with you tomorrow??? I really want to see you work!” I insisted.

“No. Kids are not allowed there” she teased me.

“I’m taller than you so don’t start” I threatened her. “Please!!! I’ll be obedient!!!” I insisted

Taeyeon stood up and walked to her room. Before closing the door she told me. "8 AM in the living room. If you’re not there, I’ll leave without you.”

“GOOD NIGHT Taengoo!” I shouted then smiled to myself.

That kid is so easy to trick.

The next morning, I got ready at exactly 8 AM. Taeyeon was waiting for me in the living room, she was wearing normal clothes. I guess she didn’t have any meeting planned. It took us about 15 minutes to get there. It was the first time that I saw the office building. Do I need to say that it was HUGE? The building had 40 or more floors and Taeyeon’s company took the last 6 floors. Everything was so high tech that my eyes couldn’t believe it.

Everyone greeted Taeyeon politely when they saw her. I felt weird walking by her side, the mini boss. The Taeyeon that everyone knows was back. Her face was very serious, even when she smiled to her employees; it was polite smile, without any feelings.

We got into her personal office; the view was breath-taking! She could see the whole city there. I thought to myself that I had to come back at night to take pictures. On her desk, I noticed a picture of her and Yuri in Japan and next to it, there was also another picture with…all of us in Bali. I smiled to myself.

“It’s going to be very boring here” she was telling me. “I don’t have a lot of work so we can leave in 2-3 hours but…”

I cut her off. “I’m going to wait for you. Can I walk around the office? Or help you?”

She thought about it. “Hmmm…you’re very clumsy so…” she started.

“Ya! Be careful Kim Tae Yeon!” I warned her. I tried to not shout because that wouldn’t be appropriate with all the people working outside.

“Well, I can ask my assistant to give you easy task like make copies or deliver documents to another floor…” she thought.

“OKAY! I’m in!” I told her. I was more than happy to help her even a little bit.

Taeyeon sighed before calling her assistant in. 10 seconds later, a tall girl wearing a short skirt entered the room. “What can I do for you Miss. Kim?” she asked Taeyeon.

“Miss. Son, this is Tiffany. She is going to hang around the office until I leave so if you can give her some easy tasks to do to keep her busy that would be nice” she ordered.

“That would be a pleasure. Miss Tiffany, if you would follow me, please” she talked to me politely.

“Fany, if you are hungry tell Miss. Son, she will order food for you” Taeyeon told me.

I smiled at her. “See you later Taeyeon!”

I follow the assistant out of Taeyeon’s office. “Miss. Tiffany, are you a relative of Miss. Taeyeon?” she asked me as we walked to her desk.

“No, actually we are…friends” I didn’t know why I kind of hesitated. We were only friends…just friends.

“Oh really? That make you the 2nd friend that Miss. Taeyeon brings here” she said with a smile. “Miss. Yuri would be the first”

That little revelation made me smile. I was the 2nd person to ever see her office, besides people she was working with.

For the about 3 hours, I helped Taeyeon’s assistant. I made copies for some future meeting, delivered documents to another floor and even brought drink to Taeyeon. She was really surprised when she saw me bringing in her favorite hot chocolate. Taeyeon doesn’t like coffee. I stayed in her office and observed her working for the remaining 30 minutes. She was so concentrated that it was easy for me to stay quiet and just looked at her.

Before leaving, Taeyeon gave some instructions to her assistant. We then took the elevator down to the garage.

As we were walking to get her car, Taeyeon praised me. “I must say, you impressed me today!”

I smiled at her. “Really? Why?”

“Well, what you did was kind of easy but very boring and repetitive but you did it without complaining. I’m proud of you” she said while patting my head.

“I must admit you look very cute when you’re working” I said shyly.

She grinned “I’m always cute!”

I made a disgusted face and pushed her. “Don’t be so cocky” I laughed at her.

I love those moments that we were sharing now, there was no more awkward moments between us, no more uncomfortable silence. Taeyeon was no more this tensed, cold girl that I first met. She was more relaxed and happy.

But something…someone…had to turn everything upside down.

“Taeyeonnie?” Taeyeon’s body tensed and her smile disappeared as soon as she heard the voice behind us. It was a sweet voice, a girl’s voice.

Before turning around and looking at her, I knew she would be pretty…and she was. She looked around my age, and was probably a tiny bit shorter than me. Her long silky hair and her dress gave out a warm feeling.

Taeyeon hasn’t moved…Her face was shocked, as if this girl standing behind her was a ghost. I didn’t know who she was, but I knew…right there…at that very moment that nothing would be the same anymore.

Chapter 10A – You from My Past…

Kim’s Corporation’s Parking Lot,

Taeyeon’s POV

My heart stopped beating…my body froze…my mind went blank…all I heard was her voice echoing in my head, again and again. It has been so long…so long that I forgot the sound of her voice when she calls my name…so long that I forgot how warm her voice is...so long that I got you out of my mind…Min Sun Ye.

Did I even need to turn around and look at her? How painful would it be if I walk straight without turning back? Knowing she was there…knowing she was back…

Why? Why did you come back?

I don’t know how much effort and energy it took me to turn and look at her. “Sun Ye” I could barely pronounce it now…

This familiar face…this smile that has comforted me so many times before, how did I forget?

“When…” I tried to say.

“Yesterday night…” She was standing there, holding her hands together and

looking at me, like she used to do.

I walked to her without even realizing it. “Is everything alright?” I asked worried.

She still had that effect on me…didn’t she?

“Yes…don’t worry” she gave me that smile of hers…the one that can warm my heart and hurt it at the same time. “Can I see you later today? Or tomorrow? There is something I want to tell you”.

I saw her taking a look at Tiffany…curious of whom this girl might be. “Tiffany, this is Min Sun Ye, a long time friend and Sun Ye, this is Tiffany, a classmate” I simply introduced them.

SunYe smiled and bowed slightly at Tiffany. “Nice to meet you Tiffany”

“Nice to meet you too Sun Ye” Tiffany soft reply made me feel uncomfortable. I’m so used to her loud and clear introduction whenever she meets someone new. This time, it was soft and unsure.

“Are you going to be at home? I can come over when you’re free” SunYe asked me.

I was unsure of what to tell her…she didn’t know I had moved out. “I…I’m not living in the house anymore…I have my own apartment…” I didn’t know if I should tell her about Tiffany living with me...

She probably saw the confusedness in my eyes that I wasn’t ready. “Just call me Taeyeon-ah, whenever you want. As for now, I’m happy to see you again” she softly said as she pulled me in for a hug.

I didn’t move…my body was hard as a rock and my mind was still blank, I figured out that she bowed to Tiffany before leaving. All I see was her small figure smiling and walking away…like she did 2 years ago.

I don’t know how long I stood there like an idiot, looking at where she was standing. My mind was still registering the past 5 minutes. After what seems an eternity, Tiffany’s voice brought me back.

“Taeyeon! Let’s go!” Tiffany said with her usual loud tone.

I didn’t say anything…I didn’t know what to say.

On the ride back to the apartment, Tiffany was as usual, talkative and loud, talking to herself. I knew she was trying to lift up the mood but I was too confused to respond to her. Once we reached the apartment, I dropped Tiffany there and left. I just needed to be alone...

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I thought my heart broke when that girl hugged Taeyeon. I know there is nothing

wrong with it but…it still hurt…a lot. On our way back home, Taeyeon was extremely quiet, I know she was thinking about something…something that include Sun Ye…Taeyeon said she was an old friend, I thought her only close friend was Yuri? I can’t help but think about their interaction with each other, the way Taeyeon looked at her…she has never looked at anyone like this before…

Kwon Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I didn’t sleep last night…at all. I keep trying to call Jessica but as expected, she doesn’t pick up. I even drove to her house and wait but I didn’t see her. I have to wait until Monday and see her in school…if she shows up.

I was lying on my bed, looking the ceiling when my door suddenly opened. It was Taeyeon. She came in and went to lie next to me. We stayed silent for a while, both of us thinking at our own problems while looking at the ceiling.

“She is back” Taeyeon was the first to speak up. As cold and quiet as she might be, she can’t keep her thoughts for herself when we’re together. Between us, I’m the one who can keep my feelings for myself.

“Since when?” I didn’t need to ask her who she was talking about…there was only one girl…it has always been that girl.

“Yesterday night…”

“Why did she come back?”

“I…I don’t know, she wants to talk to me…when I’m free” she sighed.

“What are you going to do?” I know how Taeyeon felt about SunYe. I know it too well...

“Do I have a choice?” she turned to me. I saw how lost she was just by the look on her eyes. It has been 2 years since she left…

“Where did you see her? Did she call you?”

“We saw her earlier this afternoon. When we were leaving the office” Taeyeon looked at the ceiling again then closed her eyes and breathed calmly. She always does that when she needs to think.

“We?” I asked curiously.

“Tiffany and I” Her eyes immediately opened after she mentioned Tiffany…like she has just realized the situation…how complicated everything is gonna be.

“Did you talk to Fany about SunYe?”

She stayed silent for a moment, thinking of an appropriate response, I guess. “There is nothing to talk about”

“Really? Isn’t it going to change your relationship with Tiffany? Or with SunYe?”

“Tiffany is just my roommate for a year…after that, I’m not gonna see her anymore” she told me but I was far from being convinced.

“Tiffany is a nice girl and you two…”

She cut me off. “There is nothing between us…as for SunYe…I’ll talk to her tomorrow”

Then the silence filled my room once again…it was my turn now…to speak up.

“I am in love with Jessica”

“I know”

“But she keeps on pushing me away”

“I know”

“And something happened yesterday…she saw Gyuri hugging me and she left…she looked really angry and…I tried to explain to her, I wanted to tell her I love her but she…” I started to get emotional…

“What do I love the most about you, Yul?” she asked me. She always does that…whenever I have a problem, she will ask me this question.

“My awesomeness?” I smiled. I knew what she meant…what she wanted me to answer but I never say it.

“I love everything about you” she gave me that smile, the one that tells me that no matter what happens, I can count on her. “So do what you do best! Be yourself! There is no way this girl doesn’t fall for you!” she sat down and hit me playfully. “After all, you’re my best friend!” she smirked.

“YA! It hurts you idiot!” I shouted while hitting her back.

We always end up hitting each other after a serious conversation or an embarrassing moment. Even when we were still children, if I made her cry, I would apologize then we’ll playfully hit each other for fun. It is our way to be comfortable with each other, especially when there are feelings involved.

Taeyeon was standing in the middle of my room, holding the pillow I had just thrown at her. “Well, I’m happy that you’re smiling again” she told me. “Don’t forget that if Jessica was to love you, it will be because of your cheerfulness so if she sees you with that pitiful face that you had when I came in, she’ll go look for someone else” Taeyeon advised me before throwing me the pillow.

“I wasn’t pitiful…I was just thinking deep” I said as I let myself fell on the bed.

“Whatever…I’m leaving. Have to make sure Tiffany doesn’t burn the kitchen” she laughed. I wonder if she realizes the impact Tiffany has on her, the place that this cheerful girl has in her heart already.

Taeyeon was going to open the door when I called her. She probably knew what I was going to say since she didn’t turn back. “Tae...”

“I know…” she softly said before leaving my room.

“…Don’t hurt her…” I finished my sentence but Taeyeon was already gone.

Why are things getting so complicated for both of us?

Somewhere in Seoul,

Tiffany’s POV

I knew Taeyeon wasn’t at her best so I decided to cook again. Last time was a success even though the dishes weren’t exceptional. This time, I will level it up! I took another recipe from the internet and went to the supermarket to buy what I needed. This also helped me to think about something else…something that wasn’t a girl with long hair…something that didn’t hugged Taeyeon like it was the most natural thing to do…

I was getting out of the supermarket when a car nearly hit me when I was crossing the street. Because of the sudden shock, I fell on the ground and slightly spread my ankle.

“Oh Miss are you alright?” a young man asked me as he kneeled down.

“Yes…yes” I said but as soon as I tried to stand up, I felt the pain.

“Let me help you” he said. He stood up, took my bags and helped me stand up. “I think it’s better if you go to the hospital, just to make sure it’s not serious” he smiled at me.

He was a very tall man, with a neat haircut and wearing a simple jeans and a shirt.

I gently shook my head. “I’m fine, I can walk” I said then I tried to walk and if he wasn’t holding my arm at that time, I would have fallen down again.

“I think you have to listen to me” he smiled. “Come I’ll drive you to the hospital”

He helped me walked to his car and helped me get in the passenger seat. During the drive, we talked a little bit. I’ve only known him for the last 15 minutes but I felt really comfortable talking with him. His voice was calm and polite.

“I’m sorry, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Min Sung Min” he said.

“Hwang Tiffany” I shortly replied.

“It’s really nice to meet you Tiffany” he smiled.

He was always smiling, but not a huge smile like Yuri’s, more of a polite kind of smile. I looked at my watch and saw that it was already 6pm; I wouldn’t have time to prepare dinner. I called Taeyeon and told her I was at Jessica’s place and that she didn’t need to wait for me. I don’t know if she entirely believed me but she

didn’t say anything, just told me to not come home too late...then something with dangerous guy who likes to eat ramen…Taeyeon is weird sometimes but I was happy that she gets her humor back…especially after what happened earlier today.

We got to the hospital and I got my ankle checked, fortunately, it was nothing serious. The doctor put a bandage on my ankle and I was free to leave. I wanted to take a taxi back home but SungMin insisted to drive me home. When we arrived, he still didn’t want to let me walk alone and even accompanied me upstairs.

“Really you didn’t need to do that, it wasn’t that far from your car to the elevator” I told him as we arrived in front of the apartment door.

“I nearly sent you to the hospital with my car so it’s the least I could do” he replied politely.

We were talking in front of the door when it suddenly opened.

It was Taeyeon.

“Ya! What are you doing behind that door?” she scolded me before looking at the guy standing beside me, still holding my arm.

For the 2nd times today, Taeyeon was shocked again.

“Sungmin? What are you doing here?” she asked him.

“I drove Tiffany back because she spread her ankle”

Taeyeon sighed and looked back at me. “What did you do again? So careless” she said before giving out her hand.

I took her hand as a support as I jumped on the other side of the door. I stand next to Taeyeon, her hand still holding mine as I thanked Sungmin for helping me.

“Did you come back yesterday?” Taeyeon asked him.

“Yeah, did you talk to her?” he asked Tae while taking a quick glimpse at me.

“We briefly talked today…I’ll called her tomorrow. Thank you for taking care of this clumsy girl even though I don’t know why you two are together…” she then looked at the both of us suspiciously.

“It’s a long story…” I told Taeyeon but she didn’t listen to me.

“Are you two living together?” Sungmin asked us.

“We’re stuck together for the time being…” she sighed again.

“Ya! Kim Tae Yeon! Be happy I can stand you!” I let go of her hand and was going to hit her but I lost my balance.

I was going to fell when Taeyeon’s left arm held my waist to support me again. We looked at each other and I knew she was going to scold me. She rolled her eyes and looked back at Sungmin who was still standing in front of us. “SungMin, I’ll

probably see you tomorrow. Thank you for bringing her back in one piece”

“It was my pleasure, really. Maybe see you another time Tiffany” he said with a smile.

I saw Taeyeon sighed again. “Sure! I’ll treat you for a drink next time!” I said happily. I don’t know if he was going to say something because Taeyeon closed the door right after I finished my sentence.

“Ya! It was rude!” I scolded her.

She angrily looked at me. “Why do you let stranger drive you home? What if he’s a pervert and attacks you once you open the door?”

“I knew you were at home” I replied. It was cute to see her worry about me.

“What if I went somewhere? Can’t you be more careful?”

“Okay okay I’m sorry Taengoo!!! Can we eat now? I’m hungry!”

“Aish look at you, can’t even walk by yourself” she sighed…again!

Taeyeon helped me walked to the table but then stopped in the hallway. “What? What???” I asked her while looking around me.

“Go take a shower first before dinner” she helped me walked to my room and opened the door. “Go go!”

“I’m really hungry Taengoo-ah!” I pled but Taeyeon kept pointing to the bathroom.

“Take a shower then you can eat”

“I can’t even walk! How do you want me to take a shower by myself? Or maybe…” I gave her a playful look.

Taeyeon’s eyes grew big as she took a step back. “Ya! Are you being a pervert? I’m not going to shower with you!” she shouted

I couldn’t help but laughed hysterically at her reaction…especially her great imagination. “Excuse me but since when did I ask you to shower WITH me???” I laughed at her again. “I was simply going to ask you to help me get in the bathroom” I smiled.

“Yeah…that was…exactly what I was going…to ask you…so yeah…well…” she coughed embarrassingly.

It is always so fun to tease Taeyeon, behind that cold attitude; she was actually really shy and innocent.

Taeyeon helped me walk to the bathroom, gave me my pajamas, then went to my bed and sat down. “What are you doing?” I asked her.

“How are you going to walk to the kitchen after your shower?” she told me before

lying across my bed.

I thought about what she told me and smiled to myself before closing the bathroom door.

I came out 15 minutes later and saw Taeyeon still laying there, her eyes closed. I walked and jumped at the same time and stopped in front of her.

“Ya Taeyeon-ah!” I called her but she didn’t move. I bend down a little bit to shake her legs and wake her up.

“BOUH!” she suddenly screamed.

It scared me so much that I lost my balance and fell over her. “Ouch!” she shouted.

I pushed myself up a bit but it was a bad idea because now…my face was only a few inches away from her. We looked at each other and for a moment, I thought that my head was going to explode. She was so close to me…her eyes…her nose…her lips…I felt that I was losing control of my body…of my mind, seeing her so close to me.

Taeyeon didn’t move, she only looked at me...I didn’t need words to express myself at that moment, my eyes were clear enough. Then I felt my body acting on its own, slowly bringing my face closer to her…both of us knew what was going to happen next…and she didn’t move…

*growl growl growl*

That noise startled both of us. I quickly got off of Taeyeon and sat on the bed, my face red as a tomato and my heart beating so fast it could have won a formula1 race. I felt Taeyeon sitting up as well and I could tell she was smiling, slightly laughing at me. But she didn’t say anything.

“Just sit there” she ordered me before leaving me room.

Taeyeon came back shortly after with some bandages. She kneeled down, took my ankle and put the bandage on it. My heart was still beating fast…I was fighting the urge to jump on her and kiss her…

*growl growl growl*

Taeyeon laughed again. “I think someone is hungry there…Let’s go eat” she said while finishing the bandage.

The dinner was as usual. We watched TV and argued with each other a couple times. The awkward silence of this morning was gone. I wanted to ask her about this girl…how important she was for Taeyeon…how close they were with each other but I didn’t dare to. A part of me is not ready to know.

After dinner, Taeyeon forced me to go to sleep, although I wanted to do the dishes.

She even put me to bed. Like I was a little girl. She was putting the blanket over me when I held her hand. I don’t know why but I felt scared. This closeness that we were sharing…I felt as if…it might disappear the next day…everything that was happening…was to beautiful to be true…Taeyeon taking care of me…was she doing it for the last time? Was it a nice move before walking away from me? Walking back to this girl…this old friend. The silence and awkwardness that we had after meeting this girl…I don’t want to go through it again…

“Taeyeon-ah…” I whispered…unable to look at her.

She knew it was important…I felt her body tensed a bit when I called her. “What is it?” she asked.

“Promise me…promise me you won’t turn back to the cold Taengoo again…” I finally dared to look at her.

I held her hand tighter. “Babo” she hit me lightly on the head. “How do you want me to be cold when you call me Taengoo?” she smiled. “Don’t think too much…nothing it’s gonna change…” she reassured me.

Taeyeon pat my head before leaving the room…leaving me alone in the darkness. As much as I want to believe her…I know it would be different…soon…this happy life that has just begun…I know it wouldn’t last long…

Tomorrow…Taeyeon is going to see her tomorrow, and then…she probably won’t look back at me…

Chapter 10B – You from My Past

Taeyeon’s POV

I was on my way to pick up SunYe, I called her this morning and we decided to spend the afternoon together…to talk. Tiffany was going out with her friends so I didn’t feel too bad for leaving her.

I arrived at Sunye’s house and saw her waiting for me in front of the gate. She was wearing a light shirt and a jeans and was smiling even before she saw my car. I stopped the car right in front of her. “Hi Taeyeon-ah!” she greeted me as she sat on the passenger seat.

“Hey…so where do you want to go?” I went straight to the point.

She gave me one of her biggest smile. “You know where I want to go…”

Of course I knew…we’ve been there a million times before. I could even drive blindfolded and still find my direction. Compare to yesterday, I was more relaxed around her…it was still awkward but at least, my brain was working.

We arrived at Sunye’s favorite place; a hill. There was an amazing view of the city from there. I remember how we find out about that place. It was 6 years ago; we had skipped school that day and wandered around the streets. Sunye saw that hill from afar and wanted to go there. We walked all day to go up on that hill but it was worth it. The view was breath-taking…it’s still is.

We both sat on the grass, looking at the tall buildings. Suddenly, I felt the familiarity. We sat exactly on that spot; our bodies were exactly positioned the same ways, 2 years ago…when she told me she was leaving.

I closed my eyes and waited for her to announce it…I already knew what it was.

“I’m going to stay in Seoul” she started. “For good…”

How familiar…

“And I want you back in my life Taeyeon. For 2 years, we haven’t talked to each other, you haven’t answer any of my phone calls…respond to any letters…I want us to be like before…” she breathed deeply…I knew she had closed her eyes…she always breathe deeply before closing them.

“Did your parents come back too?” I didn’t want nor need to respond to what she has just said. It was clear already…she’ll always be a part of my life. I just don’t know which role she was playing…

“Nope…only Sungmin came back with me. You know…to make sure I’m fine” she smiled.

“Are you fine now? What if…”

She tried to reassure me. “Everything is fine…I’m healthy now. For that matter, I’m going to transfer to your school starting Monday”

“Don’t your parents want you to join an elite school?”

“I didn’t want to and I told them it would be better if I was in the same school as you. They know you will keep an eye on me”

“I’ll try…” Of course I’ll keep an eye on her…Didn’t I promise it?

There was a weird silence between us before she spoke again. “Sungmin told me about yesterday…are you living with this Tiffany girl?” she was looking at me now.

As surprising as it was, I didn’t think before answering her. It came out naturally. “We’re roommates…it’s complicated”

“Do you like her?” she asked me directly…I didn’t think she would be so…direct.

“She’s annoyingly loud…and clumsy” It was true…I wonder how she hasn’t end in the hospital yet, see how clumsy she was.

“So…Taeyeon…can you do me a favor? Since we’re friends”

“Try” I smiled at her

“I know you don’t like it but for the charity dinner next week, can you be my partner?” her voice was uncertain…she probably thought I would refuse it.

“Yes”

She turned her head and looked at me surprised. “Really? Wow…it was easier than I thought” she laughed.

“I have to go anyway…my parents can’t attend so…”

“So that’s why you don’t mind going with me” she gave me an understanding smile. She knew I hate those dinners night with all those people acting nice and friendly.

We stayed there for another hour, just sitting and looking at the view like during the old times. We always spend our times like this, quietly enjoying each other’s company without having to talk and I’ve always like it…It was special.

She has been gone for 2 years but it felt as if, she has never left. I realized that no matter what I do, she will always have an influence on me. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t let her go…I was tied down by my promise...by what she has done for me...

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I told Taeyeon I was going out with Sooyoung and Hyo; I didn’t want her to think I’d stay miserably at home while she had her little date. I didn’t feel like going out

though…I wouldn’t be able to do anything anyway…I was too busy thinking about what Taeyeon was doing.

I was going to cook something for myself when the door bell rang. I went to open the door and it was Sungmin. He held up the plastic bags he was holding and smiled at me. “Hungry?”

“How do you know I haven’t eaten yet?” I asked him as we were eating the food he brought.

“I didn’t know…I only give it a try” he laughed. “I assumed you’ll eat the food anyway”

I smiled back at him. “You were right!” we both laughed together.

“Taeyeon went out already?” he asked me while looking around the apartment.

“Yeah…before lunch”

“She went out with Sunye” he told me…like I didn’t know it already.

“Since…since when do they know each other?” I asked him. Immediately, I wanted to take it back...maybe it was better not to know…

“They know each other since they were children…around 8 or 9 years old. It was after my parents moved in our actual house which is close to Taeyeon’s house. I don’t remember how they met but they also went to the same school”

“So they’re close friends…” I was reassuring myself…childhood friends like with Yuri…nothing more.

“They’ve always been more than that…it was…just not official” he looked carefully at me…probably studying my reaction...

“And then your family moved again?” I asked. It was obvious that they haven’t seen each other for a long time.

“Yes…for personal matters” He didn’t say more…he didn’t want to say more.

“And now you’re back…” I couldn’t have sound more defeated than I was…this statement was a reminder for myself…that from now on, nothing will be the same. It won’t only be Taeyeon and me anymore…there was a third person coming into the picture.

Sungmin hesitantly asked me. “Hmmm Tiffany…do you like going out for dinner?”

I looked at him confused…was he asking me out? Already? “Huh what? Are you asking me out?” I laugh nervously.

“Well…there is charity dinner next week and I can invite someone so…would you like to come with me? There is lot of food!” he smiled…trying to convince me.

“I…I’ve never been to those dinners thing…I don’t know…”

“It’s just dinner…with music and food. You don’t need to tell me now…It’s next Saturday so you can take your time and give me an answer next week” he insisted.

“…Fine, I’ll think about it” I finally told him.

I might ask Taengoo for her advice…she knows this world better than I do.

Sungmin stayed for a while and we just talked about random things, he is a really nice. I was surprised that he was older than me by 2 years. He looks pretty young. After he left, I was back to my depressed mood again…What was Taeyeon doing with Sunye…this girl she probably has still feelings for.

Somewhere in Seoul at night,

Yuri’s POV

I can’t believe they all wanted to eat ramen at this hour, and of course, the restaurant doesn’t do delivery, so who has to go out and buy? ME! I parked my car in front of the restaurant and went in to take my order.

When I left the restaurant, I saw Jessica walking across the street, alone. I quickly put the food in my car before running after her. Jessica turned around the corner and was stopped by a young couple coming out from a club. I don’t know why but my first reaction was to hide…and spy on them.

I recognized the guy that stopped Jessica…he was a rich kid, spending most of his time partying and spending money than doing anything intelligent. How does Jessica know him?

“Jessica, Jessica…how are you?” I heard him asking her. He was probably a little bit drunk; his voice tone was kind of rude and the way he looked at her…I could have beat him up for looking at her this way.

Sica didn’t answer him, she didn’t even look at him…she wanted to leave but he stopped her again. “Come on Sica, you’re not happy to see me?” he said while getting closer to her.

“Donghae! What are you doing?” a girl’s voice shouted from nowhere. It was probably his girlfriend; she looked really pissed as she walked out from the club. “Why are you talking to this gold digger?” she said in a very disgusting voice.

Jessica was looking away from the couple; the girl was now hugging Donghae and kissing him on the neck. “So Jessica…are you seeing anyone now?” The way Donghae asked her was more to humiliate her than anything else.

The girl laughed hysterically. “Who wants to date a loser? Look at her, only another loser can be desperate enough to…”

“Ah Jessica!” I called her as I ran toward them. “I thought we had to meet in front of the restaurant?” I stopped by her side and naturally held her hand. “You forgot where we had to meet, don’t you? Aigoo you’re so absent-minded” I pat her head.

Jessica looked at me, her eyes were lost and empty…it’s the first time that I saw her like that. She didn’t react at all; she was lost in her world.

“Kwon Yuri, what a surprise! Are you dating her?” Donghae was looking at both of us.

I looked harshly at him. “Can’t you see?” then I turned to look at Jessica. “Are you hungry? Shall we go now?” I wanted to get out of there…Something was going to happen and I didn’t want to know what.

“Wow you’re really smart. After seducing Donghae, you set your eyes on Yuri…both of them really rich. You’re such a gold digger” she insulted Sica again.

“What did you say?” I stood between the girl and Jessica without letting go of her hand.

Donghae looked at me then let out a soft laugh. “Anyway, I’m pretty sure that you heard about the charity gala next week” he said. “I believe I’ll see you there with your pretty girlfriend” his eyes were still fixed on Sica.

His girlfriend laughed. “I don’t think she will dare going to such an event with this poor girl! What a shame it would be. I can see the gossips already! The elder daughter of Kwon Corp. dating Lee Donghae ex-gold digger fiancé”

What? His ex-fiancé? Jessica was going to marry this *********? I couldn’t control my expression…this was the last thing that I expected. I wanted to look at Jessica and ask her if it was true…but that would make it worse only. So I play it

cool…

“Of course we’ll be there! Why would I be ashamed of introducing my gorgeous girlfriend? I’m blessed to have her by my side…I wonder if you can say the same” I looked at Donghae then at his girlfriend. She didn’t look quite happy but didn’t dare to respond.

“I have your words Kwon Yuri. You better show up” he smirked at me then looked at Jessica. “See you next week Princess” he said to her before entering the club again. His girlfriend gave us a last nasty look before following him inside.

As soon as both of them disappeared into the club, Jessica let go of my hand and ran away. I knew she wanted to be alone but how can I not run after her?

I ran after Jessica but without catching up with her, I just wanted to make sure she will be alright. After a good run, she stopped in a park and sat on a bench. I knew I should have stayed away and just watch over her but my curiosity won over.

“Jessica…” I softly called her.

She wasn’t crying…I knew she wouldn’t let herself cry in front of me.

“What’s wrong with you?” she suddenly screamed at me. “Why did you have to jump in the conversation? Why didn’t you just stay away?”

“I…I…just…wanted to help you…”

“You shouldn’t have! They would have talked and talked only, then that’s it! But now because of you…” she was really angry at me…

“Jessica…no one deserves to be treated like this, you shouldn’t have let them talk to you like that” I argued back.

“This is my problem!” she started walking away again. “I’m not going with you next week to those dirty parties”

“It’s a charity dinner…it’ll be fine, don’t worry” I was now following Jessica; she was randomly walking around the street.

“I know those “dinners” too well…Don’t try to fool me too...” she stopped walking and looked at me. “Are you playing with me Yuri? Is it another rich kid kind of bet? What are you trying to do?” her eyes were becoming red…I knew she was fighting the tears…

“I don’t know what you’re talking about…I really want to help you Sica, I’m sincere” I walked to her.

She didn’t believe me...”You’re all the same…all of you…don’t think you can trick me like he did! I won’t believe you Kwon Yuri! And I’m not going with you next week!” she walked away again.

“Jessica! Wait!” This time, I got angry…I stopped in front of her and held both of her amrs, stopping her from going away.

She tried to break away from my grip. “Ya! Let go of me! You’re as bad as these people” now the tears were falling…I knew she would break down sooner or later…

“STOP IT!” I screamed.

It was the first time that she saw me screaming, which explained her shock expression and her silence. She was like a little girl…weak and afraid…what happened to you Jessica?

“Please…look at me” I softly told her. Jessica did like I asked her…like an obedient girl, she looked at me. “I’m…I’m sorry for screaming at you…I really didn’t want to…but…Jessica, I’m not like those people. Can’t you see the difference? I’ll never be like them and the fact that you can even doubt me…it…it really hurts…”

Jessica was still looking straight into my eyes…we’ve never look at each other for such a long time…her eyes were still teary but I felt that she has calmed down.

“I’m not going to question you, as much as I want to know more about you, I’ll never ever force anything on you Jessica. I can give you all the time and space that you want but…please, let me watch over you”

“Why? Why are you doing all this?” I could barely hear her question…her voice was so soft…so far away.

I wanted to tell her how I feel, why I kept on chasing her even though she always

pushed me away. I wanted to tell her how much she means to me; how far I could go to protect her and make her happy…but the words…they wouldn’t come out.

“Because…I…we’re…you’re a really close friend Jessica and…I really care about you” I said those stupid words…those that were so easy to say because they were safe…

“It’s pretty late now…I’ll drive you home” I told her. When she didn’t respond, I simply took her hand and lead the way.

Jessica didn’t say a single word in the car, neither did I. My mind was full of theories about Jessica and Donghae. How did they know each other? What’s with the fiancé thing? I really had to fight against my curiosity…

Once we reached her home, I greeted her good night and before she left my car, she warned me to stay away from her. “We are from two different worlds Yuri…and I promised to myself…that I’d never step in it again. As for you…it would be better not to be seen with me…you heard about my reputation…”

I was about to argue back but she was already out of the car, running in her house. I’ve always been an optimistic person, but why…every time I look at Jessica…I always see her running away from me…she keeps on going farther and farther away…I’ll probably never get tired running after her…but even I, Kwon Yuri have my limits. And one day…I might not be able to catch up with her anymore…

Chapter 11 – I have to move on...

Monday, S1 High School,

Tiffany’s POV

This morning was like every other morning, I woke up, ate breakfast with Taeyeon and we went to school. I was still thinking about Sunday when Sungmin asked me to be his partner at Saturday’s dinner party. I planned on talking with Taeyeon about it but I couldn’t find the words. Everything was fine until we arrived at school…There she was, waiting in front of the school’s gate, a smile on her face, like in some romantic high school drama.

I was walking behind Taeyeon like I always do, because the school still didn’t know about us and we didn’t want them to know.

As Taeyeon approached, Sunye’s smile grew even bigger. “Morning Taeyeon-ah!” she greeted before walking with Taeyeon to class.

I admit I’m jealous of her…jealous of her closeness with Taeyeon, jealous of their history together, jealous that she can walk and talk freely with Tae in school, without caring about what the other students say. I wish that one day, I could do the same…showing the whole world my relationship with Taeyeon…no matter what kind of relationship it is.

As if it wasn’t enough that Sunye transferred to our school and was of course, in our class, she has to be seated next to Taeyeon. Sure, it was the only seat left but

her happiness just made me angry. They spent the whole day together; break-time, lunch…Taeyeon was always with her and she wasn’t the cold type…she was actually talking and smiling as well. This just pissed me off even more.

The gossip started quickly in our school; many students were already spreading rumors about Taeyeon and Sunye, acting like they knew everything…

“No I tell you! They’re engaged! They will get married within next year!” a noisy girl was talking to a group of other girls.

“Really? I heard they were dating but broke up a few years ago” another girl added.

“No doubt they’re together. They suit each other well, pretty and rich” they all concluded.

It hurts me that people match Taeyeon with another girl…I’m engaged to her…I’m the one living with her…not this girl.

After school, I wasn’t even surprised to see Sunye in Taeyeon’s car…I knew Taeng will drive her home. Nobody talked in the car and the silence was a torture. I felt as if…they were communicating between themselves…I don’t know how…I just felt like an outsider.

Taeyeon dropped me off before driving Sunye back. There is no need to say that Taeyeon didn’t come home for dinner…

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

It’s already Wednesday…I haven’t seen much of Jessica this week. Every day at school, she would disappear during lunch because she doesn’t want to see me. Even though she doesn’t talk or look at me anymore, I have still have hope that she will come with me to the charity dinner…I told Donghae we’ll be there and for Sica’s sake, we have to be.

Today for economics, I was seating next to Gyuri, to help her like I promised. It was more than awkward with Jessica sitting in front of us. My eyes were fixed on her back instead of the white board and I was listening to her breathing instead of the teacher…This girl has such a power on me.

“Yuri-ahhhhh…I don’t understand this exercise, can you explain it to me?” Gyuri in a more than high pitch voice, asked. I felt the whole class turning to look at us…some of them laughed at my embarrassing situation. I even saw that little Taeyeon laughed like an idiot.

“Huh…sure but can you please lower your voice a tiny bit?”

She looked at me and smiled. “Sure Yuri-ah! I’ll do anything for you” once again, her voice was louder than needed.

“…Ok…anyway…”

“Yuri-ah, do you want to go eat ice cream with me after school? I know this place, it’s the best!” she said before I could start explaining to her.

“I’m sorry but I’m busy after school” I gently declined the offer.

“Another time? I can go with you whenever you want Yuri-ah!”

I was about to scold her when Jessica turned around. “Hey can you two go somewhere else and flirt?” she coldly said.

I was frozen by her cold glare and couldn’t find anything to say…

Jessica didn’t move during the rest of the lesson, when the bell rang, she quickly left the class. I wanted to run after her but Gyuri, once again, stopped me.

“Please Gyuri, I don’t have time right now” I tried to get away.

I didn’t expect her to turn serious and tightened her grip on my arm. “Why are you still running after her?”

I looked at her…I wanted to say why I was still running after Jessica, why I haven’t given up yet but…these words…I wanted to express them to Jessica only.

“Because she’s worth it…” I look one last time at Gyuri before running away.

I couldn’t find Sica outside of the school; once again, she was faster than I thought.

Saturday is coming close and I have yet to convince her to come with me…maybe I should ask Fany for help but it seems that she, herself, has more problems than I have…

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

This week has been particularly tiring…emotionally tiring. These days, I barely see Taeyeon. We go to school together but once there, she simply disappears with Sunye then after school, she will drive her home but most of the time, she doesn’t even come back right after. I wonder where they always go…

Today Taeyeon had to go to work and I know she will come home late and be very tired. I want to prepare a nice dinner for her and just spend some time together. I really miss talking and arguing with Taeyeon…

I took the phone and called her, to make sure she come home on time.

“Alo?” a quite tired voice answered on the phone.

“Taengoo-ah!” I said happily.

“Aish. Don’t scream on the phone, babo” I could see the smile on her face as she said that. She always smiles when she calls me “babo”

“Taengoo are you coming home for dinner?”

It took her a couple seconds to reply. “Depends…”

I started to lose my temper already. “YA! Kim Tae Yeon! Just come home and eat! Do you understand me?” sometimes I wonder if she does it on purpose…

“Hey I didn’t say I wasn’t coming! Don’t scream!” she sighed. “I’ll be back in 1 hour or so…”

“Really? Are you sure? Promise me!!!!” It’s not that I don’t want to believe her…the thing is…nowadays, Taeyeon always has some last minute plan…and it was always with the same person…

“Yeah yeah…I’ll try…” she softly said on the phone. She probably knew she might not keep the promise…

There was a silence between us. “Just come home Taengoo-ah…I…I will wait for you…” This was my promise…I’ll always be the one waiting…until the end.

“Babo…” It became a habit…when she doesn’t know how to respond…she says “babo”.

After hanging up, I felt it again. The feeling that I was slowly losing her…

I tried to forget about my sadness and went on to cook for Taeyeon. I still pretty suck at cooking but at least, Taeng never get sick when she eats my food. It was

around 8 pm when I finished cooking. I set the table nicely and sat on the couch, waiting for Taeyeon. She should be home pretty soon.

1 hour…2 hours…3 hours…time was flying as I wait for her. I know that by 11pm, I should have understood…that she wasn’t coming home…but I promised…I told her I was going to wait…

I don’t know when I fell asleep…my alarm clock woke me up on this Friday morning. I didn’t need to check in Taeyeon’s room, I knew she wasn’t there…again. I looked at the clock, I had 1 hour before school starts. I quickly cleaned the food before changing and leaving for class.

Taeyeon wasn’t there so I had to take the bus to go to school. I didn’t have much time to think about last night as I was in a rush this morning, but in the bus…as I was seating beside the window, I couldn’t help but looked outside and felt the pain again. I was definitely losing Taeyeon…and what I saw next only reminded me of how real it was…

Just next to the bus I was on, there was Taeyeon’s car…of course she was in it…with Sunye…As if it wasn’t painful enough to know they were probably together…I had to see it for myself…I didn’t know it can be so painful to see them together…to realize they spent the night together…Taeyeon barely comes home because of this girl…

After school,

Jessica’s POV

I noticed that Fany wasn’t feeling well today, her eyes were red like she had cried the whole night. Of course, she didn’t want to say anything but I still convinced her to spend some time with me after school. Both of us were pretty busy these days…with our own problems to solve. We went in a park nearby and sat on the grass. The weather was good, not too hot, just what we needed.

“Fany-ah! Stop hiding your feelings! Just tell me what’s wrong already!” I playfully hit her back.

Tiffany was looking afar…lost in her thoughts. “There…there is nothing to say. I’m fine”

I know she can be so stubborn when she wanted to so I had to sacrifice myself first. ”Yuri knows…about me and Donghae” I blurted out.

As expected, Fany turned and looked at me, now interested. “What? You told her?”

I sighed. “They met…we all met…”

Fany put her arm around my shoulder, to comfort me. “Are you okay? What did Yuri say?”

I went on and told the whole story to Tiffany. She listened silently before looking at me with a serious face. “You have to go”

“What? Why?”

“Yuri helped you…you can’t let her down like this! Go and support her!”

“Are you crazy? It’s being reckless if I go there” I stood up and faced Fany. “It’s Yuri’s fault not mine! Nothing would have happened if she wasn’t so noisy!” I complained.

Fany stood up and came closer to me, her eyes were cold. “Why are you so cold with her? Do you know how lucky you are?” I saw her eyes turned red. “To have someone care for you like she does…why don’t you cherish her Jessica?” she whispered…

“Fany-ah…”

“You will regret it…if you let her go…” These were her last words…she didn’t look at me before leaving and I didn’t follow her…both of us knew we need some time alone…

I stayed in the park for a few hours before going home. On the bus, I thought about what Fany said…She was right…I might regret it if I lose a friend like Yuri…But I’m scare of the future…I’m scare of what might happen if I get too close to her…I don’t want to get hurt anymore.

Once I reached home, Yuri coincidentally called me on my phone. I hesitated a bit…but this time, I decided to not run away anymore. I had to face these problems…these people.

“Alo?” I answered soflty.

I could picture her surprised face as she heard my voice. “Sica??? You really answered? Where are you??” Ah Yuri...she'll always be so loud and curious.

“I’m at home…” I wanted to talk to her about the dinner but I knew the topic would eventually come up.

“Hmmm…Jessica…I know it might make you angry but…I want to ask…”

I quickly cut her off. “I’ll go with you tomorrow…just come and pick me up”

“HUH? REALLY?” she shouted on the phone like a little kid.

“I told you!!! Don’t make me repeat myself if not, I’m not going!” I scolded her. No matter how nice I want to be, I always end up scolding her…

“No no no sorry Jessica!! I’ll pick you up at 7pm, is it ok?” I must admit that Yuri is kind of cute…like a kid but I know that she can be serious when she needs to be.

“Don’t be late!” I said before hanging up.

I felt good after talking to Yuri, I might regret it tomorrow but for now, it felt like

it’s the best decision. I have to face them…I can’t hide forever after all. It’s about time I finally move on with my life…

Taeny’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I’m jealous of Jessica…I’m jealous of the love Yuri has for her and I’m angry that she can’t see or accept it. I’ll do anything for Taeyeon to love me…but right now, the only one she is seeing is Sunye.

Maybe I should move on too…try to forget about this one side love…I was only hurting myself…

I walked in the living room and found Taeyeon lying there, watching TV. I don’t know how but seeing her there, made me forget about all my misery. “Taengoo! You’re home!” I ran and sat down on the small table, facing her.

“Aigoo! I was having a nice dream! Why did you have to be so noisy??” she lightly hit me on the head.

“I’m happy to see you!” I said happily.

Taeyeon’s face changed a little when I said that…she couldn’t not have realize that we don’t see each other anymore…

“Where were you? School ended an hour ago…” she looked at me suspiciously. “Did you go out with someone? Sungmin?”

I was surprised that she mentioned Sungmin. “Huh no…why would I be with Sungmin? I was with Sica…she had some trouble with Yuri…”

“Okay…” she turned her attention back to the TV. “Go do your homework now”

“Ya! You don’t want to talk to me? We barely see each other this week…” I pouted.

“We’ll talk after you’re done with your homework”

“If I do them without your help, can we go somewhere tomorrow?” I tried to trade with her.

“No”

“KIM TAE YEON!”

“I can’t tomorrow…I have other plans” she gave me one of her serious look.

Could it be…

“Where are you going? Do you have some charity dinner?”

“How do you know?”

“Yuri is going…” I quickly said.

She sighed. “Yes…unfortunately for me, this one is pretty important so I have to go…”

“Oh…” I wanted to ask her if she was going with Sunye but I didn’t dare to…

“Now go do your homework” she ordered me again.

I made sure to hit Taeyeon before I went into my room. I then closed the door, took my phone and composed a newly registered number.

“Oh hi Sungmin! It’s Tiffany!” I didn’t want to use him but he was my only way to get into that dinner…

“It’s about the dinner…do you still need a partner?” I might regret it later but for now, all I want was to check on Taeyeon during this charity party.

“Yes sure at 7pm? No problem, I’ll be ready! Ok see you tomorrow” I hung up and smiled to myself.

I can’t wait to see Taeyeon’s face tomorrow when she’ll see me. I bet she’ll be surprise.

Chapter 12 - Stolen Kisses

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

We’re finally on Saturday, the charity dinner is in 2 hours and I’m not even ready yet. Taeyeon left early this morning because she had to work…I suppose she would change her clothes in the office. As for me, well…I picked a simple pink dress. Sungmin told me that the color doesn’t matter so…

I wonder how Taeng would dress up…she is a quite a tomboy actually, I’m pretty sure she will show up with a suit.

I also wonder how she will react…I’m sure it will be a lot of fun!

Sungmin’s car,

“Where is the dinner held at?” I asked Sungmin as he was driving us to the dinner.

“In a mansion, Mr. Lee’s mansion. He’s one of Korea tycoon and he’s the one organizing the dinner this year”

“Huh? Mr. Lee?” Could it be Donghae’s father? “Do you know if he has a son?”

“Sure, his son has made a name for himself as a spoiled kid. Lee Donghae. Why are you asking?”

“No nothing…” So Donghae’s father was the one organizing it…which means…we are going to his house…I wonder if Sica knew it.

“Are you nervous? About the dinner?” Sungmin noticed I keep on playing with my hands…sign of nervousness.

“Hmm…I’ve never been to a charity dinner before…with elite people”

”Haha don’t worry, there are normal people only. Do not care about what they say or how they look at you. Some people are very nice and some less. Just stay with me” he gave me a warm and comforting smile.

I wasn’t only nervous because of the dinner but also because of Taeyeon.

Lee’s Mansion,

Tiffany’s POV

We arrived quite late; I saw all the cars parked in the yard as Sungmin parked his. When we walked to the house, I spotted Taeng’s car as well. She was already there.

The mansion wasn’t that impressive actually, I like Taeyeon’s house better. This

one was too show-off for me.

A maid walked us to the ballroom where everyone else was. There were a lot of people, every single of them looking classy and they were obviously all rich families. I spotted Jessica and Yuri sitting at their table and lucky I, we were sharing the same table.

“Wow Tiffany! You’re beautiful tonight!” Yuri greeted me as arrived.

“Thank you! You’re amazing too Yul!” We high-five each other before I sat down.

Yul grinned at my compliment. “I know I know…”

Jessica, who was sitting beside Yuri, rolled her eyes. “Don’t be so cocky, she was just being polite” she teased.

“I’m sure she meant it…a lot of people think I’m amazing!” she said proudly before turning her attention to Sungmin. “Hello how are you?” her tone was soft and sincere but I still felt some animosity.

Sungmin smiled. “I’m more than happy…to have such a beautiful partner tonight” he looked at me.

I swear I heard Yuri sighed. “Sorry to say but Sica is the most gorgeous tonight” she wanted to high-five Jessica but obviously, it was fail.

“Ya! It’s not a competition…keep quiet” Sica scolded her. I understand Yuri

though; Sica was really beautiful in her short but classy black dress.

We had just sat down for about 10 minutes when I spotted Taeyeon among the crowd of people, standing and talking with different people, Sunye at her side. It was only a matter of time before Taeyeon saw me as well. When our eyes met, I saw the shock on her face. She didn’t expect me to be here…at all.

Sunye followed Taeyeon’s gaze and ended up seeing us. Compare to Taeng, she smiled when she saw me. I saw her say something to Taeyeon before bowing slightly to the couple they were talking to. Both of them were walking to our table now…she was locking her arm with Taeyeon as they walked.

“Good evening everyone” Sunye greeted all of us.

Taeyeon didn’t say anything…she was just staring at me and Sungmin.

“You look beautiful tonight Sunye” I complimented her.

“Thank you Tiffany. You are very pretty as well and you two look so good together!” she said about Sungmin and me.

I saw Yuri glancing at Taeng when Sunye said that but Taeyeon didn’t say anything, she simply looked annoyed. I kept looking at her, trying to read her mind when the host of the night, Mr. Lee made a little speech. He all welcomed us to his house and wished us all a great night.

My evening could have started better…Taeng was already ignoring me.

When he announced that the dinner was ready, Sunye told us they have to go back to their table. Taeng didn’t wait for Sunye though…she simply turned and walked away. She definitely looked pissed at something…maybe she lost a potential business client? Who knows…?

Yuri’s POV

The evening started nicely as I picked Jessica up and drove her to the dinner party. I was glad that Donghae wasn’t there when we arrived…maybe he changed his mind and won’t attend after all.

We were lucky to share the same table with Fany, the two of them could talk together. I didn’t know what Fany was doing with Sungmin though…What was Taeyeon thinking? Let Fany go with Sungmin…

After the dinner, I convinced Jessica to dance with me. It wasn’t easy because she felt sleepy after eating too much. We were walking to the middle of the ballroom when someone called Jessica.

Of course I recognized his voice…

“Jessica! Princess you’re here!” Donghae called out as he walked in, his group of friends following behind.

Instinctively, I held her hand as I felt her body tensed.

“Oh my! How beautiful are you tonight!” he complimented her. Now everyone was looking at us…

“Donghae…why don’t you go and play somewhere else?” I told him. Even though it was his house, I was far from afraid.

“Look at her, she is protecting her girlfriend” Donghae’s girl mocked me.

“Come Sica, forget about them” I tried to ignore them.

“Hey guys, don’t you think it’s a shame for someone such a Kwon Yuri to pick up my trash?” Donghae asked his friends.

“Maybe she likes them this way…” one of his friends added.

“You dated this girl Donghae?” another friend asked.

“Yeah…she is quite pretty” he said before walking in front of Jessica. “But so annoying…always Donghae this, Donghae that…so I threw her away. I’m quite surprised that Yuri picked her up” he laughed.

I was ready to punch him when Jessica dropped my hand and walked away.

“Jessica!” I reached for her hand and turned her toward me. “Look at me” I whispered to her.

I could hear Donghae and his friends laughing like idiots, proud of their little game. But I couldn’t care less…I was only focus on the girl in front of me. Sica wasn’t crying. Of course not, she wouldn’t let herself cry in front of those people but I knew how she felt.

“I don’t care about what they say and you shouldn’t as well” I told her. She was still looking down, unable to meet my eyes.

“I want to go home…” she managed to tell me…it was soft…the tears were coming…I knew it.

“That’s all they want…don’t let them win tonight. I’m here with you. We can be strong together” I held both of her hands, to comfort her.

“I have enough…I…”

“Hey…Believe in me, okay?” I whispered to her before turning to look at Donghae.

“Thank you Donghae! Really! I don’t know how to thank you!” I said to him loudly.

Everyone was watching us…like it was some sort of drama. “Really, I’m so thankful because if not for your stupidity, I wouldn’t have had a chance with this wonderful girl” I said while looking at Jessica.

Donghae looked around him, slightly embarrassed. “I don’t know what happened

between you two but it’s the past so please, stop bothering my girlfriend” I finished.

I don’t know where I got the courage but I walked to Jessica and took one of her hand, while my other hand gently strokes her face.

“Just…believe in me” I whispered as we looked into each other eyes. Then I spoke louder. “Donghae is your past Sica…and I’m your future”

With that, I brought my face closer to hers…slowly…until my lips touched hers…closing the gap between us.

I thought Jessica would push me away or freak out, but to my surprise, she didn’t. She actually let me kiss her. It was a soft kiss…a kiss to show the world that she was mine…that I love her…whatever happened in her past.

I knew everyone was looking at us, some shocked, some surprised and some probably laughing but to me, there was only Jessica…Sica and her tasty lips.

After what seemed like an eternity, I broke the kiss…Jessica still had her eyes closed and I had to fight hard not to kiss her again. We smiled at each other when she finally opened her eyes.

“I…I will never let anyone hurt you again” I told her before the music started playing and unconsciously, our bodies moved along with it.

Taeyeon’s POV

I can’t believe I have to talk and socialize with all those people while she is having fun with Sungmin…And this Yuri…making such a scene…I know her little plan, she just wants to show off and kiss Jessica in public…those kids…sigh.

I was talking with a potential business partner when the band started playing a slow song. The man excused himself and went dancing with his wife. I turned around and found SunYe standing behind me, smiling. She asked me if I wanted to dance with her…

In a normal day, I wouldn’t have refused…because it seems that I can’t say no to her, but tonight…I just didn’t feel like doing anything. “I’m sorry…I…I don’t feel like dancing now…I’m going to grab a drink instead…” I apologized to her as I walked to the bar.

Everyone was dancing happily; I grabbed a cup of champagne and looked around me. There, I saw Sungmin asking Fany to dance with him…and she agreed with a smile. Both of them walked to the middle of the ballroom and started dancing. I tried to not look at them but I couldn’t…his right hand holding hers…his left hand on her waist and his eyes fixed on her beautiful face…

I don’t know why but I hated this sight, seeing her so happy…smiling and laughing at whatever he was saying, that was pissing me off.

I felt my entire body tensed and my blood boiled up when Sungmin’s face got closer to her. My hand automatically tightened around the glass I was

holding…then Sungmin whispered something to her and their faces were so close to each other that I lost control even without realizing it.

*shattered glasses noises*

My timing was bad…exactly when the song ended, all the smiles fell and all eyes turned on me. I had broken the glass that I was holding…there were shattered glasses on the floor and my hand was bleeding but there was no pain…I was more surprised than hurt.

Like I had just woken up from a bad dream, I slowly looked around me, searching for a familiar face until I spotted her…still in his arms. She had that worried expression…probably wondering what was wrong with me…she was about to come to check on me but someone else was faster…

“Taeyeon! Are you okay?” Sunye asked me as she took my injured hand.

I didn’t say anything; I was still trying to figure out what happened. “Come on, we have to clean your injury” she took my other hand as we walked out of the room.

Tiffany’s POV

Taeyeon was busy talking and interacting with business men the whole night. Sungmin explained to me that those dinners were the best place to network and

score some deal at the end. Most of the time Taeyeon don’t attend them, but tonight there was some man that is quite important in the business so she made an effort to be there.

I was glad that we weren’t at the same table though; Taeng looked quite angry and cold since I arrived with Sungmin. I didn’t know why though…maybe it was because of the atmosphere here. The ballroom was gorgeous but…it was very boring and most of the people standing there have huge smile on their faces…but…they all looked pretty faked to me. Their world is indeed very superficial.

I was dying of boredom on my chair when Sungmin came and asked me to dance with him. I admit I wanted to dance…with Taeng, but then, I was pretty sure she would dance with Sunye anyway, so I accepted Sungmin’ offer. As soon as I stepped in the middle of the ballroom with him, I tried my best to not look at Taeyeon…that would have been rude to Sungmin and I didn’t want Tae to think I was constantly checking on her.

At the beginning of the dance, I was quite stiff and felt rather uncomfortable, being so close to him whom I knew for only what? 2 weeks? But slowly, I started to relax and enjoy the music. Of course, Sungmin’s humor helped me as well. We were dancing when he said something that I couldn’t hear so he came closer to my ear and whispered it to me.

“You’re really beautiful tonight Tiffany…” then he looked at me, his face was so close that I was certainly blushing.

The music stopped exact at the same time we were looking at each other and that’s when everyone heard the broken glass…I immediately looked at the direction where the noise came from and saw Taeyeon, looking in disbelief at her hand. I couldn’t see clearly from where I was standing but I saw the broken glass on the floor and blood…Taeyeon’s blood…

When I looked up, she was staring at me…her face lost and confused...even she didn’t understand what had just happened. It took me a couple minutes to really realize that she was hurt; I also realized that Sungmin was still holding me…so close to him. I gently pushed him away to walk to Taeyeon but I was too late…Sunye was faster than me, she won again… I stood there and looked at them…she checked Taeng’s hand before leading her out of the room…

“Fany?” Sungmin was now standing beside me.

”Sungmin! Do you know where I can find a first aid kit???” I started to panicked.

“Calm down Fany, I’m sure Sunye is taking care of it” he reassured me…using Sunye to calm me down wasn’t a great idea though.

“No I’ll do it…she might not know how to do it…I’ll find myself” I told him before leaving the room as well.

Yuri’s POV

I was on the dance floor with Jessica when Taeng’s incident happened. Jessica

looked at me worried, especially after Tiffany also left the room. We went back to our table and sat down.

“What’s wrong with them?” Sica asked me. “Maybe I should go see Fany…”

“Don’t worry for Fany, I’m sure she is looking for Taeyeon” I reassured her.

“Taeyeon…what’s going on with her? Always with that new girl…” she said with an angry tone.

“I know…it’s…I think it’s complicated…” It was complicated…I know Taeng is struggling right now…I know she wish things would be different.

“Complicated? Hmmm…do you also have an ex-girlfriend hiding somewhere?” she gave me a suspicious look.

“What? NO! I don’t have anyone…hidden…no…no one…” I stuttered. “So…are you having fun?” I changed the topic.

She pouted. “I’m sleepy…”

Seeing Sica like this made me smile…she was such a cutie. “Do you want to go home? I also have enough of this party” I stood up and offered her my hand.

“Fine…let’s go sleep!” she took my hand and stood up as well.

“Let’s go…sleep? Us? Sica…” I was confused about her words…did she really

mean us going to sleep????????

Sica threw my hand away and hit me. “Ya! Why are you always having pervert thoughts???”

“Nonononono I wasn’t! I just…” But Sica was already walking away quickly.

“Don’t come near me you pervert!” she said while walking faster, but I saw the smile on her face…she wasn’t angry…she was just teasing me.

I drove Jessica back to her house, we were both quiet during the drive, I suddenly felt nervous being alone with her. When I arrived at her house, we stayed in the car for awhile. The silence was making me really uncomfortable and I knew that she was nervous as well.

“J…”

“Yuri-ah…” she broke the silence before I did.

It wasn’t the first time that Jessica said my name but for no reason, this time, it gave me goose bumps…I swallowed hard before looking at her. “Y…yes…?”

“…thank…you…” it was only 2 simple words but I knew it meant a lot to her…and to me.

“Sica…I’ll always be by your side…no matter what happens” I took her hand as I spoke.

We looked at each other intensely…it was the first time that I saw her eyes so…relaxed…

“Close your eyes” she suddenly ordered me.

I was taken aback by her sudden demand. “Huh? What? Why?”

She put on an angry face. “Just do it!”

I wanted to complain but I refrain to…it was better not to upset Sica. “Okay…” I slowly closed my eyes but not without making a scared face…I was afraid she might hit me or something…Sica is gorgeous but god, does she have a bad temper.

What happens next was…wonderful and unbelievable. Everything that I’ve been through, all the pains and rejections…all of it were so worth it.

As soon as my eyes were closed, I felt something warm and soft on my lips…I knew these lips too well now, but the feeling was still different because she wasn’t asleep nor did I made the move. It was Sica…who was kissing me. Even though I knew, I still wanted to open my eyes and see for myself…but…I was afraid that it might only be a dream…because if it was, I don’t want to wake up.

Unfortunately, it didn’t last long. Jessica pulled away as soon as I realized what was going on.

I opened my eyes to see Sica looking at me…I didn’t need to ask her to explain

since my half-happy, half-confused face did the job.

“I…I just wanted to make sure…” she was looking for an answer…at what question? I have an idea but…

“And are you sure about it now?” I hopefully asked her.

Sica looked away and opened the car’s door. “I won’t tell you” she said before sticking out her tongue and walking to her house.

Like I always do whenever I drive her home, I looked at her figure walking away from my car. Most of the time…if not every time, I had a feeling of…emptiness whenever I see her walk away but this time, before she opened her house’s door, she turned back and looked at me…with a smile.

At this moment, everything was worth it…everything that I did until now…finally paid off.

Taeyeon’s POV

Sunye led me to another room; there was nothing but a couch and a desk. She told me to sit down on the couch as she sat beside me. I knew she wanted to ask me what happened…We both knew I have to be angry to do what I’ve done…I wouldn’t have lose control if something didn’t…piss me off that much. But…why was I so angry? Nothing happened…Tiffany just danced with Sungmin…nothing else…not that I should care…

“Taeyeon-ah…does it hurt?” Sunye asked as she cleaned my wound.

“No…” I haven’t felt the pain…not from the injury at least. I felt something else…something that I couldn’t understand.

“You have to be careful…I don’t like seeing you hurt…”

“…”

“Taeyeon-ah…what if…what if this time we try to be honest with our feelings?”

This was a conversation that I didn’t want to have…not since she came back. “…What do you mean?”

“That’s what I regret the most when I left…not telling you how I felt…what I wanted for us”

“It didn’t matter at that time…your health is the most important” I wished the conversation could stop there…

“I didn’t want to leave…you know it right?”

“I know”

“You don’t have feeling for Tiffany, do you?” her question came out of nowhere…why would she think I have feelings…for Tiffany.

“We’re just roommates…nothing more” I tried to convince her…or convince myself as well?

“I can see that you’re close to her…she does have a positive effect on you…”

“…”

“I want to be with you Taeyeon…officially”

“I…”

To be honest, I saw it coming…that kiss, as soon as I looked at her, her lips were already pressed against mines. My eyes were wide open even though I wasn’t shocked. I sat there like a statue…I didn’t kiss her back neither did I push her away…not until I heard the sound of a box felling on the ground…

As I looked up…she was there…standing in front of the room…the door was left opened and she saw it…she saw us kissing...

Tiffany…

“I…I…I’m sorry…” she stuttered while picking up the first aid kit nervously, and before I knew it, she ran away.

“Fany…” I whispered…I was going to run after her but Sunye caught my hand…she didn’t say anything…but it was clear…she wanted me to stay…to show

her that I didn’t like Tiffany.

And I stayed…my heart was telling me to run as fast as I could but my body didn’t want to move. The looks on her face…her teary eyes, why did it hurt me so much to see her like this? At this moment, I hated myself for being so weak…

Yes…nothing will be the same anymore…

Tiffany’s POV

I don’t know why I started to panic, it was probably a minor injury and Taeyeon was certainly fine but…I still wanted to be with her. After looking around and asking an employee, I finally got a first aid kit and was searching for Taeyeon.

This mansion was huge and there were many rooms beside the ballroom…I didn’t know where Taeyeon was so I just walked around and checked every single room on the same floor.

I don’t know what happened to Taeyeon…the way she looked at me after the incident…she looked lost and hurt…

As I was walking in the hallway, all doors where closed but one…I could hear voices coming from that room so I walked toward it. Before I reach the door, I had this weird feeling…something bad was going to happen…I could feel the awkward atmosphere.

Maybe I should have followed my instinct…forget about Taeyeon’s injury and walked back to the ballroom, but I didn’t. For an unknown reason, I felt extremely nervous and my steps were heavier and heavier as I got closer to that room.

My hands went numb and my heart broke when I finally looked into the room. Taeyeon and Sunye kissing…their faces…their lips…Instantly, I dropped the first aid kit that I was holding…like it was the heaviest box in the world. Then both of them looked at me…and I realized that if I stay there one minute longer, I would break down.

I did the best as I could to speak, to pick up that box and walk away. Never had I have so much trouble to walk without falling on my knees. I felt the whole world on my shoulders…my body just wanted to crash on the floor and let go of all the tears.

“Tiffany? Are you okay?” Sungmin spotted me in the hallway.

I tried to stay calm, to hold on the tears…”I’m going home…” I managed to say.

“I’ll drive you”

“NO” I shouted. ”I mean…I’m fine…I want to be alone”

“There is no public transportation here…how are you going to go home? Please, let me drive you”

He was right…I wouldn’t be able to go home now, it was late and…I didn’t have

any more energy left on my body.

Sungming took my silence as an agreement. “Wait for me, I’m going to take our belongings and we can go”

I don’t know how I managed to walk to his car; my legs were so weak that I couldn’t even feel them. On our way home, I asked Sungmin to stop his car and dropped me off along the Han River…I couldn’t go home…whether Taeyeon was coming home later or not, I just couldn’t…

I walked to a bench and sat on it…even though I told Sungmin to leave first, I knew he didn’t…he was probably keeping an eye on me from his car.

I tried to focus on the calm river…to try and calm down a little bit but these images…Taeyeon and Sunye kissing was all over my mind…I couldn’t close my eyes because their kiss was all I saw.

I know we weren’t a couple with Taeyeon and I know that she might not have the same feelings for me but…I felt a connection between us…there was definitely something. She couldn’t be so sweet if she didn’t feel anything…if there was strictly nothing…Did her feelings changed overnight? Did everything disappear the second Sunye reappeared?

I felt the tears falling on my face…I couldn’t hold it anymore; it was too hard…I closed my eyes once again and try to fight it but I finally broke down and cried.

And again…like it wasn’t enough, it started to rain…

Chapter 13 – Please, don’t be sad because of me…

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

Since the charity dinner, Taeyeon and I have been in a very weird relationship. Both of us acted like nothing happened. As if she didn’t do anything…or I didn’t see anything. Although our relationship looks normal on the surface, it wasn’t.

I know that Taeyeon is with Sunye…we haven’t talked about it but I know. Every time Sunye is around, she doesn’t see me anymore, we’re like strangers. Is it because she is afraid that Sunye would be jealous? Or misunderstand something?

It was really hard to deal with this situation. Taeyeon would be so close to me, like how she was before Sunye came back…but then, she becomes cold again whenever Sunye is with us.

Even though I hate this situation and how Taeyeon is treating me, it was better than not being with her at all…it’s stupid of me…but I prefer getting hurt than hurting our relationship.

I can hold the pain…I know I can…as long as she smiles to me…I can do it.

Taeyeon was sitting on the couch, working on her computer. I went into the kitchen and looked into the fridge. There was almost nothing…

“Taeyeon…are you hungry?” I asked her casually.

“Depends…what are you cooking?” she responded, still looking at her computer.

“I don’t know yet…”

I saw her close her computer and walked to the kitchen. “Hmm…let’s see what we have” she opened the fridge.

“What are you doing?”

She took out some vegetables and meat. “I’m gonna cook”

“I can do it”

“Let’s do it together then” she gave me a smile, the one that makes everything worth it.

“Huh? You want us to cook together?”

“Why not? I’ll teach you”

“You’re not any better…” I said discreetly.

“Be quiet and learn” she instructed me.

I pushed her playfully when the door bell rang. “Oh? Are we waiting for

someone?” I asked her.

Taeng shook her head like a kid. “Don’t think so…”

I went to open the door.

Sunye…

“Hello Tiffany” she greeted me. “Is Taeyeon here?”

I nodded and stepped aside, allowing her to come in. “Thank you, I brought food” she smiled at me before walking to the kitchen.

As soon as she stepped in, I wanted to leave, to get as far as possible from them…from the sight of them together…as a couple.

I painfully walked to the kitchen as well, I immediately regretted it though.

Sunye was beside Taeyeon in the kitchen, showing her what she bought at the market. “Taeyeon-ah, let’s cook lunch together” she said happily.

Taeyeon and I made an eye contact but she quickly looked away. I knew what it meant…she chose Sunye over me…again.

I wanted to be polite and help them but once I saw Sunye being all sweet with

Taeyeon, touching her hand, her face…I couldn’t take it.

“I’m not going to eat with you guys, I have an appointment already” I excused myself quickly and went to pick my bag before leaving the apartment.

I had nowhere to go…I don’t want to meet with Sooyoung or Hyo since I wasn’t in the mood and I don’t want them to worry about me. Jessica was probably busy with Yuri, she was still playing hard to get, even though they have already kissed. I was happy for Yuri…happy that she didn’t end up like me.

I was wandering around town when a familiar voice. “I’m starting to believe that you’re stalking me”

I turned around and saw Sungmin. “Hi” I bowed to him.

“You don’t have to be so polite with me; don’t we know each other enough?” he smiled.

“How are you oppa?” I asked politely.

“I’m bored actually…do you mind keeping me company for today?”

I didn’t have any other plan…I didn’t even know where to go…staying with Sungmin might not be a bad idea; he has the ability to make me smile. “Sure” I responded.

It doesn’t matter how I was going to spend that day, as long as I don’t think about

Taeyeon, everything should be fine.

The Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I finally got a date with Sica! Well, it’s not officially a date but she still agreed to hang out with me this weekend. There is a new movie that she wanted to watch so I took this opportunity to go with her.

I wonder how I should dress…casual simple or casual HOT?

I was trying some clothes in my room when my sister popped in. “You should go naked, that will leave a stronger impression! HA HA HA”

I ignored the stupid comment and went on with trying my clothes.

“No seriously Yul, people say the first date is really important! If you go naked…”

I grabbed the closest thing near me and threw it at her before she could finish.

“Hey I’m giving you advice for your first date! Be grateful!” Yoona said as she lay down on my bed.

“If I want to fail on my first date, I’ll ask for your advice”

At this moment, my mom joined us in the room. “Oh my! Yuri you’re so pretty tonight!” she complimented me.

I rolled my eyes. ”Mom…I haven’t changed yet…”

“I told her to go naked but she doesn’t want to” Yoona started again.

Of course, my mom had to play with her…"Oh…naked ah? Well…I don’t really know the trend right now so maybe…”

“MOM!” I shouted exasperated. “Please both of you! I’m nervous enough!”

“Come on Yul, you’re just going to watch a movie” Yoon said.

“It’s not a simple movie…it’s a movie with Jessica!”

Yoona wasn’t paying attention to me anymore, she was busy texting someone and giggling like a crazy teenager.

“YA! At least act like you’re interested!” I scolded her.

She ignored me and turned to my mother instead. “Umma, can I go out tonight? To the theater”

My mom thought for a moment before refusing. “It’s late Yoona…”

“But I’m a big girl now! Yuri can go and I can’t?! WHY WHY WHY?” she

whined loudly.

“Yuri has a car…”

”That’s not fair!!!!” she whined even louder.

“If you really want to go…then maybe…” my mom looked at me…I knew what she meant.

“No No No, no way!” I immediately said

“Yul be nice and let your sister accompany you” my mom asked.

“No way! That’s my first date with Sica!” it was my turn to whine.

“I’m sure Jessica won’t mind”

“Yeah she won’t mind. Besides, it’s not even an official date” my sister added.

“Say it again and you won’t come for sure” I threatened her.

“I might help you with Sica! No offense but you kinda suck in the dating department” she rolled her eyes

“Huh excuse me? Say it again?”

“Come on that’s true! You’ve never date before…”

“You don’t need to say it out loud”

“There is nobody here…”

“Be quiet!” I scolded my noisy sister.

“Well so it’s decided. Yoona you can go with your sister. Both of you can’t come home too late though”

“Mom, I’m going out with Sica…I’m praying she won’t fall asleep before the movie ends…” That would be funny though, if she falls asleep during the movie…

“Okay! I’m going to change!” Yoona flew from my bed and ran out. “PLEASE BE READY IN 15 MIN!” I heard her screamed from the hallway.

I sighed and looked at my mom. “What did I do to have such a monster as sister?”

My mom only laughed. “You know she loves you!”

“Yes…when she sleeps”

I went back to my clothes…casual normal with a mix of hotness should be good.

Later in Yuri’s car, somewhere in Seoul

“I didn’t know you became close friend with Seohyun” I told Yoona. We were driving to Seohyun’s house to pick her up.

“She’s nice…” Yoon simply said. I can tell there was something else…she just didn’t want to tell me directly.

”She’s also Taeng’s cousin so you better behave” I warned her. Taeng would kill me if her beloved cousin was corrupted.

“I know I know” she annoyingly said.

We arrived in front of Seohyun’s house and I was surprised to see Sunny there too. “Don’t tell me you’re coming with us Sunny?!” I asked her once the car stopped in front of them.

“Nah I’m going out later, I was just being nice and wait with Seohyun” she gave us her usual bright smile.

Yoona got off from the car to open the back door for Seohyun and sat behind with her. I discreetly smiled at her action.

“I’ll bring her home right after the movie, unless the kids want to go eat ice creams…” I told Sunny.

“It’s okay, call me if there is something. Have fun girls” she waved before I drove off.

“Was it your little sister Seohyun? She’s cute” Yoona said.

I started to laugh and saw Seohyun shook her head while explaining to my sister. “No no she’s my older sister…”

“Huh? She’s older than you?” Yoong asked in shock. “She’s so small…I can crush her with one hand…”

“Ya, don’t exaggerate” I sighed.

“Yes my sister is rather small for her age…but she has more aeygo than me”

“Sunny has more aegyo than everyone else on this planet, so don’t worry Seoyhun” I reassured her.

“Wow but it’s funny how you’re so tall and she’s so small” Yoon continued.

“It’s like you and Yuri, your skin is kind of white whereas…”

“Aish…don’t say it please…” I interrupted her.

“Oh! Is Taeyeon and Tiffany-unnie coming to the movie too?” she asked innocently.

“No Seohyun…I think they’re both busy”

“I haven’t talked to Tiffany-unnie for a long time already…” she seemed a little bit sad.

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell her to call you when I see her in school”

“No…I don’t want to bother her…”

Fany has been really down lately, although she keeps smiling in school, I know that she is not fine. Taeyeon and SunYe ambiguous relationship might be the cause…

After picking up Seohyun, I drove to Jessica’s house. To my surprise, she was already waiting for me outside.

“Hi everyone” Sica said as she entered the car and sat on the passenger seat.

“Unnie! You don’t mind us coming with you, right?” Yoona asked bluntly.

“Of course I don’t mind! The more the merrier!” she turned around and smiled at the kiddos.

“Yuri-unnie was scared that we will mess up her plans”

“Huh? Which plans?” Sica gave me a suspicious look.

“ha ha…ha ha…I don’t know what she’s talking about!” I said nervously.

Sica gave me an evil glare. “I’ll keep an eye on you, Kwon Yuri”

A theater in Seoul,

We arrived at the theater around 8pm, fortunately, I quickly bought and printed the tickets before we left home because the line was quite long. We bought pop-corns and drinks then went to find seats.

We were all seating together; Sica, me, Yoona and Seohyun. I was kind of scared at first that Sica would seat beside Seohyun and leave me alone but my plan worked.

It was really hard to focus on the movie while seating beside Jessica…in the dark. I think my hands were sweating…my whole body was sweating actually. I thought the whole theater was on fire.

Sica in the dark was…well it was hard to see her but she was HOT, my Jessica is always hot. Ah…Jessica…Jessica’s eyes, Jessica’s lips…I want to kiss those lips again.

But during the movie, I noticed something that made me go crazy…

Yoona and Seohyun were holding hands!!!! OMG!!! My sister…my lil sister…and Seohyun…Taeng’s innocent cousin…

“Why why why…” I was whispering to myself while shaking my head.

“Ya, what’s wrong with you?” Sica nudged me.

I looked at her desperately. “My eyes…” It was nothing really…they were just holding hands but still…I didn’t even know they were friends but now...they’re holding hands in a dark theater…did they kiss already? OMG…

I was literally freaking out and imagining things in my head…

“Yo Yul” Yoona called me softly, not wanting Sica to hear I guess. “What are you waiting for? Take her hand!!!!”

Aish…she was giving me lesson now…"I know what I’m doing!! Leave me alone!”

“You suck!” she said before turning to Seohyun and whispering to her. OMG…these two…

I tried to calm down and relax, forget about my sister and concentrate on the beautiful girl beside me. Jessica was paying attention to the movie, I was glad that she didn’t fall asleep. I don’t know why we went to watch a romantic movie though…I should have insisted on the horror movie…there would have been much more occasion to take her hands. He he

Near the end of the movie, the scenes were getting emotional and I could hear everyone sobbing a little, even Sica. This was my chance!!! I tried my best to make my move as natural as possible. Slowly, I put my arm around her shoulders and

pull her toward me, to comfort her. Surprisingly, she let me hold her.

A big smile appeared on my face and Yoona seemed to have notice it as she giggled.

After the movie, the kids wanted to eat ice cream so we went to an ice cream store. Jessica seemed to be enjoying the night so far which made me really happy. My only concern was for later…I couldn’t have a moment alone with Sica since the kids were with us.

After the ice cream, it was time to go home. I decided to drop Seohyun first. I nearly fainted when Yoon asked Sica and I to close our eyes while she said goodbye to Seohyun. She got off the car and walked with Seohyun to the gate.

I turned on the radio and closed my eyes.

“What are you doing?” Sica asked me.

“I don’t want to see what they are doing or saying”

“Why not? It’s interesting…” she said. I told her to close her eyes too but she didn’t want to.

“OH My! Yuri Yuri!!!” she suddenly said while hitting me.

“No no no no no I don’t want to know. I don’t want”

“But they are…”

“La la la la la la la la la la la la la la” I randomly sang, not wanting to hear what Sica said.

I finally opened my eyes when the radio was turn off. Yoona was back in the car and she was smiling sheepishly. I turned to Sica and even she was smiling too…OMG…what happened? What did my baby sister do? What did she do with innocent Seohyun? T-T

Once again, I had to brush aside these…thoughts while I drove to Sica’s house. I started to think about how I was going to say goodbye to Jessica…with Yoona there, I couldn’t do much.

Jessica was already yawning in the car, I couldn’t help but smile, she was so cute with her sleepy face. Once we arrived at her house, Yoona got off the car. “I’ll give you some privacy, I won’t peak so do whatever you have to do” she said before closing the door.

I unconsciously blushed at her words.

I swallowed hard before turning to Jessica. “Did you have fun tonight?”

“It wasn’t that bad” she teased.

“Do you think we can go out again in the future?”

“Hmmm…we’ll see” she responded.

Before I could say anything, she gave me peck on the cheek. I blushed even more and stared at her, in shock.

“For your good behavior tonight” she winked at me before opening the door and getting off the car. “See you next time Yoona” I heard her say.

Yoona got in the car and looked at me, I haven’t moved since Sica kissed me. I was still staring blankly outside. “Yuri? Yuri? YURI! She went in her house already! Wake up!” she shook me brutally.

“Ouch that hurts!” I scolded her.

“Whatever, let’s go home, I’m tired” she complained.

I sighed and drove off. I still can’t believe that I just had a double-date with my sister…and worse; that her relationship seems to develop faster than mine. T_T

It wasn’t that bad actually, I hold Jessica in my arms and she gave me a peck…it was quite a productive day.

Next time, I’ll kiss her for sure!

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Taeyeon’s POV

Fany went out since lunch and I had no idea where she went. I drove Sunye home and thought Fany would be back by the time I reached the apartment but she was still nowhere to be seen. It was already near 11pm and she was still not at home. I even called Yuri to ask her and even she and Jessica didn’t know.

I should have call Fany myself but…after what happened…I don’t know how to handle the situation.

I kept on wandering around the house, pacing out before standing in front of the kitchen’s windows. I was looking out when I saw Sungmin’s car parked across the street. He got off of the car and walked to the other side to open the passenger’s door. I knew who the girl was…of course it was Tiffany.

What is she doing with him at such hour? Alone with a guy until so late…what is she thinking? I felt my blood boiling up as I looked at them talking outside. He was especially close to her…too close for my liking.

The conversation was close to end since Fany bowed to him but unexpectedly, he pulled her in for a hug. I don’t know how I controlled myself…I wanted to break something…release my anger.

This was also too much for me, I couldn’t watch more, I didn’t know what will happen after the hug…Although I was technically with Sunye, I can’t…I just can’t see Fany kiss someone else.

I walked away from the window and sat on the couch. I thought of going in my room, acted like there was nothing wrong instead of waiting and meeting Fany but my body didn’t want to move. The waiting was killing me slowly; I couldn’t stop myself from thinking of what was happening downstairs.

5…10 minutes later, I finally heard the door opening. Fany was home. I paid attention to the sound of her footsteps, they were careful and light…she was probably praying that I would be in my room already.

“Where were you?” I asked, my body still not facing her.

“…”

“Ya! Where were you?” I asked her again, this time, I stood up and looked at her.

Her face was so…tired, she was looking at the floor. “Does it matter to you?” she asked with a smile…a smile that actually breaks my heart.

“Do you know how late it is? Don’t you know it’s dangerous outside?” I scolded her. I couldn’t say anything else…I have no right to be worried anymore…

She sighed and was about to go in her room when I shouted. “Hwang Mi Young! I’m talking to you!” I was about to explode.

She stopped and looked at me with an angry face. It was the first time that I saw her like this…so different from the usual Tiffany.

“Why are you talking to me now? Why do you suddenly care?”

It surprised me…usually she doesn’t get so angry. Am I too used to the soft Fany?

“I’m tired Taeyeon…just…forget about it” she said, ready to leave again.

Then it came out…”Are you tired because you went out with Sungmin?” I don’t know where it came from…I knew it was a stupid move.

Fany’s face was angrier than before. “How do you know I was with Sungmin oppa?” she walked to the living room.

“It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be out alone with a guy until so late! Where are your common sense?” It was harsh…but at this point, things couldn’t get worse.

“That is none of your business whether I go out with Sungmin or not” she said angrily.

I walked to her. “What?”

“There is nothing between you and me so I can date whoever I want. Why do you care?” she was looking right into my eyes…I couldn’t read her expression…it was between anger and sadness.

“You are…” I couldn’t finish my sentence…the words were stuck in my throat.

“Whatever” Fany turned around and walked to her room.

“Tiffany!” I quickly walked and grabbed her hand before she reached the door.

As she was struggling to get away from my grip, I accidently pushed her against the wall. She wanted to get away so I put both my hands on the wall, not letting her go.

This situation was probably too much for her, Fany’s eyes quickly turned red. “What do you want Taeyeon? What do you want from me?” it sounded so…desperate. What did I do?

“I don’t want you to…”

“What? You don’t want me to what?”

I don’t want you to see Sungmin…I don’t want you to see anyone else…

Being this close to Tiffany was disturbing…I was lost in her eyes. Last time that we were that close…we almost…

As my face got closer, Fany’s eyes slowly closed which brought butterflies to my stomach. I know what she was waiting for…I want it too but…I can’t…it will only get worse and I will only hurt her more.

I finally looked away and could only whisper those words to her “I’m sorry…” before leaving the apartment.

You’re an idiot Taeyeon…such an idiot…

Tiffany’s POV

I was angry at her…I was hurt…Why would she care about Sungmin and me when she has Sunye? Do you have feelings for me Taeyeon?

My back was against the wall and Taeyeon was right in front of me, so close…and I had nowhere to run to. We haven’t been this close since…

The look on Taeyeon’s face reminds me of that time…when we fell on my bed and were so close to kiss. She had the exact same expression. The only difference was…this time; I wasn’t the one closing the gap between us. Taeyeon was.

I was still hurt, confused and angry at her but this closeness made me forget everything. The only thing I want was a kiss from her. I naturally closed my eyes as Taeyeon’s lips got closer…I closed them and wait for that kiss…that kiss I wanted for so long…

But it didn’t come…all I got was a soft whisper…two words that hurt me more than a thousand knives.

“I’m sorry” my heart dropped when she said it out.

I could feel Taeyeon walking away even though my eyes were still closed. I could see her opening the front door and leaving…How can I lose so many times?

I leaned against the wall and felt the tears coming…how many times did I cry already?

Chapter 14A - Now I Understand Your Pain...

S1 High School,

Taeyeon’s POV

I’m so tired…I should have gone home instead of going to school today. I worked for the past 2 days and even slept in the office, I shouldn’t feel guilty even if I skip school. Aish…history class is so boring, and on top of that, I don’t understand a single thing the teacher is saying. Aigoo…it’s only first period but I’m already falling asleep.

I looked at Yuri, who was seating 2 rows in front of mine. Looking at Yuri and Tiffany during class is my favorite hobby. Yuri always throw stuff at Jessica to wake her up or throw her some secret messages or whatever. As for Fany, her face is always full of different expressions during class which always cracked me up.

Tiffany…I haven’t seen her since the other day…I was too busy with work and

didn’t come home ever since. 3 days already…I haven’t seen her for 3 whole days…and that kid skipped class today.

I barely stayed awake until break time, gosh I hate school sometimes.

“Ya Kim Tae Yeon! Where is Tiffany?!” I looked up and saw Jessica standing in front of me, an angry expression on her face.

“…” I ignored her and went back to my notes.

“Ya I’m talking to you!”

”Calm down Sica-ah” Yuri tried to calm her a bit, she was literally screaming in the class.

“Gosh your friend is such an idiot. Fany didn’t come to class yesterday already and today she didn’t answer my phone calls either…where is she?”

“Taeyeon-ah, you sure you don’t know where Fany is? We went to the apartment yesterday but no one answered…” Yuri asked me this time.

“I don’t know where she is” I told both them, not looking up.

The bell rang as our teacher came in, forcing everyone to go sit at their desks. I felt Sica’s glare on me as she went back to her seat. What’s wrong with her?

“Yuri-ah…do you think something happened to Fany? Maybe she is sick? She gets

sick often…that girl doesn’t know how to take care of herself…”

“Don’t worry…maybe she only wanted to skip class”

Fany sick? Could it be? I wasn’t at home for 3 days…did that girl get in trouble again?

“Taeyeon-ah?” I heard SunYe’s concern voice. I sighed before packing my bag and storming out of the class.

“What do you think you’re doing Kim Tae Yeon?” the teacher screamed after me. It was too late though, I was already out of the class, running as fast as I could.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

I don’t know why I rushed back home…but the thought of something happening to that clumsy girl just scared me. When I opened the apartment’s door, I found a par of shoes in the entrance…shoes that weren’t mine and obviously, not Fany’s either. I walked cautiously along the hallway, in case there was someone. The door to Fany’s room was slightly opened and I nearly got a heart attack when I pushed it to get a full view inside the room.

“YA! WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING?!” I screamed.

Tiffany was lying on her bed, covered by her blanket while a guy was sitting beside her, when I saw them, his body was leaning toward her…I thought he was

kissing her…or taking advantage of her.

My voice startled both of them, when the guy turned around; I realized it was Sungmin…what the hell?

“What do you think you’re doing?” I asked him.

“Can you please lower your voice? She was about to sleep” he took a glimpse at Tiffany before standing up.

I hate the way he is looking at me…

“What are you doing in my apartment?”

“I was worried about her so I came. I’m glad I did since she is down with a high fever”

I looked at the girl lying on the bed, her face was still reddish and she was sweating, I could hear her breathing clearly…so you were sick Tiffany?

I looked back at Sungmin. “You can go now” I told him before walking away. I wanted to go take a shower first before taking a look at Fany.

“Where were you? You’re living with her but you didn’t know she was sick since yesterday? She didn’t eat anything as well…what’s wrong with you?” he raised his voice…I stopped and turned to face him.

“Excuse me?” I managed to keep my voice low.

“I don’t understand how you can be so cold, even if you don’t like her, be more responsible! What if it was more serious? Don’t you care about her at all?”

I stared at him, trying to keep control of myself. “You better leave…” I was about to leave again when I heard her voice.

“Sungmin stay…”

I looked at the girl lying on the bed…Fany’s eyes were opened now, even though I could barely see her eyes. What did she say?

“Sungmin…I want you to stay…”

Sungmin turned and looked at her. “Tiffany…”

“Please…stay with me” she grabbed his hand…and gave him a smile.

I stood there and looked at the two of them…she must be joking, right?

“I want Sungmin to stay with me. And I’m sure you’re busy so don’t worry. Sungmin can take care of me” finally she was looking at me…as hard as I tried to, I couldn’t read her expression.

She must be joking…did she really ask Sungmin to stay with her? In her room? In my apartment? Something must be wrong…

I wanted to scream, I wanted to ask her what she was doing but I didn’t. I had to clench my teeth in order to not say something I might regret later. I looked at both of them one last time before leaving the room, and leaving the apartment.

Outside in Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

I’m so smart; using Sica’s bad grades to lure her into studying with me after school is awesome! I can sit there quietly and look at her studying…her gorgeous face…oh…and when she concentrates, she is so pretty. Ah…Jessica…

We were just done studying at the library and were walking on the street. All the homework made me hungry so I asked her if she wanted to eat something, which she accepted.

“What do you want to eat?”

“Pizza! Let’s go eat pizza!” she happily said.

How cute.

“Hmm…there is a nice place near here, it’s quite close so we can walk, and I’ll let my car here”

“That’s fine”

We were walking side by side and happily talking when I noticed how our hands were so close to each other. All I have to do was touched her hand then “accidentally” hold it. We’ve never hold hand before…not that we have to since we’re not officially dating. Actually, I don’t even know what we are right now…friends? Close friends?

I made up my mind and made sure Jessica was not looking before I tried to hold her hand. I was going to make my move when Sica stopped and pointed at someone across the street.

“Hey Yuri…isn’t it Yoona?”

I looked at the direction she was pointing at and my jaw dropped. Across the street, I saw my little sister entering an lingerie shop, and she wasn’t alone…Seohyun was there too…and they were holding hands…OMG

“No no no…no no no…NO!” I started to scream

Sica gave me a what-the-hell face “Will you please calm down?!”

“No…nononono…oh my god…oh my god…”

“Ya! What’s wrong with you? They’re not stealing or committing a crime!”

“What? They’re going in a lingerie shop!!! How do you want me to calm down?

Why…why did I see that? Why…why???”

“They’re not doing anything bad, they’re going shopping. It’s no big deal”

“You wouldn’t say that if it was your sister!”

“I go with my sister sometimes…”

“Huh? Whatever it’s not the same…they’re going in together! They’re together as a couple and they went in there…why would they do that? No…I don’t want to know…”

“Please, they might be buying a gift or something…”

“Not my birthday…not my parents’ birthday…not Taengoo…No there is no birthday!!!”

“Jesus! Calm down or I knock you down! Maybe they’re buying a gift for a friend!”

“Why would they do that? They’re too young…you don’t buy that for your friend…they should buy…I don’t know…dolls or books…but not that! I’m going to take her home”

“Nonono!!! You stopped it, she’s a big girl now, don’t embarrass her in front of her girlfriend!” Sica held my arms and stopped me from crossing the street.

“Aigooo…what do I do???”

“Nothing! I didn’t know you were so overprotective…let her live her life! Come on, let’s go eat!” she dragged me away.

My little sister…the little baby…and worse, Seohyun…Sica thought I freaked out too much? I can’t even imagine Taeyeon’s reaction if she was to learn about it.

The Kwon Residence, around 6pm

Yuri’s POV

I can’t believe it…Sica dumped me at the restaurant, before we could even order our food. Aish…her mother had to call her and asked her to come home quickly before we could had dinner together. Not only did I spot my sister going into a lingerie shop, but I also missed a nice dinner with my…soon-to-be-official girlfriend. What a loss.

I came home depressed and greeted my parents. I tried my best to not show my freak out attitude in front of them…I didn’t want to spill out about Yoona. Not that they would freak out anyway…they’ll probably have the same reaction as Jessica.

I walked like a zombie to my room. “AHHHHH” I screamed when I turned on the light.

Taeyeon was lying on my bed...like a dead fish, she was staring at the

ceiling…something that we always do when we need to think.

“Ya! You scared me babo! What were you doing in the dark?”

“…”

“Taengoo! Taengoo!! Guess what I saw earlier!!!” I blurted out.

“…” No reaction…weird…

I dropped my bag and jumped on my bed. “Okay…Miss Taeyeon; you’re my first patient today. What’s the problem? Why did you leave class today?”

“…” Taeyeon was still quiet; she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. I noticed that she was clenching her teeth…something must have upset her a lot.

“What’s wrong? Come on now, tell me. I haven’t seen you like this since…2 years ago. Did something happen with Sunye? Is she leaving again?”

“Tiffany…she is sick…”

“What? Is she ok? What kind of illness??”

“No…she has fever, apparently since yesterday”

“And you’re worried about her?”

“I found it today…when I came home…Sungmin was there too”

“Sungmin? What was he doing there in the morning?”

“Apparently doing something I wasn’t…taking care of her” she smiled…a defeat smile.

“I think Sungmin…”

“She wanted him to stay…”she cut me off. “She asked him to stay…when I told him to leave. She took his hand and almost beg him to stay and take care of her…do you believe it?” Taeyeon was angry now…I knew she hold it all day…she was about to explode soon.

“Taeyeon…listen…” I wanted to calm her down.

Taeng got off from my bed and walked to the window. She stood there and looked outside. “I was so close…so close to…when I saw them together…Yuri, I wanted to kill him…”

I didn’t know what to tell her, I know why she felt this way…she hasn’t realize it yet.

“Why? I thought you guys were friends?” I knew the answer of course; I just wanted Taeyeon to know it too.

“I can’t…I can’t stand seeing him with Tiffany...did you see how he looks at her?”

Taeyeon…what about you? Don’t you see how Tiffany looks at you?

“I think he really cares about her…”

“What are you doing? Are you siding with him?” she abruptly turned and stared at me, like I had betrayed her.

I rolled my eyes. “First of all, calm down and second, I’m just telling you what I think…from what I observed, he really likes her”

“Thanks! I can see he likes her, he doesn’t really hide it…”

“Why should he? He likes her and wants to be with her so he’s trying…that’s brave” I dared to say…maybe provoking Taeng will wake her up.

“Am I supposed to be happy?”

“I don’t know, you tell me? Taeyeon…you know I love you but…I don’t approve what you’re doing”

“What are you talking about? I didn’t do anything”

“Maybe that’s the problem…What do you want? Are you with Sunye? Do you like Tiffany?”

“I…”

“You can’t keep pushing Fany away, hurting her, showing off your new relationship and then expect her to be patiently waiting for you to notice her. The girl can only take that much…stops being so selfish!” I was finally scolding her…something that I should have done earlier.

Taeyeon was looking like a child…standing there after being scolded, sometimes she is so clueless…I know she wanted to argue back but she knew I was right.

“Of all people…you should know better why it’s like this…why I can’t hurt Sunye…I’d never hurt her…”

“Actually I don’t get it. Isn’t Sunye feeling better now? And besides, it’s about feelings Taeyeon, you’re not doing charity. Either you love the girl or not, don’t stay with someone because you feel responsible”

“It’s complicated…”

“No it’s not. You don’t want to hurt Sunye? But what you’re doing now is actually hurting not only Sunye but also Fany. Aish…I don’t know. Do what you want but please, don’t hold on Tiffany when you know you can’t…won’t be with her. Let her be happy with someone else if you refuse to be that person” I walked to the door and looked at Taeyeon, making sure she had heard every single word I said to her.

“Just think about it…anyway we’re eating dinner soon so if you want, you know where the kitchen is” With that, I left the room.

I might have sound harsh but I know she needs it. Taeyeon has to move on…stop thinking about the past…she has always been around Sunye, so much that she thinks there is no one else for her.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Taeyeon’s POV

I didn’t stay and eat dinner with Yuri’s family, I though it would be better to go home…go home and see Tiffany. Before I open the door, I prayed that Sungmin would be gone…I was calm now but I wouldn’t take it well if he hasn’t left yet. There is no reason for him to stay until night…

The apartment was very quiet…I sighed in relief when I didn’t see his shoes. All the lights were turned off so I knew Fany was resting in her room. I walked quietly in my room to take a shower and change my clothes.

I hesitated a little bit before knocking on Fany’s door, there was no reason to be scare but I was. After the way she looked at me this morning, I was afraid of her…afraid she will push me away and…ask for Sungmin instead.

I took a deep breath before knocking on her door. “Fany-ah? Are you awake?”

*silence*

“Hmm…I’m coming in…” I slowly opened the door.

It was already dark in the room, with the light coming from the hallway; I could see her figure lying under the blanket. I didn’t dare to turn on the light, in case I wake her up. I only walked to her bed and make sure she was fine.

Because of the darkness, I couldn’t really see her face but even before my hand touched her forehead, I could feel the heat. She was really hot…and sweating…her fever hasn’t cool down at all. How could Sungmin leave her like this?

I went in the bathroom and put a towel under cold water before putting it on Fany’s forehead. She was still asleep. Seeing her lying there…my heart aches.

It was around dinner time so I decided to cook some porridge for her, if I believe what Sungmin said, she hasn’t eat anything yesterday…how can I be so stupid…not calling home to check on her.

After the porridge was done, I brought it in Tiffany’s room. “Fany-ah…Fanyah…” I gently stroke her hair to wake her up.

It took awhile before she opened her eyes. “Taeyeon-ah?” her voice was almost inaudible.

“Yeah it’s me…are you hungry? I made porridge for you” I smiled at her. No matter what happened between us these past days, I can’t show her a sad or

worried face…I want to make her smile again.

Fany stared at me…I know she was confused, I’ve been switching mood quite often these days. “Are you sure your food is edible?” she gave me a smile. Her smile, although weak made me feel better.

“Babo, I’m a better cook than you. And let me tell you, it’s a five star porridge!” I said while helping Fany sit against her bed.

“…five star huh? Let me try first” she was about to take the bowl from me when I stopped her.

“What are you doing? I’m feeding you…come on, say ahhhhh” Fany did as I asked but she kept on staring at me, like I just did something extraordinary.

I’ve never fed anyone before…it was funny, especially since she was a little bit embarrassed at the situation.

“Fany-ah…I…” I looked into the bowl, as if there was something very interesting happening inside. The words were stuck in my throat…”I…I’m sorry…for everything…I’m really sorry…”

Her face saddened at my apology…she wasn’t thinking about those events, I suppose. “You…you don’t…”

“No…I acted like an idiot…since the beginning I was only selfish and I’m sorry. It won’t happen again…I promise.”

Fany looked away and smiled to herself. “…don’t make any promise Taeyeonah…”

It wasn’t harsh…she didn’t scold me nor…tried to hurt me. But those words…I…I realized how hurt she has been all this time.

I swallowed hard and tried to keep my composure. I deserved it…I completely deserved it.

“Where are you medications?” I asked once she was done eating.

“In the kitchen…I can take them myself, you don’t need…”

“You’re sick so just stay there, don’t act strong…you can barely talk…” I sighed.

I came back from the kitchen with a glass of water and her medication. “Come on take it” I helped her take her medication before laying her on the bed again.

“Thank you…you can go now, you probably have some works to do or have to see Sunye…” she tried to push me away again…her last sentence sounded so...bitter.

It hurt me when she said that…she has never push me away…twice in a day. “I’m staying…until you fall asleep. Please let me” I asked sincerely, trying to hide the sadness in my voice.

I turned off the light and sat on the floor, beside her bed. Tiffany was staring at the

ceiling, her eyes wide opened. “You don’t have to stay…” she quietly said.

“I want to”

There was a pause before she spoke again. “Does it make you feel better?”

Does it? What I’m doing now…is it to appease my guiltiness?

“No it doesn’t…I just want to”

There was another pause.

“…I…I’m tired Taeyeon-ah...” She wasn’t talking about her body…she wasn’t feeling tired because she was sick…she was tired of everything…she was tired of me.

I don’t remember the last time I felt the tears coming…I stopped crying a long time ago, I don’t even know what it is like to shed tears anymore. Why…why her words had such an impact on me?

I tried to speak but there was nothing I could say…nothing that could make her feel better…at least not from me. I have so much to tell her but what for? Even I couldn’t trust my own words…

A part of me was glad that Fany was exhausted, she fell asleep immediately. The atmosphere was so awkward…she was no longer smiling and loud; the bright Tiffany has become quiet and sad…all because of me.

I stood up and looked at her sleeping face. I was ready to leave the room when I heard her voice. “Taengoo…” she was talking in her sleep.

My curiosity won over and I sat down again, wanting to hear more.

“Taengoo-ah…me…be with me…not Sunye…”

I knew it…deep inside I knew about her feelings…I knew how painful it was for her to see me with Sunye, how painful it was every time I ignore her, every time I looked at someone else.

“I’m so sorry Fany...” I kneeled down and touched her face. “I…I care, I really care about you…and I…there…there is only you…I only see you Fanyah…please, just a little longer…wait for me a little longer and…everything will be like before…I promise…” I took Fany’s hand and kissed it.

I know what I have to do now and the only thought of it scare me. Am I going to be brave enough?

Chapter 14B – Now I Understand Your Pain...

Next morning, TaeNy’s Apartment,

Taeyeon’s POV

Today I was supposed to skip school and go to work but I called my office and canceled my schedule. Tiffany was still weak and I didn’t want to leave her alone. I also had to call Yuri and told her to reassure Jessica, if not, she would give me the cold look again.

Tiffany woke up around 10am and she was feeling much better. She had enough energy to walk on her own now.

I was sitting in the living room when she walked out. “Oh Taeyeon…what are you doing here? School started already” she said surprised.

“I’m skipping school…I’m lazy today” I only replied. I didn’t want to tell her I stayed at home to keep an eye on her.

“Oh…”

I didn’t know what that “Oh” meant…how I was supposed to understand that, was she disappointed to see me? Sad that she had to stay with me a whole day?

“Are you hungry? I can make breakfast if you want…no actually you have to eat something. I’m gonna cook, just wait”

“Its fine Taeyeon, I can do it myself”

“Why are you so stubborn? You are sick and you can’t cook…so just sit and wait, will you?” I ordered her.

Tiffany sat down at the table and stared at me. I expected this awkwardness between us since what happened yesterday. A part of me wanted to bring up the topic but that would only make us more uncomfortable with each other, and since we’re going to spend the whole day together, I decided not to.

“If you have time, call Jessica and talk to her. I called her earlier today but I think she might want a proof that you’re fine”

“Oh right…I forgot to tell her I was sick…I bet she was worried” Fany stood up and went to take the phone.

“Yeah worried…and pissed off. How can Yuri like someone who is so scary?” I wondered out loud but Fany didn’t hear me.

I cooked her some eggs while she talked to the phone with Sica. Apparently, she was getting scold by her friend. Fany was not standing beside me but I could hear Jessica’s voice through the phone. Scary…poor Yuri, I hope she won’t ever get the girl angry.

“Can you believe it? I was the one sick but I still got scold!” Fany said while putting the phone back to its place.

I laughed a little. “Well she was really worried about you…I guess it’s fair”

“Wow…you, Kim Tae Yeon, is siding with the Ice Princess?” she said amused.

“Whatever…just don’t tell her…”

I put the eggs on a plate and gave them to Tiffany, before sitting in front of her.

“Are you drinking milk?” she asked after seeing my glass of milk. “I don’t remember seeing you drink it before”

“Hmm…it’s a long story” I said without looking at her.

“Hehe are you trying to grow taller?” she laughed.

“Ya! Yul tell me it was still possible…”

She laughed even louder. “Well if Yuri said so…”

“You’re eating the food I cooked so don’t make fun of me”

“I’m not…I’m not” she was trying to hold her laughter…it didn’t work though.

After her breakfast, she took her medications and I forced her to rest. She lay down on the couch and we watched some TV drama together.

“Taeyeon-ah…about yesterday…what I said…”

“It’s fine…I understand”

“Thank you for taking care of me”

“You’re welcome…besides; you are not that annoying for a patient”

“Ha ha you’re so funny” she mocked me before focusing on the drama. “Aish…that guy is so stupid, run after her you idiot!” she scolded the male character.

“Can you keep it down? He can’t hear you!” I rolled my eyes.

“But he’s really an idiot…it’s obvious she loves him but she is scared of revealing her feelings. Idiot!”

“Ya ya! Sometimes it’s not that clear…and easy to understand. He might be confused…instead of running away from him, she should stay and give him some time…” I dared to look at her while saying those words.

I couldn’t have been more obvious I was talking about us…but Fany was so into the drama that she didn’t get it. I’ve been looking at her for at least 5 minutes and she didn’t even notice it. We’ve known each other for a while now, but sometimes, I was surprised at how beautiful she was.

If the situation allows me to, I would definitely kiss her.

I was spacing out about Tiffany when the bell rang. Fany didn’t even hear the bell…how can she stay so focused in a drama? I got up and walked to open the door. I must say I was happy since this morning, everything was going well with Tiffany and I was confident that by the end of the day, I would be able to tell her how I felt…and how I was going to deal with Sunye.

But my confidence fell apart as soon as I saw the person behind the door.

It was Sungmin…

“What do you want?” I asked him immediately…I just couldn’t stay polite.

“I’m here to see Tiffany…” he was kind of shocked at my coldness…he should know better after last night.

“She’s fine…you can go” I was ready to close the door when I heard Fany.

“Who is it? Oh Sungmin!” she said as she stood in the hallway. Unfortunately, she could see him from where she was standing.

“Tiffany! How are you?” a big smile appeared on his face.

“Come on in Sungmin” she waved her hand, inviting him to come in the apartment…my apartment.

Am I dreaming? Why is she so happy to see him?

Fany and Sungmin sat next to each other on the couch; too close though…I tried my best to stay civilize and hang around them.

The two of them were talking about the drama, it was hard to not show a more than annoyed face, and with them sitting so close to one another…

Suddenly my phone went off. I went to my room and answered it. It was the office; it was about the meeting that I was supposed to attend today.

“What do you mean they left? I sent you the presentation already…all you had to do was to present it! What do you mean they wanted me? Did you call them back? Fine, call them and see if you can arrange another meeting as soon as possible. I’ll come by tomorrow…okay thank you…see you” I hung up and thought for awhile. I might have got into trouble…

When I came out of my room, Fany and Sungmin were laughing about something; I tried to not care too much about this view of them being all happy and went to sit on the chair.

“Are you busy Taeyeon? You should go if you are. Sungmin can keep me company” Fany said as soon as I sat down.

I thought she has stabbed me with her words…why did she want to stay alone with him so much? My company isn’t enough to make her happy?

“No…I’m not busy…”

“Yeah I can keep her company if you have to work” He was daring enough to add…if my eyes could kill…he would have died right there.

“What’s your problem? Are you trying to kick me out of my own place?” I blurted out. I hate how he looks so nice with all his mannerisms…I know what he wanted…

“Taeyeon!!!” Fany scolded my rudeness. She was obviously very shocked at my outburst…me, who is so calm.

“What? Why are you defending him?” I stood up angrily.

“Because you keep attacking him! What’s wrong with you?”

I tried to calm down before speaking again. “Sungmin…I think you better leave”

“Why should he leave when you are the one getting angry?” Fany immediately replied.

I couldn’t believe she stood up for him this much…is he that important? “It’s my apartment and I want him to leave!” I shouted.

She looked at me and sighed in disbelief. “Are you really playing this game? Sungmin let’s go for a walk…outside, no one’s property!” she stood up.

“You’re still not feeling well Tiffany” he told her before holding her hand, forcing

her to sit down again.

How dare he? They haven’t known each other for that long and the guy allows himself to hold her hand? He shouldn’t even sit near her…and that look on his eyes whenever she’s around…

Fany’s effort to keep him there really hurt me; I couldn’t hide my disappointment anymore. “Why…why are you trying so hard to keep me away? Does it make you so unhappy to be around me?” I asked her.

She was taken aback by my question…I was surprised myself actually, never would I have shown this much emotion in front of people in the past…that’s not me.

“She didn’t ask you to leave Taeyeon” Sungmin said.

I glared at him. “Did I talk to you?”

This has obviously angered Fany again. “Stop it now…let’s go somewhere else Sungmin”

“You stay here! You’re still sick, you shouldn’t go outside!” I told her.

“Why should I listen to you? Since when do you care anyway?”

It was the last straw…why does she keep thinking that I don’t care…no matter what I do now, she won’t see it…only Sungmin is nice. I can’t believe I miss an

important meeting today to see her and Sungmin trying to get rid of me…I’m such a fool…thinking that this gesture would be enough for her.

“Congratulation Sungmin…you won” I smiled bitterly before leaving the apartment.

I didn’t look at Fany…a part of me didn’t want to look at her anymore…everything was so simply and nice when I didn’t have those feelings…when my heart was completely blank.

The Kwon Residence,

Yuri’s POV

Tonight, I wanted to have a little conversation with my beloved sister. Since I saw Yoong and Seohyun together the other day, I couldn’t really sleep at night…this image of them entering a lingerie shop together…ugh….

I walked in Yoong’s room and sat on her bed. My sister was watching TV so I turned it off and focused on her.

“Ya! What’s wrong with you? Don’t bother me” she scolded.

“We need to talk”

“I’m busy”

“It won’t be long…let’s talk quickly about relationship”

Yoong looked at me with a bored expression. “Ha Ha Ha” she mocked me before playing with her phone again.

“How long have you been dating Seohyun? Is it serious? Did you kiss her already? Did you…”

“AHHHHH stop it!” she took her pillow and hit me with it. “It’s none of your business! Worry about your relationship first!”

“My relationship is perfectly fine. So…you and Seohyun…ha ha ha…you didn’t do anything right?”

“What are you talking about?”

“I mean…hold hands and hanging around…that’s all?”

“What do you want to know?”

“Nothing…I just wanted to tell you to take your time…you know, you’re young…Seohyun is still a baby…so you know…”

“Whatever…are you done? Go away now” she kicked me.

“Be serious please…”

“Yuri…no offense but…I think I know more than you about relationship…just focus on Jessica, will you?”

“Hey! I know a lot too!”

“Yeah yeah yeah…” she ignored me again.

“Aish…you’re so arrogant…by the way, what’s that present? Is it for me?” I asked her while pointing at a small package on her desk.

“Oh it’s a present for a friend, some lingerie”

“Huh? You bought lingerie?”

“Yeah the other day”

“Oh…I see…ha ha…Ok I’ll…go take care of my own business now. Have fun!” I quickly stormed out of her room.

Now I know why they went into that shop…there was no reason to be so worried about. I knew it!!

I went back to my room and called Jessica.

“Sica!!! I discovered the mystery behind the lingerie store!!!” I excitedly said when she picked up.

“WHAT THE? DO YOU KNOW WHAT TIME IT IS? HOW DARE YOU WAKE ME UP?????” she scolded. I had to move the phone away from my ear because of how loud she was.

“Huh? It’s only 9…”

“I need my sleep!!! Wake me up again and I kill you!!!!” she scolded again.

“But listen! I got great news! Yoong and Seohyun went to buy lingerie for Yoong’s friend!!!! It was nothing to worry about actually!!!”

“I told you…are you done? Can I sleep again?”

“I was thinking…maybe we can go and celebrate this wonderful news together? This Saturday???”

“Why would I celebrate that?”

“Come on Sica, we have to celebrate! We can go to your favorite place! Please…please!” I whined on the phone.

“I’m this close to come to your house and kick your ass Yuri…this close!!!” she threatened me.

“Is it a yes? Because it sounds like it” I asked her amused. I know she was getting angry…but I love angry Sica.

“Are you going to let me sleep if I say yes?”

“Absolutely!”

“Yes” then she hung up the phone.

Our conversation was short but damn, it still made me so happy. Later, I went to sleep with a big smile on my face.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I’ve never seen Taeyeon so angry before…and hurt. I know I went too far by defending Sungmin, but I couldn’t help it. A part of me just…like seeing Taeyeon angry because of Sungmin…it reminds me of myself when I see Taeng with Sunye.

Taeyeon went out since this afternoon and she’s still not at home. Fortunately, I was feeling much better now so I could stay up and wait for her. I guess I will apologize…I knew she was angry but I keep pushing her. It wasn’t really nice.

I was lying on the couch when Taeyeon got back home. My body froze as I heard her footsteps.

I kind of expected Taeyeon to totally ignore me, but surprisingly, she walked to the living room and sat down on the couch, next to me. None of us moved, nor talked for what seemed to be an eternity.

I was ready to make the first move again but Taeyeon spoke first. “What’s so good about Sungmin?” she suddenly asked me. Her voice was calm and tired…and it seemed like there was a strong smell of alcohol coming from Taeng, although she didn’t look drunk.

“Huh…why…” I started to ask.

“Do you really like him?”

“Yes…no…I mean…he’s a nice guy…hmmm…what’s going on? Are you okay?” I moved closer to Taeng and pat her back.

Unexpectedly Taeng hugged me. “Don’t push me away Tiffany…don’t choose him…” she said randomly.

“Taeyeon…”

“No…I…I don’t want you to look at him…only me Tiffany…only look at me…”

“Taeyeon I think you should…”

“Don’t push me away…please…”

Taeyeon was hugging me tightly; I thought she had gone crazy because of the alcohol. “I can’t breathe Taeyeon-ah…”

What she said next…those words…I’ve been dreaming of that day where she would finally say them...even though the situation wasn’t perfect, I was still happy.

“Tiffany, I really like you…It…it kills me to see you look at him…so much…I…I think I have…”

*Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz*

“Taeyeon? You think you have what? Taeyeon???” Her arms were still around me and her head was now resting on my shoulder. She has felt asleep.

I didn’t realize immediately, what Taeyeon has just confessed. Was it really a confession? Did she just confess under alcohol? I didn’t know what to think of Taeyeon’s sudden feelings for me. Should I believe her?

I started to feel Taeyeon’s weight; she was slowly falling on me. I hesitated between pushing her away or just stay there…letting her hug me. After all…it has been a while since she did it…since our trip to Bali.

Unfortunately, our position was rather uncomfortable so I had to release myself from her hug. I gently got away from her arms and lay her on the couch. Before going in my room, I looked at Taeyeon’s sleeping face. I couldn’t help but touch

her face…her skin was so soft, like a baby. I wonder everyday…how I can like her so much…what did you do to me Taeyeon?

Before turning off the TV and going to bed, I allowed myself to kiss her…not a real kiss, just a kiss on her forehead. Although things are still unfixed between us, I know we’re on the right path…tonight, I got hope again.

Chapter 15 - The Competition Has Begun...

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I don’t know how I felt asleep last night; I kept on replaying the whole revelation scene in my head, again and again. Was I happy? A part of me was but the other part…was even more confused. I’ve always felt something between us, some sort of connection, but that feeling slowly faded apart once Sunye appeared. I haven’t completely given up on my feelings for her…it was impossible to forget how I feel, but I…was trying to face the truth; Taeyeon was with Sunye now and I should

at least, try to move on.

But now…I don’t know what to think anymore. She is still with Sunye and after pushing me away so many times, she told me she actually likes me. What am I supposed to do? Nonetheless, she was drunk when said that…I know alcohol can make people say anything. All night, I was struggling between confronting her about her confession or let it go, she might not even remember.

When I woke up, the first thing that I did was to go on the living room and checked on Taeyeon. She was still asleep…but on the floor. No surprised from Taeyeon. I’m happy she didn’t move to the bathroom or balcony though.

I was feeling good enough to go to school today, so I went to change before waking Taeyeon up. I walked to where she was laying and kneeled down beside her. “Taengoo wake up…wake up!!” I shook her body.

“Hmm…hmm…5 minutes…just 5 minutes…” she mumbled, rolling around. Her hands were searching around for a blanket and when they didn’t find any, Taeyeon hugged herself and slept again.

I was quite amused at her, she was so cute. “Taengoo, we’re going to be late for school. Wake up!!!” I shook her again.

“I don’t want to go to school…leave me alone…it’s so cold…”

“I’m going to take picture of you if you don’t wake up!!!”

“I don’t care…”

“Are you sure? So you don’t care that every student in our school sees pictures of you wearing your beloved keroro pjs???? Fine…I’ll take my camera”

“I’m up, I’m up!!!” Taeng literally jumped up and flew to her room.

I couldn’t help but laugh, no matter how awkward and difficult it can be between us, there are moments like this where we simply don’t think about our problems.

I was eating cereals when Taeyeon came out. “I didn’t prepare breakfast, sorry.” I apologized. Usually we always prepare for both of us but I didn’t really have time today.

“It’s ok, I don’t want to get sick so early in the morning” she teased me. A sign that everything was fine…she wasn’t angry anymore.

Taeng took a bowl, put cornflakes in it and went to sit in front of me. None of us talked for a few minutes. I was thinking about Taeng’s confession and felt like asking her but I didn’t dare to. I tried hard to keep my eyes on my cereals instead of looking at Taeng.

“What I said yesterday…I meant everything of it”

I dropped my spoon hearing Taeyeon’s words. Did she really say that? I found myself unable to look at her…remembering every single word she said last night, I became shy. I felt my cheeks becoming red as I looked up, expecting to see her

looking deeply at me.

But Taeyeon was looking down at her bowl, playing with her cereals instead of eating them. I could swear her cheeks were a little bit red as well, is she feeling embarrassed because of yesterday?

“I won’t promise anything…I’ll just show you. As time goes by, you will trust me again” she said, this time looking at me and offering me one of her shy smile.

“Are you done? We’ll be late for school” I nodded before she cleaned the table.

“Don’t you have to pick up Sunye?” I bluntly asked. It was a habit…since Sunye is always with us.

“...no…not today…” she simply answered.

“Oh…”

“Why? Something is wrong?” she asked concerned.

I shook my head. “Nonono everything is fine. Let’s GO!” I smiled brightly. It’s been a long time since I smiled like this at Taeng. Way too long.

I know she is trying to make up for the past weeks and I must say; she is starting very well.

S1 High School,

On our way to the school, Taeyeon was back to her quiet self. I felt that something was bothering her, the closer we were to the school, the more anxious she became. I wondered if it has to do with Sunye, as soon as we arrived to the school, I got my answer.

Like on her first day, Sunye was waiting for Taeyeon at the school’s gate. Like the first day, she was standing and smiling when she saw Taeng. But unlike that day, Taeyeon didn’t leave me behind. There is no need to say it was extremely weird. I could feel the tension, but I pushed it aside and simply enjoyed walking to class…beside her.

During class, I didn’t pay any special attention to them; their desk was behind mine so it would have been too obvious if I kept on looking back. Jessica and Yuri didn’t wait long before questioning me about my absence. What did I do? How sick I was? What did Taeyeon do…they’re such a noisy couple.

Everything was fine until lunch. We were sitting at our usual spot with the others when I saw Sunye, eating by herself. Usually she eats with Taeng. I looked around to see if Taeyeon was coming but she was nowhere to be seen.

Only one person might know where Taeyeon is hiding.

I discreetly nudged the girl sitting beside me. “Yuri-ah…Yuri-ah…”

I had to nudge her at least 5-6 times before she gave me her attention. The girl was

busy spazzing at Jessica eating a sandwich…like really spazzing.

“Yuri, tell me, where is Taeyeon? She is not with Sunye…where is she hiding???”

“Huh…I don’t know…” she looked away, obviously she knew.

”Come on tell me, please…please…I’ll repay you” I begged her.

“Last time you didn’t really help me…”

“I’ll do anything this time…really”

“What are you two gossiping about?” Sooyoung asked us suspiciously.

“You owe me! She’s probably on the roof…” she whispered. “Huh we’re not gossiping at all…ha ha ha”

“Sorry guys…I have to go” I quickly packed the rest of my lunch and ran away.

On the school’s roof,

Like Yuri said, Taeyeon was really on the roof. It was the first time that I came there and it wasn’t like I thought. I expected a dirty place since no one come there but it was actually pretty clean. And where was Taeyeon?

She was lying down, on a blanket, her lunch beside her. Her eyes were closed and

she looked really peaceful. I didn’t know if I should stay or not…I was scared she would get angry if I disturbed her.

I struggled with myself before choosing to just turn around and leave her alone.

“Why are you leaving?” Taeyeon’s voice startled me. I froze like a little kid being caught doing something bad.

Slowly I turned around and laughed nervously. “Oh..Taeyeon…didn’t know you were there! Ha ha ha ha…”

“Yuri told you I was there?” Her eyes were still closed…how did she know it was me?

“Nono I found you by myself”

“So you were looking for me? Why?” now she was looking at me…and with her cocky smile.

I let out a sigh and went to sit next to her. “First, please stop with the cocky smile…and yes I was looking for you. What are you doing here by the way?”

“I like it…its quiet”

“Is it your secret place???” I asked a little too excited.

“What’s wrong with you? It’s not really a secret place...I never hide it”

“Huh? But no one knows besides Yuri”

“Well, no one asked either” She had a point, I’ve always wondered where Taeyeon disappeared during lunch break but I never asked her about it.

“Why are you hiding here anyway? Why don’t you come with us?”

“…”

Taeyeon’s quiet and lonely character was something that I’ve always try to understand. How can she only talks to a few people only and be cold and quiet with everyone else?

“Don’t you feel lonely?” I sincerely asked her.

“I’m used to it…”

“Don’t you want to have lot of friends around you?”

“…”

“Or maybe…my company is enough for you?” I imitated her cocky smile.

My cheesy joke was enough to make her smile. Gosh, how I love that smile. “Yeah, your loud voice is enough for me…it can easily make up for 10 people”

“YA! KIM TAE YEON!”

“See?” she sighed.

“Whatever…you’re my least favorite friend!” I told her.

Taeyeon suddenly became serious again. “Does it mean…we’re friends?”

Up until now, we’ve always been friends…maybe not to everyone but I’ve always considered her as a friend. It wasn’t the question…the real question is…are we more than friends?

“I don’t know…you tell me?”

“I won’t mind being your friends…” Taeyeon talking about friendship with me was a huge accomplishment already, but I still felt disappointed. “At least for now” she concluded.

I immediately looked at Tae, wanting her to confirm her words or say more but she closed her eyes again and smiled. I knew our conversation has ended. She said more than I hoped for.

The Kwon Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I had a great surprise when I came home. My beloved grandparents are in town to visit us. They don’t live in Seoul so I don’t get to see them often. The thing is, every time I see them, there is this question that they love to ask me.

“My Yuri! Look at how beautiful my granddaughter is!” my grandma hugged me and pats my head.

“Yes yes we know that she is beautiful” my grandpa nodded and smiled at me.

Between them, my grandfather is the quiet one whereas my grandmother is…on the same level of craziness as my mom, sometimes even more.

“See how big you are now! When are you going to get married and have a cute little baby??” she said while pinching my cheeks.

My grandfather and I sighed simultaneously. “You know I’m only 18 years old…so the baby thing is way too fast” I told her.

She pouted. Yes, my grandmother pouts…”Then at least a girlfriend! You need to have a girlfriend! Tell me you have a girlfriend?!”

Then out of nowhere, Yoona jumped in. “She has a girlfriend! A very pretty one too!” she gave me a wink, proud of herself.

I was starting at Yoong, shocked.

“Oh! Is it true Yuri? You have a beautiful girlfriend? What’s her name? Since

when? How is she?” she started questioning me.

“Her name is Jessica and they’ve been dating for weeks now! She’s pretty cool” Yoona said again.

I was praying that someone will save me from this situation. I knew already what will happen next.

“But that’s amazing! A girlfriend with an English name! You have to introduce her to us Yuri-ah!”

“Huh? Nono she is very very very shy so it’s better now. Ha ha” I tried to get away from the trap.

“What? You won’t even introduce your girlfriend to your grandparents who love you very much?”

“Grandma…”

“No it’s fine…I understand…you don’t love us enough…” she acted sad and disappointed.

“Aigoo…don’t say that…okay okay, I’ll introduce her to you”

Her face brightened again. “You promise? We can have dinner tomorrow night!”

“Huh? That fast? Why? Give me some time!”

“We won’t stay long Yuri so tomorrow is the best. Why do you need time? It’s not like you have to find yourself a girlfriend for tomorrow since you have already one, right?”

Wow does she know that I’m actually faking the girlfriend thing? “Ha ha of course I have one…tomorrow its fine. I’ll tell her later” I started to panicked.

How in the world am I going to convince Jessica? I already have trouble asking her for dinner, just the two of us so with my grandparents…she is going to freak out.

But then, I remember that Tiffany owe me a favor. If I can’t convince Sica, I can still ask her best friend to do it instead.

I went back to my room and called Jessica.

“…what do you want Kwon Yuri?” Her voice sounded…sleepy, and it was not even 7pm.

“Did I wake you up?”

“No…but you’re keeping me awake…so be fast”

“Well…I need you help…”

“No”

“Huh? No? But I…”

“It’s still no”

“Wait…I really really need you! It’s an emergency! Just a dinner with my grandparents please please!!!”

“Why would I have dinner with your grandparents??”

“Because…hmmm…you have an English name, yeah because my grandmother loves girls who can speak English and have an English name and I told her about you and now, she wanted to meet you!” Wow…what a bunch of nonsense I was able to spit out.

“Your story is weird…”

“My grandma is special...and she really insisted and I couldn’t say no. Please Sica! It can be fun; they’re going to love you!”

“And why should I help you?”

“Because you’re a very nice person and I’m sure you’ll feel good afterwards. I’ll buy you American foods as a reward”

“I can buy it myself, babo”

“For a whole month…if you need something I’ll go and buy it for you! I’ll be your

personal delivery girl! So????”

“Interesting…but I say, 2 months!” she bargained.

If only I could tell her that even for a year, I would still agree. “Ok accepted! 2 months it is. So tomorrow I’ll pick you up around 7, okay?”

“Yes”

“Great! Thank you Sica! See you tomorrow, goodnight!”

“Bye”

Earlier this afternoon at Kim Corporation,

Taeyeon’s POV

After my weird confession last night, I thought Tiffany would have freaked out and ignored me but she didn’t. I was quite surprised this morning to see her act so…normal. It helped actually; I felt much more comfortable which led to my other confession.

I’ve come to the point where…I don’t feel like hiding anymore. I know it’s gonna take some time to build up our relationship if we were to have one, so I have to start being honest now and show her how I feel.

I dropped Fany at home after school and went to the office. I had to clean up the mess that I caused after canceling my meeting yesterday.

“Miss. Taeyeon, Mister Sungmin is asking for you” my secretary called in.

“Let him in”

What is he doing here?

A few seconds later, Sungmin came in. I pointed to the chair in front of me and he sat down.

“What can I do for you Sungmin?” I said politely. There was no reason to pick a fight with him, especially in the office.

“I’ll go straight to the point then. I don’t want you to mess up with Tiffany”

Did I hear it right? “I beg your pardon?”

“I don’t like what you’re doing right now”

“What the hell are you talking about?”

“On one hand, you’re with my sister and on the other hand, you’re chasing after Tiffany? Does it seem right to you?”

“First of all, it’s none of your business but if I have to justify myself, I’m not

chasing after Tiffany and about Sunye…it’s complicated”

“You told her you will try…”

“I will solve the problem between Sunye and me. I ain’t gonna cheat if that’s what you’re worried about”

“So I was right? You want Tiffany…”

“Once again, care about your own business. Don’t come in my own office to tell me what to do”

“I’m not. I came here to tell you I am not gonna let you have Tiffany so easily. Don’t count on me to simply disappear and clear the way”

“Excuse me?”

Was it a threat? Am I supposed to feel scare of this competition?

“I really like Tiffany and I won’t give up on her love because you suddenly decided to like her too. So I came here to tell you, I will fight for her, whether you like it or not”

“Should I feel proud of you?” I said ironically.

“I’m just asking you to stop acting like a kid when I’m around because I’m going to stay and I’m going to see her again and spend time with her, be prepare for it”

He stood up.

I simply looked at him without saying anything.

“Let’s have a fair competition. See you next time Kim Tae Yeon” he finally left my office.

I wasn’t prepared for that…Sungmin has always been very discreet, I don’t remember him being so confident and fighting for a girl. I know I shouldn’t be afraid of his little announcement, but I was. After all, Tiffany chose him more than once…

I have no choice now; I really need to solve my problem with Sunye before working on my relationship with Tiffany…and I have to do it fast.

Next day, in a restaurant around Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

I can’t believe I’m taking Jessica for dinner with my grandparents. And I can’t believe I didn’t tell Jessica the truth…I already know my grandma will ask a lot of questions to Sica, thinking she is my girlfriend and knowing Jessica…I don’t know if she is going to play the game.

We arrived at the restaurant before my grandparents and I tried to brief Jessica a little bit for tonight without telling her which role she was going to play.

“So you understand right? Just answer at their questions…don’t think too much about the questions, just reply that will make her really happy”

“I heard you, repeat it again and I’ll make you eat this napkin!” Sica threatened me. Gosh…she is so hot when she does that.

Right after her little threat, my grandparents appeared. They were following the waiter and I immediately saw my grandma’s face brightened as she saw us. She looked so happy. I didn’t know that me having a girlfriend could make her so happy.

The waiter led them to our table, we stood up to greet them but my grandma simply walked to Sica and gave her a big hug…then she said…

“You’re Jessica? Oh my…you’re so beautiful! I’m so happy!! My Yuri has such a gorgeous girlfriend!”

Sica looked at my grandma with her trademark blank expression. “Pardon?”

I knew right away that by the end of the night, I’ll be dead…there is no way Sica won’t kill me after dinner.

Chapter 16 - A Magical Kiss

A restaurant in Seoul,

Yuri's POV

The waiter led them to our table, we stood up to greet them but my grandma simply walked to Sica and gave her a big hug…then she said…

"You're Jessica? Oh my…you're so beautiful! I'm so happy!! My Yuri has such a gorgeous girlfriend!"

Sica looked at my grandma with her trademark blank expression. "Pardon?"

I knew right away that by the end of the night, I'll be dead…there is no way Sica won't kill me after dinner. Until then, I just need her to play along…

"Yes grandma, that's our Jessica" I quickly said while avoiding Sica's obvious glare.

My grandmother complimented her again then went to her seat. I had a little preview of what might happen to me later on as Sica pinched my forearm really really hard when both of us sat down. All I could do was smile...smile and ignored the pain.

This restaurant was a really nice one and I particularly love it because they serve

the food super duper fast. We didn't even have time to feel awkward that the food was already there.

"So Jessica, do you like to cook?" my grandmother asked.

I nearly choked on my rice when I heard the question. Please Sica…just say yes…

"I can't cook" Sica bluntly answered.

I looked at my grandma and she had that surprised expression on…positive or negative? I don't know…

"What are you talking about Sica? You can cook…you can make some awesome tuna salad…and ham! Don't forget the ham…haha" I tried to cover it up.

"I like cooking but I fail…I'm really really bad at cooking" Sica added.

She was looking right at my grandparents, it was probably a short message for "I'm not a housewife, your granddaughter better not marry me…"

My grandma was still showing a surprised expression but it soon broke into a smile. "Well what can I say? Yuri, you better learn how to cook quickly if you want to take care of your girlfriend!" she told me with a more than serious tone.

"Huh?" Sica and I were both loss for words at the same time.

"Of course Yuri! You can't expect your girlfriend to do everything, so you better

learn how to cook. You cook and she does the dishes"

"I don't do the dishes" Sica stroke again.

I tried my best to smile like it was nothing but under the table, my feet was itching to just kick her once.

"You don't?"

"Not if I can avoid them" she laughed like it was funny.

And to my surprise, my grandma laughed with her! "Haha I don't do the dishes as well!"

Then they laughed together while I was exchanging an understanding glance with my grandpa. We both nodded at each other. He definitely had a hard time with my grandma…like me with Sica.

"So tell me, what do you like about our Yuri?"

Jessica looked at me while answering. "Ah…I love everything about her" she said with a smile. I knew she was playing along, but I still wondered if she meant it…even a little bit.

"Oh you two are so cute!!! Did you know that Yuri was a crybaby when she was young? She cried all the time…and she was quite spoiled. Now it's the total opposite."

"I see…" Sica said still looking at me.

"I'm so happy she has finally found a girlfriend…I was worried she might end up alone"

"Grandma!!! Please…" I was ready to beg her to stop…if she starts, she'll never stop.

"Our Yuri is so serious about relationship, a tall and pretty girl like her who has never dated. Can you believe it?"

"She has never dated?" Sica asked surprised.

"Huh please…I'm still here!!" they both ignored me and went on with their conversation.

"Yuri is an eternal romantic. She believes in soul mate and only wants to fall in love once. She wants her first girlfriend to be her last too. I've always though it was impossible but now that I see you two together… I'm happy that she found you"

I guess my grandma's tone was so serious that Sica got scared or something. "Yes…lucky her…" she tried to smile but I felt her nervousness.

I realized that Sica's mood went down after that conversation. I hope she's not thinking too much about what my grandmother said. We're not dating yet and I don't want to scare her away...

The rest of the dinner went well, we talked about school and my grandma asked some more questions about Jessica who gave out short replies only. I noticed how she avoided looking at me and only focused on my grandparents.

After dinner, we walked my grandparents to their car where the driver was waiting. Of course, my grandmother couldn't help and get emotional.

"It was really nice meeting you Jessica, please take good care of Yuri and if she misbehave, call me!" she hugged Sica then turned to me. "And you, don't forget to obey your girlfriend. Don't make her cry or I'll come and punish you" grandma warned me.

I hugged both my grandparents and waited for their car to drive away before leaving with Sica.

We walked silently to my car and I opened the door for her. Jessica looked a bit shy from my gesture and I could still feel her nervousness. I had the feeling that she wanted to tell me something but didn't know how to.

During the ride, I didn't ask her anything…I preferred to wait until we arrived at her house. As soon as we reached her place, Sica tried to leave the car as fast as she could but the smart girl that I am locked the door first.

"What are you doing Kwon Yuri? Open the door! Did you forget what your grandmother said? You have to obey me!!"

"I'll let you go don't worry…why are you so nervous? What's going on?" I asked worried about her sudden change of humor.

"Nothing…there is nothing. Let me go now"

"Is it because of my grandmother? You don't have to pay attention to what she said…it…"

Sica was staring at her hands, playing with her fingernails nervously. "I don't think I'm the one for you…" she cut me off. "You shouldn't be so serious about me…it is better for you"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean…I know that you like me Yuri…and we get along pretty well together but I…"

"If you're not ready I can totally understand…I can wait…"

"You will get hurt…"

"I take the risk…I'm willing to try…why don't you?"

"…"

"Just give me…give us one chance...we planned to go out tomorrow…it will be my chance, to make you like me"

"I don't dislike you…I just…"

"It doesn't matter…just go on this date with me…and you can decide later on. Only one date. I'm not asking for much. Please."

"I still think it's a bad idea…we are friends and better remain friends…"

"Don't you feel anything for me? Even the slightest feeling? I'm not crazy…I know there is something between us, why are you preventing us from moving forward?"

"I want to protect you…I'm not sure I can…"

"You don't have to like me now…take your time to know me better but don't stop me from liking you"

*Silence*

"…tomorrow is it?" she finally said.

I sighed in relief. "Yes tomorrow…since its Saturday, can I have you for the whole day?"

"I guess it's the least I could do for you…"

"Thank you. You won't regret it"

"...I hope so…" she opened the door and got off. "Goodnight Yuri"

"Goodnight…Sica"

Did I expect the evening to end up like this? I actually wish that angry Sica from the restaurant was around instead of emotional and depressing Jessica. I know she still likes him…but after all my effort, I'm not going to give up now…I'm too close to give up.

Saturday at TaeNy's Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

Taeyeon has been particularly nervous and quiet since this morning. I only knew she was going out in the afternoon but I didn't know with whom. She was sitting on the couch like a rock when the phone rang.

I answered the phone since Taeng wasn't in the right state. "Alo??? Tiffany's speaking"

"Hi Fany! This is Sungmin, how are you?"

Weird…since when does Sungmin call on the home phone instead of my mobile?

"Oh hi..." I was unsure whether I should talk to him in front of Taeng and unconsciously, I prevented myself from mentioning his name. "How are you?" I responded while walking in the hallway.

"I'm good…a little bored actually. Would you mind keeping me company for today? We can walk around town and eat something! What do you think?" he sounded really enthusiastic.

"Hmmm…well…I'm not sure…"

"Are you worried about Taeyeon? She is going out with Sunye today so don't worry" I don't know if it was me but Sungmin sounded more than happy about this.

"I don't know…I'll call you later, okay?"

"…Sure…I'll wait for your call then"

"Bye"

I hung up and turned around to see Taeyeon leaning against the wall with her arms crossed around her chest, staring at me. "Who was it?" she questioned me.

"Nobody…wrong call…" I smiled nervously, hoping she will drop the subject.

She was looking at me suspiciously; I believe that she knew I was lying. "Whatever…I'm going out"

"With who?" I bluntly asked. I didn't expect her to answer though.

Taeyeon's face showed nervousness again as she walked to the door. "I'm meeting with Sunye…"

"Oh…" Although I knew it already, it still hurt…a bit.

"It's not what you think…I have to talk to her…" Taeng reassured me. "Anyway are you going somewhere today?"

"Huh? Why? Why do you suddenly ask me??" I kind of freaked out…

"Why are you so nervous? Are you hiding something from me?"

"NO"

"Whatever…just be careful if you're going out and be at home when I'm back"

"Why?"

"Because! Don't ask too much!"

"When will you be back?"

"I don't know"

I stared at her with a dead expression. "…"

Sometimes I don't know if she is trying to be funny or what.

"Don't look at me like this…I'll be back before 6pm so you better be there Mushroom!" she smiled and laughed to herself. "Haha mushroom…so funny" she laughed even harder.

"I'm not going to respond to that…it's too lame…even for me"

"Whatever, be careful and at home before 6! Bye!" she finally left the house.

That girl is so weird…how can she change her mood so easily? Kim Tae Yeon…she'll always be a mystery to me.

Taeng's weird character was soon replaced by the thought of her with Sunye. She said they have to talk…could it be about Taeng's feelings? Is she really going to end it up with Sunye? I better wait for her to come home and tell me…looks like today is going to be very interesting.

Somewhere in Seoul,

Taeyeon's POV

Today is the big day…I'm finally going to talk to Sunye about how I feel…about her and about this relationship. Am I going to tell her about Tiffany? I still don't know…

I picked up Sunye in front of her house, like usual; she was waiting for me and smiled when she saw my car coming. How can I break this sweet smile? She doesn't deserve this.

We shared a normal conversation in the car, I didn't tell her where we were going but I think she knew. After a 15 minute ride, we arrived at the top of that infamous hill.

2 years ago, she left me here…2 years later, it was my turn.

We sat down at our favorite spot and I found myself unable to speak. I practiced beforehand, how and what I was going to tell her, but now that she was here…I couldn't say a word.

"Did you bring me here for a special occasion?" she asked me with a bright smile. How am I going to do that?

"I…I…have to talk to you…about me…and us" I didn't dare to look at her, it was already too hard.

"You're still not ready?" she immediately asked me

Yuri was right, if I go on and hide my feelings, I'll hurt both of them. Between Sunye and Tiffany, I have to let go of one…and let her move on with her life. I just can't believe that after all those years, I'm finally letting go of you…Sunye.

I tried to put away my fear and guiltiness and faced Sunye. "I never will. I tried, really really hard but I can't"

And then it hit her, her face fell apart as she realized what I was doing. "Believe me…I really tried but I…"

"Tiffany…" she whispered then smiled to herself like she has just understood something. "I knew all along…that Tiffany will be in-between"

I shook my head, disagreeing with her. "At first, I thought Tiffany was the reason…as to why my feelings for you weren't the same anymore, but I was wrong. It's been so long…so many years…"

"I shouldn't have left…But it wasn't…"

"No…it…" I let out a sigh…trying to find my words. "It wouldn't have changed anything…at the end. We would probably be together right now if you stayed but the truth is…my feelings were never what I thought they were…I…"

She cut me off and her tone changed a bit. She was getting angry. "What are you trying to say? You never loved me?"

I didn't practice this part of the conversation…it wasn't supposed to go like this.

"I loved you and I love you but…it's not like this kind of love…" I tried to explain but even I was confused.

"Taeyeon…do you even realize what you're saying right now?"

"I never questioned myself. All along, I thought you were the one. We grew up together and besides Yuri, no one has really been so close to me. I felt and still feel protective toward you and I care, but…I never made a difference between friendship and love."

"You're talking nonsense…" she looked away, obviously trying to calm down.

"You made me smile…and I feel comfortable around you, I never thought of anyone else because for me, there was no one else. In my world, there were only my family, Yuri's family and you. I didn't have to convince myself it was love…I didn't even know what love was…"

"Since the beginning…I was only a friend to you?" she looked back at me. She looked so hurt that I felt ashamed of myself.

"You are more than a friend to me…I will always care about you and I'll be there when you need me"

"But you still don't love me…and you told me you needed time…"

"I was confused when you came back…It hit me hard when I realized that I actually stopped thinking about you. But you came back and I…I thought about the past…I wanted to protect you again…"

"I don't need your protection Taeyeon…nor do I need your pity"

"I'm not pitying you…I never had!"

"As soon as I knew I got better, I jumped on the first plane to Seoul, just to see you again. I though…we could finally be together. No more check up at the hospital, no more worry about my health as we plan for our weekend…"

"I really wanted to make you happy…when I saw you again…I thought we should be like before, just us again…but things have changed, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't ignore my feelings…"

"Your feelings for Tiffany…"

"I didn't want to…I tried to not like her, I tried to not care about her but I failed miserably…"

"That's why we're having this conversation…because you finally realize about your feelings and want to be with her"

"It was selfish of me…I admit I only care about myself. I didn't want to let you go, but at the same time…I couldn't let go of her either. I wish things were different…"

"I don't know what I regret the most…leaving 2 years ago or coming back…"

"You had to leave and you know it, if not…"

"If not I would have died?" her eyes were getting teary now. "But then…I would

have died thinking that the one I loved, loved me back but was too shy and introvert to admit it. Now I got my health back but I lost you"

"I will…I will never leave you…we've known each other since we were kids…I'm not going to leave because we're not a couple. We can be friends"

"You're joking right? Taeyeon…I love you! How do you want us to be friends?"

"…I don't know…I guess that with time…"

"Like your feelings for me?"

"…"

I figured out she needed to calm down; this conversation was going nowhere. I don't know how long we stayed there, not talking but I felt the atmosphere getting better. I don't know how it was possible but I was more relaxed as well.

But it didn't last long…

"I wanna go home" her voice broke the comfortable silence.

Sunye didn't wait for my answer; she simply stood up and walked to my car.

Before joining her, I looked one last time at the view in front of me; it might be the last time that I come here.

TaeNy's Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

Since Taeng left this afternoon, I didn't do anything at all. I stayed at home and waited patiently for her to come back. It sounds kind of desperate but I was just too nervous to go out. I should be overly excited that Taeng is clear about her feelings and that she is going to tell Sunye about it…but who knows? Maybe Sunye convinced her to stay together…and maybe…she chose Sunye again.

Among my freak out moments, I still had time to clean out the apartment. I was really proud of myself; the last thing to do was dinner! I have improved tremendously as a cook since the first time I made…whatever it was.

I was so focus on not burning down the whole kitchen that I didn't hear the front door. "What are you doing?" Taeng's sudden appearance startled me and I nearly cut my fingers…

"YA!!! Kim Tae Yeon!!!" I scolded her, my hand still holding the knife.

Taeng took a few steps back and hold up her hands, in front of her. "Okay…okay…calm down…I'm sorry…just put down the knife will you? Knife and Tiffany is a dangerous combination…so put it down gently…and walk away…" she told me.

I showed her for the second time today, my dead expression. "We're not in a movie Taeyeon…and you're not the hero"

Taeng didn't move and stared at me, trying to persuade me to take back my words and play along with her. Unfortunately for her, I only stared back while shaking my head. "Fine…but you're not funny…I just wanted to act out one of this action movie scene…" she pouted and walked to her room.

I smiled at her cute behavior. It's hard to believe that I was once scared of her…now she is like a little teddy bear, so cute that I want to hug her.

Taeng didn't take long to shower and change her clothes. Once she was out of her room, she threw herself on the couch and turned on the TV. I tried to focus on cooking but something was bothering me. For someone who was supposed to have a breakup today, she looked really…calm and relaxed.

Did she really break up with Sunye?????

"Taengoo-ah! What's up?" I tried to act cool while cooking.

"What?" she answered annoyed.

"You have nothing to tell me? No new story?"

"Why would I have new story to tell you?"

"Huh…I don't know…you were the one who went out today"

"…"

"Never mind. I was just curious, you don't need to answer" I quickly said, scared that she will get angry at me for being noisy.

This time, I really went back to my cooking. Taeng was still on the couch, watching TV and none of us talked until the dinner was served.

Taeyeon helped me set the table and every time I put a new dish on it, she would make that weird face.

"Why are you making that face? Doesn't it look tasty?" I asked her.

"Yes…sure…but what is this exactly??" she said while pointing at the dark brown mixture.

"Soup"

"Oh…and the dark color…is it normal?" she asked still looking into the bowl.

"I don't know, they didn't talk about color in the recipe…"

"Of course they didn't…" Taeng was looking rather worried at the food in front of her. "Well…I will eat rice for today…"

"Eat the soup!" I ordered her. "It took me lot of effort to do it"

"I can see that…"

"EAT!"

"Okay…okay…" Taeng breathed deeply before trying the soup. It took her some time to actually swallow it…then she scolded me.

"Ugh!! Did you taste it while cooking???" she was shaking her head in disgust. "No…I need water…" she stood up and went in the kitchen to get herself a glass of water.

I was confused at her reaction so I tried it myself. As soon as the spoon touched my lips, I made the exact same face as Taeyeon earlier. It was really disgusting. It was salty…then sugary…then bitter and finally spicy. I don't even remember putting all those ingredients inside.

Taeng went back to her seat and I noticed how she was sweating. "Was it that spicy?" I asked.

She threw me an evil glare before stuffing herself with the rice. "Don't…ever…ever…cook any soup again" she told me.

"But the rice is good right???"

"I'm still alive so yes" I smiled as she continued to eat.

Watching her eat as if nothing happened bothered me. She should be either sad or angry after her discussion with Sunye…why is she so calm?

"Are you that curious?" Taeyeon suddenly asked me.

"Huh?" Wah…did she read my mind or something?

"Don't worry about how it went…just know that it's done…" she stood up and picked her bowl and chopsticks. "I'll do the dishes" she said while walking to the kitchen.

Instead of being happy and jumping up and down, I suddenly felt sad. "I'm sorry Taeyeon-ah…" I turned and looked at her back. "I'm sorry for you two…"

She put her bowl and chopsticks in the sink and stood there for a minute. When she turned back to look at me, she was smiling…a bittersweet smile though. "I am not sorry…so don't be. Okay?"

I nodded silently before standing up and cleaning the table.

I guess it didn't go that well…but Taeng is really good at hiding her emotion. I only hope she is not regretting it…

Taeyeon and I were doing the dish and I spaced out for a moment. "I told you to not think about it" she told me.

"I can't help it…"

"You want to think about something else?" It was cute…how she wanted me to

feel better.

"Try"

"My parents are coming back tomorrow" she announced.

I didn't want to believe her at first…aunty would have called at home if it was the case. "I don't believe you"

She was ready to scold me but decided not to. "Anyway…tomorrow night we're having dinner at home, just so you know."

"For real? Auntie and uncle are back?" I started to believe her now.

"You'll see for yourself since you don't believe me"

"Aigoo…is little Taengoo angry??" I patted her head.

Taeng jumped away from me. "Aish…your hands!!! I've just showered!!!"

I looked at her amused. "I'm doing the dishes…my hands are clean"

"You little Mushroom…" she mumbled angrily.

Taeyeon walked back to the sink and when I didn't expect it, threw water at me. "YA! What are you doing?" I scolded her.

"Your hands were dirty so I cleaned them for you" she stuck out her tongue at me.

"Oh…I see…you wanna play that game???" I said before throwing water at her.

We played like little kids in the kitchen and even in the living room. I don't remember having seen Taeng smiling and laughing like that…and thinking about it, me neither. It has been a while since I felt so happy…so relieved.

We were having so much fun until Taeng decided to kill the mood. She simply stopped running around and said in a very serious tone. "Ok enough, let's clean up now" then she took a dry towel and started cleaning the mess.

I stood there and looked at her in disbelief. Seriously, how can someone switch mood so easily?

Same day at the Kwon residence,

Yuri's POV

Today is probably the most important day of my life. I can't mess up this date with Jessica…not after what she told me last night.

As planned, I went to Jessica's home around 1pm and as expected, I had to wait 30 minutes more for her to show up. Sometimes I wonder how she can be that slow…it's like…she does everything in slow motion.

When I finally saw her walking out from her house, I quickly got out of the car and opened the door for her. She tried to hide it but I saw her smile when I did that.

"So Kwon Yuri, where are we going today?" she asked as soon as I drove off.

I had a lot of ideas, where we could go and spend some time. I actually thought of going to the beach but then, the only thought of Sica in a bikini gave me nosebleed. Sure, I would totally enjoy watching Jessica swim while I lie down and drink a nice cocktail, but it would be impossible to not drool over her perfect body…in a bikini…oh my god…Jessica in a bikini…with her perfect legs…and her…

"KWON YURI!" Sica shouted, breaking my nice day-dream. "Please pay attention to the road in front of you"

"Sorry sorry" Phew…I better be more careful…spazzing about Sica's body while driving is a bad idea.

"You didn't answer me, where are we going now?"

"Bungee jump" I whispered, hoping she might not really understand.

"Pardon? You said bungee jump?" Okay she heard it…

"It's going to be fun! Don't worry, we'll jump together!"

"Stop the car"

"Huh?"

"Stop the car, I'm not going. It's not fun…screaming and jumping at 45 meters is no fun!!!" she started freaking out.

"Let's go there okay? We'll see later" I tried to reassure her.

She pouted and slid in her seat. "Just so you know…your points for today are already minus"

I couldn't help but smile, she was so cute. I should have known Sica will grade me through our date today. That's fine…by the end of the night; my points will skyrocket for sure.

It took us about 1 hour to get to the location; the ride was boring as hell since Sica fell asleep, exactly 20 minutes after she got in the car. Not only was the ride boring, but it was dangerous as well. Imagining Sica in a bikini while driving is dangerous but trying to not stare at sleepy Sica while driving is just worse.

After waking Jessica up which is a very dangerous thing to do, we walked to the bungee jump place. Sica was acting like a little kid as she walked even slower than usual. Once we got there, some instructor took us up there…45 meters from the ground.

"I hate you" Jessica told me once up there.

It wasn't funny at all seeing her scared but I was still smiling. I thought it was

funny how she didn't want to jump but still stood there and even put on the body harness without really complaining. She did throw some deadly glare at me but then…I found them more sexy than scary.

"So are you jumping together?" the instructor asked us.

"YES!" I quickly said before Sica could respond. I don't think she would have jumped alone anyway.

The guy gave us some instruction on how we should jump…basically, it was useless since we won't really jump…just let our bodies fall. Oh…the best part? We have to hug each other…HUG! Yes…a real hug…Jessica's body against mine…her arms around me…I'm so smart.

Jessica and I prepared ourselves for this unforgettable jump. We kind of walked to the edge of the structure, Sica wasn't hugging me yet but I was already spazzing.

She didn't fail to notice it. "What's that stupid smile on your face?" she asked.

"Aigoo Sica, don't say it's stupid…I'm just happy" I pouted.

"There is nothing to be happy about…you're failing your date right now"

I stopped smiling and became serious. "I don't think I'm failing…the fact that you're afraid but still standing there with me, prove it. You might not know it Sica…but I think you trust me more than you think"

Jessica didn't say a word; she simply put her arms around me and looked me in the eyes. I found myself blushing pretty quickly.

"Oh…excuse me…we just need to let ourselves fall, right?" I asked the instructor again.

"Yes, don't jump. Just fall" he confirmed.

"So…is it fine if I ask everyone to turn around when we fall?"

"Well…someone has to throw the rope…"

"Oh…never mind, forget it" I gave up. It doesn't matter if they see it anyway.

"What's wrong?" Sica asked me.

"Nothing nothing. Okay we're ready!" I told them.

The countdown began and I told Sica to just look at me. I put my arms around her and right when the countdown hit one, I pressed my lips against hers and let myself fall from the structure, bringing Jessica with me.

I don't really know what happened next, it was like…we both fell in another world, another dimension. The only thing I knew at that moment was…I was kissing the girl I love the most…and she was kissing me back.

Magical…it was simply magical.

After our bungee jump, I drove her to our next activity. A helicopter tours. None of us talked about the kiss, I felt rather shy afterwards and I know Sica felt the same but we didn't show it though.

"Tell me Miss. Kwon, what is the next crazy thing that you have planned for us?" she asked me with a seductive smile.

HUH? Am I dreaming? Is she flirting with me right now???

"Huh…we…I…" calm down Yuri…calm down…you can do it. I could see Sica holding her laughter. "We're going to eat dinner now"

"In this helicopter???" she said in shock.

I laughed at her. "No, we're just switching transportation"

We took the helicopter ride to our next location; the roof of the tallest building in Seoul. Jessica was pretty amazed at the view; she regretted not taking her digital camera with her. What a cutie.

On the rooftop, I asked people to build up a huge glass box since it's pretty cold and windy up there. Inside, a table with our food already served; a candle light dinner. There is no need to say that Sica was impressed. Even I couldn't believe how…smart and romantic I was.

"Yuri…this is…wow…" Sica said as she sat at the table. Her eyes were so bright and she was looking around. The view from there was simply amazing, especially at night.

I could have watched her happy and bright smile all night…and the day after…actually forever. "I'm happy that you like it" I told her.

She stopped looking around and smiled sweetly at me. "I love it…this is…so sweet. No one has ever…"

"I'm not anyone…Sica-ah…I'll do anything for you" I said sincerely as I took her hand in mine.

We stayed there and looked in each other's eyes…before the music went on. The sound startled Sica and she kind of jumped on her seat. "Sorry…I told them to put on the music once we sat down" I smiled apologetically.

Jessica laughed at me before looking at the food. "Shall we eat?" she asked me.

"Sure" I smiled at her.

The dinner was simply perfect; there was no awkward moment, no silence…only laughter and happy smiles. I wish she could smile every single day…every time she is with me.

When we were done with the food, I stood up and asked her to dance with me.

Jessica thought it was weird but then realized that there was no one but us. My personal DJ put on some slow song for us to dance and damn…was it romantic. Kwon Yuri, you're a genius.

"Tell me Yuri, is a true that you have never dated before?"

"Yes. Why?"

"I just can't believe someone who is so romantic and sweet has never dated. Are you sure it's not one of your famous girl's traps?"

I laughed at her. "It is not…I've never dated and I've never done anything like this before"

But she did still not believe me. "It's hard to believe you didn't have any practice…"

"Actually…" I was embarrassed to say it. "Okay fine…Yoona helped me a bit with the preparation and stuff…she got some ideas…but the bungee jump was mine though!" I defended myself.

"Why am I not surprised that the crazy thing was your idea?" she teased me. "But honestly, your sister is a pro"

"Aish…let's not talk about my sister…you know I'll freak out" I stopped her from talking further.

"It doesn't matter where the ideas came from…I'm touched…really touched. Thank you Yuri" she gave me a kiss…but only on my cheek. She really knows how to tease me.

"So, did my grade got better?" I asked her in a teasing way.

She acted like she had to think about it. "Hmmm…maybe"

"I wonder if it will go down if I do this"

"Do what?"

There was no need to explain to her with words, the action was clear enough. I pulled Jessica closer to me and kissed her. My hand quickly went up and touched her face, gently. Sica didn't pull away nor did she resist. On the contrary, she responded to my kiss…eagerly. It was our real first kiss…a complete kiss…the first time that I could taste her lips…her mouth…Jessica's flavor…and god, I love it!!!

If it was a dream...I wish it'll never end. I'm willing to live the dream forever, as long as I can keep her in my arms.

Chapter 17 - A Date? The Kim Residence, Tiffany’s POV Taeyeon's parents came back this morning, and I noticed a change in Taeng's mood. Instead of looking happy, her mood was quite down. I didn't want to bother her with my questions so I just ignored it. Because we have a dinner with her parents tonight, she forced me to do my homework the whole afternoon. It hasn't been long since Taeng tutored me again. Although she is a tyrant, I missed her as a tutor. Around 5pm, we started to get ready. Taeyeon was becoming more and more serious; her face didn't show much emotion. I supposed she was stressed to see her parents again. I tried to joke with her a couple times in the car but it didn't work well…she was still acting weird. When we arrived at Taeng's house, it was like the first time I came here. The maid opened the door for us and we found her parents cooking in the kitchen. That brought me back a few months ago, to my first encounter with Taeyeon, the night where it all began. Things have changed a lot since that night. I can't say that Taeyeon has

completely opened up, there are still a lot of things about her that I don't know and don't understand, but we're slowly getting there, I can feel it. At least, I know how she feels about me. "Auntie, uncle" I bowed at them once we walked in the kitchen. It's been months since I last saw them, but from time to time, auntie would call and talk with me. "Ah…Tiffany, you are here!" Taeyeon's mom greeted me with a warm hug. Her father patted me gently on the head. "Can I help you?" I asked them. "Please just step aside and learn" Taeng teased me. "I'll be in my room in case you need me" she said before leaving the kitchen. It was exactly like that night…Taeyeon also left as soon as she stepped into the kitchen. "Don't worry about her, she is always like that" her dad told me. I realized that I was still looking at the door, even though Taeng has already left. I don't understand why they're not trying harder to get Taeng's attention, why they don't just force her to stay and spend time with them. After all, they haven't seen each other for months.

"So Tiffany, how are you doing these days?" her dad asked me. "I'm happier" I simply answered with a smile. He smiled back at me. "Then that's enough" "Tiffany, why don't go and play with Taeyeon? We will call you when dinner is ready" her mother said. "Are you sure you don't need help?" I asked them again. Not that I don't want to spend time with Taeyeon but she didn't look like she wants any company. "We can handle this, just go play with Taeyeon. That's your chance to go and see her room" she winked at me. "Fine" I gave in…maybe they're afraid I'll mess with the food. I walked out of the kitchen and found myself lost already. Luckily, the maid was there and led me to Taeng's room. I was a little nervous when I knocked on the door. "Taengoo, can I come in?" I asked her through the door. "If I say no, are you going to leave?" she replied in a teasing tone.

"I have nothing to do Taengoo-ah!!!" I whined. I could imagine Taengoo making a face because of my aegyo. I could even hear her sighed. "Come in Mushroom" she finally let me in. I carefully opened the door and stepped inside Taeng's room. It was the first time that I saw her room. Although she doesn't live there anymore, her room was still fully decorated. Taeng was lying on her bed, doing nothing. "Why are you hiding in your room?" I asked as I sat on her bed. "I'm not hiding…I just want to be alone" "It's not funny being alone; you should spend time with your parents" "…" "Taeyeon-ah…can I ask you something?" "Try" "Why is it so hard for you to be around your parents?" A few months…no, even a few weeks ago, I'd have never asked her such a personal question. Sometimes,

I'm impressed at how close and comfortable we are with each other now. "…" "I know it's not my business but…I just don't like seeing you so distant. Maybe I can help you…" Taeng remained silent for a while before speaking. "I don't know what to talk with them" she admitted. If it came from someone else, I would have laughed, but coming from Taeng, I wasn't surprised. She is far from being a sociable person, but the thought of Taeng feeling so uncomfortable around her own parents was sad. "I only know how to talk business with my father, that's our way of interacting with each other" she continued. "Is that enough?" "Enough for me…" "…don't you feel sad?" "I can't be sad or miss something that I never had…I think things are good the way they are…"

You said that you're not sad…but the look on your face betrayed your words Taeyeon-ah. "It's not too late to change things though…" "I don't see the point…getting attached to them now…I know they won't stay long anyway" "Because they don't stay long, you have to enjoy every moment you can have with them…you never know when they…" my voice cracked a little… "Tiffany…" Taeyeon took my hand and squeezed it gently. "It is just the way things are between my parents and me, don't put too much thought into it" she tried to comfort me. "I just…I just want to see you happy with them…I want them to be able to see the Taeyeon that I'm seeing everyday…" I looked in Taeyeon's eyes and at this moment, I saw the sadness again…like on the first day of school. Taeyeon released my hand and got off the bed. "Dinner should be ready by now, let's go" she said before leaving the room. I guess that topic is still sensitive for her. I let out a sigh before getting off the bed. This time, as I walked across her room, I

stopped in front of her desk and looked at the pictures that caught my attention earlier. Like in her office, there were pictures of her and Yuri when they were still kids, and some more recent. Another picture caught my attention…but I quickly regretted seeing it. It was a picture of Sunye smiling; the picture looked kind of old though…maybe a few years ago. To feel better, I told myself that Taeng doesn't live here anymore…so the picture doesn't mean anything. Sadly, as expected, there was no picture of Taeyeon with her family. I took a last glance at Taeng's room before turning off the light and joining everyone in the kitchen. Taeyeon was scarily quiet during dinner; she was only looking at the food and didn't try to join the conversation, nor did she look at anyone. "Auntie, this soup is so goooood. Can you teach me how to cook it? The last soup I made wasn't successful" I asked after finishing my bowl. "Not successful are underrated words for the thing you made yesterday…omg…I can still smell it now…" Taeng teased me. "Don't exaggerate…you've been complaining since last night. Give me a break" I rolled my eyes at her.

"Don't exaggerate? You nearly killed me last night…I could sue you for food poisoning" "And I could sue you for…" "For?" "For being so irritating" "Wah…couldn't you find better than irritating?" she smirked. I hate when she does that…arrogant little kid. "You two are so cute together" her mom said while watching us. Her remark startled Taeyeon who probably forgot that her parents were just sitting right in front of us. She took a look at them before going back into silent mode. "I'm happy to see you two getting along so well. The engagement wasn't such a bad idea it seems" her father said while looking at me. Actually, I haven't think about it for a long time already…since I started having feelings for her. We pretty much consider ourselves as roommate; I don't think Taeng even remembers the engagement deal. I wonder what she thinks about it now.

"It's not because we are not arguing about it that it means we agree to it" Taeng replied, this time looking right at her father. For whatever reason, I could feel some tension between them. "You still have time before giving me your response. We don't need to talk about it tonight" her father said in a very serious but calm tone. "You're the one bringing up the topic" Taeyeon replied again. "Anyway, tell me when you're ready to leave" she told me before standing up. "Taeyeon, go and wait in my office. I have something to discuss with you" her father ordered her. Taeng didn't say anything and simply left the kitchen. I looked at her father with a worried face. "Uncle…" "It's about work Tiffany, don't worry." he reassured me. "But I'm glad that you worry about her". Uncle finished his food and stood up. "It won't be long" he said before leaving the kitchen. There were only auntie, me and the maid left. "I'm sorry auntie, you just came back and Taeyeon is in a bad mood" I told her. "She's always like this Tiffany. I'd be worried if it wasn't the case" she joked.

All I could do was smile, although I knew she was lying. Behind her smile, I could see the sadness of a mother who hasn't seen her daughter smile genuinely for a long time.

Taeng's father's office room, Taeyeon's POV I already knew what my father wanted to talk with me as soon as I learned they were coming back. I'm just surprised he hasn't summoned me earlier. I tensed a little when I heard his footsteps and the little sound of the door closing behind him. My father has always been intimidating, even more since I work with him. I don't remember getting scold though, he always talks calmly but the tone of his voice is scary…so serious that it sends chills down my spine. My father sat behind his desk and opened a file that was on in front of him. He looked through it quickly before turning to me. "I supposed you read it already, haven't you?" "Yes" "Do you know what we've missed? This contract…we hold it tight in our hands,

how could you have lost that deal?" he started. "It wasn't s…" "Since when are you so irresponsible in your work? How could you cancel a meeting last minute?" I saw disappointment in his eyes…it will never be enough…never good enough…no matter what I do. "I didn't cancel it…" "You didn't show up. It's the same" "Siwon was there, he could have handled it perfectly. We worked on this presentation together" I defended myself. "Who do you think those people came to see? You. They made an appointment to see the project presented by you and you didn't come. Where were you?" "It doesn't matter" "It matters to me when you lost a million worth contract" he said, still with a calm voice. That's what I find the scariest…how he always stay so calm, no matter the circumstances. When he should be angry and scolding me, he remained calm, without any emotion. That is scary.

"I can get it back…I've been in talk with them for days already" "I'll do it; you don't have to work on this anymore" he simply said, closing the file. I let out a sarcastic smile. "Wow…you came all the way to save that contract? It isn't that much money anyway" "It's our reputation. What kind of image are you giving out with this irresponsible attitude?" I wasn't going to argue back, there was no point in doing so. I was tired of trying to impress him. "It won't happen again" I simply told him. "You better not let it happen again" he warned me. I wonder what would happen if I make another mistake? What can happen anyway? He might fire me…but that means…being free from this world that I hate so much. I wish they knew why I'm doing all this…if not for them…I would have run away already. "Is that all? We'll be leaving shortly" I told him. I was ready to leave when he spoke again. "How is it with Tiffany? She is really a sweet girl" he told me with a smile.

I smiled politely at him before standing up. "This topic is not related to work. I'd feel irresponsible mixing my private life with business, Sir." I bowed to him before leaving the room. How am I supposed to improve this relationship with my father? It's been years and years…its way too late for any improvement.

Living room, Tiffany’s POV I was sitting with auntie in the living room, eating some fruits when Taeyeon came back. She didn't look happy at all, her mood looked worse actually. She stood near the door frame and looked at me. "Are you ready to leave now?" she asked me. I looked back at auntie and saw her disappointed face. I guessed she was hoping we would stay longer. I excused myself before standing up and dragging Taeyeon away. "Taengoo, I was thinking…maybe we can stay in the house for this week??" I asked her once we were away from the living room.

"Why?" "Your mom told me they're staying for this week…so I thought…" "I told you to not worry about it" she sighed. "It's…it's not only about you…I want to spend time with your parents too. I miss having a family…" I said, still holding her hand. Taeyeon's face softened at my words. "Fine" she agreed. My face immediately brightened up. "Really? We can stay?" I asked her to confirm it. Taeng smiled gently at me. "If it makes you happy" Looking at Taeyeon's smile and hearing those words from her, I don't know what stopped me from jumping in her arms and kissing her. Taeyeon followed me back in the living room where auntie was waiting. I asked her if we could stay for the week and her huge smile was better than a thousand words. I knew she couldn't hope for Taeyeon to get close to her, but being able to see Taeng more than a few hours was enough to make her truly happy. Auntie looked at me and I could see how thankful she was. "Let me prepare the

room for you Tiffany" she said but I stopped her before she could stand up. "Huh no auntie…I was thinking of something else…" I said shyly before turning to Taeng. "Can I sleep in your room?" Taeyeon and auntie both looked at me and said with a shocked expression. "Excuse-me?" I looked at both of them embarrassed. "It's…this house is too big…I can't sleep in a big room by myself" "You did it on your first night here. Don't find an excuse to take advantage of me" Taeyeon teased me again. "Who would want to take advantage of you? Ugh" I made a disgusted face. "I will sleep on the couch" "Taeyeon, if Tiffany is scared then it might be better to let her sleep in your room" Auntie supported me. Taeng looked at us before giving up. "Whatever…" she said before leaving. I waited for Taeng to be out of sight before turning to auntie. "Thank you!" I said happily while giving her a hug.

"No, thank to you Tiffany. It means a lot to me…one week with my daughter" she smiled. I felt so good that night, I was happy with myself even though it wasn't much; I knew auntie was truly happy. Something else made me happier that night though…something that I missed for a long time. I went in Taeng's room after having showered and putting a pajama that Taeng lent me. "Tell me Taengoo, how can you wear this? Its way too big for your short body" I asked her once out of the bathroom. Taeyeon looked at me and smiled. "It's not mine" "WHAT? Someone stayed overnight here? Who?" I asked her…maybe too hysterically. "Huh Yuri did…but this pajama is Seohyun's" she said calmly. "Why are you so shocked?" "Oh no…nothing" I felt stupid for freaking out. "Can you give me a pillow and a blanket, please?" I asked her.

"What for?" "I'm sleeping on the couch" "Just sleep on the bed, its big enough for two" she said calmly, like the thought of us sleeping on the same bed was totally normal. "Are you kidding?" "Why? It won't be the first time. As long as you stay on your side, I don't mind" she joked. "Right, like I was the one taking advantage" I whispered to myself. "What did you say?" "Nono nothing" I smiled. I went to the other side of the bed and got on. I didn't notice it at first but the whole room smelled like Taeng. And now that I was on her bed, the scent was even stronger. Mental note to myself; do not sniff her blanket…or her pillow. The truth is…I was really scared of sleeping by myself. This is not a small house and I got lost even in the morning with the sunlight, so at night…what if there is a

weird noise and I freak out? Another reason would be…I miss those moments we shared in Bali. Taeyeon wasn't conscientious when she hugged me in her sleep but it felt nice…so nice that I won't mind feeling it again. It didn't take long for Taeyeon to fall asleep, and like I hoped for, she naturally got closer to my side of the bed and pulled me in for a sweet embrace. I wish that one day, sleeping in her arms becomes a daily routine.

S1 High School, Yuri's POV My first day in school as Jessica's other half. If only Sica let me announce it to the whole world…but she wanted to keep it low for now. It's going to be really hard for me to behave properly in public with her now. I have to keep control…I can do it! As we walked across the school's yard, I made sure that my hand wasn't touching hers. It seems like even a slight touch make me go crazy. That's the effect that Jessica Jung has on me. "Can you stop smiling like that? It's weird" Sica told me. Indeed, I was smiling since we got off the car. She just told me to not act crazy; she didn't forbid me to express my happiness.

"I'm just happy" I smiled at her. Sica let out a smile and hit me lightly. We quickly went into class before the bell rang. Actually, I wasn't the only one showing my happiness. I noticed that Tiffany had an I'm-so-happy-that-I-want-to-scream-to-the-whole-world kind of smile too. I wonder what happened with Taeng. Unfortunately, today first class was business and I had to sit with Gyuri. However, with her, it was natural of me to keep my distance. The last thing I want is an angry Sica. I must admit I do like angry Sica; she's hot beyond words when she's angry, but for today, it was better to keep her in a good mood. Unlike the other day, Gyuri was particularly well behaved, she didn't bother me as much as she used to. I wish the girl would just give up on me already. For the whole day, I surprised myself at how well behave I was. Sica didn't even scold me once! Sadly, I couldn't keep it until after school. "Are we going for a walk before I drive you home?" I asked Sica as we walked outside. "I'm tired, don't feel like walking around" she yawned. "OR we can go back to my place…and you know…" I grinned like an idiot.

"Stop it, don't be so creepy" she hit me. "I'm not creepy…besides, you didn't complain yesterday…" I teased her. "I would have but you didn't even let me breath" "Oh really? Me? I don't remember kissing you first yesterday" "Aish…shhhhh…be quiet" she finally scolded me. One scold for a whole day…I'm improving. "Are you coming or not?" I asked her again. "You're annoying me so NO"

*silence*

"SICA!!! SICA!!! JESSICA!!" I screamed like crazy. We were near the school's gate and there were quite a lot of students. Needless to say, all eyes were on us now. "What the hell are you doing??? Want me to kill you?" she threatened me.

"Depends…are you going to kill me with your kisses? Because I sure won't complain" I smiled again. "I'm this close Yuri…this close to kick your ass" she threatened me again. "SICA!!! SICA!!! YOU'RE SO BEAUTIFUL SICA-AH!!!!" I screamed again, even louder. Jessica looked around us embarrassed before grabbing me and running away. I don't think she has ever run that fast before. Jessica stopped running once we got to my car. "Why are you in a rush? We have time" I joked. She threw me one of her deadly but sexy glare. "You're so dead Yuri" "I know I know" I smiled while opening the door for her. "Come on, let's go home. I'll give you a massage" "You bet you're giving me one…a feet massage too since I ran. If I have a cramp, that's your fault!" she scolded me. I laughed and stole a quick kiss from her before driving away. I don't know if my eyes were tricking me but I swear that while driving off, I

spotted Gyuri spying on us...this girl is kind of freaky nowadays.

Earlier in school, Tiffany’s POV Yesterday was so perfect, Taeng's parents came back and she agreed to stay at the mansion for this week. What's more? I fell asleep and woke up in her arms this morning. Everything was so perfect, like in a dream. Unfortunately, I didn't expect my dream to be this short. When we went in class this morning, both of us noticed the empty seat immediately. It was Sunye's. I saw the look on Taeng's face when she saw the empty seat…she was worried. And she was worried for the whole day; she even tried to call Sunye but couldn't reach her. Even though I felt bad as well, I was a bit jealous that Taeyeon worry about her so much. Now that they have broken up, I expect Taeng to step down from her protective role with Sunye. Or maybe…I was simply scared and selfish. At the end of school, Taeyeon decided to go to Sunye's home and check on her. When she told me that, I wanted to stop her, tell her that now, it isn't her responsibility anymore, but I didn't. Instead, I wanted to act nice and told her to simply go and that I'll go home by myself. I had to pick up some clothes since we are staying at her house. It made me feel slightly better that Taeng insisted to drive me home…but it still pained me to see her leave, knowing she was going to

see Sunye… Shortly after Taeng left, I bumped into Sungmin. My first reaction when seeing him was to ask how his sister was. He calmly told me she was fine, it was just a headache. I concluded that it was a good excuse to skip school…and avoid Taeyeon. Ironically, her absence made Taeng comes to her. Smart should I say? I thanked Sungmin and was going to leave when he invited me for a drink. After I rejected his offer, he insisted to drive me home. Once we arrived at the apartment building, I quickly thanked him before getting off the car. I felt rude for leaving him like this but something was telling me that it was for the better. I can't say how relieved I was when Taeyeon came back, especially since it didn't take her long to visit Sunye. Even though I knew already, I still asked her how Sunye was. "She wasn't feeling well this morning so she preferred to stay at home, just in case." Taeng explained to me. "I'm glad she is fine" I said sincerely. "Yeah…me too" "If you stayed a little longer after school, you would have seen a very very funny scene" I told her.

"Huh? What happened? What did you do again?" I hit her playfully. "Not me babo! YulSic!" "Yul what???" "YulSic! Short for Yuri and Sica" I smiled proudly. Taeng made a weird face and rolled her eyes. "That's so lame" "Be quiet" I hit her again. "Anyway, Yul was shouting like crazy, saying how beautiful Sica was. It was pretty funny. You should have seen Sica's face. I'm afraid she is trying to kill Yuri right now" "Did Yul drive you back?" Taeng asked me. "Huh no" "You took the bus?" "No" "You flew back?" it was obviously a joke but she was still very serious.

"…Yes?" I tried…we never know, Taengoo might just change topic like she always does. "…" But she didn't…she just stared at me with her annoyed-suspicious-dead fish face. "Sungmin drove me back…" I finally admitted. "Did you call him?" She was getting angry already. "Nono! I bumped into him after you left. He was around the school…I don't know why though" Taeng was definitely angry now, she was mumbling something about Sungmin but I didn't understand. I decided to let her calm down by herself and in the meanwhile, go take a shower. "Ok…I'm going to shower and we can leave shortly after" I told her before getting off the couch. "Tiffany…" she grabbed my hand before I could walk away. I turned my head and looked down at her. "What if…what if I ask you to not see him again?" she asked me. I was taken aback by her question. It was too sudden. "I…I don't think I can" I

answered honestly. Taeyeon seemed disappointed with my response. "Why?" "Both of you are my friends…why would I do that?" I asked her back. "What if…it will make me feel better?" "Are you asking me this favor as a friend?" I can stop seeing him Taeyeon…I just want you to step up and fight for me. "I…I don't want to be your friend anymore…" she stood up and looked at me, her hand still holding mine. "I want…I want to be the only one…" she said while looking right into my eyes. "Taeyeon…" I was drawn to her beautiful eyes; all I wanted now was her to kiss me. But of course she didn't. Instead, she happily and excitedly proposed another activity. "Let's go on a date Saturday…just you and me" "HUH?" "Yeah…isn't it the next step?" she asked innocently.

"Yes…if we want to date each other" I told her. "I know you want to date me already, don't hide it" she smirked. "Aish…you and your arrogance" I pushed her away and walked to my room. "Saturday! I'll pick you up around noon" she said with a smile. I couldn't help but laugh. "I didn't say yes" I teased her. Of course I agreed…I've been waiting for this forever. "It's fine…I'll wait for you, in front of your door. You'll have to come out eventually" she laughed. "Prepare a small gift; I might come out faster if you do" I teased her. "A gift? I'll give you the world if you come with me" "…" "Was it a bit exaggerated?" she asked with her innocent face again. "Yes"

"Sorry" We smiled at each other before I closed the door to my room. Once I was alone, I couldn't stop myself from jumping around happily. "I can hear you!" Taeng shouted from the living room. Then I heard her laughing like a crazy kid. I wanted to open the door and throw something at her but it was too embarrassing, besides, I was blushing way too much to show her my face. I calmed myself down before stepping in the bathroom, a huge smile on my face. A date…I have a date with Kim Tae Yeon.

Chapter 18 - And now Taengoo knows too...

Seohyun's High School,

No POV

Like every day, Seohyun came out of school and walked to the bus station with her friends. What she didn't expect that afternoon was to see Yoona waiting for her outside.

Yoong was still wearing her uniform and waved charmingly at Seohyun when she saw her coming.

"Hi Seohyunie!" she put on one of these adorable smiles. So adorable that even Seohyun's friends were charmed.

After saying goodbye to her friends, Seohyun focused her attention back to her visitor. "Yoona, what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you today" she said before taking Seohyun's hands. "Wanna come to my house today? I have a new movie"

"I don't know, I was supposed to go home"

"Don't worry, I will call your mother" she swung their hands happily from side to side. "Please? We haven't seen each other since…Sunday. I miss you"

Although she was already 16 years old, Seohyun was a very pure and innocent girl. She mostly spends her times between school and piano practice, until a few months ago…when she met Yoona.

"Fine, let me call her first" Seohyun finally agreed.

Seohyun has never been interested in the whole dating thing that all teenagers were crazy about. She was pretty surprised herself at how she felt for Yoona. After they met for the first time at Yoona's house, they started seeing each other during weekends and obviously, got closer.

Seohyun didn't know why Yoona could make her so happy. They were always smiling and laughing when they were around each other. What's more? Yoona was really a sweet talker and always found the right words to make her smile. Her elder sister Sunny even tried to teach her how to do aegyo…just in case.

Seohyun and Yoona took a cab to Yoong's house. They haven't been dating for that long but Seohyun was already very familiar with the house, and with Yoong's parents.

"Seohyunieee! How are you?" Mrs. Kwon greeted her daughter's girlfriend with a big hug. There was no need to say that Yoona's mom totally loves Seohyun. She was a smart, polite and pretty girl.

"Mrs. Kwon, I hope I'm not bothering you again"

"Of course not! I'm happy to see you! Are you staying for dinner? You have to!" It was impossible for Seohyun to reject the offer.

"Why are you so happy?" Yoona asked her mother.

"Yuri brought Jessica and now Seohyun is here…I'm so happy to have my future daughters-in-law at home, that's all"

"Mom please"

"What? I can't think about the future now?"

"Yes yes you can. We're going to grab something in the kitchen before watching a movie in my room."

"Oh let me quickly make small sandwiches. You can bring some to your sister as well"

"I'm not going in her room…"

"Why?"

"She's with Sica"

"And?"

"Mom…you don't want to know" Yoona smiled mischievously at her mother

before sitting down.

That's exactly when the eldest children, Yuri entered the kitchen. "Oh hi Seohyun! Mom, Sica is staying for dinner"

"Really? How awesome is that? Your girlfriends are staying for dinner…Oh my…I'm getting emotional"

"Mom please"

"Do you also want some sandwiches Yuri?"

"Huh no we have food already but thank you" she said before living the kitchen.

Outside of the Kim's residence,

Tiffany’s POV

I caught Taeng trying to sneak out of the house, once we came back from school. She told me she wanted to go to Yuri's place…to discuss. She insisted that I stay at home but of course, I tagged along.

"Why can you just stay at home?" Taeyeon was complaining as we walked to Yuri's house.

"It's been a long time since I visited and Sica told me she was there as well. Maybe

we can sing karaoke again!!!" I jumped around happily.

Taeyeon grabbed my hand and forced me to walk calmly. "If you stop acting like a crazy bunny"

I wanted to tease Taeyeon some more but she was holding my hand and I didn't want to ruin this moment.

We arrived at Yuri's house and like last time, Taeng simply entered. The only thing this time was…we bumped into Yuri right away. When she saw Taeng, her eyes popped out and she was shocked…really shocked.

"Taengoo…what…what are you doing here?" Yuri stuttered a bit; obviously she didn't want Taeyeon to come.

"What's wrong with you?"

"Nnnn….noooothing…huh…come…let's go to my room" Yuri grabbed Taeng's hand and dragged her up the stairs.

I stood there in shock, watching Yuri dragging Taeyeon away until a familiar voice called Taeng. I swear I saw Yuri's body shivering when she heard it.

"Taeyeon unnie!"

I turned around and saw Seohyun coming, Yoona by her side.

"Oh Seohyun, what are you do…" Taeng was going to walk down the stairs but then stopped when she noticed something. Her eyes went really really big and she tried hard to put on a smile before turning to Yuri.

I couldn't hear what they were talking about but Taeng was really agitated. She kept looking back and forth at Seohyun then Yuri and it looked as if they were arguing over some issue.

Yuri's POV

After telling my mother that Sica was staying for dinner, I came out of the kitchen and as I was walking to the stairs, the front door suddenly opened. The last person that I wanted to see was there…Kim Tae Yeon.

It was one of this rare time where my brain worked this fast. I immediately understood the situation and of course, freaked out.

"Taengoo…what…what are you doing here?" I tried to remain calm but it wasn't easy.

"What's wrong with you?" her suspicious look didn't' help me calm down.

"Nnnn….noooothing…huh…come…let's go to my room" I quickly grabbed Taeng and ran on the stairs.

There was something that Taeng could absolutely not see. I hide it from her for a

long time already and there is no way I was letting her discover it now…when I'm around.

But my body literally froze when I heard her voice calling for Taeng. How unlucky am I?

"Taeyeon unnie?" she called out. Why…oh why???

Seohyun and Yoona came out of the kitchen and were walking toward Tiffany, in the middle of the lobby.

I naturally released Taeng's hand and prayed silently for someone, anyone to come and save me.

Taeyeon turned around and saw her little cousin. "Oh Seohyun, what are you do…" she took 2 steps down before frizzing.

I closed my eyes and breathed deeply, preparing myself for the storm to come.

"Yuri…" Taeng whispered calmly but I knew she was holding it. "Can you…can you tell me what your sister is doing?"

I took a look at Yoona and she was just standing beside Seohyun…nothing weird. "What? They're all staring at us, nothing else" I acted clueless. Of course I knew why Taeng nearly got a heart attack.

"Then…tell me…what is Yoona holding in her right hand???" Taeng turned back

and glimpse at Seohyun again, before turning her attention at me.

I took a quick look a Yoona and tried to smile, just to calm down Taeyeon a little bit. "Listen…"

"Why…oh why in the world is your sister…holding my little Seohyun's hand???" she took a quick glimpse at Seohyun again.

"Listen to me…technically…they're holding hands but BUT…actually…it's normal" I was able to mumble something out, although it didn't really make sense.

"Kwon Yuri…what did you do??"

"Unnie, is everything alright?" Yoona asked Taeng.

Taeyeon stared at me with her freaked out expression before turning to the 3 girls standing in the lobby. "Nothing, there is nothing" she reassured them but her voice was still shaky.

"Why don't you 2 go in the kitchen and eat something?" I tried to send them away.

"We have sandwiches for the movie" Yoona showed the plate she was holding with her right hand...her left hand being busy...holding Seohyun's hand.

"You…you're going out to watch a movie?" Taeng asked.

"No, we're watching a movie in my room" Yoona responded.

"Wh…what? In the dark?" Taeng freaked out even more. I don't remember freaking out that much when I found out…Taengoo is so sensitive.

"Huh…yes?"

"Are you feeling well unnie?" Seohyun asked Taeng. "You're sweating"

"I…I'm fine, don't worry…just…go…go watch your movie..."

Seohyun and Yoona looked at each other confused before walking upstairs to Yoona's room. Taeyeon and I tried to smile normally at them when they passed us.

"Go watch your movie…in the dark…just the two of you…" Taeyeon whispered once they disappeared upstairs.

"What's wrong with you two" Fany asked.

"Kwon Yuri, room" Taeyeon told me before I could reply to Tiffany.

I smiled at Fany before following Taeyeon.

Tiffany’s POV

I had absolutely no clue on what happened when we were in the lobby with Yoona and Seohyun. I followed the two of them to Yuri's room. Sica was sitting on the

couch, reading a magazine when we entered.

She was quite surprised to see us there as well.

"So…I'm listening to you…" Taeyeon spoke as soon as the door behind me closed.

Yuri was walking nervously around the room. I took a seat next to Jessica and the two of us observe the scene quietly.

"They're dating" Yuri announced. I still didn't know what they were talking about.

"…"

"What's going on?" Sica whispered to me. I shrugged and simply looked at Taeng who stood there like a statue.

"Are you ok?" Yuri walked to Taeng and patted her on the back.

"Since…since when?" Taeng asked.

"I don't really know…probably soon after they met each other. I didn't want to hide it from you but…you know…"

"Oh…" It was Sica's turn to understand the situation. I was the only one left in the dark.

"What? What? You know something?" I eagerly asked her.

"Seohyun and Yoona. They're talking about them"

"What? What about them?" I asked her again but then came to the conclusion myself. "Oh…I see"

"Here we go again" Sica let out a sigh. I didn't get it but then Taengoo started freaking out even more and I understood what Sica meant.

"Oh…my…she's still a baby…what am I going to do?????" Taengoo was walking in circle now.

"Calm down, it's no big deal" Yuri tried to lighten up the situation, but she wasn't convincing enough.

"No big deal? You mean them walking around holding hands and kissing is no big deal????? Kwon Yuri!!! My little innocent cousin…"

"Wait wait!!! Who said they walk around kissing? We're not there yet…I've only seen them holding hands…don't go too far…" it was Yuri's turn to freak out now.

Honestly, I've lost them since the conversation started. They looked like 2 mothers freaking out on their daughters. It was cute and funny but I was still worried about them. They're way too overprotective. Not good, not good.

"My little Seohyunieee…it can't happen now…she's too young…"

Even though I was a little amused by them, I decided to try and solve the situation. Jessica was rolling her eyes and sighing. It's probably not the first time Yuri freaked out about that.

"Taengoo, she's not a baby anymore and she is only 2 years younger than you" I told her.

"She likes keroro…since when is she interested in dating and such?"

"Well that's only natural…she's growing up. It was bound to happen" I stood up and dragged Taeng on the couch.

"But…"

"Try to see the positive, she's dating Yoona. It could have been someone weird that we don't know, but instead it's Yoong. Be grateful" I patted her head. "And don't you think they're cute together? Don't worry, its innocent love"

"Innocent…right" Yuri talked to herself…too loud though.

I continued to pat Taeng's head while she was still spacing out.

"Anyway, why are you two here?" Yuri asked us once she forgot about the whole dating thing.

"Huh…I don't know…I simply followed Taeng" I nudged her gently. "Didn't you have something to talk to Yuri?"

Taeng stopped spacing out and stood up. "Hmmm yeah…in private…" she said to Yuri. "Huh can you two go somewhere else?"

Jessica, who was still sitting on the couch, threw an evil glare at Taengoo. Her response was clear enough.

"Nono you two can stay here comfortably, we'll go in the other room. Haha" Yuri smiled apologetically at Sica and dragged Taengoo out of the room.

"Wow…Yuri is so afraid of you. How do you do that?" I asked Sica once we were left alone in the room.

"I don't know…it's natural. You're not that bad with Taeyeon. She's like a nice little puppy now. So different from the crazy delinquent girl before"

"Yeah…well I wish I could do something about her relationship with her parents though" I sighed.

"Isn't it getting better?"

"Well, they're living under the same roof now so I guess it's an improvement already. What I want is for them to have a conversation…which is harder than I thought"

"It's Taeyeon after all…she already doesn't speak much"

"Yes…not like YOUR Yuri" I teased her.

"Don't start" she warned me.

"Come on, you have nothing to tell me? Everyone knows you two are dating!! And by everyone, I mean EVERYONE!"

"That's her fault!" she sighed again. "I told her to be quiet about it"

"That's cute. I envy you Sica-ahhhhhh" I grabbed her arm and whined.

"Aish stop that" she pushed me away. "I hate when you are like that"

"No but seriously…since when?"

"Since when what?"

"Since when are you two an official couple??? Something must have happened for the Ice Princess to melt completely" I winked at her.

"Nothing happened"

"Didn't you tell me Yuri asked you on a date last week? You still haven't told me about it!"

"It went well" she simply said. I knew she was dying to tell me more though. She just needed a little push.

"Sica-ahhhhh tell me more Sica-ahhhhhh" I annoyed her with my aegyo and whining.

"Fine fine but please stop with your aegyo…having Yuri doing it is enough…" she complained.

Jessica then started telling me about her date with Yuri.

In another room,

Yuri's POV

"What do you want to talk to me about?" I asked Taeng after dragging her in another room. That crazy girl dared to ask Sica to move from her comfy seat…how crazy.

"I need some help…about Tiffany"

"To do what?" I asked interested.

"Why do you sound so…creepy?"

"HUH?"

"Whatever…I asked her on a date so help me"

"No way!"

"What?"

"Oh my Taengoo!!!" I jumped and hugged Taeyeon, patting her on the head. "You have grown up too! Aigoo, you're going on a date!!! How awesome is that?"

"Please…like it was the first time…"

"Isn't it? You haven't really been in an OFFICIAL date with Sunye…you never asked her out. You two were just going around together"

"Anyway…are you helping me or not?" she said annoyed.

"OF COURSE! You went to the right person. I'm awesome with dates"

"Are you?"

"Hey! I'm dating the Ice Princess! How awesome is that?"

"Yeah pretty scary…"

"So…what can I do for you?"

"I don't know what I'm going to do with her on Saturday…where we should go, what we should eat…everything!"

How cute, little Taengoo is getting nervous and all work out for her upcoming date. "Okay, first, let's choose a location…"

"A location…where we can have fun…"

"What does she like? Where does she want to go?"

"I have no idea…"

"Great" Of course, Taeyeon didn't know anything. She is worse than me when it comes to dating.

"She's noisy so I guess a noisy place?" she said innocently. Her hopeless expression was cute though.

"Maybe behind her noisiness, she is a romantic girl" Like Sica.

"I'm not romantic, how am I supposed to do??? Kwon Yuri!"

"Listen…I think the best is for you to listen to your heart and follow it!" I tried.

"…"

"What?"

"That's beyond cheesy and lame…"

"I just don't think there is a perfect plan for you, especially for YOU. Fany knows you too well now, if you're going to follow a plan, it'll be too obvious. That's why, just act like you feel"

"Where do I start? Your awesomeness is not helping right now" she complained to me.

"Fine...just…the whole point is for both of you to have fun and enjoy your day. Just think of a place that you know will make her happy. The key word is FUN. You don't want to spend some gloomy day with her, so pick a fun place"

"Fun…okay"

"Can you do that?"

"Sure…no problem"

"Good kid" I patted her head. "Hmm…how is it with Sunye?"

"She talks to me…its getting better" I hated how she was still looking sad whenever Sunye is mentioned.

"Do not feel guilty…you don't have to"

"I know…I just…I promised her…"

"She is not under your responsibility. A friend, she's a friend and you should know the limit to this relationship. It should be all about Tiffany now"

"I know…believe me I know. I have enough pressure with Sungmin already…He is really annoying, he won't give up on her"

While Sunye's name brings sadness to Taeyeon, Sungmin's on the other hand brings anger to her.

"I don't like Sungmin…he's kind of creepy on his own, a bit like Gyuri"

"Oh Gyuri…yeah that girl IS creepy. Watch out, she seems to really really like you" Taengoo tried to warn me, like I didn't now already.

"She's not GorJess"

"What?" she looked at me clueless at what I just said, but I ignored her and didn't explain.

"She's such a good kisser…talking about that, we should go back to my room. Sica is probably waiting for me…because we…you know…"

"…No, I don't know BUT I don't want to know so, keep it to yourself. Thank you" she said before leaving the room.

Yuri's room,

Tiffany’s POV

"…" I was speechless after Sica's little story. Her date with Yuri was simply perfect. I didn't know that Yul was such a romantic. How lucky.

"And that's how we officially dated" Sica finished. During the whole time, she was smiling. I could tell she was happy now.

"That is just…WOW"

"I know, hard to believe she did that right? But maybe Taeyeon will do something like that too"

"Actually…I don't want her to. For now, it wouldn't be…comfortable for us. I prefer us to have fun during this date…I just want her to enjoy herself. We can be romantic later on"

"No details, no details" Sica said as she put her hands on her ears.

I hit her with a pillow when the door opened. Yuri and Taeyeon were back from their little discussion.

"Let's go Fany"

"Already?"

"Yeah...I'm sure they have a lot of…thing to do. Come on" she urged me.

I looked at Yuri who was smiling shyly then at Jessica who was as lost as I were. I hugged Sica before leaving with Taeng.

Yuri's POV

Finally I was alone with my Jessica. "What did Taeyeon want?" she asked me as I sat beside her.

"Some tips"

"She should have asked Yoona" she teased me.

"Ya! I'm not that bad" I pouted.

"Really? The whole world know about us now, how should I punish you?"

"You really want to know? Because I have some awesome ideas right now…"

"…"

"What? You know you want it too" I smiled at her.

"But the last time today, I still can't believe you convince me to make out in the car though…"

"I didn't convince you…you didn't stop me, difference!"

"Still it was the last time!" she acted angry.

"Fine fine" I said while pulling her toward me.

There is no need to give details on what we did afterwards. I'll just say…Sica is the best kisser in the world. It's been…only days since we started being an official couple and I enjoyed every second of it. Yoona told me that at the beginning, we'll be all over each other and she was right. Even in public, I can't seem to let go of her.

Soon, our little Taengoo will feel the same. It's going to be funny.

Kim's residence,

Tiffany’s POV

Taengoo was bothered by something but I didn't know what. When we came back home, she wanted to go and hide in her room again, exactly what she has been doing since her parents came back. Auntie was in the kitchen, preparing the dinner so I forced Taeng to go and help her.

"Why should I do that? She can cook by herself" she complained.

"She would love to spend time with you…just try…don't you want to be around your mom?"

"…I…I have nothing to talk with her…"

"She will find something…as long as you make an effort"

"Fany…"

"Please…for me??"

I know it was hard for her. Even though it was her mother, they haven't really shared a mother-daughter relationship so I understand her uneasiness.

"…Fine but…stay with me…it's just…too uncomfortable if I am alone with her"

There were a lot of times when I found Taeng so cute that I wanted to hug her…or even kiss her but every time, I hold back because it wouldn't be appropriate but plain weird and creepy.

But this time, I just couldn't help it. Taeyeon was just too cute and…I just wanted it. Technically, it wasn't the first time that I hugged Taeng, but with her, it seems like, everything is always different. I was surprised myself at how…comfortable we were with each other now.

I held her hand and we walked to the kitchen together. Auntie saw us coming in and her face brightened up, like it always does when she looks at Taeng.

"Auntie, can we help you with dinner?"

"Oh I can do it Fany; you two can go rest until its ready"

Taeyeon quietly walked to her mother and took the knife from her hand. "I'll cut the carrot" she simply said before doing it.

Auntie stood there in shock. "Taeng loves to cut things…let her do it" I smiled.

The three of us cooked dinner together and although Taeyeon didn't participate much in our conversation, she still tried. I was proud of her.

Taeyeon started to get more relaxed until her father came back. As soon as she saw him, it was…as if a freezing breeze came in the kitchen.

"Oh I didn't know my daughter was cooking now" he said after seeing Taeyeon.

"…" Cold…Taeng was cold once again.

"By the way, do you remember Min Sungmin?" he asked her.

Taeng looked up at him but remained silent.

"There is a new project and we might be working with their company, since you know him, I thought you might want to take care of that"

"I'm not interested"

"He's really smart, you two working together…"

"No" she stated coldly. Taeyeon stopped what she was doing and walked away.

"Taeyeon, dinner is ready in a minute" I told her.

"I'm not hungry" she said before leaving the kitchen.

Auntie, worried, watched Taeyeon walked away before looking angrily at her husband. Blaming him for ruining the nice moment she was finally sharing with their daughter.

I quickly followed her outside and caught her before she left the house. "Where are you going?"

Taeyeon looked at me angrily and by her breathing, I knew she was getting really angry. "…"

I took her hand gently and tried to calm her down. "Let's go in your room, okay?"

She quietly nodded before following me. Once we got in Taeng's room, she jumped on her bed and turned on the stereo. It was classical music.

"I didn't know you also listen to classical music" I asked before sitting on the bed, next to her.

"It's relaxing"

"Why do you suddenly need to relax?"

"…"

"Taeyeon…"

"It'll never be enough…everything that I do…never enough"

"What are you talking about?"

"Do you think Sungmin is that smart? Is he that good?"

"Why are you talking about Sungmin? Is it because of what your father said?"

"It's not about Sungmin…it's about me and how he will never acknowledge me"

"Who?"

"My father"

"Taeyeon…"

"He never acknowledge anything that I do…never"

"I know your parents are proud of you"

"Sungmin is the new genius around…perfect son, perfect businessman, perfect boyfriend" she made sure to look at me as she said the word boyfriend.

As cold and strong as she might look, Taeyeon was still a young girl who deep inside, just wants her parents to cheer on her and pamper her. It's hard from a stranger point of view to believe that Taeng can suffer from self-esteem, she who is brilliant and successful at such a young age. I, who has been living with her for months, am still shock to discover that.

"You might not believe me but, I think you are way better than him" I smiled gently at her.

Taeng was staring at me and before I knew it, she pulled me down and hugged me. "Taeyeon"

"Can we stay like this a little longer?" she asked before hugging me tighter.

Although our position wasn't really appropriate, with me lying on top of her, I wasn't going to complain. I can't believe that even before our first date, we grew closer to each other…mentally and physically. There was no more weirdness when she hugged me or when we talk about her parents.

It's hard to believe that we can get even closer at this point, but that's exactly what I'm hoping for...with our first date, I want to take one step closer to Taeng.

Chapter 19 - Kiss, Kiss, Kiss and Kiss

The Kwon Residence,

Yuri's POV

This morning, my mother woke me up rather early, especially for a Saturday. She actually summoned Yoona and me in the kitchen. She cooked breakfast and displayed the food on the table. Then with our father, they sat in front of us and told us in a very serious tone, their plan for the weekend.

"We have to leave you alone for the weekend" our dad announced.

Our mom looked rather worried and sorry. "But don't worry, the fridge is full and I'll call you every 5 hours to make sure everything is fine"

"Mom, we're old enough, don't worry"

"I'm worried about my little baby" she said about Yoona.

"Yuri, you have to keep an eye on your sister for the weekend"

"I will mom"

Then she went on about the rules in the house and other things we have to be careful with. It wasn't the first time that they have to leave for the weekend, but every time, it's the same ritual.

Our parents left us shortly after. They had to take the plane to attend their friends' wedding. So Yoona and I were finally left alone for the weekend. I already had an idea on how to spend the weekend in the huge house. Of course, my little plan included a certain Jessica.

I thought about the sweet weekend we could spend here. Actually, I thought about the nice weather and how we have a pool…Sica in a bikini…and just for me, not like on the beach where those perverts can look at her. Just for me. HAHAHA

Unfortunately, my happiness didn't last long. Yoona was quick to remind me my responsibility for the weekend. I had to watch over her. And since the kid doesn't drive…the possibility of me being her personal driver was huge.

"Do you have plan for this weekend?" I asked my younger sister.

"I planned to go out with Seohyun, can you drive us to downtown later this afternoon?"

"Well, talking about that. Don't you want to stay at home instead? We can have a nice weekend at home. What do you think?"

"I don't feel like staying with you here…I really love you but no"

"Not only with me, babo. You can invite Seohyun if you want. Don't you want to spend a weekend with Seohyun??? Sleepover weekend. That's your chance!"

Yoona thought about my proposition for a while. "I must admit…that's quite an interesting idea"

"Of course it is. I'll call Seohyun's parents for you, I'm sure she won't refuse"

"But a whole weekend here is quite boring…"

"You have nothing to do outside anyway. Just hang around the house, that's nice already"

"I'll call Seohyun"

"Tell her I'll pick her up around before noon"

After making sure Yoona won't ask me to drive her around for the weekend, I gave a call to my beloved Jessica. Like every time I give her a call, I didn't check the clock. It's always too early or too late, either way, she's always asleep when I call her.

" Kwon Yuri…"

"I know I know, my little princess is still sleeping BUT I have a good reason today"

"10s…now"

"My parents are away for the weekend and I want you to come over…for the

weekend"

"No"

"Why not? You always say no…"

"It's too dangerous"

"What?"

"Its way too dangerous staying for 2 days alone with you…I'm not taking this risk"

"Are you serious? I'm not going to attack you…no really, I'm going to control myself, promise!"

"You always say that too…"

"We have to control ourselves anyway; Yoona and Seohyun are going to be there as well. Come on, a weekend together, that would be nice. Fany and Taeng might come too" I tried to convince her.

"Let me sleep one more hour then" she negotiated.

"I'll come between 11 and noon then, I have to pick up Seohyun too"

She was about to hang up when I remembered something very important. Something essential, the thing that could have ruined the entire weekend.

"JESSICA! Don't forget your bikini" I quickly reminded her.

"Huh?"

"I checked the weather, it's going to be sunny sunny so we can hang around the pool. So bring your bikini, okay???"

"Sure. Let me sleep now" she said before hanging up.

Now, this weekend is going to be amazing!!! I just love waking up early in the morning and have such wonderful news waiting for me. Everyday should be like today.

The Kim Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

The long awaiting date has finally come. I was so nervous last night that I couldn't sleep. I shouldn't be so worried and nervous, I mean, we're living together and these past days, we've grown extremely close to each other. But still, the only thought of spending this particular day with her, brings butterflies to my stomach.

After waking up, I went to the kitchen and found Taeyeon already there. She was eating and reading the newspaper. Alone.

We smiled at each other. "Morning Taengoo"

"Morning Mushroom"

I noticed that her parents were not there. Usually, Auntie woke up really early, even the weekend.

"Where are your parents?" I asked her.

Taengoo picked up a little note on the table and gave it to me. It was from her parents. They have a wedding to attend and won't be there the whole weekend. It means…I'll be alone with Taeyeon…right after our date…we'll be under the same roof, alone…

My nervousness reached another level after this news.

We ate our breakfast silently, without any mention of our date today. Taeyeon finished her food before me and told me to get ready once I was done eating. Even though it wasn't too obvious, Taeyeon was clearly nervous as well. I hope that I hide mine better though.

After breakfast, I took a shower and get dressed. Taeyeon didn't tell me where we were going to spend the day so I simply played it safe and wore a Denim short with a nice shirt.

Taengoo was waiting for me in the living room…and I don't know if it was because of the situation but…I found her incredibly hot.

Before we left the house, Taengoo gave me a rose. I didn't see it coming; she suddenly took it out and gave it to me. She didn't even dare to look at me. It was cute, she was so shy.

"You said you wanted a little gift last time so…"

"I was joking, you didn't have to"

"It's nothing…it was in the garden anyway" she smiled mischievously before laughing out loud.

"YA! Kim Tae Yeon!" I hit her. Even though she made fun of me, I was still happy that she remembered what I said last time.

Once Taengoo drove off, I asked her where we were heading to. She was a little hesitant when she told me our destination.

"Lotte World"

"Really?" I said excitingly but I think Taeng took it the wrong way.

"You don't like it right? It's too lame and simple right? I knew it…I knew it was a bad idea…aigoo…"

"Taengoo, it's great! I really like Lotte World"

"Be honest, we still have time to change the plan. We can do whatever you want"

"No it's really a good idea. The weather is nice and Lotte World is fun. It's perfect Taengoo-ah" I reassured her.

Taeyeon was still looking worried but relaxed a little bit during the ride. I didn't know how to convince her that it was perfectly fine to spend our day at Lotte World. Like I told Sica, I didn't want and expect our date to be all romantic. After what we've been through since we met each other, all I want for us, is to have fun. Just be together and laugh was enough for our first date.

At Lotte World,

Tiffany’s POV

Today's weather was simply perfect. I wonder if Taeyeon checked the weather, before planning for this date. Knowing her, probably not. Something I noticed as soon as we stepped in the park was Taeng's behavior. She looked…lost. Actually, I've noticed it many times before; Taeyeon is not comfortable when there are too many people. She completely shut herself off, reason why she is still not speaking a word in school.

Thinking about that makes me happy, she is indeed putting a lot of effort into this date and no matter how it ends, I'm already grateful.

"Are you sure you don't mind spending the day here? We can still go somewhere else if it's too…plain" Taeng said apologetically, I told her a million times in the

car that Lotte World was a great idea but she was still worried.

"It's perfect, really" I reassured her one more time. "Come on let's go play!" I took her hand and we ran toward the first rollercoaster.

Another thing that I discovered today, Taeyeon is unbelievably impatient when it comes to waiting line.

"Why is it so slow?" she complained after…1 minute of waiting.

"Because it is" I shortly answered.

"And why are there so many people today? Don't they have other things to do than come here?" she continuously complained.

"Taeyeon…"

"No but really…aish…they're so slow…do you think we can pay them?"

"Who?"

"The people here…to let us go through without waiting" The worse thing is…she was actually serious. I think.

It was just impossible for me to find something to say so I simply gave her my dead look. "…"

"What?"

"I'm not going to answer that Taeyeon"

She looked at me with her puppy eyes and pouted because I scolded her.

When it was finally our turn, Taengoo freaked out a little bit. "Tell me…this thing is sure right? I'm not going to fall or something?" It was cute, the fierce and rebel Taeng was scared of a rollercoaster.

"When was the last time you came here?" I asked casually.

"I don't remember…" she said quietly.

"For real?"

"I…I don't usually go to attraction park…" she admitted.

To be honest, I kind of suspected it. Not only are her parents too busy but she, herself tried to stay away from crowded place. So no wonder she doesn't come here often.

"Don't worry Taengoo-ah, it's safe and if you're too scared, I'll let you hold my hand" I gave her a wink.

She rolled her eyes and showed me her right hand…intertwined with mine. "Babo, I'm already holding your hand" she smiled. I've completely forgot that we've been

holding hand since I dragged her to the waiting line.

"You've been taking advantage of me all this time?" I joked but my voice was louder than it should have been.

Taeyeon looked around embarrassingly and then stared at me, I knew she wanted to scold me but since we were on a date and she had to be nice…she simply let it go.

Taengoo on a rollercoaster is hilarious. Not only does she scream like there was no tomorrow but she also makes weird faces. She tried to stop me from buying the picture afterwards but I still bought it.

We ran from attraction to attraction, non stop. We took some small break inbetween to eat all kind of food; from cotton candy to corn dog. We also took a lot of pictures together, it wasn't easy at first to snap a picture of Taeng, but eventually she started to enjoy it.

After the thrilling games, we went to Magic Island and into the Ghost House. I told Taeng we could skip the haunted house but she made fun of me…so to prove I wasn't scared, I agreed to go.

"Tell me again, why do we absolutely have to go in there?" I asked her again before we stepped in the house.

"Yuri advised me to. She said that last time she went to Lotte World with Sica, they went in there and that's her favorite place…she didn't explain why though"

"Really? Sica went in there? Yuri must have been really really convincing then"

"Anyway, you said you weren't scared so I think you should walk first!" she pushed me in front of her.

"YA! Stop it!" I quickly went behind her and grabbed her arm. Taengoo didn't say anything and keep laughing. "It's not funny, be quiet and walk!"

"I can't believe you're that scared. You know its fake right?" she made fun of me.

I was going to hit her for not shutting up when I felt something grabbing my ankle. Naturally, I started screaming my head off. My voice was so loud that Taeng covered her ears. I don't know how long I screamed and closed my eyes, but when I found myself being embraced by warm arms, I finally opened my eyes.

"Are you feeling better?" she asked me in her sweet and low voice.

I realized how Taeyeon is always calm and kind of distant. She mostly watches things from afar like she doesn't care, but then…she always ends up behind me, whenever I need her. I just got scared of a small thing but nonetheless, she is still there comforting me.

"Yes…I'm fine…" I said shyly, a little embarrassed that I screamed that loud.

"I heard other people started screaming after they heard you. You're scarier than the ghosts in there" she teased me again.

This time, instead of arguing back, I simply smiled embarrassingly and held her arm tighter. As we walked through the house, I started to understand why this place was Yuri's favorite attraction at Lotte World.

Whenever something was frightening, I would jump in Taeng's arms and if it is really scary, she would hug me until I calm down. Knowing that Jessica is worse than me when it comes to ghost, it wasn't hard to imagine her doing the exact same thing; screaming and hugging Yuri for help.

No wonder Yuri loves that place…but I can't believe she really recommended it to Taeng though, because obviously, Taengoo is totally clueless as to why Yuri told her to bring me here.

Once we got out of the Ghost House, I tried to suppress this smile from my face since I wasn't supposed to be happy, but then I noticed that Taeng was smiling too so…I simply showed my happiness as well.

"What do you want to do now? It's only 5pm" she asked me once we were out of the house.

I thought for awhile on what to do, we were almost done with the park and I was too lazy to go on the attractions again, with the waiting and all. "Hmmm let's go to the beach!!!" I suggested.

"Now?" she looked at her watch.

"The weather is still nice and we don't need to swim…I just want to walk around"

"Do you want to eat something first?"

"I have eaten enough for today and tomorrow combined"

"Fine, let's go to the beach then!" she said before taking my hand. We walked to the parking lot hand in hand before Taengoo drove us to the beach.

The Kwon Residence,

Yuri's POV

I knew it was a great idea to invite Sica here for the weekend. We ordered some chicken and pizza before camping beside the pool. There is nothing better than lying on a comfortable chair, drinking a nice non-alcoholic cocktail, eating a chicken wing and waiting patiently for your girlfriend to show-up in her bikini. It was a beautiful dream and I was living it.

Seohyun was also very happy to spend the day swimming, which makes it easier for me to keep an eye on her and Yoona. The only inconvenience was…I couldn't be alone with Sica.

I was resting and drinking my little cocktail when I heard Sica's voice. "YA Kwon Yuri! Don't eat all the chicken wings!" she scolded.

I looked up and nearly dropped my glass when I saw her. Jessica was in her red bikini and…she was HOT. She was hot and stunning. I couldn't take my eyes off her.

"Sis, stop drooling please. That's embarrassing" Yoona teased me.

"Shut up"

Jessica sat on the chair next to mine and like my dream couldn't get better, she asked me to put sun cream on her back…I'm blessed…truly blessed.

Yoona watched me and she was trying hard to hold her laughter. I suddenly got nervous and my hands were shaking a bit. It was harder with my lil sister and her innocent girlfriend watching us.

"Kwon Yuri, hurry up" Sica said.

I took a deep breath and put my hands on her back. As expected, her skin was soft and smooth. I found myself drooling over her body again.

Jessica ate a little before jumping in the pool with YoonHyun.

"Come in Yuri, I'll teach you how to swim"

"No I'm fine here"

"I'm a great teacher you know and if you drown, well…I'll do CPR on you"

I laughed before telling her bluntly. "I don't need to drown for you to practice CPR on me, honey" I winked at her.

"We don't want details" Yoona quickly said.

Jessica laughed at her comment and smiled at me. Then both of them started splashing water at me.

"Stop it!!! Aigooo the food!! The pizza is wet now…" I scolded but they didn't stop.

After they calmed down, I lied down again and watched them played in the pool. The sight in front of me made me really happy. Not only do I have a gorgeous girlfriend, but she was also getting along really well with my family.

I was also grateful that Taeng was on her date with Fany. She didn't need to know that Seohyun was wearing a bikini, swimming in the pool and lastly, that she was spending the night here. I didn't freak out today so the last thing that I wanted was a freak out Taeyeon around the pool.

At the beach,

Tiffany’s POV

We drove to the beach with Taeng and I was happy to see that there was almost no

one there. We took our shoes off and walked along the beach for a while. We decided to stay until the sunset. It was not everyday that we come here so we better enjoy it.

"So…how much are you enjoying this date?" she asked me. Truth is, I loved it but I didn't want to tell her. It wouldn't be funny.

"It's quite enjoyable"

"Really? So you're don't regret it?"

"Why would I regret it?"

"I was afraid you might get bored…I'm not very entertaining so…"

"Why aren't you more confident? I never get bored when I'm with you…"

"How is that possible? Even when I'm quiet and don't speak all day?"

"Fine, put it that way…sure it's boring when you don't speak but I don't mind that much. Sometimes, the silence between us is nice…relaxing. Another form of expression"

"How cheesy"

"Don't make fun of me" I hit her. "Seriously…you should have more confidence. I don't like when you doubt about yourself Taengoo."

"…"

"Okay…let me tell you this…it's a one time thing, so cherish what I'm going to say now" I warned her. "I think you're amazing" I told her.

Taeng stopped walking and looked at me. "You're only 18 years old but already working for a big corporation, you don't pay attention in class but are still the top student in school, you look like a kid but are already living by yourself…and on top of that, you're as cute as a little baby" I complimented her.

Taeyeon smiled shyly at my compliments but her expression was a little bit off. "Do…do you think a lot of people envy me? Do you think…I should be happy of my life?"

"…Taeyeon…"

"I…I seem to have everything that people wish for Tiffany…but why…why am I not truly happy? Why my sleep is not as peaceful as others'? Why can't I go to the restaurant without having the feeling that the people there are scrutinizing me? Or try to help a student stands up without scaring him away?"

It was the first time that Taeng talked so much about her feelings. It bothered me that she felt this way…because I couldn't do anything…because I wasn't there from the start.

"What's the point of being first in school if I have no one to show it to?" she said

sadly. Taeyeon has never admitted missing her parents; she has always acted strong, like she didn't need them, but we all know how she really felt.

My eyes got teary after listening to her. I hated myself for not being there for her…I wish…I wish I was by her side since the beginning.

I put my hand gently on her cheek and smiled. "No matter what happens…no matter where you are or what you need, I'll be there"

"Is it…"

"Whether you're the rich, genius Kim Tae Yeon or the little annoying kid who is living with me…I still feel the same." I told her sincerely. "I like…the sweet Kim Tae Yeon, the one that no one really knows about and I like the sarcastic and childish you as well, the one that never fails to amuse me…" I took a deep breath before telling her how I really feel. "I…I simply like you Kim Tae Yeon. I like you and everything that consist of you." I said shyly before looking down at me feet.

Taengoo took my hands and held them tight. We looked into each other eyes and I thought the world stopped moving around us. We were standing there alone, on the warm sand, with the peaceful sound of the waves hitting the beach…and I was lost in her eyes.

It was the third time that we were put in that situation, where the next step was…a kiss. But this time, no one, nothing was going to ruin the moment.

I have just told Taeyeon how I felt about her and I should be expecting her to say

something along the line, but I knew she wasn't going to. Nonetheless, she made up for it in the best way possible.

Taeng was still holding my hands tightly and, slowly…she brought her face close to mine. At this moment, I had a little déjà-vu. Not a positive one though. Last time, Taeyeon left me alone…I couldn't help but be afraid of what she was going to do next.

Then everything stopped working. My heart stopped beating, my mind stopped thinking, my vision was blurry and…my lips…I felt Taeyeon's lips on mine…so soft…so sweet…the one I love was kissing me.

I slowly closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation of Taeyeon's lips against mine. Our kiss was gentle…exactly like I had imagined it.

My heart ached a bit when she pulled away, but I immediately felt better seeing her smile sweetly at me. I found myself blushing after our kiss ended, and Taeyeon staring deeply at me wasn't helping.

"The…the sun is setting soon…hmm…maybe we should…sit down and wait?" she suggested. Taeyeon's stuttering made me feel slightly better.

Her shyness was so cute that I didn't stop myself from kissing her again. It was a quick kiss, a little peck on the lips but it was enough…because it made her smile and I was happy.

Taeyeon sat down and pulled me down with her. I sat between her legs as she put

her arms around my waist and hugged me. I can't believe how natural it was for us to be this close, no awkwardness, no hesitation.

"Can we stay like this forever?" I asked in a whisper.

I knew she was smiling when she put her chin on my shoulder. "I'd love to" she whispered back. "But eventually, we have to feed ourselves then change our clothes and you know Yuri, she'll freak out if she doesn't see us after awhile and…"

Something that I found out today as well was…another way to tell Taeyeon to shut up. It was easy and beneficial for both of us…and enjoyable, very enjoyable. Yes, I kissed Taeng again, and compared to the last kiss, this one was…deeper and…playful.

"How am I supposed to watch the sunset if you keep on kissing me?" she teased.

"You don't have to kiss me back" I teased her back.

"Well, I'm polite so…"

"Really? Really?" I laughed.

Once again, her cuteness was too much to take. I quickly stole one last kiss before looking at the view in front of us. It was hard not to tease her again, not to kiss her again…but I was able to control myself. We stayed there quietly, enjoying the sunset.

The Kwon Residence,

Yuri's POV

I had no idea that Sica couldn't cook AT ALL. I thought it would be fun to cook as a couple but I was wrong. As soon as she started to help me, I asked her to just sit and look. She even scared the hell out of me when I took out a cucumber from the fridge. Sica literally screamed and threatened to kick me if I don't throw it away. I didn't quite understand the cucumber thing but I didn't ask her.

Yoona and Seohyun helped with the food while Sica was supervising us. After dinner, we all watched a movie together. Soon, I had to face another issue I completely forgot about. YoonHyun.

In which room, Seohyun was going to sleep? If it was for me, I'll give her the guest room, but since Yoona was there…she might want to sleep in the same room as her little girlfriend.

As soon as the movie ended, Yoona and Seohyun stood up and I freaked out. "Where…where are you going?"

"It's late, we're going to sleep now" she said naturally.

"Yeah…huh…show Seohyun the guest room" I told her.

"Why? She's sleeping in my room"

"Yeah…about that…" I started.

"OKAY…we're going to sleep too. Come Yuri, hurry up" Sica dragged me away before I could tell Yoona to not sleep in the same room as Seohyun.

"What are you doing again?" Sica asked me as soon as we stepped in my room.

"What? Nothing!"

"Can't you leave the two of them alone?"

"Fine fine! But if Taeng learns about the two of them sharing a room…in the dark…that's your fault!" I warned her before heading to the bathroom. "Oh! Do you want…to join me?" I asked her with a naughty smile.

"In your dreams Kwon Yuri!!!" she threw a pillow at me before jumping on my bed.

"It happened already in my dreams!" I winked at her and closed the door quickly before she could throw another pillow at me.

When I came out of the shower, Sica was already asleep. I thought she was faking it but she wasn't. I shouldn't be surprise though…it's Jessica.

I carefully got on the bed, trying my best to not disturb the sleeping Princess. I was

a little bit disappointed since we couldn't be really alone today but I wasn't going to complain. There is still tomorrow to make up for the lack of kiss today.

I gently wrap my arms around Sica and pulled her toward me. Soon, I fell asleep beside her.

The Kim Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

We stayed awhile after the sunset, but then decided to go home since it was getting darker. Before heading back, Taeyeon and I stopped in a little shop to eat noodles. I was really amazed at how comfortable we were with each other.

How natural it was now for us to hold hands as soon as we stepped off the car, how natural it was for her to stroke my hair, how natural it was for me to touch her face…this face that I've been dreaming about.

That's when we got home that things got a little bit…weirder. Usually, well, from what I heard, most dates end up in front of the girl's house, but in our case…that was a little bit more complicated since we were living under the same roof and in this particular case…in the same room.

I don't know if Taeng felt it too but we started acting awkward and shy once we stepped in the room. No more skinship and eyes contact. It was too weird…too intimate.

Taeyeon let me shower first and I took this opportunity to go to bed before she came out of the bathroom. The atmosphere was even worse once we were both in bed. I could hear Taeng's breathing and that just made me more nervous.

After a nerve-wracking silence that lasted an eternity for me, Taeng was brave enough to speak up. "Do you think…that it's going to be weird like this every time we are alone in the room?" she asked.

"I hope not"

"Hmm…but we shouldn't be right? I mean…it isn't the first time we share a room…and a bed. There is nothing weird"

"No…nothing"

"Okay…fine…relax now…"

"You tell me to relax but why are you still nervous?"

"I'm not…I'm not"

"Sure…" I said sarcastically.

"YA! Let me sleep!" she scolded me.

"You let me sleep!" I scolded her back.

The last thing that I realized today was how Taengoo and I solved our awkwardness by fighting with each other. I'm pretty sure other couples have better solution but I kinda like ours. It's fun and healthy to argue from time to time.

So after our mini fight, Taeyeon naturally hugged me to sleep. I thought that it was her sleeping habit again since she has been doing it every single night, but when it turned out that she wasn't asleep yet, I was even happier.

"Goodnight Fany-ah" Taeyeon said before kissing my head.

"Goodnight Taengoo" I whispered before putting my hand on hers and closing my eyes.

I couldn't dream of a better day, a better date and a better ending. In her own way, Taeyeon is the sweetest girl I know.

And right now…the girl is mine.

Chapter 20 - Leave her alone...

The Kim's Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

What's better than wake up in your lover's arms? Since we've been sharing a room, Taeyeon hugged me every single night, but in the morning, she would quickly leave the room because she thought I didn't know about her sleeping habits.

This Sunday morning, however, was different. I woke up and saw beautiful eyes staring at me. I stretched my sleepy body before focusing on her again.

"Morning…"

"Morning sleepy head" she smiled. I wish I'll always wake up by her side.

"Since when have you been watching me?"

"I don't know…but long enough to witness your sleep-talk and…your little drooling as well" she teased me.

"Hey! You're lying! I don't drool when I sleep!!!"

"You do!" she laughed.

"I don't!! And what did I say during my sleep?"

"Hmm…it was…something with…Taeyeon! You're an amazing kisser or something, I didn't understand everything" she made fun of me.

"Liar" I tickled her. We tickled each other and I ended up sitting on top of Taeyeon. When we realized our…position, both of us turned shy.

"Huh…okay…I think we should get up…if someone comes in now, it will be very embarrassing" she said, trying to get up but I was still sitting on her, not moving.

"Admit you were lying, if not I won't move" I threatened her.

"Fine fine fine...I admit for the drooling part…"

"But?" I started for her.

"But the amazing kiss was real though"

"Really?"

"Yeah"

I was going to bend over and kiss her when her phone went off. Taengoo probably saw my disappointment since she slightly sat up and kissed me before answering her phone. I smiled and stroke her cheek before getting off the bed.

Before I reached the bathroom, I heard Taeyeon speak on the phone.

"YA! You couldn't wait 5 more minutes before calling me?" Taeng scolded on the phone. I knew it was Yuri…the poor girl, always getting scold.

"What? Come over now? Oh Sica and my cousin are there too? Well, I don't know if Fany wants to do something else…"

"Let's go to Yuri's place Taengoo!" I told Taeng before stepping in the bathroom. "We don't have plan for today"

"Huh okay. See you later and remind me to kick you for bothering me this morning" Taeyeon said before hanging up. "Are you sure you want to spend the day at Yuri's?"

"Yeah it can be fun" I said before closing the door.

Taeyeon and I arrived at Yuri's house around noon. We went in the kitchen first but no one was there…then we heard voices coming from the pool so we went there. All of them were sitting and eating beside the pool.

"Oh Taengoo, Fany!" Yuri shouted out when she saw us.

We greeted everyone before sitting on an empty chair. "Chicken? Why didn't you cook?" Taeng asked.

"Because I'm lazy" Yuri said.

"Because we cherish our lives" Yoona said instead.

"Hey! Who cooked yesterday?" Yuri scolded her sister.

"WE cooked yesterday, don't forget that Seohyun and I helped"

"You came yesterday too Seohyun?" Taengoo asked her cousin.

Yuri's expression changed a little when she heard Taeng's question. "Yes unnie, I came here yesterday and slept over"

Both Yuri and Sica were anticipating Taeng's reaction at the news. But before she could say something weird, I talked to her first. "Taengoo look at me, look at me" I asked her.

She did as I asked. "Breath…breath deeply…it's nothing…nothing happened and you are not going to freak out…ok?" I tried to calm her down before she turned to her "mother" mode.

Everyone was staring at us, especially Sica and Yuri since they both knew what was going on.

"I wanted to ask something but…I won't…it's preferably better not to know…" Taeng said, mostly to Yuri.

"Oh" I suddenly remembered something.

"What?"

"I didn't bring my bikini…"

"Want me to go and take it for you?" Taeng offered.

"I have it at the apartment…" I answered sadly.

"Poor Taengoo" I heard Yuri whispered to herself. Sica looked at her curiously and Yuri acted like she didn't say anything.

The whole day, we spent it beside the pool, chatting and laughing with each other. Even though we didn't do anything special, all of us had a great time. I hope that we could travel again altogether. I should ask Taeng next time.

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

Accepting Yuri's invitation this weekend was the best decision ever, I was able to relax and enjoy the nice weather. And of course, I had a great time with Yuri and the kids; I actually really like spending time with them. It was also the occasion to witness the new couple in town; Taeyeon and Fany. I've never had a great impression of Taeyeon, but I must admit she has changed a lot and she makes Fany happy.

On the other hand, there is someone who gave me a bad impression since the first day of class and it hasn't changed even now. Park Gyuri. I really can't stand this girl. Not only is she cocky with a princess syndrome but she also keeps bothering Yuri in school.

They are still sitting next to each other during Business class and I swear this girl finds every single excuse to have physical contact with Yuri.

Today in class, I thought I was going to kill both of them. They were sitting together and for no reason, Gyuri was holding onto Yuri's arm. I had to control myself and not throw the whole desk at them.

During break time, I ignored Yuri because I was still irritated by what I saw earlier.

"Sica Sica!! Why are you ignoring me?" she followed me outside the class.

"I don't want to talk you. Go back and flirt with your new girlfriend" I coldly told her.

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Next time you want to flirt with her, do it when I'm not sitting right behind you!!!" I hit her arm.

"I didn't flirt with anyone!!"

"Oh Yuri! You're so funny. Ha ha ha" I imitated Gyuri.

"I don't like her. Don't forget I didn't chose to work with her"

"Yeah right, like it doesn't make you happy to have an admirer"

"Sica…I really don't care about this girl. I can tell the teacher today that I won't help her in class anymore. Just ask me and I'll do it"

"…"

"I really really don't care about her. Besides, you're way hotter than her" she said, trying to compliment me.

"…" I still acted angry. It's mean but I enjoy seeing Yuri begging for forgiveness…although she is not really guilty.

"You don't believe me?" Yuri looked around us and seemed to think of a solution. "Fine…just, don't forget that you forced me to do that!"

"Huh? What do you…"

"I…KWON YURI…ONLY AND ONLY LIKE JUNG SOOYEON ALSO KNOWN AS JESSICA!!!!!!!!! ONLY HER AND NO ONE ELSE!!!!" she shouted in the hallway. Every student turned and looked at us, even students who were in their class ran out to watch the scene.

I quickly turned red before grabbing Yuri's hand and running away with her.

Unfortunately, that crazy girl was still shouting as we were running.

"Can you stop now?" I asked her once we reached the restroom. I don't even know how we ended up there.

"It depends…are you still doubting my feelings?"

"It's hard to" I admitted.

"So how are you going to repay me?"

"For what?"

"For hurting me…I'm extremely sad that you didn't trust me…EXTREMELY SAD!" she pouted.

I knew what she wanted, of course. Something that I learned about Yuri since we started dating is…she is quite easy to please. Only a kiss and she's fine again.

So I kissed her. "Are you fine now?"

"Well…not so much…do it again"

"We have class Yuri"

"OH I'M SO HURT!!!" she started again.

I put my arms around her waist and kissed her deeply…for a minute or two, before pulling away. "It's enough now, we have class and it's really not a nice place to make out Kwon Yuri" I told her.

She smiled like a kid before kissing me again. "Anywhere is fine with me…as long as I'm with you"

I blushed at what she said. "So cheesy" I made fun of her before we walked hand in hand to class.

"Cheesy but you love it!" Yuri commented before kissing my hand.

The thing is, I actually trust Yuri…it's Gyuri that I don't trust at all. There is something with this girl…I can't point it out but she's scary…

Taeyeon's father's office,

Taeyeon's POV

My father summoned me for a meeting after school. He didn't tell me what is was about but I already know it couldn't be anything positive.

Before I walked in his office, I heard some laughter. For some reason, I knew who my father was laughing with before I even opened the door.

Min Sungmin…it seems like I can't get ride of this guy.

I bowed lightly at both of them before taking a seat. My father and Sungmin were still joking about something which annoyed the hell out of me.

"May I know why you call me?" I directly asked my father.

"We were talking about the new project with Sungmin the other day and he insisted to work on it with you…" he started explaining.

"I'm not interested"

"Taeyeon"

"I'm too busy with school; I don't have time to work on this project"

"You can skip school for a week or two if necessary" my father suggested. He should know that will only make me angrier.

"It's fine Mr. Kim, if Taeyeon can't do it…" Sungmin said.

"It's an order Taeyeon, an order from your boss" he told me in his serious tone.

"…" I could only sit there and clenched my teeth.

"You have a month to submit it so please start working as soon as possible" he ordered both of us.

As soon as he finished his sentence, I stood up and walked out of the room. I can't believe he did that, the thing I hate the most is being force to do something I don't want to…after all the effort I put into this company, I can't believe he doesn't even respect my decision.

Like I wasn't unlucky enough, Sungmin caught me before I got to the car.

"Taeyeon waited" he called out. "I'm sorry for what happened"

"Are you kidding me? You knew there was no way I would want to work with you, sucking up to my dad was a brilliant idea though. Congratulation for pissing me off" I told him before walking to my car.

"How are we going to do for this project? Want me to come to your apartment?" he asked…this question bothered me though.

"What are you trying to do? Is it one of your stupid plans? To get close to Fany?" I started to get angry. "Stay away from her. I'll work on the project and send you what I did…and you can complete it on your own."

"That's not really responsible"

"If you don't like it, go and report it to my boss" I told him before getting in my car and driving off.

I knew Sungmin wouldn't drop the matter so easily, he likes Fany too much. Even though Fany told me before that she doesn't like him, I can't help but feel

threatened. I'm still trying to understand how a girl like Tiffany was attracted to me so…it seems like I can lose her to someone like him…

Outside in Seoul,

Yuri's POV

After dropping Jessica at her home, I stopped at an ice cream shop to buy some for Yoona. When I came out of the shop, I bumped into Donghae, alone.

"Oh Kwon Yuri, what a nice surprise. I'm happy to see you"

"…" I ignored him and walked away.

"Why so rude Yuri? Shouldn't you feel grateful?" he continued.

I stopped at his stupid comment. "You should feel grateful that I'm not beating the hell out of you already" I told him.

"Oh my…so violent. I don't understand what Jessica sees in you…I heard some rumors; it seems you two are dating right now. How is it going?"

"None of your business"

"Well…I dated her before so you know…if you need some advice…" he grinned.

"…" I sighed and was about to leave again when he said something that caught my attention.

"Don't forget she accepted to marry me" I nearly forgot about this little…detail. I remember him talking about her being his fiancée at the charity dinner but I haven't paid attention to it since then.

I know that Fany has warned me before, to not try and search into Sica's past but this is so…tempting.

I stood there and waited for him to continue. "I see that you're interested. I suppose Jessica has never talked about it?"

"Just say what you are dying to say Donghae, don't play with me" I warned him again.

"This girl was crazy in love with me so much that she accepted to marry me so just be careful. I don't want you to invest too much into this relationship and have your little heart break into million pieces"

"Are you telling me that she still likes you? Please, don't make me laugh"

"You don't believe me? Maybe you should try and ask her directly, see if she answers or avoids your question"

"…why did you propose to her?" I ignored what he said and asked him the only thing that I wanted to know.

"It was funny" he smirked. "We wanted to know how naïve she was…how far she would go for love, you know"

"How could you play with her feelings?"

"I didn't know she would be so serious about me, not my fault if the girl is stupid enough to believe in what I said"

I felt my blood boiling up and did my best to control myself. "You better stay away from her…"

He smirked again. "I'm not joking Donghae…you can't even imagine how much I can hurt you. Push me and I'll make you regret being such a *******" I turned around and started walking away when he spoke up again.

"Oh I forgot to tell you how…amazing it was to see her kneeling and begging me to not leave her. It was quite a scene…then I had to explain to her that it was only a joke, a simple bet that I did with my friends. The poor girl was crying like a baby in front of the whole school…such a loser" he finished.

It didn't take me much to run to him and punched him. I don't think I've ever be this angry before. The way he talked about her, what he said about her…I couldn't take it anymore.

Donghae fell on the ground and held his jaw in pain…before smirking again. I realized that by losing control, I reacted exactly the way he wanted.

Donghae stood up, still smiling and took a few steps toward me. "Watch out Kwon Yuri…I might want to take her back" he said before leaving.

I stood there, not realizing the people that were looking at me from afar…shocked of the scene they have just witnessed. I don't know what hurt me the most…what he said about Jessica…or the fact that she was once in love with this guy.

Kim's Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

Taeyeon's parents are staying longer than planned so we're staying at the residence for the time being. I think Taeng is starting to appreciate the family atmosphere as well since she didn't really complain when I told her I wanted to stay until her parents leave.

Taeng dropped me at home after school before leaving for the office. She told me she has some meeting with her father today. So I ended up at home with Auntie.

I was doing my homework in the kitchen when Auntie came in. "Are you doing your homework?" she asked while sitting at the table.

"I have to if not Taeyeon will scold me again" I told her. It's not because we're dating that she goes easy on me now, she is still as strict as before.

"Did I tell you how happy I am that you're with Taeyeon? I'll never be grateful enough for what you did to her" she said sincerely.

"I…I didn't do anything special…"

"Not only is she living here again but she is happy to be here…I've never seen her so happy before. And that's thanks to you"

"She made me happy as well" I smiled while thinking about our relationship. "Of course, it wasn't this perfect from the start" I laughed.

"I know Taeyeon is not easy to live with, especially since you have such a cheerful personality"

"Actually she is not calm; she is crazier than you think"

"I'd love to see this side of her…"

"Can…can I ask you something personal?" I dared to ask her. "About Taeyeon"

Auntie smiled gently and nodded. "Why…why is Taeyeon so distant with you and uncle?"

"That's our fault" she smiled sadly. "The company was still growing when she was born and we didn't pay enough attention to her. Both of us only thought about working and expanding this empire…to the point of forgetting about this family. Once I stopped working and stayed at home, it was already too late…Taeyeon was

already a big girl"

"Then she moved out?"

"We opened a branch of the company in New York and Taeyeon didn't want to go with us…we could have force her to come but…even as parents, we didn't have the right to oblige her. Taeyeon bought the apartment and moved out a few days before we left for New York."

"I don't think it's too late to work on this relationship. I'm sure Taeyeon wants to get closer to you as well, she just doesn't know how to do it"

"I'm already happy seeing her everyday and even though she doesn't talk to me, I won't ask for more. And…seeing you two being happy together is enough"

I blushed a little at her comment. We talked some more before I went back to my homework.

I was still doing my homework when I heard the front door closed very loudly. Then I heard Taeyeon calling me.

"I'm in the kitchen Taengoo!!!" I shouted.

Right away, Taeyeon burst into the kitchen. I immediately noticed something was wrong with her.

"Tiffany, we're going home" she told me angrily.

"What?"

"Are you coming with me or not?" she asked still angry.

"What's going on Taeyeon?"

"I'm leaving now so hurry up" she said before leaving the kitchen.

Auntie and I looked at each other confused. I dropped my homework and ran after her. Taeyeon was in her room packing her clothes when I came in. She was extremely angry; it's been a while since I saw her like that.

I walked slowly to her and hugged her from behind. "What's going on? Tell me"

Taeng seemed to calm down at my embrace. "I just want to go home…" she said quietly.

"Something happened at the meeting?"

"…"

"You know you can tell me, I'll always support you" I reassured her.

"He forced me to work with Sungmin on this project"

"Is it that hard for you to work with him?"

"I don't like him…"

"He's not that bad you know" I said before thinking twice. I immediately regretted it though.

Taeyeon got even angrier. "Can you stop defending him? Do you think he's that great?" she raised her voice.

"That's not what I meant Taeyeon..."

"He is planning something…I can feel it."

"Why can't you just forget about him? Just work with him until it's done."

"I…I…every time I look at him, it reminds me how much he likes you…and I hate that" she admitted.

It wasn't the right moment but…I found it extremely sweet. I put my arms around her neck and hugged her. "Babo, who cares about how he feels? Shouldn't you only think about my feelings?"

"You used to be really close to him"

"We are only friends, nothing more. Don't you trust me?"

"I do…it's just…"

"I like you, only you! I can even sing the song if you want" I joked.

"I don't want to turn deaf but thanks" Taeyeon finally smiled.

I playfully strangled her before pulling her in for a kiss. "So? Everything is fine? We can stay here?"

"For now…"

"Great…so please clean this mess" I said pointing at the clothes on her bed.

I put a light kiss on her cheek before walking away. "Where are you going?" she asked me.

"Finish my homework"

"WHAT? It's not done yet?" she acted shocked

I stuck out my tongue at her before leaving the room. I've never thought Sungmin was such a trouble for Taeng. I should be careful whenever his name is mentioned; I don't want to argue with Taeng over such trivial thing.

I went down in the kitchen to reassure auntie that Taeyeon was fine. I explained the situation to her and she didn't seem to approve her husband's decision. I'm sure Taeng's relationship with her mother will only gets better with time, but with her father…it only seems to get worse.

Chapter 21 - I Won't Let You Go...

S1 High School,

Yuri's POV

I didn't call Jessica last night, before going to bed…a part of me wanted to call her and hear her voice…but I couldn't stop thinking about my encounter with Donghae. And the words he said. Truth to be told, Sica and I have been dating for a few weeks now and yet, she hasn't truly told me how she feels. I know she is not indifferent to me, obviously, but how is she really feeling? This bothered me all night…and unfortunately, things didn't get any better today.

I woke up this morning with a message from Sica. She told me to not come and pick her up to school, without any reason given. I tried to not think too much about her message and went to school alone.

Jessica arrived late for class and when I waved at her, she ignored me. Her expression was extremely cold as well…so cold that even I, didn't dare to approach her. During the whole day she didn't pay any attention to me, not even a glance. Usually, I would bug her until she smiles again or scolds me, but this time…for an unknown reason, I let her be.

That's when the last class ended that I decided to do something. Jessica was walking in the school yard when I caught with her.

"Jessica…can we talk for a minute?" I asked her without any confidence in my

voice.

"I don't have time" she responded coldly.

"Please, can you tell me what is going on? Why are you ignoring me?"

"…" she ignored me again and walked pass me.

"JESSICA!" I shouted. I didn't scream to be funny like the other times…it was anger. "Can you stop acting like that? Just tell me what I did" I told her. The first time I talked to her like this…I don't know where the courage came from.

It was a good tactic though since she finally paid attention to me. "Answer me" she said in a too serious tone while taking a step closer to me. Jessica looked right into my eyes and her stare was…cold and without any emotion. That scared me. "Did you hit Donghae last night?" she finally asked.

Her words hit me hard. I didn't expect her to ask me about this event. How did she find out?

"That's not what…"

"Did you or did you not?" she asked again, her tone was even colder.

I swallowed hard and my body froze at her stare. I didn't do anything bad and yet…I felt uneasy and didn't dare to tell her the truth.

"He…"

"So you did. Why would you do that?" she scolded me.

For obvious reason, it made me angry. "Who told you about that?" I asked her.

"It doesn't matter who told me. The truth is, you hit him for no reason!" she scolded me even more. "Did you do it because you are jealous of him?"

I was stunned by her words. "Wh…what?...you think I'm jealous of him?"

"Are you? That's why you started a fight with him?"

"Should I?"

Jessica was confused at my question. She didn't understand it immediately. So I repeated myself, clearler this time. "Should I be jealous of him?"

*silence*

"Do you still have feelings for him, Jessica?" I asked the forbidden question.

I don't know why I did it, I should let it go and stop thinking about her past, about what he told me…but I can't.

"I can't believe it…did…did you really ask me that?" she said shocked.

"Are you going to avoid the question?"

"I don't have to talk to you about this" she said before turning around and walking away.

I quickly caught her again and held her hand tightly, forcing her to deal with this situation. "We're dating…so at least, be honest with me"

"If you can't understand that I don't want to talk about this then…maybe we shouldn't date anymore" she freed herself from my grip. "Don't follow me" she said before walking away.

I didn't run after her…my mind was still registering her words and my heart was fighting against the pain. I stood there alone for a long time, refusing to believe that what happened with Jessica was real…it couldn't be…it couldn't end like this…

Did I already lose to him?

Outside in Seoul,

Tiffany’s POV

Today after school, instead of going directly home, Taeyeon and I went downtown.

We went to the mall and did some shopping. I spotted very cute pajamas in a shop and wanted to convince Taeyeon that we should buy matching pajamas for fun.

"Why would we do that?" she said when I showed her a very cute pink pajama.

"Because it's cute?"

"Hmmm…not good enough"

"Because your lovely girlfriend is asking you to?"

"Hmmm….better but still not"

"Because you better accept if not…NO KISS for you!"

*silence*

"SO…which color? Pink? Fine, let's buy pink!" she grabbed two pink pajamas and went to pay them.

I laughed discreetly at her. Taengoo is so cute nowadays; she is really the perfect girlfriend.

While Taeyeon was at the cashier to pay the pajamas, I picked cute matching slippers and bought them as well.

Once we were out of the shop, I showed the slippers to Taeyeon. "Aren't they cute? I can see us wearing them at the apartment already" I said happily.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes but still smiled. "Very cute…that's going to ruin my image but that's cute" she joked.

I playfully pushed her aside. We continued our window shopping hand in hand until we walked in front of an ice cream shop and spotted two familiar faces in there.

"Taengoo…aren't they Yoona and Seohyun?" I pointed to the two girls sitting at a table inside the shop.

Taeyeon took a look and nodded. "Yes, it's them" she confirmed.

Yoona and Seohyun were sitting next to each other and sharing a cup of ice cream together.

"Aren't they cute?" I asked Taeng whose eyes were still fixed on the young couple.

"I think they're sitting too close to each other though…"

I rolled my eyed at her remark. "Please…"

"OH MY!" Taeyeon suddenly exclaimed. "MY EYES!"

"What?" I looked at YoonHyun again but they were still sitting still, chatting and eating happily. "What???" I shook Taeng's arm.

"Yoo…Yoo…Yoona…she…she kissed my baby cousin!!!" she said.

"Oh really??? Aigoo!!! How could I miss it?!" I was disappointed.

"Excuse-me?"

"Ah come on, they're so cute together. I want to see them kiss!" I joked.

"Okay…you like this…way too much. Let's go home now" she took my hand and dragged me away.

"What? That's it? You aren't screaming or trying to build a wall between their lips??" I exaggerated.

"HA HA HA so funny. We're in a public place, I can't make a scene after all…but if I catch them at home then…" she didn't finish her sentence.

"You are not serious right?"

"We'll see!" she said with a smile.

I don't know if she was joking or not, knowing her and Yuri, they can do anything when they are in "mother" mode. Taeyeon and I left the mall with our new and cute matching pajamas and slippers. I can't wait until we wear them and take

pictures together.

The Kim's Residence,

Taeyeon's POV

We came home after our shopping and I saw my father's car parked. He came back early today. Unfortunately for me, we bumped into him in the hall.

"Taeyeon, Tiffany. Back from school?" he asked us with a smile. Sometimes I wonder if he does it on purpose…pushed me to the edge then act like nothing happened.

"Yes uncle" Fany nodded with a bright smile.

"Taeyeon, do you already have an idea for the project?" he turned to me.

"I will soon" I answered before walking to the stairs.

"Please, work well with Sungmin" he added.

I ignored his "advice" and walked to my room. Fany was still downstairs talking with my father. I don't know what they were talking about but I have an idea. Fany is probably trying to solve the problem between my father and me…or at least, make it slightly better.

Although it's getting better with my mother, there is a long way to go until my relationship with my father can be considered as friendly.

I was walking in the hallway when I heard some noises in my room. It was Yuri. She was in my room and destroying my punching ball. The last time that I saw her like that was…no, she has never act like this before. Since we've been friends, I'm the one who always lose control over trivial things whereas Yuri always stays calm and mature. Looks like tonight, I'll be the calm and mature one.

She didn't hear me entering the room and throwing my shopping bag on the bed. Yuri was still hitting the punching ball with all her strength.

"Hmmm…hello?" I went near Yuri and tried to catch her attention.

"…" she totally ignored me.

"Ya! Why are you so angry?" I directly asked her.

"Just…let…me…use…your…punching…ball" she said tiredly.

"Kwon Yuri…you're scaring me right now. What's going on? What happened?" I risked my own life by putting myself between Yuri and the punching ball.

Fortunately, her reflex was awesome and she didn't hit me. While trying to catch her breath, she took off her gloves and threw them on the floor.

"Are you going to tell me what happened to you?" I asked her again.

Yuri went and sat down on the couch. She was looking so lost and desperate. What happened to her?

"Oh Yuri, you are here?" Tiffany joined us in the room.

Yul was still in her own world and I looked at Fany, trying to communicate with her by eyes contact.

"Yuri, are you okay?" Fany sat beside Yuri and tried to comfort her.

I must admit, I was completely lost. Yuri is a sister to me and yet, I felt uncomfortable seeing her like this…uncomfortable and useless…because I didn't know what to do. It has always been the other way around, me being lost and Yuri comforting me. I realized that all these times, she has always been cheerful and strong around me…so much that I forgot she has feelings too.

"Yuri…can you tell us what happened?" Fany asked her gently, while patting her back.

Yul seemed to calm down at Fany's touch. She is indeed very strong when it comes to calm down people.

"Jessica…Jessica…she…she broke up with me" Yuri finally spoke. For a second, I thought she was going to break down and cry. That would have killed me.

"She did what?" Fany was in shock.

"She broke up with me after school…"

"Why would she do that so suddenly? I thought everything was perfect between you guys?" I asked this time.

"Something happened last night…I met Donghae downtown and…we had a…altercation" Yuri confessed.

"You guys fought?!" Fany and I asked at the same time.

"I punched him"

"Wah! Cool!" I exclaimed.

"Taeyeon!" Fany scolded me.

"No but…Donghae is a jackass…" I explained. "If only I could punch Sungmin…" I whispered to myself.

"Taeyeon!!!" Fany scolded me again.

"He started it first!" Yuri suddenly stood up and started walking in circle. "He asked for it!" she defended herself.

"Yuri, we're not blaming you" Fany reassured her. "Just tell us what happened"

"He…he was talking bad about Jessica…"

"That's not surprising from him" Fany said.

"But this has nothing to do with Jessica" I said confused. Why would Sica dump Yuri for hitting that idiot?

"She was furious that I hit him…if you could see the way she looked at me…she was so angry"

"I noticed something was wrong with her this morning but I didn't know it was that serious" Fany revealed.

"So she broke up with you because you hit him?" I asked.

"We argued over this and I asked her something that I shouldn't have asked…"

Tiffany and I stayed silent and waited for Yuri to tell us more. No matter what Yuri asked, it couldn't justify a breakup.

"I asked her if she was still in love with him…"

"Why did you do that?" Fany asked her shocked.

I didn't say anything and just watched the both of them talking. Not that I didn't want to help, but from my point of view, there was nothing wrong with what Yuri did or asked. Sadly, I was probably the only one who thinks that way.

"Yuri…you shouldn't have done that…confronting Jessica about Donghae is just…"

"I know! I know I shouldn't have, that it wasn't a good thing to ask…but why? Why am I the only one expressing myself? Why can't we talk about her feelings? I have to reassure her that my feelings are real and she is the only one, and yet? She can't do the same to me?"

"Yuri…"

"I just wanted her to say no…just a two letters word…that's all I wanted and needed, that Donghae wasn't a threat to our relationship…but she couldn't do that…" Yuri was still pacing around the room.

Since young, Yuri and I have been very different from each other. The way people see us is different, the way we talk, the way we act and sometimes, even the way we think. I'm the pessimist and negative one, who doesn't believe in happiness and love, while Yuri is the eternal romantic and cheerful girl. She is always energetic and never gives up.

I've always thought that things will stay the same…that Yuri will stay the strong and smiling Yuri that I've always known…but deep inside, I knew that day will come…when Yuri will stop smiling and laughing. I just…didn't expect it to come that fast. Sometimes, I wish it was just the two of us like it was before. No sadness, no pain…but then, it will mean that Tiffany wouldn't be a part of my life…and that; I just can't imagine it at all.

"Tiffany, please tell me why is she so attached to him? After all he did to her. Why?" Yuri asked.

"…Jessica…she…she hasn't deal with it yet…"

"With what?"

"Her relationship with Donghae. After he broke up with her, she ran away…she changed school and acted like nothing ever happened. She trusted him so much that…I'm afraid a part of her still believes in him…"

"…" Yul's face was devastated…as if she has lost all hope…

"But that doesn't mean she doesn't have feelings for you. I know Jessica, she wouldn't have gotten close to you if she didn't feel anything" Fany stood up and walked to Yuri. "Maybe you should talk to her…she might have overact you know? Don't give up now" she said while patting Yuri's back.

"I…I'm going home" Yuri suddenly said.

"Stay for dinner" I told her. There was something in her voice that worried me.

"I want to be alone…" she said before leaving the room.

I was about to go after her but Fany stopped me. "Let her Taeyeon" she said.

"I can't leave her alone" I said while trying to get away from Fany's grip.

I'm not really good with words, comforting people is not what I do best but still...I just want Yuri to know that I'm here.

"She needs time by herself"

"But…"

"Only Jessica can make her feel better…"

"Jessica…right…"

"Please, don't judge her…things are more complicated than we think"

"I won't judge her" I assured her before walking to the bathroom.

"Hmmm…Taeyeon?" Fany called me with a bit of uneasiness in her voice.

I turned around and looked at her.

"…Huh…no nothing…go take your shower" she finally said.

Normally, I would have insisted until she tells me what she wanted to say, but for an unknown reason…I didn't.

Later that night, I ate in my room again but without Fany. I told her to go eat with

my parents in the dining room. I also put the pajamas in the drawer and the slippers beside the bed. I can't believe she convinced me to buy and later wear matching pajamas.

Tiffany has been downstairs for less than 30 minutes and yet…I miss her. I'm probably exaggerating but I'm really not used to not have her around me anymore. We're only apart from each other when I have to go to the office. I really like having Fany by my side all the time, but it scares me as well. I have become too dependent of her and it only means that my feelings are much deeper than I initially thought. And if I take Yuri's situation as an example, it can't be good to be too emotionally involved in a relationship.

Somewhere in Seoul,

Yuri's POV

I don't know where I'm heading to…after I left Taeng's house, I felt the need to just drive around instead of going home. My little talk with Tiffany made me even more depressed and hopeless. I thought what I did since I met her was enough…I thought she was really happy with me…I thought Donghae was her past and I was her future…What did I do wrong?

Should I apologize and beg her to take me back or should I leave her alone for the time being? If it was another situation, I would have run to her and bug her until she accepts me…but in this case, I don't feel like begging her. I'm the one suffering, this is unfair to me and since I met Jessica, this is the first time that I

can't accept it.

A part of me is extremely angry at her. I feel betrayed. I did everything I could to make her happy but she still has feelings for a guy that humiliated her more than once. I just don't understand her…

I was driving randomly around the city but somehow, I ended up in front of Jessica's house. I guess it's a sign…that I have to confront her once again. I took out my phone and called her. As expected, she didn't pick up her phone…so I texted her instead and told her that I was in front of her house. I also wrote that I won't leave unless she shows up.

I waited a good 30 minutes before Jessica came out. Compare to this afternoon, she looks less scary…and maybe regretful? I came out of my car and waited for her.

I proposed that we walked to the park near her house and she silently nodded. Once there, we sat on a bench and remained silent for a couple of minutes.

The atmosphere was so heavy; I don't remember ever feeling so uncomfortable and loss of words around her like I'm feeling now. Even though none of us were talking, being physically close to her reminded me how much I like and need her presence.

I can't let her go…I won't let her go…I'm not going to lose against Donghae, never.

"Jessica…I would like to apologize for getting angry earlier today, as well as…" I gathered all my courage and spoke to her.

"You don't need to…" Sica cut me off. "I overreacted today…I'm sorry about it"

I couldn't believe what she said. Did she just admit she was wrong?

"Does it mean…does it mean that we're good?" I asked her full of hope.

"…" But once again, she wasn't able to reassure me.

"Jessica…it can't end up like this. Please, tell me you didn't mean it" I almost begged her.

She stayed quiet a while before speaking up. "Yuri…I've done a lot of thinking today and…"

"I'm not going to give up on you…I'm not letting you go now…never…" I didn't let her finish. I don't want to hear the words break up again.

"I swore to myself that I'll never get into a relationship again…not after Donghae…but then you showed up and convinced me that being in a relationship was worth it" she continued.

"Isn't it?" I asked her. There is no way our relationship wasn't worth it…no way.

"It is Yuri…I really love every moment that we spent together, I love your family and I really appreciate everything that you've done for me. I really do"

"So what's the problem?" I started to feel irritated.

"I realized that…my story with Donghae is not forgotten yet. I like being with you but my feelings…"

"You're not over him…you still have feelings for him…" I felt myself dying a little inside as the conversation went on.

"I'm confused Yuri…" Jessica said apologetically.

"Whenever we were together…were you thinking about him?" I forgot about the pain and asked this question.

"NO! No…I didn't…I really stop thinking about Donghae, about my past…when he called me…I…I didn't think I would get angry at the thought of him getting hit by you, but a part of me was…"

"So this is my fault? If I didn't hit him then he wouldn't have called you and you wouldn't have…" I concluded myself.

"This is my fault…my fault for not resolving my personal issue before getting involve with you"

"I still don't understand…what am I in the story?"

"I have feelings for you…believe me, I really do. But I…I might not be ready emotionally…" she tried to explain.

How is it possible? Less than 24 hours ago, everything was perfect between us and now this?

"What if I don't care? What if I don't care that he's still in your heart?"

"Yuri…"

"No…not after all we've been through…I'm not going to let go of you because you're confused with your feelings. I waited once, I can wait again" I assured her.

This situation is hurting me so much but what could I do? I'm already in love with her…letting her go will kill me.

"I don't want us to be like strangers either…I really want to ask you to not give up on me but this is unfair…"

"Just be with me…stay with me and everything will be fine. We'll go through it together" I said before holding her hand.

Jessica didn't give me a proper answer, she didn't tell me what kind of relationship we were in right now. We only sat there hand in hand, lost in our thoughts. Right now, I'm really lost and confused…why are things so complicated between us? Why can't I be in love with someone who simply loves me back?

I've always dreamed of that day…where I would meet the perfect girl and have the perfect love story, a story without ex-boyfriend and confused feelings. I was living

this dream…until today. Now, everything is a nightmare and it seems like…I'm not waking up soon.

Kim's residence,

Tiffany’s POV

I don't know what's going on since yesterday. It seems like a wave of negativity is hitting us. Last night, Taeng refused to eat with her parents again, she was still angry at her father for forcing her to work with Sungmin. And this morning, her parents were gone. We woke up as usual and went down for breakfast. Instead of auntie being there, the maid welcomed us with a note, left by Taeng's parents. Like the one I've read before, it only said that they had to leave because of an emergency.

Taeyeon didn't show any surprise or emotion when she understood that her parents left. Her reaction was very different to mine. I felt a little frustrated and angry that they didn't tell us themselves. We wouldn't have mind if they woke us up to say goodbye.

I was grumbling during breakfast while Taeng remained very calm. Now that I know that very well, it's obvious that she is affected by her parents' sudden departure, especially now that she is closer to her mother. But Taeng being Taeng, she won't show it.

"Fany, we're moving back to the apartment after school so if you can already

gather your clothes before we leave" she instructed me.

When Taeng speaks so calmly, it means that she is angry. I can't blame her this time though. She was finally getting on better term with her mother and now they left without telling us directly. Maybe I should call auntie and ask her what happened?

We ended up going to school like every morning. And for real, today was such a sad and depressing day. Taeyeon was in her don't-talk-to-me mode because of her parents, Yuri and Sica were just weird…they talked to each other but their interaction was just…awkward to watch and me…I was in-between. I couldn't be happy and cheerful since all of them were feeling so down but at the same time, I couldn't be sad and depressed with them since…well, there is nothing that I should be sad about. I was only disappointed at auntie and uncle.

After school, I was going to talk to Sica but I saw her leaving with Yuri so I left them alone. I also sad at what is happening to them, I thought Sica moved on completely…guess I was wrong.

Love is more complicated than we think.

TaeNy's Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

Finally, we left the school with Taeng and went back to the apartment. It's been

more than a week since we left and although it is a short period of time, it's still good to be at home.

"Aish…we should clean the apartment" Taeyeon said as soon as we stepped in.

"And why?"

"There is dust…it's not as clean as it should be Fany" she complained.

The apartment was completely fine, she is just being paranoid.

"We can clean this weekend" I told her.

"It's not comfortable" she went on.

"I can clean your room now if you want but the not the whole apartment" I was hoping she would drop the subject.

"Fine, let's clean my room" Taeng threw her bag on the couch and went into her room.

I let out a sigh and followed her. For the next 20 minutes or so, we changed the sheets, vacuumed the room and wiped out the dust. It was a great team work. Taeng tried to push me to clean the whole apartment with her so I scolded her and she gave up.

I felt rather lazy tonight so I whined again and again to Taeyeon because I wanted

her to cook for me. I knew it would work…whining always works with Taeng. So my little Taengoo cooked ramen because she, herself was lazy. But it was tasty so I didn't complain.

After dinner, we did our homework together. It was more Taeyeon doing her homework and me copying. I was surprised she didn't scold me about it. We didn't talk about her parents leaving but I knew she was still thinking about it.

We were still doing our homework when my cellphone went off. When I saw who was calling me, I kind of panicked.

"Alo?"

"Hi Tiffany! It's Sungmin, how are you?"

"Hi…I'm good…what can I do for you?" I asked him, wanting to end this conversation as soon as possible.

"Is Taeyeon here???"

"Huh yes…she is here…wait a minute" I told him before calling Taeng. "Taengoo…hmm…Sungmin wants to talk to you" I handed the phone to her.

Taeyeon's expression changed immediately when she heard Sungmin's name. I don't know if she was more annoyed or angrier that he called. Taeyeon took my phone and instead of talking to Sungmin, she hanged up angrily.

I was kind of shocked at her reaction but didn't expect her to scold me too. "Why did you answer the phone when you knew it was him?"

"Taeyeon, he called so I answered…this is a natural thing to do"

"Not when it's Sungmin!!! How many times did I tell you? This guy is no good…he has bad intention toward you"

"He's not going to do anything to me…" I rolled my eyes. Taeyeon can be so overreacting sometimes.

"Why did he call you anyway? What for?"

"How would I know? I didn't even talk to him that much…he only asked how I was then asked to talk to you"

"SEE! Why would he call you on your PERSONAL phone when he wants to talk to me instead? Don't you think it's weird?"

"…say it like that…yeah"

"Thank you"

"But…"

"No but…just stay away from him please"

"You want me to ignore him completely?"

"Yes"

"But I don't have a reason to do that…he hasn't done anything wrong"

"I'm asking you to"

"Don't you think you're overreacting?"

She thought for a moment before answering. "I'm not seeing Sunye anymore…" she came up with such a stupid reason.

"I can't believe you are comparing these two very different situations" I told her angrily.

"Why not? You don't like Sunye and I don't like Sungmin…it's the same"

"I've never dated Sungmin or have feelings for him OR kissed him! You had all that with Sunye so don't compare. I have all the reasons in the world to be worried if you met with her again, as compare to you"

"…" Taeyeon couldn't argue back, she knew I was right.

"Don't be so insecure, Sungmin is really not a threat to our relationship" I reassured her.

Taeyeon calmed down before talking to me. "Am I really asking too much? Is it really hard for you to stop seeing or talking to him?"

"It's not. I don't care about Sungmin, believe me. But I don't want you to feel this way every times I interact with him. I don't want you to feel threatened by him. I can't promise you that I won't ever see or talk to him again…you know it's impossible"

Taeyeon seemed to register my words calmly, but her lack of reaction scared me.

"I can't stop him from calling me or make sure I won't bump into him somewhere but…next time I see him, I'll tell him directly to stop contacting me, okay?" I tried to negotiate with her.

The truth is…I really don't care at all about Sungmin. We're not even that close. He's more of an acquaintance than a friend. So as long as Taeng is happy and not feeling insecure, I guess I can do that.

"No it's fine…I trust you…" I heard her whispered out.

"Huh?"

"You're right…I shouldn't ask you to do that…it was selfish of me…I'm sorry" she apologized to me.

"Is it really you Taeyeon? Please, give me back the real Taengoo" I joked.

Taeyeon smiled shyly before hugging me. "I trust you but I don't trust him…so please, be careful when he's around" she whispered into my ear before giving me a kiss.

Her kiss was such a tease though…so I pushed her on the couch and lay on top of her. "Kiss me again" I ordered her.

"Excuse-me?" she asked, surprised of my boldness.

"We haven't kiss all day…I miss it...I don't even know how it's like already" I exaggerated.

"Just admit I'm so good at kissing that you're addicted" she put on her signature smile.

"You're being arrogant again" I sighed.

"Yes but you…"

I cut her off with a kiss. When I was going to pull away, she brought me closer and our kiss deepened. When I think about it, it's pretty amazing how Taeng and I can be all serious talking then 5 seconds later, be laughing and making out with each other. The awkwardness between us is completely gone.

I don't know exactly how long we stayed there kissing though, I thought I was going to faint from the lack of oxygen. When we finally pulled away, Taeng was smiling sheepishly.

"Wow" she exclaimed. "Since when did our kisses get like this?" she teased me.

I smiled shyly at her comment before getting up. "Stop teasing me or you won't be able to experience it ever again" I told her before going into my room for a shower.

"Wanna watch a movie tonight? I'll make some popcorn!" she yelled from the couch.

"Sure!" I answered before getting into the bathroom.

We watched some romantic comedy while eating popcorn. We were lying on the couch together and Taeng was hugging me, exactly like couples that we see on TV. I can't believe that I'm living this beautiful relationship. Being there with Taengoo…even doing something as common as watching a movie can become so wonderful because I'm with her.

At the end of the movie, it was already getting late and since we have school tomorrow, we decided to go to bed. That's when things got a little bit…weird. I'm used to sleep in Taeng's room at her parents' house because the house was huge and I didn't want to sleep alone. That was how our sleeping habit started. The thing is…at the apartment, I've always slept in my room so both of us were kinda confused when we had to go to bed.

Sadly, we were both too shy to say something so we only greeted each other good night before heading to our own room. I didn't even get a good night kiss.

I headed to my room and prepared myself to sleep. For the first time since I slept in this bed, I felt emptiness, like a part of me was missing. I rolled over in my bed for at least 1 hour but still couldn't sleep.

When I thought that the night would be very long, the door to my room opened slowly. At first, I thought it was a ghost or some monster so I hide under my blanket and closed my eyes. A couple of seconds later, I felt someone sliding under the blanket. When I felt myself being hugged, I knew it was Taeyeon. Obviously.

"You miss me already?" I asked her, acting like I was completely fine sleeping by myself.

I didn't expect her to admit her feelings. "Yes…I…I don't want us to be apart from now on…never, not even a single night" she whispered to me.

It's impressive how much her words can make me happy. Kim Tae Yeon impressed me every single day, by her actions, by her words…when I thought she couldn't get any sweeter, she surprised me again.

I turned around and touched her face gently, the room was dark but I could still see her eyes, and they were beautiful.

Then it came out naturally…the words…these words that I thought I'll never say to anyone. I don't know if it was the right moment or if it was romantic enough but I couldn't wait anymore. I wanted to say it and I wanted her to hear it.

As I opened my mouth to say out the words, Taeng took me by surprise with a kiss. After that, I forgot what I wanted to say as we kissed each other to sleep.

Chapter 22A – What Have I Done?

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

This morning, I woke up to the sound of Taeng’s voice. I was still under the warm blanket when I heard her singing under the shower. My Taengoo has a very nice voice, when I can’t sleep, she would sing to me. Of course, I have to insist a lot before she gives in.

This week is going to be pretty busy for her. Since her parents went back to New York, Taeng has to go to work again. It should be something important since she told me that this week, she has to go every day. We’re going to school together this morning but after school, she has to go to the office.

While I was sad when she told me about her schedule this week, I found out how to occupy myself. I called Yuri’s mom and asked her if she could teach me how to

cook. Taeyeon is going to work very hard this week so I want to surprise her with some nice food. Auntie told me to come after school which I agreed to. I just need to hide it from Taeng.

I also told Yuri about my little secret and she swore to keep quiet about it. After eating breakfast, we left the apartment.

“Aish…I didn’t get enough sleep…” Taeng complained when she started driving.

“We didn’t go to bed late though” I wondered.

“I couldn’t sleep well because someone kept on kicking me” she said.

“Excuse me?? Are you blaming it?”

“Who then? This morning, you were the only one next to me”

“I didn’t kick you…I slept very peacefully” I told her with a smile.

“You did though. You kicked then hugged then kicked…You’ll see tonight, I’ll show you my bruises”

“Show me now!”

“They haven’t appeared yet…give them some time”

“Little kid” I teased her. “I’ll sleep in my room tonight then”

“I’d love to see that”

“Ya Kim Tae Yeon! Do you want to sleep on the couch?” I threatened her.

“Okay okay sorry. I love your kicks anyway so keep them coming” she joked.

I punched her lightly on the arm before pinching her cheek. “Hey! I’m driving!” she complained.

Actually I wanted to give her a kiss…but she was driving so I didn’t want to distract her from the road. I’m sure she wouldn’t complain though.

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

I drove Jessica to school today. Both of us kind of acted like nothing is wrong while we both know that things are not the same anymore. The atmosphere is totally different when we meet. I want to be cheerful and happy but I can’t…I can’t even pretend to be happy.

I can’t stop myself from looking depressed…and that affects Sica as well. None of us is happy and we’re not even hiding it.

When we arrived to the school, students kept looking at us and whispering to each

other. I knew some people spread rumors about us…

When I walked into the class, Gyuri jumped on me. “Oh Yuri! I heard about the sad news…” she said while hugging me.

I looked at Sica and she completely ignored it. She went to her desk and sat down. Tiffany and Taeyeon were standing near the window and both of them gave me a disappointed look…like I was the one at fault.

I gently pushed Gyuri away. “What are you talking about? And please, don’t do that in the future” I told her.

Gyuri was still smiling brightly and she held my arm while talking. “Everyone is talking about you and Sooyeon breaking up” she said, not hiding her excitement and absolutely not lowering her voice.

“Can you please keep quiet? And don’t hold my arms!” I said annoyed before walking to my desk.

“But Yuri…” she started but was interrupted by the teacher coming in.

Everyone went to their seats quietly before the lesson started. No one really knows about my relationship with Jessica…besides us and TaeNy, no one knows…who spilled the beans?

The lesson went without any trouble. I noticed that Jessica looked rather tired today. She always looks sleepy in class but there was something different this time.

I asked her if she was fine and she told me that she was only sleepy.

During lunch, I was going to eat with the others when Gyuri kept on following me. “What are you doing Gyuri?” I asked the girl who was walking behind me.

“Can we eat together?” she asked.

“Sorry but I’m going to eat with my friends” I told her.

“Can I come too?”

“Why don’t you go with your friends?”

“I want to be with you”

“Gyuri…I beg you…just leave me alone. This is really not the day…”

“Is it because Sooyeon dumped you?”

“Excuse me?” I was getting angry now.

“You can talk to me you know…I’ll support you Yuri.”

I looked at her angrily before walking away. I made sure she wouldn’t follow me though. “Stop following me or I’ll get really angry…and you don’t want to see me angry.” I warned her before leaving.

I was pretty down the rest of the day though. It didn’t start well and didn’t go well as well. Everything around me is falling apart. Jessica is next to me but it’s like she isn’t there. I miss her when she is sitting beside me…How I wish things were like before.

Once school ended, Jessica told me she would go back on her own and I didn’t need to drive her. I didn’t insist…I’m not going to insist anymore…

I watched her walking to the bus station alone but she was talking on her phone. It was probably her mother or sister but something told me that it was better if I didn’t know who she was talking to.

After school,

Taeyeon’s POV

Sometimes school is so boring that I wonder what I’m doing here. I wish I could catch up some sleep instead of listening to some of the most boring teacher in history. Today, I have to go to work after school. This is the beginning of a busy week.

I’m not going to throw tantrums at my dad for leaving so suddenly…I’ll do my job and wait patiently for next week to come. I’m pretty excited because we have 2 weeks vacations starting next week and I have already planned it.

Tiffany doesn’t know but I’m taking her on vacation. I had this idea last

night…while she was kicking me in her sleep. I think we both deserve it and since last time in Bali we weren’t together yet, I really want us to go on vacation as a couple.

So I pray for this week to end quickly. The only thing that I worry about is Yuri. She was rather depressed today so I concluded that it didn’t get better with Sica. Maybe I should bring on her vacation too…

I had to drive Tiffany home before going to the office. But surprisingly, she asked me to drop her at Yuri’s house instead.

“What are you doing at Yul’s house?” I asked her.

“Nothing, I just want to visit auntie and maybe try to cheer on Yul” she said.

“Why didn’t you cheer on her at school?”

“Should I remind you that I’m in-between? There is Sica as well”

“Your friend dumped my friend…it’s easy to pick a side” I stated.

“I don’t want to pick a side…” she rolled her eyes. “I want them to get back together”

“Then tell her to be smart and choose Yuri. If she picks that idiot Donghae, her life is ruined. “

“Taengoo…”

“I know I know…it’s not as easy as it seems…”

“It’s not…it must be hard for her to understand her own feelings and what she really wants”

“If it happens to us…” I started…immediately regretting it.

“What if it happens to us? What would you do?” she asked, like she already knew what I would do.

“No I mean…if I was Yuri…”

“You can’t be Yuri…I’m the one who might end in Yuri’s position…” she whispered.

I realized that Fany wasn’t as confident in our relationship that I thought she would be. Sunye’s shadow was still there. Talking about Sunye, I haven’t seen her for awhile. She hasn’t come to school for days…weeks now.

“Tiffany” I called her. “It won’t happen to us” I stated firmly. “I’ll make sure it never happens to us” I reassured her.

“…I hope so…” she concluded the discussion.

Why our conversation turned out this way? I have no idea. I would have preferred

a happier topic to talk about before leaving her at Yuri’s house and going to work.

Before she got off the car, I pulled her in for a kiss. “Smile” I told her. “Don’t think about those kind of things. I’m going nowhere” I assured her.

“Liar” she suddenly said, scaring me.

“Huh?”

“You’re going to work now…” she smiled.

I breathed in relief before kissing her forehead. “Yes...and I miss you already. I don’t know when I’ll finish so tell Yuri to drive you home later”

“I can take the bus back”

“NO!” I strongly opposed. “You know it’s dangerous at night so just go with Yuri. I’ll call her later.”

Fany rolled her eyes before agreeing with me. “Fine, I’ll tell her don’t worry” she said before giving me a kiss and getting off the car.

I waited until she went into the house before driving away. I know she is a big girl but it’s impossible not to worry about her. Stubborn and clumsy. Even Seohyun can take care of herself better than this mushroom.

Aish…I miss her already.

Kwon Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

Sometimes with Taeng, we ended up in those super serious conversations that we didn’t see coming. While I know it’s healthy to have this kind of talk from time to time, I can definitely live without it. If I can live one day without thinking about Taeng’s past relationship with Sunye, I’ll do it.

Luckily, I quickly forgot about this when Yoona opened the door to her house. I really like this house. I love the people who live there and I simply love the atmosphere.

“Fany unnie! Mom is waiting for you in the kitchen” Yoong told me before running upstairs.

She is such a cute girl, no wonder Seohyun couldn’t resist. I went to the kitchen and saw Yuri and her mom eating snacks together. I greeted auntie before joining them.

“So Fany, ready for your first lesson?” auntie asked me.

“SURE! I’m so excited to have cooking lessons!” I said happily, but my smile fainted when I looked at Yuri’s sad face. “Yuri, are you okay?”

It took her time to respond. “Yeah…I’m going upstairs with Yoona” she said before leaving the kitchen. It’s painful to see Yuri like this…she doesn’t deserve that…

“I don’t know why she looks so down…” auntie began.

She probably doesn’t know about Yul and Sica’s relationship. I bet she’ll be very sad if she knew about them since she really likes Sica. I didn’t say anything about it and told her that Yuri will get better in a few days.

“Of course she’ll be better! That’s my Yul!” she said. “Come on Fany! Let’s cook!” she exclaimed.

For the next hours, we cook together. Auntie teaching me from A to Z. I took a lot of notes as well…much more than in class. Today she cooked some of Taeng’s favorite dishes and that will go on for the rest of the week. Auntie already told Yoona and Yul to not complain about the menu.

I knew Yoona was aware of Yul’s situation when we had dinner. She was constantly making jokes and lived up everyone’s mood. Yoona always teases her sister but it’s obvious that she loves and admires her big sister.

After dinner, I helped auntie cleaned up before Yuri drove me home. I told Taeng that I will ask her myself but she still called Yuri.

On the ride to the apartment, Yuri was awfully quiet. I’m not used to the quiet Yuri. To me, Yul is a happy girl who always smiles, no matter the circumstances.

It really saddens me to see her like this.

“I’m cheering for you, Yuri!” I told her once we reached the apartment’s building.

“Thanks…” she said quietly.

“Yuri-ah…it’s not over yet…I know it’s not so you shouldn’t give up” I told her.

“…I’ll try…”

Seeing her like this, I wanted to knock some sense into Jessica, but I knew better. It’s hard for both of them…but especially unfair to Yuri. I gave her a hug before getting off the car. “Don’t think too much, things will get better soon. Goodnight”

“Goodnight Tiffany” she tried to smile, to reassure me but I saw her smile faded away as she drove away.

Why did it end up like this? It was with a heavy heart that I went back home.

Next morning at TaeNy’s Apartment,

Taeyeon’s POV

Today is the first time that we’ll be apart for the whole day with Fany. It might be nothing but I know I’m going to miss her presence. Yesterday I only worked after school and I was already dying to go home and see her.

We ate breakfast and I drove Tiffany to school. Our relationship is not a secret anymore. I don’t know how people discovered it though…maybe holding and flirting in public didn’t help to keep the secret safe. Anyway, the fact that we are living together is still unknown to the school and I’m grateful for that.

I dropped Fany right in front of the school. I surprised myself recently when I realized that instead of being mysterious and secretive about my girlfriend because that is my personality, I tended to want to show it off.

“Have a nice day” I wished her before putting a kiss on her cheek.

Fany showed me her trademark eyes-smile before kissing me back. “I’m going to miss you today, don’t work too hard” she said before getting off the car.

I watched Tiffany walked away. That is pretty stupid but now, every time I see her walks away…it pains me. I want to walk alongside her…not watch her walking away from me.

Tiffany suddenly stopped walking and turned to look at me. I saw her letting out a sigh before smiling sweetly. I understood that she was wondering why I was still there instead of going to work. Fany waved at me and with hand gestures, told me to leave. Before I finally drove away, she blew me a kiss.

Yes, today is going to be a hard day.

Later in the afternoon,

I have a meeting with a client today. For a change, the meeting is taking place in some fancy restaurant. I left the office and called Tiffany on my way to the parking. I was lucky that class has just ended and she could answer her phone. This week is probably going to be very long since I have to work every day and won’t have time to spend with her.

“Hi Sweetie!” I heard her sweet voice answering my call.

“Hi Cutie…” I replied awkwardly. I’m still not used to be all sweet talking with her. “Am I bothering you?”

“Not at all, class just ended. I’m happy that you call me Taengoo. I wanted to call you all day but I didn’t know if you were busy or not”

“I’m going downtown for a meeting now and since school was over, I thought I should call you”

“Are you driving right now? You shouldn’t use your cellphone if you’re driving, remember” she reminded me.

“I’m sitting in the car now, still in the parking lot. Are you going home?”

“Huh…no, I’m going to Sica’s house now”

“What time are you coming back? Want me to come and pick you up?”

“No it’s ok, I won’t come home late so don’t worry”

“I’ll be home for dinner…guess we won’t have time to cook tonight. I’ll buy some food on my way. What do you want to eat?”

“Up to you Taengoo”

I couldn’t help but let out a sigh at her answer. “Thanks for your help”

“I don’t know what to eat..:”

“Me neither…I’ll stop at the first shop then”

“I don’t want to eat noodles”

“Rice then” I suggested.

“No buy some pizza”

“Why didn’t you say earlier that you want American food?” I laughed at her.

“Ham pizza without mushroom, please”

“Sure princess. Okay, I have to go now, I’ll be late”

“Go go!!! Drive safely and don’t come home too late” she told me.

“Yeah and you be careful. Call me before you leave Jessica’s house”

“I will. Good luck with the meeting!”

“Thanks. Bye Fany”

“Bye Taengoo”

Even though it was a short conversation, it made me happy to hear her voice. With that, I drove to the restaurant where I was supposed to meet this businessman. It took me about 10 minutes to drive from my company to the restaurant, but I had to find a parking to park my car since the restaurant didn’t have its own. After I had parked my car, I walked to the restaurant which was only one block away.

On my way there, I walked passed some shops…and something caught my attention. Actually, I wished I hadn’t seen it…if only I took another path…if only I didn’t look into that coffee shop.

At the back of the shop, there was a table with two people. One of them was Fany whom I should be happy to see…if only she wasn’t sitting and talking with Sungmin. I don’t know how I control myself…instead of running into that shop and confronting them; I instantly pulled out my phone and texted Tiffany while walking away. Right after I sent her my message, I got her reply:



Obviously, she was lying. I don’t know if her lie hurt me more than it made me angry. I tried my best to suppress my feelings as I walked to my meeting. I don’t know how I’m going to talk business after what I saw. The only thing I want to do right now is to run back to that shop and tell Sungmin once and for all to leave Tiffany alone.

It’s with images of Tiffany and Sungmin sitting and talking together that I went to my meeting. I managed to do my work properly but my mind was obviously somewhere else.

In A Coffee Shop,

Tiffany’s POV

I can’t believe I agreed to go for a drink with Sungmin. All thanks to my curiosity. I can’t say that it didn’t freak me out to walk into Sungmin outside of school. He likes to pop out of nowhere and unfortunately, he always pop out right in front of me.

After all the discussion with Taeng about Sungmin, I knew I better avoid him at all cost and that’s what I did. As soon as I saw him walking toward me, I was already ready to come up with an excuse to get away. Of course, thing never works the way you want it to.

While I tried to end our conversation, Sungmin caught my attention. It was easy; all he did was mentioning Taeyeon. He told me that he wanted to talk to me about

Taeng, that there were things that I needed to know about her…so I agreed to listen to him.

I was supposed to go to Yuri’s house for another cooking lesson but that could wait. We’ve been sitting in that coffee shop for 10 minutes now and he hasn’t come to the point.

“I don’t want to be rude but can you please go straight to the point? I have an appointment” I told him, I was losing my patience.

“Sorry…I just wanted to catch up with you. We haven’t seen each other for weeks”

“What’s the thing about Taeyeon you want me to know?” I went straight to the point. If he wasn’t going to speak up then I will ask.

Sungmin took his time before replying to me. “I…I learned that you two were dating right now…” he started.

“Yes”

“How is she treating you?”

“I’m sorry but why do you care?”

“I’m worried about you…Taeyeon is not easy to handle”

“Excuse me?”

“Is it the mysterious vibe that attracted you?” he went on.

“Sungmin, no offense but that’s none of your business”

“I’m just saying…” he paused. “She is going to hurt you…like she hurt Sunye”

“…”

“Don’t you think it might be a phase? I mean her feelings…I actually think she is confused once again.”

“What are you trying to do?” my voice sounded irritated now.

“Tiffany, Taeyeon has been with Sunye since they were kids…those feelings don’t go away that easily.”

“…”

Why…why is he talking about Taeyeon and Sunye with me? Why is he trying to stick their previous relationship into my mind? Of course I know Taeng and Sunye were close and that there is lot of things that Sunye knows about Taeng that I don’t.

“I’m sorry to drop it on you but Taeyeon probably wanted to change her mind. I don’t think she’s serious”

Now I must admit that Taeng was right…Sungmin is not as nice and simple as I thought. I know what he is trying to do but did he really think it would work out? Yes, his words hit me because Taeyeon/Sunye is still a sensitive topic and that deep inside, I still fear Taeng will go back to her childhood love. But I’m not going to freak out and give up on everything that we’ve build so far.

“Sungmin…thank you for warning me but no thanks. This is between Taeyeon and me and last time that I checked, you and Taeng aren’t that close friends so I don’t think that you’re able to understand what’s going on in her mind” I told him.

Suddenly, I felt my phone vibrated. It was Taeng. She texted me and asked me where I was now. She often texts me when we’re not together and always ask for my location. It’s not really spying on me, she never asks about what I’m doing or with who, she just wants to make sure that I’m safe by knowing where I am.

Unlike the other times, I hesitated before replying. Should I tell the truth or not? The last thing that I want is to lie…I don’t want our relationship to be full of lies and secrets. But…I know her views on Sungmin and I already know how she would react. And I can’t tell her that Sungmin lured me by using her name. Taeng will go berserk and I don’t want to create trouble for her.

So I made up a lie. I texted her back and told her that I was on the bus to Sica’s house. I know I shouldn’t have lied…but that’s better for everyone. Maybe I’ll tell her the truth another time. I closed my phone and focused on Sungmin again. He was curious as to who I was texting but didn’t dare to ask.

“I have to go now so if you have nothing else to add…” I started.

“Taeyeon promised Sunye that she will never leave her…just so you know” he quickly added before I stood up and took my bag.

I looked at him and wanted to say something back but I couldn’t. His last words scared me and for one second…I had doubts about Taeyeon’s feelings. What if she goes back to Sunye? What would I do?

I held on to my emotions and bowed to Sungmin before leaving. The fresh air outside made me feels slightly better. I walked to the bus station but ended up taking a taxi to Yuri’s house.

I don’t know how I’m going to face Taeng tonight…lying about going to Yuri’s house is fine since it’s on purpose…but my lie about Sungmin…I feel guilty already.

At Taeng’s Office,

Taeyeon’s POV

There is no way I can concentrate after what I saw. It was a miracle that the meeting went well. I’ve been sitting in my office for hours now and the work is not done yet. I feel like calling Fany but I don’t know how I will handle it. A part of me wants to forget about it and act like I didn’t see anything. If Fany was to tell me face to face that she likes hanging out with Sungmin, I wouldn’t support it.

I was going crazy sitting at my desk and thinking about this issue when my phone vibrated. I got a new text message. I hoped it was Fany but when I looked at it…it wasn’t her. Instead, it was someone I wasn’t expecting at all.

I read the message and like magic, I forgot about Fany and Sungmin. I rested against my comfy chair and played with my phone. Should I reply back or not? Last time she left, we said goodbye to each other…I feel that this time, it might be better to not too see each other again. I also know she is not leaving for good…which makes me feel uncomfortable…I have a bad feeling about it.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I knew something was wrong with Sica today, besides the fact that we’re not at ease around each other anymore, there was something else that bothered her. Luckily, Fany told me discreetly that Sica got sick.

I wanted to stay by her side and checked on her but it was pretty difficult with Gyuri glued to me. After school, Sica told me she would leave on her own, I’ve also noticed that she was a lot on her phone. I know that she is always with her phone but I don’t know…something is bothering me…

It was also planned that I drive Fany to my house for the cooking session, but she also dumped me. When I got in my car, I spotted Fany getting on Sungmin’s car. I don’t know where they went but I sure hope Taeng doesn’t know about that.

So after all these emotions, I got home and met with my not-so comforting sister. I told Yoona about what happened with Sica. Even though she is my younger sister and I would prefer her to stay ignorant about dating and stuff, she does have good advice…sometimes.

Yoong didn’t miss the chance to tell me how I messed up with Sica. According to her, I shouldn’t have been so mellow. She told me to take control of the relationship next time…to stand for myself.

“I told you, I can’t force her to be with me” I said to my sister after telling her how the day went.

“Then you should act like you don’t care about her. Stop looking like a sad puppy for once” she scolded me.

“…I can’t help it…whenever I’m around her…she’s Jessica…”

“Well I don’t care whether it’s Sica or any other girl; you should stop acting like you need her more than she needs you.”

“…”

“Look at Taeng unnie, it’s obvious that Fany is crazy about her and I’m pretty sure that Taeng unnie’s character played a big role in that”

“Taeyeon IS like that…she doesn’t need to act distant…”

“I’m telling you, if you want your girl back, don’t chase after her. Make her want to come back on her own.”

“Oh really??? And how?”

“Hmm…act like you don’t care anymore or make her jealous!”

“The jealous thing is fail. It brings more trouble than anything else” I stated. I saw it a lot on TV, whenever someone tries the jealousy thing, it backfires.

“I actually think that if you don’t run after you, she’ll slowly come back. If you don’t let her know how life is it without you, she’ll never realize it” Yoong concluded. “Think about it” she said before going in her room.

I stayed alone in the kitchen for a while…thinking about what my sister has just said. Should I follow her advice? Ignoring Sica would probably be the hardest thing to do…Am I able to do it?

I don’t know how long I sat in the kitchen, struggling with myself on how to make my next move but soon enough, someone rang the door bell. I didn’t realize that my mom wasn’t around. No wonder the house was so quiet.

I went to open the door. It was Tiffany. I couldn’t help but be surprise at her presence. She was with Sungmin earlier so I imagined they would have spent more time together…but I felt relieved when I saw her on the porch.

“Hi Yuri! Why are you so surprise to see me?” Fany asked.

I didn’t want to tell her about what I saw earlier. I wasn’t going to judge the situation. She probably had her reason and I didn’t want to put her in an uncomfortable situation.

“Oh..no…I’m just surprise that you came so fast” I made up.

“Yeah…I took a cab, that’s why” she explained.

We both went to the kitchen and I told her my mom wasn’t at home yet. Eventually, our conversation led to my relationship with Sica.

“So…what are you doing to do?” Fany asked.

“To tell the truth…I really don’t know. I don’t know where I’m standing anymore…I don’t know if I should chase or give up…” I admitted.

“Do you know how she is feeling? What’s her position right now?”

“I didn’t ask her directly…I’m scare she will reveal her feelings to me…what if it’s Donghae?”

“But you need to know…it can’t go on like this forever. You two are too awkward with each other now…”

“I have a bad feeling about this…I don’t know where its coming from but

something is going on…”

“Why don’t you go see her tonight? Check if she is fine or not, you can tell her I told you she was sick”

“Yoona told me to stop caring so much…she will come back slowly to me if I do that”

“She might…or maybe she will walk away from you because you’re walking away from her. I don’t know what she is going to do. I tried to talk to her about that but she refused.”

“Then what I should do?”

“Don’t give up on her yet…try again…one last time” Fany suggested.

As soon as she finished her sentence, my mom appeared in the kitchen.

“Tiffany! Look what I bought!” my mom showed us her bags.

She bought a lot of food…probably for her cooking session with Fany. I was going to let them alone when Tiffany grabbed my hand.

“Yuri! Why don’t you cook some porridge for Jessica? Since she is sick” Fany said.

My mom was suddenly very excited. “OH great! Let’s the three of us cook

together! I’ll teach both of you!” she said happily.

I hesitated a bit before joining them. I still don’t know what I should do about Jessica. I really do have a bad feeling about this.

Sica’s House,

Yuri’s POV

After cooking the porridge for Jessica, I packed it nicely and with Tiffany, we left. Before going to see Sica, I had to drop Fany at the apartment. During the ride, I was really curious to what she did with Sungmin but tried my best to not ask anything.

She probably noticed that something was odd with me. Usually, we always joke and talk a lot in the car but today I was very quiet.

“Are you okay Yuri? Don’t think too much about what’s going to happen.” She said, thinking I was worried about seeing Jessica.

Because I didn’t want her to be suspicious, I acted as if Sica was the reason to my quietness. “Yeah, I know.”

We both remained silent until we reached their apartment. I dropped Tiffany and she wished me good luck before getting off the car. A part of me felt bad for not telling Taeyeon about what I saw. I have no right to get into their relationship but

Taeng is my friend…maybe I should have warn her? I tried to stop worrying too much about them before driving to Sica’s house.

Slowly as I got closer to Sica’s home, I felt more and more nervous. I’m not the cheerful and bubbly Yuri around her anymore. Since what happened, we are both on serious mode when we’re together. That’s sad but I can’t change it.

Once I arrived at her house, I parked my car and stayed in it for at least 10 minutes. Oddly enough, I’ve never been into her house. Every time I come to pick her up, I stayed outside and waited. Of course, I’ve seen her sister before but not her parents.

Sica told me once that her mother knows who I am. She saw me from the window but we’ve never met. So now, I’m really nervous to not only meet with Sica, but also her parents.

When I finally had the courage to get off my car, I saw the front door open. It was her little sister Krystal.

“Hello Yuri unnie” she greeted me with a polite bow.

“Krystal, how did you know I was there?” I asked her, still surprised of her sudden apparition.

“Hmmm…Sica unnie saw you from her windows…she told me to come and get you” she explained.

“Oh…” so Sica knew I was there waiting by myself. Does it mean, she doesn’t mind seeing me?

I followed Krystal inside the house. As soon as I stepped in, I looked around to see if her parents were there.

“My parents went out earlier, they will back later tonight” she said. I felt a little relieved as well.

Krystal showed me the way to Sica’s room and let me go in by myself. “Good luck unnie!” she said before running to her room.

I held the bag with the porridge box tightly before knocking on the door. Slow as usual, Jessica didn’t ask me to come in immediately. When I heard her soft voice, my nervousness got worse.

For the first time, I entered her room. There was nothing that stood out more to me; there were a lot of pictures though, Sica really likes taking pictures. Jessica was sitting at her desk, doing her homework. When she turned and looked at me, my heart skipped a beat.

“What where you doing outside?” she asked me.

I tried to calm myself down and showed her my bag. “Fany told me you were sick so…” I took out porridge and put it on her desk. “I made you some porridge, hope you feel better with it” I explained to her.

Jessica looked at it and smiled. “You shouldn’t have...I had a little fever only”

“Still, you should take care…” I said while giving her a spoon that I also brought with me. “Come on, eat” I told her.

I know Yoong told me that I should back off a while and let her come to me, but I can’t do that. Looking at her now, I can’t leave…I still want and need to see this beautiful face every day. Right now, I can’t suppress my feelings for her.

I watched Jessica eat quietly. We’re still seeing each other every day but I miss her.

“Sica…can we talk for a minute?” I asked, unsure of her response.

“I knew there was something else you came for” she said with a smile.

“Sorry”

“I also think we should talk”

I definitely but definitely hate that sentence. No matter who say it, it always sounds bad…always.

“Hmmm…you first?” I asked. I didn’t want to tell her how I miss her and stuff if she has already decided on our fate.

“I miss our friendship Yuri. I miss the old days when you would always annoy the

hell out of me and I would scold you…”

“I miss our relationship…” I said honestly.

“Yuri…I still need time and…knowing you are waiting for me make it difficult for both of us to be natural around each other.”

“So? Are you asking me to stop waiting for you? Because you know I can’t…”

“I just want us to be like before…not thinking about where we’re heading to…let things come naturally”

A part of me didn’t want that…I know what I want for us and I don’t need and want any other options. Can I be around her without thinking about the future? Can I hang out with her knowing friendship is the only thing that keep us together? I don’t want Sica as a friend…I want more than that.

Then I thought about what Yoona told me earlier. Stop caring so much, stop showing her how much I need her in my life…maybe it’s time for me to step away a bit, just to let her witness by herself, how is it like without me next to her.

“Friends is it then…let’s be friends Jessica” I said before offering my hand.

Giving up completely on this girl is impossible for me, I can’t stay away from her for too long and I definitely can’t shut her off as well…so for now, we’ll be friends and I will act like a friend.

No matter how much it hurts…I’m willing to try…but this time, I’m not going to run. Instead, I will make small step…slowly but surely, she will be back with me.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I was very happy with myself today, not only did I make things clear with Sungmin, I also learned a lot with auntie. I really want to improve on my cooking skills since starting next week; we’re having 2 weeks vacation. We’re probably staying at home with Taeng so I want to take care of her. Poor her, she is working a lot this week. We barely had time to be with each other.

Taeng told me she would be home earlier so I expected to see her at the apartment already. And I was right; Taengoo was already at home when I arrived. She was sitting at the dining table, working on her computer. Looking at her being so serious was…kind of sexy. I really love the nice and dorky Taengoo but it would be a lie if I say that her mysterious side wasn’t attractive.

“Taengoo!!” I shouted while running to her and giving her a hug from behind.

Taeyeon didn’t react and was still focus on her computer. She didn’t even look at me.

“Taengoo?? Taengoo?” I called her while sitting on the chair next to her.

“I’m working” she replied coldly.

I wonder what happened to her…she looked really angry and that scared me a bit. It’s been awhile since Taeng had such a pissed expression on her face.

“Where were you?” she looked straight at me and asked.

I didn’t know if I should tell her the truth or not. “Huh? I was at Sica’s house like I told you” I lied. It came out naturally…Taeng’s angry face scared me…I can’t tell her the truth.

Taeyeon stared at me. She looked hurt at what I said. Without a word, she closed her laptop and walked in her room.

I stayed there wondering what just happened. Taeyeon won’t get angry if there is nothing to begin with. So I walked to her door and knocked.

“Taengoo? What’s going on? Did something happen?” I asked through the door.

But she didn’t response. “Are you angry with me? Can I come in?” I insisted.

Suddenly the door opened and Taeng busted out. She grabbed her jacket and walked toward the door.

“Are you going somewhere?” I naturally asked.

“…” Taeng didn’t answer me.

I quickly ran to the door and put myself between the door and Taeng. Not letting her leaves without an explanation.

“Tell me what is going on!!” I told her.

“Let me go out…”

“Why?”

“Let me leave before I get angry”

“You’re already angry…what happened?”

“Tiffany”

“Did I do something? Just tell me!”

I didn’t expect Taeng to explode. She threw her jacket harshly on the floor while screaming at me. “YOU WERE WITH SUNGMIN!”

My eyes went big when I realized what happened. Taeyeon saw me…and she knows I lied…and am still lying.

“Taeyeon..:”

“You lied do me…not once Fany…twice! I gave you the chance to be honest with

me…but you…”

“Let me explain Taeyeon…this is not what you think…” I tried to explain while grabbing her arm.

“Go away…” she said in a serious tone.

I couldn’t stop the tears, they were flowing now. “Taeyeon just hear me out” I begged her.

Taeyeon pushed me aside and opened the door. I was ready to run after her when she stopped and turned back at me.

“I trusted you…I trusted you Tiffany…how could you…Just leave me alone” she said before turning around and leaves.

I stood there devastated…what have I done?

Chapter 22B – What Have I Done?

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

What have I done? I stood in front of the opened door like a statue and kept on asking myself why? Why did I do that? Why did I lie to her? She was so angry…and the look in her eyes…she was so hurt. I’ve always wondered why Taeyeon’s eyes were so sad and I promised to myself that I’ll be the one easing her pain, but tonight…I was the one hurting her.

I caused her eyes to be full of pain again and I would never forgive myself for what I have done.

Outside in Seoul,

Taeyeon’s POV

I’ve never been so angry in my life…I’ve never felt so betrayed…how could she do that to me? When she lied to me the first time, I thought that maybe she was confused and didn’t know how to tell me she was out with Sungmin…but the second time? There is no excuse for that.

When she came back, she was acting like nothing happened and was all smiling

and cute…showing right to my face her happiness after spending time with that idiot. I was so close to smash something in the apartment…but I controlled myself.

Instead of being cozy at home, I was driving around the city without a destination. My mind was filled with images of Fany and Sungmin together, real ones and some from my own imagination.

Without realizing it, I was driving at an unreasonable speed. But it didn’t last long. At a crossroad, I nearly crashed into a car. But luckily, I put on the brakes before there was a collision. I should be completely freaked out; breathless and afraid of what nearly happened…I could have gotten in that car accident and probably end up in the hospital…and yet, all I’m thinking about is Tiffany and Sungmin together.

Without even thinking about what had just happened, I was going to start the engine and drive away when someone angrily hit my car. I realized that it was the guy that I nearly crashed into. I annoyingly got off of my car to face that idiot.

“HEY YOU! Look what you did at my car!” the boy was screaming.

I took a look at his car and saw that he lightly crashed against a streetlight…probably when he tried to avoid my car.

“How much?” I asked him before opening my car and looking for my bag.

“What?” The guy was surprised at my question.

“Listen, this is really not the day so just tell me how much you want for your car” I said annoyed.

“Are you kidding me? YOU drove like a mad girl and now you want to throw some money at me to forget about it? Who do you think you are?” he continued.

I let him talked while I looked for my checkbook. When I found it, I took out one and wrote a random amount before throwing it at him. “Here, 5000$ should be enough to repair this trash can of yours” I said before getting on my car.

“YA! YOU! COME HERE!” he screamed again and stood in front of my car.

I felt my anger rising slowly. Nothing is really stopping me from running over that guy. I pulled down my window and warned him. “Get away. Believe me…I won’t have any trouble running over you”

The guy looked at me as if he was studying my face. “OH…I know who you are! You’re Kim Taeyeon! That rich arrogant kid” he said proudly. Like he was going to win something for recognizing me.

“Another reason to get off my way” I warned him again.

But he went on. “I heard some rumors about you, people say you became more human since you got yourself a girlfriend. That girl must be stupid and blind to stay with someone like you…”

This was it. It took me 2 or 3 seconds to decide whether to start the engine and run

over him or get off my car. Fortunately, I wasn’t completely out of my mind and chose the second option.

“What did you say?” I asked while walking toward him.

“Stop acting like some gangster, not everyone is scared of you”

“So repeat what you said”

“I said your girlfriend should dump your arrogant ass before she regrets it! I’m sure she can find someone much better than you…”

It’s been a long time since I got into a fight. Actually all those rumors about me fighting all the time are untrue. It started when I was in middle school and until now, it is still spreading everywhere.

I’m the first to admit that I have a huge problem when it comes to anger. There are moments when I can’t control my anger, and sadly, violence seems to be the only way to express myself. My parents are not aware of it since those rumors are mostly spread among the students. As for the teachers…well…it’s all about money.

Sometimes, I scared myself though…I really don’t know where all the anger comes from. It’s like…it’s like inside of me, there is a stock of anger waiting to be unleash. And the problem is…up until now, violence is the only way for me to get it out.

So that’s why I’m here hitting that guy like there is no tomorrow. The words that he dared to say…the lie that Fany came up with…the image of her with Sungmin…everything went through my mind again and again…so I hit him again and again…

Usually, Yuri is the one who calms me down…the one who pulls me away and tells me to get my act together. But tonight, she is not there. I know someone else who has a good effect on me…a girl who soften my heart and made me realize that even I can have feelings...until she betrayed me.

This time, I don’t know what stopped me. I suddenly came to my sense and stopped the damage. I stood up and took a few steps back before falling on the ground, breathless. Like after every fight, my breathing was heavy and my sight blur.

I was staring at my bloody hand when a couple walked by. “Hey is everything okay?” the guy asked while approaching. He hasn’t seen the other guy lying on the ground yet…

I immediately stood up at their presence. “Call an ambulance” I told him while walking away.

“Oh my god! What happened?” the stranger exclaimed when he noticed the body lying unconsciously on the floor. He ran to the injured guy and checked his pulse. “HEY YOU! STAY HERE!” he screamed at me…but it was too late.

I got in my car and drove away. Once again, I was driving without any destination

and now with an injured hand. Tonight, I nearly crashed into a car, nearly kill a guy, injured my hand…but none of these is painful…only the image of Tiffany with Sungmin hurt me more than anything else.

After driving around for about an hour, I parked my car along the street and stayed there. My mind was completely blank. That’s when my cell phone vibrated and I got a new text message. I didn’t want to look at it, especially if it was from Fany, but I still did…and it wasn’t her. It was Sunye…



I knew she was leaving…she texted me earlier today but I decided to ignore it. Sitting there alone made me think again…what if she doesn’t come back? Maybe that will be the last time that I see her.

So I drove to the airport…with the excuse that I might not see her again and to say a final goodbye…but the truth is…a part of me wanted to hurt Tiffany.

At the Airport,

When I arrived at the airport, I called Sunye to see where she was. It didn’t take me long to spot her though. She was already done with the checking and was about to go through the customs.

“Sunye…” I called her softly…not sure that I wanted her to see me anymore.

Sunye turned around and smiled when she saw me. I tried to put my problems aside and put on a smile.

“I knew you would come” she said with her usual soft voice. “I’m really happy to see again Taeyeon.” Then she noticed my hand. “What happened to you? Are you hurt?” she asked while checking my hand.

When she touched my hand, it made me feel uncomfortable and guilty…like I was doing something wrong. I know I was.

“I’m fine, don’t worry” I put away my hand, breaking our physical contact. Then I changed the conversation. “Is everything okay? Why are you leaving so suddenly?” I asked worried.

She smiled at me again. “Don’t worry, everything is fine. I just wanted to go back and be with my parents…”

“I see”

“Besides…nothing is keeping me here, right?” her question was harsh and made me really uncomfortable…but I guess I deserved it.

“Well, I have to go now…” she said while looking at her watch. “Thanks for coming Taeyeon” she thanked me.

“Have a safe trip Sun…”

I couldn’t finish my sentence because Sunye did something unexpected. She pulled me in for a hug. When I knew what was happening, I didn’t move. I admit that I came to see her because I was angry with Tiffany, but now that Sunye is hugging me, I know this was a mistake.

I stood there and waited for Sunye to release me. I couldn’t push her away, she is my friend after all…and I’ve hurt her enough. When Sunye finally pulled away, she smiled at me. “See you next time Taeyeon. Bye” she said before walking through the customs.

I looked at her walking away while regretting what happened. My thought went back to Tiffany…I shouldn’t have come here…I really shouldn’t have.

Kwon Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I finally took a decision about Jessica. I told her we could be friends for now. Of course I didn’t mean it completely. The only thing I can do is to act like her friend and do my best to not reveal my feelings although she knows them already.

When I got back home earlier, I got scold by Yoona. She learned by my mother that I went to Sica’s place. I let her lecture me before telling her that I have actually listened to her advice. Yoong told me to be strong from now on and stopped acting like Jessica was the only good thing in my life. I hate to admit it but Yoona is right. I’m also starting to feel that I don’t deserve this treatment.

I was ready to go to bed when my cellphone rang. I knew it couldn’t be Jessica, she is probably asleep already. It was Tiffany. I don’t know but I knew something was wrong before I answered her call.

“Alo, Tiffany?”

As soon as she heard my voice, Fany started to speak very fast and by the sound of her voice, I knew she has been crying. I didn’t catch everything that she said but I understood that something went wrong with Taeng.

“Calm down Tiffany…speak slower, I don’t understand” I told her on the phone.

I heard her trying to breath deeply and slowly calming down. Then she spoke again. “Yuri…where is Taeyeon? Have you seen her? Did she call you? I can’t find her Yuri-ah!!!” she panicked again.

“Taeyeon? No…I haven’t heard of her the whole day. What happened? Is something wrong with Taeng?”

“…”

“Fany-ah…if you don’t tell me, I might not be able to help you”

“…I…this is my fault…all of this is my fault…” she was sobbing again.

“Where are you now? I’m coming”

“…Taeyeon…I want you to find Taeyeon…”

“Are you at home? Fany-ah” I felt like talking to a little child.

“…Yes…”

“Stay right there, I’ll be there shortly” I was already on my feet and ready to change clothes.

“…” Fany didn’t say anything and simply hung up the phone.

I quickly get dressed and ran out of my house. I wonder what happened between them…could it be…Taeyeon knows about Fany and Sungmin?

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Yuri’s POV

It was already close to midnight when I arrived to their apartment. I found Tiffany sitting on the couch like a lost girl. Since I met Tiffany, this was the first time that I saw her like this. She was a complete mess. How long has she been crying?

I slowly approached her and kneeled down in front of her. “Tiffany? Hey…are you okay?” I gently shook her arms.

“…”

“Fany-ah…please, tell me what happened. I promise you, I’ll find Taeyeon. Okay?”

“…Yuri…I…I…did something really bad…I shouldn’t have…”

“Is it about you and Sungmin?”

Tiffany became agitated when I mentioned Sungmin’s name. Obviously, Taeng found out about them. “Nothing nothing happened between us!! I didn’t want to go with him but he…he…”

“Fany calm down, just tell me what happened with you and Sungmin today”

“I…I went out with him to a coffee shop after school because…he wanted to talk to me about Taeyeon. I knew…I knew I shouldn’t have but…he was really convincing and it was about Taeng so I…I was really curious…BUT that’s all, we just sat down and talked for a few minutes…nothing else…Yuri! You have to believe me!!” she said as she held my hand, begging me to believe her.

“Of course I believe you.” I reassured her. “Did Taeng get mad because of this?”

“She saw us…and…I lied to her…I…I didn’t know that she saw us…she asked me where I was and I lied…”

“…” I was really getting worried about this matter. I know Taeng better than she

knows herself and being betrayed is probably the worst thing someone can do to her…especially if it’s someone she trusts.

One reason why Taeng is not sociable and never speaks to other people is because she doesn’t trust anyone. She took so much time opening up to Fany so I can understand how hurt and angry she must be now.

“Okay…okay…what about you stay at home and I go search for Taeng?”

“I want to go with you!” she grabbed my arm tightly.

“What if she comes home while we’re away? You better stay here and wait for her, okay?”

“...”

“Don’t worry. If I find her, I’ll explain to her…try to get some sleep if you can…”

With those words, I stood up and made my way out of the apartment. I didn’t feel it was safe to let Fany by herself and if it wasn’t that late already, I would have called Jessica.

Once I got into my car, I tried to call Taeng but she didn’t pick up. Where did she go?

Somewhere in Seoul,

Taeyeon’s POV

I feel ashamed of myself right now…I shouldn’t have gone to the airport to see Sunye, even to say goodbye I shouldn’t have. Now that I have calmed down already, I should go home but I can’t…how am I going to face Tiffany?

After I left the airport, I wandered around the city before coming here. Last time that I was here was with Tiffany, on our first date. We also had our first kiss on that beach. I sat down on the sand and looked at the ocean. It was completely dark but I wasn’t afraid. The soft noise of the waves was relaxing to me.

Now that I think about it, I probably overreacted with Tiffany. She lied to me but I didn’t give her time to explain why she did it and why she was with Sungmin. The thing is…I was so angry and it hurt so much that she could lie to me. Besides Yuri, she is the one I trust the most. I’m still angry at her…but maybe I went too far tonight.

I realized that my cell phone’s battery died as well…I ignored most of Fany’s calls earlier. She is probably really worried at the moment…but I’m not ready to face her yet. We both need time to think about what happened so instead of going at the apartment, I decided to go home.

Kim’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I searched everywhere for Taeng, I even went all the way to that hill she used to go with Sunye…but no one. The worse thing that can happen is her staying outside and sleeping in her car or going to a hotel, there is no way we can find her if she does that. After driving everywhere, I figured out that Taeng might come back home so I went to her house.

I’m lucky that Taeng never forgets to send me the new passwords for the house’s gate and keys since no one living in that house when her parents are away. The maids always come back one day before her parents arrive to clean up. And the passwords are changed every week.

I got inside the house and obviously, Taeng wasn’t there. I didn’t see her car parked and all the lights were turn off. It’s kind of freaky there…the house is so big and no one…I can understand why Taeng doesn’t want to live here alone.

I decided to wait in her room instead of the living room, it’s less scary and in case, I can fall asleep on her bed. Better than the couch. It’s been a while since I went into her room, most of the time; we hang up at my house. When I went in, I immediately noticed some changes. And obviously, Tiffany was the one behind them. The bed sheets, the pillow and the blankets were all pink. I laughed a little at this sight. Also, Taeng put some new pictures frame on her desk, some new pictures of Fany and herself. These two are too cute to be separated.

Why can’t Sica and I be the same? Have some misunderstanding but try to overcome them? I hate being confused and keep on wondering what her feelings are. At least, Fany and Taeyeon know each other feelings and no matter how unsure they are, they know that the other has some sort of feelings for them. But me? Even though she told me before that she has feelings for me, I still no nothing.

I was lost in my thoughts when the door to the room opened. It was Taeyeon. Compare to Tiffany, she looked fine…but then, she wasn’t the one crying all night. Immediately, I noticed her injured hand…I wouldn’t be surprised if she got into a fight or released her anger on a poor wall.

Taeyeon was quite surprised to see me in her room in the middle of the night. Can’t blame her. “I’ve been waiting for you” I said.

She looked at me with that expression, the one where she knows that I know something. That’s probably why she remained quiet, walked to her drawer, and took out new clothes before walking to the bathroom. I figured out myself that she was going to take a shower. A few moments later, Taeng came out changed and with a bandage on her hand.

“I could have done it for you” I said pointing at her injured hand.

Taeng walked to her bed and fell on it. She looked as exhausted as Tiffany. I waited a little for her to speak but she didn’t…so I spoke up first.

“Tiffany called me earlier…” I started.

“You know I’m not in the wrong, right?” she cut me off.

I let out a sigh before explaining to her what I thought. “This is not about who’s right or wrong Taeng. It’s about you two having a misunderstanding and you leaving instead of facing it”

“A misunderstanding? Are you kidding me? She lied to me Yuri!” she raised her voice.

“But instead of asking for a reasonable explanation, you ran away. If you don’t ask her why, you won’t know what really happened and why she lied to you. Not everyone put on a lie because they want to cheat on you. Sometimes, there is a good reason behind it”

“She was with Sungmin…I could have tolerated a lie but not when Sungmin is involved” Taeng sat up on her bed and faced me.

“See? That’s why she was scared to be honest with you. You always have exaggerated reaction when it comes to Sungmin, even when there is nothing you act like it’s a big issue”

“Isn’t it a big issue? Want me to make an example using you, Jessica and Donghae?” she asked me.

“…” I was taken aback by her question. For me, there is no comparison possible between these two love triangles.

“So now don’t tell me it’s not a big issue” she told me.

I tried to not get angry at her ignorance but it was too hard. “You’re an idiot and a crybaby” I said still looking at her.

“Wh..”

“You get upset over the smallest thing because of your insecurity while there is nothing to be insecure about. Helloooo wake up! You got the girl Taeyeon!” I was standing now; my anger kept rising and rising. “You have Tiffany who is crazy in love with you and she always does her best to show you that she loves you. And me? What do I have? I’m in love with a girl who still has feelings for her exboyfriend and who broke up with me because she realized it after we got together. So no Taeyeon, we’re not in the same situation and you can’t compare with me. Try to do so and I’ll kick your ass.” I finished scolding her.

Taeng looked at me like she has finally understood her mistake. She then stood up and walked toward me. I knew what she was thinking about. I was supposed to be listening to Taeng’s thoughts and feelings but instead, I was the one showing my emotions. Before I knew it, Taeyeon was hugging me.

“I’m sorry…I’m such a bad friend Yuri-ah” she said while hugging me.

I don’t know but I felt myself on the verge of crying. It wasn’t supposed to be about me tonight...I shouldn’t get emotional.

“I’m sorry for not being there for you. I was selfish and I’m sorry. You’re my best

friend, my sister and I didn’t support you enough” Taeyeon apologized.

That’s when I started crying…I don’t know why though…I just…I just let it out.

Taeyeon consoled me and told me that everything will be alright. I knew that she herself didn’t know if things will get better but her words still made a difference.

When I felt better, we lain on her bed holding hands and looking at the ceiling, like we used to do when we were young.

“Since when are we getting in trouble because of love?” I asked.

“I don’t know…things were so simple in the past…”

“Do you wish things were like before?”

“Does it mean not knowing Tiffany? You can’t miss something that you don’t have right? So a part of me thinks that it would be alright if I didn’t meet her…”

“And the other part?”

“…The other part likes the person that I have become...and the Taeyeon that you see now wouldn’t have existed if Tiffany wasn’t there…so…I’m gonna deal with the trouble of being in love with someone”

“What about me? Should I wish that Jessica was only a stranger to me?”

“Actually, that’s how I see this…were you truly happy before? Forget all the pain that she unconsciously inflicted on you and only think about her. Which Yuri was the happiest? The one that didn’t know a girl named Jessica or the one that does?”

“…I don’t know anymore...I don’t know which one would be happier. I only know that even though I was smiling constantly around her, deep inside, it was killing me. Of course, there was a time where I was truly happy, where we were both happy together but it didn’t last long.”

“It won’t last forever…your pain…it won’t last forever Yuri. At some point, she will only love you or you will forget about her but you’re not going to suffer forever. I won’t let it happen. I’m not going to let you hold onto something that will hurt you until the end.”

“How did you do with Tiffany? If only I could do the same…”

“Actually, I don’t think I deserve her as much as you deserve Jessica. Compare to you, I didn’t do anything and compare to you, I keep on hurting her…”

“Then do something about it…stop hurting her…stop doubting her feelings for you because Taeyeon, this girl only loves you. And about Sungmin, don’t react like he wants you to. He knows you’re impulsive and he’s going to play with that and you know it.”

“…maybe I should call her” Taeng finally came to her sense and I realized that I completely forget to tell Fany that I found Taeyeon.

“Aish…I should have called her earlier and tell her you were fine. She is waiting for you. Come on call her!!!” I urged her.

“What if she’s sleeping?”

“Believe me, she’s not…hmm…actually, you should go and find her. Don’t leave her alone anymore Taeyeon…she doesn’t deserve that” I said.

“What about you?” she asked looking at me.

“I’m fine…I haven’t given up on Jessica yet so…don’t worry about me” I assured her.

“Thank you” she said before running out of the room.

I didn’t have time to tell her that she was in her pajamas but well, its way too late or too early for someone to see her. After all these emotions, I let myself fall asleep on Taeng’s bed.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I looked at the clock. It was 3AM and still no news of Taeyeon. My body and my eyes were heavy and tired but I didn’t want to fall asleep, in case she comes back. I know I can trust Yuri…she will bring her back or at least find her.

I was sitting on the couch with my cell phone in hand. I have been trying to call Taeyeon every hour even though it seems like she turned her phone off. I really don’t know why we ended up like this. Everything was still perfect this morning.

I was about to call Yuri when the front door opened. Immediately, I stood up and ran to the hallway. My body froze when my eyes met Taeyeon’s. None of us moved at first and I was scared of how she would react next.

“Taeyeon…” I was able to whisper.

She then took a few steps toward me and that’s when I noticed her right hand. Automatically, I grabbed her hand and inspected it. “What happened to you? Does it hurt?” I asked worried.

To my disbelief, Taeyeon put on a reassuring smile. “That’s nothing, don’t worry about it” she said softly.

“Taeyeon I’m so sorry” I apologized with teary eyes again.

She gently patted my head before hugging me. “I should apologize too. I overreacted and didn’t give you the chance to explain”

I hugged Taeng like there was no tomorrow, I didn’t want to let go. Tonight, I realized that I can’t lose her. My worse fear is to see her walking away from me again.

“Tiffany…I can’t breathe…” she said jokingly.

“I don’t care…I won’t let you go…” I said, still hugging her tightly.

We stayed like this for a great amount of time before Taeyeon tried to pull away. “We should go to bed, don’t you think?” she asked me.

I slowly nodded at her proposition. I was really exhausted; it was surprising that I didn’t faint earlier. We both went to bed and Taeyeon hugged me like she always does. Then we talk.

“Aren’t you going to ask me why I was with Sungmin today?” I asked her, unsure of her reaction.

“I wanted to but didn’t know how to start” she admitted

“I didn’t want to lie to you…I really didn’t want to but I was afraid and I…I didn’t want to make things worse between you and Sungmin”

“Did he…did he bother you again?”

“I didn’t expect to see him today. He was waiting for me after school and told me that he needed to talk to me about you. He said it was important so I…I got curious and wanted to know so I went with him”

“You could have told me about this, don’t you think?”

“Taeyeon, I know what you think of him and how you react whenever his name is mentioned…I didn’t want to make it worse. I couldn’t tell you that he wanted to see me only to convince me that we shouldn’t stay together”

“…”

“I’m sorry”

“…Am I that scary? I mean…”

“You’re just impulsive and I don’t know what to do when you lose control”

“So I am scary” she stated herself.

“Taeyeon” I turned around to face her. “I’m not scared of you…I’m only scared of hurting you”

“Don’t be, I deserve it sometimes” she joked.

Taeng gently stroke my face with her injured hand. “How did you get hurt by the way?” I asked her curious.

It was obvious that she didn’t want to tell me truth. “I just hit something because I was angry” she said.

“Something?”

“Nothing that you know so don’t worry” she smiled innocently.

I looked at her suspiciously. “Hmm…can I ask you where you went tonight?”

Taeyeon suddenly looked uneasy, my question startled her. “I was driving around the city then later on, I went to the beach before going home where I met Yuri” she explained.

I felt quite relieved that Sunye’s house wasn’t a part of her excursion tonight. I must say that I was really afraid that she would run into Sunye’s arm after our argument. I’m happy that she didn’t, but there is something that bothers me…I have a strange feeling about this.

“We should skip school tomorrow” Taeng suddenly suggested.

“And why?”

“Because we deserve it and I don’t believe you can wake up tomorrow morning and go to school. Am I right?”

“You got a point there”

“Let’s just skip school and pack our luggage tomorrow”

“What? Huh What?”

“Didn’t I tell you?” she acted surprised.

“Tell me what?”

“We’re going on vacation this Saturday, for 2 weeks!” she announced.

“WHAT? REALLY?”

“It was a surprise and I planned on telling you tomorrow.”

I couldn’t believe it. How is that possible? Just an hour ago, I was still scared that she will never come back and that I have ruined our relationship and now? She is telling me that we are going to spend 2 entire weeks alone? Sometimes, I don’t understand how fast things can change.

We continued to talk about our upcoming vacation, what we were going to do and such until both of us fell asleep. Taeyeon was right; there is no way we would be able to go to school tomorrow.

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

Today is the first day since Yuri and I agreed to be only friends…at least for the time being. I know it isn’t easy for her and that all I’m doing right now is hurting her, but I can’t change it. I’m ashamed at myself for treating Yuri like I did. Up until now, she has done all she could to make me smile and happy. It worked really

well for a while, until he appeared again.

For now, I can’t seem to choose between the two of them. I don’t know where my heart is. Yuri is perfect in every way and I know she would never hurt me, but I can’t seem to forget about Donghae.

This morning, I went to school by myself. Donghae called me and asked if I wanted him to drive me to school but I rejected his offer. The three of us are only friends. Right now, my feelings are confused and I don’t know where I’m heading to so the best I can do is to be fair to both of them.

Luckily, Donghae is in a different school if not that would be extremely hard and awkward for me…and for Yuri. Thinking about Yuri, she looked extremely sleepy this morning. I asked her what happened and she told me she didn’t have enough sleep. She didn’t explain why though.

I also got the feeling that Yuri was different. I don’t know why but it seemed like she has changed. She isn’t talkative and clingy as before. That’s weird when I think about it. I’m so used to the Yuri who keeps on bothering me, especially when we were friends.

Someone who hasn’t changed at all is Gyuri. This girl has no pride at all. She is continuously bothering Yuri and doesn’t back off even when Yul tells her to. Oddly enough, today Yuri seemed to go easy on her. She didn’t make an annoyed face or scolded her at all. I thought she was ignoring her completely but I saw them talking happily for a short period of time during class.

At some point, I even heard Gyuri asking Yuri out, but unfortunately, I didn’t hear Yuri’s response. After school, I was walking with Yuri when Gyuri came in between us.

“Yuri-ah, wanna hang out now?” she asked while grabbing Yuri’s hand.

I couldn’t help but get angry. But what made me even angrier was Yuri’s reaction. She didn’t push Gyuri away or tell her to leave. She acted like nothing was wrong with this girl holding onto her.

“I’m sorry Gyuri but I have other plans” Yuri nicely rejected the invitation.

Of course, this thick face girl had couldn’t give up. “Then tomorrow? Are you free tomorrow?”

“I…”

Yuri’s failure at rejecting the girl got to me. “No she isn’t free tomorrow!” I said while grabbing Yul’s free hand. “Let’s go Yul” I was going to drag her away but Gyuri didn’t let go of Yuri’s other hand.

“Who do you think you are?” Gyuri asked me. “Yuri is not your propriety anymore. You guys broke up”

I felt my blood boiling up. Although it is true, I just hate the fact that she said it.

“Hmmm girls…” Yuri tried to calm us down but her attempt was too weak.

“We broke up but we’re still friends which is not your case so let her go!” I fought back.

“NO” she screamed.

Yuri was only standing there and that got me even angrier. “Why don’t you do something?” I scolded her before leaving.

Luckily for her, Yuri ran after me. I was ready to kill her if she chose Gyuri over me.

“Wait Jessica” she caught up with me.

“What?”

“Why are you so angry?” she asked me.

Yeah…why am I so angry? I don’t care about Gyuri and we’re only friends with Yuri…she can hang out with whoever she wants to.

“I don’t like her” I simply said.

“Yeah she isn’t really normal but I don’t think she’s a bad girl”

“That’s what you think”

“Well she is better than…” she didn’t finish her sentence. I felt that she stopped herself before saying his name.

This little incident changed the atmosphere once again. I forgot about my anger and we were both uncomfortable again.

“Do you want me to drive you home? Or we can go eat something?” she proposed.

I was going to reject her offer when I saw Gyuri looking at us. This girl is really creepy. There is no way I was going to let Yul alone with her.

“Yeah let’s go eat something, I’m quite angry.” I said while grabbing her arm and walking away.

I know it’s childish but I couldn’t help myself from looking right at Gyuri when I left with Yuri. Just to let her know that…even though we’re broken up now, I wasn’t going to let her have Yuri.

Saturday morning at Incheon Airport,

Tiffany’s POV

I can’t believe it. Taengoo and I are going to Greece together. And for 2 weeks!!!! It feels like we’re going on a honeymoon…that is so perfect. What a nice way to move on from our little fight the other day.

Of course, we had the same problem as last time, when we went to Bali. I packed 4 suitcases last night and Taeng forced me to unpack each of them and to only take clothes that I really need.

At first, I was whining at her for not letting me take more clothes than I wanted but then, it became fun. In order to choose which clothe I’ll bring with me; I tried them on and model in front of Taeng. The first hour was funny, Taeng played the game and actually gave me good critics…but then she got bored and was nodding at everything.

We arrived at the airport quite early because I was afraid we might miss the plane. We went to check in our suitcases and were about to go through the first security check when Taeng needed to go the restroom. So I waited for her.

After Taeng told me we were going to Greece, I bought myself a guide book. While waiting for Taeng to return, I looked at the pictures from the book. Everything looked so nice. I didn’t have any trouble picturing us walking in the beautiful city, hand in hand. I was completely focused on the picture that I didn’t notice that someone was standing in front of me.

“Hi Tiffany”

I looked up and saw the last person I wanted to see…Sungmin. What is he doing here? No…how did he know we were here?

“Sungmin…what…why are you here?” I asked him confused.

“I have something to tell you”

“You kidding right? If Taeng sees you here…” I warned him while looking around me, making sure Taeng wasn’t coming back now.

“Believe me…I’m the last thing you should worry about…” he said with confidence. I don’t know how he does that but…he always succeeds to make me curious.

Every time, I know I should tell him to leave but nonetheless, I always end up asking him more. “…What do you mean?”

“Do you remember when I said you should be careful with Taeng? That she is going to hurt you?”

“Don’t start again please…This is…” I started to say when he held out a magazine to me.

“What…” the cover immediately caught my attention. The girls on the cover were strangely familiar. I took the magazine from him and took a closer look.

“This is a gossip magazine and you’re looking at the next issue…to be release on Monday”

On the cover, there were 2 girls…hugging in an airport…the picture wasn’t even blurry…it was crystal clear. I could totally see her face…her baby face…

“Did…did Taeyeon tell you she went to the airport that night?” Sungmin’s voice was distant to me now.

It was like…the sky fell on me. I stared at the pictures, wishing the face that I was looking at will change its features and become someone else. Someone that I didn’t know…someone that I wasn’t in loves with…someone that didn’t lie to me…

How could she do that…Taeyeon…why?

Taeyeon’s POV

When I walked back to where Fany was waiting, I saw someone standing in front of her. Even though this person was not facing me, I immediately knew who it was. What the hell is he doing here?

I walked to them with heavy steps, ready to kick him out of the airport as quickly as possible. As I approached, I noticed that Tiffany was holding a magazine and her expression wasn’t bright anymore. I have a bad feeling about this…

“What the hell are you doing here Sungmin?” I asked when I got in between them.

I looked angrily at him, waiting for an answer when Tiffany spoke up. The tone in her voice…her question…I knew that my mistake caught up with me.

“Taeyeon…where were you that night…after our argument?” her voice was soft but strong at the same time.

My body froze and I felt my forehead getting sweaty. My heartbeat went faster and my throat was dry. I slowly turned around to face Tiffany. She was looking at the magazine’s cover but soon enough, her eyes were on me.

Her teary eyes were looking straight at me, waiting for an answer. I knew then, that no matter what I say...she was already hurt.

“T…Tiffany…”

Chapter 22C - What Have I Done?

Incheon Airport,

Taeyeon’s POV

“Taeyeon…where were you that night…after our argument?” her voice was soft but strong at the same time.

My body froze and I felt my forehead getting sweaty. My heartbeat went faster and my throat was dry. I slowly turned around to face Tiffany. She was looking at the

magazine’s cover but soon enough, her eyes were on me.

Her teary eyes were looking straight at me, waiting for an answer. I knew then, that no matter what I say, she was already hurt.

“T…Tiffany…” That was all I could say.

“I can’t believe you” she said while throwing the magazine at me. Then she left.

“Wait Tiffany!” I grabbed her hand.

She stopped and looked straight at me. Her teary eyes broke my heart and instantly, I released her hand.

“Leave me alone” she said before running out of the airport.

I stood there in shock until I realized that Sungmin was running after her…so I chased him. When I got outside, there was no Tiffany or Sungmin. That’s when my imagination went wild. They were probably together.

He set up everything and I screwed up big time. Before trying to find Tiffany, I proceeded to call Yuri and explained the whole situation to her.

Tiffany’s POV

What’s going on? Why everything is a nightmare all over again? I couldn’t believe

what I saw on this cover magazine but it was real. Taeyeon was at the airport with Sunye, and they were hugging each other. It was real, it happened and she lied to me. How could she? After what happened between us, after what I did and the consequences…how could she?

I ran away from Taeyeon. I didn’t know how to face this…so I ran. I jumped on the first taxi that I saw and told him to drive away quickly. I can’t come back to the apartment because that’s the first place that Taeng will check…then she will call Jessica.

I knew Taeyeon will probably search there as well but I still decided to call Yuri. Her house is big so she can probably hide me there. On the phone, I only told Yuri that I needed a place to stay and she couldn’t tell Taeyeon.

The whole ride to Yuri’s house was confusing for me. I kept wondering again and again why Taeng was at the airport with Sunye but I couldn’t find any valuable reason. I found myself more angry than sad. The picture of Taeng and Sunye sure broke my heart but the fact that she lied to me hurt more than seeing her with Sunye. I surprised myself when I realized that my tears were dry. I didn’t cry as much as I expected to.

Soon, I reached Yuri’s house. I was surprised to see her waiting for me outside the house. She was probably afraid I’ll be a complete mess like last time.

When Yuri saw me, she immediately ran to me and checked if I was fine, before we went inside. I was also surprised to see Seohyun there, with Yoona. Both of them followed us in Yuri’s room. Then I told them what happened.

Surprisingly, Yuri told me that she knew already. Taeyeon called her before I did and explained it to her. She then explained to me what Taeng was doing at the airport, that she was saying goodbye to Sunye who went back to the US.

Did it make me feel better? Probably, but just a little bit. It doesn’t change the fact that she lied and that’s what makes me angry.

I made Yuri promised to not tell Taeng I was at her house and she kept her promise. But after Taeng called her for the hundredth time, Yuri felt guilty for hiding me.

“She is worried Tiffany and she’s been looking for you the whole day…Please, let me tell her you’re here.”

“I don’t want to see her today”

“I’ll just tell her that you are here and I’ll tell her to not come. She won’t stop searching until she knows you’re safe”

Then I started to feel bad as well. I remembered how worried I was when Taeng ran away.

“Fine but tell her I don’t want to see her tonight”

“Sure. Thanks”

Taeyeon’s POV

I’ve been driving around the city the whole day and still no sight of Fany. I went back to her old apartment as well but nothing. I looked for her everywhere while trying to reach her cell phone. I knew she wouldn’t pick up but I had to try.

I was still driving around when I got a phone call from Yuri. She was bringing some good news. Fany was at her house.

“I’m coming now” I told Yuri on the phone.

“Wait…Tae...” she started to say something but I hung up first.

I immediately drove to their house, full of hope. I have to solve this issue with Fany. Nothing is going to ruin our vacation together.

I arrived to the house pretty fast. I might get some speeding tickets by next week as well. I ran into the house and upstairs, to Yuri’s room. I literally busted into the room.

I was welcomed by Yuri, Yoona and Seohyun…but still no Fany.

“Where is she?” I asked them while catching my breath.

“You shouldn’t have come” Yuri told me.

“Just tell me where she is…”

“She doesn’t want to see you for now…”

“YURI!” I raised my voice.

“Unnie…you did something bad” Seohyun said when I started to get angry at them for hiding Tiffany.

Even my little cousin is scolding me. “…I’m sorry…” I apologized to them.

“Come take a seat” Yul pointed to the spot next to her.

I went and sat on the couch, between Yul and Seohyun. Everything is my fault; I shouldn’t be blaming my family for my mistake.

“How can I fix this Yuri?” I asked.

“Maybe you should give Fany some time…she’s still pretty upset you know”

“I know…I know how she is feeling right now…”

“You shouldn’t have lie Taeng. You knew too well what happened after Fany lied to you but you did the same”

“I know…It’s just…I…I couldn’t tell her I went to see Sunye…not after being angry at her for being with Sungmin…”

“But lying Taeng…” Yuri let out a sigh, disappointed at my behavior.

“What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t tell her I went to see Sunye and got a hug from her…that’s…”

“You went because Sunye was, is a friend of yours. You sent her off as a friend Taeng. There is nothing wrong with that” Yuri stated.

I kind of knew about that…I mean…I also thought that this wasn’t wrong but…it happened at a wrong time. Tiffany would have thought that I ran away from her and went directly to Sunye, which was what I did…technically.

“I just can’t believe it…how things turn out this way…”

“Come on Taeng. I’m sure it’s going to be okay. She just need some time, like you did. Once she calms down, you guys can talk”

I let out a sigh. “I guess you want me to leave?”

“Go get some sleep Taeng. I’ll take care of her. I promise”

I hesitated for a while before giving up. “Fine, I’ll leave. Just…just tell her that I’ll be at the apartment…in case she wants to talk” I said before leaving.

I really wanted to see Tiffany but Yuri was right, she needs to be alone. I guess that as long as she is far away from Sungmin, I shouldn’t complain. Speaking of

Sungmin, I think it’s about time that I have a serious talk with him.

Tiffany’s POV

Taeng left. Yuri told me she was coming here and I didn’t want to see her. I didn’t want to talk to her or hear her explanation so I was more than happy when Yuri told me she left. A part of me wanted to see her and tell her that I forgive her, that I don’t care about anything as long as we’re together. But…it hurt so much.

Everyone is going to read this stupid magazine and everyone will conclude that they are together and everyone at our school will gossip about this. I shouldn’t care about what other people think but I can’t. When it comes to Taeyeon, I don’t want people to misunderstand. She is with me and only me.

Once I knew Taeng was gone, I went back to Yuri’s room.

“I’m sorry Fany. I tried to tell her she shouldn’t come but I couldn’t” Yuri explained to me once I was back in the room.

“That’s not your fault Yuri” I reassured her.

“Tiffany unnie, are you still angry?” Seohyun asked me innocently.

I paused before answering her. “Only a little bit Seohyun” I smiled.

“Taeyeon unnie was really sorry. She was in a bad shape”

I laughed at maknae’s innocence. “Well, I hope she was”

“So what are you going to do?” Yuri asked me.

“Well, I don’t want to forgive her yet, that would be too easy so I’ll just let her think over it for the night.”

“Wait, does that mean…you already forgave her?”

“I thought about what happened. She shouldn’t have lied to me and I’m angry because she did, but I know that what she did with Sunye wasn’t a bad thing. Like you told me earlier, they were friends after all. I admit that it hurt me a lot when I saw this picture of them and that’s why I reacted the way I did. So…yeah, I forgave her already but I just don’t want her to know yet.”

Yuri gave me a weird look. “You just want her to suffer a little bit, don’t you?” she asked with a smile.

“Don’t you think she deserves it?” I asked back.

“Both of you deserve a lesson. I guess you got yours already so it’s her turn now. Just…don’t be too harsh with her. It’s vacation after all.”

“I know I know” I reassured her again. “Besides, you really don’t mind if I stay here tonight?”

“I promised Taeng I’ll take care of you, so you better stay here” she smiled before turning her attention to the two maknaes in the room. “Ok kids. You two better go sleep as well” she told them.

“We’re officially on vacation” Yoona said.

“That’s not an excuse and if remember correctly, you two have to wake up early tomorrow.”

“Where are you two going?” I asked.

“Our parents gave us permission to go on vacation together for a week.” Yoona said proudly.

“Oh really?? And where?”

“JAPAN! Keroro home country!!” Seohyun exclaimed.

“Japan?” I asked in shock.

“Yeah it’s not too far from here so they got permission”

“Right, not too far…”

“Anyway, you have a plane tomorrow morning, so go to bed now!”

“N.O.W Now!” Yoona said before grabbing Seohyun’s hand and leaving the room.

“Goodnight unnies!” Seohyun could barely tell us before she was dragged away.

“These two are doing extremely well, don’t you think so?” I asked Yuri.

“You bet. They’re still kids but they’re doing way better than us” Yuri sighed. “Their couple is only progressing and getting stronger while we’re all going downhill…”

With what happened these past days, I completely forgot about Yuri and Sica’s situation. When I think about it, I feel guilty…for not caring about their relationship since they’re my best friends. I don’t know if I could have been of any help but still…I should have paid more attention to both of them.

“I haven’t asked you yet, how are you doing? Are things getting better with Sica?”

“Well, we’re still friends…”

“And you’re doing okay with that?”

“Actually…I’m testing a new strategy…”

“And??” I was impatient to know what kind of crazy idea our Yuri came up with.

“I’m going to ignore her”

I couldn’t stop myself from laughing at her. It wasn’t funny but just unbelievable.

“What?”

“Sorry but you ignoring Jessica is just…you’re crazy about her. How are you going to do that?”

“I’m not going to ignore her completely. The thing is…I don’t want to beg her anymore”

“I understand”

I remember how difficult it was, not knowing how Taeyeon was feeling. It should be harder for Yuri, not knowing Jessica’s feelings about her and about Donghae.

“Yeah I don’t know if that’s gonna change anything between us but I have to try”

“I’ve never asked you that but…” I didn’t know if I should ask her about that.

“Go ahead Tiffany”

“What if Jessica goes back to Donghae? Are you going to give up on her?”

“I know I should if that happens but…it seems like I’m crazy enough to wait for her” she said with a smile. A sad smile.

“I wish I could help you. I wish I could tell you that she would never do that but I can’t”

“There is something that you can do though…” she started.

I knew exactly what she was going to ask me. Actually, I’m impressed at how she controlled her curiosity. She asked a couple of questions at the beginning but she has never insisted. It’s quite amazing how much she can endure for Jessica. I hope everything will be alright for them.

“I guess it’s about time I answer some of your questions. But I’m not going to tell you the whole story because I have no right to do so.”

“That would be a good start” she smiled satisfied.

“So where do you want me to start?” I asked.

Yuri suddenly turned serious. “Why him?” I didn’t expect this particular question from her. “I’m not friend with Donghae but I know he’s not a good guy and no matter how I tried to understand her, I can’t. There is nothing good in this guy. NOTHING!”

“Yuri…” I let her calm down before trying to find an answer. “You know, our Jessica wasn’t so cold before. Truthfully, she was more naïve and innocent than me. Hard to believe huh?”

“Kind of…”

“Jessica was a dreamy girl. She really believed in the perfect love story and

unfortunately, her first love story was Donghae. Sophomore year in high school, she ended up in the same class as him. You won’t believe it but he was the perfect guy. Whenever we talked on the phone or when we met, she would always always talk about him. How he was so sweet and treated her so well. She wanted a perfect love story and he was the perfect guy.”

“So she fell in love with him…” Yuri whispered.

“He really was the perfect guy; good-looking, rich and funny and knew how to treat her. It was too perfect to be true but she believed it. Who wouldn’t?”

“What about the engagement?”

“This one was rather crazy. About 5 or 6 months after they started dating, he suddenly proposed to her…”

“And she accepted…” she cut me off.

“She was living in a dream and was completely blind by her love for Donghae. I know, it was stupid and crazy of her to accept his proposal but she did.”

“Wait, what about her parents? Did they let her?”

“At first, she didn’t tell any of them. She told them the ring was a simple present from Donghae and since he’s rich, her parents didn’t think much of it”

“The ring…” she whispered again.

“Yeah…the same ring that she saw in Bali…”

“That’s why she was so sad when she saw it. It reminds her of him…”

“They didn’t stay engaged for long though. It lasted what…2 weeks before the beautiful and perfect love story ended. I don’t need to tell you how Jessica was after that. She stopped going to school regularly before changing school for this senior year”

“What happened?”

“...I guess for the last part of the story, you should wait until Jessica is ready to tell you. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. But still, no matter what happened, she shouldn’t…she couldn’t have feelings for him anymore.”

“I don’t know what’s going on with them. I don’t know if she is seeing or talking to him again but it seems like she is confused about her feelings. He hurt her, he broke her heart but he was her first love. I guess that means something.”

“It’s like…a race and I’ll always be behind” she stated sadly.

“She will eventually wake up and realize that a perfect love story doesn’t exist. On the other hand, she will understand that she can have a beautiful love story with you. Sooner or later, she will know Yuri…that you’re the one.”

Yuri laughed a little bit. “If only…”

“Come on, we should go to bed as well” I told her before getting off of the couch.

“WE should go to bed?” she asked in horror.

I rolled my eyes. “WE should go to bed. DIFFERENT bed!”

“Oh right” she laughed.

“How do you do that?”

“Do what?”

“I mean…2 minutes ago you were so sad, and now you’re making stupid jokes”

“I have to. That’s my medicine against depression and anger” she said while giving me a smile.

I gave Yuri a hug before leaving the room. It’s not appropriate but Yuri and Jessica’s situation makes me realize how lucky I am. It is not easy to understand Taeyeon sometimes and even though I still have my insecurities, especially when it comes to her past with Sunye, I know she cares about me and I know her feelings are real.

When I think about her lie, it still makes me angry because she should know better

that lying wasn’t the right solution. But I know why she did it. She was afraid of my reaction and wanted to protect me like I wanted to protect her. At the end of the day, we both thought the same way and made a mistake.

It’s hard to believe that like Taeyeon, I overreacted and lost control of my emotion at the airport…ruining our vacations. The only thing that I’m still confused about is…Sungmin. How did he know we would be at the airport? And this picture…since when does Taeyeon appear on gossip magazine? That doesn’t make any sense.

Coffee Shop,

Taeyeon’s POV

I wanted to talk to Sungmin as soon as possible yesterday but since it was way too late, I had to wait until today. As soon as I woke up, I called Sungmin and told him I wanted to meet him. I was surprised that he accepted though. I thought he would leave the country as well, knowing that I might kill him if I see him again.

We were to meet in a coffee shop. I’m kind of creepy so I told him to meet me where I spotted him and Tiffany earlier this week. It was quite hard to control myself when I saw him stepped into the coffee shop. How different looking he is now compared to the first day I met him. The tall and gentleman is now replaced with an arrogant and manipulative man. I wonder if Sunye knows about her brother’s creepiness.

Sungmin sat down in front of me. He had a neutral face but I knew that he wanted to smile.

“Sungmin”

“Morning Taeyeon, how can I help you today? Is it about our project?” he asked me.

“What do you want Sungmin?”

“I don’t understand”

“Why are you so stubborn? Tiffany doesn’t like you. Do you want her to tell the whole world that she doesn’t have any feeling for you?”

“Tiffany doesn’t know yet…”

“What are you talking about? The girl doesn’t give a damn about you! Move on!”

“She thinks you a good girl Taeyeon, but I know better. I’ll make her understand and she will realize that you are no good.”

“If you’re trying to break us apart, that won’t work.”

“Really? Are you back together?”

“…”

“See. This is the first step before she fully realizes that I’m the one for her”

“Okay, I tried to stay civilize and handle this matter calmly but since you’re not really cooperating with me…”

“What?” he cut me off. “Are you going to threaten me? Or are you going to wait until night come and then beat me up?” he then smiled, like he wanted to defy me.

“I don’t think you’re worth it”

He laughed at my response. “Really? You mean you are not going to use violence against me? I thought that’s how you usually solve your problems”

“Shut up”

“Oooh our Taeyeon is getting angry…”

I smiled before whispering, loud enough for him to hear my words. “I’m telling you Sungmin. Don’t bother Tiffany anymore. That’s my last warning. I’m not going to beat you up but I can do worse than that and you know it. I have more powers than you can ever dream of.”

“Yeah…hmmm…talking about that, I have something that might interest you. I didn’t plan on showing them to you but since you called me, I thought I should bring them with me.”

Before I could say anything, he took out an envelope and put it on the table. “Please, take a look” he told me.

At first, I thought it was more pictures of that night at the airport…but it wasn’t.

“Do you remember that night? I mean, do you remember what exactly happened before you get to the airport?”

I looked at the pictures. Everything…the car accident, the fight, the run…how did he?

“You’re just looking at some pictures; the video recording is way more…interesting to watch.”

“Are you blackmailing me?”

“Noooo, I wouldn’t dare. I mean, you’re Kim Tae Yeon after all”

“Anyway, your pictures are really well done I must say but I don’t see your point.” I tried to remain calm. There is no way that I will show him my weaknesses.

“I’m worried about you Taeyeon…or more about your parents and the company”

“What do you mean?”

“You always get away with everything that you do. People consider you as a genius and a perfect girl but I know better. You’re only a spoiled little kid who

can’t control her temper and these pictures and the video that I have is the best proof.”

“So what? Are you going to tell your amazing story to some gossip magazine like you did last time?

“Tell me that you don’t care if I do”

“…”

“I knew it. What would happen if the world sees this side of Kim Tae Yeon. The perfect heiress is only some delinquent who causes car crash and beat random people before running away. What would happen to the company’s image? I doubt that anyone can clean this mess after you this time. And I haven’t talked about the police yet.”

“If you want to play this game then I will play it with you. But you do know that I’m not going to fall alone, don’t you?”

“Of course, it’s just…I also know that you have more to lose than I do. After all, who am I compared to you Taeyeon?”

“Fine, you wanna play this game? I’ll let you make the first move. Bring it on Sungmin. I’ll be waiting for you” I said before paying the note and leaving the coffee shop.

Am I scared? Yes. That night, I knew I crossed the limit, and that someday, I’d

have to face the consequences. But it seems like that day is coming sooner than I have planned.

Kwon Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I had a very unpleasant surprise this morning…in a form of a phone call. It was 7 in the morning when Park Gyuri called me. How she got my number is still a mystery. She asked me to meet her later this afternoon but I rejected her. Though I know she isn’t a bad girl, I just have no interest in her at all. And acting like I don’t mind her in front of Jessica is exhausting as hell.

But her call woke me up on time for Yoona and Seohyun’s departure to the airport. Tiffany and I preferred to stay at home. She promised me that if Taeng calls today then she will talk to her.

When we were having breakfast, I told Tiffany about the morning call I got.

“Wow she even got your numbers?” Fany was shocked as well.

“Yeah I know, creepy”

“Why are all the creepy people after us? Sungmin then Gyuri”

I laughed at her remark. “See the positive side, they’re people who like us”

“Lucky us” “Anyway, what should I do?” “Huh…I thought you said no already” “Yeah but then…” “No Yuri, whatever it is, bad idea” “It’s vacation and it doesn’t seem like I’m gonna see Jessica often. I just want her attention” “Not by using Gyuri” “I’m not going to use her! She is a nice girl.” “You just said she was creepy” “Whatever help me!” “With what?” “Okay, I’m not going to use Gyuri BUT I’ll act like I did”

“That makes no sense” “Just make sure Jessica thinks I went out with Gyuri. Can you do that?” “I think that’s a bad idea” “I want to know how she would react if I do that. I mean, if she is jealous then it means she cares, right?” “I suppose” “Then tell her” “How?” “I don’t know. Try to add that little information in one of your conversation with her. PLEASE” I begged her. Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Fine, I’ll help you” “Here I give you my pancake as a reward” “Wow that’s too nice of you” “Okay do it now”

“What?” “Call her now!” I exclaimed. “Are you crazy?” “Why?” “I’m not going to tell her about a date that you’re supposed to go on this afternoon AND so early in the morning. She is still sleeping and I’m not going to wake her up for that” She got a point. I know how angry and sensitive Jessica is in the morning, especially if someone wakes her up. “Then when will you tell her?” “I don’t know…in a few days I suppose” “You’re going to forget” “I won’t. Promise” “Fine. Don’t forget to make it seems like there is something going on.”

“You’re going to regret this. I tell you. Bad idea, bad idea” That was probably a bad idea but at this point, I couldn’t care less. “Anyway, what are we doing today? Wanna call Taeyeon?” “I said I was ready to forgive her but there is no way I’m gonna make the first move” “Okay. Want me to call her?” “No thanks. Besides, what’s wrong with you this morning?” “Aish…I’m bored. Yoona and Seohyun went on vacation and we’re stuck there with our stupid problems. It’s so boring.” “Well, we can go out” “And where?” “I don’t know. Let’s just drive around” “Fun”

“Better idea?” Tiffany was probably exasperated now since I couldn’t stop complaining. “Let’s go” We took my car and went out. With no particular destination in mind, I drove around the city until one of us got hungry. The whole day was just the two of us driving around the city and talking about anything. That might sound simple and boring but it wasn’t. I quite enjoyed it actually. I love when Tiffany is happy and cheerful. She was in such a good mood that she insisted to cook for dinner. Taeng hasn’t call yet so until then, we agreed that Fany will stay at my house. “What’s that?” “Soup” “Tiffany, no offence but this is…” “What? I did exactly like your mom taught me” “You sure? Because I don’t remember any of my mom’s soup looking like this” “Well this is mine so it has to look a little bit different. Try it!”

“I prefer not” “Yuri!” I was going to take a sip when the phone rang. I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy hearing the phone ring. I rushed to pick up the phone, running away from this horrible looking soup that Tiffany cooked. This might be the only thing that I don’t envy Taeng. Tiffany’s cooking skill is just…scary. “Alo?” I answered the call. “Hey it’s me. Can I talk to Fany?” “Thank you soooooooo much for calling Taeng!” I whispered, not wanting Fany to hear. “Huh?” Of course, Taengoo was a little bit surprised. “Nothing. Wait, I’ll get you Tiffany” I told her before walking back to where Fany was sitting. “Who is it?” she asked me when I gave her the phone. “You know it”

“I’ll go in the living room BUT when I come back, that bowl better be empty” she said, talking about her soup. “Of course” Tiffany left the kitchen and as soon as she stepped out, I threw away the soup.

Kwon Residence, Living Room, Tiffany’s POV I don’t know but I felt nervous when Yuri gave me the phone. I have forgiven Taeyeon but the thought of talking to her made me really nervous. “Alo?” “Tiffany…” she whispered. “Hi…” I didn’t know how to start the conversation. Should I let her talk or tell her right away that I’m fine? “I’m glad you agreed to listen to me”

“I’m listening Taeyeon” There was a short silence before she started speaking. “I…I know I hurt you, badly, but believe me, nothing happened between Sunye and I. Nothing” “Then why did you lie?” I asked her. “B-because I couldn’t tell you…how could I tell you that after our argument, I went to see Sunye? You would have taken it the wrong way…” I cut her off. “So lying was the solution? Taeng, you saw what happened to us when I lied” “I know but everything was so perfect. I didn’t want to ruin the moment.” “You still lied…do you know how I felt when I saw this picture?” “I’m so sorry Tiffany” “We were going on vacation. I was so happy Taeyeon” “It’s not too late…we can still go on vacation…” “I don’t know Taeyeon”

I wanted to say yes. I wanted us to forgive about all that and go on vacation like planned, but I didn’t tell her that. It’s childish, definitely childish of me to let her believe that she wasn’t forgiven yet. I just…I just wanted to let her fight for me a little more. “What can I do? How can I regain your trust? Or prove to you that with Sunye it is really over?” “Taeyeon…” “Listen, our trip to Greece is still available and I want us to go there together” “I’m not sure I want to go with you” “I…I’m going to wait for you, tomorrow at the airport. I’m going to wait” “What are you talking about?” “Yeah it’s a bit cliché and dramatic but I’m not going to leave until you come. Take it as a proof that you’re the only one. I changed the plane tickets and if you don’t come tomorrow, then I’ll change it again and again until you come and we board that plane together.” “Don’t be crazy Taeng”

“The plane is at 1pm at Incheon airport. I’ll be there until you come. Bye” she said before hanging up. What happened? I don’t believe she will do that…she won’t really do that. I went back to the kitchen and told Yuri about my conversation with Taeng. While I didn’t believe Taeng would really do that, Yuri did. “She’s going to wait until you come Fany so think about it. If you have already forgiven her then please go” she told me. That night, I couldn’t fall asleep. The decision should be so easy to take. I should just go with her but it seems that a part of me is still holding back. I have forgiven her but this lie is haunting me. I was starting to believe she would never hurt me again but this happened. Now, I don’t know anymore…

Next morning at Incheon Airport, Taeyeon’s POV I couldn’t sleep all night. Now that I think about it, I haven’t fully slept this week…since my first argument with Tiffany. Issue after issue, it seems that we

were cursed this week. I didn’t have to pack anything since I told the airport to keep our luggage for us. Besides, I don’t know if Fany is going to show up or not…I will go at the airport, bringing my passport and wait for her. Needless to say, driving to the airport is lonely and nerve-wracking. I didn’t put on any music so the silence is dreadful. I’m wondering what Tiffany might be doing…like in those drama where the scenes are overlapping each other, I’m driving and at the same time, there is Fany who is getting ready to join me at the airport. I wish that’s what she is doing right now. I wanted to call Yuri this morning but…I don’t think she can tell me anything so I didn’t bother her. I feel relieved that Fany stayed at their home…they can keep an eye on her…and at least, I know she didn’t run in Sungmin arms. At the airport, I parked my car and walked inside. When I walked to my spot, I naturally looked around but I knew I wouldn’t see her. So here I am, standing in the middle of the airport, waiting for Tiffany to show up. Being there alone make me wonder…How did I get there? I haven’t counted the days but it’s been around 6 months since we’ve met each other. From total strangers to lovers…who could have predicted that? Not me. I was Kim Tae Yeon, the independent and strong Taeyeon, the one who didn’t shed a tear when her parents left…and now? I’m ready to stay in this airport for day and night waiting for a girl to come…just because…just because I can’t live

without her. Please Tiffany, give me another chance…

Chapter 23 - A New Hope

Incheon airport,

Taeyeon’s POV

Like I told Tiffany, I’d be waiting for her at the airport until she comes. And here I am, standing there and waiting for her. I told her to come before 1pm and it is already 11am…only 2 hours before it’s too late to board the plane. I came quite early today; I was already there at 9 in the morning. Of course, I knew she wouldn’t come this early, if she was to come but I wanted to be there, just in case.

Honestly, my mind wasn’t only thinking about Tiffany…I was also thinking about Sungmin. I’m not scared of him but I’m scared of the consequences. Soon, I’ll have to pay for my mistakes. When that day comes, I hope Fany will be by my side. I can’t win without her.

12pm…no Tiffany. I knew that if she doesn’t arrive on time then she won’t come at all. I’ve been standing for hours now and I admit that I’m tired. When I was starting to lose hope, I saw Tiffany. I haven’t seen her for a day only and I forgot how beautiful she was. Unfortunately, by looking at her demeanor, I didn’t know if I should be happy or not. Did she come just to break up with me? She wouldn’t do that right?

Every step that made her closer to me made me more nervous. I was scared that it might be the end. Tiffany was walking slowly and her face didn’t show any emotion at all. That was confusing and irritating not being able to guess what she was thinking or how she was feeling. Now I understand how Fany feels when I put on a blank face.

I took a deep breath when she stopped right in front of me. “Tiffany, I’m happy to see you” I said. Immediately, I thought my words were lame but I didn’t know what else to say.

Her face remained serious until she finally spoke. “First, let’s be clear about something” she started. “I’m going with you to Greece BUT it doesn’t mean that I’m not angry anymore”

For no reason, I couldn’t help but smile. “Okay and I’m still happy that you’re here”

“I’m serious Taeyeon, I’m still angry at you for lying to me!” she said but once again, I couldn’t help but smile.

“I know and I totally understand”

“So why are you smiling?” she said irritated.

“I’m just happy to see you again. I missed you” I said sincerely.

Tiffany didn’t smile but I knew she wanted to. She was just acting cold and weirdly, I found it amusing.

“Whatever. What about our luggage?” she asked me.

“Don’t worry about it. Do you have your passport?”

“Of course, so are we going?” she asked in an impatient voice.

The situation wasn’t funny but I couldn’t erase the smile on my face. I knew she was still angry but the fact that she acted cold was kinda cute.

We were walking to our gate when I tried to take her hand…and I totally didn’t expect her to reject me.

“What are you doing?” she asked.

“I…”

“I’m serious Taeng, still angry!”

“Fine”

“So no hand-holding”

“No hand-holding”

“And no hug” she added.

“No hug” I repeated with a smile.

Then we sat down and looked at the plane we were going to take soon. None of us talked but it felt nice…having her by my side.

Kwon Residence,

Yuri’s POV

Yesterday morning, I got a phone call from Gyuri. Needless to say, it was not only a surprise but also a nightmare. Up until now, I was able to keep her away from me, especially outside of school. But it seems like this girl is getting closer and closer to me.

And this morning, I had another surprise. I didn’t know it was possible to have a nightmare when you were awake…but I had one.

“AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” I screamed and jumped off my bed.

“Wh…what the hell are you doing here?” I looked at the girl sitting on the floor, beside my bed and who was watching me sleeping.

“I came to visit you of course!”

“How did you get in???”

“Your mom let me in”

Of course, she was Park Gyuri, my worst nightmare.

“Get out of my room NOW” I shouted at her.

“But Yuri, I just wanted to see you since its vacation” she pled while getting closer to me.

At the same moment, my mom got in the room. “What’s going on here? Why are you shouting Yuri?” she asked me.

“Why did you let her in?”

“Isn’t she your friend?”

“No she’s just a classmate”

“Kwon Yuri don’t be rude and treat your friend properly” she scolded me. “Here Gyuri, I brought you a cold drink” my mom offered her a drink.

“Thank you auntie”

My mother left us alone in the room. Gyuri was already getting herself comfortable at my place, she sat down on the couch and drank her soda. I tried to remain calm while looking at her.

“I’m going to change clothes so just stay there…and don’t touch anything in this room” I said before disappearing in the bathroom.

I took a cold very cold shower and prayed that once I got out of the bathroom, Gyuri will be gone. It was only wishful thinking though. When I got out, she was still there…and looking at my pictures.

“You look so hot on these pictures Yuri” she complimented me.

Funny how her compliment doesn’t make me particularly happy. “Thank you but you should leave Gyuri”

“Why? Can’t we spend some time together?”

“Honestly? I don’t want to. Gyuri are you stalking me? How did you get my number and how did you find my address?”

“I didn’t stalk you, I swear! I simply asked some people…”

“Listen, I’m really touched that you like me but you can’t do that. It makes me

angry and scares me more than it makes me happy Gyuri”

“But there is only Jessica! You ignore everyone when she is around!”

“And that is none of your business!”

The conversation was heating up when my phone rang. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I saw the name on the screen. It was Jessica. Immediately, I forgot that Gyuri was there and simply answered the call with a happy smile.

“Alo Sica?!”

“Hey hi, how are you?”

Her voice was kind of shaky, like she hesitated before calling me.

“I’m fine, what about you? It’s pretty early, you’re awake already?” It was surprising indeed; Jessica always sleeps until noon when there is no school.

“Yes, my sister’s music woke me up”

“So what can I do for you today?”

“Well…I was thinking that…” Jessica started.

I kind of guessed she wanted to ask me out. If only…

“Yuri can we play video games?” Gyuri suddenly spoke up and her voice was…loud.

“Oh…hmmm…are you busy?” Jessica asked me, she obviously heard Gyuri’s voice but I don’t know if she recognized it.

“Nono I’m not busy at all. What were you saying?” I tried to ignore the other girl in my room.

“OH I love this game!” Gyuri shouted again. Obviously, she was doing it on purpose.

“Hmmm forget about it, I have something to do today. Bye” Jessica quickly hung up.

I took a deep breath and tried to control my anger. I was close to get a date with Jessica and this crazy girl ruined everything again.

“Get out” I said calmly.

“You don’t want to play?” she continued to act like there was nothing wrong in what she was doing.

“Get out Gyuri. I’m really serious, get out of my house” my voice was slowly rising.

“Yuri…” she pled.

“GET OUT!” I finally screamed.

Gyuri didn’t say anything and took her bag before angrily leaving my room. This is the first time that something like that happen to me. I did meet some crazy girls before that tried to be friends with me and Taeng but a real stalker…never.

I wanted to call Jessica again but then I thought about that plan that I’m trying to execute right now. I’m supposed to make her jealous so…it isn’t that bad if she thinks that I’m spending time with some other girl. So for today, I’ll let her believe that I’m busy with some unknown girl…with the hope that it will make her jealous, just a little bit.

2nd day in Japan,

No POV

It was already evening in Japan and Yoona and Seohyun have just finished with their dinner, in a sushi restaurant. Because the nights in Tokyo are always animated and fun, the young couple walked around the streets for some window shopping.

Yoona stopped in front of a clothing store and took a look. Meanwhile, she hasn’t realized that her girlfriend Seohyun was lured to another shop, not too far from there.

“Seohyun don’t you think this shirt is nice?” Yoona asked while turning to look at

her girlfriend. “Seohyun? Seohyun?” Yoona looked around but no sight of her girlfriend.

“SEOHYUN?” a panicked Yoona ran down the street, looking for her girlfriend.

“Yoona!!!” Seohyun suddenly ran out of an anime shop with a doll in her hand.

“Seohyun! Where were you?” the older girl asked worried.

But Seohyun was too excited about her toy. “Look look what I found! A keroro doll!!!” she showed the doll that she has just bought from the shop.

“Aish…you scared me! I thought someone kidnapped you!!!!”

“Kidnapped me?”

“Anyway you’re fine” Yoong took her girlfriend’s hand. “You bought another doll? You already bought 3 dolls yesterday”

“But I don’t have this one” Seohyun pouted. “It’s the last one, I promise”

“It’s fine, buy as much as you want to” Yoona smiled.

“Oh now let’s go take some pictures!”

“It’s getting late already, we should go back to the apartment”

“Just a picture” the younger girl begged.

“Didn’t you tell me you have to sleep at 10pm every night? So we better go back and sleep before your skin cells stop growing” Yoong teased her girlfriend.

“Are you making fun of me?”

“I won’t dare. Come on, let’s go” she said.

The two girls went back to the apartment. It was their second day in Tokyo. They arrived on Sunday morning in Japan and had already visited the city. Seohyun and Yoona were staying at Yoona’s family apartment. It was their first vacation together as a couple and everything was just perfect.

1st day in Athens,

Taeyeon’s POV

The flight to Athens was calm and relaxed, Tiffany was quite excited, like the time we went to Bali. In my case, every time I step on a plane, it makes me sleepy and I always end up sleeping as soon as the plane take off. But I made an effort this time and tried to give Tiffany some company…especially since she was still angry with me.

When we arrived in Greece, the weather was simply beautiful and it was like…all our problems were gone. Tiffany smiled again and she was even happier when she

saw our suite. The thing is, when I booked this room, we were still a happy couple…which is not really the case anymore.

And Tiffany didn’t wait to make it clear. “I hope that you know where you’re going to sleep tonight” she told me after we dropped our luggage.

“What?”

“You take the couch Taengoo” it was an order. I knew there was no need to negotiate with her.

I let out a sigh but didn’t complain. During this vacation, Tiffany was the boss.

We didn’t stay long in our suite; we only dropped our luggage and immediately went out. Tiffany bought a guide and there were already some places that she wanted to visit. I was kind of hungry but once again, Tiffany was the one in charge. I was following her everywhere and taking pictures. Speaking of pictures, I’m really happy that I bought a new camera for this trip. Yuri told me it was a good camera and she took very nice pictures of Jessica in Bali. So I believed her.

Even though we weren’t a happy couple like before, I was really happy that she gave me another chance and went with me to Greece. We mostly spent the day visiting museums and touristic places. Tiffany even made a schedule for our vacation. I was quite amazed by that.

It was quite funny because she wanted to act angry with me but as time goes by, she started to forget about that and was like the old time Tiffany. Cheerful and

bubbly. We even laughed and smiled at each other, without any awkwardness.

So that’s how our first day in Athens went by. I had nothing to complain since it went well. A few hugs or kisses wouldn’t have been that bad but I could wait.

I’m confident that this vacation will only make us closer. We’ve been through a lot and we really need that to understand each other more and solve some issue.

3rd day in Tokyo, Japan

No POV

It was morning in Tokyo and the sun was rising in the room. Yoona and Seohyun were lying on the bed, wrapping in each others’ arms. The older girl was the first to wake up. She looked at the clock and thought to herself that she should surprise her girlfriend by preparing breakfast. Yoona was about to get off of the bed when Seohyun hugged her tighter. This small action convinced the girl to stay in bed. Within a second, Yoona closed her eyes and went back to sleep.

One hour later, Yoona woke up to the great smell of food. She walked to the kitchen to find Seohyun cooking breakfast.

“Morning” Yoona said while sitting at the table.

“Morning” The younger girl turned to look at Yoona and smiled. “Breakfast is ready” she said.

Yoong felt bad because she wanted to do it earlier, if only she hadn’t fall asleep. Seohyun served the food and sat down in front of her girlfriend. The two of them started eating and chatting randomly.

While they are the youngest, Yoona and Seohyun are known to have the best relationship compared to their unnies. Since they met a few months ago, they became inseparable and it’s with a lot of maturity that they work on this relationship.

“This is really tasty Seohyunie” Yoona complimented the food.

“Thank you. I’m glad that you enjoy it” she smiled.

“I wanted to cook for you today…” Yoong said disappointed.

“You can do it tomorrow morning”

“Actually I would have waken up if you hadn’t had hug me during your sleep” she teased.

Seohyun blushed a little at Yoong’s comment. “I didn’t hug you…you hugged me!”

Yoona laughed at her girlfriend’s shyness. “Let’s pack our stuff after breakfast, we have to go to the train station”

“I wonder how the weather’s like in Kyoto. Should I bring warm clothes?” “I don’t think there is much difference, but just in case take a warm sweater” Yoona and Seohyun finished their breakfast and went to pack their bags. After spending 2 days in Tokyo, the young couple has planned to visit Kyoto before coming back to Seoul. After packing their bags, the two left for the train station. Seohyun being thoughtful as always, thought about their little trip. “It’s going to take a little more than 2 hours to reach Kyoto. I’ll go buy some sandwiches and some drinks before we board the train” she told Yoona. “What about you go buy the food and I’ll buy some magazines for us to read on the train” Yoona suggested. “Good idea.” Yoona and Seohyun went their separate ways. The younger girl went to a small market and bought sandwiches, drinks and chips. She wanted to buy watermelon as well but she knew Yoong will scold her because this wasn’t convenient to eat on a train. While Seohyun was buying food, her girlfriend Yoona was buying some magazines. At the counter, before paying, something caught her attention. It was the newspapers. She noticed that on the front page of every newspaper, there

was the same picture. She thought it was just some new scandal but because of her curiosity, she still picked one up. And that’s when she paid attention to the headline. Quickly, she took another look at the other newspapers on the stall and realized that one name appears on every one of them. “That’s impossible…it can’t be…” she thought to herself as she read the article.

2nd day in Athens, Taeyeon’s POV Our second day in Greece and I’m sure things will only get better with Tiffany. Of course, I wasn’t too happy with sleeping on the couch, especially since I made sure to book an awesome room for us…but I deserved it. And besides, I knew my sleeping habit would kick in pretty fast and in no time, I was already sleeping on the bed, next to her. This morning, we had a nice breakfast on our room’s balcony. There is nothing better than good food and nice scenery to start a day. It was funny how Fany ordered me to sleep on the couch last night but this morning, she was perfectly fine having me by her side.

“Where do you want to go today?” I asked her. “There are some places in the guide book that I want to visit if you don’t mind” she said while eating a croissant. “Of course not, we’ll go wherever you want to Fany.” Since our first day vacation, I’m doing my best to do anything she wants. “Don’t act nice, you’ll still sleep on the couch tonight” she said. “Please, you know I won’t stay long on it anyway. You know…my sleeping habit” I reminded her of my little problem that she enjoyed so much. “Now I’m thinking that you didn’t really sleep-walk last night. Did you act it up?” she asked suspiciously. “I wouldn’t dare. Come on eat your food” I changed the topic. “This is so nice” she suddenly said. “Everything is so perfect once again…” “Once again?” I didn’t quite understand what she meant, but suddenly, the mood went down a bit. “Every time I found our situation perfect, something happens and turns our world upside down. Right now, it looks perfect again but until when?” she asked.

“Why are you expecting things to go bad? Since when are you so pessimist?” “I’m not being pessimist…I just don’t want to be too optimist” she explained. I realized that my mistake changed something between us. “Because you don’t trust me anymore…” “We both made a mistake Taeng…” she admitted. “Yeah and maybe it’s time that we talk about the recent events” I said. Tiffany nodded and I guess we were going to talk about what happened but my cell phone rang. I thought I should turn it off before coming to Greece but I didn’t…in case there was an emergency. I should have though…I should have… I looked at my phone and saw that the person calling was Mr. Henney, our company’s lawyer. Whenever he calls me, it’s always bad news. I was looking at my phone’s screen without answering. For a reason, I knew that I wouldn’t want to hear what he had to say. I was scared. “Taeyeon? Taeyeon?” Fany’s voice broke my little daydreaming. “Sorry…hmm…I have to take this” I said quickly before leaving the balcony.

I walked back to the living room and answered the call. “What’s going on?” I directly asked. “Miss Taeyeon, I think you have to come back. Now” his voice was very deep and serious. It reminds me of my father’s. “I’m on vacation right now. I’ll be back next week…no matter what is going on” I explained. “Miss, this time it’s pretty serious and I wish that you would take the right decision. Your picture is on every newspapers and news websites. Things are heating up as we speak” he added in a more than serious tone. I didn’t ask him what exactly was going on because I had my idea. “I’ll deal with it once I come back. Until then, please take care of it. I know you can” I said before hanging up. I didn’t expect things to go this fast…Sungmin took action already. I tried to hide my worries and went back to where Fany was. But as I was walking back to the balcony, my phone rang again. Tiffany gave me a worried look but I reassured her. “It’s Yuri” I told her before going inside again. “What’s up?” I answered.

“Taeng? How are you?” she sounded really worried and kind of panicked. “I’m totally fine, why?” “I guess you didn’t read the news?” “No I haven’t and I won’t read them” “Taeng…” I knew she wanted to lecture me. “Yuri, this is my vacation…our vacation with Tiffany. I don’t want to worry about anything but her right now.” “Tell me it isn’t you on the picture…this…this is a complete mess Taeng…” she started to get emotional. “Don’t worry, things are going to be fine” I tried to reassure her. “This is huge…even Yoona called me from Japan. It’s all over the Japanese news as well…” “I…I just want a peaceful week…just one week before I have to face all this. I don’t want Tiffany to worry so after our conversation, I’ll turn off my phone and I want you to make sure that Fany’s friends don’t call her to ask her about that. Please?”

“I will” she shortly replied. “Thank you” I said before ending the call. And before turning off my phone, I made a quick phone call. “I have a new mission for you. Find anything that you can on Min Sungmin, dig as much as you want but I want results. You have until next week. Good luck” I gave my instructions before hanging up. I made sure to turn off my phone before I walked back to the balcony. When I got back, Tiffany looked at me with worried eyes. This is supposed to be nice and peaceful vacation for us. I hate seeing her worried, especially now. So I tried to come up with a lame excuse as to why Yuri called me. “It was Yuri, she just wanted to know how things were going on here.” I said naturally. “That’s it?” she asked. “Sure, stop worrying okay? This is our vacation so let’s rest and enjoy our time here, what do you think about that?” I smiled, trying to reassure her a little bit. I felt that she was still concerned over my calls but tried to hide it. I had to quickly change the topic once again and try to make her comfortable again. I won’t allow

anyone to disturb this week. “Let me finish the food and we can go out. You said there were places you want to visit.” I said. “Yeah…” Tiffany watched me finish my breakfast before we prepared ourselves to another sightseeing day.

Kwon Residence, Yuri’s POV I seriously believe that my first week vacation is cursed or at least my mornings are. Sunday morning was a phone call from Gyuri; Monday morning was a visit from her and today is this new scandal with Taeyeon. Even my parents are agitated because of this. We got a few phone calls from reporters looking for juicy gossips. Things are already getting out of hand. After my phone call with Taeng, I tried to stop worrying about it for now. There was nothing that I could do so it was better to ignore the newspapers and other gossips magazines until Taeng comes back. Taeyeon also asked me to make sure that no one bothers Tiffany during their trip so I sent a message to all her friends

that I know of and told them to not contact Tiffany. As for her best friend Jessica, I called her myself. “Yuri, what’s going on? Taeng is on every newspaper!” she asked on the phone. “I know…but I don’t know what’s going on either. I’m just asking you to not contact Tiffany over this matter. Taeyeon doesn’t want Fany to worry about this during their vacations” “I won’t call her, don’t worry.” “Thanks” There was a short silence before I decided to be brave and asked her out. “Jessica, are you free today?” “…Yes why?” “Wanna go out with me today? I saw a great movie trailer last night” “Why not…what time does the movie start?” “Hmm let met check” I told her while checking the schedule through my phone. “Huh in less than an hour…”

“If you come now then we can catch it on time” “I’m already on my way” I said while grabbing my keys. It took me about 15 minutes to reach Sica’s place. For once, she was already outside waiting for me. When I stopped the car, she jumped on it. It was kind of funny. Then we rushed to the movie theater. During the ride, Jessica was kind of weird. I don’t think this was because of our situation. The friend with feeling things is harder than I thought it would be though, every time she looks at me, I wonder if she finally feels the same way as I do. “The movie better be good Kwon Yuri” she told me after we bought the tickets. “The trailer is good” I stated. “As long as you don’t fall asleep” she teased. “Hey! It happened once and only because I was tired and it was late” I explained myself. She always has to bring back this little incident where I fell asleep while we were watching a movie.

“Calm down it’s fine to fall asleep during a movie. It happens to me all the time” “You’re Jessica…your need for sleep is extraordinary. Like out of this world” “Whatever”

*2 hours later*

“HAHAHA I can’t believe it!!” Jessica made fun of me. “An action movie!! HAHA” “Stop it, everyone is looking at us” “Ohhhh are you embarrassed Yuri? Don’t be. Everyone was already looking at us during the movie anyway” “That’s not a reason” “How could you fall asleep during an action movie? With all the explosion and shooting scenes…how could you?” she laughed again. “I don’t know…aish…stop laughing!” I dragged her out of the theater. It was quite embarrassing. Everyone was indeed looking at us and I also knew that

I was the center of attention during the movie. “If only you weren’t snoring…” Jessica let out a sigh but then she laughed again. “I’m gonna cry” I felt my cheeks burning up of embarrassment. Jessica patted my back but she was still smiling and controlling her laughter. “It’s okay Yul, we don’t know these people anyways” “Still…I’d never forget it…” Sica laughed again while trying to communicate with me. “Hahah…well…it will be hard to forget since…hahaha…I…hahaha…recorded you while you were sleeping!” she was already running away before she finished her sentence. It took me a couple of seconds before getting what she meant and chased after her. Of course, we were only having fun. Jessica was laughing and I was smiling. Since when didn’t we enjoy spending time together like this? Forgetting about the trouble going around us and just be…together? I wish those moments will last longer but I’m not going to complain. Even if it was one second of happiness, I’ll take it and cherish it. After our little chasing game that brought us in a very nice park, we let ourselves fell on the grass, out of breath. None of us spoke. We were catching our breath,

and I guess…just enjoying each other’s company. Then something funny happened. *growl growl* I looked at the girl beside me and smiled. “Let me guess with my superpower…hmm…you must be hungry” I joked. “Wah your powers are so great Kwon Yuri” she smiled. “Wait here, I’ll bring you some food” I told her before standing up. “I’ll go with you” she said. She was about to stand up too when I ran away. “Just stay where you are. I’ll be back in a minute!” I shouted while running. I was running to where Jessica was lying when I saw her lying peacefully. Her eyes closed. She was really like a sleeping princess. I sat down next to her quietly, not waiting to disturb her sleep. Then I remembered that night when I drove her back home for the first time. She fell asleep in my car and I couldn’t help but kiss her.

This time, I didn’t dare to do it again. I simply watched her beautiful face in silence, wishing that one day, I’ll be able to touch that face again. “If only you know Jessica…if only you know how much I…” I couldn’t finish my sentence. Jessica was moving around, slowly waking up. “Hmmm…Yuri?” she sat down and looked at me. I knew she didn’t hear me just now so I acted like nothing happened. “Still hungry?” I asked her while showing her the food I bought. Sica’s eyes brighten up at the view of food. “OH dukbokki!!!” she exclaimed. I smiled at her cuteness. “Let’s eat!” I said. We ate in the park while chatting and laughing. I forgot how comfortable we could be around each other. No awkwardness, no worries. We stayed there about an hour before I drove her back to her house. This time, during the ride, Jessica couldn’t stop asking me questions. But it was about Taeyeon. “Yuri, do you really think that this rumor about Taeng is true?”

Jessica and Taeng might not be close friends but I know that she cares about Taeyeon. “If I say no then I’ll be lying” I said. “So you do think that the person on the picture is Taeyeon” “How to not recognize her? The picture is quite blurry but I know it’s her. I would recognize her among millions of people and even in disguised.” I assured her. “Then what’s gonna happen? I read that the police are trying to find this guy and everyone is wondering why he hasn’t sued her yet” “I was online all day and every minute, new report was out about this incident. Last time I checked, a couple was there when it happened…I guess they will speak up soon” “Are you worried about this?” How can I not be? Taeyeon is like my sister and this is the biggest scandal she has ever encountered. I knew that something happened that night, I didn’t ask her but I knew. I wasn’t worried about the consequences since I knew Mr. Henney would take care of this matter. Guess no one saw this coming. But I didn’t want to tell Jessica too much about this so I gave her a short answer

instead. “I promised Taeng to not think too much about this so I won’t. Until she comes back, I will avoid the newspapers and all other news” “If you say so then I won’t think about it as well” she gave me a comforting smile. “Like Taeng said, this is vacation so we should try to enjoy ourselves and not worry about issues…at least for this week” “Let’s enjoy this first week vacation then!” We arrived to her house and it was already time to say goodbye. When friends say goodbye to each other, it is easy and natural. But when friends who dated each other and still might have feelings for each other say goodbye then it is uneasy and weird. Sica and I sat quietly in the car, waiting for the other one to say goodbye first. The silence was killing me and my heart was beating faster and faster. In the past, I might have cracked some jokes or make the first move but since the breakup, I don’t dare anymore. I discreetly thank god when Sica spoke up first. “Thank you for today Yuri. It was nice” I loosen up at her words and smiled back. “I’m happy that we could spend some time together Jessica”

“Hmm…maybe…maybe we can do something tomorrow too?” she shyly suggested. I thought I was going to die from happiness. Sica, Sica asking ME out? That must be a dream. “Huh…of course! I’ll call you tomorrow and we’ll plan it” “Ok. Have a good night Kwon Yuri” she said before opening the car’s door. “Goodnight Jessica” She was going to get off the car when I suddenly grabbed her wrist and pulled her against me…for a kiss. I was out of my mind…I just wanted it so much…I missed it so much, having her lips on mine. “I’m…I’m sorry…I…I…just…” I was stuttering after I broke the kiss. Jessica blushed a bit at what happened but she didn’t get angry. “It’s…it’s fine…hmmm…I’ll go home now…hmm…bye” she quickly said before running to her house. Then I realized it. I kissed Jessica and she didn’t pull away. She KISSED me back! That little kiss just makes up for all the bad mornings I had for 3 days. If our date

tomorrow ends up like this then I wouldn’t mind having a bad morning tomorrow as well. I looked up at Jessica’s window and smiled to myself before driving away. What a perfect night…

2nd day in Athens, Tiffany’s POV Today, we spent the day sightseeing again. It wasn’t boring at all since there is so much to see and places to visit. I kind of gave up on acting angry and cold with Taeng since I suck at it and my acting only makes her laugh and smile. I didn’t have a particular place to visit tonight so Taeng suggested to go to the beach and watch the sunset. This reminds me of our first date…our first kiss. Before we went to the beach, Taeyeon wanted to buy some marshmallow and make a fire on there but I persuaded her not to. We already had dinner and this might be forbidden so it was better to stop her. So we went to the beach and sat on the sand. But compared to last time, we sat side by side without hugging each other. I’d be lying if I say I didn’t want to hug her but I just didn’t dare to make the first move.

We sat there and looked at the beautiful sea. Immediately, I felt relaxed and happy. For an unknown reason, whenever we’re near water, it becomes relaxing. Before Taeng spoke up, I already knew the topic she would want to talk about. After all, she said it herself this morning, we haven’t talk about our recent issue yet. “Do you feel like…you don’t trust me anymore?” Her soft voice broke the silence. I thought about the question before answering. Should I tell her that now, more than before, every time that I’ll ask her a question, somewhere inside my mind, I’ll be wondering whether it is the truth or not? “I…still trust you Taeyeon” I said, my eyes were still glued on the sea. After a short silence, Taeng added. “But?” There is always a “but”…“But it will be hard for me to not doubt your words sometimes” “…” Taeyeon’s eyes were gazing at the sand. I knew she felt sad at my answer. “The thing is…sometimes, I just don’t know Taeng…I just don’t know what you’re thinking about or how you’re feeling…I just don’t know”

“You mean that you don’t know if I still think about Sunye or if I still have feelings for her?” she turned to me. “You told me that Sunye was in the past but…is she really? I know you care about me but I realized that sometimes, I need to know how much I mean for you” I finally looked into her eyes. “I’m sorry…” “No…it’s me. I…I just have those stupid insecurities sometimes…” Taeng finally made a move and took my hand. “Tell me what I have to do…I’ll make the insecurities go away” I looked into Taeng’s eyes and my tears just fell down. I realized once again how much she meant to me. Sure, we haven’t known each other for years but for the past months, she has become the most important person in my life. I have no one but her and I love no one but her. “I…I’m scared of losing you Taeyeon…I can’t lose you…” I started to cry and Taeyeon immediately took me into her arms. “Why would you lose me? I’m going nowhere Fany” she whispered into my ears.

I couldn’t stop the tears from falling. “Everyone leaves me…mommy…daddy…they all left Taeng…they promised me but they still left…” “Hey…hey look at me…look at me Tiffany” she pulled away and looked right into my eyes. “I…I don’t know what’s gonna happen, I don’t know where we’ll be in 50 years…but right now, we’re together and believe me, I’m going nowhere” Taeyeon smiled and stroke my hair gently. She then closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at me again. “I think…I think I have fallen in love with you” My mind went blank at this moment. I was still looking at her but my body was frozen by her revelation. I was replaying her words again and again in my head. I couldn’t believe she said that…these words. Of course, we live together and share a bed together and you don’t do that if there is no feeling involved, but…hearing those words is still a dream that I haven’t even dreamed of yet. “Tiffany…you there?” Taeyeon was waving her hand in front of my eyes. There were a thousand words I wanted to say to her but only one particular thing that I wanted to do right there…something that we didn’t do for 3 days already. I wanted to kiss her. I put my arms around her neck and kissed her, making her fall on the sand. The kiss was deep and aggressive. It was the first time that I was so aggressive when

kissing her and I think Taeng also noticed it because I could feel her smiling. After our short but oh so powerful make out session, I was lying in Taeng’s arms and I decided that it was the right time for me to do what I’ve wanted to do for so long. I turned my head to look at her and put my hand on her face, stroking her baby skin softly. “Kim Taeyeon, I love you” I said before putting a light kiss on her lips. Taeyeon closed her eyes and smiled. Soon, I imitated her and closed my eyes. The sun slowly sets without us knowing, but it doesn’t matter because we are together and there are still hundred and thousand of sunsets that we will see in the future.

Seoul, Yuri’s POV What a beautiful night. I’ve just left Sica’s home and was driving back to my house when I noticed something under the passenger’s seat. It was Jessica’s phone. This girl always holds her phone in her hand instead of putting it in her bag. She might have dropped it when I kissed her. Since it wasn’t that late, I decided to drive back to her house and give it back to her.

I was driving with a smile on my face when I finally got near her house. Then my smile disappeared. I stopped the car at one block away from her home and my heart broke. Just in front of her house, they were standing. Donghae and Jessica. I wanted to get out of my car and run toward them to hit Donghae with all my strength, but I stayed quietly in my car and watched the scene in front of me. A lot of things went through my mind. But I was mostly thinking about the new hope that I got after spending time with Jessica earlier today. We were getting somewhere again…what is this happening now? I felt a tear falling down my cheek when he suddenly kissed her. That was the last thing that I saw before driving away…far away from her home…far away from her.

Chapter 24 - Misunderstanding

Outside of Jessica’s house,

Jessica’s POV

I really don’t know what’s going on between Yuri and me. When she suggested that we start all over again as being simple friends, I also thought it was the best idea. Being friends is way better than being all weird around each other like we were after the break up. Then, why am I feeling this way?

The other day, I called her in the morning because I wanted to see her. Its vacation and I wanted us to hang out since we are friends…and friends hang out with each other, right? But when we were talking on the phone, I heard a girl’s voice. I know it wasn’t Yoona since I actually recognized the voice. It was Gyuri. When I realized she wasn’t alone, I felt stupid. I was so confident before calling her, I knew for sure that she wouldn’t reject me…but that was before I knew about her and Gyuri.

I was very angry that she was spending time with Gyuri, off all the people, why her? The next day, I got a phone call from Yuri and though I didn’t want to answer, I did anyway. I did my best to not sound weird or frustrated on the phone and it wasn’t that hard since she called me because of the issue with Taeyeon. Then the conversation switched and she asked me out. In my head, I really wanted to reject her but then, she might have gone out with Gyuri instead and I didn’t want to let it happen.

Though we didn’t do anything special at all, I really had a great day with Yuri. I forgot how funny and entertaining she was. We haven’t hang out together for quite a while now but there was no real awkwardness. I felt comfortable with her and there was not even a second where I felt bored. I don’t know why but as the date was coming to an end, I felt a little nervous…especially when we were saying goodbye to each other. I didn’t know how to act in this situation. Should we simply say goodbye to each other or should I give her a kiss?

I chose the latter, simply because I didn’t dare to. But once again, Yuri surprised me. When I was going to leave the car, she held me back and kissed me. And I kissed her back. Why did I do that? I don’t know…I just…I feel good with her. And, I noticed how I don’t have to worry about anything when I’m with her.

When I think about it, Yuri is indeed the perfect girl. She is sweet, funny and generous…but I realized it way too late…because now, there is Gyuri in the picture.

The day could have been wonderful if something unexpected didn’t happen. I was walking in my house when someone called me.

“Hey Jessica!”

I turned around and saw Donghae coming out from his car. I wondered what he was doing there and if he saw me with Yuri.

“I was waiting for you” he told me.

In the past, I would have been so happy if he had waited for me. I would have jumped around and smiled like an idiot because whenever he was in front of me, I lost control of myself. But tonight, looking at him and hearing his sweet talking have no effect on me. I feel nothing.

“I’m sorry Donghae but it is late. I have to go home” I tried to end our little meeting.

“Please Jessica, I really want to talk to you” he insisted.

II didn’t feel like talking to him or even seeing him but I suddenly felt the need to make a decision. This is about time I make things clear and move on with my feelings.

“Actually, I also have something to tell you”

“You wanna go first?” he asked.

“I guess that we will save us time” I started. “Listen Donghae, I know that recently we’ve been in touch with each other again but now I think we should go back to being strangers”

Donghae was quite surprised by my words. “What are you talking about Jessica?”

“I think we should stop seeing each other from now on”

“Why? I thought we were getting better?”

“I admit that it was a good thing…seeing you again. It helped me to understand certain things”

“And now you want to kick me away?”

“I admit that when you contacted me few weeks ago, I felt something. I hated you for so long…but then you came back to me, apologizing and asking for a second chance, a part of me thought it wasn’t too late to get the perfect ending with you…”

“Then what went wrong?”

“I do want a perfect ending…but not with you”

He looked at me with such a sad face that for a second, I felt like the bad girl.

“Don’t tell me you’re doing this because of Kwon Yuri”

“I hurt her so much, just because I couldn’t move on from my feelings for you and our history. But after seeing you again, I realized that you and me…it’s in the past. I was a naïve girl and you took advantage of that”

“But I thought you forgave me?”

“I do…I do forgive you Donghae, but not because I think you have changed…but because it doesn’t hurt me anymore. What happened between us, I’m ready to let it

go“

“Don’t tell me you don’t feel anything for me anymore. I won’t believe you” he said with a pinch of arrogance.

“You still look like the perfect guy, but I don’t feel anything looking at you anymore. I’m ready to move on and I think that indirectly, you helped me. “

“If I helped you then come back to me Jessica. Remember how we were good together”

“No…you don’t understand. You helped me because if it wasn’t for what you did, I wouldn’t have changed school and ended up meeting Yuri. That’s why in a way, I should thank you”

“You’re not serious, are you? You really think that I will let you dump me like that?”

“I’m not dumping you. We’re not even together!”

“You don’t seem to understand Jessica. No one…NO ONE has ever EVER rejected me. And you won’t be the first one” he said.

Then out of nowhere, he grabbed my arms and leaned in to kiss me. Obviously, I wasn’t expecting it and my reaction time was kind of slow. But when I realized what was happening, I pushed him away with all my strength.

“What the hell are you doing?” I scolded him.

Donghae looked at me and smirked. “Don’t tell me you didn’t like it”

“You are disgusting”

“Yes I am and you loved it in the past”

“Just leave me alone. I don’t want to see you again” I said before walking to my house.

“Let me tell you something Jessica. This is not the end. You will pay the consequences for what you did tonight” he threatened me, the smirk still on his face.

I looked at him one last time before entering my house. How could such a beautiful day ended up so badly? Once I reached my room, I thought about something that could cheer me up. Yuri. I looked for my phone because I was sure she would have texted me but I couldn’t find my cellphone anywhere.

“I probably lost it in her car” I spoke to myself.

I took my home phone and tried to call Yuri to ask her if she had my phone but I couldn’t reach her. I even called at her home but no one picked up. That’s when I started to feel that something was wrong. I didn’t know why but I had this weird feeling that made me really uncomfortable.

That night, I went to sleep with a lot of thoughts in my head. Thoughts about what Yuri was doing, thoughts about what Donghae is going to do and thoughts about what I was going to do…what am I supposed to do with Yuri? Should I make the first step so we could start our relationship over? That is kind of embarrassing though. I broke up with her a few weeks ago and now, I want her back.

What kind of person am I?

Outside in Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

I was driving calmly around the city, rethinking about today. How the day went so well because of Jessica and how it ended so badly because of Jessica. I wish my mood wasn’t connected to her actions. It seems like I cannot be happy if she is not with me. And how I can be happy now that she is getting back with Donghae?

Surprisingly, I wasn’t that mad. Maybe that’s because I have been hurt so many times that…I got used to the pain. I was in total control of the situation. I’m just going to…drive around to change my mind and I will go home once I feel better.

Jessica has tried calling me phew times tonight but I didn’t pick it up. I was too afraid of what she wanted to tell me. The last hope that I had tonight was completely crushed by Jessica, and at this point, I wonder if it isn’t the right time for me to move on as well. Or at least try to.

Right when I was thinking about seeing other people, my phone rang. It was my one and only stalker. Park Gyuri.

“Yes?” I reluctantly answered the call.

“Yuri! Wanna hang out?”

Before answering her, I looked at the clock. 10.25pm. What does she want to do at this time? “Huh it’s not early Gyuri”

“But it’s vacation! Come on, let’s go somewhere and have fun!” she said excitedly.

“I’m not in a good mood Gyuri”

“That’s another good reason to hang out with me. Where are you now?”

“Downtown”

“Let’s meet in 20 minutes then”

“Sorry but I’ll go home now”

“Please Yuri!!! I’m begging you”

“No” I said annoyed.

“I’ll be waiting for you in front of the Sushi restaurant. You have to come, it’s late

and I saw some creepy guys earlier”

“What the…Just go home!”

“You have to come” she said in a very serious but creepy tone before hanging up.

This girl is seriously out of her mind. I was going to ignore her and headed home when my conscience kicked in. It was kind of late for a young girl to walk around by herself and since she called me, if anything happen to her then I will feel really guilty. I let out an annoyed sigh and drove to the place she mentioned.

Once I got there, I saw Gyuri. She was sitting on the stairs by herself. “Hey Gyuri” I called her.

She looked up to me and smiled. “YURI! You came!!!” she ran and threw herself in my arms.

“Aish…stop it” I pushed her away. “I can see that you’re fine so please go home now”

“So you do care about me”

“What?”

“Well you were afraid that something will happen so you came to make sure I was fine” she explained.

“Huh no. It just happens that I have a conscience” I made things clear. “Now, will you please go home?”

“I don’t have a car!” she said with a smile.

“I’ll call you a taxi then”

“OR you can drive me home”

“Why would I do that?”

“Because you have a conscience?”

I really didn’t want to do it but since I was probably not going to sleep yet, I guess I have some time to kill before going home.

“Fine, let’s go” I said before heading back to my car.

Gyuri followed me excitedly. During the ride, she kept on talking and talking…and talking. I tried to be polite and talked to her as well but the truth is…I didn’t care. The situation was funny though, it reminds me of Jessica and me. I’m usually the one doing the talking and Sica only gives short answers. Obviously, Gyuri and Sica are completely different in every ways.

Finally, we reached her house. I was surprised to know that she was living in the same neighborhood as Taeng and me. I knew that she was from a healthy family, although I’ve never seen her or her parents at those dinners.

“Thank you so much Yuri” she said once we arrived in front of her house. “That was my pleasure Gyuri” I said sarcastically. “Can I see you tomorrow?” she asked with full of hope. “Hmmm no?” “Please!! I’d like to treat you for lunch…as a thank you for driving me home tonight” “Believe me, you don’t need to” “Just say yes Yuri or I won’t get out of your car” “You kidding right?” “Absolutely not” she said with confidence. “You’re so annoying, you know that?” I said harshly. Sometimes I know that I shouldn’t be this mean with her, but I can’t help it. “Someday, you will learn to appreciate me” she said seriously. That sentence seemed familiar to me. I have never said it to Jessica but that was

how I felt when we first met each other. And in a way, I was right. It took time but eventually, she got closer to me. “Fine, I’ll see you tomorrow” I accepted her proposition. “Really? Really???” “Yeah…but please get out of here before I change my mind” “I’ll call you tomorrow morning! Good night!” she quickly said. Gyuri jumped out of my car and ran to her house. I wonder if that was a mistake to see her again tomorrow. I must admit that seeing Jessica and Donghae together played a role in my decision. If Jessica could give that idiot another chance then maybe, I could do the same with Gyuri.

Kyoto, Japan No POV Yoona and Seohyun were getting ready to go to the airport. They had spent their vacation in Japan and this was coming to an end. Yoona was packing in the room when Seohyun called her.

“YOONA!! Come here!” “What’s going on?” Yoona rushed to the living room. “They’re talking about Taeyeon unnie on the news!” Seohyun said while pointing on the TV. She was watching the news channel and they were talking about the Taeyeon scandal. Yoona already knew about it since she read it in the newspapers a few days ago. The thing is, she didn’t want her girlfriend to worry about it so she didn’t say anything and made sure that the information doesn’t get to Seohyun. “Why are they saying this? Taeyeon unnie would never do something like that” Seohyun commented. Yoona felt really guilty for hiding the truth. “Actually, they’ve been talking about that issue for days now…I saw it in the newspaper” Yoona admitted to her girlfriend. “You knew about it?” “Yes and I’m sorry that I hide it from you. I didn’t want you to worry about it during our vacation. You were so happy and I didn’t want to ruin your mood” Yoona apologized.

“I’m not angry but I wished that you didn’t hide it from me” “I know and I’m sorry” Yoona apologized once again before giving Seohyun a hug. “Yoona…Taeyeon unnie didn’t do that right? You don’t believe that she did that, do you?” “I really don’t know what happened. On this picture, it did look like her but we can’t be sure. The picture is too blurry” Yoona admitted. “I’m so worried about Taeyeon unnie” “Maybe she doesn’t know about it yet. After all she is still in Greece. We’ll see her soon, don’t worry” she gave her girlfriend a light kiss. Seohyun turned off the TV and went back to packing silently. Yoona felt really bad for this little incident. They were leaving soon and she wanted Seohyun to be happy until they were back in Seoul. She knew that it would have been impossible to hide it from her once they are back in the country.

Last day in Athens, Greece Tiffany’s POV Last night, we fell asleep on the beach with Taeyeon. It was the second most beautiful night of my life. The first one being on our first date. Not only did we get a little closer through a conversation, but Taeyeon also said the most beautiful words for the first time. We finally said the 3 words to each other. It was also the first time that I said it to her. I knew she had feelings for me but hearing her said she loved me; it made everything more…real. But this morning, something funny happened. I was sleeping in Taeyeon’s arms when she suddenly jumped up…which awaked me at the same time. “Ahh Taengoo…what are you doing?” I slowly opened my eyes to see what she was doing. Taeyeon was standing and cleaning her face with the back of her hand. I was going to ask her what happened when something jumped on me and licked my face. I screamed for a second until I realized that it was only a little puppy. I can’t believe Taeyeon was scared of such a cute little dog.

The puppy’s owner quickly ran to us and apologized before taking the little dog away. I sat down and smiled at Taeng. “What? Don’t make fun of me Tiffany!!” “You’re so cute Taengoo” “Yeah right…aish…I hate waking up like that” she complained. “Aren’t you exaggerating? It’s the first time that a pet wake you up” “First and last time!” “Okay okay” I was still smiling at her. “Why are you smiling like that?” I showed her my puppy look and waited for her to understand what I was waiting for. “You forgot something” I gave her a hint. “What?” “Its morning and we just woke up…didn’t you forget to do something?” Taeng looked confused for a minute before smiling. She finally got it.

“Sorry” she said before kneeling in front of me. “I’m waiting” I rushed her. Taeyeon smiled shyly. “Good morning Tiffany” she said while giving me a morning kiss. That’s how we usually wake up in the morning. It can’t be a good morning without my usual morning kiss. “Should we go back to our hotel room?” she asked me. Taeng helped me get back on my feet. “Yes, I also want to take a shower” “Then let’s go back and change before we eat breakfast. I’m hungry” Taeyeon and I headed back to our hotel to take a shower and changed clothes before eating breakfast at the hotel’s restaurant. Because it was already the last day in Athens, we went downtown to buy some souvenirs for our friends. We also ate our last Greek lunch before preparing for the next activity. For our last day activity, we wanted to do something fun and unplanned so Taeng decided to rent a motorboat and ride it to a small and inhabited island. Yes…like in movies.

“It’s going to be soooo much fun Fany!” Taengoo was so excited, like a child. “Don’t you think it is dangerous to be on our own?” “Don’t worry so much…and by the way, I’m here to protect you” “I totally trust you Taeng but if it is a lion then I don’t think you can do much” “There is no lion” “We never know!” “If it happens then we’ll run” “You kidding right?” “Let’s go explore an island!!!” Taeng exclaimed. I was afraid to go alone with Taeng but that was before knowing that she knows how to drive a boat. She even has a license for it. So Taeng and I happily rent a motor boat and went out on our first adventure. There are some deserted islands near Greece and Taeng just picked the closer one. Before we left our hotel room, I packed some food and drinks just in case. I

didn’t know it would be so useful later on. Taeyeon also brought her laptop with her even though I don’t know why she did it. We reached the island just a little after 2pm and immediately, Taeng insisted that we climb a hill. It wasn’t that far from where we were and we didn’t need to go through some dense forest, so I followed her. From the beach, I thought it will take us about 10 or 20 minutes to reach the top of the hill but I was wrong. It took us 1 hour or maybe more before I could finally rest my tired legs. Once we were up there, we both sat down and enjoyed the view. I totally love looking at the sea but looking at it from the top of a hill is completely different. It gives another kind of feeling. “You really like those kinds of places, don’t you?” I asked Taeng. She was looking deeply at the horizon and I noticed how relaxed she looks whenever we’re near water. It seems to have a really good effect on her. “This is peaceful” she quietly said. “I don’t know why but I’m attracted to the ocean. It makes me feel good and relaxed but unfortunately, it also makes me think about all these things…” “You look relaxed at first but then you always end up lost in your thoughts. Do you have so much things going on in your mind?”

“No…it’s just…” “You know you can tell me anything Taeng. Don’t always keep your feelings for yourself, that’s not good” “I’ll keep that in mind” she smiled. I knew something was bothering her since she got that mysterious phone call. She is still smiling and laughing but I know there is something behind that smile. But I don’t want to force her. She will share with me when she is ready. None of us spoke after this, Taeyeon lay down on the warm grass and closed her eyes. Naturally, I lay down next to her and she unconsciously took me in her arms. We both fell asleep and I’m thankful that we both put sun cream on before taking our afternoon nap. We had a 2 hours nap and when I woke up, Taeyeon was sitting and looking at the sea once again. She was completely absorbed in her thoughts that she didn’t even notice that I was observing her. Taeyeon looked really preoccupied by something, like she was waiting for a storm to come soon. I didn’t dare to disturb her so I only watched her in silence. When I least expected it, Taeng spoke up. “Tiffany…there is something I have to tell you” she said in her usual soft voice.

But for some reason, the tone of her voice made me a little worried. I knew it wasn’t good news.

Seoul, Yuri’s POV I had an awful night. It took me hours before I finally fell asleep and even in my sleep, I dreamt of Jessica with Donghae. This is really going to haunt me forever. And in the morning, I got a call from Gyuri. She wanted to give me an appointment for lunch. I’m still wondering whether it was a good idea or not, to hang out with her again. Anyway, Gyuri told me to meet her downtown, exactly where I found her last night. Before leaving the house, I thought one last time at what I was going to do. Going out with her, even for a quick lunch might give her the wrong idea and she might become even clingier than before. But after all, I have decided to give her a chance and maybe this will help me to stop thinking about Jessica…at least for a day. So I met with Gyuri in front of that sushi restaurant. When I saw her, I immediately knew that she was taking this “date” a little too seriously. The girl was dressed like we were going to prom or something. It’s funny how I can admit

that she is a pretty girl but when I look at her, her beauty doesn’t have any effect on me. “Hello Gyuri” I greeted her nicely. “I’m really happy that you came” “I promised after all” “That’s another thing that I like about you” she gave me a flirty smile. I tried to ignore her comment and her smile. “So where do you want to go?” “There is a nice restaurant near there so if you don’t mind, we can go there” “Anything is fine” I assured her. We went to the restaurant she recommended and I admit it was good. Gyuri was calmer than usual though, and I found her less creepy than before. Unfortunately, Jessica was still in my mind. No matter how funny or weird Gyuri was, I was only thinking about Jessica. After lunch, we went for a walk since it wouldn’t have been polite to leave her right away. We were walking in the street and doing some windows shopping and that’s crazy how much she can talk. In those moments, I miss Jessica cold but

funny attitude. I was getting ready to tell Gyuri that our “date” was coming to an end when she suddenly stopped in front of a wedding dress shop. I was already ready to hear a long speech about wedding and dresses but instead, she questioned me about the subject. “Do you want to get married Yuri?” the question was kind of unexpected. “Huh…wait…are we really talking about marriage?” “I really want to know if you think about those things” I didn’t want to talk about that with her but I still gave her an honest answer. “I do” Of course I do. I want to get married, I want to live forever and ever with the one I love. Right now, there is no one but Jessica who fit the criteria but she doesn’t feel the same way for me. Gyuri turned to look at me. “I do too. I really wish that when that day comes, I will be the one standing next to you” she admitted. Then, she did the thing that I was the most afraid of. She kissed me. I would be lying if I say that I didn’t expect it at all. After all, Gyuri was not afraid of coming to

my house in the morning, so she probably wouldn’t mind kissing me as well. I swore that I didn’t want to kiss her back, but I didn’t push her away quickly enough.

*background noises*

“Hey watch where you are running girl!” I heard a guy scolding someone. “I’m really sorry…” The second voice was kind of familiar and before I turned around to take a look, I was already expecting the worse. And I was right. “Jessica?” There she was…standing at 12 feet away from me. The look on her face was a mixed of hurt and anger. We stood there looking at each other for what seemed like an eternity before Jessica turned around and ran away from me. There, I completely forgot about Gyuri and simply ran after Sica. I knew this “date” could go wrong…I just didn’t expect it to end like this. This was like the worse scenario possible.

Last day in Athens, Greece, Taeyeon’s POV Our week in Greece is ending already and my fears are getting bigger and bigger. So much that I can’t stop thinking about tomorrow. Once we get back in Seoul, things will never be the same anymore. That’s mostly the reason why I wanted to get away with Tiffany. From now on, there won’t be any day without worries and troubles so I wanted the two of us to spend our last day vacation completely alone. I especially chose a deserted place to update Tiffany on the recent events. At this point, there is nothing to hide anymore and I promised her that there won’t be any more secrets between us. Earlier, Tiffany fell asleep in my arms and by watching her sleep so peacefully with a smile on her face made me feel so guilty. I said I will protect her but all I did until now was hurting the one I love the most. I hope Tiffany will stay by my side, I know we can go through it together but at the same time, I would totally understand if she doesn’t want to. I watched her sleep for an hour or more before I couldn’t take it anymore. As the day was coming slowly to an end, I became more anxious. Staying quietly like this was killing me as I got used to release my anger and anxiety differently. I sat down near the edge of the hill and looked at the horizon, waiting for Fany to wake up.

Though I was lost in my thoughts, I was still aware of the girl behind me. Like no matter what happens around me, Tiffany will always remind my first priority. So I exactly knew when she woke up and I also knew she was observing me in silence. We remained like that until I decided it was time that I tell her the truth. From now on, nothing will be the same. “Tiffany…there is something I have to tell you” I said softly but loud enough for her to hear me. I felt Tiffany moved away from her spot and I knew she was going to come and sit next to me. “Stay where you are Fany…it will be easier this way” I said, stopping her. “You’re scaring me Taeyeon. What’s wrong?” her voice shook a bit, she was obviously worried. “We promised each other that there won’t be any more lies and secret between us, so before we leave this place, I want to be honest and tell you the truth about what is happening right now back in Seoul” That is weird but I felt like Fany was expecting my confession. She didn’t say a word and sat behind me. I could feel her stare on me and her curiosity rising up.

“I’m listening Taeng” she said, allowing me to continue. “First, let me tell you that I didn’t want to hide it from you. Things happened at the wrong time and I didn’t want it to spoil our vacation together” I started. “You know…I’ve never been a good person. I hurt a lot of people, be it emotionally or physically. I’ve also had my share of mistakes, but all of them were swipe away discreetly. Maybe that’s why I was so arrogant and kept looking down on people…because I felt untouchable.” “I’d be lying if I say that it wasn’t the way I perceived you before. You did give out that vibe” “I didn’t only give out the vibe, I was really like that” “But I don’t think that makes you a bad person though. You just had a bad character but you changed” “Yeah…not that much actually” I added sadly. “Taeng listen, I don’t think you’re a bad person no matter what you did in the past and nothing that you will say today will ever change what I think of you” she reassured me. “You know about my tendency to turn violent, don’t you?”

“Well, I did witness some of your out-of-control moments” she admitted. I thought about all the time that I used violence to express my anger. I’m not proud of it but there was no other way to get all the anger out. “It happened a few times in the past, maybe not as much as the rumor says but enough to get me in trouble. Have you ever wondered why I’ve never been sued before?” “I did think it was weird that after a fight, no one ever talks about it anymore. Like it didn’t happen” “That’s because behind the scene, an arrangement was made” “…Do you mean that…” Fany’s voice was a little shaky, she has probably never thought about that. “Yes, we paid for their silence” I confessed. “…” Tiffany didn’t say anything. I knew this revelation might change the way she looks at me. “With that, do you think I’m a bad person?” “It’s like in movies…I’ve never thought that someone I know will do that” “Will you believe me if I say that it wasn’t my idea? I don’t repair the damages, I

provoked them and the smart people clean the mess. It has always been that way” “But you didn’t think it was a bad thing to do?” “I don’t have much say in this Tiffany, and I was only a rebelling kid who couldn’t care less about the consequences of my actions” “I don’t think that was so serious. It was only a fight between teenagers no? They could have solved it differently. Your father agreed to do that?” I laughed a bit when she mentioned my father. “There is something that you must know though. The most important thing for my father is not the kind of person I become, but the kind of image the company gives off. So yeah, he approved of it” “I’m sorry to hear that” “Anyway, I’m not blaming anyone for my actions and I’m telling you all this because…it happened again…not too long ago” “You go into another fight???” “That night, after our argument” “When you went to meet Sunye?”

“Before the airport. That’s where my hand injury came from” “I see…so…the company covered it up again?” “This time is different. I got into a car accident then into a fight and the company did covered it up” “YOU HAD A CAR ACCIDENT?” Tiffany suddenly raised her voice. “And you didn’t tell me about it?” “I wasn’t injured, and at that time, there were more important things to worry about” “What happened next?” “Someone cleaned my mess and I thought it was done until recently” I paused, rethinking about my meeting with Sungmin. “I learned that someone took pictures and even video clips of the whole incident” “Oh my god…are they blackmailing you?” “I guess it’s better if you see for yourself” I said before getting my laptop. Earlier today, when Fany was taking her shower, I downloaded some of the

articles about the incident. I sat next to Tiffany and gave her the laptop. She read through the articles without saying a word. Once she was done, she closed the laptop and turned toward me. I tried to avoid her gaze, it was really embarrassing and I was scared of her reaction. “I’m sorry for disappointing you again” I apologized. Unexpectedly, Tiffany hugged me tightly. “Everything is going to be alright Taengoo” she tried to reassure me. “I understand if you don’t want to stay with me during this period” “What?” “It was my mistake and I have to face the consequences once I get back. They are going to be all over me, the reporters, the students, everyone. You don’t have to go through this” “What kind of girlfriend am I if I leave you by yourself?” she said, still hugging me. “And what kind of girlfriend am I for putting you through this?” “I’m not approving everything that you did until now, and I’m certainly not approving your violent behavior. But I’m going to stick by you, and you know why?” she looked at me and smiled.

I couldn’t help but smile too. “Because you like bad girls?” “Because I love you. And because I know you’re not a bad person” she gently touched my face. “That’s it? That’s the way you react?” I said surprised. “How do you want me to react?” “I mean, you’re not angry or feel disappointed or think I’m like one of the worse human being on earth?” “You should stop with the exaggeration Taengoo” she told me “No really, your opinion hasn’t changed at all? Even after I told you that I hit a lot of people and covered it up later?” “Well, I won’t mind if you don’t remind me of it every day” she laughed. “But this doesn’t change the fact that I love you and that I know what kind of person you are” “…” “Beside, this issue is killing you, I can see it”

“I admit it was hard to not think about it during this vacation but having you with me did help though” “You should have told me, I feel bad for being all happy while you were struggling with it” “That’s exactly why I didn’t tell you. This is our vacations together and I didn’t want to ruin them for you. All I wanted was to see you smile so don’t feel bad for making me happy Fany.” “We will go through it together. I know we will” she assured me with a smile. “I’m sorry for ruining our last day” I regretted sadly. “You didn’t ruin anything. In fact, I’m extremely proud of you for being honest with me” she gave me a kiss. “And to perfectly finish the day, let’s not think about our worries” How come such an angel fell in love with me? “And what do you suggest?” I smiled at her. “Well, we aren’t going home now so let’s enjoy this beautiful beach while we can” she said before standing up.

I stood up and took our belongings before we went down the hill, hand in hand. I have made a lot of mistakes and took a lot of bad decisions until now, but I must say, being honest to Tiffany was the best thing I ever did. It was bad of me to doubt her though, I should have known she would stick by my side. I’m extremely afraid of tomorrow, but we can go through it…together. Tiffany and I spent a few hours playing on the beach before we went back to our hotel. That night, I smiled wholeheartedly. I didn’t think about my worries, instead, I was just happy for having such an understanding and supportive girlfriend. Tomorrow, things will get less happy and beautiful. But with Tiffany by my side, I’m not afraid anymore. Sungmin can take everything away from me, but not Tiffany.

Seoul, Jessica’s POV I have never run so much and so fast in my life. What was I running away from anyway? I mean…Yuri and I are not together anymore so she could date whoever she wants to. We are only friends now and I shouldn’t react this way. Seeing Yuri with another girl shouldn’t bother me this much. After all, I was the one who couldn’t decide…who didn’t know who my feelings were for. I should be happy

that Yuri finally found someone who shares her love. I should be happy...so why…why does it hurt so much? Why does it make me so angry and why do I feel betrayed? “JESSICA! JESSICA!” I heard Yuri calling me. Why is she running after me? Why isn’t she staying with her new girlfriend? The last thing that I want right now is to face her. There is nothing to say anyway and I don’t want her to make an official announcement about her new relationship. “JESSICA WAIT!” she shouted louder. Unfortunately for me, Yuri is a fast runner. She caught up with me before I could cross the street. Yuri grabbed my wrist and stopped me from running away. “Let go off me!!!!” I tried to get away from her grip. “Not until you tell me why you are running away” “I have nothing to tell you, go back to your girlfriend!” “What are you talking about?” Yuri seemed surprised at my statement. “Let go Yuri!!! I don’t want to talk to you!”

“Why are you so angry?” she asked confused. I was already getting tired of fighting with her so I stood there in silence. She will eventually let me go if I don’t talk or react to her words. “Is it because of Gyuri? If it is then that’s not what you think Jessica” she tried to excuse her actions. “I don’t care about Gyuri and I don’t care that you kissed her. You can date whoever you like, that’s none of my business” I tried to walk away again. But Yuri firmly held onto my wrist. “Then why are you running away? Are you jealous?” “Don’t make me laugh. I don’t care about you…” I said coldly, I knew my words will hurt her but I didn’t care. “Do you really mean it?” Yuri’s voice was so sad that I felt guilty. “Yes” I replied quickly. Suddenly, she turned extremely serious. “Is that why you keep playing with my feelings?” “Excuse me?”

“I know I can be clingy and annoying but I don’t think I deserve to be toy around. I also have feelings Jessica” “What?” I didn’t understand why she was accusing me. “I tried to understand when you dumped me. I thought that maybe you had some issues about Donghae that you have to solve before you can move on with your life and I agreed to just be friends because…even though it hurts, I still want you in my life. But after the other night, I thought that maybe…maybe you were ready to give us another chance, but then you went straight into his arms again! Why are you doing this? Is that funny to give me false hope?” she started to get emotional. “What are you accusing me of?” I really didn’t understand what she was talking about. “I saw you after our date…with Donghae. You were kissing him! 15 minutes after WE KISSED!” she raised her voice. “Did you spy on me?” “You forgot your cellphone in the car and I was bringing it back” “I understand now…” I whispered.

Now this is clear. That’s why I couldn’t reach her after that night. She saw me with Donghae. “What do you understand now? That you were playing with me again?” she went on. “You saw me with Donghae and the first thing that you did was running to Gyuri?” It was my turn to be angry. “Then what I should do? Wait forever for you? Act like you didn’t kiss him?” I started to laugh sarcastically, because I can’t believe all of this happened after a stupid misunderstanding. “And now you’re laughing…I can’t believe it…” she said frustrated. “I didn’t kiss him…” I said calmly. Now it was her turn to be confused. “Huh?” “I didn’t kiss him…he tried to kiss me but I pushed him away…of course, you didn’t see that” “What?”

“Donghae went to my house right after you left. He wanted to see me and though I didn’t want to, I finally agreed to meet him because there was something I wanted to tell him as well” I explained. Yuri finally released her grip. “And what was it?” “That it was done. That I was done with him and with my feelings for him. I told him I didn’t want to see him again but he didn’t want to accept it and tried to kiss me” “And you rejected him?” “I pushed him away…but I guess you skipped that part” I said bitterly. “Honestly, it was hard for me to not take it the wrong way though…” “Who cares now…” “If you are talking about Gyuri, there is nothing between us” “Yeah…because you kiss people for fun?” “I didn’t kiss her. She kissed me! I didn’t want to go out with her…but I was so angry after what I saw the other day…”

“So you are telling me that you get with her just because you thought I got back with Donghae?” “Of course!” I felt my anger raised again. “You are lying” “No I’m not” “You went on a date with her before and don’t dare to tell me that she wasn’t at your house the other morning when I called” There was no way she could deny this. “Wait…yes…she was in my room BUT she came while I was sleeping. She is a freakin stalker!” “A stalker you went on a date with and kissed on the street” “I’ve never been on a date with her. We just had lunch today” “Don’t try to deny it Yuri! I know you went on a date with her before my kiss with Donghae happened. Tiffany told me about it!” The day after my date with Yuri and the incident with Donghae, I got a phone call from Tiffany. We talked a bit about our vacations and when I told her about Yuri,

Fany told me what she knew. She told me that Gyuri called Yuri and asked her out…and Yuri accepted. At first, I thought it was nothing. I could understand that she had to meet other people since we weren’t together anymore but I didn’t expect them to really get into a relationship. “You said you wouldn’t give up on me right? And yet, it didn’t bother you to go and date another girl so fast” now I could feel the tears in my eyes. “I’m not dating her! I swear!” “Then why were you kissing her? Why did you go on a date with her? Why Yuri? WHY?” I was getting really mad now. “Sica, let me explain…” “There is nothing to explain! You said I keep on playing with your feelings? I guess that’s exactly what you’re doing with me now” I said angrily. I wanted to end this conversation so badly. I always thought that she would wait for me. It is unfair to think that but that’s the way I feel when it comes to Yuri. That no matter what I do, she will always come back to me. I guess that was too arrogant of me to think this way. “I don’t want to see you again” I said harshly.

“Jessica” Yuri tried to hold my hand but I pushed her away. “Go back to Gyuri” I said before running across the street. Then it happens…

*Brake noises*

“JESSICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Chapter 25 - Only the Beginning…

Seoul Hospital,

Yuri’s POV

She has to wake up, she really has to.

I was pacing around in the hallway, waiting for the doctor to come out of Jessica’s room. They said there weren’t any serious injury but she was still unconscious. I

called her family and they were already on their way. I don’t think I can take this any longer.

I’ve always been a patient person, but in this situation, I am losing my mind. It’s kind of crazy how important Jessica has become. If I’m being honest, I have to admit that I don’t know that much about her. We have spent a huge amount of time together but…there are still a lot of things I ignore. I can say the same for Jessica. There are things she ignored about me as well.

So at the end of the day, there is still a long way to go before we fully know and understand each other. And yet, I feel like no one is more important than her at the moment. Isn’t that crazy? I think it is.

I was still walking around when I heard the door from Sica’s room opening. As soon as the doctor stepped out, I ran to him.

“Is she awake? Please, tell me she is…” I asked the doctor.

“I’m sorry but she isn’t awake yet. But her state is stable and I’m optimist that she will wake up soon” he said.

“Can I stay with her?”

“Sure. I will come back and check on her later” he said before walking away.

I took a long deep breath before stepping slowly into the room. I took a chair and sat beside her bed. It was already dark outside and since the only light in the room

came from a small lamp, the whole atmosphere was kind of dramatic. It was like I was in some sad movie and the last scene is me, saying a last goodbye to my dying lover.

I don’t know how long I stayed there just looking at her. There were a thousand words I wanted to tell her, but nothing came out. I knew that, if I started to speak, I would break down and cry. We’ve been through so much, from strangers to friends, from friends to lovers and then back to being friends. I have imagined a lot of scenarios after that night I spotted Jessica and Donghae together. But none of them had Jessica ending up in the hospital.

Jessica’s family also came and I couldn’t believe that the first time I actually met with them was in such circumstances. Later on, her father and sister went back home while her mother stayed. I asked her if she didn’t mind me staying as well. We spent the whole night looking at Jessica’s sleeping face.

For a few days, her room became my home. The only time I went back home was to take a shower and change clothes. Her mother spent 2 whole days in the hospital as well until her husband convinced her to go home and rest. I also told her that I will look after Jessica.

That afternoon, I was so tired that I fell asleep, my head resting on the edge of the bed. I don’t know how long I slept, but I know what awakened me. It was the sudden movement of Sica’s arm.

She has awakened.

“Jessica! Jessica, you are awake! You are finally awake!” I said excitedly.

Her eyes slowly opened and I waited for her to get used to the light. Then she started to look around, probably looking for something familiar. I held her hand and gently shook it.

“Jessica, how are you feeling?” I asked her.

Finally, she lain her eyes on me. It’s been only a few days but I forgot how beautiful her eyes were. They were so pure and mesmerizing.

But then, her words crushed me.

“Who are you?” her sweet voice asked innocently.

Did she really ask me that? It is impossible…there is no way she would forget me…no way…NO WAY!

*Ringgggggggggggggggggggg*

I suddenly opened my eyes and realized what just happened. A dream…it was only a bad dream.

I breathed deeply and looked around me. I was in my room. But it was so real, everything felt so real. I could almost feel my anxiety when waiting for Jessica to

wake up. It was around 6am but I felt the urge to call Jessica, just to make sure that it was really a dream. But then, I remember what really happened…

-The day before-

*Brake noises*

“JESSICA!!!!!!!!!!!!!” I screamed out her name.

Because she wanted to get away from me, Jessica pushed me away and ran across the street…when the light was red. I didn’t hear anything, no horn, no screams…nothing. The only sound came from the brakes and that’s actually when both Jessica and I, saw the car coming. In those situations, as the one being madly in love with her, I should run and jump to protect her, push her away from the road as I get hit instead.

But it didn’t happen. All I did was screaming her name, like it would make her disappear from her spot or make the car stop by magic. There was nothing that I could do…I was glued there and did nothing.

The whole thing went so quick. I don’t think it lasted more than 10 seconds. I stood there in horror as the car stopped, just a few inches away from Jessica. Then everything around me became kind of blur. My heart was beating so fast and I had a hard time breathing as well. I could barely stand on my own feet; it was like I had

run a thousand miles.

My eyes were still fixed on Jessica while hers were looking at the car that nearly hit her. We stood there, still shocked until the sound of a horn startled both of us.

“HEY YOU! GET AWAY OF THE ROAD! DO YOU THINK IT IS A PLAYGROUD?!” the driver shouted at Jessica.

Jessica was looking so lost and pale, and I was afraid that she would faint. The horn and shouting kind of brought me back to my sense. I ran to Jessica and dragged her back on the sidewalk.

She was looking down at her feet, like unable to face me. But I think she was simply still in shock, which was understandable. Somehow, her non-reaction angered me. I wanted her to cry, to hug me and tell me she was afraid or to hit me and tell me that I was useless for not protecting her. I don’t know…I just…I just wanted something…I needed a reaction from her.

Why? Maybe because…I wanted to make the guilt go away. I wanted to comfort her but I didn’t know how and was I still entitled to play that role? I was the one who put her in this situation. Can I be the villain and the hero?

“Say something” she whispered out.

I really wanted to say something but I was torn between two different reactions. I felt guilty because we were arguing and that was partially my fault, and I was even angrier because she wasn’t careful enough before crossing the street. I stood there

in front of her without saying anything. A part of me felt like hugging her and telling her how much she meant to me, but the other part, wanted to shake her and make her realize her stupidity.

“Please Yuri…just say something” she said again, her head still down.

Finally, I decided to go with the neutral reaction. Instead of being overly emotional, I tried to react the right way. If I was her girlfriend Yuri, I would have scolded her but since I was only a friend, my role was to put emotions aside and make sure she was fine.

“I will drive you home” I said quietly.

Jessica didn’t move so I gently took her hand and we walked silently to where my car was parked. When we arrived to her house, I walked her to her doorsteps and make sure that someone was at home to take care of her. Her mom was the one who opened the door and I wished that I would have met her in a brighter day. I explained to her what happened earlier, only omitting the argument before leaving.

Am I heartless for leaving her like this? A lot of things could have happened if I reacted differently, maybe we would have gotten back together if I had hugged her. But that wasn’t what I wanted…at least not this way.

-Present time, Yuri’s room-

My guilt hasn’t gone away though, I still feel useless for what happened. I was supposed to always protect her but I couldn’t do it. And even after that, I wasn’t able to take care of her properly. Also, there was Gyuri that I kind of forget about yesterday. I admit that nothing will ever happen with that girl, but I still feel bad for leaving her alone. Maybe I should call her and apologize later.

All in all, yesterday was pretty chaos and if it was possible, I would go back in time and do things differently. But there was something that I learned though. Jessica and I can be friends or we can be lovers, but we can’t be in-between. I kind of suspected it already but what happened yesterday just confirmed it.

Morning in Greece,

Tiffany’s POV

This is our last morning in Athens. Taeyeon woke up quite early this morning, even though our flight was around noon. We had already packed our luggage last night and the only thing left to do was to enjoy the last 2 hours of our vacation in Greece.

It was 9 am and the two of us were having breakfast on the balcony, enjoying the view for one last time. Last night went extremely well, we had a romantic dinner in town and then went out for a walk before heading back to the hotel to pack our stuff. I was even happier since Taeng seemed completely relaxed and happy.

I know that she said to not worry and that she was fine, but I could tell that it

wasn’t that simple.

“What are you thinking about?” she asked me.

“That I was a lucky girl” I replied with a smile. “And what you are thinking about?”

“That I’m not hungry anymore” she joked.

“Stop it”

“No, actually I was thinking that it was a smart idea to pack our luggage yesterday. We wouldn’t have time to do it this morning”

“You woke up really early though, you could have done it”

“I didn’t want to wake up that early but I couldn’t get back to sleep so…”

“You are thinking about tonight aren’t you?”

“Of course not, there is nothing to worry about Fany. Just finish your breakfast. There are only 30 minutes left”

“I can’t believe it is over already”

“Well it was only a week. Overseas vacation always ends too fast”

“Maybe we should stay longer…like…forever?” I suggested innocently.

“Honestly, do you think we can live there forever?”

“No…I do miss home actually. I miss my bed the most!”

“You mean MY bed” she corrected.

It’s true that since we got together, I haven’t slept in my room for ages. That’s not my fault though; Taeng’s bed is bigger and just much more comfortable.

“Anyway, I’m happy that we still have a week vacation back in Seoul. Sightseeing was tiring actually. I need a week of doing nothing to recharge my battery”

“Whose fault? Nobody asked you to run like a little excited kid during the whole week. You could have walked slowly as well” she made fun of me.

I stuck out my tongue at her before changing the subject. “I can’t wait until we show our pictures to the others. I wonder if they had a nice week as well”

“Well, Yuri stayed at home so I’m not sure it was an exciting week for her”

“Ooh Yuri…I wonder if her plan worked…” I said it out loud.

Taeyeon looked at me confused. “What plan?”

“Huh nothing…I don’t know what you’re talking about”

“What did you two do??”

“Nothing! Let’s finish breakfast, we have to go!” I prayed that Taeng will ignore the whole thing like she always does…which she did.

Sometimes, I really like Taeyeon’s I-don’t-care attitude, especially since I can’t seem to keep my mouth shut.

We finished our food and get ready to go to the airport. It was finally the end of our beautiful trip in Greece.

Jung’s House,

Jessica’s POV

Since yesterday, I have been stuck in my room. I keep thinking about what happened and how it happened. I still don’t understand how Yuri and I ended up this way. I know that I hold the responsibility for ruining our relationship but still, I didn’t expect her to get involved with someone else. At this point, I am still angry that she went out with Gyuri, and even worse, she refused to admit it.

It might be crazy but what nearly happened to me yesterday didn’t leave the same impact as seeing Yuri with another girl. Of course, seeing that car coming at me was scary and I was in full shock after it nearly hit me. Even last night, I was still thinking about what could have happened if the car couldn’t stop in time. But even

then, Yuri was the only one in my mind. I can’t stand the fact that I nearly died when there were so many misunderstandings between us. That could have been one of my biggest regrets.

I have been thinking about what I could do to try and solve the issue with Yuri, I know that I should call her but I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Maybe it was my pride getting in the way but I didn’t feel like I should be the one making the first step. I was the one that caught her kissing another girl before getting the fear of my life in a car accident so she should be the one calling and checking on me.

And it is already afternoon and she hasn’t called me yet. I was already a little hurt yesterday when she didn’t stay with me longer. I was really expecting her to act all romantic and give me one of her touching and sweet speech, but she didn’t.

Some month ago, she would have done it. Yuri has the ability to find the exact right words to reassure me and make me feel better. But it seems like this was a new Yuri that I saw yesterday, a totally new Yuri who was ready to move on with her feelings.

I was going to keep waiting for her to call me when the thought of her being with Gyuri stroke me. I am still angry at her and I still don’t think I should be the one calling but after what I saw yesterday, I really don’t want to lose her to Gyuri again.

Now that I know what I want, now that I understand my feelings better, now that I’m ready to move on, I’m not going to let Gyuri take Yuri away from me. I don’t know if she is really the one, but I’m ready to take a shot at it.

I took my phone and dialed her number.

“Alo Jessica??? Are you feeling alright?” she asked on the phone as soon as she picked up.

“Hi…yes I’m fine, don’t worry” I really appreciated that she was worried about me.

Then there was a silence between us. I thought she would ask me something next but since she didn’t, I was kind of lost with my words.

“Hmm…Yuri-ah?”

“Yes?”

“Are you free? Can I see you?” I asked her.

“I’m doing nothing right now but tonight Taeyeon and Fany are coming back and I planned to give them a quick visit” she explained.

“Oh…” I let out a disappointed sigh.

“But if you don’t mind, we can go see them together tonight” she quickly added.

“Sure, that would be great. Do you know exactly when they’ll be back?”

“Taeng turned off her phone and I forgot to ask her last time, but they should be

back at the apartment around 8-9 PM. If you want, we can go eat dinner before going to see them” she proposed.

I was happy that Yuri ended up taking the lead. “Of course, so let’s say at 7pm at my house?”

“I’ll be there. Bye”

“See you later” I concluded before hanging up.

It wasn’t that bad. It’s pretty funny how well we act and talk like nothing special happened yesterday. I guess that’s the reason why our relationship turned out this way. From now on, I will be honest with her and stop avoiding the sensitive topic.

On the plane,

Tiffany’s POV

There are still 3 hours left until we arrive to Seoul. At first, Taeyeon was pretty relaxed, but as we get closer to the country, she became more and more tensed. Of course, being Taeyeon, she simply acted like she was perfectly fine but I knew better. I also had to force her to eat lunch even though she insisted she wasn’t hungry. Then she kind of shut herself off completely. She often does that when something is bothering her and until now, I haven’t found a way to make her open up to me.

Taeyeon put on her headphones and closed her eyes. I knew she wasn’t sleeping, like I knew that last night she couldn’t sleep as well. I gave her a light kiss on the cheek before holding her hand, letting her know that I was there. In these situations, there is nothing that I could do but make sure that she knows I’m supporting her.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yoona’s POV

I miss Seohyun already. We only came back yesterday and I already miss her. This vacation in Japan was such a perfect idea and I’m so proud of myself for thinking about it. The only thing I can’t believe is how messed up Yuri and Jessica unni’s relationship became during our absence.

Last night we had a talk with my older sister and she told me about what happened while I was in Japan. I kind of feel bad for her since I was the one who gave her the idea of making Jessica jealous. But then, I never asked her to really go out with another girl and even kiss her on the street. It wasn’t really a smart move this time.

Then, there is Taeyeon unni. Her scandal is all over the news, even in Japan. I really don’t know how far this case will go but Taeyeon unnie doesn’t deserve this…no matter what she has done, I know she is a good person.

I decided to call Seohyun to know what she was doing. We had just spent a week together but it is not enough for me. A lot of my friends think that this relationship

is only temporary and that with time, I will be less crazy about her. But I know they’re wrong. Even though I am young and Seohyun is actually the first girlfriend I ever had, I know this is more than a simple puppy love. My feelings for her are real and I am determined to make it work…forever.

I picked up my phone and called her.

“Alo?” her sweet voice answered my call.

“Hi Seohyunni! What are you doing?”

“I’m studying now”

That’s my Seohyun. “Do you want to do something later this afternoon?” I asked.

“I still have piano practice later so I’m afraid I can’t go out with you this afternoon” she said disappointed.

Althought it makes me sad when I can’t see her, I totally understand. Seohyun is really serious when it comes to school and it makes me so proud when instead of going out and have fun, she stays at home to study. I wish I was a little more motivated when it comes to studying.

“Its fine, I understand. Maybe we can do something tomorrow if you’re free?”

“Oh just a second, my mom is telling me something” she said.

I could hear her mother’s voice talking to her but I couldn’t figure out what she was saying.

A few seconds later, Seohyun spoke on the phone. “Yoona? Mom is asking if you want to come for dinner. She wants to thank you for taking me on vacation”

“Really? She doesn’t need to but I’ll be very happy to come for dinner” I said happily.

I get along very well with Seohyun’s family. Her sister is an aegyo queen who gives me goosebumps whenever she uses aegyo to talk to me, but she is a really nice and bright girl. Sunny kind of reminds me of a shorter version of Tiffany.

“Mommy said that she would be happy to have you for dinner as well”

“Great, I will be there around 6PM, is that ok?”

“Sure, that would be perfect”

“I can’t wait to see you again. I really miss you Seohyuni” I told her.

“I miss you too Yoona” she said shyly.

Even though we’ve been dating for some months and even went on vacation together, there were still moments where both of us felt shy. Most of the time, it’s when we’re on the phone. I feel much more comfortable when she is in front of me.

After ending the call with Seohyun, I went to my sister’s room, to see how she was doing. When I came in, she was on the phone. I sat on the bed, next to her and waited for her to finish her conversation.

“Was is Jessica unnie?” I asked once she ended her call.

“Yup, she called me…”

“And that doesn’t make you happy?”

“I didn’t say that”

“Well you don’t really look excited so…”

“After yesterday, I don’t really know how to handle this”

“I think what you two really need is a honest talk. Until now, you tried to talk about it but somehow, you never fully solve the problem”

“I’m actually afraid that she is angry at me for not staying with her yesterday”

“Didn’t she call you? She mustn’t be too angry if she decided to call you. By the way, what did she say?” I forgot to ask her about the content of their conversation.

“She wanted to see me today”

“AND?”

“And we will have dinner this evening before dropping at Taeng’s apartment.”

“Oh you’re going to see Taeyeon unnie?”

“That’s what I planned. I can’t wait to see what presents Taeng and Fany bought” she laughed.

“Say hi to them for me then. I’m going to have dinner at Seohyun’s house. Her mother invited me” I said proudly

“Wow you two are already like a married couple”

“I don’t mind”

“Well, I’m happy that you’re doing better than me at least.”

“Come on, I’m sure you can solve your problem with Jessica unnie. It’s obvious that she has feelings for you and now that you know she dumped that Donghae for good, it can only turn good” I tried to comfort her.

“I guess so”

My sister and I talked about random things before she fell asleep. I guess she didn’t have much sleep last night. I left her room and went in the kitchen to tell my mom that I won’t be home for dinner.

I really can’t wait to see Seohyun.

Incheon Airport at night,

Tiffany’s POV

It was evening when we arrived at Incheon airport. Taeyeon and I were waiting for our luggage when Taeng remembered that she turned off her phone for the whole week.

“Why did you turn it off?”

“Because I wanted to have a peaceful week without any phone calls or text messages” she explained while turning it on.

I immediately understood what she meant. Once her phone was on, all I heard was a bip sound. She must have gotten a hundred text messages and probably missed calls as well. Taeyeon seemed really annoyed and before she could check any messages, she got a new call.

Taengoo let out a sigh before answering. “Yes? I’m at the airport right now, waiting for my luggage. My car is in the parking so…What? Why should we wait here? I haven’t seen any reporters…”

While Taeyeon was talking on the phone, I saw our luggage coming and was going

to put them on a cart by myself but Taengoo still gave me a hand.

“Listen, we have our luggage and we’re going to leave with my car. I will call you once I’m at home” she said before hanging up.

“Is everything ok?” I asked.

“I hope so…okay let’s go!”

Taeyeon pushed the cart as we walked out. As soon as the door separating us from the waiting zone opened, I got blind by flashlights. But then I realized that it was camera flashes. There were tons of reporters waiting for us. I thought only idols could have such treatment.

Suddenly, Taeng took my hand and pulled me behind her. “Drop your head and look down. Don’t look at them” she said as we continued to walk.

What I didn’t expect was for them to get close to us. I was naïve enough to think they will keep a fair distance and only take pictures. I was completely wrong. Fortunately, the security guards were quick enough and came to block some of them from being too close to us. We were going to take the elevator down to the parking lot and since the elevator wasn’t there yet, the reporters had enough time to throw a thousand questions at us.

“Taeyeon is it really you on the assault pictures?”, “Taeyeon did you commit a hit and run?”, “Why did you hit an innocent and left him for dead?”, “Did you plan to hide outside of the country?”, “Is that your new girlfriend? Where is Min Sun Ye?”

They were all talking and shouting at the same time and even though the elevator took 10 seconds to come, it was the longest seconds ever. My head was hurting from all the questions and flashes. The securities guys even had to stop them from coming in the elevator with us. Once inside, Taeng pulled out her phone and made a phone call.

“It’s me. You were right, they are here. I will try to drive safely to the apartment so if you can take care of things in front of the apartment building, that would be great.” She instructed on the phone.

We were really lucky that 2 securities were accompanying us, because there were some reporters in the parking lot as well. I was observing Taeyeon when we were in the elevator and though she looked extremely calm and in control, I knew she was afraid.

“Kim Tae Yeon, are you going to turn yourself to the police?”, “What does your father think about this scandal?”, “Are you Hwang Miyoung? What do you think about Taeyeon’s behavior”, “Miyoung can you give us your impressions?”

We arrived to Taeng’s car and quickly put our luggage in the trunk. Unfortunately, since we stopped moving, the reporters were even more aggressive and tried to get closer to us. One of them, the one who was talking to me tried a little harder though, which angered Taeyeon. She suddenly dropped one of the bags and pushed him away from me.

“I’m warning you, don’t come near her!” Taeng threatened him. “Get on the car

Tiffany”

“But…” There were still some bags waiting to be put in the trunk so I didn’t want to let Taeyeon do all by herself but obviously, it wasn’t the right time to negotiate.

“Are you always this violent?”, “How long have you been dating?”, “Do you have anything to say to the public?”, “Do you know that the victim is thinking of suing you?” The reporters were still trying to get Taeyeon to say something to them.

She quickly finished with our luggage and got on the car as well. I didn’t dare to say anything to her as I could tell she was really stressed out. I thought the reporters would leave us alone, but instead, they surrounded the car to take pictures.

Taeng started the engine and waited for the security to stop the reporters from blocking our car before she could drive away. At some point, I was afraid that Taeng will drive over all of them. The scene was really crazy. There were reporters everywhere, some were even chasing after our car.

We were on the highway and Taeyeon was really tensed. She was really focused on the road but at the same time, I knew she was really scared. I completely trust Taeng but I was a little bit worried as well. They were chasing after us and a car accident can happen so fast.

“I’m sorry” Taeyeon apologized.

“This isn’t your fault Taengoo”

“It is. Mr. Henney told me to wait at the baggage claim until the driver comes and picks us up but I didn’t listen. Once again, I was too stubborn and couldn’t protect you.”

“Taengoo, I’m fine. It was a little scary but we’re fine, so don’t worry” I tried to comfort her.

Then her phone rang again. She turned the speakers on and for the first time, I heard Mr. Henney’s voice. Taeyeon told me a little about him during our vacation. He’s kind of a lawyer for the company. I didn’t really get it but it seems like he is more of a handyman than a simple lawyer.

“Miss. Taeyeon, I think you should go back to your house instead of your apartment.” He suggested.

His voice was very manly. It was calm and yet it was strong and intimidating.

“What happened again?” Taeng asked annoyed. The whole thing is really starting to get the best of her.

“I only think that it will be more comfortable at the residence. Obviously, you are not going to go out often in the upcoming days” he explained calmly.

Taeng thought about what he just said before asking for my opinion. “What do you think Tiffany?”

“Anything is fine with me. But if we stay at your house then we have to go and take some clothes at the apartment”

“You do not have to worry about that Miss. Tiffany. Someone will be in charge of bringing you some of your belongings” Mr. Henney answered me.

“I don’t think she want people to touch her clothes though” Taeng explained for me.

It was cute that she thought about this little detail. The clothes are fine but it makes me a little uncomfortable to know that someone is looking through my underwear.

“Come back to the house first and we will find a solution for your clothing problem” he said.

“Ok” Taeng accepted before hanging up. “I’m sorry” she apologized again.

“Taengoo, it’s fine. Stop apologizing. Instead of being in an apartment, we’re staying in a huge house. Believe me, I don’t mind at all”

Because there was no traffic jam, we reached her house pretty fast. Now I understand why Mr. Henney said it would be better to stay at the house. Since it was in a pretty rich and highly secured neighborhood, reporters couldn’t get in. And I was thankful for that.

“Wah Mr. Henney is really thoughtful. I didn’t think about the fact that reporters couldn’t get in the neighborhood.” I complimented Mr. Henney.

“Are you having a crush on him?” Taeng teased me.

“How could I?” I denied. “I haven’t seen him yet…” I added in a whisper.

“I heard you” she said with a smile.

When we got to the house, I noticed 3 black cars parked near the house’s gate. Their windows were tainted and I was scared that it was the reporters again.

“Taengoo, do you see the black cars?” I asked while pointing at them.

“Yes” she took a quick look.

“I wonder who they are…” I said without expecting an answer from her.

But then, Taeyeon said in a very serious tone. “They’re assassins”

“WHAT?” That completely freaked me out and I was looking around, expecting some highly trained agent to jump off the car and attack us.

“Kidding. They’re here to make sure no one come and annoy us.” She clarified.

“Aish…don’t ever do that again! I was really scared!” I hit her.

It was nice to see Taeng still making jokes. I wasn’t the one implied in this incident but I already felt nervous and afraid of what kind of “surprise” is awaiting for us in

the upcoming days. I can’t imagine how Taeyeon is feeling right now.

Taeyeon finally parked the car and I also noticed a car parked outside of the house. I didn’t ask Taeng whose car it was because I had a feeling that I will discover it soon enough.

Taeng and I took out our luggage and went inside the house. Instead of bringing everything to Taeng’s room, we let our stuff in the lobby and walked to the living room. There, someone was already waiting for us.

“Welcome back Miss. Taeyeon and Miss. Tiffany” a very tall and handsome man greeted us.

“Mr. Henney” Taeyeon greeted him back. She went on and introduced me to him even though he already knew who I was.

We all sat down before he started speaking.

“Well, I think we have to talk Miss. Taeyeon” he began.

In a restaurant,

Jessica’s POV

Yuri came to pick me up earlier and we immediately went downtown to eat something. I was really nervous before she arrived. Since both of us know so well

how to act like nothing happened, we would probably feel really uncomfortable seeing each other. Fortunately, the ride to the restaurant went well, mostly because we didn’t really speak.

“I think it’s about time that we solve all our misunderstanding, don’t you think?” This time, I took the lead.

Yuri looked at me like I said something really surprising. “Do you think we can?”

“I just think we have to” I said.

“You are right…but it seems like talking and solving problems aren’t really our specialties” she joked.

“Then let’s make sure that this time, we solve it entirely”

“Okay…so do you want me to start?”

“If you want to”

“Yeah let’s me start” she paused and took a long breath before giving me her speech. “First, I want you to know that I wasn’t dating Gyuri. I admit I went on a date with her but it was mostly because I was sad and didn’t know what to do after I saw you with Donghae. The date that Tiffany told you about didn’t happen…it was a pure lie to make you jealous. I’m sorry”

“What? You mean…Tiffany lied to me about it?”

“I had to beg her to do it for me so please, don’t be mad at her”

“I’m mad at you right now”

“I know it was a stupid idea and I’m really sorry. I just…I just wanted to have your attention, that’s why I did such a stupid thing that made things worse between us”

“At least you know it was stupid”

“Between Gyuri and I…there is nothing, absolutely nothing. I must say she isn’t a bad girl and I feel bad for her sometimes, but nothing will ever happen between us. Believe me”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you…but I don’t trust her. After all, she kissed you!”

“Are you jealous?”

“What?”

“Were you jealous when you saw us together?”

“That’s not the point…”

“That’s exactly the point Jessica. Until now, most of our problems came from the fact that I am in the dark when it comes to your feelings for me. That would be a huge step if I finally know…” she paused. “Please tell me, what should I expect

from you?”

I don’t know why since the beginning, I had a hard time figuring out what my feelings were for Yuri and why it was that hard for me to acknowledge them. Maybe I was afraid that history will repeat itself…although Yuri is completely different from Donghae.

Yuri was waiting for my answer and that only made me more nervous. “I…I want you to know that now, I don’t have any more feelings for Donghae. What happened with him is in the past and I’m ready to move on…completely” I told her sincerely.

“And what about me? Is our relationship in the past too?”

“No of course not” I quickly said. “I don’t think our relationship has truly started…at least not the way it should” I added.

“Jessica…what do you feel about me? Am I a friend or a little more than that? Because…I can’t do this anymore, WE can’t do this anymore. We can be friends or be together but we can’t be in-between…I can’t do this…”

“Yuri…”

“No…I just…I can’t Jessica. I cannot act like your friend but praying every night that you will come back to me and I also cannot be your girlfriend but not knowing where we’re heading to. I tried…I really tried but this is driving me crazy…”

“I’m sorry…I’m really sorry for confusing and making it difficult for you” I apologized sincerely.

“Not only for me Sica. It is also for you. We can’t go on like this forever”

Finally, I took my courage and told her what I have been thinking all this time. “I have feelings for you. I…I felt jealous and angry when you’re with another girl and my heart hurt when I know you might move on with your life and feelings and forget about me…”

“Jessica I would never…”

“But…I can’t promise you anything. I don’t know where our relationship is going and I don’t know if we will have a happy ending. I just don’t know anymore…I lost all expectations Yuri…I don’t know what to expect from my relationship anymore…”

It was true. Since Donghae, I’m afraid of being in a relationship again. I’m afraid of being deceived, I’m afraid of falling for the wrong person again. I know Yuri is different but I am still afraid.

Yuri took my hands and held them gently. “This is what makes relationship so exciting and real Jessica. Not knowing what will happen next. I can’t promise you a perfect relationship, mostly because there is no perfect relationship. We will argue sometimes, get angry with each other and even scream but this is normal. All I want from you is a chance and the promise that you will try to make it work as much as I will”

“All I know right now is that…I don’t want to lose you Yuri” I admitted. “I don’t know how things will turn out for us but what I know and want is…to not see you with another girl again”

Yuri smiled at my confession. “Jessica, there was only you. Up until now, you are the only one and you should know by now”

“I believe you, but seeing you with Gyuri made me realize that nothing is sure in this world. Anything can happen and I can lose you anytime and to anyone”

“But that’s not going to happen. And this is something that you shouldn’t be thinking about. For now, we should think about how we can get this relationship back on track. That’s all I want for now”

“I want it too”

“See, this is our first big step” she said with a smile.

Our conversation ended there. Like she said, it was a big step even though we didn’t take any real decision about our relationship. I was still glad that I could tell her how I really feel about her.

Kim’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

We were sitting in the living room with Mr. Henney and I knew that our conversation wouldn’t be very cheerful.

“Like you could see, this issue is getting bigger every single day Miss. Taeyeon” he said.

“Please, I told you a billion times to call me Taeyeon” I said annoyed.

Mr. Henney took a look at Tiffany before continuing. “Hmm Miss. Tiffany, you said that you want to go back to the apartment and take some clothes? I can arrange it now if you want” he suggested.

For some reason, I felt like he didn’t want Tiffany to be a part of this conversation. I have absolutely nothing to hide from her though but I can understand why Mr. Henney would want to keep some things…private.

“Huh…you mean I should go back to the apartment now?” Tiffany asked.

“Someone will escort you back but you have to change clothes first. If possible, put a cap on. Reporters are already waiting in front of the building”

“I can’t let her go alone” I said

“She won’t go alone” he stated.

“Do you want to go?” I asked Tiffany.

“Well, I have to go back eventually so better do it now. It’s okay. Don’t worry about me” she said before getting off the couch.

Mr. Henney made a quick phone call before turning his attention back to Tiffany. “Someone is already waiting for you outside. Please go change before you leave” he instructed Fany.

“Take something in my drawer if you want” I told her before she left the living room.

“So Taeyeon, let’s talk about this issue” Mr. Henney started.

Tiffany’s POV

I knew that Mr. Henney didn’t want me to be a part of their conversation, and I actually understand. After all, Taeng is the heiress of a huge company and there are probably a lot of things that I ignore and shouldn’t know about. I’m a very curious girl but when it comes to Taeyeon, I learned to be patient.

So like Mr. Henney told me. I went to Taeng’s room and changed clothes. Luckily, I let some of my jeans there last time we stayed in the house, because if I can fit in Taeng’s shirts, there is no way I can fit it in her jeans. I made sure to put on a cap before going downstairs.

“Miss. Tiffany, are you ready to go?” a tall man in a suit was waiting for me in

front of the door. I guess that’s one of the bodyguards?

“Huh just a minute will you?” I said before walking to the living room. I just wanted to tell Taeng I was ready to go.

As I approached the living room, I could hear Taeng and Mr. Henney’s voices. The door to the living room was slightly opened and I absolutely didn’t mean to eavesdrop until I heard a familiar name.

“I will make sure we take good care of Sungmin” I heard Mr. Henney said.

“He is more dangerous than I gave him credits for. The most important is to stop him before he released the rest of the pictures” Taeyeon added.

Sungmin? Min Sungmin? Is he the one behind all that?

Chapter 26 – The Decision…

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

It was with a troubled mind that I went to the apartment. On my way there, I couldn’t stop thinking about what I’ve heard. If my ears didn’t fail me, Sungmin is the one behind Taeng’s scandal.

Am I truly surprised? Deep inside, it seems like I knew he would be involved in a way.

Once we got close to the apartment building, I noticed all the cars parked outside. They were all reporters waiting for Taeng…and I guess me as well. The car I was in had tainted windows so I didn’t have to try and hide my face from the reporters. The driver parked the car in the underground parking and 2 huge bodyguards escorted me up to the apartment.

In front of the apartment door, there was a pleasant surprise waiting for me.

“Yuri, Jessica!” I kind of shouted out while running to them.

“Fany!” Sica gave me a hug.

“I tried to call you a hundred times” Yuri said, her phone still in her hand.

I made a surprise face and checked my phone. “Ooh my battery is dead”

“How long have you been waiting here?” I asked them while opening the door.

“Only 20 minutes. I tried to call you, then Taeng but she didn’t answer her phone”

“Taeng put her phone on silence mode when we reached home…she got too many phone calls and messages”

“Not surprising” Yuri said.

“So you two are not going to stay there?” asked Jessica.

“No, we are staying at the house for the time being. It is more secured and peaceful.” I explained. “I came back to take some clothes”

“I should have guess you guys will stay at the house” Yuri said.

“I’m sorry, I wanted to call you guys but we were kind of stressed tonight”

“That’s nothing, don’t apologize”

Yuri and Sica followed me into my room. We had a small discussion while I was picking my clothes.

“So…since when do you know about Taeng’s scandal?” Sica asked me.

“Yesterday…she told me the whole story yesterday”

“Seeing you are still together, I guess it went well?” Yuri asked in a joking way.

I rolled my eyes at Yuri’s comment. “There was no way I would leave her for that. Did you really think I would do that?”

“No no. I knew you wouldn’t break up with her, but I was a little afraid you might take it badly”

“I was shocked but it didn’t change my feelings for her. And truth is, I really disapprove of her behavior but this isn’t the right time to give her a scolding.”

“Yeah, all she needs right now is our full support” Yuri added.

“Are you two coming back with me?” I asked both of them.

And that’s when it hit me that Yuri and Jessica were together. Suddenly, I was dying to drag Yuri away for a minute and ask her about how it went with Sica during this week. But I didn’t, because it wasn’t the right time to do so.

“Hmm it’s getting late so I think I will go home instead” Jessica said.

“I’ll drive you back Sica. Maybe I will drop at the house later” Yuri told me.

The three of us left the apartment and went our separate ways. I didn’t tell them about Sungmin being involved in all this. I suppose Yuri knows about it already

but for now, I don’t want anyone to know that I know.

Kim’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

I was actually glad that Mr. Henney sent Fany away before our discussion started. Although I told her everything about this scandal, I did omit to tell her that Sungmin is the one behind it. And I don’t want her to know about it until the problem is solved. I know Tiffany and I can already see how she would react if she knew. She would go straight up to Sungmin and ask him naively to stop his stupidity…and I don’t want that to happen.

“Do you want me to take care of Sungmin personally?” Mr. Henney asked. The guy is a cool lawyer but sometimes, he can act like some gangster.

“Well, it depends…are you gonna kill him?” I jokingly asked…or maybe I wasn’t joking.

“As much as you want to…No” he said with a smile. “I was thinking about his company actually”

“I don’t want to do that…”

“He’s ruining your career and damaging the company. Are you going to let him go that easily?”

“Of course not. I will deal with him when the right time comes, but I won’t bring down the company. His parents are good people and there is Sunye…”

“You do know that in a way or another, his family’s company will suffer from whatever you plan to inflict on him”

“I’ll find something…”

“Anyway, revenge is not your priority right now. We have to deal with something much more important” he turned back to his serious self.

“I know…the press and all that” I said annoyingly.

“Actually no, I don’t really care about the press right now. What I care about is this Mr. Park, the victim.”

“The guy who accepted the money but now wants more?”

“I don’t know if he wants more money. But what I know is that Sungmin has been trying to convince him to put charges against you. No need to add that I hope he won’t.”

“So…you sure you don’t want to kill Sungmin?”

Mr. Henney shook his head with an apologetic smile. “Maybe next time” he said before standing up.

“I guess I don’t need to tell you that I won’t be working this week?”

“I’m sure you will be able to work from the house. Someone will bring you papers to sign tomorrow”

“Great”

“By the way, I suggest you keep a low profile from now on. I know it will be hard but stay at home as much as possible”

“That’s fine, not like I like to go out anyway”

He smiled at me before leaving the house. I sat there alone for a while, thinking about the whole mess that was my life.

Outside in Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

After we spent a small moment with Tiffany at the apartment, I drove Jessica back to her house. Once again, when we got there, there was a huge silence when it was time to say goodbye. I remember that when we were still dating, the goodbye moment was my favorite…because we kissed all the time.

Now things are quite different. We agreed to start all over with Sica but truthfully,

I don’t know where to start…or how.

Do I have the right to kiss her now? Hold her hands? Hug her? In the past, I did it naturally, without thinking much, but now? There is the whole fighting in my head every time I want to make a move with her.

I really do miss the old times.

Since Jessica didn’t say a word, I tried to bring up a topic. “Tell me Sica. How would you have reacted if you were Fany?”

“You mean…if I was the one dating Taeyeon?” She asked back.

Ugh…what a weird thought. “Huh…no…actually I would prefer if you replace me with Taeyeon. That’s kind of disturbing, the thought of you and Taeng together so…”

Jessica smiled at my little act of jealousy. “Ok…so if you were the one who was implied in this scandal, I think I would have reacted the same way as Tiffany.”

“Really?” I asked shocked.

“Yes, I would have stuck by your side as well” she assured me.

“Wow…I really thought you would react badly actually”

“Maybe I would have reacted slightly differently though…yeah…I would have hit

you as a punishment for behaving this way”

“You would have hit me??? For real?”

“Of course. Don’t think I’m small and weak, I can pretty much kick your ass if I want to” she joked.

“I’m sure you can” I smiled.

“But seriously, I will stay with you if this happens…but it probably won’t right?”

“Probably not. The only time that I got into a fight was because Taeng was involved, so I don’t think something like this will happen to me” I preferred not to mention my little fight with Donghae. Better not mention his name again.

“Now that I know Taeyeon, it’s hard for me to believe she can be so violent sometimes” Sica admitted.

“Taeyeon doesn’t know how to control her anger and most importantly, Taeyeon doesn’t know how to think before she acts, because she thinks of the consequences”

“Honestly, it is often like that with spoiled kid…I mean the I-don’t-care attitude and character”

“I don’t like to think like this but maybe this scandal isn’t such a bad thing actually. Maybe this is like a wake up call for Taeng, to finally change and try to

improve her behavior. Am I a bad friend for saying this?”

Jessica gave me an understanding smile. “No you’re not. I agree with you actually. This scandal will definitely be an experience for her”

“And if you think about it, this whole thing didn’t only bring negative news. I mean, because of it, I learned tonight that you would stay by my side if anything bad happen”

“Yes but you also learned that if you do anything stupid, I will kick your ass”

Jessica and I looked at each other and smiled. Then, like I did a thousand times already, I naturally held her face gently and kissed her. Jessica didn’t take long before returning my kiss.

Whenever we kiss, it’s like…all our problems just vanished. There is only Jessica and me. Nothing matters to me anymore when we are together. It is kind of scary to feel this way, but so good at the same time.

“Am I going to see you tomorrow?” I asked her after we ended the kiss.

“Do you want to?” she teased me.

“Do you really need to ask?” I acted shocked. “If I could, I would just sneak in your room and watch you sleep all night” I said.

In my head, the whole sentence didn’t sound this…creepy.

“That’s creepy Yuri” she purposely overacted.

“What? The vampire in Twilight does it and his girlfriend doesn’t seem to mind”

“Okay…I think you need some sleep” she said before giving me a kiss on the cheek.

I smiled gently at her. “I will call you tomorrow” I said before giving her a last kiss.

We smiled one last time at each other before Jessica got out of the car and went to her house. Like I do all the time, I looked at her walking away and only drove away once she stepped in the house.

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

When I went back to the house, I was expecting to see Mr. Henney and Taeng still engaged in their conversation, so I was a little surprised when I found Taeyeon asleep in her room.

I quietly put down my stuff and went to lie down beside her. Tonight has been completely crazy and it seems like tomorrow won’t be any better. And since I discovered that Sungmin was behind that, I feel like…I have the power, the

opportunity to do something to help Taeng…but I don’t know what to do.

The smart part of my brain tells me to discuss it with Taeyeon before I do anything stupid, but the other parts of my brain just tell me to shut up and keep it a secret until I find a solution myself. Sungmin is a jackass but up until now, he has been kinda nice with me. Maybe there is still a tiny tiny good part in him and I will be able to convince him to stop whatever he is trying to do with Taeyeon.

I kept thinking about what I could do to help Taeyeon until my eyes closed by themselves. Now that I know Sungmin did it, I cannot ignore the fact that I have to get involved in this as well.

*2 days later*

Jessica’s House,

Tiffany’s POV

Today, I finally got the chance to get out of the house. These past days, all I have been doing was hanging out at Yuri’s house with her and Jessica, while Taeyeon stayed at home and worked. I’m not complaining but I do miss being able to go out with Taeyeon and just…being a happy couple. Now we can’t do this anymore…and all of that is because of Sungmin.

I called Sica earlier this morning and told her that we need to talk. I came up with

an idea recently and I need someone’s opinion on it. Taeyeon wasn’t really happy when I told her I wanted to go to Jessica’s house because she was worried reporters would try to follow me. But after some sweet talking, she let me go…of course, the only condition was that I had to go with the bodyguards.

“Hello Tiffany” Sica’s little sister opened the door.

“Hi Krystal”

“Sica is in her room” she said before disappearing into the kitchen.

“Thanks”

I went into Jessica’s room and spotted her watching a website full of Yuri’s pictures. I wanted to ask her about it but I didn’t need to. She did it by herself.

“CAN YOU BELIEVE THIS?” she shouted.

“Huh…no?”

“Look at this!” Sica showed me the website she was looking at. “This is Gyuri’s blog and look at all these pictures. ALL of Yuri!”

I went and sat beside Jessica. “Wow wow…that’s a lot of pictures. When did she take them?”

“Stalker pictures. I can’t believe Yuri kissed that girl”

Then it was my turn to shout. “SHE WHAT?”

Since I came back, I didn’t have the opportunity to ask either Jessica or Yuri to update me on what happened in their relationship. Whenever I went to Yuri’s house, Jessica was always there already so I couldn’t ask anything. Up to this point, all I know was, they are building up a new relationship.

“Yeah…that’s one of the thing I have to talk to you about” she said, still angry.

Jessica went on and told me about her first week of vacation. From her kiss incident with Donghae to the nearly death experience on the street, she didn’t miss a single detail. Of course, all of this was from Jessica’s point of view and her side of the story, so I knew that when it is Yuri’s turn to talk to me, some things might be a little different.

“And tell me again, how did you end up looking at Gyuri’s blog?” I asked out of pure curiosity.

“I saw her cyworld’s page and there was a link on that. But that’s not the point! Look at that creepy stalker”

“I wonder if Yuri knows about it”

“She better not because if she does then it means that she went on Gyuri’s cyworld and if she went on her cyworld then it means that she is interested in her and then…”

“Ok ok ok stop stop” I tried to calm her down. “Breath deeply and stop freaking out. You two are dating again so why are you so worried about Gyuri?”

“Because she keeps on calling Yuri. Last time, Yul went out with her because she insisted and wouldn’t let go…so what if it happens again?”

“Last time, Yuri thought you were back with Donghae so she was just sad and devastated. She would never ever do that to you Jessica.” I reassured her. “And that’s not spying on her blog that will help you. Just let it go and focus on your relationship with Yul.”

“I’m trying,…believe me. It’s fine now but school is starting next week and as far as I remember, she is in our class”

“All I know is that Yuri has been in love with you since the first time she met you. One Gyuri or a million Gyuri won’t change that. Trust me.”

“I will…but I can’t promise you that I won’t try to kill that girl if she tries too hard”

“Wow look at you. All jealous and crazy about your little Yuri. You kind of did a 180° turn with your feelings for her.” I noticed.

“Let’s say that Gyuri was my wake up call. I just realized that I couldn’t keep her waiting forever because sooner or later, she will move on or someone will take her away from me”

“I guess you have to thank Gyuri then”

“You kidding, right?”

“Of course” I replied quickly.

Jessica can be scary sometimes. Something that I noticed was her jealousy when it comes to Yuri. She wasn’t like that with Donghae. I always thought it was weird how she was supposed to be so in love with him and yet, she didn’t feel any particular feeling when she saw him with other girls. However, with Yuri, she is ready to rip off any girl that comes too close to her Yul.

“Anyway, I’m happy for you and for Yuri. You guys definitely deserve to be together”

“I’m happy too. I really missed being with her”

“And I miss the old happy and crazy Yuri. That would be awesome if you bring her back” I joked even though it was true. I miss hyper and crazy Yul.

“I will do my best” she joked back. “So tell me, what suddenly brought you here?” she finally asked me.

“There is something I want to discuss with you” I started.

I told Jessica about what I learned about Sungmin and then told her about what I

intended to do.

“I can’t believe he did that but I also can’t believe what you’re planning to do!” she said shocked.

“What? What am I supposed to do? I have to do this”

“Tiffany, this is the worse thing that you can do. Taeng is going to go crazy if she finds out”

“She won’t because you will keep it as a secret and no one will know about this”

“Those kind of plan always backfire Fany. You’re going to regret this”

“Thanks for your strong support Jessica”

“Be honest, do you really think that everything will go smoothly?”

“I don’t care, I just can’t sit here and do nothing! Sungmin did this and I know I can do something to stop him”

“That guy likes you and hates Taeyeon. Nothing good is gonna come out of this negotiation with him”

“I have to try. If he gives me all the proof that he has against Taeng then it will be worth it”

“At what price? He is not going to ask you to share a drink with him Tiffany. He wants more than that and you should know it”

“I’ll still do it…tomorrow. I will call him tomorrow…”

“Tiffany, you wanted my opinion right? I’m strongly against that plan”

“I’m sorry” I said before storming out of her room.

I didn’t want to hear more. I got it, Jessica was completely not feeling this idea of mine but I have nothing else at the moment. Things are heating up in the press since Taeng got back and I know that soon, she will have to give answer and get out there. No matter what, I have to retrieve these proofs.

*Next Day*

Kwon’s Residence,

Jessica’s POV

I tried to call Tiffany after she left my house yesterday but couldn’t reach her. She is obviously ignoring me because she knows I’m against her plan. Today, she is going to meet with Sungmin and I have a really bad feeling about this. This won’t end up good…at all.

“What’s wrong Jessica?” Yuri asked me.

We were lying on her bed and watching a movie but I couldn’t focus. My mind was too busy thinking of what Tiffany was doing right now.

“Nothing” I tried to reassure her.

I really didn’t know if I should tell her or not. Technically, I didn’t promise Fany I would keep the secret.

“You are kind of weird today. Are you sure that everything is fine?”

“What do you think of Sungmin?” I asked her boldly.

“Why?”

“I’ll explain later”

“Honestly? I’ve never liked him. He has a too perfect profile, you know? The golden and perfect boy”

“Isn’t Taeyeon the same though? I mean, as in her reputation”

“Yeah and that’s probably why I don’t like him. Behind that perfect image of her, Taeng is far from being perfect…so that must be the same with Sungmin. That guy just gives off a bad vibe”

“True, my first impression of him was extremely good but now, I think he’s creepy. But he knows how to introduce and present himself as a perfect boy”

“Yeah and that’s what makes him different from Taeng. Okay now your turn. Tell me why you ask?”

“Sorry I can’t tell you”

“Hey that’s not fair”

“I’m not fair”

“Okay…if you can’t play fair then I won’t too” she said with a mischievous smile.

Before I knew it, Yuri was tickling me.

“Hahaha stop it Yuri”

“Not until you tell me”

In these situations, there was only one thing I could do to make her stop. This is my secret weapon and it works ALL THE TIME.

I kissed her.

Then what was supposed to be a simple tease became more…intense. Both of us were completely absorbed into the kiss that I even forgot what we were talking

about. But the make out session ended when Yuri started kissing my neck…because my phone went off.

“Don’t answer” she said, still kissing my neck.

However, I was still able to reach my phone and read the text message that was from Fany.

*Wish me good luck…I’m meeting him now at the Ice cream shop*

I let out a sigh that stopped Yuri in her action. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

“I’m going to explain to you about the Sungmin thing”

Yuri made a disappointed face. “Actually I don’t care. Can’t we just go back to the kissing?” she said with a smile.

“That’s serious Yul” I pushed her aside and sat down.

“Fine, I will listen. But that’s only because I am a good and understanding girlfriend” she said proudly.

I rolled my eyes at her. “Okay listen. Did you know that Sungmin was the one behind Taeng’s scandal?”

When I mentioned Taeng, Yuri turned serious. “I know…but wait…how did you know?”

“That’s the serious part…Tiffany told me” I said a little hesisant.

“Tiffany knows?”

“Yes…the night they came back. She discovered it by accident”

“And I guess Taeyeon doesn’t know that Fany knows, right?”

“No she doesn’t…and she isn’t supposed to know, you neither.”

“So why are you telling me?”

“Because Fany came to my house yesterday and we discussed about it. There is something that she wants to do and although I disagree with her, she is going to do it…she is doing it now”

“Sica, drop the cryptic message and tell me with simple words. What is going on?”

“Tiffany is meeting with Sungmin right now. She is going to try and negotiate with him. She wants him to give all the proofs he has of that night”

“She is trading with him? Is she crazy?”

The thing is…she isn’t crazy. I kind of understand her motivation. “No, she is not crazy. She is in love”

Yuri stood up and got her phone. “We can’t let her do this” she said while making a call.

“Calling her is useless Yul, she won’t change her mind” I said sadly.

Yuri looked at me with a serious expression. “I’m not calling her…”

Kim’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

Mr. Henney wanted to hold an urgent meeting with me today and since I couldn’t get out of this house, it was being held at home. This wasn’t the first time that we held such meeting at home but I’m still not used to it. I hate when there are too many people coming into the house, especially when it is for business.

It was without any energy that I dragged myself to the meeting room. Our company’s lawyers and PR team were already there.

“Miss. Taeyeon, you are here” Mr. Henney said when I stepped in the room. Slowly, everyone stood up and greeted me.

I looked and nodded slightly at everyone before taking my seat. I really hate meeting, I hate speaking in public and I hate having all eyes on me. Today is even worse, all of them won’t only be looking at me, they will be looking at me with judgmental eyes and that’s what I hate the most.

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for coming today. I’ll open this meeting with a brief summary of the recent scandal involving Miss. Taeyeon.” Mr. Henney started his speech in front of everyone.

I spaced out during his little briefing since there wasn’t anything that I didn’t know already.

“…And all of you already know that until now, we haven’t released any statement over the issue. The purpose of today’s meeting is to plan our first step. What should we do now?” he continued.

While listening to him, I took a look at everyone’s face and studied their expressions. They were all very focused on their job and I could figure out that they were trying very hard to come up with a brilliant plan.

“This is a blackmailing case isn’t it? Maybe we should blackmail Sungmin as well?” one of the lawyers suggested.

“This is useless” I quickly responded.

Blackmailing him won’t do us any good at this point. I didn’t want to admit it, but I knew it would be too late once he releases the pictures, whether we can see my face on them or not.

“Well, this is not like Sungmin has nothing to lose” another one added.

“But I have more to lose than him, and this is the reason why blackmailing won’t work. If we want to reveal dirty things about him then we shall do it, but that won’t change anything.” I said annoyed.

“Maybe we should send our people to retrieve the pictures and videos”

I rolled my eyes at their suggestions. “Sungmin knows us too well. He probably made a million copies of these pictures and videos.”

“Miss. Taeyeon, are you implying that we have no solution right now?” one of them asked me.

“The pictures will be release and there is nothing that we can do to prevent it. All we can do is to let Sungmin do whatever he wants to and deal with the public instead” I said.

“And what do you suggest?”

“I will tell the truth and admit what I did” I said with confidence.

“That is impossible” the chief of our PR team strongly disapproved. “I’m sorry if this offends you Miss. Taeyeon but this is not only about you. Unfortunately for all of us, this issue has consequences on the company’s image as well and because of that, I can’t let you tell the truth”

“I’m sorry Miss. Taeyeon but I have to agree with Mr. Choi” said Mr. Henney.

I looked around and everyone was shocked and surprised at what I’ve just said.

“Telling the truth means that you admit being guilty, and as the company’s heiress, this is inacceptable” Mr. Choi said once again.

“I did it. I’m guilty, and sooner or late people will know about it, so why lie?”

“For now, no one is sure that it is you. All of this was caused by speculations.”

“There were witnesses and they recognized me.”

“Until there is clearer pictures release, you are not guilty and you can’t admit it. That’s it.” Mr. Choi decided.

I started to get angry and wanted to argue back when Mr. Henney spoke up. “For now, we won’t give any press conference and won’t say a word about this to anyone. This will save us some time until we solve the other problem.”

“Which one?” I asked confused.

“Shall I remind you that the biggest issue there is not whether the public find out the truth but whether you will end up in jail or not” he explained to me.

Oh right, now I remember. “Yeah…the victim…”

“By the way, where is he?” another PR guy asked.

“He is hiding somewhere. Probably afraid we will come and find him…which we are going to do as soon as we know where he is.” Mr. Henney stated.

“So our goal right now is to find him and make sure that he keeps his mouth shut…again?” I asked.

“This is the most important issue. Once we are sure he isn’t going to sue you, we can fully focus on Sungmin and the unreleased proofs”

“We are sure to avoid jail time if he doesn’t sue you. The car accident will only cost you money and probably your driving license for some month”

“Of course, the one being the most affected by all this is the company. We had already lost some potential contracts since the scandal was revealed. The company’s image has been tarnished already but it will only get worse if you tell the truth” Mr. Choi kindly reminded me of the mess I’ve created.

I was getting tired of this meeting. Once again, we were getting nowhere. For me, there is no other way but reveal the truth. People will find out anyway, so better take responsibility now. They continued to discuss the issue while my mind wandered somewhere else. It was funny because although this was about me, no one really cared about my opinion and feelings.

Yes…because the most important thing to save is not my moral or my conscience, but the company’s image.

“Miss. Taeyeon, what do you think about our plan?” Mr. Henney finally focused

on me.

I was about to make up an appropriate answer when my phone rang.

“Yes Yuri?” I quickly answered the call while walking to the hallway. “What? Are you sure? And where is it? I’m going.” I quickly hung up and went back in the room. “Sorry but I have to go” I announced to everyone.

“Miss. Taeyeon, the meeting is not over yet” Mr.Choi said.

“You all can finish without me” I said before heading out.

But Mr. Henney stopped me. “Miss Taeyeon, before you leave, I have to tell you that your parents are on the plane. They will be back tomorrow.”

Before I left, I had an eye contact with Mr. Henney. Though it was quick, I knew he could figure out how I was feeling.

The worse has yet to come…

Coffee Shop,

Tiffany’s POV

I knew that what I was about to do could be one of the biggest mistake of my life, but at this point, I couldn’t think of any other way. Earlier today, I gathered all my

courage and called Sungmin for a meet up at the Ice cream shop. I told Taeng I was going to see Sica and put on a cap as a small disguise.

I know I won’t regret it…I can’t regret it…it’s for Taeyeon. However, as soon as I sat down and waited for Sungmin, I realize that there is no turning back.

Suddenly, I started to remember how I met Sungmin and my very first impression of him. I can’t believe our relationship has turned out this way. Where is the gentleman that helped me when I fell down? It’s hard to believe that I once felt comfortable being with him, nowadays, hearing his name is enough to frighten me.

I was lost in my thoughts and didn’t notice the figure that took a seat in front of me.

“Hello Tiffany, I’m delighted that you called me out” he said with his usual smile.

His voice startled me. I tried to hide my nervousness before talking to him. “Sungmin, I guess you already know why I called you?” I said coldly.

I dropped the politeness and started out frankly. There was no point in being friendly with him anymore.

Sungmin was a bit surprised at my behavior, but nevertheless, he put on a smile. “I sincerely hope that you’re hiding your happiness right now. I would be saddened if I knew you weren’t happy meeting me” he said.

Now I know why I became afraid and uncomfortable with him, besides his dirty

tricks to separate Taeyeon and me. It’s because of his smile…that smile that hides his true personality.

“Stop your little game and tell me what you want” I said coldly again.

“Tiffany, I really don’t know what you’re talking about. I thought you call me out for ice cream” he said innocently.

“Don’t act like I’m an idiot. You know what you have done to Taeyeon and you also know why I’m here with you today. So tell me what you want from me?”

“Oooh so you came because of Taeyeon? I suppose you’re talking about that scandal involving her? That’s really unfortunate don’t you think?”

“I can’t believe you went this far to ruin her life…”

“I didn’t do anything Tiffany, she did it herself. I’m only an honest citizen who reported about a dirty accident who happened to involve your dear Taeyeon. That’s all”

“That’s such a low act, I hope you know that”

“What I know is that I’m surprised Taeyeon told you it was me. I mean, she should have known you would come screaming for help” he said with a smirk.

“I’m not going to ask for your help, I’m here to stop you. And…Taeyeon didn’t tell me about you.”

“Wow wow so you came here all by yourself and she doesn’t know a thing? Good Tiffany, I really like that” he said with a big smile.

“So what do you want? Didn’t you do all this because of me?”

He laughed at my comment. “That’s such an arrogant assumption Tiffany. I didn’t know you were like that”

“Then tell me it isn’t true” I dared him.

“Well, I must admit that you were definitely a motivation but there are many other things involved”

I was tired of this conversation going nowhere, all I want was to know whether I was of any use or not. “Can I stop you from releasing the pictures and videos of Taeyeon’s incident?” I finally asked.

“Hmmm…maybe” he played with my nerves.

“If I do it, will you return all the proofs to Taeyeon?”

“If I have your promise then sure, I will” he said, his tone became slightly more serious.

This sudden change made me more nervous. I realized what I was going to do and the consequence that goes with it, but there was no turning back. “Then what do

you want me to do?” I asked.

Once again, I was too naïve. Before coming here, I really thought he would only ask for a second chance or a date with me. I should have known that the result of our trade would end up like that.

“I want you to…leave Kim Taeyeon…today” he finally said, a victorious smile on his face.

Yes, I should have known…

Chapter 27 – You don't understand me...

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

Jessica and I looked at each other after my conversation with Taeyeon ended, like we were trying to figure out what we should do next. The only thing I was sure about was, our little kissing session was over…for today.

“Maybe we should also go and see Jessica” I wondered.

“Should we? Do you think Taeyeon will do something bad?” she asked me.

Oh Jessica…you still don’t know Taeyeon, do you?

“If bad means beating the hell out of Sungmin, then yes” I said.

“She won’t do that in a public place, right? I mean, not now with all the issues”

“I don’t think Taeyeon’s brain will function once she sees Sungmin with Tiffany” I said while grabbing my keys. “You can stay here if you want. I don’t think it will be nice over there” I warned her.

“No, I’m coming with you” she said.

We quickly left the house and drove to that ice cream shop. While we were talking in the room, Taeyeon was probably already on her way there. I’m pretty sure that we will arrive too late, but there is still a chance that Taeyeon controls herself and doesn’t do anything that might worsen her situation.

Ice Cream Shop,

Tiffany’s POV

I should have known that it will end up like this. Who was I kidding?

“Actually, what about…you break up with Taeyeon…now? Call her and do it now” Sungmin suggested.

I didn’t have any reaction after he told me that the only condition I had to fulfill to save Taeyeon was to leave her. Why was I so naïve? I knew it wouldn’t be easy, I knew that at the end of my meeting with him, someone will have to suffer…but not to this point.

“You know what? You can use my cell phone, it will be…easier” he added.

Sungmin took out his phone and put it down right in front of me. I stared at it like it was the scariest thing in the world. How am I supposed to do that?

“You really want those proofs, don’t you? Just one phone call and everything will be fine” he continued, but his words were like a quiet whisper to me. I heard them but they couldn’t properly reach me.

I simply stared at the phone, waiting for something, for someone to help me. I knew I wouldn’t regret this, because this whole nightmare was coming to an end. The only thing was…how could I do that?

“Are you backing off Tiffany? I guess you don’t love her as much as I thought” he put more pressure on me.

Slowly, my hand shaking a bit, I took his phone and searched for Taeng’s number.

At this moment, I realized that I wasn’t afraid of how much it would hurt her, but how much it would hurt me. Can I go on without being by her side?

“Do it Tiffany” Sungmin said one last time.

“Yeah…do it Fany…”

That voice…even among million of voices, I would recognize it…even if it was only a whisper from afar, I would hear it.

I immediately looked up and saw that my biggest fear was coming true. “Taeyeon…” I whispered.

“Taeyeon?” Sungmin looked at me before slowly turning around.

Then everything happened extremely fast.

*Noise of chair falling down*

As soon as Sungmin turned around, he got punch by Taeyeon and fell on the floor.

I was startled by the sudden turn of situation. “Oh my god. TAEYEON!” I screamed out before rushing to her side.

It was quite fortunate that I reacted quickly this time, because Taeyeon was ready

to hit him again. I stood in front of Taeng and tried my best to not let her jump on Sungmin, who was still on the floor. I can’t imagine what would have happened if I hadn’t stopped her on time, even a second late and the result could have been a disaster.

“Taeyeon, please calm down…” I tried to calm her down, but I knew that I had no right to do that since I was the one who caused her anger.

She was staring at Sungmin, her eyes full of hatred. “Enjoy yourself as much as you can Sungmin, because soon…your life will be such a nightmare that you will come and beg me to stop it” she said…with a smile.

Out of nowhere, I was afraid of that Taeyeon. There was nothing wrong with her threatening him since he deserved it, but the way she said it, the tone of her voice, her stare and finally her smile at the end, all of that combined brought a chill down my spine.

For a moment right there, she wasn’t the sweet and innocent Taeyeon I came to know, she was just…another Taeyeon.

“Let’s go home” Taeyeon said coldly while grabbing my hand and dragging me out of the shop.

I could hear the whispers of the other clients commenting on the scene, a few of them recognized Taeyeon since I heard her name a couple times before we got out of the shop.

Taeyeon was holding my hand possessively as we walked to her car. I didn’t say a word, I didn’t dare to.

During our ride to home, her expression remained exactly like it was back in the ice cream shop, while she was looking at Sungmin. And once again, I felt scared.

What did I do?

Ice Cream Shop,

Jessica’s POV

When we arrived to the Ice cream shop with Yuri, Tiffany and Taeyeon were nowhere to be seen. Instead, we came face to face with Sungmin.

He was sitting at a table with a bag of ices on his nose, which was a proof that Taeng did came.

When he saw Yuri, a smirk appeared on his face. “Kwon Yuri, you are late. Your crazy friend already left and looked at what she dared to do” he told her while showing his nose.

“Feel happy that she didn’t destroy your whole face” Yul said coldly.

For a moment, I feared that Yuri would run to him and break another part of his face. Maybe she would have done it if the reporters hadn’t stormed in the shop.

“Is it here that Kim Taeyeon got into a fight?” a reporter asked one of the clients.

Yuri’s face turned angry at this. “Reporters? You freaking call the reporters? What the hell is wrong with you?” she said angrily while walking closer to him.

I quickly grabbed Yul’s hand and stopped her front going near him. “Yuri, we shouldn’t stay here” I told her.

“Excuse me Miss, did you witness the fight that took place here?” one of the reporter asked me.

“Me! I’m the one that got beaten by Taeyeon” Sungmin suddenly shouted out of nowhere.

“Oh you!” Yuri tried to reach Sungmin but I stopped her again.

“Let’s go Yuri!” I pulled her toward the door.

“I swear you’re going to regret this” Yuri shouted at Sungmin before we left the shop.

I let go of Yul’s hand and gave her some space while we walked back to the car. “Damn it!! Damn it!!!” Yul was angry. “I can’t believe I didn’t send him right to the emergency room!”

I’ve got into some heated argument with Yuri in the past, and I’ve seen her very

angry before, especially when a certain Donghae was involved in the conversation, but this was the first time that I saw Yuri being so angry that she could use violence against someone. Sungmin is indeed good at making people go crazy.

Kim’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

Tiffany and I didn’t exchange a single word during our ride back home. I don’t know if it was because I was too angry with her or with myself for letting that happen. Since we got together, the only thing I was confident about was that I could protect her, keep her safe. But I can’t even do such a small task.

When we got home, I went straight to my room. I thought Fany would just leave me alone for a moment but no, she followed me. I didn’t want to ignore her, I just wanted to avoid a fight. I was really angry at me, at her, at Sungmin and I knew that sooner or later, I would end up screaming at her.

“Taeyeon…please talk to me” Tiffany said in a pleading voice as we entered my room.

I walked to the window and looked outside, trying to calm down.

“I’m sorry…I’m so sorry Taeyeon” she continued.

The more she was apologizing, the angrier I got. She made a huge mistake by

seeing Sungmin, but who started all this? ME.

“Please talk to me. Scream if you want but say something” she walked to me and forced me to look at her.

So I stopped holding back. “Why Tiffany? I just…why?” I asked her.

I knew she did it for me, she wanted to help…but why? I just couldn’t understand why she ended up doing such a stupid thing. There was no way this could have ended well.

“This…this was the only thing that I could do for you. I…I just wanted to…”

“To help me? You really thought that putting yourself in such situation would help me? Would make me feel better or something?”

“Taeyeon…”

“Why do you think I didn’t tell you it was Sungmin from the beginning? Because I knew Fany. I just knew something like that would happen if I told you. And guess what? I was right!” my voice kept raising at that moment.

“I had to…I just had to try…”

Suddenly, something came to my mind. “Were you…were you going to do it?”

“Huh?”

“Whatever he asked you to do in exchange…were you going to accept it?” I asked her.

I didn’t hear much when I stepped in the shop earlier. When I arrived, all I saw was Tiffany holding on a phone and Sungmin talking to her. It was only when I got closer that I heard him telling her to do it. To do what? I had no idea but knowing Sungmin, it couldn’t be good.

“I…” Tiffany looked down at her feet and couldn’t say anything else. I knew what that meant.

I was about to scold her again when my phone rang. I didn’t want to answer but since it was Mr. Henney, I had to. “Yes?”

“Turn on your TV on channel news. Now.” He told me in his usual serious voice.

Before I did as he said, I kind of knew what I was about to see on TV.

“Oh no…” I heard Tiffany whisper to herself as she watched the screen.

I hung up on Mr. Henney and watched the breaking news…about me.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

“Don’t you think we should go to Taeng’s house and look for them?” Jessica asked me as we came back to my house.

“I don’t think they want to be bother right now”

We were going to head to my room when I heard noises coming from the living room. My whole family was gathering around the TV and watching the news. It didn’t took us long to realize what the news was about.

“I’m sure he is lying. Taeyeon unnie wouldn’t do that…” Seohyun said while Sungmin was being interviewed in the news.

Yoona, who was seating next to her, patted Seohyun’s back gently. Taeyeon has always been a sweet and great role model to her little cousin, so I could understand how difficult it was for Seohyun to see Taeyeon in such a bad light.

“I can’t believe this is the same Sungmin I saw growing up…what a shame” my father commented.

My mother was calm until Sungmin mentioned my name on TV. “There was also Kwon Yuri, Taeyeon’s best friend. She came right after Taeyeon left. She was very aggressive and wanted to attack me but you guys came so she didn’t.” he told the reporters.

“How can he drag my little baby into this? I’m going to call his parents” she said angrily.

“Mom…” I said, drawing their attentions to me.

“Baby Yul, were you really there?” she asked the question that everyone wanted to know.

Now they were all focusing on me, waiting for me to confirm or deny what Sungmin has said on the TV.

“We were there but we arrived after Taeyeon and Tiffany left so I don’t know what exactly happened” I just said.

“But you didn’t try to attack him, did you?”

“Not like he described it…” I answered.

“Kwon Yuri!” my dad scolded. “What did I teach you about violence?”

“I think Sungmin deserves it Daddy” Yoona tried to defend me.

“That is not the point. Violence doesn’t solve anything, it makes things worse only” he gave us his usual speech on the subject.

“Why would Taeyeon fight with him in a public place? This doesn’t make sense” my mother wondered.

Besides Taeng’s people, Jessica, Tiffany and me, no one else knows that Sungmin

is the one behind the scandal. At this point, there was also no real reason to hide it from my family anymore. So I took the decision to tell them the whole story.

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

I couldn’t believe it. I’ve never thought things will turn out this way. It wasn’t supposed to end up like that. How did the media learnt about this?

“Great…just great…” Taeyeon said annoyed, before turning off the TV.

I really thought she was going to throw the remote control at the TV, but luckily, she threw it on the bed instead.

“I’m sorry Taeyeon…I really didn’t…” I stuttered again, unable to say a full sentence since we got back.

“Forget it” she said.

“I know you’re angry at me for doing something like this but…”

Then finally, Taeng let all the anger out. “I’m not angry Tiffany. I am MAD!” she started screaming. “I’m mad that you thought such a stupid idea would work, I’m mad that instead of talking to me you went and met him behind my back, I’m mad that you not only tried to negotiate with him but also accepted whatever he

proposed to you. But you know what’s worse? I should only be mad at you and Sungmin but NO, I’m also mad at myself for letting that happen!”

I dared to take a step closer to her. “This isn’t your fault Taeyeon. This was my own decision…”

“A decision that you made because of me…” she softened a bit.

“I had the opportunity to help you so I took it. If I had to do it again…”

“You won’t.” she cut me off. “Never again. You will never ever do something like this again, you hear me? NEVER” she raised her voice again.

“I LOVE U” It came out of nowhere. I just didn’t know what to say. I just wanted her to stop screaming and listen to me.

And it worked. Taeyeon was taken back by my sudden words and she stopped being angry for a moment, long enough for me to explain myself.

“I know it was stupid but that was all I could do for you. Once I knew Sungmin was the cause of all this, I just couldn’t sit back and watch him make you suffer. He did all this for a reason…ME. So in a way, I’m the one who put you in such situation” I gave her my point of view.

“You wouldn’t have regretted it if it had worked?”

“I would…probably forever but at least, you will be out of troubles” I said with

confidence.

After a long silence, Taeng spoke again. “What did he ask you to do?”

I didn’t know if this was a good idea to tell her, but up to this point, it didn’t matter anymore. “He told me to…leave you…”

Taeyeon smiled sadly. “And you were going to do it…”

“It was a sacrifice I was ready to make. You have so much to lose Taeyeon, not only you but your family’s company too”

“And leaving me would help? Tiffany, wake up. Not only was this idea crazy but you nearly got cheated on. Do you really think that Sungmin would have kept his words?”

“He…”

“He is a liar. If he was able to do all this to get at me without feeling remorseful or anything then he definitely could lie to you too. I can’t believe you almost fell into his trap…”

I did believe him…I can’t believe I took his words without doubting him a second. “You think I’m stupid, right?”

“Yeah…because you don’t understand me Tiffany” she said like it was a lost cause.

I didn’t know what she meant by that. “I don’t want you to sacrifice to help me. I don’t even want you to help me. I didn’t tell you the truth to ask for your help, but for your support” she explained.

“Taeyeon, you can go to jail!!!” I blurted out.

Since we were back in Seoul, we haven’t really talked about her issue. Taeyeon told me to avoid the newspapers and even news on TV and I never asked her about how things were going because I knew she wouldn’t want to discuss it with me. Whenever Taeyeon wasn’t working, we tried to spend time together thinking about other things…anything but the scandal.

“You don’t want to stay with someone who might go to jail, right?”

*SLAP*

I wish I could go back on time and not do what I did. But it was obviously too late.

“I hate you…”

I wish I could take back those words…or maybe it wasn’t that bad that for once, I told her all my thoughts without holding back.

“I hate you for making me fall in love with you; I hate you for acting like

everything is perfects…” with each word that I was saying, I gave her a little push. “…I hate you for being so secretive with your thoughts and I hate you for hiding your emotions and fears to me. But most of all, I hate you for doubting me! YOU ARE AN IDIOT KIM TAE YEON!!!” I shouted and pushed her away with all my strength before I ran out of the room, out of the house.

Kwon Residence,

Yuri’s POV

All of us were still gathering in the living room, discussing about Taeyeon’s issue. I was expecting my parents to be shock at what I have just told them, but they weren’t. Actually, both of them were expecting something like this to happen to Taeyeon.

“It was bound to happen, for years. I would have preferred if Taeyeon didn’t have to go through this but that might be positive for her in the future.” My father stated.

“That might be positive for her father too. Maybe it is time that everyone acknowledges Taeyeon’s problems. The poor kid has some issue she has to solve.” My mother added.

My parents were right. Taeyeon’s scandal might have some good effect on her own personal issues as well as her relationship with her parents. Maybe her parents will finally admit that their daughter is far from being the perfect kid she was presented as, since…forever.

“Do you have news about her parents?” I asked my parents.

“I haven’t talked with any of them for weeks, but I heard they were coming back because of this” my father said.

“My parents haven’t talked to them for a few days as well” Seohyun added.

That made me realizes that they weren’t in any newspapers since the scandal broke out. No interviews, no official statements, nothing. This only makes me more curious about how her father is going to deal with it. I hope this doesn’t worsen their already very bad relationship.

We were all talking when the doorbell rang. Automatically, I stood up and went to see who it was.

“Tiffany?” I asked surprised when I saw the smaller girl behind the door.

Her head was down and I could barely see her face. “Y-Yuri, can…I…stay at your place, please?” she asked in a very low voice.

“Huh s-sure Tiffany” I immediately let her in.

That’s when I noticed that she has been crying. “We’re all in the living room but…you can go in my room if you want” I suggested.

“Thank you” she said before making her way to the stairs. “I will greet them later

if you don’t mind” she quickly added before running up to my room.

Last time that I saw Fany crying was when she had that huge fight with Taeyeon. I hope things are still fine between them.

I went back to the living room and told them it was Fany. “She isn’t feeling well so I told her to rest in my room” I explained.

“Is everything ok?” Jessica immediately asked me.

“I didn’t want to bother her but I guess she might be happy to have you by her side” I told her.

Sica excused herself and went to see Tiffany.

“Something happened between her and Taeyeon?” my mom asked.

“I don’t know…probably. I think I better go check on Taeyeon” I said before making my way out of the room.

The last thing that Taeyeon needs right now is being away from Tiffany. I wonder what happened between them.

Yuri’s Room,

Tiffany’s POV

After I ran away from Taeyeon’s house, I wandered alone in the neighborhood for awhile. I couldn’t stop the tears from falling down as I sat alone in a park nearby. A part of me wanted to rush back to see Taeng, but I knew it wasn’t the right decision to make. So I stayed there alone, until there were no more tears.

It was when I wanted to call Jessica that I realized that I ran away with nothing on me, but my clothes. No cell phone, no money.

The closest place I could go to was Yuri’s house, so I went there. She was the one who opened the door and immediately, I tried to avoid looking at her. I didn’t want her to know I cried even though I’m sure that she noticed as soon as she saw me.

I felt impolite for not greeting her family before heading to her room, but I was quite a mess so it was for the better.

I barely sat down on Yuri’s couch that I heard someone knocking on the door.

“Tiffany? This is me Sica, can I come in?” I heard her sweet voice asking through the door.

I let out a sigh of relief after hearing Sica’s voice. “Sure, come in” I said.

Jessica opened carefully the door like she was afraid of what she was going to see. “Are you okay?” she asked.

I nodded and smiled to reassure her. “I know you’ve been crying…what

happened?” she asked while sitting beside me.

“You can say it” I told her.

“Say what?” Jessica asked confused.

“I told you” I said, speaking about my huge mistake of meeting with Sungmin.

Jessica’s face changed and she turned her face away from me. “Actually, things might have worked differently if I hadn’t betrayed you…” she said softly.

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m sorry Tiffany. I was really afraid that Sungmin will take advantage of you so I told Yuri about what you were going to do, and she told Taeyeon” she admitted.

“I kind of knew you did it”

“Huh?”

“I mean…the fact that Taeyeon suddenly came into that shop was too much of a coincidence.” I stated.

“I’m sorry” she apologized sincerely.

“Don’t be” I took Sica’s hand in mine. “I’m grateful actually. I was about to sacrifice the most beautiful thing in my life…and for nothing”

It was true. I nearly left Taeyeon for someone I will never ever love, I nearly broke the heart of the person I cherish the most, but most importantly, I nearly broke Taeyeon’s trust again.

“Sungmin, what did he ask you?”

I went on and told Jessica about my meeting with Sungmin. How at that time, I was completely lost and didn’t know what I had to do. I was so close to do like he asked me to. Even now, I’m surprised at how far I was ready to go to make myself useful for Taeyeon.

“Were you really going to do it?”

“I don’t know…I really don’t know…but at that time, I really thought it was going to solve everything” I admitted.

I really thought it would end all of this. How stupid of me.

“I’m glad Taeyeon arrived at the right time then, because I don’t think you can trust Sungmin”

“I know, that’s what Taeyeon told me earlier…”

“Was she really angry?”

“If only you had seen her face when she spoke to Sungmin, it was frightening.

Then later at home, she screamed and I knew she was fighting the urge to break everything in her room.” I revealed to Jessica, while remembering how our fight went.

“I don’t think I can blame her this time for being angry”

“Of course, she has the right to be angry. I’m quite angry at myself too, but I wish that at least, she tried to understand me” I went on and revealed about the rest of our argument.

“You slapped her?!?!?!” she asked me. Surprised would be a very weak word to describe Sica’s reaction to my revelation.

“I couldn’t control it, what she said was too…I couldn’t believe that she would think like that, not even a second” remembering her words made me angry again.

But Jessica didn’t seem to be that shocked with Taeyeon’s reaction. “Well, Taeyeon is quite impulsive so she probably didn’t think before she speaks.”

“I don’t like that. I don’t like the fact that she doesn’t understand my feelings. Doesn’t she know how much she means to me?” I said frustrated.

“And you, do you know how much you mean to her?” Jessica asked me the same question.

That’s when I started to understand better. “Taeyeon is really protective over you, and I’m sure she loves you as much as you love her. So imagine how hurt she was,

knowing what you were going to do because of her.” She explained to me.

She was right. All this time, all I thought about was my own feelings. I was so blind by my love that I forgot to think about hers, especially when I made my decision.

“What should I do now?” I asked.

“Wait a bit until she calms down and then go back talk to her”

“I created a big mess Jessica…I even got Yuri involved…” Because of my need to be useful, I dragged my friends into this.

“The one at fault is Sungmin, don’t blame yourself for something he did on his own”

“What is going to happen now? Didn’t I make everything worse for Taeyeong?” I asked Jessica, hoping she will have an answer.

“Wait…we can only wait now…”

That was what I thought too. All we can do is wait…wait for a miracle to happen.

Yoona’s Room

Yoong’s POV

After Jessica went to see Tiffany, my sister decided to go and see if Taeyeon was fine. Seohyun and I were left in the living room with my parents. I was worried about Seohyun because she had a hard time dealing with Taeyeon’s case.

“Kids, you want to eat something?” my mother asked us.

“Thank you but I’m not hungry auntie” Seohyun refused politely. I guess she didn’t have any appetite after that little news about Taeyeon.

“Let’s go in my room Seohyun” I stood up and offered her my hand, which she gently took.

When we walked by my sister’s room, I was curious to know how Tiffany was doing and I know that Seohyun was worried about her too. But both of us knew that it wasn’t the right time to interfere with our unnies conversation.

Once we reached my room, Seohyun let herself fell into my bed. I really feel for her. It must be very hard to accept that the always so perfect Taeyeon wasn’t so perfect after all. It is like a myth being tarnished, but in this case, the myth is her beloved cousin.

“Am I ignorant Yoona?” Seohyun suddenly asked me.

I went and sat down next to her. “I don’t think so, why?” I asked while gently stroking her hair.

“Because I didn’t know Taeyeon unnie could be like that…because I can’t accept that side of her…”

“It’s not being ignorant Seohyun. You believe what you see and you have never seen Taeyeon unnie like this, so it’s perfectly normal to not want to accept it”

“She is not a bad person…unnie has always been sweet and nice with me. I hate that people think she is only a violent and spoiled girl”

“You don’t have to care about what they say. Those people know nothing, their words shouldn’t reach you”

“I hate Sungmin…I hate him for ruining everyone’s happiness”

“How is your parents dealing with this?” I asked.

Since the scandal broke out, I knew it wasn’t easy for her family since reporters have been waiting outside of their house too.

“They are doing fine, I guess. I know they are worried, especially since they couldn’t reach auntie and uncle, but they don’t show it in front of us. Sunny unnie also hides her worries in front of me…”

“They don’t want you to worry and be unhappy. They’re just protecting you”

“I wish they wouldn’t. I wish everyone would stop doing that. I’m the only one who hasn’t seen that scandal coming. Everyone expected something like this to

happen with Taeyeon unnie but me” she said frustrated.

“I think we are the rarest persons among Taeyeon’s entourage with whom she can be natural with. She isn’t afraid of opening up when she is with us and maybe that’s why we end up having a hard time accepting that other side of her, because we haven’t seen it with our own eyes before.”

“But you knew, didn’t you?”

“I knew Taeyeon unnie was involved in some fights in the past, because my sister told me. But I didn’t know it was such a big issue in her life.”

“What’s going to happen, Yoona? I don’t want Taeyeon unnie to go to jail…” Seohyun asked worried.

The reality of the scandal hit us both.

“Sungmin is the real bad guy, right? He cannot win. I’m sure they will find something, then we can all be happy again” I tried to reassure her.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem as easy as that. I don’t know how long this is going to last, I don’t know how much most of us have to suffer until it comes to an end. I’m really worried about Seohyun because school is starting next week and I’m afraid she will have a hard time dealing with the other students.

And I wouldn’t be there to protect her.

Kim’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

I don’t know how long I’ve been standing here, holding my hurt cheek and replaying the whole scene in my head. That slap, I sure didn’t see it coming. But I definitely deserved it though. I said a lot of stupid and hurtful words in the past, but nothing as bas as what I said to her.

“Taeyeon? Taeyeon?” Suddenly, I heard Yuri calling my name from downstairs.

I pulled myself back together before going to see her. Yuri was standing in the lobby, waiting for me. I felt guilty when I saw her, because now, she was also involved in this big mess.

“Hey, what’s up?” I asked casually, hiding the pain in my heart.

“Don’t act like you are fine. You are a big mess Kim Taeyeon” she said straight to my face as soon as I came down.

I couldn’t help but smile at her comment. “I guess I am…sorry for what happened today” I apologized for dragging her into this mess.

“You can be! It ruined my little…moment with Jessica” she said before spacing out.

“Ya! Are you thinking about what you two were doing?” I asked while making a disgusted face to tease her.

“Of course not!” Yuri blushed a bit.

I laughed at her for being embarrassed.

“Anyway, I can’t guarantee it but…it’s going to be fine, I know it will” she suddenly turned serious and gave me a hug. “You know I’m here, right? We’ll go through this together Little Kid” she added before patting my back playfully.

But it made me feel even guiltier. All of them, they’re my family and they are good people, they do not deserve to be put in that situation because of me.

“All of us are supporting you Taeyeon, so don’t give up” Yuri said before we both turned our attention toward the door.

We both heard the noise of a car coming near the house. Yuri and I looked at each other, wondering who it was, but soon enough, we got our answer.

The door slowly opened and my face tensed at the sight in front of me. “Aunty, uncle it’s nice to see you again” Yuri greeted my parents as they entered the house, followed by some maids.

I lightly bowed at them before focusing on Yuri again. “Maybe you should go…” I whispered to her.

But Yuri didn’t quite understand what I said. “What?”

“Yuri, I don’t want to chase you away but I have to discuss something with my daughter, so if you can come back later?” my father said in his usual cold and detached voice.

I looked coldly at my father and was ready to say something but Yuri spoke up first. “Of course uncle, I will give you some privacy” she said politely before turning to me. “Taeng, Fany is staying at my place so don’t worry” she told me before leaving the house.

I let out a sigh after Yuri was gone. “Still so friendly I see…” I commented about my father’s behavior.

He walked toward me with a cold stare, but I didn’t drop mine. I stood there and looked right into his eyes, waiting for his next move.

*SLAP*

“Who do you think you are talking to?” my father asked, his voice colder than ever.

I clenched my teeth and held back the tears. I didn’t want to cry because it hurt, but because despite all the harsh words my father said to me in the past, it was the first time he ever lain his hand on me.

But the worse thing was that once again, he didn’t even try to listen to my side of the story…

Chapter 28 - A Father's Duty?

Kim’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

I stood there in shock, unable to move. It wasn’t the slap itself that affected me but the meaning behind it. I’ve always put a solid wall between my parents and me, and I’ve always tried my best to not be affected by their words, their actions…by everything that concerned them. And up until now, I was quite successful.

I tried hard to distance myself from my emotions and while I wanted to scream at him, I remained like a stone. I didn’t even notice my mother standing next to me and asking me if I was fine.

“Why did you hit our daughter?” my mom scolded him while checking my pink

cheek.

He was going to say something when I spoke first. “You have been waiting to do this right?” I finally looked at my father again, my eyes full of anger. “Are you satisfied now? Does it make you feel better?” I said bitterly.

“That’s enough you two” my mother scolded before my father could confront me again. “Taeyeon, you should go back to your room” she told me.

“I don’t feel like it” I said before heading toward the door.

“Where do you think you’re going?” my father spoke up. “With all the reporters looking after you, do you think you can walk around freely?”

“I know what I’m doing” I answered back.

“I can see that. You’re destroying my company” he stated coldly.

“Taeyeon please” my mother begged.

I hate the fact that I can’t completely get away from them, I hate that little voice inside my head that tells me to listen to them because after all, they’re my parents.

My mother looked at me before forcing my father to walk away from the lobby. Once they were out of my sight, I let myself breath normally. Even though I wanted to get out of here, something was telling me to just obey.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

I didn’t know what happened between Taeng and her parents after I left, but I bet it didn’t go well. I’ve never seen her father so cold looking before and it was the first time that he acted so distant with me. It was obvious that the scandal got the better out of him.

I went back home and told my parents about what happened at Taeng’s house.

“So they are back” my father said.

“And her father didn’t look happy…”

“There is nothing we can do honey. I’m sure her mother will make sure things don’t get out of hand” my mother reassured me.

It’s not that I didn’t believe her, but I knew better. No matter how strong she looks, Taeyeon is still weak when she is confronted by her father. She is only a little girl and although she doesn’t admit it, only her parents can really hurt her feelings.

“Is Jessica still with Tiffany?” I asked my parents.

“I think so. Maybe you should go see them and while you’re at it, ask them if they need anything. The girls haven’t eaten anything yet” she told me.

“I’ll bring them something now” I said before going in the kitchen.

Before knocking on the door, I wondered whether I should tell Tiffany about Taeyeon’s parents. I didn’t want her to be even more worried than she probably was.

“Can I come in?” I asked through the door.

As soon as I spoke, Jessica answered me. “Yes, come in”

Jessica and Tiffany were sitting on the couch. I noticed she was looking better than earlier, it seemed like Jessica was able to ease her a bit.

“I brought you some food” I said before putting the plate on the desk.

“Did you go see Taeyeon?” Tiffany immediately asked me.

No matter what happen between these two, they will always care for each other.

I hesitated before answering her. “Yes I did…”

Fany stared at me, expecting me to say more. After another hesitation, I told her. “Her parents are back”

She looked shock. Obviously, it wasn’t good news.

“Is she ok?” Tiffany looked concerned.

“I don’t know…like usual when her parents are back...What about you?” I asked her.

“I’m fine…it was just a little fight” she reassured me, but I knew it was more than that.

“Does it change something that her parents are back?” asked Jessica.

“It is just more pressure for Taeyeon” I said.

“Maybe I should go see her…” Tiffany said, more to herself. .

“I’m sure she will be happy to see you” I told her, thinking about how cold it was between Taeyeon and her father before I left.

“I’ll go now then” Fany stood up and walked to the door, like a robot.

“You can wait tomorrow morning Fany” Sica said, her face a bit worried.

“No, her parents are back and I know how she feels whenever they’re around” Fany explained, standing by the doorway.

She smiled at us, hiding her worries and trying to reassure us. Jessica and I shared a concern look while Tiffany disappeared in the hallway.

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

Though we had a huge fight earlier, I couldn’t help but go see her. I know that Taeyeon never feels well after meeting with her parents, and with everything that have happened I was afraid things went really bad.

When I went back to the house, I was welcomed by the maid. No doubts, her parents were back.

“Is Taeyeon still at home?” I asked her.

“Miss. Taeyeon is in her room” she indicated.

“Where are aunty and uncle?” I asked again.

“Mr. Kim is in his office and Mrs. Kim in the living room” she answered politely.

I hesitated a bit before walking to the living room. I could wait until tomorrow to greet her dad since he was in his office, but it would be rude if I don’t greet her mother before going see Taeyeon.

I found her in the living room like the maid said. She was sitting on the couch and going through a photo album. She was lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice my presence.

“Evening aunty” I greeted her.

“Oh Tiffany” she lain the album on the table and stood up to hug me. “How are you?”

“I had better days…” I admitted, looking at her.

Her smile dropped a bit and I knew something happened.

“Are you okay aunty?” I dared to ask her.

She smiled sadly before picking up the photo album. She went through the pages again as she spoke to me. “She was such an adorable child” she said, looking at a picture of a small Taeng.

“She was 3 years old here” she pointed at the picture. “So cute and bright”

I couldn’t help but smile. Taeyeon was really adorable. “She really looked happy” I stated.

“She probably was...unfortunately, through the years, this beautiful smile disappeared…” she continued, flipping page after page, I noticed that Taeyeon has stopped smiling.

“By 7 years old, she simply stopped looking at the camera” she stated sadly, staring at a picture of Taeyeon in what seemed like their garden. Taeyeon was

standing on the grass, looking afar, like she was already lost in her own world.

I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know how to comfort her and make things better because, I knew nothing about their family stories. I heard some stories about Taeyeon’s childhood, but not enough. So I simply let her expressed herself.

“This is our fault…” she started. “We knew, I knew Taeyeon had anger problems since the first time she responded to her father and her first fight in school, but we did nothing to prevent that from getting worse”

“You couldn’t know…”

“I should. I’m her mother but I was stupid. I thought that ignoring her problems and not scolding her would make me feel less guilty for being busy and not paying enough attention to her”

“I can’t believe that uncle let it go though” I wondered. While I can believe that her mother never scolded her, it was harder to believe that her father was the same.

“We both spoiled her because we were guilty, because we didn’t know how to deal with her and because it was easier to spoil her with presents than cancel some schedule to spend time with her…”

“You didn’t fail” I stated with conviction. “Taeyeon is a good person. She is a successful and mature girl, no matter what she has done”

I remembered the first time I met Taeyeon. It was on our freshmen year. I saw her

from afar and she gave me the impression of being a strong and independent girl, which she is. Of course, later on, I learned about her reputation and even saw her in action which kind of changed my opinion of her…in a bad way.

But today, I’m in love with her and I know that there is nothing bad in Kim Taeyeon. All she needed was to be understood.

Auntie’s voice brought me back to reality. “She might go to jail Tiffany and for the first time, I feel that all the money in this world cannot change that fact” her mother said.

I looked at her, unable to say a word of comfort. How was I supposed to comfort her when I, myself was scared to death? I’m afraid of tomorrow. I’m afraid of what is going to happen, I’m afraid of losing her. All I could do was to be there…let Taeyeon know, her family know that I was there.

Auntie flipped through the pages again, reminiscing the past as she looked at the old pictures. I felt sorry for her, for them. When I think about my childhood, the time, the moments I spent with my parents, I cannot help but smile and feel energetic. I feel blessed. But when Taeyeon thinks about her childhood or her parents, I don’t see a smile, all I see is pain.

“You should go see Taeyeon. I think she needs you” her mother said as she squeezed my hand gently.

I looked at her a little confused, wondering if something bad really happened earlier but instead of asking more, I gave her an understanding smile before

heading to Taeng’s room.

Yuri’s Room,

Yuri’s POV

“Do you think they will be ok?” Sica asked me after Fany left.

“Of course, it’s Taeyeon and Tiffany after all. They went through a lot already so I’m not worried”

“We also went through a lot, don’t you think?” she suddenly asked me.

“I feel like…it was harder for us. We broke up after all” I said.

It’s different. Our relationships are different. I feel like Jessica and I and Taeyeon and Tiffany, we all went through a lot, but in completely different ways. Both couple had their fare share of problems. While Sica and I struggled to get together, it seems like Fany and Taeng are struggling to stay together. Their relationship is being tested again and again. I honestly feel like we all deserve a little break…we all deserve a pure moment of happiness.

“But we’re back together as well” she said with a smile before giving me a kiss.

It is about time that the storm passes…

“Yes, did I tell you how happy I was about that?” I asked, kissing her again.

“School is starting next week…” she suddenly said, a bit annoyed.

“And it doesn’t make you happy?”

“There are some people I’m not happy to see, that’s all” she pouted. I wanted to kiss her again.

“Who?”

“It doesn’t matter”

I leaned closer to Jessica. “Come on Princess, tell me who is making you angry” I stroke her hair gently.

“Well, whether I get angry or not will depend on you” she said.

“What?”

“I’m going to ask you something and I hope you give me an honest answer” she continued.

“Go on” I was prepared for the worst.

“Do you care about Park Gyuri?” she asked.

I was surprised to hear that name, I completely forgot about Gyuri since the last time I saw her.

“I feel bad about what happened with her, but I do not care about her” I said sincerely.

“I don’t want you to hang out with her”

“Jessica, she is not even my friend”

“You went on a date and kissed her…I prefer to think that she is your friend instead of a lover” she said coldly.

“Tell me Jessica, are you jealous?” I teased her.

“I’m not. I told you already, I don’t like her”

“I’m not going to hang out with her so you don’t have to worry”

“She really likes you Yuri and I’m sure she will try to get close to you again”

“Don’t worry, she will give up…eventually”

“I don’t think so…”

“Maybe we can help her give up on me” I leaned closer to her.

“Really? And how?” she asked, looking interested.

“Hmm…maybe if I kiss you whenever she is looking…”I suggested while staring at her lips.

“I knew you would say something like that” she smiled.

“And now I’m thinking…maybe we should practice a bit before Monday…” I said mischievously before leaning in and kissing her.

One of the things I love about Jessica is how easy she can switch her attention.

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

As I was approaching Taeyeon’s room, I heard a nice melody playing. I didn’t even have to guess, I knew it was classical music. The music was sad but I knew Taeyeon likes it. It makes her feel…peaceful.

I don’t know why but I didn’t knock on the door, I simply opened it. The room was dark and I could feel a cold breeze inside. Taeyeon let the windows wide opened. I didn’t even realize that it was raining outside. Slowly, I walked to Taeyeon’s bed and climbed on it. Though it was dark, I knew exactly where she was lying.

“Aren’t you cold?” I asked in the dark, sure that she was still awake.

After a couple of seconds, she responded. “No…I don’t even feel the cold…” her voice was tired.

Hesitantly, I searched for her hand. I let out a sigh of relief as I took her hand and she didn’t reject me.

“Your hand is cold” I pointed out.

Taeyeon stayed quiet for awhile before speaking again. “I’m sorry Tiffany. I’m sorry for what I said”

I wasn’t expecting an apology. Must admit, Taeyeon has changed…for the better. “Actually, I was wrong as well. I overreacted and I’m sorry” I apologized as well.

“I know you did it for me Tiffany…and that’s the reason why I was so angry. I don’t want you to do anything that can hurt yourself because of me” she explained.

“You know…I didn’t mean it…when I said…”I was talking about my last words to her before I left the house.

“I know” she quickly answered before squeezing my hand.

Though we made up again, I felt like something was still wrong. Taeyeon wasn’t all depressed because of what happened between us. There was something else.

“Your parents are back” I said slowly, expecting her to react when I mentioned her parents.

“I knew they were coming back”

“Did something happen?”

“It doesn’t matter”

“Do you think we will ever be able to talk to each other without hiding anything?” I asked a little irritated.

“It’s nothing Tiffany, not worth mentioning”

“For you. Not worth it for you” I stated. “Taeyeon, I care about you, every little detail or story is worth it for me” I told her.

Taeyeon remained quiet for a while and I thought she was going to ignore the conversation.

But she didn’t. “He didn’t even try to understand…he didn’t even ask for my side of the story”

“You father?”

“I’m guilty even when I’m not doing anything…” she let out a sarcastic laugh.

“I’m sure he feels guilty too” I said, remembering her mother’s words.

“Yeah he probably does. Guilty because I’m ruining the company and since he gave me all those responsibilities, it is his fault too”

“I don’t think it is like that Taeyeon…”

“Believe me Tiffany, nothing is more important that business. I know you want to believe he is a good father who can’t express his feelings to his daughter, but he isn’t. Never was, never will be” she said coldly.

“I refuse to believe that Taeyeon. I don’t know what happened in your childhood and I don’t know what your father thinks, but I want to believe that for every of his actions, there is a good reason, a good explanation.”

“Whatever…it doesn’t change the fact that he came back just to dig me a deeper hole”

“Did he say something about the scandal?”

“Not yet. He will probably summon me tomorrow morning”

“Can you promise me that it will go well?” I asked her, expecting a miracle.

“I can try” she said sincerely.

“Are you sure you are not cold Taengoo?” I asked her again.

Taeyeon released my hand and got off the bed. “I’m freezing” she laughed while closing the windows.

I sighed before getting under the blanket. Taeyeon joined me immediately.

“You didn’t take a shower, dirty Fany” she teased me.

“I’m lazy and the room is too cold” I found an excuse.

There was a sudden change of mood from Taeng but I didn’t point it out. She didn’t want to talk about her father and I could understand. I thought about the little conversation I had with auntie earlier and even though I wanted to tell her about it, I knew it wasn’t the right time.

Slowly, Taeng hugged me against her body and stroke my hair gently. “Everything will be okay Tiffany. Soon, it will be like before” she whispered in my ear. “I promise you”

I fell asleep right away.

I realize that when I am in Taeyeon’s arms, nothing else matter. Whether it is for an hour or a whole night, I can forget everything and just enjoy the moment.

Yuri’s Room,

Jessica’s POV

This morning, I woke up a little bit earlier because of Yuri’s phone. Yuri also woke up but since her phone was on the other side of the bed, she told me to answer it. I was still sleepy and very angry that someone dared to wake me up before noon on a Sunday morning.

“Alo? Yuri’s phone” I answered angrily, ready to scold the person on the other side.

Though I was still very very sleepy, I immediately woke up when the caller spoke on the phone.

“Yuri? Yuri is that you?” she asked. Though we’re not friends, it was impossible for me to not recognize her voice. Park Gyuri, my worse enemy.

“She is sleeping and please stop bothering her” I said coldly before hanging up.

I wanted to throw away the phone but I didn’t. Instead, I kicked Yuri until she woke up.

“Aie Aie Aie...what are you doing Jessica?” she complained.

I hit her with the phone. “Your desperate lover called you” I said angrily before getting up.

“Huh?” she was still sleepy and I knew it wasn’t really her fault, but I was just too

angry to remain calm.

I went into the bathroom and left Yuri alone. I don’t know how I will handle Gyuri at school, I haven’t seen her since last time on the street, when she was kissing Yuri. Of course, I know that Yuri is not going to leave me for her, but seeing them together, even in class will be hard for me. I can’t stop thinking about what happened between them, whether there were feelings involved or not.

When I came out of the bathroom, Yuri was sitting on the bed, confused.

“She called me Jessica, it’s not my fault” she protested.

“She is still running after you, so it means you’re still giving her hope” I blamed her for Gyuri’s craziness.

“I’m not. I know she looks creepy but she is just dreaming, not doing anything bad”

“Oh really? You really think she is all innocent?” Yuri trying to defend her was just irritating me.

“What did she do?”

“Turn on your computer” I told her.

Once the computer was on, I went on the internet and opened Gyuri’s webpage. Since the last time I went on it, there were new pictures.

“So do you still think she is just dreaming?” I told her.

Yuri’s eyes went big and she looked through the pictures with a dumb expression. I bet she didn’t know Gyuri loves to photoshop pictures of them together. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw these pictures for the first time.

But Yuri’s reaction was quite different from mine. “Wah she is good” she said with a smile, obviously teasing me.

I hit her on the arm. “Do you want to print them out and stick them all over your room?”

“Jessica…” she pulled me in for a hug.

“That girl is obsessed with you Yuri and one day, she might do something dangerous. Stop her before she goes completely crazy, will you?” I asked her.

I wonder if I’m the only one who thinks that Gyuri is a psycho. Everyone around me see her as some crazy, snobby girl without any bad intention. Isn’t it obvious that the girl is simply out of her mind?

“I’ll talk to her” Yuri assured me. I knew she wouldn’t do it though. She just wanted to calm me down and drop this topic.

“No, I don’t want you to talk to her” I immediately refused.

“Sica, how do you want me to make it clear with her if I can’t talk to her?” she complained.

I thought about how unreasonable I was and gave up. “Don’t let me catch you kiss her…because I won’t kill her, I will kill you” I threatened her.

Yuri acted scared for a second before putting on a huge smile. “Yes, sergeant SIC!” she said before running in the bathroom before I could hit her.

I really shouldn’t be afraid of Gyuri, she isn’t a threat. I’m not afraid of her, just annoyed…mostly because Yuri was a bit like that before we got together. I pushed her away a lot of time, I was cold, I was mean, but she never gave up. Yuri tried and tried until I softened up and gave her a chance.

A part of me might be afraid that Gyuri ends up being successful at getting a chance with Yuri.

Mr. Kim’s Office,

Taeyeon’s POV

I didn’t have time to enjoy Tiffany’s company this morning, as my father summoned me as soon as he woke up. I knew it was hard for him to wait a day before lecturing me. If my mother didn’t stop him yesterday, he would have probably scolded me in the lobby.

When I went into his office, he was sitting on his chair, drinking his morning coffee and reading the newspapers. I avoided his gaze as I sat down in front of him. Before speaking to me, he put down his coffee and gave me the newspapers he was reading.

Without a word, I read the headlines.



“There is also some news about you going to jail, but I don’t need to remind you” he said, looking straight at me.

“If you want to give me the usual speeches then do it quick. I don’t want to waste my time with you before heading to jail” I made a cold joke.

He was getting angry now, I could feel it. “Since you’re too immature and useless in handling the situation, I took matter in hands” he started.

“Of course you did” I said sarcastically.

“You’re going to give a press conference tomorrow” he announced.

I couldn’t help but smiled. “And who told you I was going to do it?”

“I’m not asking you Taeyeon. This is an order”

“And what am I supposed to say?”

“We have already prepared something for you. All you have to do is read it” he continued, like it was perfectly normal for me to do something like that.

It is always like that. He is never in the country, leaving me with all the responsibilities and calling from time to time to congratulate me on the good work. But when something goes wrong, he immediately come back to scold me and order me around. How am I supposed to get along with my father when the only time I see him, is when he is telling me how much I have disappointed him?

“I don’t feel like reading it…give me a summary instead” I requested, knowing that will annoy him.

He looked at me coldly before speaking. “Basically, you are going to deny all implication in this affair”

Did I hear right? “Excuse me?”

“You will deny everything and I will take care of the rest” he said.

It was my turn to get angry. “Do you really want me to do that? Do you really think that it is the right decision?” I asked angrily.

“Do you want to go to jail? Do you want to see the company falls?” he asked me back.

“I don’t care about jail!” I raised my voice. “What kind of person am I if I continue to do this? Don’t you care about what kind of person I become?”

I had a small, very small hope that my father wouldn’t react the same way as the lawyers or other people from the company. After all, I was still his daughter. I’ve always though that the most important thing for parents, is that their child become an honest person.

My father told me a thousand times that I was too irresponsible, and now that I’m ready and willingly taking full responsibility for my actions, he tells me not to?

“I care about your future and all I know is that jail is not a good thing for your future” he said again, still so calm and confident.

I looked at him in disbelief. This conversation was just…wrong. “I was raised with practically no rules. It is perfectly normal for me to beat someone else to death without having to apology, and before today, I didn’t have a problem with that. I couldn’t care less about these people, but now, I feel responsible. I can’t do that.”

“I’m telling you again Taeyeon. You are going to deny everything while I personally take care of the rest. This is an order.”

I stood up angrily, hopeless. “Aren’t you ashamed?” I asked him.

“Why should I? It is my duty as a father, to protect my daughter” he explained.

“How beautiful…should I shed a tear?” I asked sarcastically.

“You will thank me later, when you understand” he concluded.

I looked away from him, frustrated as I stood up and walked to the door. “Be ready at 8, tomorrow morning” I heard him said while I got out of the room.

I was so…disappointed. I didn’t want much, just some words of encouragement. I didn’t ask for help, I just needed to know that my family was behind me, supporting me. But I shouldn’t have been surprised though, it was expected from my father. After all, the only way to solve problems in this family is with money or threat. Sometimes, both.

Once I was out of his office, I took out my cellphone and dialed a number.

“My office in 15 minutes, I have a plan” I said on the phone.

I left the house immediately. There was no way I would listen to my father like that. I said I was going to take responsibilities over my actions and I will do it.

Chapter 29 – She will never stop trying…

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

Monday was finally there, and with it came school. During my two weeks vacation, I thought that my friends and I went through the worse already, with Taeng’s scandal and our own personal problems. But as school’s day got closer, I realized that I might have been wrong.

Yesterday was our last day vacation and Taeng totally disappeared. I woke up alone in the morning and went to bed alone at night. I tried to call her a thousand times but she didn’t pick up. All I got was a short text message telling me not to worry.

I learned from her parents that she has to attend a press conference today, but this morning, she was still nowhere to be found. There were a lot of people in the house and they were all freaking out, including Taeng’s father.

Before I left for Yuri’s house who nicely proposed to drive me to school since Taeyeon wasn’t there, I got a new message from Taeng.



It was with a confused mind that I said goodbye to auntie before leaving the house.

Like Taeng asked me to, I didn’t say anything to her mother when I left. It wasn’t an easy task since her mother has been extremely worried after she left the house yesterday morning. I kind of felt guilty for not telling her that Taeng was fine.

I walked casually to Yuri’s house and looked around, trying to find Taeyeon. I was going to lose my patience until I heard Taeyeon’s voice.

“Fany…Fany”

I looked around again and finally noticed the black car with tainted windows. The driver’s window was slightly down and I spotted Taeyeon’s face behind it. Before walking to the car and getting on it, I quickly looked around to check if anyone was watching.

“Ouch!”

As soon as I got into the car, I hit Taeyeon on the shoulder. “Where were you???” I asked her angrily.

She put on an innocent face. “Good morning to you too” she said, smiling to me.

“I’m not joking Taeyeon. Where the hell were you? Don’t you know I was worried?” I hit her again.

“I know I know. That’s why I sent you a message yesterday!” she tried to ease things.

“4 words! That’s all you sent to me Taeng!”

“Ok ok I’m sorry. It won’t happen again” she promised.

I looked at her with a very serious expression. “I’m serious, don’t ever do that again Taeyeon, please”

She smiled at me before looking at her watch. “I’m driving you to school” she said.

“You’re coming with me, right?” I asked, not expecting a particular answer from her.

She didn’t answer me immediately. And that’s when I noticed that Taeyeon was looking quite nervous.

Once we were out of the neighborhood, Taeyeon spoke up. “I’m going to take a break from school…for a while” she announced me.

For obvious reasons, I didn’t ask her why. It was probably the best choice for her, we all knew how mean and annoying high school students could be. Taeyeon attending school is like throwing her in a hole with hundreds of reporters.

I kept quiet during the whole ride; something was telling me to not bother her. I just knew she had a lot on her mind.

When we got closer to the school, Taeyeon parked her car on the side, about one block away from the gate and spoke up again. “Tiffany…” she turned and looked

at me. “No matter what happens, you will support me, right?” she asked suddenly.

Although I was surprised by her question, my answer came out instantly. “I will always stand by your side. Always.” I assured her.

Taeyeon smiled at me before giving me a kiss. When she was going to pull away, I stopped her. It has been only a day since I saw her but I was craving for her kiss, for her touch.

“So that’s how much you’ve missed me yesterday” Taeyeon teased me when our kiss ended.

I smiled shyly before touching her soft cheek. “I love you” I said, suddenly feeling the need to let her know about how I feel.

At that moment, I saw some sadness in Taeyeon’s eyes. Not because of my words, not because of her own feelings, but because she knew something was going to happen soon. That only last a couple of seconds, she quickly composed herself and faked a reassuring smile.

“I love you too mushroom. Be careful at school and if anything happens, tell Yuri about it” she instructed me.

Her words brought me back to my worries earlier. School without Taeyeon. School after the scandal broke out. I was indeed afraid of facing the other students without her.

After one last look at Taeyeon, I got out of the car and walked alone to the school’s gate. Even though she was still in the car, I could feel her watching me, protecting me from afar.

It was with a heavy and worried heart that I faced my first day of school after the scandal broke out.

Outside in Seoul,

Taeyeon’s POV

It breaks my heart to keep this from Tiffany. I’ve promised her multiple times that there wouldn’t be any more secrets between us. But here I am again, being secretive about my motives and actions.

Once I dropped her at school, I realized how selfish it was of me to let her alone. I am the one who caused all the mess, but my girlfriend and friends were the one who have to face the consequences.

As soon as Fany entered the school, I drove away. I was worried about her and I would have done anything to be by her side, but I had other things to do. Today was my last chance to undo my mistakes.

As I drove to my next appointment, I called my father. The surprise press conference I was supposed to hold was taking place in less than 2 hours. And obviously, I won’t be there.

“Where the hell are you?!?!” my father answered the phone hysterically.

“I see that you’re already up” I joked.

“Where are you?” he repeated.

“It doesn’t matter. I called to let you know that I won’t be attending the conference today” I told him straight.

“What?”

“You are going to the conference yourself and tell the media that tomorrow, at noon, I will be holding an official press conference myself at the Seoul Plaza. Everyone is invited. Including you” I said calmly before hanging up, not letting my father the chance to protest.

It was probably crazy but I knew what I was doing. All I need now was so luck.

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

It wasn’t easy to wake up this morning. Yuri was picking me up for school and like usual, she had to wait half an hour before I was ready. I told her it was better to not come too early but she didn’t listen. I’m starting to think that she likes to wait for

me.

On our way to school, we talked about how Taeyeon suddenly disappeared and reappeared to drive Tiffany to school.

“You really don’t know where Taeyeon went yesterday?” I asked her.

“I really don’t know” she answered casually.

“Really don’t know?” I asked again, not convinced.

“I left a voice mail on her phone yesterday, telling her that if she isn’t back by today, I will drive Fany to school. And miraculously this morning, she called me and told me that Fany was going with her” she explained.

“Weird…Do you think she is coming today?”

“I didn’t ask but I won’t bet on it”

As we got closer and closer to the school, my thoughts wandered elsewhere. So many things happened these past weeks, and though everything turned out for the better when it comes to my relationship with Yuri, I can’t help but wonder for how long…

“What are you thinking about Princess?” Yuri asked me as the car stopped at a red light.

I looked at her and smiled. “Nothing” I said.

Though she didn’t believe me, Yuri didn’t insist. She returned my smile and gently held my hand before driving off. It was a small gesture but she knew it would reassure me, whatever my worries were about.

When we finally got to the school, I felt that something was extremely off. It was too calm outside, as if everyone were hiding inside the building.

“What’s going on?” I asked Yuri as we walked through the school’s yard.

She looked around, trying to understand. “I’m not sure that I want to find out…” she said as we stepped into the building.

As soon as we were in the building, we heard them. It was like a million of whispers. None of us needed to have super power to know what they were whispering about. Immediately, Yuri and I rushed to our classroom.

There were hundred of students in the hallway, it was just impossible to get through.

“GET OUT OF MY WAY!” Yuri shouted.

Her voice brought the students’ attention toward us. They were all looking like they were studying us. I knew they wanted to interrogate us about Taeyeon, but didn’t dare to. I looked coldly at them before Yuri held my hand and made a way for us to reach our class.

Yuri had to push a few students who were blocking our way and a couple times, I had to remind her to remain calm. When we finally got to our class’s door, we saw her.

Tiffany.

She was sitting at her desk, her head down, trying to ignore the stares and whispers around her while Sooyoung and Hyeoyeon tried their best to protect her by telling people’s off.

“Where are the teachers?” Yuri wondered angrily while I rushed to Fany.

“Fany” I called her.

When she looked up and saw me, Tiffany smiled, like nothing was going on. “You’re late again” she stated.

“Are you ok?” I asked her.

“Sure” she smiled again.

She was acting strong. I did this once. I know how it feels to have all eyes on you, people talking behind your back. You have to act strong because if you don’t, it will be worse.

“You don’t have to go through this” I told her.

“I’m fine Sica, don’t worry” she reassured me before looking at Yuri. “Calm down Yuri” she said.

I looked at Yuri and saw her getting angry with her phone. “What are you doing?” I asked.

“I can’t reach that stupid principal” she said angrily.

“Yuri, you don’t need to call him” Tiffany tried to say in a soft voice, but with all the noises around, Yuri barely heard her.

Students were now gossiping freely and loudly like we weren’t even there, and in the hallway, they started to push each other again, in order to take a glimpse of the new popular girl. I could only sigh at this situation while Tiffany tried to ignore it. The one getting worked up by all of this was Yuri. She was getting angry…very angry.

“SHUT THE HELL UP!!!!!!” She yelled in the classroom.

Then silence filled the entire building. They were now staring shockingly at Yul, like she was some crazy girl. Even Fany and I were shocked. It is rare to see Yuri explode like that.

“I swear, I can get ALL of you kick out of this school in less than 10 minutes…so move away. AND believe me, if I hear any of you talking bad about my friends, you won’t get home in one pieces” she threatened all of them.

Slowly, the students backed away and went back to their own class. The students in our class sat straight on their chairs and looked in front of them, too scared to look at us.

“You shouldn’t have Yuri…” Tiffany said once everything was calm again.

“Believe me, it was nothing. If it were Taeng, it would have been worse…like a million times worse” she said patting Fany’s head.

Right there, our teacher finally came in.

“Where were you? Is that how you control your students?” Yuri asked him angrily, and rudely.

“Yuri” I called her, but she ignored me.

“Please sit down Yuri” the teacher simply said, trying to avoid Yuri’s stare.

Seeing that Yuri wouldn’t give up, I grabbed her wrist and forced her to sit down at her desk.

”Let it go” I told her before going back next to Tiffany.

The teacher went on like usual. I expected him to scold the students or at least, make a speech about the recent situation but he didn’t. Most of us acted like any other school’s day, especially Tiffany.

It was only during break time and lunch that we could feel the awkwardness around us. The stares were there, I could feel them. And if I wanted to, I could also hear the whisperings.

“Where is Taeyeon? I can’t reach her…” Yuri asked Tiffany while we were having lunch.

“I don’t know where she is…but she won’t come to school for a while” Tiffany explained.

“It was expected” I said.

“I wonder what that kid is planning…”

”I don’t know, but please don’t tell her about this morning” Tiffany asked us.

“Why not?” I immediately asked. I wouldn’t mind if Taeng gives these idiots a good lesson.

“I don’t want her to worry about me and feel guilty, so please don’t. It’s our secret” she smiled, again.

Though I didn’t agree with not telling Taeng, I let it go.

Yuri’s POV

I thought the day couldn’t get worse than this morning, but obviously, I was wrong. It was only after lunch that we remembered that we had different lessons. Jessica and I were in the same class but Tiffany had another subject.

“Its fine guys, just go to your class” Tiffany told us as we walked back to the building.

“We will walk with you until your class first” I insisted.

“You know it will be worse if you two stuck with me, I don’t want to look like I need bodyguards” she joked.

“Tiffany…” Jessica sighed. “Stop acting strong and let us go with you”

Fany gave up and let us walked her to the classroom. As soon as we approached, all eyes were on her. I wanted to scare them off again, but I controlled myself.

“I will see you two later, don’t worry” Tiffany told us before she entered her classroom.

Jessica and I shared a concerned look before we decided to leave. Tiffany was kind of right, we weren’t really helping her by sticking by her side. This will just give the other students another reason to pick on her.

When we got to our class, I had a very bad surprise.

“YURI!!” the ever crazy Gyuri jumped on me as soon as I stepped in.

I lost my balance and nearly fell on the floor. “What the hell?” I mumbled while pushing her away from me.

Gyuri looked at me innocently and grabbed my arm, dragging me to an empty desk. “I’ve been waiting for this class all morning! We can sit together again!” she said happily

Everything happened so fast that I didn’t realize someone was watching us angrily. When I looked up to Jessica, she was already sitting next to another classmate. I was so busy being annoyed by Gyuri that I forgot Jessica.

During the whole class, I tried to make eyes contact with her but she totally ignored me. I really felt like an idiot. We’ve already talked about her dislike for Gyuri and her worries now that we were back in school, and I completely failed at reassuring her. What an idiot…

When class ended, I quickly made my way toward Jessica. “So Yuri, what do you want to do after school?” Gyuri caught me before I could reach Sica.

“Nothing, I already have plan” I tried to get pass her.

“Really, I will go with you then” she stopped me again.

I looked at Jessica and saw her walking out of the class by herself. “It’s really not the right time to bother me Gyuri” I said annoyed before running to catch my

girlfriend.

“YURI YURI” the crazy girl didn’t give up and chased after me.

Losing my control, I stopped and turned back to face her. “For one last time, stop following me. Stop it” I told her calmly, slowly, so she can register each and every of my words.

I made sure she understood my message before I turned around and ran to catch Jessica. I caught up with her on the stairs. “I’m so sorry Sica” I said, following her.

“Forget about it, I knew it would happen anyway” she said coldly, but I felt a lot of disappointment in her voice.

I grabbed her wrist and forced her to face me. “Why don’t you trust me?” I asked her. “She is nothing to me, why don’t you believe me?”

“Because she keeps trying Yuri and this only means that she has hope. And…as long as she has hope, there are possibilities…” she looked at me, insecurities in her eyes.

“You don’t think I was clear enough with her?”

“I don’t know Yuri…I just know that she is still trying, and it doesn’t seem like she is going to stop anytime soon” Jessica freed herself from my grip and walked away.

I was standing there, trying to figure out what I did wrong when Jessica stopped and turned to look at me. “I have a bad feeling about this Yul…” somehow, Jessica wasn’t angry, there were more worries in her eyes than anger.

Jessica’s POV

It made me angry that Yuri couldn’t understand my worries about Gyuri. Of course, I trust Yuri, but it doesn’t mean that I can confidently say that nothing is ever going to happen between them. I don’t know this; I don’t know what the future is made of. Who knows? Maybe one day, she will be able to win Yuri’s heart, like Yuri won mine.

Yuri and I stayed away from each other during the rest of the day, calming ourselves over our little argument. I know it wasn’t reasonable of me to blame her for Gyuri’s behavior, but the fact that Gyuri was still trying means that Yuri wasn’t harsh and clear enough with her. So this was partially her fault too.

Although Yuri and I had a little fight, the rest of the day went better for Tiffany. Most of the students were still afraid of Yuri’s sudden outburst this morning that they didn’t dare to say anything when we were around.

“How was your last class? They didn’t bother you right?” Yuri asked Fany as we walked out of school together.

“No they didn’t” she said.

“Is Taeyeon coming to pick you up” I asked her.

Tiffany checked her phone and shook her head. “I don’t think she will” she said sadly.

“Let’s go then” Yuri said while walking to her car.

I took Fany’s hand and walked with her. “Do you want to sleep over at my house tonight?”

“I’m fine Jessi, besides, Taeyeon might come back tonight” she told me, her eyes full of hope.

Yuri drove me back first and before they left, I asked Fany again, if she wanted to stay with me but she refused.

“I’ll call you when I get home” Yuri told me before I got off the car.

I looked at her and nodded. Although we weren’t angry with each other, our issue earlier hasn’t been solved yet and so, I just couldn’t act like nothing happened. I got off the car and waved at them, standing in front of my house as the car drove away.

I had my worries before school started again, but deep inside, I had a little hope that none of them will become true.

Tiffany’s POV

On our way back, Yuri and I remained silent. It was actually the first time that none of us tried to make the conversation. Usually, we are never quiet when we are together, we always find something to talk about. But somehow, today wasn’t our day. It seemed like both of us had their own personal problems to deal with.

When we arrived to Taeyeon’s house, Yuri turned to me and finally spoke. “You don’t have to go through this …” she told me, I immediately knew she was talking about what happened at school. “…We can find an arrangement if you don’t want to attend school” she looked at me with a caring expression.

I looked at her and smiled, like I did a thousand times today. “I won’t let them affect me. I promise” I gave Yuri a hug before getting out of the car.

“Call me tomorrow morning if Taeyeon doesn’t show up” she instructed me.

I nodded and waved goodbye to her, a smile still on my face. Once Yuri’s car disappeared from my sight, my smile dropped. The chaotic events at school hit me hard. I’ve always been a discreet girl, never standing out of the crowd, so all those eyes and gossips on me were really disturbing.

And where is Taeyeon?

I wasn’t the only one looking for her though. As soon as I stepped into the house, her parents rushed toward me. “Tiffany! Where she is? Where is Taeyeon?” I’ve never seen her father so stressed out before.

“I…I have no idea. I haven’t seen her today” I half lied, avoiding their eyes. “But I’m sure she is fine.”

Her father walked away, holding his phone to ear, probably trying to call Taeyeon again.

I turned to her mother. “Is everything okay?” I asked, still confused with the recent events.

She hesitated a bit, like it was a secret. “There was a press conference today she had to attend, but she called her father and told him she won’t attend it. And now, we can’t reach her anymore”

I was even more confused. I noticed that Taeng had something very important to do today, but if it wasn’t that conference, then what was it?

Aunty sat down on the couch, holding her phone, hoping that Taeyeon will call. Both her parents were looking for her, but I realized that their reason wasn’t the same. Aunty was worried that something bad happened to her daughter, whereas her father was worried because Taeng disappeared without doing her job.

I love uncle and I know that behind that strict and hard-to-please attitude, he deeply cares and loves his daughter. But sometimes, I admit that I don’t understand his behavior. No matter how I look at it, business always seems to be his number one priority. And this is something that I will never ever understand.

Since auntie seemed to be lost in her thoughts, I excused myself and went to Taeyeon’s room. Though it was expected, I was still slightly disappointed when I entered her empty room. A part of me hoped that she would be there, waiting for me.

I dropped my school bag on the floor and fell on the bed, rethinking about my day. I couldn’t care less about what the other students think, but I wished Taeyeon was there, I just needed to feel her presence.

Nothing can affect me when she is here: It doesn’t matter if the whole world is judging or criticizing us, as long as we are together, nothing can be more than perfect.

Yuri’s POV

After dropping Tiffany at her home, I got a phone call from my sister. She was downtown with Seohyun and wanted me to drive them home. “Why didn’t you call earlier?” I asked her on the phone, annoyed.

I heard Yoona sighed on the phone. “Because I planned to go back by myself but now I’m lazy”

“Where are you guys?”

“In front of the mall”

“Don’t go running everywhere then, I’ll be there in 10 minutes” I said before hanging up.

When Seohyun was mentioned, I remembered that people at her school know about her relationship with Taeyeon, and maybe like Tiffany, she had a tough day. Though it isn’t new to me anymore, I still can’t believe how this scandal has affected us all. I don’t know what Taeyeon is planning, but I hope everything will come back to normal soon.

It took me a little more than 10 minutes to reach the mall because of some traffic jam on the way. And when I got there, I wished I didn’t.

In front of the mall, there were Yoona, Seohyun and the last person on earth that I want to see…again. Gyuri. She was standing there with the girls, chatting like they were friends or something. I stopped my car on the sidewalk and tried to get my sister’s attention so we could leave quickly, before the crazy girl had the chance to bother me.

But of course, being the luckiest girl on earth that I am, I got Gyuri’s attention instead. In no time, the girl was right in front of me. Sure, there was the car’s window that was separating us, but it didn’t make the scene any less creepy.

And like it couldn’t get worse, Yoona and Seohyun came and got in the back of the car, like nothing was happening. This led to Gyuri thinking it was an open invitation for her to get in the car as well and sitting in the passenger seat. It really couldn’t get worse…

Wrong. It could.

“Why were you so long?” Yoona asked, hitting me lightly on the shoulder.

“Traffic jam” I answered, looking in the rearview mirror and trying to have an eyes-talking with my sister.

“Oh my poor Yuri, have to drive all the way here to pick your sister. You are truly amazing” Gyuri complimented me.

I saw Yoona making a face at Gyuri’s compliment. “Are you talking about THIS Yuri? Kwon Yuri?” she pointed at me.

I ignored my sister’s attempt at pissing me off and focused on Gyuri. “What are you doing here?”

“OH! I was walking around when I bumped into your lovely sister” she explained, looking a Yoona and smiling, like she was trying to win her over.

I rolled my eyes and started the engine. “Well, we have to go now so please go home” I told her.

“I don’t have my car today…” she said in a pitiful tone.

I waited for Yoona to say something but she didn’t. I was sure she would insist for Gyuri but she didn’t even look like she cared. On the other hand, our innocent Seohyun was too nice.

“Unnie, maybe you should drive her home too” Seohyun told me with her oh-so cute voice and puppy eyes.

Since I didn’t want Seohyun to think I was a bad person, I went with it. “Fine, I’ll drive you home first” I told her without making any eye contact.

“THANK YOU!” she clapped happily before turning to Seohyun and winking to her.

During the ride, the girl couldn’t keep her mouth shut for more than 10 seconds. She was talking and talking and talking and unsurprinsingly, she never talked about anything but herself. Not only is she creepy but she is also so far from my ideal girl.

How can Jessica feel insecure about her?

I was trying my best to tolerate and ignore her talking that I didn’t even notice my phone was vibrating. And in the blink of an eye, Gyuri caught the phone before I could do anything.

“Yuri’s phone, this is Gyuri talking” she answered my call.

I tried to take it back but since I was driving, I couldn’t take my eyes off the road long enough to give her a deadly stare and scared her off.

“Give it back to me NOW!” I told her angrily.

But she completely ignored my request. “Yuri is having dinner at my home tonight” she said on the phone, I still didn’t know who she was talking to.

“YA! What are you saying? Who is it?” I asked, hoping the girl will just give me back my phone.

“Sorry but she is busy driving right now. Maybe she will call you tomorrow morning when she wakes up in my room” she continued.

When I saw a gas station, I immediately took this opportunity to pull in and stopped the car. But it was too late.

“Bye Bye Jessica!” she shouted happily before hanging up.

At this point, I really thought that I would lost my temper and slapped her. Fortunately, my sister and Seohyun were in the car which helped me control myself. Gyuri gave me back my phone innocently. Though she wasn’t smiling openly, I knew she was smiling inside.

“Get out” I said calmly.

She sat straight on her seat and kept quiet. “But aren’t you going to…”

“GET OUT NOW!!!” I yelled.

Yoona and Seohyun were startled by this while Gyuri remained calm. I was going

to yell at her again when she reached for the door. But of course, the girl couldn’t just leave without saying something that was supposed to hurt me.

“You think she loves you? You think she is happy with you? I’ll prove to you that you are wrong Kwon Yuri” she dared to say right to my face before she got out of the car.

I didn’t even blink an eye before I started the car and drove away as fast as I could.

Didn’t I deserve some peace in my relationship with Jessica? While I thought everything was perfect again, something came and disturbed us once again…

Why me? Why us?.

Chapter 30 - The Press Conference

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

It’s crazy how things can change in a matter of weeks. Sometimes, I wonder if any of us have made a different decision, the present day would be any different. Is it possible that by making another choice, we can rewrite history?

I wish I can turn back times and undo my mistakes, her mistakes. How is that possible that only a few weeks ago, I felt like nothing in this world could affect us and now…there is not a single day where I’m not feeling lost?

Yesterday, I knew Taeng wasn’t going to come home. I was lying in bed, holding my phone with the hope that maybe, just maybe, she would call or text me. I don’t even remember falling asleep. Even though it has been a day only, I would do anything to see her again.

This morning, I called Yuri and let her know that I would go with her to school. When I went down for breakfast, uncle and auntie were looking extremely worried. Auntie didn’t even try to pretend that everything was fine, she looked sad and desperate about something that I didn’t know. I left the house unnoticed, everyone’s mind was preoccupied with something that I unfortunately ignored.

Yuri was already waiting for me outside, and as soon as I saw her, I knew

something happened last night. What is wrong with people today?

“Hey…” I greeted Yuri as I climbed into the car. “Is everything ok?”

She smiled weakly at me. “Just a small incident last night but don’t worry”

“Did you and Jessica have an argument again?” I asked, annoyed that everyone seem to be hiding something from me.

Yuri seemed to have notice my frustration. “Are you ok Fany?”

“Don’t change the subject. You first”

“There was another misunderstanding between Sica and me. And once again, it was because of Gyuri” Yuri started explaining to me as she drove away.

“I thought you made things clear with her?”

“There is no use! I can tell her a million times that I only love Jessica but it’s useless because she always come back to ruin things”

“What happened this time?”

“I gave her a ride yesterday. Don’t ask me, this was all Yoona’s fault. And during the ride, I got a call from Sica but she picked it up and it went downhill from there. I couldn’t reach Sica’s afterwards.” Yuri was looking so hopeless, I really felt bad for her.

“I’m sure Jessica will let you explain to her what happened. You know her, she always overreacts. Give her some time to calm down then you can talk to her” I advised.

“Probably, but that’s not really what frustrates me the most right now. I just…I’m really tired of all these fights. I just want us to go for at least a week without yelling, misunderstanding, etc.”

As she said this, I thought about Taeyeon and me. I miss her so much that if yelling and arguing are what is take for me to see her again, then I’m willing to. I just want to see her again.

“I’m sorry Yuri…” was all I could say.

“What are you talking about?”

“I should try to help you and reassure you that everything is going to be okay and all these problems will go away but I can’t.”

“Tiffany…”

“I saw Taeyeon for like 10 minutes in 2 whole days and I don’t know when she is coming back. Hell, I don’t even know where she is now” I let my frustration won over me. “I’m supposed to be important for her but she doesn’t answer my call and it seems like something big is going on and I’m the only one left in the dark” I complained.

“I don’t know what’s going on with Taeyeon, but I know she really cares for you. Whatever she is doing right now, there must be a good reason she is hiding if from you”

“To protect me? Make things easier for me? I don’t want that.” I said looking at her, expecting, wishing for an explanation that I knew wasn’t coming.

I looked away, out of the window as we both stayed silent. I knew Yuri’s words couldn’t help me because when it comes to Taeyeon’s situation right now, she was as lost as I was. But even though I knew that, it still made me feel better to let my frustration out.

“We will get there” Yuri said suddenly. I looked at her confused before she continued. “One day, we will all be happy and together. I know it. There will be pain and tears and pain, but eventually, we will get there” she smiled at me.

The kind of smile I really needed before I step into the new place I like to call hell; School.

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

As we stepped into the school, I immediately looked for Jessica. Since what happened yesterday, all I got from her was a text message telling me to not pick

her up for school. I couldn’t even imagine how she reacted after what happened with Gyuri.

“Do you want me to call her?” Tiffany asked me.

“No, I don’t think she want to see me anyway. Let’s go to class already” I decided.

We made our way through the school to our class. Compared to yesterday, the students’ behavior was much better. They were probably tiring of gossiping about us already.

“We have all our class together today” I pointed out. Tiffany nodded as I patted her head. “I can keep an eye on you then and kick the first idiot who says something stupid”

Tiffany smiled. “I’ll do my best with Jessica” she said winking at me before rushing inside the classroom.

I stood there confused until I saw Tiffany hugging Jessica and whispering something into her ear. Sica slowly looked at me and before I realized it, she was already walking toward me. I stood there frozen as Sica came closer.

“Kwon Yuri, I have to talk to you later” she said, her voice not angry or anything. She sounded quite calm and composed.

“S-sure” I could only nodded, still surprised by the situation.

Jessica walked back to her seat as I stood there looking shocked. “Kwon Yuri, can you please go to your seat. The class is about to start” the teacher told me.

I walked to my seat and found myself still staring at Sica, even though she made sure to avoid any eye contact with me. I was also relieved that Gyuri wasn’t in our class this morning. That would have made things so much more complicated. I didn’t even know if what Sica had to tell me was good or not.

Once the class was over, I waited nervously at my desk, waiting for Sica to call me or something. But she didn’t. She was only talking with Tiffany, and by their expressions, it wasn’t a happy conversation.

It was like that through the morning classes. All I did was waiting, waiting and waiting. Of course, I couldn’t quite complain since it was kind of my fault. I learned to be patient with Jessica.

My first talk with Jessica came at lunch while the three of us were seating together in the cafeteria. She didn’t mention about yesterday’s incident at all and we all talked like there was nothing going on. In fact, most of our lunch time was about the hottest topic right now; Taeyeon.

“Don’t worry Fany, she will come back” Sica reassured her best friend.

There is no doubt that Taeyeon will come back. The real question is when? I didn’t think much about her sudden disappearance because I knew there was a good reason and it isn’t the first time that she suddenly takes a leave for a few days. But given the situation, it is indeed weird that she went missing.

“Even your parents haven’t heard of her yet?” Fany turned to ask me.

“Not that I know of…it seems she went invisible these past days. No one knows what she is up to”

“Her mother told me that she had a press conference planned yesterday, but she didn’t attend it” Fany revealed to us.

“She didn’t show up?” I asked shocked. It was something that Taeyeon never did in the past. It was hard to believe she went against her father’s order.

“She cancelled it then disappeared again”

“I really don’t know where she is but don’t worry. I’m sure she is at least healthy” I said before realizing that it wasn’t making Fany feel better. “I-I mean…”

Sica shot me a glare before patting Fany’s back. “Be positive Tiffany, you’ll probably see her very soon” I was surprised by Jessica sudden positive attitude, usually, she is the negative one.

“At least the other students are not acting like idiots today” I stated.

“Who can blame them though? I mean, they were just acting curious” Fany were being nice again.

“Don’t find them excuses Fany. There were a bunch of idiots and that’s it.” I said

firmly.

Tiffany smiled before pulling out her phone. Jessica and I shared a worried look but we didn’t say anything. Maybe, just maybe Taeyeon was finally going to answer one of Fany’s text messages.

Jessica’s POV

After lunch, we were walking back to our classroom when Tiffany insisted that I talked to Yuri. I told her this morning that we had to talk and though I wanted to do it earlier, I found myself delaying it period after period.

“Yuri and I can talk later Fany” I tried to delay it again.

“There is still time before our next class so hurry up and settle things down already” she told us.

Yuri stood there and looked at me with her sad but full of hope eyes. “Okay” I gave in. “Let’s go somewhere else Yuri” I said before grabbing her hand and walking away.

I could picture Tiffany standing there smiling at us as we walked away. She knew how I felt about yesterday’s incident with Gyuri so maybe that’s why she was so eager that I talk to Yuri. And it was probably better that we solve this now since Gyuri wasn’t around to disturb us.

I dragged Yuri to the first empty classroom that I saw. I could feel her nervousness just by holding her hand. She was probably afraid of what I was going to tell her.

“About yesterday…” I started, looking at her. “What do you have to say?”

Yuri seemed shocked that I gave her the possibility to explain herself. “I-I’m sorry for what happened…”

“So it was true?” I concluded too quickly.

“N-No…welll…yes…I-I mean…”

“Well?” I looked at her, impatient.

“I was indeed driving her home BUT that’s it! I was only picking Yoona and Seohyun from the mall and she was there and somehow, she tagged along.”

I continued to look at her, like it was such a stupid misunderstanding…again. “So it was only that?”

“Yes. I didn’t expect her to answer your call and said those stupid things. I was so angry Jessica, I even kicked her out of my car afterwards. Believe me” she pled.

I stayed quiet for awhile, deciding what I was going to say next. To my surprise, Yuri took my hands and held them close to her chest. She was looking so desperate that it broke my heart.

“Can we please stop all this?” she said in a pleading voice. “I love you so much Jessica and it kills me that we keep on fighting and misunderstanding each other, and because of people like Donghae and Gyuri!”

I was also tired of all that. We kept on fighting, making up, fighting and making up. Even though we always solve our problems and get back together, these constant fighting might really ruin our relationship in the end.

I looked at her and nodded slowly. “I agree with you”

“Huh? Really?”

I laughed at her constant shocking expressions. “What’s wrong with you today?” I teased.

“I-I just didn’t expect you to be so calm about it” she admitted.

I took a deep breath and smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry for ignoring you all morning. I wasn’t really angry but I had to give you some sort of punishment still.” I revealed with a smile.

“So…you are not angry at me?”

“Not enough to scream and argue with you” I joked. “Actually this little incident made me think about us”

“Positively or…?” she asked a bit worried.

“I should learn to trust you completely. I shouldn’t let someone like Gyuri affect our relationship and I’m sorry if I did in the past. It was my mistake”

Yuri’s smile grew big and she hugged me tightly. “WOW just WOW. Jessica is that really you?” she joked.

I cupped her face in my hands and gave her a peck on the lips. “I was scared Yuri.” I revealed for the first time. “I was afraid that somehow, she will make it. She will make you fall for her”

“Jessica, I’ll never…”

“I know Yuri. It took me forever to realize it but I finally did. If I don’t I’m not going to let her steal you away from me” I said seriously.

Yuri kissed me back before pulling me in for another hug. “No one can take me away from you. No one”

“Let’s kick that girl out of our lives!” I declared.

She laughed and kissed the top of my head. “Sure Princess, but let’s finish with class first, shall we?” she suggested before the bell rang.

We ran back to our class, laughing, hand in hand. It should be like that every day, us being happy.

Yuri’s POV

I couldn’t believe how Sica reacted calmly at what happened with Gyuri. My girlfriend completely surprised me this time. I was terrified this morning, not knowing what she was thinking about and how she would react. And I couldn’t even express how happy I was that she decided to just trust me.

This is what it is all about; trust.

Jessica and I were still running in the hallway when my phone rang. Absentmindedly, I took out my phone and answered my call. Jessica automatically stopped running and looked at me, like she felt something wrong was going on.

“What? Now?” I asked on the phone while staring at Jessica, indirectly telling her that something huge was going on.

“Ok mom, I’ll call you later” I said in a rush before hanging up. “There is something that we all have to watch” I told Jessica before running to our classroom as fast as I could.

Seoul Plaza,

No POV

Even though the announcement of a press conference by Taeyeon was made late,

the hotel’s hall was filled with reporters and photographers early in the morning. Everyone making sure they would have a good view of the scandalous heiress.

It was the first time since the scandal broke out that Taeyeon made an official appearance. The other time that she made the news and went outside was the day of the incident with Tiffany and Sungmin.

The room was packed with reporters and photographers talking to each other, exchanging their thoughts on the soon-to-happen conference. The day earlier, they were at the exact same place, waiting for a conference that never happened. Taeyeon didn’t show up and though they were disappointed and angry, they were very willing to come again the next day. Kim Taeyeon has become a hot topic and none of these newspapers’ people were willing to miss the occasion to put her on the front page again.

About 30 minutes before the conference took place, security guards and some officials from the company came in, standing where they were told to. A silence then filled the room; people were getting ready with their camcorders, cameras and recorders, making sure that every second of the conference was recorded.

Soon enough, Mr. Henney made his appearance and the flashes started. He walked on the small stage and stood in front of the microphone. Before he spoke, he took a look at the room, making sure that they were ready to listen to his words.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen. First, I’d like to apologize for the cancellation of yesterday’s conference and would like to thank you for being present today. I know you all have a lot of questions on your mind and that

everyone deserves an honest and clear answer on the events that involved Miss. Kim Taeyeon. But unfortunately, today is not going to be about Miss. Taeyeon answering each and every one of your questions. She took the decision to hold this press conference today so that she can stand in front of you and express her feelings…because she doesn’t want to hide anymore. And in order for that conference to go well, I sincerely hope that you will accept and respect her decision. No questions please, just listen to what she has to say. Thank you.” As soon as Mr. Henney was done, he bowed respectively and stepped aside.

There weren’t any bad reactions after Mr. Henney’s announcement; like it wasn’t such a big surprise that Taeyeon wasn’t going to answer questions. It was expected.

A few seconds passed by before the room went quiet again and all eyes turned toward the open door. Taeyeon was about to make her first official appearance and everyone could felt the tension that filled the place.

But just in a mere second, silence was replaced by chaos. Kim Taeyeon finally stepped into the room, ready to face the world. She walked slowly to the microphone, her head down and her face emotionless even though the camera flashes were killing her eyes. Mr. Henney looked caringly at her, like worrying the girl might break down into pieces. He knew what she was going to do and how hard it was.

As Taeyeon stood in front of the microphone, she finally held her head up and looked at the people facing her. The room went quiet again, ready to listen to her.

She took a deep breath before her voice echoed through the room. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen…”

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

When we got back to the classroom, I knew I wasn’t the only one who got the latest news. Everyone in the class was staring at their cell phones, even the teacher. After a quick look at the class, my eyes went back to Tiffany, who was also staring at her phone.

“What is going on?” I heard Jessica behind me.

I took my phone and opened my web page where I typed in a random channel’s address. I waited until the website was loaded before showing it to Jessica. “Taeyeon is giving a press conference right now” Jessica took my phone while I turned back to look at Tiffany’s worried face.

Tiffany’s POV

Everything went so fast. I was sitting there waiting for Jessica and Yuri to come back from their private discussion when one of my classmates got a phone call. From there, everything was just crazy. All I know is that this student suddenly stood up and shouted to everyone “Kim Taeyeon is giving a press conference right

now! It’s live on TV too!!!”. Then everything around me started moving very fast. It took me a long time to process what was happening. I saw all my classmates taking out their phones and before I knew it, they were all gasping and whispering to each other while staring at their phones.

“Oh my god! It’s really Taeyeon!” one of them said.

When I finally understood what was going on, I also took out my phone with my trembling hands and went on the internet to watch. My connection was slow and I cursed my phone for not being faster. But eventually, the page loaded and there she was, my Taeyeon, standing in front of a microphone that was almost taller than her. Only one day but I forgot how pretty she was.

If it wasn’t for her serious expression and emotionless eyes, I would have stared at her face for hours. But something about her look, something about her eyes made me realize how important and serious the situation was. I knew she was going to say something important, but I…I couldn’t imagine how big of an announcement she was going to make.

Seoul Plaza,

Taeyeon’s POV

It was finally here, the moment I was waiting for. It was my decision to call for this press conference and even though I didn’t regret it, standing in front of all these

people made me doubt myself. Was it the best decision?

But there was no more place for insecurities or doubts, I had to be strong and stand for myself. It was with a shaky voice that I started speaking. “Good morning ladies and gentlemen, thank you for taking your time and attending this press conference. I’m sorry for cancelling yesterday’s meeting but I’m really thankful that you all decided to come back today.” I made a small pause, taking my breath and looking around the room, searching for a compassionate face.

I wasn’t expecting people to be nice or proud of what I was doing now, but I wished they could realize how difficult and brave it was for me to stand there, going against my father’s plan and facing them all. It would have been so much easier if I had followed my father’s plan, sitting down with a bunch of lawyers and managers, denying every single involvement in this affair. But that’s not me. Not anymore.

“Like you all know already, I was involved in a serious accident some month ago, but it was only recently that it made the news. This is the first time since the scandal broke out that I’m going to speak about it.” I made another pause, my eyes lost in the crowd; I was searching for my words.

The sudden realization of what I was going to do shake me. There was no coming back. “What happened that night, the car accident, the aggression, it was my entire fault.” I announced, before repeating again, making sure it was clear. “Everything was my fault”

I could see the different reactions from the crowd. Surprised, shocked, confused,

horrified, there was all kind of expressions on these people’s faces. It was all expected, all but one expression that I wasn’t waiting for; a proud smile. There was a female reporter who looked at me with a proud smile. For a second, I could imagine my mother standing there and smiling at me like that.

“I have no excuses for what happened. I lost my temper and didn’t think about the consequences of my actions.”

“Lost your temper? You nearly killed a man!” someone from the crowd of reporters spoke out.

It hit me hard hearing that from someone else. I needed that. I need that. I don’t want my family, the company to protect me anymore. I don’t want people to find excuses for me and make it seems that my mistakes are not serious. I need to face the critics; I need the backlash from people around me so I can be responsible.

I need to suffer in order to be forgiven.

S1 High School,

Tiffany’s POV

I was completely focused on the live conference until I felt a familiar hand on my shoulder. I looked up to see Jessica looking down at me, worried.

“I’m fine” I told her without thinking. It was an automatic answer.

She took a seat next to me and put an arm around me. “I know you are” she simply replied as she continued to watch the conference on my phone.

Right after Jessica, Yuri arrived with a chair and sat down on my right with a comforting smile. “We’ll watch this together” she told me before watching on my phone too.

I then noticed how noisy our classroom has become. We were all watching the same thing and Taeyeon’s voice could be heard through the room.

I stared back at my phone, looking at this small figure that was standing there, in the middle of my screen. So this is why she disappeared on me. A part of me what glad to know she was fine and still there because at some point, I was afraid she would run away…and leave me behind. But this other part of me was sad and disappointed that she felt the need to hide this from me.

Why was it so hard for her to understand that I want to be there for her? No matter the difficulty, all I want is to stand by her side.

Seoul Plaza,

Taeyeon’s POV

I tried to search for the man who spoke up so I could directly answer to him, but it

was a lost case since there were just too many people there. I waited until all the whispering stopped until I spoke again. “Yes, what I did was inexcusable and I’m not trying to justify myself for my actions. I could have killed someone and I know it” I said sincerely.

“You are only apologizing because it went public! What if no one knew about it?” someone asked loudly.

Mr. Henney immediately stepped in. “No question please” he said looking at the man.

Before the conference, I said that I didn’t want to hear or answer their questions. I had something to say and it was all that I cared about. But being there in front of all of them, I realized that I couldn’t get away so easily. There were questions and issues that I had to respond to.

“It’s fine. I’ll answer” I said looking at Mr. Henney. Turning back to crowd, I looked directly at the man standing in the front row, the one who asked me the question.

“You are right” I told him. “If this affair didn’t go public, I wouldn’t be standing here. I wouldn’t be reflecting on what I did and what kind of person I am. Thinking about it now, I’m glad this scandal came out because it forced me to look back at all my wrongdoings and forced me to change”

“So you admit that you didn’t care about what happened to that man after you hurt him?” he asked again.

I thought about my answer before speaking out. I knew I was going to shock them. “I didn’t think about it” I admitted, outraging the people there.

“Rich spoiled kid. Typical” someone commented.

I don’t know why but hearing that comment kind of made me angry. I would never deny being a rich kid and indeed, my parents had always spoiled me, but something about that sentence really annoyed me.

“I-I didn’t care about him because…I’ve never cared about anyone” I admitted. “There are only a few people in my life that I truly care about and other people are only strangers to me. What happen to them doesn’t affect me” I said bluntly.

“You didn’t care that you could ruin someone’s life?”

“I’ve been protected my whole life” I immediately answered. “Every mistake was corrected right after I did it. There was no time to reflect on anything. I grew up thinking that it was normal to do bad things because someone would clean the mess after me anyway.”

“Don’t put the blame on your education!”

“I’m not blaming anyone. But you cannot judge me without knowing me. I didn’t come here to seek compassion and pity from all of you. I’m not looking for excuses and reasons to blame it on someone else. I came here because for once in my life, I want to be honest. For once in my life, I just want to be a normal

teenager who made a mistake and is apologizing for what she did.”

“A simple apology won’t make things better”

“I know that but then what can I do?” I replied back. “Nothing I say will make things better. All I can do is admitting my mistake and accept my punishment.”

“Do you feel better now that you admitted your mistake?” The woman who smiled at me earlier asked.

“I’m terrified of tomorrow, not knowing what might happen to me…but I do feel better, better with myself at least.” I said before daring to smile, a weak smile.

With this question, I felt that it was the right time for my next announcement. I looked back at Mr. Henney and nodded lightly. He understood my action and went to stand slightly behind me.

I took a deep breath before making my last announcement. “There is also something very important that I have to say before the conference ends…” I started.

S1 High School,

Tiffany’s POV

I could feel Jessica and Yuri becoming more and more nervous beside me. As for

me, I didn’t know what to think. It felt like I was lost in another world. I could see Taeyeon and hear her words but none of the things she said could reach me.

Once she admitted being guilty, it was the end for me. I wondered if this was the last time that I was seeing Taeyeon. There were no more places for positivity in my mind. I could already see her being taken away from me and put into some scary jail or delinquent home. I was so afraid of losing her that I hated her for admitting it.

“Who the hell he thinks he is?” Yuri got mad at the reporter who said Taeng was a typical rich kid. “He doesn’t know a thing about her life!”

“Calm down Yuri. You can’t expect them to be nice with her after all” Jessica said calmly.

Taeyeon does indeed come out as a spoiled kid, but she didn’t become like that for no reason. I wish these people could see the reel Taeyeon like I do. Watching her there being judged by people that know nothing about her made me angry.

“What’s going to happen now?” Jessica asked the question that was on everyone’s mind.

Her eyes still glued on my phone, Yuri shook her head, defeated. “I don’t know…anything can happen now”

The whole night of the incident played back in my head. If it wasn’t for me, Taeyeon wouldn’t have gotten mad and left the house and she wouldn’t have

committed this accident. If I hadn’t trust Sungmin like I did…maybe none of this would have happened.

There are so many IF, so many people to blame and so many excuses to use, but in the end, I can’t help but think that I was the one that caused her fall.

Seoul Plaza,

Taeyeon’s POV

My heartbeat was out of control as I prepared myself to drop the last news of the day. I could see the reporters getting ready with their cameras, adjusting one last time the settings before I spoke.

“I am officially quitting my post inside the company” I dropped the news. “From now on, I will be a regular teenager in her senior year, studying to get into a good college and nothing more” I announced.

“Is it your own decision?” someone asked.

“Actually you’re the first one to know” I revealed. “And yes, it is my decision and no one else. Because of my behavior and mistake, I caused trouble for way too many people. I hurt the company, my friends and my family. Maybe I leaving won’t give the company its clean image back, but I hope people can separate the two. I did a mistake and the company and its business and workers shouldn’t be punished because of me. Blame me and punish me. I’m responsible for it.”

“Are you going to leave the country now?” another voice echoed through the room.

I couldn’t help but laugh at the question. “No I won’t. If I wanted to run away, I wouldn’t have given a press conference.” I wondered if the guy realized how stupid his question sounded.

With this last answer, it was finally time for me to say my final words and disappear from this adult world. I was actually eager to be a normal girl with a normal life. No more meetings with people twice my age, dinners and conferences talking about things that I shouldn’t even cared about. It was time for me to just be…Kim Taeyeon, seventeen years old and senior at S1 High School.

“Once again, I would like to apologize for the damages that I had caused and I will work hard so that the next time you see Kim Taeyeon, I will have become a better person.” I concluded before bowing respectfully.

Mr. Henney then took my place as I walked away, under the flashes. I heard Mr. Henney thanking them for coming and then everything became whispers to my ear. I finally stepped out of the room and felt myself breathing again.

Right there, I didn’t care about tomorrow anymore. I didn’t care about my parents’ reactions, about what other people think, about what kind of punishment I was going to face. Probably for the first time in my life, I was really proud of myself. It was the best thing to do and I did it.

My only regret was…she wasn’t there with me.

S1 High School,

Tiffany’s POV

“WHAT?” It was everyone’s reactions to Taeyeon’s last announcement.

She dropped out of her position within the company. Just like that. I didn’t know if I should be happy or not. I knew Taeyeon hates this superficial world that came with having this job, but I also knew that it was the only thing that brought her closer to her father; their only connection. When did she take such an important decision? And why was I left out again?

I couldn’t believe that I wasn’t there with her, maybe not on that stage but behind the door, waiting for her to come out so I can comfort her. I should be everywhere but here, in that class looking at her on my phone. I should be with her, right now!

I made up my mind and startled Yuri and Sica when I suddenly stood up. “I have to go see her” I told them.

Sica and Yuri looked at each other confused before looking back at me. “Aren’t you guys coming with me?” I asked them.

Jessica was ready to stand up when Yuri stopped her. “No, we aren’t coming…”

she started.

“What are you talking about?” Sica asked shocked.

Yuri smiled. “Tiffany should go alone. There is only one person that Taeyeon wants to be with right now…and it’s not the two of us” she finally explained.

“I’ll call you guys later then” I said before running out.

I didn’t know how high the chance of me getting there before Taeyeon left was, but I had to try. I wanted to see her before she gets home, I wanted to be with her before she has to face her parents and the consequences of her latest decisions.

Fortunately for me, the plaza wasn’t too far from school and I could actually get there pretty fast. I jumped into the first cab that I saw and told the driver to drive as fast as he could. During the whole time, I was texting and trying to call Taeyeon, let her know I was coming.

Yuri’s POV

After Tiffany left, Jessica and I sat there like two statues while the people around us started moving, commenting on what they had just saw. I was still trying to process everything, every single word that Taeyeon pronounced during that conference. I’ve known Taeng for like all my life and what she just did…I would have never expected that.

By going against her father and admitting her mistakes, she put herself in some serious trouble. I couldn’t believe that all these years of hard work at the company vanished in a mere second just after one accident and a few pictures in the press. And worse, what will happen if the guy sued her?

“Okay everyone, let’s go back to your seats now” the teacher called all students.

“We’ll talk later” I told Jessica before going back to my seat.

After our class ended, Jessica and I suddenly decided to skip all afternoon’s classes. Even though we knew Taeyeon and Tiffany wouldn’t come back home before evening, it was just weird for the two of us to be in school. We thought it would be best to go home and wait for them to come back. Besides, I also wanted to get away from there since in our next class, there was also Gyuri. The last thing that I wanted was to run into her.

“Are your parents’ home?” Sica asked me as we were sneaking down the hallway.

“My mom probably”

“Isn’t she going to scold you for skipping class?”

“Nah she will understand” I said for sure.

My mom was probably too preoccupied with Taeyeon to scold me for skipping the afternoon’s classes. After all, I was a pretty good and well-behaved student.

“I’m worried about Tiffany” Jessica said as we reached the first floor.

I let out a sigh. “I’m worried about both of them. This all thing is just crazy”

We were almost outside of the building when I heard a chuckle coming from behind us. It is kind of creepy when before looking at where the sound comes from, you already know who it is.

All I wanted to do was to tell Jessica to keep walking and not turned around. I wasn’t afraid or anything, but I just knew nothing good would come out after a confrontation with that girl. But unfortunately, ignoring her was Jessica’s last wish.

“Jessica and Yuri...together. Nice view” she said with a sarcastic smile as we turned around.

“Gyuri…still single. Poor thing” Jessica said back, showing her cool smile.

A lot of things went through my mind when they started looking angrily at each other. But the most memorable thought I had was just how HOT an angry and aggressive Jessica was. Of course, I’ve seen Jessica being angry before, but it is completely different when you’re not the person she is angry with.

A little inside, I was kind of wishing they would fight. Just to see how HOT and cool my girlfriend can look.

“Ohh that was harsh Jessica, I’m hurt” Gyuri took a few steps toward us.

“Believe me, it’s going to hurt much more if you don’t let us alone” Sica threatened her.

“Is that a threat? Or a challenge?”

“I made a mistake last time and I’m not going to do it again. No matter what you do to separate us, it won’t work” Jessica said confidently while holding my hand. “I’m here to stay”

A proud smile appeared on my face as Jessica said this. She was standing up for me, for us. I’ve been wondering for a long time now, why Gyuri didn’t want to give up on me already. I made it clear that there was only Jessica and by chasing after me, she was only wasting her time. But now, things are getting a little clearer. Maybe Gyuri thought she had a chance because while there was no doubt about my feelings for Jessica, it was still unclear whether Jessica shared the same feelings as me.

“Let’s go” I smiled at Jessica.

I didn’t even look back at Gyuri before we turned around and walked toward the door. As I grabbed the hand door, Gyuri said something that I admit, disturbed me a bit.

“I didn’t lie yesterday, I will prove it to you Yuri” she shouted as we finally walked out of the school.

I felt Jessica’s curious eyes on me but I kept quiet. I didn’t want to ruin the

moment. For now, knowing that Jessica trusted me was enough. We were finally going to leave all the misunderstandings and little fights behind us and move forward.

Seoul Plaza,

Taeyeon’s POV

After I stepped out of the conference room, I took a deep breath and tried to figure out what I was going to do next. I didn’t want to go home since my parents were probably waiting for me there and I couldn’t just walk around the city with all the reporters ready to eat me up.

I was standing there when I finally remembered that my phone was still turned off. I didn’t want to turn it on because I needed to be focus and I knew that if I read all the messages from my father or my lawyers, it would have scared me away and I wouldn’t have be able to do what I just did.

As soon as I turned my phone on, it kept on ringing and ringing and ringing. Sooner or later, I would have to face all these people that are looking for me now. But I wasn’t ready yet. All I wanted was some peaceful moment. I needed some time to prepare myself for the aftermath.

2 days ago, when my father told me he arranged a press conference for me to deny all involvement in this affair, I decided to handle this on my own. These 2 days went so fast that I didn’t really think of what will happen after the conference.

While I have no regrets over my decision, I was still worried about how the situation was going to be like in the next few days.

I was standing there thinking to myself when Mr. Henney joined me. “Good job Miss” he said patting my back.

“Thank you. It was better than I expected”

“It couldn’t be better. I’m proud of you”

We shared a smile before my worried came back. “So what now?” I asked him.

“We should get out of here”

“I don’t know where to go”

“Why don’t you call your friends?”

“I’m not ready to tell them” I admitted.

I’ve been avoiding my friends for the last days because I didn’t want them to worry or try to persuade me. My mistake has affected them way too much and I needed to do this on my own.

“Don’t you think they watched the conference live?” he asked but it was more a statement than a question.

I didn’t think about that. “You think they did? No, they were in class”

Mr. Henney looked at his watch and shook his head. “You’ll think about this later, we have to go” he said before walking me to the exit door.

Outside, a black tainted windows car was waiting for me. The securities were already there, trying to stop the reporters from getting near me. I realized that all the craziness wasn’t over yet. People were still going to talk about me and reporters still bothering me for probably the next few weeks.

I was escorted all the way to the car, Mr. Henney walking right in front of me. The flashes were killing me even though we were outside, on a sunny day. Just the sound of it was giving me headache.

Then a miracle happened. I was ready to get on the car when I heard the most beautiful voice in the world. Right there, I forgot about my worries, about the flashes, the noisy reporters trying to get another revelation from me, I just forgot about everything. My mind was settled on that sound, that voice that made my heart beat.

Tiffany’s voice.

“TAEYEON! TAEYEON!” she screamed my name, afraid I wouldn’t hear her.

I looked frantically around me, searching for her. “TIFFANY?”

“Get out of my way” I heard her said again.

Then I saw a bunch of reporters getting hysterical before they moved away and made a small path for Tiffany to join me. I would never forget that feeling, when I saw her face again. It has been one day only but it felt like years. It actually scared me how much I missed her.

As cheesy as it may sound, we ran toward each other and felt into each other’s arms. It felt so good. Like there was nothing that could make me happier than being in her arms. After everything that happened, I wanted nothing more than Tiffany.

“What are you doing here?” I whispered into her ear, ignoring all the people around me.

“I had to see you. I needed to see you” she replied, still in my embrace.

“You watched the conference?”

“All of it”

“I-I’m…” I wanted to apologize, for everything.

But she cut me off. “I’m proud of you” she said it out loud, surprising me.

I slowly pulled her away so I could look into her perfect eyes. Never would I have thought that looking into someone’s eyes could make me feel so…peaceful. “I don’t know what’s going to happen now and…”

“It doesn’t matter” she cut me off again. “I love you, and as long as we are together, nothing else matter” she said before hugging me again.

I knew right there that Tiffany was my everything. She was my world. The one that made me smile, cry, laugh and wanted to keep going on.

I wasn’t scared of tomorrow anymore, because Tiffany was by my side.

All I needed was her, all I feared was losing her.

Chapter 31 – One Peaceful Moment Somewhere in Seoul, Taeyeon’s POV I wonder if that’s how you usually feel when you are in love. Feel like nothing really matters to you anymore because you are not alone, because you found that “special” someone. Your soul mate? I’ve never believed in love at first sight or

that love is something that lasts forever. I’ve never understood how some people could live for love and die for love. In my mind, you only live for yourself, not for or because of someone else. That’s how I felt before she came and turned my world upside down. Before her, I didn’t know what love was. I didn’t know that a simple smile, a simple touch could make my heart beat so fast. I didn’t know that a fight, a tear could make my heart ache. All these feelings inside of me, she made me feel them all. Is she my soul mate? Am I as foolish as the others who live and die for their love? Hwang Mi Young, what did you do to me? I looked at the girl who was still hugging me tightly, like she was afraid I would vanish if her hold wasn’t tight enough. I hated myself for leaving her alone, for not being honest with her once again. I kept breaking those promises. Sometimes, I wonder if I deserve all the love she gives me. “Hey are you sleeping?” I asked her. We were sitting in the backseats of the car, her head on my chest and her arms around me. It wasn’t really comfortable sitting like that but I didn’t want to complain. Tiffany shook her head. “No” I heard her said softly. “Where do you want to go?” I asked her.

“I don’t think we can go there…” she replied sadly. I dared to pull Tiffany away so I could look at her. “Do you want to go to Greece?” It was more of a joke than a serious question. It was obvious we couldn’t go. She was surprised for a second but then her eyes lighted up. “Can we really?” her voice full of hope asked me. I felt bad for giving her hope then had to crush it away. “I’m sorry Fany but I have to stay” She immediately smiled like it was not a big disappointment. “Don’t worry, I was only joking, we still have school after all” I nodded and kissed her forehead. “So what was the place you wanted to go?” “The beach, you know where we went on our first date” she smiled. I knew she was thinking of that day, when things were still so simple. If she really wanted to go then I’d find a way. “We can go there if you want” I said. “With reporters looking for you? I don’t think we should” Tiffany was being thoughtful again.

“We can try and sneak around” We looked at each other, trying to figure out if we should or shouldn’t do it. I thought Fany was going to agree when Mr. Henney jumped in. “I’m sorry Miss Taeyeon but Miss Tiffany is right. After what happened earlier, it is better if you don’t show up at a public place, especially a beach” I exhaled loudly, showing my exasperation. “Where could we go then?” “I think we should go home Taeng” The thought of going home gave me headache. I didn’t want to see my parents; I didn’t want to talk about this anymore, at least not today. All I wanted was a break from all this. “I don’t want to” I told her. “Your parents are looking for you and besides, we have nowhere to go” she stated sadly. I suddenly had a very good idea. “I know where we can go” “Where?” she was getting excited already. “You’ll see” I kept the secret before pulling myself away from Tiffany so I could

tell the driver about our next destination. As I sat down next to her, Tiffany stared at me with her curious eyes but I kept my mouth shut. Instead, I pulled out my phone and dialed a number. “I think I should call Yuri” I said before pulling the phone to my ear.

Yuri’s Car, Yuri’s POV I was driving back home with Jessica by my side. The words that Gyuri said yesterday and earlier were stuck in my head. I tried very hard to dismiss Gyuri as a whole but it was very hard because she was involved in half of my past fights with Jessica. I knew there was a reason as to why she said those things to me, and I admit that I was scared of what it could be. On the other hand, it didn’t seem like Jessica was really affected by Gyuri’s words and behavior. She was more upset than worried. “I swear, next time I’ll punch her in the face” Jessica said suddenly. I couldn’t help but laugh. “Calm down. You are not going to fight with her…even though catfights can be very hot” I joked.

She hit my arm playfully. “I’m sure you will enjoy it very much” “I’ll be rooting for you of course. I’ll chant and hold balloon or light stick like idol fans” “You better cheer for me or I’ll switch my target and fight with you instead” “What kind of fight? I won’t mind wrestling with you” I winked at her. She rolled her eyes and sighed heavily but I knew she was exaggerating on purpose. “Ah Kwon Yuri, we have to do something with your skin ship obsession. It might be dangerous you know, I mean, dangerous for me” “What are you talking about? It’s not an obsession, more like a natural reaction when I’m with you” I explained. It was true as well. I’m not crazy about skinskip with anyone, it’s just with Jessica. I think it has to do with what people call ‘The Honeymoon phase’ or something. When you’re a new couple and can’t get your hand off of each other. Of course, we are not really a new couple but since we kept on breaking up and getting back together, I’m kind of stuck in that phase where all I want is to kiss her. “Whatever, you still have to control yourself sometimes” “Excuse-me? Don’t act like you’re not like that Sica. Did you already forget how

many times you jumped on me?” “But I’m always in control compared to you” she boasted. “That’s because I don’t want to be in control. I can if I want to” I stated with confidence. “Really Yuri? Really?” she made fun of me. “Oh yes I can!“ “You mean that if we are all alone in a room, you won’t be trying to kiss me or anything?” I was starting to realize where that conversation was going but it was too late to back out. “IF I want to then yes I CAN control myself. No problem, don’t underestimate me” Jessica smiled widely like she just had the best idea ever and turned to look at me with her mischievous eyes. “I have a challenge for you” she said excited. “Go on” I said immediately, I knew it couldn’t be good but well, it was funny. Jessica was about to tell me when my phone rang. “Who is it?” I asked Jessica to check for me since I was driving.

“It’s Taeng” “Can you answer and turn the speaker on please?” I asked her. “Hey” I heard Taeng’s voice through the phone, she sounded relaxed. “How are you?” I asked her first, trying my best not to scold her from hiding such a big thing from me. “Surprisingly good” “Is Tiffany with you?” Jessica nearly shouted in the car, making me deaf. “Yes and she is fine, don’t worry” Taeng reassured us. When she asked us to not worry, I wanted to scold her even more. “Where are you going now?” “I’m bringing her somewhere now but we will come back home tonight” she told us. “Drop at my place tonight too, we have to talk” I tried to sound detached like it wasn’t serious but it didn’t work.

“Yuri…” “I’m serious Taeng” I heard her sigh over the phone. “I’ll try” “Take care of Tiffany!” Jessica shouted once again, like she forgot the speaker was on. “I will. See you guys later then, bye!” Then she hung up. “Are you angry at her?” Sica immediately asked. “Of course! How can I not be?” I said frustrated. “I’m her best friend, like since forever, why did she hide it from me?” ”I suppose for the same reason she hide it from Tiffany” I realized how earlier that day, Tiffany asked me the same question and I actually tried to find an appropriate answer that would reassure her. And now, I was the one being angry and asking for an answer. “I just hate when she does that, acting all strong and stuff” “I know you’ll find it weird but somehow, I can understand”

“Do you?” “Yeah…” I wanted to ask her to develop but I could tell that Jessica didn’t want to talk more about this. I knew that there was something that bothered, burdened her but I also knew that she wasn’t ready to talk about it yet. Although we were driving in a nice atmosphere at first, the end of the ride to my house was quieter.

Somewhere in Seoul, Tiffany’s POV I’ve never realized how much being in a relationship with Taeyeon was like riding on a rollercoaster. Being with her, I can go from being happy, enjoying life by her side like nothing can affect us, to sad, afraid that I’ll never get to see her again. This has taught me to not expect anything. All I could do while I was with Taeyeon was to enjoy the present moment. I have to cherish and live every moment to its fullest because no one knows what can happen in the future. I feel like, at every moment, she can be taken away from me. Scary, it is such a scary feeling.

Maybe that’s why I was holding her so tightly in the car. I just got her back and wasn’t ready to let go. “So what did she say?” I asked Taeyeon after she ended her phone conversation with Yuri. “She is not really happy” “Can you blame her?”

“I guess not” “So we are going to see her later?” “I said we’ll try. By the way, Jessica seemed very worried about you” Protective Jessica, I wondered if she solved her problem with Yuri earlier today. I didn’t have time to ask them how their little conversation went. As the car was still driving through the city, I held onto Taeyeon and looked out of the window, letting my mind rested for a moment. “Are you tired?” Taeyeon instinctively asked me. I shook my head negatively; my eyes still focus on the streets in front of me. It

was getting more and more familiar, the place we were heading to. I kept my suspicion for me until the car finally stopped. Of course I recognized the place, although it has been a while. My parents’ apartment, the place that hold so many of my memories. ”What…why are we here?” I looked at Taeyeon, confused. Mr. Henney spoke before Taeng could answer me. “We’ll check the area before you can go in” he said before getting out of the car. My eyes followed Mr. Henney until he walked in the building. There were few other men with him as well. “Are they securities guards?” I asked Taeng. “Yes, they will make sure that there are no reporters around” “Do you think the reporters followed us?” “Maybe” My eyes were still focused on the entrance, waiting for Mr. Henney to come out and tell us that it was safe. I didn’t know what we were doing here since I didn’t live here anymore. The apartment was probably occupied anyway. Another family was probably living in it now. Since I moved in with Taeyeon, I did think about this place a few times, wondering what all the stuff in the apartment went since Aunty

told me she would take care of it but as time went by, I forgot about it. “You still haven’t told me what we are doing here” I turned once again to look at her, convinced that she would finally tell me. But Taeyeon only smiled at me. “Let’s go” she said before opening the door and dragging me outside. Although the situation wasn’t funny, Taeyeon was laughing while we ran into the building. She was quite excited but I couldn’t figure out why. We found Mr. Henney in front of the elevator, still serious as ever. I don’t think he agreed to us being there, he would have preferred if we went straight back home. “Call me when you’re leaving” he instructed Taeyeon. “And a few men will be around just in case. Don’t do anything reckless like running outside, will you?” Taeng rolled her eyes and patted Mr. Henney’s arm. “Don’t worry too much, we’ll be fine. Go and get some rest please” she said before we went into the elevator. But before the door’s closed, Taeng quickly called Mr. Henney. “Thank you” He didn’t say anything but I definitely did see him smile a little. The more I see him, the more I think of him as Taeng’s big brother. He does much more than his job as a lawyer, he takes care of her and it is obvious that his feelings are genuine. The elevator finally stopped at the 9th floor. Taeng stepped out first, holding my

hand. I was waiting for her to walk first when I realized that she has never been there. So I firmly held her hand and guided her through the hallway. Being there brought back so many memories. How many times did I take this elevator? How many times did I walk through this hallway? How many times did I stop in front of this door, looking for my keys? And then, my memories brought me back to that day, one of the darkest days of my life. I remembered every single detail, how the weather was that day, how I felt, how quiet the whole place was, everything. So I stopped right there, in front of the apartment’s door, unable to move. Taeyeon’s touch brought me back to reality. ”Tiffany? Are you alright?” I didn’t even realize that my whole body was shivering. “I-I don’t think I can go in Taeyeon” I let myself fell in her arms. “Hey…look at me” without letting go of me, Taeng turned me around so I was facing her. “I’m here so you don’t have to be afraid anymore. We will go in and you are going to smile because that is where you grew up, where you had your happiest times and I want to see this part of your life. Can you do that for me?” she gently asked me. When I moved in with Taeyeon, a part of me tried it’s very best to look into the future and forget about the past. I locked all my sad memories away so I could

move on. It was hard at first, but as I got closer to Taeyeon and had other problems to handle, I stopped thinking about this place, stopped thinking about the tragedies that I faced in the past. But now that I was standing there, everything was running back at me. Slowly, I got away from Taeng’s hold and stood firmly on my feet. I inhaled and exhaled deeply before I took one step closer to the door. Taeyeon stood beside me and held me the key that I took immediately. Without any more hesitation, I unlocked the door that held 17 years of my life.

Kwon’s Residence, Yuri’s POV Before we reached my house, I drove past Taeng’s house and saw a lot of cars parked outside of the gate. It seemed like the whole company was there. No wonder Taeng didn’t want to come back now, she knew that after the conference, it would be chaos at her home. Jessica and I arrived at my place and I was surprised to see that my father was already at home. My parents were sitting in the kitchen, talking, when went in. My mom looked at us confused when she saw us walked in. “Didn’t you have

afternoon class today?” she asked us. Jessica was staring down at the floor, looking guilty while I smiled embarrassingly. “You see mother” I left Jessica’s side and walked to my mom. “We weren’t feeling well after watching Taeng’s conference. I figured out it was better to come home than stay there” I looked at my father and he was only nodding. “That’s why I came home earlier as well. Your mother and I are going to her house now. I don’t know in which state her father is but maybe I can calm him down a bit before she comes home” he said. “Then you can tell them that she might come back tonight. That’s what she told me earlier.” My father nodded and stood up, getting ready to leave the house with my mom. “Ah about your sister” my mom said. “She is going to Seohyun’s house after school so maybe you have to go and pick her up if we are not back by then” she instructed me. I only nodded at her before they walked out of the kitchen, leaving us alone. “Wow I really thought she was going to scold you” Sica told me. “That’s why you were looking so afraid? Like she was going to bite you?” I teased

her. “It’s your mom after all. I don’t really want her to think I might be a bad influence on you” “Excuse-me? You being a bad influence? Really?” “Why is it so surprising?” “Huh I don’t know?! Maybe because I’m Kim Taeyeon’s best friend?!” I joked. “Thirsty?” I opened the fridge and took out some drinks. Jessica took one of the drinks and sat at the table. “I don’t think Taeyeon is a bad influence” she said to me. “Well, she doesn’t do her homework; she skipped school more than you and I together and she has problem with the cops now. So do you think you can do better?” I asked. She thought about it for a second before letting it go. “You got a point” “You don’t have to worry about those things Jessica. My mom thinks you’re the best” “Does she?”

“She loves you already” I kissed her head, reassuring her. “Come on let’s go to the living room”

Seohyun’s School, Yoona’s POV I didn’t know that students at my school would be so interested in Taeng’s life. A lot of them watched that press conference through their phones too. And of course, I didn’t get away from the stares and whispers that half of them threw at me. It really shocked me to see how curious people were even though they didn’t know Taeyeon. That’s the reason why I wanted to go pick up Seohyun after school. I knew that if people at my school were being noisy and insensitive, people at her school would be worse since she was Taeyeon’s cousin. I waited for my girlfriend in front of the school and as soon as I saw her, I knew it was a good idea that I came to pick her up. I smiled as she walked up to me. “Hey you” I opened my arms and hugged her. “Tough day huh?” Seohyun tried to mumble something against my shoulders which made me laughed. “What did you say?”

She made a weird face before dragging me away. “I want to go home” she whined. “We can take a cab if you want” I suggested. “Yes let’s do that” I couldn’t help but smiled at her cuteness. It was rare to see Seohyun being angry and annoyed at something. I actually liked seeing her like this from time to time. It made her less…perfect. We took the cab to her house and met her sister when we got there. ”Unnie you’re already here?” Sunny pouted like a cute kid. “I couldn’t stay in school any longer” “Taeyeon’s conference?” I asked her as the three of us walked toward the house. “You know what I’ve learned from all this mess? Is that Taeyeon is hella popular among people of our age” Sunny joked. That’s what I realized too. Students at my school read news about Taeyeon and asked questions, they actually followed the whole thing since Day 1. “People like bad girls it seems” I added.

“Taeyeon is not a bad girl, she is just stubborn and impulsive” Sunny said as we entered the house. “But yeah, that’s probably why people think she is so hot” “Can we stop talking about Taeyeon unnie being hot, please?” Seohyun asked us with a disgusted face. “She is my cousin” Her sister rolled her eyes as she corrected her. “I’m not the one thinking she is hot, other people do” Sunny threw her school bag on the floor and let her tired body fell on the couch. “You should be proud that people think your cousin is hot” “I don’t want to think about Taeyeon unnie like that. It’s weird” Sunny sighed and turned on the TV. “She is acting all innocent again” I tried to not laugh but it was too hard, which made Seohyun punched me. “Don’t side up with her” she told me before walking away. I was going to protest when Sunny spoke to me. “I so admire you Yoona. I really really do” Since I didn’t know what she was talking about, I stood there and looked at her confused. “I mean, you know, Seohyun is not easy to handle and you’re doing a very good job at taking care of her. Good job!” she complimented me before adding with a laugh. “I’ve always thought that her first love would die of

frustration” It was a nice compliment but I still think she gave me too much credits than I deserved. “Thank you but actually, I think you should admire her too. She’s doing a very good job as well. It’s not easy to take care of me” I winked at her before walking away. Seohyun was in her room, sitting at her desk, already doing her homework. I don’t think there is any word that can describe just how much I admire this girl. I wish that I could have her determination, her motivation, that thing that make her work so hard for every single thing that she does without never giving up. Before I met her, I thought that people who take everything so seriously without having fun were boring, and now? I wish I could be more like her. I walked to her desk and stood behind her, looking over her shoulders. “Do you want some help?” I asked for fun since I was the bad student between the two of us. She looked up to me and smiled gently. “No offense but its mathematics” Once again, she didn’t catch the joke. If it was another girl, it would annoy me but with Seohyun, I found it cute and charming. I was also tired of people who laugh or act like they get your joke while they actually don’t. At least, Seohyun always stay true to herself.

I patted the top of her head gently before kissing it. “You’re too cute for words” I said before walking to her bed and laying on it. Seohyun was so focused on her studies that I didn’t dare to bother her, even though I really wanted her to come and join me. Both of us had a bad day and the least thing I wanted to do was study. So I lain there and watched her instead. I was watching her for about 20 minutes when my eyes were getting sleepy. Maybe my eyes even closed for a minute or two because out of nowhere, Seohyun was sitting by my side. “Sorry, did I wake you up?” “Not at all” I smiled, my hand stroking her cheek gently. “Did you finish your homework?” She made the cutest face ever, like a kid that just did something wrong. “No” she shook her head. I smiled at her cuteness and though I wanted to tease her, I just waited for her to talk. “I want to lie down with you. It has been a bad day for both of us and I think we need a little bit of comfort” she said. “Was it such a bad day?”

“Yes” she nodded before lying down next to me. “Can you hold me in your arms?” she asked me so naturally that I wished it would be like that forever. There was no response to such a cute and loving question, so all I did was take her in my arms and hold her tightly against me. I think I could have stayed like this forever. Seohyun was holding and playing with one of my hand as she started speaking. “Do you think we will be like the unnies?” she asked me. “What do you mean?” “Are we going to face as much hardship as they are? I know they love each other but it seems like there is always something, someone that stand on their way” I thought about the question before giving her an honest answer. “I don’t know if our relationship is going to be as complicated as theirs, but what I do know is that…I’m gonna fight for it. I’m gonna fight for you and if there is hardship then we’ll go through it together” “Can we?” “Of course! I mean, with your intelligence and my awesomeness, we’ll beat down anything!” I said with confidence which made her laugh.

Seohyun lifted her head up and kissed me tenderly. “I believe you” she said before closing her eyes. I imitated her and closed my eyes too, enjoying our sweet moment together. I remember how Yuri used to talk about love and relationships. She said that when you’re in love, just by being with the person you love was enough, looking at her smile at you would make you the happiest person alive. I used to laugh at her for being so romantic and cheesy. I used to not believe in those words she said. But now, I’ve become like that. I’m willing to study hard because it makes Seohyun proud of me. I’m willing to read tons of books because she likes them and we can talk about them together. I’m just willing to do anything to earn that smile. I can’t believe I became like my sister, hopelessly in love and dreaming of the perfect relationship.

Tiffany’s Apartment, Taeyeon’s POV For a moment, I thought it was stupid of me for bringing her here. We’ve never talked about that day…so it was careless of me to assume she was fine enough to

come back here. But fortunately, I was able to calm her down and we were able to walk in. As we entered the apartment, Tiffany suddenly let go of my hand and started walking on her own. I figured out that she needed her own space so I stood behind her and followed her closely. “How come…how come everything is unchanged?” we were walking toward the living room and Fany was looking at the different pictures hanging on the wall. “It’s like…I was still living here” “My parents wanted to keep the place untouched, in case you want to come back and live here” I explained. “But about the rent?” “You don’t have to worry about those things Fany” She looked at me but said nothing. I knew there was something on her mind but I didn’t want to insist. It wasn’t the right time. Tiffany continued to look around, like she was visiting this place for the first time. The little tour went on for about 30 minutes. I was dying to know how she was feeling, what she was thinking but I was too afraid to ask her. I didn’t want to push her, I was afraid she would break down and cry. And I hated seeing her cry.

“It’s weird…” I suddenly heard her say. “only my room is empty” “Are you angry with me?” “Why should I?” “For not telling you about this” “It was for the better” It was a rare time when I didn’t know what to say. I was suddenly, out of words. It was such a weird situation but I was happy that the conversation was not about me anymore. Since the scandal broke out, it was all about me. Every conversation, every worry, everything was about me. And once again, I was too selfish to make sure that she was fine. “Do you want to look at my baby pictures?” She suddenly asked me. “Let’s go to the living room” she dragged me there and forced me to sit on the couch. She was so enthusiastic that it made me smile and stopped worrying about her. Tiffany ran around and when she finally sat down, she had like 5-6 photo albums with her. ”Wow that’s a lot”

”Mommy loved taking pictures and I was her favorite model” she said proudly. I smiled and kissed her head. “I love you” I blurted out. “What’s that for?” she asked shocked, obviously surprised by my words. I kissed her again before picking up an album. “I feel like being nice today, that’s all” Tiffany laughed and hit my arm before sitting a little closer to me as we looked at the pictures together. “Wasn’t I cute? I was way too cute I think” she kept on praising herself. How was I supposed to respond to this? Little Fany was as cute as Big Fany. And I was enjoying every moment there with her. Every moment…until Fany suddenly freaked out at something and took the photo album out of my hands. “W-what are you doing?” I asked her. For an unknown reason, Tiffany started blushing. “Just wait, you can’t look at this one” she said, closing the album and putting it away. “Why not?”

“Because you can’t!” “Is it a picture of an ex-boyfriend or something?” I asked. “Because yeah, I’m jealous but I’m not going to track him down and push him under a car” I laughed. Tiffany made a face before picking up another album. “No it’s not” she said, and I actually trusted her. She continued to flip the pages but didn’t let me see with her. “What are you doing now?” “I’m making sure that you can look at those pictures without any incident” “What are you talking about?” ”Stop talking!” she ordered me. “Ok you can look at this one” she handed the album to me before picking up another one and checking through it too. Since I didn’t know why she was acting all crazy, I couldn’t let it go. Tiffany was so focused on doing whatever she was doing that she wasn’t paying attention to me. So I did the only thing I could do. I stole the photo album that she took away earlier. “YA KIM TAE YEON!” Fany tried to take it back and we were kind of wresting on

the sofa. Of course, I won in the end. “Give it back to me Taeyeon!!!!” I was sitting on top of Tiffany and now that I’m thinking about it, it wasn’t really appropriate…especially since we were alone in that apartment and that…well, we haven’t seen each other for days now. “OH OH OH” I shouted. I was flipping through the photo album and found what Tiffany was trying to hide. “DON’T LOOK AT IT!!!! DON’T!!!” she shouted at me, but it was way too late. I saw it. And I laughed. Then I blushed. I was looking at Tiffany. Naked Tiffany. Naked picture. It was only baby picture but still…naked Tiffany. “Oh gosh…that’s so embarrassing” Tiffany said as I quickly got off of her. I sat on the couch and gave her the album back. “Don’t be embarrassed” I said to her. “You are very cute on that pic” I tried hard to show my embarrassment too. Tiffany hide her face in her hands and mumbled something. It was just too cute. “What did you say?” I asked her. “I don’t care. When we get home you have to show me a naked picture of you

too” she said. At this moment, we both looked at each other and I found myself blushing like crazy. Tiffany did too. “Soooo what about looking at other pictures???” I quickly changed the subject. We stayed in the apartment looking at her photo albums for more than an hour. I didn’t know that looking at pictures could be so enjoyable. I definitely didn’t regret bringing her back there. It was exactly what I needed after this conference. A moment where I stopped thinking about what was going to happen to me and where I could just enjoy being with the one I love.

Kwon’s Residence, Yuri’s POV Jessica and I were still in the living room when my parents came back. By looking at their faces, I knew things were chaotic in the other house. ”So how did it go?” I asked them. “Where is Taeyeon right now?” my father asked me back. “I don’t know” I replied.

“Maybe you should call her and tell her to come back quickly” he said. “Are they really angry?” I asked again. “Her mother no but her father…” my mom sighed as she said this. “Did your sister call?” she changed the subject, I knew she was upset. “No she didn’t” I felt that my parents weren’t in a good mood and thought it was better to not stay there. “We’re going to do our homework” I quickly said before grabbing Jessica and leaving the room. Once we reached my room, I let out a breath of relief. Jessica though, was just confused. “Why did we have to run away?” she asked me. “They’re unhappy and I don’t want to be there when my mom starts talking about Taeng’s parents” “She doesn’t like them?” “They’re friends but there are things that she doesn’t approve” I simply said. “I guess we can’t understand since we’re not parents” “You should call Taeyeon then and tell her to come back”

I took out my phone and texted her instead. “I will text her, it’s safer. I’ll probably scold her if I talk to her again” “Whatever” “By the way Jessica…” I remembered something. “We didn’t finish our conversation earlier” “Which one?” she asked. “You said you got an idea earlier…you know, when we were talking about being in control and all” I tried to help her remember. Jessica sat on my bed and acted like she was searching her memory. “I don’t know what you’re talking about” “What? Come on!! I want to know!!!” I was dying of curiosity. “I don’t remember” she said again, but I didn’t believe her so I jumped on the bed and started tickling her. “Stop Yuri-ah!!!!” she screamed, her dolphin voice nearly made me deaf. “Tell me then, quick tell me!!!” I was now on top on her and she just had no chance of winning this time.

“Ok ok okokokok I remember” she finally surrounded. “AH! I WON!” I exclaimed happily. “I won against you!!” Sica rolled her eyes and hit me on the stomach. “You’re so childish” I stuck out my tongue at her. “But I still won!” “Ok so can you get off of me please?” she said annoyed. I forgot that I was still on top of her. “No, you still haven’t told me” “Get off me first” she complained again. “What are you going to do if I stay there huh?” I challenged her, it was getting more interesting. “Don’t play with me Kwon Yuri, I’m gonna kick your ass” she threatened me which I found totally hot. “No but seriously Sica, what are you going to do if I for example, kiss you now?” I said before kissing her and she didn’t protest. “Yuri stop. What if your parents come in?” she broke the kiss and tried to free

herself again. “They won’t come in, don’t worry” I said before kissing her again. “See?” Jessica broke our kiss again. “That’s what I was talking about earlier” “What?” “You can’t control yourself Kwon Yuri” “Of course I can!” “Oh really? I just told you to stop and look at us now” she replied back. I figured out our position was kind of inappropriate but I still didn’t move an inch. “That’s not my fault, that’s yours. You refused to tell me about the secret thing” “It’s not a secret, I was just saying how I can control myself way better than you” she explained. “No you’re not” I objected. “Wanna bet?” “I’m going to win Jessica” I acted all confident when in reality, I was shaking

inside. “No kissing, no more kissing” she blurted out with a big smile. “What?” Seriously, WHAT? Did she really talk about no kissing? Like no kisses? “The one who kisses the other first loses, that’s my challenge” “What’s the prize?” “Hmm…if you win, I’ll grant you a wish” “A wish? Anything? No restriction?” She thought for a moment, probably thinking about the consequences of her future answer. “Ok anything you want” she finally said. “BUT of course, if YOU lose then I get a wish as well” “HAHA it’s not going to happen. I’m gonna show you how much control I have.” Though I said that with conviction, I had none of it. She rolled her eyes, not believing me. “It starts…” Sica grabbed my arms and pulled me down, so my face was close, so close to her face that by moving my

lips, I could kiss her. “It starts now” This was going to be interesting…very interesting.

Kim’s Residence, Tiffany’s POV It was very late when we got home. We weren’t supposed to stay for that long at the apartment but we got carried away. For hours, both of us forgot about the situation outside and were able to enjoy some peaceful moment together. “Your parents are not asleep yet” I noticed that the lights were still on. “Is it going to be okay?” Taeyeon stopped in front of the door and thought for a moment. “Hmm if we bump into my father…just go to bed first, okay?” “I can stay with you. I want to stay with you” Taeyeon sighed. “Tiffany, most of my conversation with my father…” “I’m staying Taeyeon” I insisted.

Though she didn’t say anything, her expression confirmed me that she gave up. When we stepped into the house, both of us stopped breathing. We didn’t want her parents to see us, we wanted to make it to the room without being seen. It was stupid but that’s what we were really trying to do. But unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. “KIM TAE YEON” her father’s voice echoed through the whole house. We didn’t even make it to the stairs. “Go to bed” Taeyeon whispered to me, her head down. I turned around and saw her father standing there, waiting for Taeyeon to look at him. He was looking angry, very angry. I couldn’t let her face his anger alone. I didn’t want to. “Taeyeon I…” “GO” she nearly shouted at me. Her shout should have hurt me, but when I looked into her eyes, I understood. She was afraid. She was really afraid and she didn’t want me to see her like that. I took another look at her father before running up the stairs as fast as I could. I had to accept certain things, like, there would be situations where I have no choice but let Taeyeon handle her problems on her own. Of course, I wish I can

always be by her side, no matter the situation, but I think I have come to accept that sometimes, those things are out of my control.

Kwon’s Residence, Yuri’s POV It was the middle of the night when my phone rang and woke me up. I swore I was going to kill the stupid idiot who dared to bother me when I was sleeping, especially because a few hours ago, I did the stupidest thing by accepting my girlfriend’s challenge. It took me forever to fall asleep next to Jessica. I was trying so hard not to kiss her that I just couldn’t fall asleep. And when I finally joined dreamland, someone took me out of it. Damn. I didn’t even bother checking the caller’s number. “WHAT?” I kind of shouted and whispered at the same time. There was a silence for a few seconds before I finally heard someone speaking. “I have a surprise for you tomorrow. Hope you enjoy it” then it hung up. I didn’t recognize the voice but I had a feeling that I knew who it was.

Chapter 32 – Case Closed

Kim’s Residence,

No POV

The Kim’s residence was quiet. From outside, the house seemed animated with most of its lights on, but in the lobby where the family was gathered, it was quiet. Tiffany was no longer there when Taeyeon finally turned around to look at her angry father. Though the room was bright, it didn’t match well with the dark and serious faces of its habitants.

“Did you really need to scream like that? You scared her” Taeyeon walked a few steps closer to her father.

“YOU!” He pointed at her angrily. “In my office NOW!” The anger in his voice was more than obvious.

“Why don’t…” Taeyeon was about to object when her mother interfered.

“Please Taeyeon, go with your father” she said calmly.

Taeyeon looked at her mother curiously. It was rare that her mother spoke up in those situations. Most of the time, she would just leave the room or stand there and watch the event quietly. Taeyeon has never questioned her mother’s behavior, for her, her mother was either afraid of her father or she was of course, siding with him. It’s not like she wanted her mother to agree or defend her, but the passive

attitude was just too much. It actually hurt more than harsh words.

She was used to talk back to her father, she was actually always tempted to do so, just for the sake of arguing back. But she has never felt that way toward her mother…maybe because compared to her side relationship with her dad, she had none with her mom. But right there, at that very moment her mom spoke to her, gave her an instruction, an order, Taeyeon wanted to talk back. She wanted to say something, maybe something harsh, something very hurtful but she fought back that idea. She controlled herself and let it go, like she learned to do years ago when from being her parents, they became strangers.

Instead of saying what was in her heart, she did what she does best. “Of course Madam” she replied politely, without any feelings in her voice, like a complete stranger would do. Although, it wasn’t the first time that Taeyeon spoke to her like that, Mrs. Kim was still taken aback by her daughter’s coldness. It was during those moments that she hated herself the most. She failed. Even though people around her try to reassure her that it weren’t completely her fault, deep inside, she knew that she has failed as a mother.

They have failed as a family. Would time be enough to save the broken pieces, or was it too late? With hurtful thoughts, Mrs. Kim walked away, in silent, like she always does.

Taeng’s Room,

Tiffany’s POV

It's been a while since Taeyeon has talked to me like that. Actually, it has been so long that I don't even remember the last time her eyes were so cold and harsh. But I'm not angry. I want to be a part of her life, I want her to share her worries, her problems with me. I want us to face things together, but I've come to understand that there are times when, I just have to step aside and watch over her.

I went inside Taeyeon's room and closed the door. Although I didn't know what was going on in the other room, my heart was still beating fast...I was worried for her, afraid that things might go wrongly, like it usually does.

In Mr. Kim’s office room,

No POV,

When Taeyeon walked into the room, her father was standing by the window. Like every single time she steps into this room, Taeyeon was extremely tensed. It wasn’t because she was afraid of getting scold that she felt so nervous, but because there was a chance that she will make thing worse.

Taeyeon didn’t know whether she should sit down or stand there and wait for her father to make the first move.

"So...what is your explanation?" her father started asking

This wasn't the question Taeyeon was expecting. "An explanation?" she repeated.

“What were you thinking? Taking such a big decision without my consent?”

"I took responsibility for my actions today. Aren't you proud of me?" She said sarcastically

"Since when are you taking this kind of decision on your own?"

"Since you weren't able to" She snorted back.

Her father turned around angrily after her words. He stared at her, daring her to say more. But she only stared back at him. Sometime, there is no need to fight with words, a simple stare says it all.

"I had a plan that could have saved you from going to jail!" He raised his voice.

“The company. You mean a plan that could have saved the company. Not me. The company” Taeyeon corrected her father. “It is all about the company. Don’t make it sound like you care about me” she said coldly, trying to hide her sadness.

Her father took a few steps closer to her. "Do you really want to go to jail?" His words almost came out as a whisper. It was probably the first time that he spoke to her so softly.

"It was the best thing to do" Taeyeon replied simply, quite shocked at her father’s sudden softness.

But her father quickly changed his tone. "It was selfish"

"Excuse me?"

He continued. “You made a mistake and instead of finding a solution to get EVERYONE out of your mess, you only thought about yourself.”

“WHAT?” Taeyeon was loss for words, she couldn’t believe how her father always find a way to criticize her actions.

“HOW many people got involved in this? How many people were affected by this situation? Just how many Taeyeon? Did you think about the people that have to suffer because of your action?”

“They were suffering because I was hiding instead of telling the truth. But now this whole thing is over. Everything will be like before”

“It can’t be like before. The company’s image has been greatly damaged and with your revelations, it’s going to be worse. But you don’t care about that”

Taeyeon smirked at her father’s words. “Yeah you’re right” she said. “I don’t care about the company…and I shouldn’t. After all these years working my butt off, I deserve to care for myself. So yeah, I was selfish.”

“Do you really think you can walk away like that?”

Taeyeon stared right into her father’s eyes. “Watch me” she stated in a very clear voice before turning around and leaving the room.

Even though Taeyeon has never showed any emotions toward her father, she was still a very obedient child. She has always disliked how he dictated every of her move, but it never stopped her from following his orders.

Until now…

Taeyeon’s Room,

Tiffany’s POV

I was pacing around the room when Taeyeon walked in. She didn't say anything to me and went straight to the dressing room. I was expecting her to storm in and be completely mad but her expression was extremely calm. Like nothing really happened with her father.

"Taeyeon?" I called her. Seeing no response from her, I asked her another question. "What are you doing?" she was throwing a bunch of clothes on the bed and was now looking for something else.

"Did you see my backpack?" she asked without looking in my direction.

"I put it in the wardrobe, why?"

"Take it and gather all your clothes. We're leaving"

"Where?" I asked while walking to the wardrobe to look for her bag.

"Home"

I opened the wardrobe and immediately found what I was looking for. "Is everything ok?" I continued to ask.

"Of course. Can't be better." There was some irony in her answer.

I dropped the bag on her bed and stared at her, hoping she would actually stop and look at me too. "You know you can talk to me, right?" I said in that now usual worried voice of mine.

Sensing my worries, she stopped what she was doing and walked toward me. "I know." she said before pulling me in for a hug. "I know I can count on you, but for now, I just want to get out of here. There is no reason for us to stay here any longer.” She pulled me away and smiled. “Besides, I miss our home"

This is kind of foolish but whenever I'm in her arms, it's like the whole world doesn't exist anymore. I can have a thousand of questions, worries, expectations or disappointments; all she has to do is to take me into her arms for me to forget about everything.

A second ago, I wanted her to tell me about her feelings after her discussion with her father. Why we had to leave so quickly, but now that she was hugging me

tightly, all I wanted was for her to kiss me.

Kiss away my worries.

Maybe my thoughts were too strong so it went out on its own. "Kiss me" I said out loudly.

"Huh?" Taeyeon pulled me away in surprise. "What did you say?"

I felt my cheeks burning as I blushed. "N-No nothing"

Taeyeon smiled widely. She held up her right hand and put it gently on the side of my neck. Then without looking away from me, her face went closer. "Are you sure there is nothing you want to ask from me?" she whispered, obviously teasing me.

I was literally drawn to her. Like a magnet. There is nothing that she could do or say that can make me stop being attracted to her. Sometimes, it scares me though. How much I love her, how much I need her.

"I didn't ask you" I said, teasing her back. "It was an order"

She smiled again, amused. "If it was an order, how can I not obey?"

We both laughed before Taeyeon pulled me closer, closing the gap between us.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri's POV

I woke up extremely bad this morning. The phone call I got in the middle of the night was seriously disturbing me. And it didn't help that my sixth sense was telling me to just stay at home for the day. I could sense that something bad was coming up. Again. I looked at the girl next to me, of course, she was still sleeping like a baby. It was Jessica after all. Seeing her lying at the very opposite side of the bed reminded me of the stupid bet I made last night with her. No kissing, at all. Damn.

“Ya Jessica” I nudged her lightly, to wake her up for breakfast. “Wake up, don’t you want to eat anything before school?”

“Hmmm~ go away let me sleep” she mumbled in her sleep.

Looking at her cute sleeping face, it was very hard for me to not hug her and kiss her. Who cares about the stupid challenge, right? But unfortunately, I do care a bit. I want to show her that I can control myself.

The challenge was no kiss, but it didn’t say anything about hug. “I’m going to change first and then go eat breakfast. I’ll come back and wake you up later, ok?” I whispered into her ear before hugging her tightly.

When I went down to the kitchen to have breakfast, I found the house to be unusually quiet. Usually, I can hear voices down the hall since my family is even noisier in the morning, but this time, I only heard voices once I stepped into the

kitchen. And it wasn’t even my parents’ nor my sister’s voice. It was from the news on TV.

“Morning!!!” I greeted everyone happily. “No need to pay any attention to me. I’m doing fine” I talked to myself since no one greeted me back. They were all focused on the TV.

Finally noticing me, my mother gave me some attention. “Yuri honey, what would you like for breakfast?” She asked but without moving her eyes away from the screen.

I rolled my eyes and went to serve myself some cornflakes and orange juice. “What’s so interesting in the news that all of you are ignoring me?” I asked, taking a seat next to my sister.

On the news, it was a recap of Taeyeon’s press conference. “She is on the news from morning until night.” My father said.

“I’m not surprised after what happened” I commented.

“Did she call you?” my mother asked me, worried.

“No, I texted her last night to tell her to come back quickly but she didn’t even reply me”

“Shhhhhh there is a police report!” Yoona exclaimed.

After the press conference recap, a police officer was being interviewed. “We didn’t arrest Kim Taeyeon because there was no real evidence that she was implied in that accident. The videos and pictures were too blurry so it was impossible to identify the guilty. But since Miss. Kim pled guilty on her own, we can now arrest her and finally put a conclusion to this affair.” The police officer made the announcement. Some reporters tried to ask him a few more questions but he only smiled politely before entering the police station.

The news reporter was showed again on screen, recapping the police’s announcement we have just heard. But then, with a quite arrogant voice, she announced that they had some insider news about the arrest. “We can tell you that this arrest is going to take place this morning. After weeks of playing hide and seek, it’s finally time for Kim Taeyeon to face the law.”

The moment we all feared for was finally here. I honestly thought at some point, that Taeyeon wouldn’t have to go through this. I thought that maybe, just maybe, this thing would solve on its own.

“They are not going to arrest her, are they?” Yoona asked in disbelief.

I looked at my parents, like waiting for them to tell us they will handle it. But I knew they couldn’t do anything. Even Taeng’s parents can’t. Like the reporter was saying, after weeks of hiding, it was time for Taeyeon to solve this. Though I was scared, a part of me was still relieved that maybe after today, we could all move on from this incident.

My mom suddenly stood up and started clearing the table. “Come on kids, it’s time

to go to school” she told us.

“Mom…” I whined, hoping that maybe, she would tell me to stay at home.

“It’s going to be fine. I’m sure Taeyeon doesn’t want you two to stay at home being all worried about her. Go to school like it was a normal day, and when you’ll be back, everything will be solved. Mother’s words!” She forced us to leave our seats and kicked us out of the kitchen. “Yuri, tell your girlfriend that she should take a little snack before leaving since she didn’t have breakfast”

Yoona and I cleaned up our bowls and unwillingly left the kitchen. I really wanted to stay at home. That uneasy feeling I had about the day was still there. I knew it would be better to stay in the comfort of my room than going out.

While walking to my room with Yoona, I was wondering whether to tell Jessica or not. “Hey Yong, do you think I should tell Jessica about the arrest?”

“Why not?”

“I don’t want her to worry about it all day like I will”

“Well,” she thought about it. “Won’t she notice it anyway?”

“Probably…”

“I think it’s better if you tell her”

“Guess so” I sighed, I was already having a headache and its only morning.

Yoona scratched her head and looked at me innocently. “I feel like skipping school today”

“What? Didn’t you hear mom?”

“I’m not planning to stay at home but I’m worried about Seohyun. She is going to be devastated when she learn about this” she was obviously very worried about Seohyun, and I could understand.

“Call her and if need, go see her. I won’t tell” I patted her back.

“Okay.” She smiled at me. “Have a nice day sister” she waved at me before disappearing into her room.

When I entered my room, Jessica was still under the blanket, sleeping peacefully. There wasn’t much time left before school but I didn’t care. I climbed onto the bed and hugged her. I needed some comfort before we both have to face this day that started badly already.

“What you doing so early in the morning?” a sleepy Sica tried to communicate with me. “Are you trying to take advantage of me while I’m asleep?”

I couldn’t help but laugh at her accusation because denying that those ideas had come to my mind would have been such a big lie. “I wouldn’t dare to” I answered back, hugging her even more tightly.

Maybe she felt that I wasn’t like usual because her voice became more serious. “What’s going on?”

I was going to tell her the truth, but later. “Can we just stay like this a little longer?” I asked. She nodded and held my hands. It’s weird how I could sense that something bad was coming up.

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

This morning, I was awakened by the noise from the television. Taeyeon was standing in the middle of the room, getting dressed. We were supposed to go back at the apartment last night, but I was able to convince Taeyeon to sleep there one more time.

I was going to talk to her when the television got my attention. It was some news report about Taeyeon’s conference.

“Hey you sleepyhead” Taeyeon noticed me. “Ready to go to school?”

“What?”

“It’s Monday, you have school, remember?”

“I wasn’t planning to go actually” I said with a mischievous smile.

Taeyeon crawled back into bed, with a confused but amused smile on her face. “What’s your plan then beautiful?” she asked, lying on top of me.

“I’m not sure you will approve of it” I continued to tease her.

“If it involves you and me staying in bed all day, I might actually root for it” she placed a gently kiss on my neck, which brought chills all over my body.

“I wasn’t thinking about that, but I must admit your idea is very appealing” I waited for Taeyeon to look at me before I went on. “So? Can we stay in?” I bit my lips, hoping she would agree.

“Miss Hwang, are you trying to seduce me?” she asked, her face still very close to mine.

“Is that how you call seducing?” I said kissing her slowly. Taeyeon stayed still and let me play with her lips. The whole thing was getting hot when something both stopped us on track.



Taeyeon and I turned our attention back to the television when we heard those words. Unconsciously, Taeyeon got off me and sat on the bed, her eyes glued on the screen in front of her. Without turning my eyes away, I slightly sat up, leaning

against the headboard.

>

Did I hear it wrong? They were going to come and arrest Taeyeon? There wasn’t much time for me to react to this news, because as soon as the police officer was done with his interview, Taeyeon’s father stormed into the room, her mother shortly behind.

I know it wasn’t the right time for that, but I thanked god for not being in an inappropriate position or undressed when her parents came in, because that would have been embarrassing. Taeyeon and I both turned to look at him with shocked expression on our faces. Her parents rarely goes into her room and of course, whenever they do come, they always knock first so it was quite shocking seeing them run in like that.

Her father was slightly out of breath, which indicated that he was running from downstairs. “Did you watch the news?”

Taeyeon calmly stood up from the bed, not showing any sign of fear for the outcome. “Yes” she shortly answered.

“They are probably on their way” her father said.

Taeyeon checked on me from the corner of her eyes before making her way out of

the room. “I’ll be waiting for them downstairs then” she said casually, like there was nothing to be afraid of. She waited for her parents to leave the room before turning back to me. “I assumed you might want some privacy to change” she winked at me.

She was about to close the door when I called her. “Taeyeon! You are going to wait for me, right?” I asked unsure. I didn’t want her to go to the police station without me.

“I’m going nowhere without you” she replied with a smile before closing the door, leaving me alone in the room.

15 minutes later,

NO POV

The Kim family was gathering in the living room when Mr. Henney came in. He bowed to everyone before asking to talk to Taeyeon alone.

“What it is Daniel? Why can’t you two talk about it here?” Mr. Kim asked.

Before Mr. Henney could answer, Taeyeon bumped in. “This is a private matter” she said, walking away.

The family lawyer bowed to his boss before following Taeyeon. The two of them disappeared for a short conversation, leaving the rest of the family wondering

about the content of their discussion. They weren’t gone for five minutes that the security phone started to ring, indicating their ‘guests’ arrival.

“The time has finally come” Taeyeon said jokingly, trying to break the nervous atmosphere.

Her father glared at her before walking to the door with Mr. Henney. “Let’s go” he said. The whole family followed him, Tiffany and Taeyeon’s mother holding onto Taeyeon like it was their last day together.

“Please, you are going to break my arms” Taeyeon joked again, but the two women beside her weren’t able to laugh, they were too afraid to let her go.

Once they were outside, they saw the police officers getting out of their cars. There were about 3 cars parked in front of the house which amused Taeyeon. “Wah all this just to arrest me?” she laughed.

“Taeyeon please” her mother said looking at her daughter. “Don’t joke about those things”

Tiffany also looked at Taeyeon uncomfortably, indirectly telling her that it wasn’t inappropriate seeing the circumstances.

“Miss Kim Taeyeon, you’re under arrest for hit and run and aggression toward an injured citizen” declared one of the policemen. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to have an attorney present during questioning. If you cannot afford

an attorney, one will be appointed for you.” Two of the policemen then proceeded to handcuff Taeyeon but her father stopped them.

“What do you think you’re doing?” he asked angrily, pushing his daughter aside.

“Mr. Kim, please” one of the policeman tried to calm him down.

Taeyeon who was more annoyed than afraid spoke up. “Do you really need to do that? I mean, I’m not violent” she said, before realizing the irony.

Seeing the situation, Mr. Henney intervened. “I know this is the procedure but since my client decided to cooperate on her own, maybe you can make an exception this time.” He suggested.

The chief officer thought about it before agreeing. “Fine”

Taeyeon was then escorted by two officers to the car. “We’ll be right behind you Miss” said Mr. Henney. Since they couldn’t get into the car with her, the family had to take their personal car to the police station.

Before the police cars drove away, Taeyeon caught Tiffany and smiled at her, trying her best to reassure her girlfriend who was paralyzed with fear. Even though she looked cool on the surface, it was obvious that inside, Taeyeon was scared like a little kid.

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

It was really hard to get out of the house, my parents insisted that today was like any other day and that I shouldn’t think too much about Taeyeon’s issue. They were so sure that by the end of the day, everything will be back to normal. I had no idea where they found some much positivity and I wished I was more like them.

Jessica walked slowly to the car, like usual. “You look tired” I said to her. Her eyes were still sleepy which shouldn’t have shocked me since it was Jessica but she looked sleepier than usual.

“Whose fault?”

“Huh I don’t know”

“It’s all your fault that I hadn’t enough sleep last night!” she scolded me.

“Huh what?”

“I know you did it on purpose”

“I really don’t know what you’re talking about” I acted innocent, of course I knew what she was talking about.

“If you don’t play fair then I won’t too!” she declared.

“Why wasn’t it fair? It’s not like we put an invisible line on the bed and that we couldn’t cross it”

“You know I need my sleep but you still lay there close to me because you knew it would disturb me”

“Ah no, I had no idea my presence would stop you from sleeping. Isn’t it because you had to fight the urge to actually touch me?” I smiled proudly. “Come on, admit you regret accepting this challenge”

“You kidding? I’m going to torture you until you give up Kwon Yuri”

I laughed at her cute behavior. I didn’t know Jessica could be so proud. “I’d love to see that baby. Come on, give me a kiss” I joked, slightly leaning my head toward her.

Jessica playfully pushed my face away. “Watch the road. I don’t want to die before you admit defeat”

We arrived shortly at the school. When we got out of the car, I wondered if she would hold my hand like usual or if the bet was going to stop us from having any kind of skinship. To my great surprise, Sica held my hand as we walked.

“I knew you couldn’t hold it anymore” I teased her.

“Didn’t I tell you already? I’m going to slowly torture you Yuri”

Weirdly enough, her threats were more very appealing to me and I couldn’t help but smiled at the idea. “Is it bad that I can’t wait for the whole torture thing?” I said. Jessica rolled her eyes and sighted at my never ending jokes.

Everything was still sunshine and rainbow until we reached the school yard. There, in a split of second, all eyes were on us. I felt like we had just interrupted something very important.

“Ok...what’s going on here?” I asked a frozen Jessica.

“You tell me” she replied, looking around just to see that they were indeed all looking at us.

I noticed that they were all holding some pictures in their hands. “I only see one possibility” I started. “Naked pictures of us”

“There are no naked pictures” Jessica said immediately, but then grabbed my arm and asked “There is no naked picture, RIGHT?”

“You don’t think I’m those kinds of people, do you?” I was almost shocked and hurt by her question.

“N-No of course, I’m sorry, I panicked” she apologized.

“Anyway, let’s not care about them” I told her.

We walked to the school while trying to look at any of them. I was curious of

course, but for an unknown reason, I didn’t really want to know what was wrong with all of them. We were about to enter the building when pictures were falling from the sky. I stopped there and grabbed one of them.

“Jessica” I immediately turned to her when I saw the picture.

She was standing there, looking at the pictures in her hand. “Why? Why?” she asked repeatedly to herself.

“Sica”

Jessica turned around and looked at the school yard, now filled with pictures flying everywhere. The students were still looking at us, or more looking at her.

“WHO DID THIS?” she yelled at random students.

I tried to calm her down. “Jessica, it’s ok” I took her hand but it didn’t help.

“Y-Yuri I-I” she tried to speak but her body was shaking with anger and confusion. “I-It’s not what you think, these are old pictures…”

I knew what she was trying to explain. “I know.” I simply said, there was nothing else that matter at that moment, all she needed to know was that I completely trusted her.

“C-Can we leave? I-I can’t” she was on the verge of crying and it broke my heart, so much that it made me forget the pain that I was feeling inside at the view of

these pictures.

Those printed pictures were clearly taken from a mobile phone. Donghae and Jessica, smiling, posing, kissing. I’ve imagined a couple of times how they looked as a couple when they were dating, but I’ve never wished to see it with my own eyes. It was in the past, but it still hurt.

Shoving my pain aside, I held Jessica’s hand tightly. “Let’s go home” I said. She was looking down, unable to meet my eyes. My heart broke again.

With heavy steps, we walked away from the school. I don’t know why but something made me look back as we reached the gate. And there I caught her, looking at us from the rooftop, a satisfying smile on her face. I knew it was her, the phone call wasn’t a simple joke after all.

Park Gyuri.

As I left with Jessica, I swore to myself that it was the last time that Park Gyuri would cross path with us. I was definitely going to put an end to this.

Police Station,

Taeyeon’s POV

There were hundred of reporters with their cameras waiting for me in front of the police station. I was expecting them, but it still scared me a bit. The officers

escorted me inside the building quickly while the reporters were throwing questions at me. I held Fany’s hand tightly, like afraid I’d lose her among the crowd.

Once inside the building, I met the chief officer. He introduced himself and was going to explain to me the whole interrogation procedure when my father butted in. “Can I have a few words with you in private, please?” he asked the chief.

The officer looked surprised but he still agreed, nodding and smiling lightly. “Sure Mr. Kim. Would you like to go to my office for more privacy?”

Before my father could answer, I stepped in. “No need for a talk. Can we just go on with the interrogation, please?” I was almost begging him to just do whatever he had to.

“Taeyeon!”

“I have nothing to hide anymore. I’ll tell you everything from beginning to end.” I told the chief before turning to my father. “Let me handle this”

He looked at Mr. Henney, wanting some support, but when Mr. Henney shook his head, showing that indeed, my father should let me handle this, he let out a heavy sigh and walked away. “Do whatever you want”

“Please, do your job officer” I said to the chief officer. He looked one last time at my father, then at the people around me before nodding and gesturing me to follow him.

“Don’t worry, we are just going to ask her a few questions” he reassured my mother, who unconsciously was holding my arm.

“You can go home if you want to” I told her. “It might be long”

“No, we’re staying” Tiffany jumped in. “I know what you’re trying to do” she said, knowing that I was trying to make them leave.

All I could do was smile, she knows me too well. “Don’t worry and stay here, okay?” I gave her one big hug before following the officer.



NO POV

Taeyeon’s family was nervously waiting in the waiting room when Mr. Henney suddenly came back. “What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you stay inside with her?” asked Mr. Kim.

“She wanted me out. They’re going to interrogate her about something that even I don’t know the details about” he said, standing by the door.

He was going to add something else when a few officers walked by, followed by a

man that seemed quite familiar to the family. Even the always unreadable Mr. Henney looked surprised after seeing the man.

“Who is this guy? He seems familiar” Tiffany asked.

Everyone turned their attention toward Mr. Henney, waiting for an answer. He took a few seconds to answer, coughing one or two times before talking. “He’s the victim”

Their eyes grew in horror as they all stood up. “Why is he here?” Taeyeon’s mom asked in shock. “Is he going to make things worse?”

“I don’t think he can” was all Mr. Henney said.

“Is there anything worse than going to jail?” Mr. Kim asked bitterly.

“Don’t say that, will you? Our daughter is still fine!” For the first time since forever, Taeyeon’s mother raised her voice against her husband.

After the little outburst from Mrs. Kim, silence remained in the room. Fortunately, someone came a few minutes later and broke the dead atmosphere. “Mr. Henney, they are asking for you” the family lawyer stood up and silently followed the officer.

It was not after 30 minutes that someone came back into the room. “They’re done” announced Mr. Henney.

Right after his little announcement, Taeyeon was escorted back by the chief officer.

Not caring about the people around, Tiffany ran toward Taeyeon and hugged her tightly. Taeyeon could only smile and hugged her girlfriend back. “Its okay” she whispered into Tiffany’s ear.

“What’s going to happen now?” asked Mr. Kim.

The chief officer looked at everyone before forcing a smile, like unhappy about the outcome. “Your daughter is free to go. All charges were dropped” he announced.

Everyone in the room except Mr. Henney and Taeyeon were shocked to hear that. All Taeyeon’s mother could say was “How?”

“The victim, Mr. Sung has decided not to press charges against Miss Taeyeon for aggression. But for the hit and run, the case will still be present to the court and there will be probably a fine.” Mr. Henney explained before anyone else could.

“But no jail, right?” Tiffany asked, finally letting go of Taeyeon’s body.

“No jail” he confirmed.

Mr. Kim finally moved from his spot and walked to the chief officer, offering him his hand for a handshake. “Thank you” he said politely.

“You shouldn’t thank me” the chief replied back. “I hope we won’t see each other

again” he said to Taeyeon before excusing himself.

After the officers walked away, Taeyeon spotted Mr. Sung walking by. “Mr. Sung” she called him.

Led by Taeyeon, everyone walked up to the man. Mr. Sung looked at Taeyeon curiously, wondering why she was still there. “I would like to” Taeyeon started speaking once in front of him, but he cut her off.

“Don’t thank me” he said. “Become a better person like you promised. That would be good enough” with those words, Mr. Sung walked toward the exit, ready to face the reporters.

Everyone remained silent for a while, each and every one of them wondering why on earth the charges were dropped. But the only question that was on Tiffany’s mind was “So, it’s over?” she asked out loud.

Taeyeon who was still looking at the entrance, turned around with a shy smile. “I guess it’s over”

Chapter 33 - Back To Normal

Police Station,

NO POV

The reporters were now surrounding the police station, waiting for an official statement about Taeyeon’s case. Their patience was soon to be rewarded as the doors opened, revealing the chief officer, ready to face their questions.

“Sir Sir, what is going to happen to Kim Taeyeon?” a reporter asked quickly.

The chief answered the question like a robot. “After our interrogation, we have decided to release Kim Taeyeon. Besides hit and run, all other charges have been dropped on demand of Mr. Sung. We can now officially announce that this case is closed. Thank you.” Refusing to answer more questions, the chief officer quickly made his way into the station.

The hungry reporters were about to show their dissatisfactions by the lack of explanations when Mr. Sung appeared. It was only a matter of second before he was entirely surrounded by the reporters. The few policemen who were there, tried to shield him but it was a lost case.

“Why did you drop the charges against Kim Taeyeon? Did she blackmail you?” that question was on everyone’s lips.

“No, she didn’t blackmail me.” Mr. Sung answered calmly, without a doubt.

“Did she give you a lot of money again?”

“No no. Please, will you let me explain?” Mr. Sung asked angrily.

Fortunately for him, more officers came out from the station to protect him from the reporters. They forced the reporters to give him enough space to stand and breathe before he could speak properly.

“Money and fear are not the reason why I decided to forgive Kim Taeyeon. I forgave her because I was touched by her words” he started explaining. “The first time we met, I did provoke her. I had a lot of prejudice against her, mainly because she was rich, even though I knew nothing about her. There is no excuse to what she did to me, but there was an explanation that I accepted to hear. Kim Taeyeon and I had a deep discussion a few days ago. I didn’t expect her to show up at my door to apology. She didn’t beg me for forgiveness, or tried to excuse herself for her actions. Instead, she sincerely apologized and was ready to face the consequences. She sounded sincere enough for me to invite her inside my home where we had a deep conversation. I might sound stupid, but I believed in her words. I believe she is not a bad person and that she deserves to be forgiven. Time will tell if I was right about her, but I believe I am.” He explained his earlier action with wise words.

“What? You can forgive her like that?”

“I forgive Kim Taeyeon and I hope that everyone will too. She is young, she made

mistakes and she is ready to pay for them. It’s a big change for someone who has been protected all her life. I know she will become a better person. Thank you” with these last words, Mr. Sung, shielded by many officers, walked to his car and drove away, leaving reporters shocked by his decision.

The officers started to ask the reporters to leave the place since the case was over. Some were ready to leave when one of them realized that the main character of this story was still inside the building.

“Kim Taeyeon is still inside!” shouted a reporter. “We should wait until she comes out!”

Once again, all the reporters gathered in front of the station and wait for Taeyeon to come out.

Taeyeon’s POV

We were still in the station when we heard all the noises from outside. First, it was when the chief officer went out. I guessed that he told them I was free which caused some commotion. Then it was the turn of Mr. Sung to leave this place and I think it created some chaos outside. Shortly after, some officers came back and told us that Mr. Sung has left, and that the reporters were still outside, waiting for me.

“Can’t we use the back door?” my father asked.

“They won’t leave me alone” I said. “If I don’t explain myself today, they will harass me every day. I don’t want to hide anymore”

My father wasn’t sure about me facing the reporters, but Mr. Henney sided with me. “I think it is better if she gives an interview today”

“Maybe all of you can leave from the back door” I suggested, they didn’t have to go through this with me.

“I’m staying with you” Tiffany immediately ran next to me and held my hand.

“We are all going with you” my father added.

I looked at everyone and seeing that none of them were going to leave, I gave up. “Fine, but let me handle this by myself” I said, looking at my father.

He didn’t say a word and instead looked away, that was his way of telling me I could do whatever I wanted.

“Let’s go!” I said cheerfully, trying to ease the new build tension.

As soon as I stepped outside, my eyes got hurt by the flashes and I thought my ears were going to burst with all the people talking at the same time. The policemen and some of our own bodyguards were quick enough to come between me and the reporters who didn’t know what private space meant.

Before I could speak, Mr. Henney stepped out and talked to them first. “Miss

Taeyeon would like to put a closure to this case by expressing her feelings to all of you. This is the last time that we will talk about this issue. Thank you.” It’s crazy how Mr. Henney is always able to talk to people and make them listen to him, even though they don’t have to. He has that aura around him that I’ve always found fascinating and of course, I couldn’t be more thankful that he was on my side.

After he was done, he stepped aside and let me face them. I was shocked to see that none of them asked me questions anymore. They were all staring at me in silence. At that moment, I really wanted to hug him and thanked him for being so awesome.

I waited a bit, trying to find out what I was going to say since I didn’t prepare anything. That’s when Mr. Henney coughed weirdly that I started to speak. “I know that most of you aren’t happy with me being released, and I’m not going to make you change your mind. I made a mistake in the past and I apologized to the person involved, what was being said between us is private and all you need to know is that Mr. Sung accepted my apology and I thank him for that. And I-”

“Are you happy to get away so easily?” a random reporter asked loudly.

I knew that some reporters couldn’t keep their mouths shut for long. “Honestly? Do you really think that I didn’t get any kind of punishment?” I asked him back. “Sorry, but these past weeks were a real nightmare. And I’m not even talking about myself!” I told him. “You guys chased after me, waited in front of neighborhood and harassed my friends and family. I think it can be considered as a sort of punishment.”

“That’s still not enough!” he replied back, his voice full of arrogance.

“Well, I’m sorry but that’s not up to you Sir.” I said sarcastically. “Anyway, you don’t have to believe in me now, but I will definitely become a better person because I learned a lot from this incident. Mr. Sung believed in me and I won’t disappoint him. Thank you for listening” I concluded quickly.

As soon as I was done, they all started to speak at the same time again, like I was really going to stay longer and answer their questions. I turned quickly to Mr. Henney who pointed to his left, where my car was parked.

I immediately took Fany’s hand and walked quickly to my car, the bodyguards and policemen protecting us from the reporters. My family was right behind us and I waited until my parents got into their cars before I went into mine.

“Where are we going?” Tiffany put her seatbelt and looked behind, trying to see my parents who were in the car behind us.

“Home” I answered.

We were finally going to leave this place. And most importantly, I was free and ready to move on with my life.

Outside of S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

None of us said a word until we reached the car. As we got in, Jessica asked me to drive her home, but a part of me couldn’t accept the fact that once again, we were running away. It wasn’t the first time that someone tried to step on us and every time, it’s the same thing, Jessica ran and I ran after her.

“I think we should go back” I said out loud, daring to look at Jessica.

She stopped walking and looked back at me, a shock expression on her face. “WWhat?”

“I mean…there is nothing to be afraid of, don’t you think?”

By the way she stared at me, it was obvious she didn’t agree. “Didn’t you see what happened?”

“Yeah you ran away again” I accidentally blurted out.

I don’t know if it was because I was hurt or angry after what happened that I acted this way, but the whole thing was annoying me. I was really tired of picking up the pieces because some people were too stubborn to give up. I was tired of running after Jessica, tired of using endless words to solve the problem, tired of only having a brief moment of happiness before I had to do everything all over again. I hated this vicious circle we got stuck in and I didn’t have the strength to continue with it anymore.

Jessica was still staring at me, loss at words. I knew I went too far, it wasn’t her

fault after all. “I-I’m sorry, I’m not blaming you” I reached out for her hand but she took it away. “Jessica…”

“N-No…I-I’m sorry for troubling you” the way she said it and the look in her eyes made me feel like I was the worse person on earth.

She was going to leave without me when I grabbed her hand. “It’s not what meant” I tried to explain myself. “I’m tired of us being afraid and sad over these kind of things”

“How am I supposed to react then?” she got angry. “Do you want me to laugh and smile like this is nothing?”

“Maybe” I said honestly. “Look, I just think we can be stronger than this. YOU are stronger than this. Show to people that such stupid plan can’t affect you”

“But it does Yuri!” her eyes were filled with tears again. “Do you know what it reminded me when I saw those pictures? It didn’t remind me of how happy I was at that time, but how stupid I was!”

“But you’re not this girl anymore! You’ve moved on, you’ve changed and you have me now. Don’t you feel safe with me?”

It took her a while to respond. “I do”

“Then it should be enough” I smiled at her. “As long as I’m with you, there is nothing to be afraid of. I will protect you Jessica”

“I’m also tired of it” she admitted. “How long is this going to last?”

“I’ll put an end to this soon. I promise” I kissed her hand, trying to reassure her.

I knew Jessica wasn’t sure about this but she still agreed to go back to school. I also didn’t know what kind of reaction our appearance will cause, but I knew it would piss Gyuri off.

Jessica’s POV

Yuri convinced me to go back to school and ignore what happened. I don’t know how she does it but she is always able to calm me down and reassure me. This is one of the things I love the most about her. Every single word that she says to me is always full of sincerity and no matter how I treat her in the past, she never gives up on me.

Saying that I was afraid of my relationship with Yuri would be an understatement. I was terrified. After Donghae, I stopped believing in love, there was no happy ever after in this world and the word love couldn’t last forever. But Yuri came into my life and healed all my wounds. It took me some time to warm up to her and now I could tell that I was falling deeply in love and that was scary.

I admit that every time I ran away, a part of me hoped that Yuri wouldn’t run after me. Wouldn’t be easier and less painful if our relationship ended earlier? When my feelings for her weren’t as deep as now?

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize we were back at school. The yard was empty of its students but its ground was covered of the hundred or thousand pictures someone printed of me and Donghae. I had to breathe slowly so I wouldn’t lose my mind again.

“We can do it” I heard Yuri said as she looked at the building in front of us.

“I wish we could burn all this” I said, still staring at the pictures on the ground.

“I’d love to grant your wish but it will be hard to not burn down the whole school in the process” Yuri joked, lightning up the atmosphere.

I smiled at her before we walked to the building together, ready to face anything that will be throw at us.

In Taeyeon’s car,

Tiffany’s POV

I couldn’t believe that it took us so long to drive away from the police station. Now I understand better the life of a celebrity dealing with reporters every single day. Actually, some of them didn’t hesitate and were driving behind us, which made Taeyeon drove like a racer.

“We just left the police station, do you want to get arrest for speeding now???” I

scolded her.

“They are still following us” she said, looking at the rear-view mirror.

“I know, but driving dangerously won’t make them stop Taeng!”

After complaining and showing her disagreement by making some angry and weird noises, she finally slowed down the car. “Good girl” I said, patting her head.

“What’s going to happen now?” I asked once she was driving peacefully.

Taeyeon shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know and I don’t care for now”

“I guess you’re right, it doesn’t matter right now. I’m just happy that we can go home together” I smiled at her.

“It’s been a while since we met with Yuri and Sica. Do you want to invite them over tonight?” she suggested.

“OH YES! That’s a great idea!! I miss them both!” I got overly excited which made Taeyeon laugh.

“I’ll call Yuri later then, they’re probably in class” she said, quickly checking the time.

“What about your parents?” I suddenly remembered that we didn’t say goodbye to her parents.

“They will certainly call me. Don’t worry”

“Ok” I dropped the topic, I had a feeling that I will see them soon enough. “I’m so excited already!! I’ll cook something nice for tonight!” I got excited again.

“Are you sure you want to cook? I think you should get a little rest. We can order some pizza or chicken you know” Taeng spoke awkwardly.

“No, I really want to cook. Ooh Jessica can even help me! What do you think?”

“Y-Yeah sure” I had a strange feeling that Taeyeon wasn’t thrilled about Sica and me cooking, but I didn’t think much of it.

“By the way, do you plan on attending school again?” I asked her, it’s been a very long time since Taeng attended a class. She didn’t seem to care about her education but I was kind of worried about how much she missed school.

“Hmmm” she wasn’t very motivated by the idea.

“You have to Taeyeon”

“I know I know. Next week, I’ll make my comeback next week” she decided.

“Great, that means we have another week of vacation!!!” I said happily, forgetting about how much I’ve missed school already.

“Maybe we should go somewhere…”

“REALLY?” I screamed. It was too good to be true.

“No. I’m sure those damn reporters won’t leave me alone for now so it’s better if I stay in the country”

“I hate you!” I hit her playfully, angry that she teased me with that since she knew how much I loved going on vacation with her.

“Yes, I know you love me. Don’t worry, we’ll definitely go on vacation again and I’ll even let you choose next time!” she winked at me.

“How nice of you little Taengoo” I pinched her cheek and of course, she faked the pain.

“Ouch ouch! That hurts!!”

“I knew that behind this little kid appearance, you were only a little kid” I tried to joke, but she didn’t laugh. Instead, she rubbed her right cheek and continued to act hurt.

“What?” I asked. “Don’t tell me it was painful?” Taeyeon nodded like a little child, making me laugh. “Okok I’m sorry baby. Let’s see if this will make it all better” I kissed her right cheek and felt her giggle under my kiss.

“I’m not sure I want to invite Yuri and Sica tonight” she said, after realizing what

she meant by that, I blushed secretly.

We were finally going to move on with our lives and I got my Taeyeon back. Life couldn’t be more perfect right now.

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

Yuri and I walked hand in hand until our class. The door was closed and I didn’t know whether I really wanted one of us to open it.

“Are you sure we should go in?” I asked Yuri.

“Of course, you love geometry, don’t you?” she joked.

Yuri squeezed my hand before knocking on the door and opening it slowly. I held my breath as we walked in together. I didn’t look at the other students, instead, I immediately looked at the teacher.

“Sorry we are late” Yuri apologized.

The teacher only nodded, and I suspected that he knew what happened in the school. Maybe that’s why he didn’t scold us or punished us for being so late.

Yuri smiled at me and we went to our desk. Some students were whispering and

looking at us when we walked past them, which angered Yuri. “Do you have something to say to me?” she asked one of the girls.

“N-No” Yuri looked at her angrily before letting it go.

We sat down on our chairs and took out our books. I tried to ignore all the eyes that I knew were focused on me. Yuri noticed them too.

“I think we should show them something” she whispered to me.

Obviously, I had no idea what she was talking about. “What?”

Yuri checked on the teacher before putting on that charming smile of hers. “They want some action I think” she said before kissing me.

It was a small peck on the lips but I was still shocked since we were in class. I quickly looked at the teacher and saw that he was busy writing something on the blackboard. Yuri was all smiling and I could hear the students gasping because of our kiss.

Unexpectedly, I quickly forgot about our kiss taking place in class, in front of everyone, and instead, I remembered that funny challenge we made last night. “Tell me Yuri” I whispered, bringing my head closer to hers.

“Yes?” she whispered seductively, the smile on her face showing how proud she was of her latest action.

“Didn’t you just lose the challenge?” I smiled proudly, happy of my win.

She quickly checked on the teacher before smiling even more widely. “I don’t think it’s a defeat” she kissed me again. “No, it’s definitely a victory” this time, she kissed my cheek before sitting straight on her chair and acting like she was going to focus on the class.

I continued to look at her, amazed of all the things she could come up with. She was truly amazing. I couldn’t believe that she could make this day better with a few words and a few kisses.

(Later that night)

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

Taeyeon and I did some cleaning once we got back home. It had been a while since we lived there so Taeng insisted that we had to clean up, and of course, we had invited Yuri and Jessica over.

“Done, I called the cops” Taeyeon put down the phone and joined me in the kitchen.

“Is it going to help?”

“It better if not I will throw hot water at them myself” she said seriously.

Since we got home, a few reporters were camping in front of the building. At first, we thought they were going to leave after a few hours but it was already evening and they were still there so Taeyeon went crazy and decided to call the police.

“You should tell Yuri that they are out there”

“So she can kick them away?”

“No, so she-”

We were interrupted by the bell. Taeyeon and I looked at each other, wondering who it might be. “Stay right there” Taeyeon told me before running into her room. After a brief moment, she ran out with a baseball bat.

“What are you doing?” I went after her.

“Shhhh we never know!” she slowly put her hand on the door knob and was getting ready to open it when the people on the other side shouted. “Ya Kim Taeyeon! Open the door!” It was Yuri.

Taeyeon sighed and gave me the baseball bat. She opened the door with a smile and stepped aside, letting our guests in. “What took you so long?” Yuri asked.

“We didn’t hear” Taeng lied.

“And why are you holding a baseball bat?” Jessica looked at the bat with a strange expression.

“It’s-” I was going to explain when Taeng cut me off.

“She thought you guys were some thieves or something” she quickly said before running away.

“KIM TAE YEON!” I chased after her with the baseball bat, threatening to hit her with it.

A few moments later, Yuri and Taeyeon complained that they were hungry so Jessica and I decided to cook something for them.

“Ramyun will be good enough you know” Taeyeon told me. “No need to do something complicated”

“I can make sandwiches!!” Jessica suggested. I was surprised that she wanted to cook.

“YEAH! I’ve never eat Sica’s food before!!!” Yuri jumped happily, while Taeyeon looked at her with a shocked face.

“We don’t have bread” Taeyeon said, faking a disappointing look.

“Well, another time then” Jessica sat down on the couch and took a magazine.

From then, she didn’t care about who was going to cook the food.

“But Sica, I want to eat your food” Yuri whined to Sica while Taeyeon was in deep thoughts.

I looked at the three of them and unconsciously smiled, I couldn’t even remember how long it has been since the four of us spent time together like that. Free of all worries and troubles.

“I feel like eating sushi” Taeyeon said out of nowhere. “It’s been a while since we ate sushi and I beat you out at Mario” she smirked at Yuri.

Yuri released Jessica and turned her attention to Taeng. “Challenge accepted!”

That’s how we spent the rest of the evening. Taeyeon ordered a set of sushi and the four of us settled down on the couch, each of us holding a game controller and battling it out at Mario. This little moment reminded me of the first time we were all sitting here, playing that game. At that time, Taeyeon and I were still strangers to each other. It amazed me how much things have changed between us.

None of us wanted to end the game but our game controllers all ran out of batteries and we took it as a sign that it was time to go to bed. Taeyeon and I were still on our non-official vacation but Yuri and Sica had to attend school the next morning.

“I hope you will sleep well tonight Taeyeon” Jessica who was the winner of the night teased Taeyeon.

“Ha ha ha have fun at school tomorrow morning when I’ll be sleeping peacefully in my comfortable bed” Taeng teased back.

Yuri smacked Taeyeon on the head and quickly ran out of the apartment. “I’ll get you next time Kwon Yuri” she threatened her.

“Goodnight Fany. Goodbye loser” Sica gave me a hug and stuck her tongue out at Taeyeon.

“I hate this couple” Taeyeon said jokingly.

I rolled my eyes and went to hug her. “So…?”

Taeyeon smiled and acted like she didn’t know what I was talking about. “So what?”

“We are all alone now”

“And?”

“And there is nothing you want to do?”

“Ooh that!” she smiled and kissed me gently.

I whined when she ended the kiss. “Why did you stop?” I complained.

“We have to clean up the dishes” she released me and walked away.

I stood there in shock, until I heard her laugh. Taeyeon walked to windows and closed the curtains. “We might need some privacy” she said before running toward me.

Instinctively, I ran away from her. We ran around the apartment like little kids until both of us fell exhausted on the bed. I lain against Taeyeon’s arms and kissed her on the cheek. “I’m happy you know”

“I can tell by your smile” she kissed my head.

“Let’s stay like this forever” I wished, hugging her.

“Hmm I’m not sure about that, we are all sweaty, it might smell after a while” she joked.

I hit her playfully. “Since when are you so funny?”

“I probably took after that Kwon Yuri” she complained.

“I can’t wait for tomorrow” I closed my eyes and smiled, thinking of how wonderful our lives were going to be from now on. After what we have been through since the beginning of our relationship, I think that this is enough. I wish that Taeyeon and I wouldn’t have to go through any more heartbreaks and dramas.

My plan for the night wasn’t to fall asleep in Taeyeon’s arms but that’s what happened. We probably didn’t realize it but the morning’s events drained all of our

energy. Both of us fell asleep in each other’s arms, but compared to the past nights, we could sleep peacefully, without being scared of tomorrow.

(Next Morning)

No POV

Early this morning, Taeyeon made sure her girlfriend was still asleep when she sneaked out of the bed. Taking light steps to the living room, she picked up the phone and dialed a familiar number.

“Where are you? I’ll be there in 10 minutes” she spoke softly on the phone.

Once she was done, she put the phone down and proceeded to change clothes. She put on some sweatpants and a sweatshirt before making her way out of the apartment. It was not until she has reached the elevator that she allowed herself to breath normally, relieved that she was able to get out of the house without Tiffany noticing.

As soon as she got out of the building, Taeyeon put her hoodie on and ran to the meeting place. It was only the morning after her case was closed so she knew that people would still be curious and gossiping about her. The less people would recognize her, the better it was.

After a little run, she finally arrived at the coffee shop. From outside, she could see

that the place was quite empty. It was a nice idea to pick 6AM as a meeting hour. Taeyeon opened the shop’s door and immediately spotted the table where her friend was waiting for her.

“Always on time Daniel” Taeyeon greeted her friend, also known as her lawyer.

Mr. Henney who was holding a cup of coffee, put it down with a smile. “I’m glad that you are happy Miss”

Taeyeon waved to the waitress before looking back at her lawyer. “Ah come on, call me Taeyeon. I’m not really your boss anymore” she said, rolling her eyes. It wasn’t the first time that Taeyeon had asked him to call her by her name, but he never did.

“A hot chocolate, please” Taeyeon ordered from the waitress. Without her hoodie on her head, it was very easy to recognize Taeyeon and the waitress probably did because she kept on looking back at her while walking away. She was so careless that she almost bumped against the counter, which made Taeyeon laughed.

Mr. Henney who was looking at the scene shook his head in amusement. “Guess this issue hasn’t hurt your charisma” he said, talking about Taeyeon’s attractiveness.

She laughed at his compliment. “Should I tell her that I’m taken?”

“It won’t be necessary Miss”

“What did I just say? It’s Taeyeon, T-A-E-Y-E-O-N!” she articulated exaggeratedly.

“I assumed it would be more appropriate to call you Miss since you told me this meeting has to be kept secret” Mr. Henney responded calmly, but not without trying to hide his amused smile.

Taeyeon leaned against her chair, defeated. “You really have an answer to everything. That’s annoying.” She pouted.

“So what was so-“ Mr. Henney stopped talking as the waitress came back with Taeyeon’s hot chocolate.

“Thank you” Taeyeon said politely to the girl.

Mr. Henney waited for the waitress to walk away before continuing. “So why did you need to see me so urgently?” he finally asked.

Taeyeon who was all smiley until now, turned serious. “I want you to investigate someone”

Mr. Henney smiled, already knowing where this conversation was going. “I was wondering when you will take action. I’m surprised you waited until now”

“Well, it’s never too late, isn’t it?”

“What are you looking for exactly?”

“Everything” Taeyeon responded. “Min Sungmin is far from being perfect, so dig as deep as you want, but find his mistakes, every single one.”

Taeyeon hasn’t forget about Sungmin, about everything that he has done in the past to ruin her life. She didn’t remember whether she had warned him not to mess with her or not in the past, but it didn’t matter because Taeyeon made up her mind. She was going to make him pay.

Mr. Henney finished his cup of coffee, stood up, put his jacket on and bowed to Taeyeon. “Consider it done Miss” he said with a smile before walking away, ready to do his job.

Taeyeon quickly finished her drink before calling the waitress again, this time asking for the bill. When the girl came back, Taeyeon took a quick look before paying. “Keep the change” she told the waitress.

She was ready to leave when the girl spoke to her. “Hmm excuse me” she called Taeyeon. “I-I know its weird b-b-but” the girl stuttered, unable to finish her sentence.

“Can I help you?” Taeyeon tried to help her out.

The girl took her time and gathered some courage before speaking. “Do you think we can have coffee sometime?” she dared to ask.

Taeyeon stood there in shock. “H-Huh”

While she appears cool on the outside, Taeyeon has always been quite shy. It wasn’t the first time that someone tried to hit on her, but it was the first time that Taeyeon couldn’t cut short to the conversation. In the past, she would have rejected the girl in a second, because she was cold and heartless. But now, after meeting Tiffany, she has changed.

“I-I’m sorry but I’m already taken” Taeyeon apologized.

“O-Oh I see…sorry” embarrassed, the girl’s cheeks turned red as she blushed furiously.

Even though there was nothing else she could do, Taeyeon put a gently hand on the girl’s shoulder and smiled at her. “Thank you” she said.

The waitress looked confusedly at Taeyeon. “For what?”

Taeyeon only smiled and walked to the door, opening it. But before she left, she turned around one last time. “For not being afraid of me” she answered with a smile.

Taeyeon stepped outside of the café with a smile, proud of the way she handled the situation. She then put her hoodie on and ran back to her apartment.

On her way back, Taeyeon thought about this new secret she had to keep away from Tiffany. It was true that she promised her that there wouldn’t be any more secret between them, but she didn’t have a choice. Taeyeon might have changed

for the better, but the girl still had a lot of pride and unfortunately for him, Sungmin dared to step on it. Chapter 34 - A New Scandal?

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

I almost forgot how it feels sleeping in Taeyeon’s arms. It is warm and cozy. I always feel like the world belongs to me when she hugs me, when I can feel her heart beats against her chest.

Somehow, even asleep, I can feel whether she is sleeping next to me or not, that is probably the reason why I woke up so early this morning, when I didn’t need to.

I could feel something was missing and I was right. When I opened my eyes, the spot next to me was empty. “Taeng?” I called out, expecting her to pop out from the bathroom.

But no response.

I stretched out and got off bed, half awake. “Taeyeon?” I called again.

Still nothing.

There was no reason Taeyeon would be out this morning, since she wasn’t working

anymore. I wondered why she would be up so early and tried to remember whether she had noticed me she would be away this morning, but I was pretty sure Taeng had nothing to do today.

And even if she had to go somewhere, Taeyeon would always notify me so I wouldn’t worry. I was starting to worry that something might have happened again and rushed out of the room to check on my phone.

But as I stepped out of the room, the front door opened and Taeyeon entered, her hand holding some paper bag. I stood there and watched her. It was funny how she didn’t even notice me.

“Where were you?” I suddenly asked while she was taking out her shoes.

Taeng almost fell over by surprise. She let out a sigh before walking toward me. “Do you want to give me a heart attack so early in the morning?” she said with a smile.

“You scared me first!” I complained. “Why did you go out so early in the morning?” I asked again.

She gave me a kiss. “You’re so pretty when you’re worried” she smiled. Then she showed me the paper bag, I read the logo on it and recognized it. It was from a nearby bakery.

“I bought us some breakfast, of course” she said, before walking to the kitchen.

I knew there was no reason to doubt her, but I just felt like something was off with Taeyeon. Was she hiding something from me? Again?

Taeyeon’s POV

I didn’t expect Tiffany to be awake when I came back. She usually sleeps until noon when we don’t have school. I had to hide my surprise when I came back and saw her standing there, looking at me. Fortunately, I was well prepared as I stopped by the bakery and bought some croissants for breakfast.

“You woke up so early just to buy breakfast?” she didn’t look convinced.

“I couldn’t go back to sleep earlier so I took the opportunity to surprise my girlfriend with tasty food” I was definitely getting better at sweet talking, I even surprised myself sometimes.

“Yes right, you are the best Taeyeon” she gave me a huge peck before walking away. “I’m going to shower”

I felt bad for lying to her, but I just knew she would disapprove of my actions and would that lead to an argument, and I didn’t want that.

20 minutes later, Tiffany came out of the room all smiling. Clapping her hands enthusiastically, she sat down at the table. “What is our schedule for today?” she asked me, while taking a croissant.

“I don’t know, what do you want to do?” I poured her a glass of milk.

“Do you think we can go out without being chase after?”

If it was yesterday, I’d have said no, but since I had no problem going out this morning, we could be lucky this afternoon. “We can try. Is there a place you want to go?”

Flipping through the newspaper, she stopped at the movie section. “Hmmm we can go see a movie? It’s dark in the theaters so people won’t bother us” she suggested.

I thought about it and indeed, it was a great idea. “Sure, but we are not going to watch some dramatic movie that make you cry your eyes out!” I warned her.

“And why not?” she pouted, there was obviously a movie that she was already interested in.

“Because I don’t like them and it will be tiring”

“How is watching a sad movie tiring?”

“Tiring because you will end up crying at the end and I will have to comfort you” I said playfully.

To my surprise, she ignored my comment and continued to check the newspaper. “So let’s see which movie we can watch today…”

I observed Tiffany as she forgot about me and was totally focused on the newspaper in front of her. “And don’t pick a movie because there is some hot actor that you like in it” I reminded her.

She lifted her head and smiled. “Why you jealous?” she teased me.

“What? Jealous? Me? Never”

“Taengoo is jealous Taengoo is jealous!” she started chanting and clapping.

“Ya stop it or I’m not going”

“Of course you’ll be going”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“Because I know Taengoo will do everything I want” Tiffany’s eyes smile killed me on the spot.

I wanted to argue back just for the sake of it, but said nothing. She was right. I couldn’t refuse her anything. There was nothing in this world that I wouldn’t give her. That sounds extremely exaggerated and cheesy, but that’s how I really feel.

I simply smiled and let her choose her movie in peace. I already knew the movie she would pick wouldn’t suit me, but who cares? If the movie is bad, I could still look at her face.

S1 High School,

Yuri’s POV

This morning, I went to pick up Jessica for school. The unpleasant event from yesterday was still fresh in my mind. It ended well and I was glad I was able to comfort and reassure Jessica but I was still extremely mad at what Gyuri did once again.

“I can’t believe Taeyeon and Fany are still at home sleeping” Jessica complained. “That’s not fair! Why aren’t we skipping school too?”

“Because we care about our grades”

“You don’t have to care about your grades, you are one of the best students already”

“But I care about YOUR grades. There is no way we are not going to college together”

Since we got together, there were so many ups and downs that we never found time to talk about our future together. We were in our senior year and after graduation, there might be a chance that we don’t end up in the same college.

“Aren’t you going abroad to further your studies?” she asked me, like it was already decided.

“No”

“Why not?”

“Because I don’t want to”

Jessica stared at me but didn’t say anything. I felt like there was something she wanted to ask me but didn’t dare to. The atmosphere in the car was a little bit weird after this topic.

Once we arrived at school, we noticed that people weren’t caring about us anymore. The students were living their lives and not paying attention to neither of us, which didn’t surprise me that much. People love gossips, and every day, there is a new one to talk about. Ours was outdated already.

“Taeyeon and Tiffany are going to the theater this afternoon” Sica told me, reading her phone.

“They are already awake?”

“Yes, she said Taeng woke up really early this morning because she couldn’t sleep”

“These two are weird”

“You mean crazy! They woke up so early instead of sleeping the whole day!”

Jessica and her sleeping time will always make me laugh. “Don’t worry, we won’t be spending too much time at the library today, I’ll drive you home early”

“What library?”

“We have a test this week, you have to study”

“What? Why can’t we do this at your place? The library is so boring and quiet that just thinking about it makes me sleepy”

“Because we NEVER study when we are at my place. It’s not my fault if you can’t focus when you are alone in a room with me” I teased.

“Excuse me? Who is the one who can’t control herself? Because last time I checked, you lost the challenge yesterday”

“It doesn’t count!!! I did it on purpose!”

“Yeah right” Jessica

“I don’t care it’s still on! I’m gonna win!!”

We were walking hands in hands and bickering through the hallway when I spotted Gyuri entering the restroom. “I have to go to the restroom, can you take my bag to the class, please?” I asked Jessica.

“Sure but be quick, class starts soon” she said.

I handed her my bag and was going to give her a quick kiss when I realized my mistake and backed away. “HAHA! See! I can control myself” I exclaimed proudly.

“Silly” Sica laughed. “Go quick quick!”

In the restroom, I found Gyuri standing in front of the mirror, checking herself out like she loves to do. Without turning away from the mirror, she smiled and looked at me. “Kwon Yuri, did you follow me in there?” she smirked.

“Of course I did”

Her smiled grew bigger at my reply and she finally turned around to look at me. “I knew this day would come”

I took a few steps closer to her. “So you know why I’m here?”

“You want some alone time with me, of course” She grabbed my shirt to pull me close to her but I stopped her.

While grabbing her hand tightly, I looked straight into her eyes and with a firm but calm voice, warned her. “Let me get this straight, you and I will never ever happen. All the things you did to break Jessica and I up didn’t work and it’s not going to work. Ever. So let it go”

“And if I don’t?” she challenged me.

“I’m a nice girl, you know it, I know it, and everyone knows it. If I was Taeyeon, you would be crying right now or out of the country already. But since I’m not Taeyeon, I’m telling you one last time to stop your nonsense because if I want to and believe me, these days I really really want to, I can be a Taeyeon, or even worse, I can be your nightmare”

But instead of being afraid or nervous, Gyuri’s smile grew even bigger. “Are you trying to scare me Yuri? Because besides finding you extremely hot right now, it’s not scary”

“Then I will apalogize beforehand for what I’m about to do” I said, letting go of her hand. I searched into my pocket and took out a USB key. “Here take this” I handed it to her.

“And what’s this? Your first present to me?” she flirted even more.

I smiled at her and walked away. “It’s one of your nightmares coming true” I said before leaving the restroom.

I’m not the kind of person who blackmail others, but with a certain type of people, you just don’t have a choice.

Outside in Seoul,

Tiffany’s POV

Weirdly enough, there were almost no reporters outside of the house today. Maybe calling the police last night worked after all. Even at the theater is was calm and quiet; most people were either at school, or at their jobs.

“I knew it would be a good idea to come here. We will have the whole place for ourselves!” I exclaimed, clapping my hands.

Taeyeon quickly grabbed my hands to stop me from making any more noises. “I know you’re happy but let’s stay calm” she looked around, making sure I didn’t draw too much attention on us.

“I know I know”

We walked to the counter and bought our tickets for Robert Pattinson’s new movie Water for Elephants. It was between this movie and Scream 4 that Taeng chose. Of course, I was smart enough to not tell Taeng that my vampire crush Robert was in the movie.

As we walked to the food counter to buy some popcorn and drinks, Taeng spotted the movie’s poster. “What? That Edward dude is in the movie?” she pointed at the poster.

I faked a shock expression like I didn’t know. “Ooh I didn’t know…it’s weird I didn’t see his name” I lied and dragged Taeng away. “Come on let’s go buy popcorn!”

“Argh now my interest for that movie is even lower than before”

“Come on, I’m sure you will enjoy it”

“YOU will enjoy it! Even if the movie is bad, you will drool over the vampire guy”

“Haha look at you, all jealous over him. You want me to drool over you, don’t you?” I teased her, poking her cheek.

“No comment”

“I have to go to the restroom, can you order Ice Tea for me, please?”

“Ok, I’ll wait for you here”

I gave her a quick peck and quickly went to the restroom, leaving Taeyeon to order for us. I didn’t take more than 5 minutes but I was still surprise to see that Taeyeon was still at the counter when I came back. She was standing there, talking with the seller. I didn’t know what they were talking about but the girl was smiling shyly.

I walked up to them and instantly grabbed Taeng’s arm tightly. “Are you done?” I asked her without looking at the girl.

Taeng nodded and picked up the drinks while I grabbed the popcorn. She quickly greeted the girl before we walked away. I realized how Taeyeon had changed since I met her. I remember how unsocial she was, being cold and scary to everyone who

dare to talk to her. But now, she is like a teddy bear.

“Are you sure you want to see this movie? Because we can still leave” Taeyeon tried to avoid the movie.

“Let’s go” I dragged her inside.

It wasn’t easy these past few weeks, but those little moments between us were so worth the pain and struggles. If we had to go through all this to become closer and stronger as a couple then I wouldn’t mind going through it all over again.

At the theather, after the movie,

Taeyeon’s POV

I actually survived through this movie. Of course, Fany loved it since her crush was acting in it while I nearly fell asleep a couple of times. It was really not the genre of movie I like, especially in a theather where it’s dark and the aircon is on. The whole setting always make me a little sleepy.

Once outside, Fany had to go to the restroom so I told her to wait for me in front of the theater once she was done, so I could go take the car. There were a few curious stares here and there when I went out, but nobody dared to come up to me.

I only had the time to sit in the car that my phone started ringing. Without looking, I answered it, thinking it was Tiffany asking me to be faster. “I’m coming right

now” I said.

“Excuse me Miss?” asked a confused voice.

It was my lawyer Daniel. “Oh hi Daniel, sorry I thought it was someone else”

“That’s what I thought”

“Is there something wrong?” I asked, because while we get along very well, we don’t call each other for no reason.

“I’m calling you about Min Sungmin” his voice took that serious tone reminded me of my father.

“Did you find something?”

“It’s quite serious actually”

“Serious as in you can’t tell me on the phone?”

“I already sent you the documents by fax, read it and tell me if you want to expose it or not”

I was confused at how important it sounded.“You are sounding too serious for my liking Daniel”

“Call me once you have read the documents or if you prefer, we can meet up”

“No, I will call you” I said. There was no way I could go out tonight without telling Tiffany where I was going.

“I will wait for you call then. Later Miss” he then hung up.

The conversation was short but it got me confused and kind of freaked out. I wondered what kind of scandal or mistake he found about Sungmin, because it really sounded serious.

I tried my best to not think about it as I picked up Fany in front of the theater. “The movie was awesome, don’t you think?” she told me as soon as she got in the car.

“Well, I’m still alive so it’s all good” I joked, even though I didn’t like that movie one bit.

“You’re exaggerating”

“I’m not. Anyway, let’s go eat something before we go home!” I suggested.

“Fine, I’ll let you choose the restaurant then” she smiled.

“Miss Tiffany you’re so nice” I teased,

“That’s why you love me”

I looked at her and didn’t know what to do. There were so many things I wanted to

tell her, like how much I love her, how thankful I was that she stood by me all this time, but all I was able to do was smiling at her. “Yes, that’s why I love you Hwang Miyoung”

Maybe the way I said it was too intense, because it made Tiffany blushed. She then gently stroke my cheek and with her sweet voice, told me “I love you too Kim Taeyeon”

Yuri’s car,

Jessica’s POV

Finally! We were finally going home. I thought this day would never end. School and then study at the library, Yuri didn’t go easy on me. She was driving me home early as she promised. Usually, we always go to her house after school and stayed there until evening. I was actually spending more time at her house than mine.

“Oh I almost forgot” Yuri started talking. “We should look at some college applications when we have time”

She was talking about college again. “I don’t think we can find a good one for both of us, your grades are much better than mine”

I know Yuri wants us to stay together, but I feel like it would be selfish of me to make her attend a college that doesn’t fit her smartness. “Don’t underestimate yourself Sica”

“I’m not, you are” I told her. “Why aren’t you studying abroad? It’s a great experience and you can even enter the best college in the world!”

“Why do you want me to go so badly?”

“Then why are you so against it?”

We both raised our voices.

Yuri took a deep breath. “What’s going on?” she asked calmly.

“Nothing” I lied.

“Jessica, I know there is something bothering you. You were already weird this morning when we talked about that”

Turning my head away from her, I looked through the window and let it out. “I don’t want to be the chains that hold you down”

Surprised at my confession, Yuri pulled the car over. “What? What are you talking about?”

“Let’s face it, we are not on the same level. I’m just average when you’re way up there. You can go abroad and study in the most prestigious places instead of trying to find some normal colleges that would suit me. Why can’t you think for yourself Yuri?”

“Why do you sound like it is already decided? That I will go abroad”

“Because it’s the best for you”

“There are great colleges here as well, you know”

“You’re right, are you considering any of them then?”

The point was not about studying overseas or within the country, it was about Yuri never thinking for herself.

At my last question, Yuri remained silent. “We are not going to be together every day and night Yuri, as much as I want to. But us not seeing each other all the time doesn’t mean that we can’t make it work”

“I just want us to do things together”

“And I want you to not freak out or be afraid of losing me whenever we are away from each other. I will love you even if we are not in the same school”

“So does it mean we can’t look for colleges together?”

“No, it means we are going to look for colleges that fit our interests, individually”

Yuri sighed and seemed to have understood my point of view. “I get it” she finally said.

I kissed Yuri softly on the cheek. “Trust me, it will be okay”

Actually, I was worried as well. I was afraid that she will meet someone prettier, smarter and more interesting than me, someone that wouldn’t give her so much trouble, but I just couldn’t let her continue to do things my way.

We can do a lot of things for love, things that seem normal on the moment but that we end up regretting in the future. And I don’t want that to happen to us.

As Yuri drove away, I quickly reminded her. “Oh by the way, this kiss doesn’t count” I winked.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Taeyeon’s POV

As soon as we got home, I went straight to the fax to pick the documents Daniel sent me. Tiffany wasn’t paying attention to me since she went right into the bathroom to wash her face. I sat down on the couch and read them attentively.

I had to re-read the documents many times because I couldn’t believe what I was reading. I knew Sungmin was a shady guy but I’ve never expected Daniel to find out what he did. I just wanted to torture him a bit for revenge, but the information that I had right there could simply destroy his company.

I heard Tiffany in the bathroom taking a shower so I took the opportunity to call Daniel. I really had no idea on what I was going to do. “Hello Miss” I heard his always so calm voice.

“What am I supposed to do with that?” I said nervously, this was a huge responsibility.

“That’s your decision”

“Yeah right! I didn’t want that! It was supposed to be some minor scandal, not that huge bomb”

“If you want, we can forget about all this and I will search for something else”

“I can’t now! It’s too late! It will be irresponsible if we ignore this”

“I’m not going to tell you what to do, but this is indeed too important for us to let it go”

I sat there, loss for words. It was a big decision and I didn’t know if I was ready to take responsibility for it. This could go far, very far.

After a while, I just went for it. “Do it”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, do it”

“Fine, I’ll send the documents tonight. I will call you if anything new shows up”

“Thanks”

I hung up the phone and stayed there, thinking about what I just did. I knew it was the wisest decision, but I also knew that by exposing it, I was going to hurt a lot of people.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

This morning, I woke up once again by myself as Taeng was nowhere to be seen. Like yesterday, she woke up early and went out. For an unknown reason, I felt like she was hiding something from me. Something was definitely wrong.

Since I didn’t want to go back to sleep, I lay down on the couch and turned the TV on. I skipped through the multiple channels just to realize that it was all the same.



Without caring much about the news, I took my phone to text Jessica. I told her about Taeyeon being away early in the morning yesterday and she also thought it was fishy. So naturally, I had to tell her about Taeng’s early disappearance today

as well. Of course, I knew Sica probably knew nothing, but I just had to share these little troubles with my bestfriend.

I was writing to Sica when I heard a familiar name being mentioned on the news.



I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, nor seeing. Sungmin’s picture was attached to the breaking news title on TV. And it was the same thing on all other big news channels. That was just crazy.



I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t notice Taeng was back.

“Hey you up already?” her voice startled me.

I turned around and saw her walking to the kitchen, putting a breakfast bag on the table without noticing the TV. “Where were you?” I asked, though I already knew the answer.

She laughed a little before answering me. “I bought breakfast, of course”

I sat there and stared at her, waiting for the moment she will finally notice what was on TV.

And when she did look at the screen, what I feared became true. She didn’t even pretend to be shocked.

“Did you know about that?” I pointed at the screen.

Taeyeon sat down on a chair uncomfortably; I could see she was trying to come up with a believable lie. “I saw it this morning on the newspaper”

“You went out to read the newspaper?”

She looked at me, confused with all the questions I was throwing at her. “What’s going on Fany?”

“I want to know if you knew about this” I reiterated my question.

“Yeah I read-“

“No Taeyeon, what I want to know is; are you behind this?” I asked her directly, my voice showing some anger.

She immediately avoided my gaze. “Is this the reason why you disappeared these last 2 mornings? To plan this?” I didn’t want to stop asking until she admits it.

“I didn’t know it would be that bad” she let it slipped.

“What? Your lie?” I raised my voice.

Taeyeon was taken aback by my sudden anger. “No, the scandal. I didn’t want that, I wasn’t looking for something that big” she responded calmly.

“I don’t care about the scandal and Sungmin, Taeng. You lied to me. AGAIN!” now I was shouting.

“I didn’t really lie to you, I just didn’t tell you”

“You hide it from me, you did this behind my back and came up with the stupid breakfast excuse. You lied Taeng!”

“I knew you wouldn’t approve of my actions and I didn’t want us to argue” she defended herself.

“Congratulations then, your plan worked perfectly” I said, clapping angrily. Furious, I left the living room.

“Tiffany…” she tried to call me but I ignored her.

I couldn’t believe she lied to me again. I was so angry that I went into my room, get changed and left the apartment.

Seohyun’s School,

Yoona’s POV

Since Taeyeon’s scandal died down, Seohyun and I haven’t been able to spend much time together because she was busy studying for her various tests coming this week. I knew she had one today and wanted to give her a little surprise by coming to her school to pick her up.

I was waiting patiently in front of her school when I saw a bunch of her classmates walking out together, but no sign of Seohyun. “Hello! Seohyun is not with you guys?” I asked the group.

For whatever reasons, they all started giggling. “She is with her fanboy” said one of the girls.

I couldn’t even ask them what they meant, because as soon as the girl answered me, they left me standing there alone and confused.

Fortunately, I wasn’t left in my confusion for long. From afar, I spotted Seohyun coming out from the school.

But she wasn’t alone. I started to understand what her friends meant by fanboy. Some guy was walking with her, his eyes were glued on her face and his smile just made me want to punch him in the face.

I tried to suppress my displeasure as Seohyun was coming closer. I did my best to put on a smile, even though all I really wanted was to ask who the hell that guy was.

“Oh! Yoona?! What are you doing here?”

I smiled at her and pulled her in for a hug. I didn’t care that the guy was standing there, looking at us. It was a way to show him that we were together.

“I knew you had a test today so I thought you might want to relieve the pressure by going out with me?”

“Ooh Yoong, I’d love to but I can’t” she said disappointed.

“Why not?”

“We have a school showcase at the end of this week and we have to practice” she explained.

Confused, I looked at the guy then back at her. “We?”

“Oh sorry. This is Jung Yonghwa” she introduced him. “We are going to do a song together for the showcase”

“Ah ok. Sorry I should have called you” I was so disappointed.

“No, I’m happy to see you” she smiled at me, but somehow, it didn’t make me feel

better.

Though I didn’t want to let her go, I had to. “Call me when you get home” I took the initiative to give her a kiss, which is something we don’t usually do in public, especially in front of her school.

I took a last look at the guy before walking away. It was really hard not to look back and see what they were doing. I knew Seohyun would be popular at school, the girl is an angel, but it was the first time I saw her with some flower dude and I couldn’t help but be jealous.

Kim’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

I tried to call Tiffany every hour since she left this morning, but she ignored all of my calls. I knew what I did was bad, but I really didn’t expect her to be so angry over this. I was waiting for her to get home when my father called. He told me to come home because he wanted to talk to me. I didn’t ask him what it was about since I knew already.

When I arrived at the house, the first thing I saw was Daniel’s car. My dad summoned him too. That last minute meeting hasn’t even started that it already annoyed me.

I quickly got inside the house and went straight to my dad’s office. Daniel was

already in there, talking with my father.

“Hello everyone!” I said, entering the room.

Daniel smiled and nodded at me while my father kept his always so serious face and simply pointed at the empty chair next to Daniel’s. He will never change, that’s for sure.

“So what am I doing here?” I started the conversation.

“Don’t act like you don’t know” my father replied, coldly.

“Your father knows about the Sungmin issue” Daniel said.

“Of course, he knows everything”

“Do you two realize what you just did?” he asked both of us.

“A good deed?” I joked.

But my father was definitely not in a good mood. “This is a serious issue and a serious accusation. The documents you sent out are not officials, it can backfire at you”

“Of course it’s not officials documents, the official ones are fakes. It’s obvious he falsify them to save his company some bucks”

“If your documents are not officials, it’s not real proofs Taeyeon. Everyone can put some numbers on a sheet of paper and use it as an accusation”

“I will find witnesses” Daniel said, though he didn’t sound convinced.

“And what if you don’t?”

“Sungmin knows what he did, we just have to push him a little so he admits it” I said.

“And did you, just for a second, think about our company? We have a partnership with them Taeyeon”

“Yeah and they’re crappy! We can’t continue working with them knowing that”

“But by exposing them like that, you exposed us as well. Their company built our first hotel in the country, don’t you think people will stop coming knowing it’s not safe anymore?”

It’s true that I didn’t think about that. I had to take the decision so quickly that I didn’t think about all the issues.

“I talked to his father earlier and he was as shocked as I was. I believe he didn’t know about Sungmin’s actions and I will try to solve this issue with him behindthe-scene”

“And what do you want me to do?”

“You started this so you handle it until the end. But if it ends bad, don’t tell me I didn’t warn you”

Daniel and I looked at each other. The situation was quite funny because we looked like two teenagers being scolded.

“You too Daniel” my father added.

“Yes Sir”

The meeting ended there. It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. I expected some heated arguments like always, but my dad actually told me to do whatever I wanted, which is unusual. Maybe the way I handled my own scandal showed him that I don’t always take the wrong decisions.

He also asked me to stay for dinner but since Fany was still angry at me, it was better to go home.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Taeyeon’s POV

I slept alone in my room last night. Tiffany didn’t come home. She was still angry so she spent the night at Sica’s place. Yuri also called me to know what happened and gave me a good scolding when I told her the story.

This was the second day since Daniel and I exposed Sungmin’s wrongdoings to the media. All big channels were still reporting on this scandal from morning until night. The latest news was on the stock market where their company’s shares were falling to the ground. And yet, still nothing from Sungmin himself or his lawyer. It was quite weird that nobody stepped out to calm down the situation.

I was drinking my coffee when Tiffany came back home. A part of me was quite angry that she didn’t come home last night but I didn’t act on it. It was my fault after all.

I sat on the couch and studied the situation. I wanted to see whether Tiffany would ignore me and lock herself in her room or actually be more open to discussion.

So naturally, I was very happy when after dropping her bags in her room, she came and sat next to me.

“I think we should talk”

“I’m sorry” we both spoke at the same time.

There was nothing funny but we both smiled a little. “I shouldn’t have lie, I know and I apologize Tiffany”

She didn’t say anything and let me talk. “I keep making those stupid mistakes and keep on lying to you because I don’t want us to fight, but that’s how it ends up every time. And I’m sorry, for not thinking before doing things”

“I just want you to understand that while we might not agree on everything, and I might disagree with things that you do, or just did, all I care about is us being honest with each other.” she explained.

I kept my head down. “I know”

“So, why did your father wanted to see you?” her tone changed, and she wasn’t looking angry anymore.

I thought to myself that, we were really like any couple out there. We quarrel, we get angry at each other, but at the end of the day, if we are willing to apologize and accept our mistakes, things can get back to normal.

I lifted up my head and looked at her. “To scold me about Sungmin of course” I said.

“He knows?”

“It was too obvious I think”

“Did you two argue again?”

“Weirldy no, it went very well. Basically, he told me it was a stupid move but that I could do whatever I want”

“See, he is not that bad” I rolled my eyes, not wanting to agree with her. “So what

are you going to do now?” she asked.

“There is nothing I can do but sit here and watch”

“Do you think he really did that?”

“Yes I do. Did I suspect anything like this? No, but after what I saw, there is no doubt he is guilty”

“How bad can it go?”

“It will depend on how he handles it. It’s better if he admits it and promises to repair his mistakes. The worse scenario is losing everything which I hope not because our families are friends and I have nothing against his parents”

“Or his sister…” she mumbled.

I was going to ask her to repeat it again when my phone started ringing. “Don’t forget what you just said, I’m gonna ask you again” I told Tiffany before answering my call.

It was Daniel and his detective skills. He found something else on Sungmin. He asked me if I wanted to reveal this new secret, but I told him to keep it for him. I hate Sungmin but the poor guy was probably losing his mind already.

“So apparently, Sungmin doesn’t only like falsifying documents, he also likes gambling. And from what I heard, he has some debts as well” I announced, after

hanging up.

Fany looked shock and confused at the same time. “But he doesn’t look like a bad guy!”

“I told you already, those who look all perfect are the worse!”

“And you decided not to reveal this?”

“I think he has enough worries for now. And honestly, at this point, there is nothing satisfying in all this. I’m worried too” I admitted.

I felt bad that this issue went this far, not for Sungmin of course, but for his family and the people working for their company. I also felt guilty toward Sunye, I was hurting her indirectly.

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

Another boring day at school, but thankfully, Yuri had other plans than studying at the library. Surprisingly, her plans didn’t involve any skinship, which was really really weird.

“Where are we going?” I asked.

“Yoona needs our help with something”

“Since when does she ask you for help?”

“Whenever it involves doing something stupid, of course”

“And what’s the stupid plan today?”

“Nothing hard, some stalking to do”

“Oh ok” I nodded, without realizing what she just said.

A minute or two passed by and I finally got what she meant. “What???” It was one of my late reactions again

Yuri jumped on her seat. “What what?”

“Who are we going to stalk?”

“I don’t really know. She texted me 3 words earlier: Please, Seohyun, Stalk”

“What kind of language is that?”

“Don’t bother, it’s a sister thing” she explained, with a proud smile.

These two fight all the time but it was obvious they love each other more than anyone in this world.

So after our little drive, Yuri parked her car near Seohyun’s high school. As soon as we got there, I noticed someone who was wearing a long coat, a hat and sunglasses hiding behind a car.

“What the?” I was poking Yuri so she could see it too.

“Pssss Yoona!! Come here!” Yuri waved.

So it was Yoona, I don’t even know why I was surprised. So the weird looking girl turned around and rushed toward us.

“Ah you two are here! What took you so long??” Yoona complained, fanning herself with her hands. The poor girl was probably suffocating under her coat.

“Please tell me, why are you dressed like this?” I dared to ask.

“Duh! For stalking of course!” the two sisters responded at the same time. They actually made me feel stupid for asking this.

So I supposed that’s how we were going to spend the rest of the day. Stalking. Who? Seohyun. Why? I had no idea.

But I was going to understand of all this soon enough.

Seohyun’s School,

Yoona’s POV

Today was another unlucky day for me. I wanted to spend some time with Seohyun so I called her beforehand to know her schedule, unlike yesterday. But it was useless because she was busy…with that Yonghwa dude! They had to practice for her showcase. Of course, I understand that it was important for her and knowing Seohyun, she wants to do her best, but I don’t like that guy. I just want to punch him really hard.

And like always, whenever I freak out or there is something that doesn’t go like I planned, I do stupid things, like stalking my girlfriend.

“Before I play your little game, can you give me some explanation Yoona?” Jessica asked.

“Seohyun is spending time with that guy for some music practice and he is basically eating her with his eyes and I want to make sure he doesn’t make a move on her” I lain out the situation.

“Do you really think it’s a good idea? Shouldn’t you trust her?” Sica definitely didn’t like my plan.

“Listen, as my future sister-in-law, you have to support me. I’m telling you, this guy has ulterior motives”

“I would have done the same” my sister blurted out.

Jessica immediately stared at her unhappily. “Excuse me?”

I thought Yuri was going to melt under Jessica’s stare, poor her, she didn’t know where to look at.

“Anyway!” I tried to save my sister. “Let’s focus on our mission!”

“Hmm Yoona” Yuri poked me. “I think Seohyun just got in a car”

Yuri pointed at a black convertible car. I could spot Seohyun in the passenger seat and my number one enemy next to her. I stood there in shock as it wasn’t planned. I didn’t know they would be leaving in a car. Where were they going???

“What are we doing now?” Yuri asked.

“We follow them!!” I took out my hat and sunglasses and ran to my sister’s car. “Come on!”

But Yuri and Jessica stood there, unsure. “They left already Yoona” Sica tried to reasoned me.

“But we can chase after them! Yuri is not so bad for a driver”

“No we are not going to. It’s dangerous”

“So you mean we are not going to do anything? My girlfriend is going I don’t

know where with some creepy guy and I shouldn’t do anything?” I got angry.

“Yoona calm down! Seohyun is a big girl, she can take care of herself” Jessica tried to reassure me.

“It’s not that I don’t trust her, I don’t trust him”

Yuri and Jessica walked up to me and each of them grabbed my arms. “You’re jealous, it’s understandable, but face it, it’s not the first time and it won’t be the last time you feel this way. So learn to control your jealousy” my sister advised me.

“It’s fine to be jealous, actually, I think it’s healthy, but there are some limits and stalking your girlfriend is one of them” Sica added.

Defeated, I gave up. Maybe this was for the better. I couldn’t imagine how Seohyun would react if I had followed her and got caught.

“Come on, don’t be sad, I’ll treat you for dinner” Yuri tried to cheer me up.

I was really not in the mood for anything, but then, I received an unexpected message from Seohyun.



I can’t even explain how I felt at that moment. My face still hurts from all the

smiling.

“It’s Seohyun, isn’t it?” Yuri guessed.

“She said she Mrs me” I smiled.

“See, you have nothing to worry about” Sica patted my head. “Feel like getting a treat from Yuri now?”

“Of course!! But can we go to Goobne Chicken? They are giving out posters from Girls’ Generation this week!”

Jessica and Yuri laughed. “What a fangirl. Fine, let’s go”

I decided to reply to Seohyun. Not to ask her where she was or what she was doing, just to tell her that I miss her too and that I couldn’t wait to see her performance. That jealousy thing was really not me, it was actually the first time that I felt something like this. I’ve dated in the past, but I’ve never felt this way toward anyone. Seohyun is really the first girl I have such strong feelings for, and in a way, that is scary.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Taeyeon’s POV,

I couldn’t believe Yuri picked shopping over games. They all had a day off today

and instead of staying at home playing with me, she followed Sica and Fany on their shopping spree. It’s been 4 hours already and I’m seriously getting bored.

The TV was on, but of course, there was nothing interesting. I reached out for my cellphone on the table and scrolled through it. All my text messages were from Tiffany. She literally crashed my inbox by texting me after every single of her purchase, and I always replied using an annoyed emoticon and telling her to come back quickly.

I was going to text her again, reminding her that it has been 4 hours already when I got a message from Daniel.



This little revenge on Sungmin was looking more and more like a movie. I was like the powerful and evil leader sitting on her throne watching her opponent falling deeper and deeper everyday. But unlike in most movies, I wasn’t sitting there smiling, a cup of wine in my hand. It all started because I was too proud, and now, it just went too far for me to stop it.



The sudden news on TV caught my attention, Sungmin was finally ready to step out and defend himself. But unlike me a couple of weeks ago, it seems like he won’t be admitting his wrongdoings but instead spill even more lies.

This latest bit of news convinced me that after all, I wasn’t doing such a bad thing. Revealing his dirty secrets was actually helping the community, wasn’t it? It wasn’t all about my revenge now, but about people safety as well.

I was about to reply to Daniel’s message, telling him to go on with the plan when the doorbell rang. I thought it was Tiffany coming back from her shopping spree so I quickly put my phone down and ran to open the door.

As the door opened, I was ready to scold her for taking so long. “Ya! Do you…”

But the person on the other side wasn’t the one I was expecting to see…

At all.

“Sun Ye?”

Chapter 35 - She is back...

TaeNy’s Apartment,

NO POV

A speechless Taeyeon stood in front of her unexpected guest, Min Sunye. The last time Taeyeon saw Sunye was at the airport, when the latter took a flight back to New York, leaving behind a misunderstanding between Taeyeon and Tiffany. Now, a few months later, she reappeared in front of Taeyeon’s door…

“Sunye?” her ex-girlfriend was the last person she expected to see. Since she left for New York, Taeyeon and Sunye hadn’t been in contact at all, except a few encouraging messages Sunye sent to Taeyeon during her scandal.

“Hi Taeyeon” she smiled hesitantly, unsure of her upcoming moves. “Can I come in?”

Taeyeon’s mind was still blank, haven’t fully processed the situation. “O-oh sorry, sure, come in” she stepped aside and let her guest enter the apartment.

The two ex-lovers walked to the living room, where they sat on the couch. Taeyeon, politely offered Sunye a drink, but she refused. “No thanks, there is something I have to tell you before I change my mind”

“O-ok”

Taeyeon was a smart girl, she knew there was only one topic they could talk about. “It’s about my brother” Sunye started. “Please, I beg you, let it go” she pled, on the verge of crying.

Right then, Taeyeon felt her heart broke into pieces. It wouldn’t be the first time she makes Sunye cry. She broke the girl’s heart in the past when she told her that they could only be friends because she was in love with Tiffany. And now, she was going to ruin her brother’s life.

Min Sungmin, her elder brother and Taeyeon’s worst enemy. Somehow, it wasn’t surprising that Sunye flew all the way from New York to try and save her brother. He is her family, and she was probably oblivious to things he did in the past.

“W-what do you mean?”

“Take it back, don’t try to hurt him anymore, please?!”

“Sunye this is…”

“I know you don’t like him but what has he done to you?”

Though they broke up a long time ago, Taeyeon still tried to protect Sunye by not telling her Sungmin was the one who almost get her in jail. She also thought that Sungmin would be mature enough to reveal it to his sister himself. But obviously, he didn’t.

“It’s a long story, but believe me, I didn’t want that to happen”

“Is it because my brother and Tiffany share something special which make you jealous?”

“What? Did he tell you that?” That question immediately angered Taeyeon.

“He just doesn’t understand Taeyeon, why you are trying to hurt him”

“Wait, did he tell you that there was something going on between Tiffany and him?”

“If Tiffany really likes you, he will let her go” Sunye said, believing every word her brother has said to her.

“This is nonsense!!!” Taeyeon stood up angrily. “There is nothing going on between them! Nothing! I can’t believe he’s trying to drag Tiffany into this”

“Taeyeon” Seeing Taeyeon getting worked up over her words, Sunye tried to calm her down.

“NO! You go and ask him why I’m doing this, he knows it. Ask him to tell you the truth, the whole story. And also tell him that the next time he tries to bring MY girlfriend into his stupid lies or whatever, I’m gonna do worse than ruining his life!”

Sunye, petrified at Taeyeon’s anger, sat there, unable to move. She has never seen Taeyeon so angry before. The look in her eyes showed how serious she was about

the situation.

“I’m sorry” was all Sunye could say. “I didn’t mean to anger you”

Seeing her ex-girlfriend looking so vulnerable, Taeyeon calmed down. She sat down next to Sunye and apologized. “Sorry, I shouldnt have yelled at you, you have nothing to do with this”

“What’s going on Taeyeon? Why is this happening?”

“You should ask your brother”

“No! I’m asking you now!”

It wasn’t hard for Taeyeon to tell Sunye about what her brother has done to her, but she didn’t want to hurt Sunye, and she also knew that the girl might not believe her.

“What if Sungmin was the one trying to get me in jail? Would you believe it?”

“W-What?”

“It’s the truth”

“N-No no it’s impossible” Sunye shook her head, like it was going to make the revealation go away.

That was exactly what Taeyeon tried so hard to avoid, putting Sunye in such situation where she has to take side. “I’m sorry. I really tried to keep you out of it Sunye-ah”

“H-He wouldn’t do this to you…my brother is not like this…” she continued to shake her head.

Taeyeon knew that at that moment, there was nothing she could do to make it easier for Sunye. She could only try to give her some comfort. Taeyeon gently patted Sunye’s back, letting the other girl knows that she was there. It was only a matter of time before Sunye allowed herself to lay her head on Taeyeon’s shoulder, closing the gap between them.

Though surprised, Taeyeon didn’t push Sunye away. The two ex-lovers stayed like this for a long time, lost in their own thoughts, oblivious to their surroundings, oblivious to the girl who had just entered the apartment.

Tiffany’s POV

I had a full day shopping with Yuri and Jessica today. They had a day off from school so Jessica and I decided to spend some time together by doing what we do best: shopping! I tried to drag Taeyeon along but she didn’t want to. I told her we would take long and she will get bored at home, but she didn’t listen. She kept on texting me and complaining on how long we were taking. Of course, Sica didn’t have the same problem, as Yuri decided to tag along, acting like our bodyguard and handygirl.

At first, I didn’t mind Yuri was going with us, but as the two of them were acting all coupley, I was getting jealous. Whenever Sica tried on some clothes, Yuri was praising her like no tomorrow. I wished Taeng was there to praise me too.

A few hours and around 5-6 shopping bags later, Yuri and Jessica dropped me home. I told them to come upstairs but since Sica was sleepy, they had to refuse.

To get upstairs with all my bags, I had to request some help from our building guard. The man was nice enough to help me until we arrived in front of the apartment door.

“Thank you very much” I bowed to him.

“I’m happy to help you Miss Tiffany” he smiled sweetly at me before leaving.

At first, I wanted to ring the bell so Taeyeon would come out and give me a hand, but I was afraid she might be sleeping since she didn’t reply to my last messages, so I came in quietly, as to not wake her up if she was really asleep.

As soon as I opened the door, I heard voices. One was Taeng’s voice and the other one was too soft for me to recognize it. I let all my bags at the entrance and walked quietly to the living room, curious as to who was there with Taeng.

Once I got to the living room, my heart stopped beating. There are situations where all you want to do is run away and cry. I haven’t felt the need to do this for a long time, the last time was when I thought Taeyeon cheated on me with her ex-

girlfriend.

Taeyeon was sitting on the couch, extremely close to a mysterious girl, rubbing her back gently while the girl had her head on Taeng’s shoulder. I wanted to scream, make a scene, but I knew better, it would only make things worse.

“H-hum hello” I spoke softly, not sure I wanted them to hear me.

I saw Taeyeon froze before she quickly stood up and looked at me. “T-Tifanny”

I really felt like running away and cry when the mysterious turned around and I found out it was Sunye. The only girl who makes me feels so insecure because she was Taeng’s first love.

Though it was hard, I tried to sound like I wasn’t going to burst down crying. “II’m sorry for interrupting”

Taeyeon quickly ran to me and grabbed my hand, like she knew I was going to run away. “That’s not what you think” she whispered.

Sunye stoop up and walked toward us. “You’re not interrupting anything. I was leaving” she said. “It was nice seeing you again Taeng”

She bowed to me and walked to the door. “Wait Sunye!” Taeyeon stopped her. “I’ll drive you home”

I stared at Taeyeon, angry that she wasn’t considering my feelings at the moment.

Instead of driving her ex-girlfriend home, she should stay here and gives me some explanations.

“Its fine, I’ll take a cab” Sunye said politely, but I knew she wanted Taeyeon to drive her home.

Taeyeon let go of my hand and went to her. “Don’t say that, I’ll drive you back”

She opened the door for Sunye and before leaving with her, she turned toward me with an apologetic smile. “I’ll be back”

I stood there in shock, did she really leave me alone and left with Sunye?

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

After our shopping, I drove Jessica back to her home. Though I wanted to spend more time with her, she was tired and I promised my parents I’ll go home for dinner. My father has especially asked me to come home because he needed to talk to me.

My parents were chatting in the kitchen when I arrived. “Hello” I greeted them.

“Ah Yuri, already home?” my mom asked.

“Yes, Sica and Fany bought everything in every shop already” I said, joking. Turning to look at my dad, I asked. “You need to talk to me about something, daddy?”

My father is a nice man. Appareance wise, he has the look of a CEO and he knows how to be serious and professional in his job, but at home, he is like a kid. Sure, he gave us lectures on how we have to study and behave at school because it is important for our future, told us how we have to treat people like we want to be treat, etc. but he never put pressure on us.

“You’re graduating soon so I thought it was a good time to talk about your future project” he started.

I grabbed a drink in the fridge and took a seat in front of him. “What project? Do you mean university?”

“Is there a particular university you want to attend?”

“I’m checking some that have a good media programs” I revealed.

“And are you planning to check on overseas universities as well?”

“Hmm studying overseas might be fun but I don’t want to think about it now. I can always do it later, no?” What Jessica said the other day was true, one of the reasons overseas study is not an option at all is because I want to be near her. I don’t believe in long distance relationship, especially when ours is so fragile and unstable. And it’s not like we can’t go abroad in our sophomore or senior year.

My dad nodded, agreeing with me. “Sure, the most important is that you find a college that you like. It doesn’t matter where it is.”

I’m always thankful toward my parents for always supporting my choice. As parents, they want the best in their children, like having good grades, going to a good school and having a good job, but since my childhood, my parents always tell me to do my best, and most importantly, do things that I like. It was important growing up knowing that whether I become a doctor or a waitress, my parents would still be proud of me.

“What about your girlfriend? What does she want to study?” my dad asked about Jessica.

“I think she will choose something that had to do with fashion, though she is interested in literature as well”

“And did you two discuss about the possibility of not attending the same college?”

I paused, unsure of whether I should talk about this with my parents. “Those things happen Yuri” My mom joined in. “You two cannot always stuck together”

Her words reminded me of Jessica’s. “That’s exactly what Sica said”

“Well, she is right” my mom spoke again. “A healthy relationship includes giving each other space, especially when you are still young”

“I know mom, she gave me a lecture yesterday already” I smiled, remembering my discussion with Jessica.

“Anyway, do your best on your exams, your grandma has already picked her outfit for your graduation day” my dad said, laughing.

“No worries, I’ll nail it!” I said with confidence.

My mom shook her head, she doesn’t like it when I’m overconfident. “I know you’re smart but still, study a little”

I stood up and took my drink with me. “I study almost every day with Jessica. Don’t worry” I gave my mom a hug before leaving the kitchen.

Those are the kind of discussions I share with my parents whenever an important event occurs. It’s quite rare that they give me lectures since I always stay out of troubles.

I can’t believe I’m graduating soon, this year went by so fast. It feels like I only met Jessica yesterday. I know my parents and Jessica think we don’t need to be with each other all the time, but I still feel so scared to be away from her. I know that being in the same school doesn’t guarantee a long lasting relationship, but it is the only way to make me feel better.

Sometimes I do wonder, am I too dependent of her? Though I don’t really mind it, I know it’s not healthy to feel this way.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

Tiffany’s POV

After Taeng left the apartment with Sunye, I put all my bags in my room and went sitting in the living room, waiting for her. I probably knew nothing would happen, but my mind still went crazy, imagining different scenarios, each ending up with Taeyeon and Sunye getting closer to each other.

I was also afraid that Taeyeon would give me a call and tell me she wasn’t coming home or would be late, but that wasn’t the case. It took her about 30 minutes to drive Sunye home and come back. I know that because my eyes were glued on the clock the whole time.

There was an awkward silence when she came back and saw me sitting on the couch. “Tiffany…” she called, taking a seat next to me.

I turned to look at her, but remained silent. “What you saw earlier…” she tried to explain.

“Is not what I think. I know, isn’t it the same speech everytime?” I said, cutting her off.

“I was just comforting her” she tried to explain again.

“She is your ex-girlfriend Taeyeon!!!”

“But I don’t feel anything for her anymore! Why are you making such a big deal?” instead of trying to comfort me, Taeyeon got angry too.

“Because it is! Gosh Taeyeon, why is it so hard for you to understand?”

“She is my friend and she needed me. Aren’t you overreacting here?”

“No, she is your ex-girlfriend and she still loves you. You might be comforting her but also sending wrong signals to her”

“She is…”

“And you left me behind again” I stood up angrily, walking away from her.

“What?”

“I’m your girlfriend and I caught you with your ex-girlfriend, hugging on the couch, in the apartment we both share, and then you left with her” I stared at her, unable to understand why she couldn’t understand why I was so angry.

“I drove her home!” she defended herself.

“Couldn’t she take a cab? If you care enough about my feelings, you would have stayed with me to explain yourself. Not leave with the girl that can break us apart!”

“Are you crazy? She is not gonna break us apart!”

“Are you sure? Because really Taeyeon, you are not yourself when she is around. It’s like…you are on duty or something and you only see her”

Taeyeon sighed, giving up. “Ok I’m sorry” she apologized, though it didn’t sound sincere.

“At least say it like you mean it” I pointed out.

“What am I suppose to say Tiffany? I just…”

“You still don’t understand” I was getting tired of her lack of common sense.

“I don’t think I did something wrong”

“Then let me put it this way, what if you caught me in this position with my exboyfriend, or worse, Sungmin, how would you feel?”

Taeng finally realized what I meant. She walked up to me and held both of my hands. I looked away from her, still angry. “I didn’t mean to hurt you, I’m sorry. It’s just that from my point of view, I wasn’t doing anything bad because I love you and I was only trying to be a friend to her”

It always takes so much effort to make her understand my insecurities. “I know Taeyeon, it’s just that…I feel insecure when she is around and you’re not helping at all”

“But you don’t need to be, believe me” she held my hands close to her chest. “I love you and only you” she kissed me sweetly. “And no one is going to change that”

Even though I was still angry and disappointed, I tried to let it go. I was too tired to argue with her. I know she meant every word that she said to me, but somehow, at the back of my mind, I knew things weren’t as easy, and sometimes, love isn’t enough…

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

Honestly, they could have given us the last school days off as well, it was so hard waking up this morning. It was even harder since Yuri couldn’t come and pick me up. It might be nothing but small things like Yuri driving me to school every day becomes a habit, and when it doesn’t happen, I miss it.

I think it happened gradually, step by step, I became dependent of her. It’s not like I need her to live, but it came to the point where when she is not by my side, it’s like I’m missing a part of me. I didn’t want to admit it in the past, how much in love I’m with her.

I walked to the class by myself and sat down at my desk, only a few students were already there, chatting among themselves. I looked at the empty seat next to me and felt that emptiness again. I don’t know why but I couldn’t help thinking back

on the moments I spent with Yuri in the classroom. It was the same routine every day, she would drive me to school, seat next to me and entertain me before class starts. It took me a lot of time before I realize how much she has done for me.

I was still in my thoughts when someone came over and sat down on the chair next to me. I looked up and saw a random classmate, someone I’ve barely talked to since the beginning of this school year. I looked at him confusedly, wondering what the hell he was doing, sitting here. “Can I help you?” I asked, trying to sound as polite as possible.

For whatever reason, the guy was stuttering, unable to speak properly, like he was afraid of me. “I-I w-was w-wondering i-if y-you…”

Since I’m a very impatient girl, I didn’t let him finish and bluntly asked him. “Are you trying to ask me out?”

The guy’s face turned red and he nodded lightly. Normally, I would find it rather cute but I was more curious as to why he would even think he has a chance with me, since I was openly dating Yuri. “I apologize but don’t you know I’m already taken?”

The guy’s face fell apart at my revealation, like he really didn’t expect it. “B-but II heard you two broke up?”

“Since when? Who said that?”

“Park Gyuri…a-and since I saw you coming alone this morning, I-I thought it was

real” he admitted.

That Park Gyuri never gets tired, it’s incredible how much energy she has. “She lied, Yuri and I are still together and we won’t break up. You can go and spread that around if you want to” I said annoyed.

“Is everything okay?” Yuri’s voice suddenly popped out of nowhere. I turned around and saw her standing behind the guy. He immediately stood up, like his chair was on fire and excused himself for bothering me. He barely dared to look at Yuri before running back to his seat. Even though it wasn’t funny, I couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“What’s wrong with him?” Yuri asked, taking her seat.

I ignored her question and grabbed her shirt, pulling her in for a kiss. I could feel the others staring at us, probably shocked at this public display of affection in the middle of the class, but who cares, right?

When I ended the kiss, Yuri’s eyes were still closed and a smile appeared on her face. “Good morning to you too” she joked, opening her eyes. “What’s that for?” she asked immediately, still shocked at my move.

I bite my lips innocently. “I simply missed you” I said before plenting another kiss on her soft lips.

“O-okay…I don’t know what happened to you but I’m not complaining” she smiled, eventhough her face was all confused because of my behavior.

Right then, the teacher walked into the class and everyone quickly went to their seats and focused. I quickly glanced at Yuri and she was still looking confused, probably trying to figure out what happened to me. Somehow, I like the effect I have on her sometimes. Isn’t it fascinating how I can make her go all crazy and confused with a single kiss?

I smiled to myself, I should probably behave like this more often, seeing Yuri like this was so entertaining.

My day was finally starting to look bright.

Coffee Shop,

No POV

It was a nice morning, the sun was shining brightly and a nice breeze was floating in the air. The coffee shop was full of people, sitting outside, drinking a fresh drink and chatting with their friends. Among them all, a girl was seen sitting straight on her chair, lost in her thoughts and playing with her glass of water. The seat in front of her was empty, her appointment hasn’t arrived yet.

A girl’s laughter snapped Sunye out of her fantasy. She looked to the table next to hers and saw a couple chatting happily. Sunye smiled to herself, though this sight was hurting her more than anything at the moment.

Min Sun Ye, the perfect lady. Born within a healthy family, blessed with a sweet looking face, smart and generous, she had all to herself since her birth. Her life could have been a real farytale, but it all ended 2 years ago.

*Flashback – 2 years ago*

Up in the hill, 15 years old Taeyeon and Sunye were sitting next to each other. Earlier, Sunye convinced Taeyeon to ditch school and follow her. The two friends walked to their secret spot all afternoon. “Are you going to tell me why you want to come out here all of sudden?” Taeyeon curiously asked.

Sunye turned to look at her first crush and smiled. “I just feel like coming here with you”. She moved a little closer to Taeyeon and rested her head on the girl’s shoulder. “If only we could stay like this forever” she wished out loud.

“Why can’t we? Nothing is impossible for us” replied Taeyeon, a hint of arrogance in her voice.

“I wish things were as simple as that…” Sunye smiled sadly, she knew too well why things couldn’t stay the way they were. As much as she wanted this farytale to go on, she knew the end was coming close. *End Flashback*

“Hello” the familiar voice that was Taeyeon’s brought Sunye back to reality.

She finally looked away from the couple’s table, a little embarrassed by her little zone out. “Hi” she replied shyly.

Taeyeon took the empty seat in front of Sunye and sat down. She raised her hand to call the waitress and ordered an ice tea. “Nice weather today” she commented, trying to break the tension that was obviously filling the air.

“Yes”

Sensing that Sunye wasn’t going to start the conversation, Taeyeon had to take the lead and be straightforward. “What can I help you with today?” she asked.

“I came to ask you a favor”

“I can’t help your brother Sunye, it’s too late” Taeyeon knew what kind of favor Sunye wanted.

“It’s not too late! I beg you, give him a chance”

“It’s not up to me anymore, Sungmin has to deal with this by himself”

“But you can help him!” Sunye insisted hopelessly, her eyes getting teary.

Taeyeon looked away, unable to look at Sunye. She knew how much the other girl was hurt and afraid, and it was killing her that she was the one behind her pain. “What do you want me to do?” she finally gave up.

“I hope you can meet up with my brother and solve this issue together”

“Sunye, you know I want to help you, but this isn’t my issue to begin with”

“All you have to do is talk to him, please”

Taeyeon just couldn’t say no. “Fine, one meeting, that’s all I can do”

Thankful, Sunye’s hand reached out and grabbed Taeyeon’s hand. “Thank you” she said sincerely, but Taeyeon immediately took her hand away.

“That’s all I can do” Taeyeon repeated again before taking out her wallet. “If you will excuse me, I have to go” she apologized, not wanting to stay any longer. Sunye was her friend now, but whenever she was with her, she couldn’t help but think about Tiffany and how she was meeting Sunye behind her back.

Sunye simply smiled politely and said nothing. She wanted Taeyeon to stay a little longer, but she knew she wasn’t in the position to ask her to spend time with her. It was over between them, and she understood that. Taeyeon quickly finished her drink and put the money on the table. “I’ll call you after I meet your brother. Goodbye” she greeted before leaving.

Sunye sat there and watched as Taeyeon walked away. Somehow, this situation

mirrored the one that took place 2 years ago.

*Flashback – 2 years ago*

Taeyeon and Sunye were still sitting on the hill, enjoying the view in front of them. While Taeyeon was oblivious to the upcoming happening, Sunye was preparing herself to end the most beautiful relationship she will ever have.

“What if I have to leave the country, would you wait for me?” Sunye asked suddenly.

Not expecting these kinds of questions, Taeyeon moved away so she could look at Sunye. “What?”

The elder girl smiled, trying to find the right words to announce it. She breathed in deeply before spilling the news. “I’m leaving Korea tomorrow” she announced.

“And where are you going?”

“New York”

“For vacation?”

“No, my family is moving there”

“Why so sudden?”

“It’s better for my treatment”

“I see…”

“So…are you going to wait for me?” Sunye asked, hopeful.

“No” her answer came out alsmost immediately, there was no doubt in her voice.

“Taeyeon…” Sunye was surprised at how cold Taeyeon suddenly sounded.

“I don’t make this kind of promise” she said coldy, hiding her emotions. “Maybe you should leave already”

“You are not going to ask me to stay?”

“If your parents took that decision, it’s for the best. I have no reason to ask you to stay here and put your life in danger”

“I know it’s stupid but I wish you at least tried…” Sunye admitted disappointingly, but seeing Taeyeon had no reaction, she gave up. “Maybe I should leave first”

“Maybe”

“I never thought our story would end like this” Though she knew a long distance relationship was hard to maintain, Sunye had hoped that Taeyeon would show that she cared, that she wanted to try and make it work. Seeing Taeyeon so detached

was upsetting, but she knew better, Taeyeon wasn’t the kind of person who shows her emotions easily.

“…” Taeyeon remained silent, having nothing more to say to the girl that was breaking her heart. She was only hoping it will end fast.

“I guess it’s time to say goodbye”

Gathering all the energy she had left, Taeyeon turned to look at Sunye. “Take care of yourself” she said, no hint of emotion in her voice.

Sunye made a step forwards, wanting to have one last physical contact with that girl she loved so much, but she refrained herself, not knowing how Taeyeon might react. With a broken heart, she turned around and walk away from the farytale she had always dream about.

It was over and she knew it.

*End Flashback*

Sunye wondered whether her relationship with Taeyeon would be stronger, had she not left the country. While she knew they had something special going on back then, she was unable to say whether it was love from Taeyeon’s side.

Coming back to Seoul for the second time, Sunye knew she wouldn’t be able to get

her lover back, it was too late, but she knew she could help her brother. She lost Taeyeon already and she didn’t want to lose her brother as well.

Outside in Seoul,

Jessica’s POV

When I thought my day was getting better, Yuri had to leave me again. I don’t know what she is doing but I have the feeling that she is planning something behind my back. The only good thing was that since Yuri left, I didn’t have to stay and study after school. It was perfect since I wanted to go to the bookstore and buy some new books.

On the way to the store, I had a very unpleasant meeting.

Park Gyuri

If I could have powers for a day, I would make that girl disappear in a giant black hole. It is not only because she tried and is still trying to ruin my relationship with Yuri, but everything about her annoys me. Not only is she super arrogant, overconfident and self-centered but she is also a big fat liar.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t avoid her as we were walking on the same sidewalk. Then I remembered what happened this morning in school, she spreaded some stupid lies about Yuri and I and I didn’t have the chance to give her a piece of my mind.

When she saw me, Gyuri put on that fake friendly smile. “Oooh Jessica! Why are you all alone? Where is Yuri? Did she really dump you?”

I was so close to jump on her and punch her like she was a punching ball, but I didn’t. Instead, I put on the same fake friendly smile as hers and kept my calm. “Yuri’s whereabouts are none of your business, if you want to care about someone’s schedule, go and find yourself a lover and stay away from mine” I warned her.

“Ah Jessica, why are you so angry? Can’t you see? I’m trying to help you here!” she said dramatically. “You and Yuri don’t have a future together, she will be better with me”

“Listen you little psycho” I took a step closer to her. “What you have been trying to do all this time is not going to work. I was weak in the past, didn’t really know what I wanted, but this is over. Kwon Yuri is mine and I’ll never let you take her away from me. NEVER”

I knew she wouldn’t be scared of me, but she was shocked. Up until now, it was always Yuri who had to face her and tell her to stop while I was confused and afraid to deal with the rumors she threw at us, but this time, I took the lead and dealt with it myself. That would probably calm her for a while.

“Now if you will excuse me, I have better things to do than talking with someone like you” I said to her before walking away.

When I was going to walk past her, Gyuri grabbed my arm angrily. “YOU tell Yuri to never try to blackmail me again, because now, I’m really really upset and you two will have to face the consequences” she dropped my arm and walked away.

I was too shocked to react, I really didn’t know what she was talking about and since when did Yuri blackmail her? And why? I really wanted to text Yuri and tell her what happened and what Gyuri said, but I didn’t. Somehow, I knew that sooner or later, Yuri will explain it to me.

Coffee House,

No POV

Sunye was surprised when earlier in the day, she received a call from Taeyeon’s current girlfriend, Tiffany. The younger girl asked to meet with her, but she refused to tell her why. Even though Sunye knew it wasn’t a good idea, she had always wanted to meet and chat with the girl that took her place in Taeyeon’s heart. What kind of person was she? How did she break through Taeng’s shell? The occasion was too good and she couldn’t refuse Tiffany’s invitation.

Arriving at the coffee shop Tiffany chose, Sunye spotted the girl sitting alone at a table, at the back of the shop. There weren’t many people in there and she understood why Tiffany picked that place. It was comfy enough to talk without lacking privacy.

As she walked inside, she couldn’t help but studied the other girl. Sunye had met

Tiffany in the past, but she never really paid attention to her, mostly because at that time, she thought the girl wasn’t a real threat to her. As painful as it might be, Sunye couldn’t deny Tiffany’s attractiveness; the girl was pretty, no doubt.

As she came closer, Tiffany realized the other girl’s presence and looked up at her. None of them smiled. Tiffany’s face was tensed even though she tried very hard not to show it. “Hello” Tiffany gave an awkward greeting.

“Hi” Sunye greeted back, sitting down.

An awkward silence filled the place until the waitress came and took their order. “It’s the first time we are alone with each other” Sunye stated, obviously trying to break the ice.

Tiffany smiled politely. “Yes” but the younger girl didn’t come here to befriend her nemesis. She was here for a reason and she wasn’t going to waste her time. “Anyway, I don’t want to hold you back so I will go straight to the point” she started. “I don’t like what you are doing with Taeyeon”

Puzzled, Sunye didn’t understand what she meant by that. “Excuse me?”

“Taeyeon went through a lot already, you shouldn’t ask her to deal with your brother’s business”

“Excuse my rudeness, but isn’t it Taeyeon’s problem? I don’t think it’s up to you what she decides to do”

“I’m her girlfriend and it’s my role to take care of her. If you care for Taeyeon, you wouldn’t ask her to deal with your brother’s problems”

“I didn’t force her to…” Sunye said, wondering whether Taeyeon already told her about their morning meeting.

“You didn’t need to! I don’t know what happened between you two in the past, but she still cares for you and she feels bad for hurting you because of this”

“What do you want me to say? Sungmin is my brother!”

“And he tried to put Taeyeon in jail! Your brother is not that innocent and now it’s time for him to admit his wrongs, don’t drag Taeyeon into this”

“What are you really afraid of? Taeyeon being in trouble or her coming back to me?” Sunye asked curiously, knowing her question would trigger Tiffany.

“What?” From all the questions Sunye could have asked her, she didn’t expect this one. Fany knew how she felt about Taeyeon’s ex-girlfriend being back in the picture, but there was no way she would admit it to her rival. “There is no reason for me to be afraid of her going back to you, because I know she won’t. I trust Taeyeon and I know she loves me” Fany said with confidence.

That confidence in Tiffany’s voice and her words were like a slap to Sunye. She knew Taeyeon had feelings for that girl, but hearing it directly from Tiffany’s mouth hurted even more.

Speechless, Sunye could only brush the comment off and act like it didn’t touch her. “Anyway, even though I want to help my brother, I’m not stupid and careless enough to let Taeyeon get in trouble again. I care for her”

Seeing that this conversation was going nowhere and how Sunye wouldn’t let it go, Fany decided to end their little meeting. “I guess my words didn’t convince you to stop bothering Taeyeon, so there is no need for us to continue with this conversation.” Tiffany took out some money to pay for her drink before standing up. “I just hope you will let Taeyeon alone when this is all over, goodbye”

But before Tiffany could leave, Sunye made sure that her last words would leave a deep impression on her rival. “Whether you want it or not, there is a spot in Taeyeon’s heart that belongs to me, and you will never take it away.”

The two girls were mentally fighting with each other, the first one who shows her emotion would obviously lose and Tiffany had to clinch her teeth to force a smile. “If you say so” she managed to say before turning her back on Sunye and finally making her way out of this emotionally tiring meeting.

Sica’s House,

Tiffany’s POV

After my meeting with Sunye, I didn’t feel like going home. It’s not like I wanted to avoid Taeyeon, but I felt the need to get away for a few hours. I lied to her today, I wasn’t honest when I told her I went out to meet a friend, but I obviously

couldn’t tell her I was going to meet Sunye. I wandered in the street for a while when Jessica called me and told me to come to her place.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Sica asked me. We were sitting on her bed, our backs leaning against the wall. “I could have gone with you or something” she added.

“It was an impulsive move. I don’t know why I did it anyway…didn’t solve anything…” I admitted, disappointed.

“Maybe, but now you know that girl is a *****” Jessica swore.

“Don’t say that”

“Honestly, how could she say such things to you? She acts all nice and lady-like but deep inside, she’s a monster”

“Maybe she is right…”

“No! Don’t even think about it Fany, you know she is wrong”

“No but really, that’s how I felt yesterday you know? How Taeyeon cares for her, it scares me”

“But seriously, I think Taeyeon cares for her because she isn’t healthy, you know? Doesn’t she have some sort of illness?”

“I don’t know…I think I heard about it but Taeyeon and I never talked about her

past relationship…”

“Well, maybe it’s time for you two to talk about it”

“I’m not sure I want to talk about that with her. There are some things I prefer to ignore…”

“I personally think it will be good for you. You need to know what kind of relationship they had and what happened. It can only reassure you Fany-ah”

“I hope so”

“By the way, I need your advice on something” Sica said while playing with her pillow.

“Go on”

“Did you and Taeyeon talk about what will happen after high school?” she asked, but seeing my confused face, she rephrased her question. “I mean, did you two talk about what university you will apply for?”

I scratched my head, trying to remember whether Taeyeon and I had a discussion about this, but nothing came into mind. “Hmm I don’t think so…but we should probably do” I said.

“Well, exams are coming up and in a few months, we will be all separated” Jessica stated sadly.

“We might end up in the same one, you never know!” I tried to be optimist. “Why are you so worried?”

“I had a talk with Yuri the other day and I told her that we don’t need to be in the same university for our relationship to work, but now, it scares me a little to be away from her”

“Did she pick a university already?”

“Nope, I just made it clear that our relationship shouldn’t influence on our choices”

“I think you’re right”

“Yeah but I’m scared. I wanted to be a good girlfriend so I made that whole speech to Yuri, but in reality, I didn’t want her to be away from me” she admitted.

“I don’t think it can be help though, I guess Taeyeon and I will end up being in different universities as well” Just thinking about that made me sad.

“Aren’t you afaid? What if she wants to go abroad?”

“I haven’t thought about that, but I’m sure she would have told me though”

“So complicated, I told you, we should have stayed single until 30’s!”

“Yeah right!”

Jessica and I stayed like this until evening, talking and laughing like we used to in the past, before we fell in love with Yuri and Taeyeon, before we got into these difficult but so beautiful relationships. I kind of miss those days where all we cared about was what kind of clothes we were going to wear in the morning or how to not fail our test.

I guess we can’t always have what we want. No matter how complicated things are sometimes, I will never want a life without Kim Taeyeon by my side.

Kwon’s Residence,

Taeyeon’s POV

Since Tiffany was at Sica’s place, I decided to go and meet with Yuri instead of staying alone at home. When I got there, she wasn’t home yet. Aunty told me that she had some appointments but she had no idea what it was. I went into Yuri’s room and waited for her there. Her room hasn’t changed much, there were just more pictures of Jessica. She even hung a poster of Jessica on the ceiling.

“Hey Taeyeon, what’s up?” Yuri greeted me when she came back.

I was lying on her bed, watching TV. “I was waiting for you, where did you go?”

“I had an appointment”

“With who?”

“It’s a secret” she teased me.

“Come on! There is no secret between us!”

“Sorry, I can’t take the risk. If I tell you, you might tell Tiffany”

“And why can’t I tell Tiffany?”

“See! I knew you were going to tell her!” she pointed her finger at me, like I already betrayed her secret.

“No I’m not! Aish whatever, I don’t care about your secret” I gave up, annoyed. I knew Yuri too well, she would end up telling me anyway.

“Anyway, what are you doing here?”

“My girlfriend is hanging out with your girlfriend, so I thought we could hang out together too” I said.

“That’s so nice of you, coming to visit me because your girl left you alone”

“You want me to say I missed you?” I teased her. “Okay okay, I missed you my little friend”

Yuri rolled her eyes and went to sit on her bed. “More seriously, what’s going on

with you? I saw the news about Sungmin”

“Gosh I don’t want to talk about him” I said, but Yuri was still staring at me, waiting for an explanation. “Okay I did it, I spilled the secrets about his company to the press”

“I knew it, you could have waited a little though. The timing is kind of bad, he probably knows it’s you”

“Oh he knows already…Sunye came to me and asked for help” I revealed.

“What? She’s back?” Yuri was shocked to learn the news.

“Yup”

“And?”

“And what?”

“How are you feeling?” she rolled her eyes, like it was an obvious question.

“I feel bad because I’m indirectly hurting her and that’s not her fault if her brother is an idiot”

Yuri rolled her eyes again. “No, how are you feeling about her being back in your life?”

I sighed, annoyed that after Tiffany, its Yuri’s turn to think that because Sunye was back, I would immediately run to her and spend the rest of my life with her or something. “Why do all of you think that there is still something between Sunye and me?” I asked angrily.

“I don’t know…why are you so upset about this?”

“Because I see her as a friend but Tiffany is convinced there is something else while there is not. I don’t have feelings for her anymore, I don’t even think I had at some point”

“You can’t blame Tiffany though, Sunye is your first girlfriend, whether it was official or not and you can’t denied the fact that she has some kind of power on you. If she calls you, you come running. That’s a fact”

“But that’s not love! I just care about her because…”

“Because she is ill, I know, but Fany doesn’t know that. Maybe it’s time for you to open up to Tiffany about your past with Sunye, that’s the only way you can fully reassure her”

“Gosh I forgot how annoying it was when you are right”

“I know, my awesomeness doesn’t have limit. You know, it’s tiring sometimes, to be so smart, funny, hot, etc. etc.” Yuri complimented herself. “By the way, look at my abs!” she sat straight up and showed me her tummy.

I quickly covered my eyes and acted like I was disgusted by the view. “Oh my god my eyes, my eyes! Don’t show me your tummy, you want me to have nightmares or what?”

“Ah come on, I worked really hard to get those, take a look!” Yuri tried to force me to look at her abs and we fought like this for a while. I forgot how nice it was to spend time with my bestfriend like this.

And I know Yuri was right, I get annoyed and frustrated at Tiffany for not trusting me about Sunye, but maybe it’s because we have never talked about it. I will make sure that Tiffany knows how much I only care and love her, because that’s the truth.

Sunye will always remain in my past, and Tiffany will always be my future.

Chapter 36 - A Step Forward

TaeNy’s Apartment,

No POV

After spending a good amount of time at her bestfriend’s house, Taeyeon came back to the apartment she and Tiffany shared. It was close to 8pm when she tried to unlock the door, just to realize that it was already unlocked. If it wasn’t for the smell of food, Taeyeon would have freaked out, thinking that maybe a thief paid them a visit earlier. When she opened the door, a strong smell of tasty food welcomed her in. She smiled to herself, knowing that it was her cute girlfriend who was cooking in the kitchen.

With little and quiet steps, she made her way to the kitchen. There, standing in front of the oven, Tiffany was unaware of Taeyeon’s presence. She was so focus on not messing up her dish that she didn’t realize how her girlfriend was slowly walking toward her.

Tiffany nearly had a heartattack when she felt two strong arms hugging her from behind, but she quickly realized that it was none other than her beloved lover. Taeyeon backhugged Tiffany and rested her chin on the other girl’s shoulder. “Evening” she said, her breath tickling against Tiffany’s neck.

The younger girl slightly turned her head to look at her lover’s face. “Hey I’ve –“

“missed you” Taeyeon finished off. Somehow, she knew what Tiffany wanted to say, maybe it was because she was feeling the same.

“Ya, don’t steal my sentence” Fany scolded Taeyeon playfully, but the older girl just smiled in response, her eyes were closed and she hugged Tiffany even tighter. “Is everything okay?” Fany asked, her voice a little worried seeing Taeyeon’s strange behavior.

The way Taeyeon has changed through a single year is simply magical. When Tiffany first met her, Taeyeon was this loner kid who never showed her emotions and was cold toward anyone besides the Kwon’s family. But now, not only has she opened up to Tiffany but she was also able to initiate skinship on her own.

Maybe it was the feeling of guilt that pushed Taeyeon to act so clingy, but she couldn’t say it out. “I simply missed you today” she said and it wasn’t a lie since they barely saw each other since morning.

Although Tiffany was happy at Taeyeon’s words, she knew there was something else behind her girlfriend’s behavior. After all, she did come home early to prepare dinner because she, too, was feeling guilty for the secret she was hiding. Cooking for Taeyeon was a way to think about something else, to escape from the events that took place earlier, to do something nice so she could forget the lies she made up.

“I missed you too” Fany responded, trying hard to smile like nothing happened, though her guilt was slowly eating her up.

“Did you have fun with your friend today?” the question couldn’t be more innocent, but Tiffany still froze when she heard it.

“Y-Yeah it was nice seeing her again” she said quickly. Still in Taeyeon’s embrace, Tiffany turned around and tried to change the subject. “Dinner is almost ready, why don’t you go and take a shower?” she threw her arms around Taeyeon’s neck and smiled sweetly.

“Are you indirectly saying that I smell?” Taeyeon joked, she knew it wasn’t Tiffany’s intention at all.

She was expecting Tiffany to scold her for her stupid joke but the younger girl simply dismissed it, like she didn’t even hear. “I’ll set the table, don’t worry, just go go go” Tiffany freed herself from Taeyeon’s embrace and pushed the later toward the room.

Even though Tiffany’s behavior caught her off guard, Taeyeon didn’t thought too much of it and simply obey her. She went into her room, picked some new clothes and walked into the bathroom where she made sure to lock the door, as if she was locking her troubles away. Stepping inside the shower, Taeyeon wanted to rest her mind for a moment, closing her eyes, she let the hot water fell on her body, washing away the guilt for this short period of time. She didn’t know how she fell into that vicious circle of lies, where after making amends, she would fault again and again and again.

A heavy knock on the bathroom’s door brought Taeyeon back to the real world. “Taengoo, dinner is ready!” she heard Tiffany’s loud and clear voice through the

door.

“Coming!” Taeyeon yelled while turning the water off. She grabbed a towel and quickly dried her body off before slipping into her clothes. Before stepping out of the bathroom, Taeyeon took a deep breath, preparing herself to be eaten up by her lies again.

Tiffany was sitting at the table, admiring the dishes that she has prepared. When she saw Taeyeon, she quickly smiled and yelled “Tada!” opening her arms widely, she excitedly showed the nice table she has set for Taeyeon.

Taeyeon smiled at her girlfriend’s cute antics and tried her hardest to be more joyful. “Wow” Taeyeon exclaimed, taking a seat in front of Tiffany. “Did you get possessed by the ghost of cooking?” she teased, amazed at her girlfriend’s new found skills.

Satisfied that at least her food look pleasant to the eyes, Tiffany waited a little more before showing her happiness. “Try it first, maybe it doesn’t taste good” she said carefully.

Slowly, Taeyeon took a piece of meat and put it in her mouth. She chewed it a couple times before swallowing it quietly. She then proceeded to do the same with a side dish and again, she ate it quietly.

Tiffany gulped, waiting for Taeyeon’s reaction but when nothing came, she grew frustrated. “Ya! Say something! Is it good?”

Taeyeon looked at Tiffany with bewildered eyes and nodded in silence. “It’s shockingly good…what happened?”

Tiffany quickly took a bite of everything on the table and started jumping on her chair. “It’s really tasty!!! Oh my god!!”

“Wait, you didn’t taste the food while you were making it?” Taeyeon asked in shock.

“No, why? I should have?” Tiffany scratched her head, wondering if she missed that step while reading the cooking book.

Still shocked and unabled to understand how in the world Tiffany became so good in cooking, Taeyeon shrugged it off. “Never mind, it’s just amazing. Good job!” she clapped her hands, applauding her girlfriend’s efforts.

“I really need to show it off next time Yuri and Jessica come here or maybe I should wrap the leftovers and give it to them tomorrow?” Tiffany thought about the idea while Taeyeon was focused on eating.

Tiffany looked at her lover with pride, it was the first time that she could tell Taeyeon was truly enjoying her food. In the past, whenever Tiffany cooked something, Taeyeon would eat it everything as fast as she could to not disappoint her girlfriend, but now, she was enjoying the food slowly, tasting every bit of Tiffany’s efforts.

The dinner went by slowly and in silence, none of them dared to talk in fear of

bringing a topic they wanted to avoid so badly. Even though she was already full, Taeyeon insisted on finishing everything. “You’re going to be sick later” Tiffany warned.

“Nah don’t worry” Taeyeon said, finishing the last piece of meat. “See? I’m perfectly fine” she smiled.

Tiffany stood up and started cleaning the table. “I can’t believe you finished everything, I think Yoona should be scared of you now” she joked.

“I’m going to help you” Taeyeon said while trying to stand up, but she ate so much that moving a little was hurting her stomache. “Okay I think I’m just going to rest here for a day or two” she exaggerated.

“I knew that would happen” Tiffany laughed. “You never listen to me”

“That’s not my fault, it was too just too good!” Taeyeon defended herself. “I’ll massage you later as a reward for this wonderful dinner”

“You better do” Tiffany said while washing the dishes.

Another silence filled the room. Staring at Tiffany’s back, Taeyeon wondered what she did to deserve such an angelic girl. She must have been a really good person in her past life to be blessed with such reward. Realizing that a good 5 minutes passed by without any word exchanged, Taeyeon tried to start a conversation.

“So what did you and your friend talk about today?” Taeyeon asked. “Did you talk

about me?” she smiled widely, expecting Tiffany to turn around but she didn’t. Instead, the noise of a breaking dish was heard through the apartment. Taeyeon immediately stood up and rushed to Tiffany.

“Are you okay? Come here” Tiffany didn’t have the time to respond that Taeyeon already dragged her out of the kitchen and forced her to sit down on the couch. “Let me see your hand, are you bleeding?” Taeyeon was helding her girlfriend’s hands and checking them cautiously.

Tiffany stared at Taeyeon’s face, the latter was so worried that she didn’t even realize that Tiffany wasn’t injured at all. Seeing Taeyeon like this, Tiffany’s guilt consumed her completely and she couldn’t hold it in any longer.

“Taeyeon listen to me-“

“Where does it hurt, tell-“

“Taeyeon!” Tiffany grabbed Taeyeon’s hands firmly, asking for her attention.

Shocked at Tiffany’s sudden reaction, Taeyeon could only stare at her in silence.

Seeing that Taeyeon was finally paying attention to her instead of freaking out over invisible injury, Tiffany spoke up. “We need to talk”

Outside in Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

I was lying calmy at home after Taeng left, reflecting on my discussion with Jessica a few days ago, when my phone rang. I picked it up and answered without checking the caller ID. “Kwon Yuri!” I heard Sica’s cold voice on the other end.

For whatever reason, hearing her use my full name was frightening, like I did something wrong. I immediately sat up, waiting for her to scold me. “Y-Yes?”

Suddenly, her voice became super sweet and she talked to me gently. “Do you want to go out?”

“N-Now?” It was almost 9pm, a time where Jessica is used to fall asleep at, so I was indeed shocked to hear that she wanted to go out.

“Nono next year” she said sarcastically, making fun of me. “Of course now, babo!” the sweetness in her voice was killing me, how can I say no? Even if it was 4am in the morning, I would have woken up and go with her to the end of the world if she had asked me to.

“I’m coming” I said, rushing out of my room. “I’ll call you when I get there” I hung up.

I quickly informed my parents that I had to go out before running to my car and driving off. I wasn’t in a rush but I was so happy and eager to see my Jessica that I drove close to the speed limit. I barely saw her this morning, we only spent time with each other at school since I had some business to do in the afternoon. Though

it was only a few hours, I really missed her a lot.

When I arrived in front of Jessica’s house, she was already outside, waiting for me. “Hey princess, jump in!” I leaned over and opened the passenger’s door.

Jessica quietly got in and before I realized it, her lips were pressed against mine. It was the second time today that she took me by surprise by kissing me out of the blue. What was happening to her?

Sica ended the kiss and tapped me gently on the nose. “Don’t ever drive this fast again, you hear me?” she leaned back on her seat.

“H-How do you know?” “I know everything Kwon Yuri” she winked at me. “Let’s go downtown, I’m craving for some night food” I sat there and stared at her, still unable to understand what was happening with her. “Yuri can you not stare at me and drive, please?” I heard Jessica asked, I could tell she was enjoying this. During the ride, I checked on Jessica a few times, from the corner of my eyes, I could see her smiling while looking out of the window. I wondered why she was so happy lately, because the last time we were alone, we almost got into an

argument about our future. “Wah how come it is so crowded?” Jessica exclaimed when we walked out of the parking lot. “Guess people felt like going out tonight” I said simply. Jessica and I walked hand in hand, hopping from a food stall to another, enjoying the warm weather and nice atmosphere of the street. At the fish ball stall, we received some compliments from the seller. “Omo you two look so good together” she started, then while looking at me, she pointed at Jessica. “You’re so lucky to have such a beautiful girlfriend. She looks like a doll” “Yes I’m really lucky” I said, staring lovingly at Jessica who started to blush. “Thank you and thank you for the food” Sica said before dragging me away, a little embarrassed by the attention. When I laughed at her, Jessica playfully hit my arms in frustration. “Stop making fun of me! That’s not funny!” “She was right though, you are beautiful” I said, pulling her against me, I stared at her intensely. “And you are mine” I leaned in and close the gap between us. Letting go of her hands, I put my arms around her waist, bringing her body even closer to mine, while our kiss deepened. When Jessica put her arms around my

neck and started caressing it slowly, it brought chills down my spine and if we weren’t outside on the street, I would have losen control of myself. Slowly, Jessica ended the kiss, giggling, she leaned back a little so she could look at me. “Do you remember this bet we made last time?” she bite her lips innocently. “Who lost?” I stared at her with loving eyes. “I lost” I decided, not caring at all about the outcome of this bet. “I admit it, I’m too crazy about you Jung Jessica” Jessica smiled, pleased at my answer. “Does it mean you have to grant me a wish?” she asked. “I’ll do anything for you” I said, maybe too seriously for the moment. Jessica laughed at me. “Don’t make it sound so serious” she hit my arm playfully. “I’ll think about my wish then, I shall let you know when I find one” “Of course princess” I kissed her forehead and brought her in for a warm hug. At this moment, I felt like nothing was impossible. Jessica and I were together and no matter what happen tomorrow, her love was all I need to move forward. The college issue was somewhere in the back of my mind, but somehow, with the way our relationship was going, I was much more confident that at the end of the road, Jessica and I will still be walking hand in hand.

TaeNy’s Apartment, No POV For a moment, Taeyeon’s heart stopped beating. “We need to talk” Tiffany’s voice and her choice of words were like an echo, reasoning again and again in Taeyeon’s head. “A-About what?” Taeyeon’s voice was shaking a little, afraid of what Tiffany wanted to tell her. “I lied to you” Tiffany started, ready to come clean with her lies, the guilt was too strong for her to ignore. Taeyeon didn’t say anything, her brain working hard to remember in what kind of occasions Tiffany could have possibly lie to her. But she found none. Tiffany took a deep breath and turned her gaze away from Taeyeon’s face. “I didn’t meet with a friend earlier today” she admitted. Taeyeon let out an “Oh” but remained calm, for now, she didn’t care much about the lie, she was more interested in who Tiffany was really with. One thing for sure, if Sungmin’s name came out of Tiffany’s mouth, it would be the end and

Taeyeon would go berserk. “I was with Sunye” Tiffany’s words came out like a whisper and if Taeyeon wasn’t paying attention, she wouldn’t have heard it. “W-What?” Taeyeon asked shocked. “You were with Sunye? W-Why?” Tiffany took another deep breath before letting all out. “I have enough Taeyeon” Once again, Tiffany’s words caught Taeyeon off guard. “W-What do you mean?” “I have enough of the way you behave around her, of the place she still has in your heart!” Tiffany stood up, Sunye’s last words to her were replaying in her head as she spoke to Taeyeon. “What did you do say to her?” Taeyeon’s face was calm but her words were so cold, so serious. Tiffany let out a disappointed laugh. “See? Here we are again. All you care about is her well-being. You don’t care about why I went out, about how I felt meeting with your ex-lover, all you care and want to know is what I did to her…” Tiffany felt the tears coming up but she couldn’t stop. “DO I ACTUALLY EXIST WHEN SHE IS AROUND?” she screamed but her voice was carrying so much pain. Although the pain was killing Tiffany, her words were a wake up call for Taeyeon

who for the first time, realized how blind she was all this time whenever Sunye was brought up. Yuri was right, Tiffany was right, she was blind and different when Sunye was involved. Dropping her head down, Taeyeon stared at the floor, feeling awful for being so ignorant to her girlfriend’s feelings. “I-I’m so sorry Tiffany” she said sincerely before she felt the tears burning her eyes. Taeyeon hated herself for ignoring and not understanding Tiffany’s insecurities. Worse, she met with Sunye this morning, behind Tiffany’s back…again. “Do you need time to figure out your feelings?” Tiffany asked, her arms wrapping around herself, tears were now falling on her face. “Maybe we shou-“ “NO” Taeyeon yelled before Tiffany could finish her sentence. She stood up and went near Tiffany. “I’m not confused at all” she tried to touch Tiffany’s arm but the latter took a step back, avoiding Taeyeon’s touch. “I was wrong, I know it, but there is really nothing between Sunye and me anymore” Tiffany wanted answers, she wanted to understand why on earth this girl had such a strong hold on Taeyeon. “Then why are you like this? Why is she so important? Why do you c-“ “I NEARLLY KILLED HER!” Taeyeon’s scream echoed through the whole apartment. The silence that filled the room was clear enough, Tiffany was speechless at

Taeyeon’s confession and though she was angry a few seconds ago, the sight of Taeyeon being so desperate and fragile broke her heart. It was Tiffany’s turn to hate herself for the pain she was inflicting on Taeyeon. “Baby…” Tiffany finally reached out to her lover, slowly pulling the smaller girl in her embrace, she stroke Taeyeon’s hair gently, trying to calm her down. “I’m sorry Taeyeon-ah” Taeyeon remained quiet, sobbing silently in Tiffany’s embrace, she allowed herself to calm her emotions down before she could open up about this part of her past.

In front of Sica’s House, Yuri’s POV After that wonderful night spent in the street of Seoul, I had to drive Jessica back to her house. I would be lying if I said I didn’t think about asking her to spend the night at home, but I felt like the night would be more beautiful and memorable if we end it simply. Once in front of Jessica’s house, I walked her to the small gate and we stood there quietly, swinging our hands playfully. “Thank you Kwon Yuri” Jessica said with a smile. “I had a wonderful night” she kissed me on the cheek.

Though I could have let her go like this, my curiosity won me over and I had to ask her. “What’s going on?” “What do you mean?” “Don’t get me wrong, I love this Jessica, but I can’t help but wonder, what happened to the more distant Jessica?” I asked carefully, not wanting her to take it the wrong way. Jessica took my hands and placed them around her waist, before putting her arms around my neck. She inhaled deeply before explaining to me. “The old Jessica is gone” she announced. “Okay bu-“ “Let me finish” she cut me off, before speaking again. “The old Jessica was an idiot who kept on living in her past, unable to move on completely. The old Jessica was ungrateful and blind and couldn’t see what was right in front of her eyes. The old Jessica didn’t know how to cherish the love that was given to her, thus I made her go away” she explained to me, her gaze never leaving mine. I smiled at her explanation, understanding the meaning behind it. “So how is this new Jessica?” I asked, tightened my grip on her waist.

She smiled widely. “Like this” she said before plenting a sweet kiss on my lips. “The new Jessica knows how much you have done for her and she promises to never let you down, because…I’m in love with you K-w-o-n- Y-u-r-i” I smiled at every word she said and instead of mumbling unnecessary words, I acted instead of speak and captured Jessica’s lips with mine. Our kiss was gentle and sincere, it was full of love and understanding. Afer so long, she has finally come to accept and understand my love and is now ready to love me the way I love her. “Do you know my parents can see us?” Jessica joked, her eyes full of happiness. “I’m not afraid, your parents love me! I’m the best daughter-in-law and they know it” I said with confidence. Jessica rolled her eyes. “Yeah yeah you’re awesome blablabla” she teased me. “I have to go now, all the food and kissing made me sleepy” I looked at her lovingly and moved away a fringe that was hiding her left eyes. “Thank you” I told her. “For what?” I thought about my answer. Actually, I was thankful for a lot of things, from the first day I got to know her until now, but I didn’t know how to put it in words, so I

ended up being cheesy again. “For us” Jessica tapped my nose lightly. “Babo, don’t be so cheesy, I am the one who should be thankful” she said. “Let’s just say that we’re thankful for having each other, okay?” she kissed my cheek before leaving my embrace. “Go to sleep now, you have to pick me up tomorrow!” she smiled and walked to her house. “Bye bye” she waved at me. “I’ll leave once you’re inside the house” I told her, although she should know by now. Jessica rolled her eyes and quickly ran to her house’s door. She opened it and stepped inside but didn’t close the door. She stood inside the house and waved her hand at me, telling me to hurry up and go home. I smiled at her cuteness and had to drag myself to my car because I didn’t want to stop looking at her. Jessica waved at me until I drove away. On the way back home, I felt like all the happiness in this world was thrown at me. I was smiling to myself in the car, reminiscing all the moments we shared tonight.

TaeNy’s Apartment, No POV

After Taeyeon’s little breakdown, Tiffany led her back on the couch. The two girls were sitting side by side, their heads resting on the couche, facing each other. Tiffany stroked her lover’s face gently and for a moment, Taeyeon closed her eyes, enjoying her girlfriend’s touches. “I met with her this morning” Taeyeon let the truth out. “I met with Sunye” she repeated. Tiffany didn’t move, nor did she take away her hand from Taeyeon’s face. “I knew it would happen” Tiffany said, but there was no anger in her voice. “I agreed to meet with her because I knew what she wanted to ask me and I knew I wouldn’t be able to refuse her request” Taeyeon continued. “Sometimes, I feel like I’m stuck in a hole where there is no escape” “There is always a way out Taeyeon” “No not this time…No matter where I am, now matter how much I have changed, whenever she is around, the guilt comes back and I can’t make it go away” Taeyeon confessed. “What happened that made you like this Taeyeon-ah?” Tiffany finally dared to ask.

Flashback – 5 years ago It was a bright Saturday afternoon when Sunye called Taeyeon and asked her to go out and play with her. It has been a week since Sunye came back from the hospital and she was forced to stay inside her house the whole time. The young girl was eager to go outside and play and there was no way she would accept no as an anwer. “Come on Taeyeon, let’s go out” “I don’t think it’s a good idea, I heard you weren’t feeling well” “I’m feeling much better! I have to go out, I’m going crazy in here!!” Sunye pled. “Please please please Taeyeon, go with me!!!” Although she wanted to be strong, Taeyeon had to give in. “Fine, but we won’t stay out too long” she warned. “Yeah! In 10 minutes, behind my house, be there!” she quickly said before hanging up. Sunye jumped out of her bed and quickly dressed up to meet with her friend. Like Sunye instructed, Taeyeon waited for her friend behind her house, hiding behind a bush that was bigger than the 12 years old girl. “Taeyeon? Are you

there?” she heard Sunye calling for her. Carefully, Taeyeon peeked out to look for her friend. “Ah you’re there, come on let’s go” Sunye grabbed Taeyeon’s hand and dragged her far away from her house. The two kids ran as fast as they could and though Taeyeon didn’t know why they had to act like this, she simply followed Sunye’s lead. “W-Where…are…we…going?” Taeyeon asked, trying to catch her breath. They were outside of the neighborhood, at a bus station. “Hmmm…I want to go…THERE!” Sunye randomly pointed far away with her finger. Taeyeon looked at the direction Sunye was pointing at and gasped. “What? You want to go on that hill?” Sunye nodded with a smile. “That’s so far! It will take us hours to get there!” Taeyeon exclaimed. Sunye looked at Taeyeon with her puppy eyes and used her cutest voice to make the latter changed her mind. “Please Taeyeon-ah, for me? I was stuck at home for so long already…please please please” Though Taeyeon appeared to be a very cold kid, she softened when she was with Sunye, her only friend outside of the Kwon’s family and her cousin Seohyun. She didn’t know why she couldn’t be mean to that fragile girl, there was something about her that made Taeyeon wanted to protect and be nice to her.

“Fine, but are you sure you can do it? You’re still sick” Taeyeon worried about Sunye’s health. For unknown reason, Sunye had to visit the hospital regularly and she even had to miss school for a while. “I’m perfectly fine! Believe me!” Sunye held Taeyeon’s hand as the two took off for their destination. It took them about 3 hours to reach the top of the hill, getting to the hill wasn’t tiring as they took the bus, but the one hour walk to the top was exhausting for both of them. Taeyeon allowed herself to fall on the grassy ground to rest her heavy legs while Sunye looked at the view. “I can’t…feel…my legs anymore” Taeyeon managed to say, still trying to catch her breath. “It’s beauti-” Taeyeon sat down and saw Sunye fell on her knees, her right hand on her chest, trying hard to breath. Instanctively, Taeyeon ran to her side. “What’s going on? Are you okay?” “uhh…uhh…uhh…uhh” Sunye’s breathing was heavy and fast and her eyes were closed.

“Sunye?” Taeyeon held her friend but the situation only got worse as Sunye fainted in Taeyeon’s arms. “Sunye? SUNYE?” horrified by the situation, Taeyeon looked furiously around her, hoping someone would be there to help them but there was no one. It became even worse when Taeyeon realized none of them brought their cellphones and that the only thing she could do was to run down and seek help which means leaving Sunye behind. “I’ll go and get help, don’t worry, I won’t leave you alone, okay?” Taeyeon spoke normally, trying to remain calm. Taking one last look at Sunye, Taeyeon started running as fast as she could, like her life depended on it but to her, it seemed like there was no ending, she ran and ran but there was nothing but an empty path. But when she was starting to lose hope, a couple of adults appeared in her sight. “HELP HELP” Taeyeon screamed as she ran toward them. The woman instinctively opened her arms to hug the tiny kid who was in tears. “Please help me…my friend…she…” “What’s going on my child?” “Did someone tried to hurt you?” The husband asked, his eyes checking the direction where Taeyeon ran from, expecting to see an aggressor. “Nono my friend…she…collapsed…please help her!” Taeyeon fell on the ground, her legs were too heavy to carry her on.

“Where is she?” “On top of the hill…call the ambulance…she is sick…I shouldn’t have let her go out…that’s my fault…” Taeyeon looked down, tears falling on her face. “It’s my fault” she repeated. Everything from there happened very fast. A helicopter came and picked up Sunye to the hospital where her parents were waiting for her. When Taeyeon got there with her parents, she barely dared to look at Sunye’s parents. “WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!” Sunye’s dad yelled at Taeyeon as soon as he saw her. “Please, she didn’t know something like that could happen” Taeyeon’s mom shielded her daughter. “Don’t yell at her” “They’re friends! Don’t tell me you didn’t know Sunye had a heart disease? She can’t take so much effort!” Mr. Min went on. “I-I didn’t know…” Taeyeon shook her head, her eyes glued on the floor. “I’m really sorry” “Sorry? Would a simple sorry be enough if my daughter doesn’t make it?” Mr. Kim stepped up and tried to calm down the situation. “Please, let’s wait for

the doctor first. Don’t accuse my daughter of something she didn’t do” As he said that, the doctor came out of the emergency room with a light smile. “Your daughter is fine. She needs a lot of rest and will have to stay there for the night, but she is out of danger” “Thank you doctor” Mr. Min shook hands with the doctor before giving his wife a hug. “Can we see her?” Mrs. Min asked. “She’s still asleep but if you want to stay with her, you can. I would also like to remind you that your daugther’s heart is very weak at the moment and it would be better to refrain her from doing anything that requires too much effort” he advised them before leaving. Sunye’s dad glared at Taeyeon. “There is a reason why we didn’t let her leave the house” he said out loud, his words were obviously meant for Taeyeon to hear. Seeing that atmosphere wasn’t getting any better, Taeyeon’s mom stepped in. “It looks like Sunye is out of trouble. I hope you won’t hold it against Taeyeon for too long. There are kids after all” she said but Sunye’s parents ignored her completely as they stepped inside their daughter’s room. “It was my fault” Taeyeon whispered to herself. “I nearly got her killed…” she sweeped the tears that were falling before turning around and leaving the hospital.

End Flashback

Tiffany could understand why it was so hard for Taeyeon to let it go, but she also knew that Taeyeon couldn’t go on like this forever, for her, for them. “That’s not your fault Taeyeon, no one could have foresee the accident” “But I should have!” Taeyeon sat straight up. “I was supposed to be responsible already” she blamed herself again. “You were 12! Taeyeon no matter what you said, you had the right to play carelessly at that age. You’ve done nothing wrong” Tiffany tried to reassure her girlfriend. “Accidents happened and there is nothing we can do to prevent them…” At her last words, Tiffany felt her heart ached, how to not think about her deceased mother when the word accident was used? If there was someone out there who understood that blaming yourself wouldn’t changed anything, it was Tiffany. The young girl went through a lot of blaming after her mother’s death to know that at some point, you have to move on. “The guilt is here Tiffany. No matter what I do, whenever I look at her, I remember that day.” Taeyeon said, the sound of her voice was so hopeless. “That's why when I'm with her, I feel like it's my duty, to make sure nothing

happens to her" “Tell me the truth, have you ever loved her?” Tiffany asked out of the blue. Before tonight’s confession, the answer was pretty clear for her, but after what she has just learned, Tiffany wondered if feelings were ever involved. “Truthfully, I don’t know. When the accident happened, she was a friend, someone I felt comfortable with but there was no love involved. I was too young and really didn’t care about those things.” Taeyeon explained, trying to remember her feelings back then. “But after the accident, I probably treated her like my girlfriend, even though, at that time, I couldn’t tell the difference” Listening to Taeyeon, Tiffany realized that this closeness Sunye and Taeyeon shared in the past was due to this terrible day and the guilt that was haunting Taeyeon. “When she left 2 years ago, I felt betrayed because she was my close friend, it did feel like everyone close to me was leaving me, my parents, Sunye, but as time goes by, I felt better. The guilt was slowly fading away as I stopped seeing her.” Tiffany listened to Taeyeon and found herself wondering whether their relationship would forever be attached to her guilt toward Sunye. Would her exgirlfriend be a part of their lives whenever she appears? “I know it seems impossible and probably unfair, but somehow, you have to let it go. Believe me, living in the past doesn’t bring you anything.” Tiffany said, leaning

in so her forehead was against Taeyeon’s. “But I will always be there for you” she whispered before closing her eyes. “I love you” Tiffany heard those three words as she let herself fall into sleep. The night was full of confession but it drained the two girls’ energy as they opened their hearts to each other.

S1 High School, Taeyeon’s POV Last night was tiring, emotionally I was exhausted. I was thankful to Tiffany for listening to me and trying to make me feel better, although I don’t think anyone can. This part of my past would forever haunt me, I couln’t let it go and I knew it, the only thing I could do was to appease it, calm it down, hoping that when Sunye leaves again, my guilt will go with her. This morning, Tiffany and I had a talk and we agreed that she would go back to school although it was Friday already. Exams were coming up and she had to prepare, I was also planning to tutor her again once I have settled my issue with Sungmin. “Have a nice day” I kissed Tiffany when we reached the school. I was a little worried letting her go alone, but I knew Yuri and Jessica would take good care of

her. “If someone bothers you, just tell Yuri” Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, it’s going to be okay” she gave me a peck on the cheek before leaving the car. My eyes followed her until she crossed the school’s gate. I noticed a few students staring at me like I was a ghost but that wasn’t surprising. I don’t even remember the last time I went to school. Before I drove away, I quickly took out my phone and texted Yuri. A long day was awaiting me, the first thing I had to do was to meet Sungmin. I promised Sunye I would try to talk to him so I had to do it.

S1 High School, Tiffany’s POV I don’t know why exactly I felt the need to go back to school this Friday instead of waiting for the new week. Maybe it was because I knew Taeyeon would be busy today and I had nothing to do at home. Exams were coming up and I was far from being ready. “Oh Tiffany!” I heard someone called me as I walked toward the school. I turned around and recognized my friends.

“Hyoyeon, Sooyoung” I waved at them. “Long time no see!” I greeted them happily. “Whose fault?” Sooyoung asked, while eating some fish balls. “You completely disappeared” I looked at them apologetically, it was true that I stopped seeing them since I met Taeyeon. “I’m sorry guys, I’ll treat you icecream later, okay?” “Okay!” Sooyoung answered immediately while Hyoyeon rolled her eyes. “I think you have a lot of story to tell us Miyoung-ah” Hyeyeon said, while I just nodded. The three of us walked together to class and on our way there, I completely ignored the stares that few students were throwing at me. At this point, it didn’t have any impact on me anymore. They could gossip and criticize for all I care. Once we reached our class, I spotted Yuri and Jessica sitting at their desk, chatting. Sooyoung and Hyoyeon went to their seats while I walked up to my two other friends. “Hello guys!” I greeted them. “Oh Tiffany! I was waiting for you” Yuri told me. “Why? What’s going on?”

“Ah nothing, I just had to keep an eye on you” “Aish Taeyeon again” “Yup, you better behave or I will report it to her” she threatened me. Though she was only joking, Sica still pinch her cheek, making Yuri cried out loud. “Ahhhh it hurts!” “Stop talking nonsense, you are the one who better behave” Sica warned Yuri, the couple playfully argued with each other, ignoring me in the process. I was actually surprised at how close they were looking suddenly.

Somewhere in the hills of Seoul, Taeyeon’s POV Sungmin and I agreed to meet each other outside of the city. While my recent scandal has been dying down, Sungmin was a wanted man and the two of us meeting each other in the open wasn’t a good idea at all. Our meeting was on a hill, an hour away from Seoul. When I arrived, Sungmin was already there, leaning against his car, smoking a cigarette. “Always punctual I see” he commented when I got out of my car.

Ignoring his comment, I looked around and spotted many agents, probably his men. I knew he wouldn’t come alone, probably afraid I would set him up or something. “So, your sister said you need my help?” He smirked at my words. “I don’t need anyone’s help” “Don’t make me waste my time Sungmin, I’m here because y-“ “Because you can’t say no to my sister, I know” he cut me off. “Isn’t that annoying Taeyeon, to be at her mercy like this?” “What?” “What does Tiffany think?” “Listen to me, you should be begging on your knees for me to help you right now, not provoking me by talking about my girlfriend, because I swear to god Sungmin, I’ll completely destroy you if you bring Tiffany into this again” “Hey calm down, I was just joking” “Why did you want to talk to me? Be quick” “I know what you found out about the company, I know you have confidential

files that you are ready to send out. Don’t do it” “Excuse me? Did you just ask me a favor?” “Quit it, are you going to send it out or not?” “Well it’s up to you actually” I said. “Come out and admit your wrongs, change your behavior and don’t let me see your face again and these files will never see the light” “You kidding, right? If you want me to admit the whole thing, better send those files out!” “You can still apologize and admit you screwed up and show people that you are working hard to repair the damages” “You’re crazy, I can’t do that” “Take it as a life lesson buddy” I said coldly. “I’m just trying to help you, like you tried to help me by wanting me to go to jail” I smirked. “I can’t believe Sunye thought you were really going to help me” “I might be weak when it comes to your sister, but I’m not stupid. What you did is too big for me to bury it away. Your stupidity might have consequences on my

company too” “So you promise me that you won’t send them out? Ever?” “I told you, as long as you do the right things, I will let it go” I insisted. “Fine, but you better keep your words Taeyeon” he finally agreed. “Wise decision” I told him. “That’s all I can do for you, it’s up to you to repair your image now” I said before going back to my car. I turned on the engine and was about to drive away when Sungmin called me. “Hey Taeyeon, this isn’t the end” he said with arrogance. I sighed, annoyed with his little game. “It would be better if this was the end Sungmin. I don’t think you want us to cross path again” I barely looked at him before driving away. Problem solved. The last thing I had to do was to call Mr. Henney and tell him to save those documents cautiously in case we need them in the future.

TaeNy’s Apartement, Taeyeon’s POV

Here is an interview conducted by KBS a few minutes ago with Min Sungmin who is suspected of falsifying official reports concerning the security and quality of his company’s affairs. After days of silence, Min Sungmin has finally agreed to explain himself. Let’s listen to what he has to say concerning this scandal: Min Sungmin: I would like to apologize to everyone who has put their trust into the company because I have faulted them. I was inexperencied and young and didn’t know how to handle the business. Our company wasn’t at it best and we had a lot of losses already, I had to find a solution and I went the wrong path. I know that my decision put a lot of people in danger and I thank God that nothing went wrong with our buildings and various contructions that were made without following the quality and security norms. I also know that apologizing isn’t enough and I’ll do my best to repair the damages that have been done because of my immaturity. I, Min Sungmin, will take the entire responsibility over this affair and if this case was to be send to the court, I will accept it.

I watched the TV as Sungmin made his little speech, surprised at how fast he was handling the situation after our little conversation. It was about 2 hours after our meeting and I didn’t expect him to take actions so fast. I was also surprised at his words, it was weird listening to him taking all the blame and admitting to everything. Either he realized how wrong he was or his lawyers convinced him to

do so. After his speech, the reporter started his little interview but I didn’t feel like watching it. I turned off the TV and decided to take a nap, but then, my phone rang. “What can I do for you dad?” I answered the phone. “I would like to talk to you. Can you come home now?” my father asked nicely which surprised me. “S-Sure, I’m coming” I said before hunging up. I immediately drove home to meet with my dad. I actually thought that my parents left for New York already since I didn’t see any of them since that meeting we had with Daniel. Speaking of Daniel, I was expecting to see his car parked in front of the house when I arrived, but it wasn’t. Guess this meeting would just be me and my dad. This time, instead of seeing him in his office, I met with my father in the living room. It was only a different room but somehow, I felt uncomfortable. Outside of his office means being in a more intimate setting which I wasn’t used to when it comes to my father. I took a seat on the couch, across of him, the small table separating us. He lain back the newspaper he was holding on the table and lain his eyes on me. “I have just watched Sungmin’s press conference” he started, his eyes were just

unreadable which made me quite nervous. “Good job” he finally complimented me. Right then, I thought my jaw would drop on the floor in shock. A compliment. How many years since I have started acting like an adult, working my ass off for something that I barely cared about and received nothing in return? I sat there in silence, wondering what happened to my father. Was it a sort of trap to lure me back into the company? Or did he want something else from me? I was getting ready to be disappointed again when my father opened his mouth, though his sentence was short, I’ll never forget this moment. “I’m proud of you Taeyeon-ah” he said, his usual cold voice was now replaced with a soft, caring and almost shy tone. He turned his gaze away from me, he was probably as uncomfortable as I was. I was simply speechless. I wasn’t used to that kind of attention, that kind of discussion. Usually, our talks end up in arguments, him throwing some cold comments at me while I replied sarcastically. It was our way of communicating with each other. Though it was sad that a father-daughter relationship ended up like this, we got used to it. Seeing that I didn’t show any reaction to his confession, my father tried to break the awkward silence. “Why don’t you stay for dinner?” he asked me.

“Huh I don’t know…I have to pick up Tiffany now” I stuttered a bit, not knowing what I wanted to say. “You two can always come back later. Your mom went out to buy groceries, she will be very happy if you two join us this evening” I knew Tiffany missed my mother a lot and she would be very sad if I turn down my father’s offer so I had no other choice that accepting it. “Sure then, we will come tonight” Another silence filled the room before I realized it was time I go pick up Tiffany after school. Even though I really had to go, it was also a very good excuse for me to leave the house, the awkwardness in the room was killing me. “I have to go, school is ending soon and I don’t want Tiffany to wait” I explained to him. My father nodded with a smile. “I’m happy that you’re taking care of her, continue like this” Now a supportive word…I looked at him, astonished at how nice and supporting he was suddenly. I made a weird smile before leaving the living room. On my way out, I bumped into one of our maids and immediately asked her whether my father was okay or not.

“Sure Miss Taeyeon, your father is in a very good mood today” she answered me with a polite smile. I still couldn’t believe what had just happened. I greeted the maid and left the house, heading to the school to pick up Tiffany.

S1 High School, Jessica’s POV With exams coming up, we are only studying old subjects to prepare ourselves which I always find very boring. It was nice having Tiffany back with us, we talked and joked around during break and eat lunch with Hyoyeon and Sooyoung outside in the field like we used to. It really felt like all the drama we had this year was behind us and we could finally enjoy our lives as normal students. The only small cloud that was hovering above me was Yuri’s recent behavior. Not only was she glued to her phone all the time, she also had lot of meetings or that’s what she said. As soon as the bell rang, she stood up and excused herself, telling me she couldn’t drive me back because she had an appointment. “What kind of business do you have to do?” I asked her, while gathering all my books and putting them in my bag.

Yuri picked up her books quickly and walked toward the door while answering me. “It’s nothing serious, don’t worry” she smiled. Before I could say anything, she disappeared in the hall. Dumbfounded, I stared at Tiffany who witnessed the whole scene and waited for her to give me any kind of explanation on Yuri’s behavior, even though I knew Tiffany was as lost as I was. “Did you see that?” Pointing at the door Yuri had used, I asked Tiffany angrily. Tiffany scratched her head, trying not to upset me any more. “Well, she has an appointement…” “It’s been like that for 2 days already…something is up with her and I don’t know what!” Upset, I grabbed my bag and walked out of the class, Tiffany trailing behind me. “Don’t worry, she will tell you when she is ready” “I don’t like it…she is hiding something from me…did Taeyeon tell you anything?” “No…we were kind of busy with another topic” Tiffany looked down, kind of sad. “Ooh right, the Sunye’s thing, sorry” I apogolized for being insensitive. “It’s fine now. We are good” Tiffany smiled, it was genuine I could tell that, but

somehow, something was still bothering her. “Do you want Taeyeon to drive you home?” “Why not...I don’t feel like taking the bus” “Come on Sica, I’m sure there is nothing wrong with Yuri” Tiffany linked arms with me and dragged out me of the classroom. “Maybe she wants to surprise you with something? Didn’t you tell me things have been better between you two?” “Yes, things can’t be better right now, that’s why I don’t understand her sudden behavior” “Don’t worry too much, wait a little bit, I don’t think she can’t hide things from you. It’s Yuri after all” It’s true that Yuri has always been an open book. She never hides her feelings or her thoughts, the girl wears her heart on her sleeves all the time. I also knew that if I were to confront her directly, if I pushed a little more, she would probably tell me what was going on with her. “Ah Taeyeon is already here” Tiffany pointed at the black Audi parked across the school’s gate. I wondered whether Tayeon knew about Yuri’s little secret or not, but I decided to not ask her for now. When she saw us, Taeyeon waved and rolled down her

window. “Yuri is not with you guys?” she asked, surprised to not see her best friend. “No she had something to do…Can you drive me home, please?” I asked her, even though my hand was already opening the passenger’s door. “Sure” “Hello you” Tiffany plented a kiss on Taeyeon’s lips as soon as she got in the car. “Aigoo please I’m right here” I faked being disgust at their affection. “Anyway, how was your day?” Taeyeon asked us, ignoring my comment. “Annoying” “I missed you!” Tiffany and I answered at the same time, even though our answers weren’t the same. “I had a hard time catching up with some subjects but it wasn’t as bad as I thought” Tiffany continued. “We can study together at home if you want” “Yes, I think I need your help, I don’t want to fail this year” “You won’t” Taeyeon smiled and stroke Tiffany’s cheek gently. “We will study day

and night if we need to” “W-What?” Tiffany immediately regretted asking for Taeyeon’s help. Absenmindly, I asked Taeyeon. “Tell me Taeyeon, do you know what kind of business Yuri had to do these days?” “Hmmm not that I know of. Why?” “Nothing, she just seems busy” I recalled those times where Yuri would just disappear from my sight. “Well, I can only advice you to ask her directly” “Hmm maybe I will…” I looked out of the window and watched the different students leaving the school. Taeyeon drove me back home and on the way back, I kept playing with my phone, awaiting Yuri’s call or text message, but I received none of those. I remember how I wasn’t fully invested in our relationship in the past, but now that I am, Yuri is getting more distant. Is it my punishment for hurting her in the past?

TaeNy’s Appartment, Taeyeon’s POV After getting back home with Tiffany, I told her that my parents invited us for dinner and to wake me up when it was time to leave. Although I didn’t do anything exhausting today, I was still super tired and sleepy. I woke up about 2 hours later, but it wasn’t thanked to Tiffany. My mushroom was actually cuddling against me on the couch, deeply asleep. I looked at the clock and saw we were already late for dinner, but instead of getting up immediately, I took some time to enjoy the moment I was sharing with the girl in my arms. “I thought you were supposed to wake me up?” I whispered in her ear, then kissing it sweetly. Seeing that she didn’t react at all, I gave her quick peck on the lips. “Mmm?” Tiffany finally woke up, stretching her arms, a smile appeared on her sleepy face. “What are you doing Taengoo? Taking advantage of a sleeping girl?” she put her left arm around my neck, pulling me in for a kiss. “Who is taking advantage now?” I teased, kissing her on the nose. “You started first”

“Weren’t you supposed to wake me up?” “I tried but you pulled me down to sleep with you” she replied innocently, even her excuse was cute. “Oh of course it’s my fault then. I apogolize Miss Tiffany for forcing you to sleep with me” “Apologize accepted” “Fine, now if you don’t mind, we are late for dinner with my parents” “W-What? What time is it?” “7.30pm” “NO! We are 30 minutes late already?” Tiffany jumped up from the couch and ran into my room. “I’m going to take a quick shower! Get ready!” she screamed through the bathroom. I lay there and smiled to myself. What a cute girl. I took my phone and quickly called my parents, apologizing for being late already. My dad wasn’t angry at all, he just told me to take our time and come when we were ready. I hung up and was going to put my phone back on the table when it started ringing.

I didn’t recognize the caller ID but still picked up the call. “Hello? Kim Taeyeon speaking” I drove to my parents’ home and dropped Tiffany there first. There was a last minute meeting I had to go to and I had no choice than asking for my parents and Tiffany to wait a little bit more. “Tell them I’m really sorry but I’ll be fast, 30 minutes should do” I told Tiffany after we arrived in front of my house. “You promise me it’s nothing bad? I shouldn’t worry?” “I promise you” I kissed her on the cheek. “I love you” “Love you too. Be careful and come back fast” she kissed me before getting off the car. I waited until she got into the house before driving to my unplanned appointement. From all the phone calls I could get today, this was the most unexpected one. I didn’t even know they had my numbers. It worried me a little to meet with them, especially since I didn’t know the reason for this request, but I couldn’t refuse meeting them.

After all, they had forgiven me 2 years ago…

Restaurant in Seoul, No POV In a high class restaurant in Seoul, a man and a woman in their 40s were sitting nervously. The woman’s face was gloomy, as if she was mourning the loss of a relative while the man’s eyes were glued to the phone in his hands. “What if she doesn’t come?” the woman asked her husband, worried their guest won’t show up. “She promised me she will come” the husband answered calmly, his eyes still on the phone, expecting it to ring. “What if-“ “Good evening Mr. and Ms. Min” Taeyeon who came out of nowhere, greeted the two adults. Politely, she waited for them to tell her to sit before she took a seat across them. “Hello Taeyeon” Mr. Min greeted her, finally letting go of his phone. “I’m glad you came”

“I promised, didn’t I? But unfortunately, I cannot stay long, I’m already late for dinner with my parents” Taeyeon replied politely. “Don’t worry, it won’t be long” Mr. Min reassured Taeyeon. “Okay, let’s go straight to the point” he started. The husband and wife stood up and walked up to Taeyeon, and before she could understand what was happening, the elders were kneeling in front of her, their heads down, bowing to her. “We have a request Taeyeon, please, accept it” They asked in unison.

Chapter 37 - Like Our First Date

Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

I couldn’t believe that I fell asleep with Taeyeon on the couch and didn’t wake up on time for our dinner with her parents. I was super excited to meet them again, especially since we didn’t have the occasion to celebrate the recent events. Unfortunately, my happiness didn’t last long as Taeyeon got a mysterious phone call and had to leave for a while. When she dropped me at her house and told me to go in first, I knew something was wrong. Sure, she promised me it was nothing and she would come back quickly, but I knew better. She had that face, something in her eyes was telling me that it was serious, or at least, it wasn’t something she has expected to happen.

I got off the car and waved as her car drove away. I couldn’t help but be worried. Taeyeon was officially out of the company, so it couldn’t be a business meeting which is probably why she didn’t want to tell me more about it. Defeated at the sudden changed of plan, I tried to put on a smile as I dragged myself inside the house.

“Welcome Miss. Tiffany” the maid opened the door for me with a smile.

I greeted her back, though my smile wasn’t as bright as hers. “Mr. and Mrs. Kim are in the kitchen” she continued. “Do you want me to accompany you?” she asked

once the door was closed.

I smiled embarrassingly, remembering the first time I came here and got lost in the huge mansion. “It’s fine, thank you”

“Fine, if you need anything, please tell me” she bowed to me and walked away.

My smile immediately dropped as soon as she was out of my sight. I couldn’t stop thinking about Taeyeon and what she was doing, who she was meeting up with. Maybe I was becoming paranoid, thinking too much when Taeyeon was away from me.

“Ah Miyoung” a familiar voice brought me back. “Why are you standing here all alone?” I turned around and saw Taeyeon’s mom smiling warmly at me.

I didn’t realize I have been standing there for a few minutes already, lost in my thoughts. I quickly bowed to her and tried the hardest to smile normally. “Auntie~” I made a few step toward her before she pulled me in for a long hug.

“I’m happy to see you again Miyoung”

“Me too auntie”

“Oh where is Taeyeon?” she finally asked.

“Oh something came up and she will be late” I answered, a smile still on my face so that her mom wouldn’t worried too.

“Ah that kid, never mind, let’s go to the kitchen Miyoung” she took my hand and led me to the kitchen where her husband was waiting.

Uncle was sitting at the dining table, watching the news on TV. When he saw me, he immediately stood up and gave me a hug. “Miyoung, it’s nice to see you” he patted my head. “You’re becoming more and more beautiful” he complimented.

I blushed at all the attentions, Taeyeon’s parents are always full of love and praises with me. They are really treating me like a member of the family.

“Where is my daughter?” Uncle asked me, but before I could answer, auntie spoke up.

“She will come soon, let’s wait a little longer” she said and uncle didn’t ask more, he nodded before focusing on me again.

“So how is school? Are you ready for your examinations?”

I laughed a little, embarrassed of this topic since I skipped school a lot this year and had only started to study for my exams a day ago. “I’m doing my best” I answered, hoping he would drop the subject already.

“If you need help with your study, ask Taeyeon. Somehow, she is really good with studies even though I have never seen her open a book” Uncle said before laughing. “I guess she is smart like her father haha”

Auntie brought me a soft drink and took the seat next to me. “Aigoo you just wanted to compliment yourself” she told her husband.

The next 30 minutes or so, were filled with laughters as her parents talked about various things, from Taeyeon’s childhood to when her parents first met each other. I was really thankful because they really helped me think about something else, they did their best to make me feel comfortable and at ease while Taeyeon wasn’t there. With all their talkings, my mind allowed itself to stop worrying about Taeyeon’s and her secret wandering.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

Finally! I found what I was looking for! I have been spending the last few days looking and when I thought it was impossible, my luck stroke in. The only negative thing was that Jessica was getting more and more suspicious with my disappearances. It wasn’t like I want to hide things from her, I was just waiting for the right time to tell her.

When I came home with my happy news, I saw my sister sitting alone in the kitchen. “Where is everyone?” I asked, tapping her shoulder.

“Ouch” my sister’s reaction was exaggerated, like usual. “They went out for dinner with some friends” she answered me, but her eyes were still focus on her books.

“I have happy news!” I jumped up and down, trying to catch her attention. I was happy and wanted to share it with someone, but my sister ignored me again.

“Don’t bother me, I’m studying”

“Yah! I’m your older sister!”

“Aish~ I got scold by Seohyun today, she said I should be more serious and study for exams so don’t bother me” Yoona looked up from her books and gave me her annoying stare.

“You don’t want to know what I found?” I brought my face close to hers, wanting to make her curious.

“I know already” using her hand, she pushed my face away.

“Huh?”

“You are super excited and smiling like an idiot so I guess you found the perfect place already”

“Exactly! I found it!”

“Congratulations sister!” Yoona clapped her hands exaggeratedly before turning serious again. “Now either you help me study or leave me alone” she focused back on her books.

“Wah~ Seohyun must have been really scary for you to obey her like this. She is not even here to keep an eye on you”

“She gave me a long lecture about studying and all”

“That girl has some powerful powers, really. I still can’t believe she made you stop eating fast food”

“She didn’t force me, to. I just had to stop since she always told me I’ll die if I keep eating them…” Yoona scratched her head, “I wonder if it is true though”

“We do have weird girlfriends” I stated.

“Anyway, don’t you have a date with Jesssica unnie?”

“Yeah tomorrow…I wonder where we will go” I scratched my head, wondering what kind of plan Sica had planned for us.

“It shouldn’t matter. The Ice Princess asked you on a date. Even if it was at a nearby café, you should be happy” Yoona said.

“I am happy! I’m just…curious”

“Well go be curious in your room then, you’re disturbing me”

I hit her on the head before running away. “Bad sister” I yelled from the doorway before realizing that I haven’t eaten yet. “Yah Yoona, did mom cook something

before going out?”

“Nope”

“Did you eat?”

“Nope”

“Are you going to cook?”

“No, I was waiting for you to do it” she stared at me with that younger sister’s look, the one that says, I have to take care of her since I’m the oldest.

“Aish~ I’m too lazy” I complained.

“Order delivery then”

“You do it! I have to shower. Come on be quick, I’ll pay for the food” I walked out.

“Obviously” she mumbled.

I ignored my sister and went to my room for a shower. I still haven’t call Jessica since after school, she was probably upset that I ditched her again and didn’t drive her home...

Kims’ Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

I was talking happily with her parents when Taeyeon arrived. From the look on her face, I knew something was bothering her, though she was trying hard to hide it. Auntie immediately stood up at her entrance and went to give her daughter a warm hug. Unconsciously, I smiled at the sight.

“Are you hungry? Let’s eat” Auntie let go of Taeyeon and led her to the dinning table.

Taeyeon greeted her father and brushed my hair as she took the seat beside me. “I’m sorry for making you wait” she apologized to everyone.

“Is everything okay?” I asked her.

Without looking at me, she replied calmly. “Of course,” then looking at her father, she asked. “How is the company?”

I noticed how there was less tension between Taeyeon and her father. Sure, they weren’t acting like they were super close but the cold stares and aggressive comments were no more. They really did keep everything civilized.

“Things are getting better but we are going to stay a few months until everything is more stable,” uncle explained, then he turned to look at me, “so you two are welcomed if you want to come for dinner”

“I’ll be very happy” I instantly answered.

A few minutes later, the maids came and served the dishes. The night passed by calmly, Taeyeon wasn’t quiet like she used to be, instead, she joined our discussions and even shared laughters with her father. And even though I was really proud of her, I could see that there was something beneath that smile. Something happened earlier and I knew she wouldn’t tell me.

We stayed over an hour after dinner before saying goodbye to her parents and driving back to the apartment. I promised auntie that I will visit often, especially once exams are over. Taeyeon, on the other hand, didn’t say anything. Once again, I knew something was off.

TaeNy’s Apartment

NO POV

On their way home, Taeyeon and Tiffany remained silent. Tiffany was waiting, expecting Taeyeon to tell her about her unplanned meeting but of course, nothing came out of her mouth. Besides telling Tiffany that there was nothing wrong and not to worry, she didn’t say much about it.

“Tonight’s dinner was nice, wasn’t it?” Taeyeon said as she opened the door to their apartment.

Stepping inside first, Tiffany turned to look at her girlfriend, a pout on her face. “Why are you like that?”

Oblivious, Taeyeon could only stare at her girlfriend. “Huh?”

“You’re hiding something from me…again” Tiffay’s pout was now replaced with a disappointed expression.

Taeyeon walked up to her girlfriend and pulled her in for an embrace. “I’m not hiding it from you,” she whispered, “I just…promised I wouldn’t talk about it”

Tiffany pulled away, not happy with the answer she got. “That’s the same Taeyeon-ah!”

“I just need you to trust me, okay?”

“I don’t even know the circumstances”

“It’s nothing serious, really. No scandal, I promise”

“That promise is awfully familiar though” Tiffany frowned, she wasn’t happy with Taeyeon’s answers.

“I love you~” Taeyeon blurted out, trying to lighten the atmosphere.

“Aigoo don’t change the subject!” Tiffany tried to walk away but Taeyeon pulled her back.

“I’m not! I love you Miyoungie!” Taeyeon hugged her girlfriend and squeezed her like crazy. “And aren’t you proud of me? I did a good job at being civilized with my father”

Tiffany gave up on questioning her lover and hugged her back. “Yeah yeah, I’m really really proud of you little Taeyeon” she patted her head. “I’m glad things are getting better between you two”

“Yeah, all thanks to you” Taeyeon smiled and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.

“Let’s go out tomorrow Taengoo-ah”

“No we can’t”

“And why not? Are you busy?”

“No but you are” Taeyeon said, walking away. “Study session has to start sweety”

“WHAT?” Tiffany followed her to the room. “But it’s Saturday!”

“Yeah and you have two weeks to prepare for your exams so we have to start as soon as possible” she picked up her pajamas and walked to the bathroom.

“I can study next week in school, let’s enjoy our weekend Taengoo-ah!” Tiffany followed her around again.

Suddenly, Taeyeon stopped in the bathroom and stared at the younger girl. “Excuse-me miss, are you going to stay there and watch me take a shower?”

“It depends” she said, “are you going to change your mind?”

“Hmmm…nope”

“Then I’m going to stay there”

“Fine” Taeyeon said, she put down her pajamas and got ready to take off her shirt.

“Yah! What are you doing?” Tiffany hid her eyes and turned around.

“I’m going to take a shower so of course, I have to take off my clothes” Taeyeon said with a smile.

“I’m still standing here!!!” Tiffany’s face was burning like hot water.

“That’s your choice, I’m not going to change my mind honey~” she laughed. “Oh you can actually rub my back, do you want to?” Taeyeon teased her girlfriend again.

And that was the last straw, Tiffany was way too embarrassed and shy to stay in the bathroom while Taeyeon showered. “You’re lucky Kim Taeyeon!” she said before storming out of the room.

From the living room, she could hear Taeyeon laughing like a crazy woman. Even

though Taeyeon always appears to be mature in front of other people, in reality, she could be really childhish. The kid hates losing and whenever she wins, she will always celebrate and rub it to everyone’s face.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

My sister ordered some food and we ate it together in the kitchen. That kid was done with her studies and became naughty again.

“Where should I go on vacation during this summer?” Yoona asked loudly, while chewing her noodles.

“Are you going with Seohyun?”

“Of course! What a question” Yoona rolled her eyes.

“Hmm but mom mentionned she wants us to go on a family vacation this summer”

“Really?”

“Yeah but I don’t know when she wants to go so you have to ask her first before planning your vacation with Seohyun”

“What about you and Sica-unnie?”

Thanked to Yoona, I remembered that I haven’t called my girlfriend yet. “Aish she is going to kill me” I said, standing up and running to my room to take my cellphone.

Dialing Jessica’s numbers, I was already feeling nervous. “Hello Princess~”

“YAH! KWON YURI!”

I pulled the phone away from my ears because of her yelling. “Calm down Sica-ah, I can explain!”

“WHAT DO YOU WANT TO EXPLAIN?” she continued yelling. “WHY YOU HAVEN’T CALLED ME SINCE SCHOOL ENDED?”

People usually think that since Jessica has a sweet girly voice, she is unable to be scary and loud, but I guess nobody has heard her yells her heart out. “Baby calm down, I really have something to tell you” I tried to stop her from hurting my eardrum any more.

“What are you hiding from me Kwon Yuri?”

“I was going to tell you about it, really!”

“What is it?”

“But not now-“

“KWON YURI!” she yelled again.

“Tomorrow! Aren’t we going on a date? I’ll tell you tomorrow”

“Are you seeing another girl? Better tell me now then” her voice was kind of angry and sad at the same time.

“WHAT? What are you talking about? There is only you Jessica”

“Better for you, you know what I’ll do if you look at someone else”

“Of course I won’t! I’ll prove it to you tomorrow, okay?”

“And where are we going?”

“Huh~ You asked me on a date remember? I thought you were taking care of that…”

“Yeah but you made me angry so you should take responsibility for it!”

“Okay, anything you want princess”

Jessica calmed down and went back to her sweet girly voice. “Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow then Yuri-ah. Kiss!”

“Ahh Jessica!!! Why did you do that?” I whined on the phone. “I really want to

kiss you right now!!!”

I heard her laughed on the phone, satisfied of her tease. “We will kiss tomorrow honey~” she teased again. “Goodnight~” then she hung up, leaving me hanging there.

I was glad that Jessica forgave me so easily, I was afraid she would stay mad a long time and canceled our date. I still can’t believe she thought I was seeing someone else though, how could I do something like that?

TaeNy’s Apartment,

No POV

That night, Taeyeon and Tiffany settled in bed, ready to fall asleep when Tiffany’s insecurities kicked in again which brought the young couple to have another heart to heart discussion.

“Tell me Taengoo-ah” Tiffany turned around to face her girlfriend. “Do you think you and Sunye would have stayed together, had she never left?”

Even though she didn’t understand why Tiffany asked her such question, Taeyeon still replied with honesty. “Probably”

“I see~” Even though, she was already expecting that answer, Tiffany was still disappointed.

“Does it matter?”

“I don’t know”

“Tiffany~” Taeyeon brushed her girlfriend’s hair slowly, trying to reassure her. “It’s in the past, she is my past and it doesn’t matter”

“I just wonder sometimes, how we ended up together”

“Destiny?”

“I thought you didn’t believe in those things?”

“I don’t, I believe in what I see and right now, what I see is you and that’s enough for me” Taeyeon smiled.

“Really?” Tiffany’s mood immediately changed after hearing Taeyeon’s words.

“Yeah and it should be enough for you. Who cares what kind of magical powers brought us here, the most important is that we are here together. Others things are irrelevant to me.”

“I guess you are right”

“I’m always right” Taeyeon smirked.

“Now I wonder what made you so cocky” Tiffany joked.

“Some people are born with so much that it made them cocky”

“You are still lacking in an area though”

“What?”

“Height”

“Whatever”

“But I still love you”

“I don’t care, I’m still taller than my cousin Sunny” Taeyeon pouted, though it was hard for Tiffany to notice in the dark. “My turn to ask question!” Taeyeon suddenly said.

“What?”

“Did you have someone else before me?”

“Huh?”

“Don’t huh me, answer, who were you dating in the past?”

“No one”

“I don’t believe you”

“Really, elementary boyfriend doesn’t count right?”

“Of course it does! How many did you have? Did you kiss and all?” Taeyeon suddenly sat up and turned on the light so she could see her girlfriend’s face.

“What do you mean? I was 10 or something and it was a small peck” Tiffany shielded her eyes from the aggressive light with the blanket and hit Taeyeon’s arm. “Turn off the light!”

Ignoring her girlfriend’s demand, Taeyeon pulled away the blanket that was covering Tiffany’s eyes and went on with her questions. “WHAT? You had your first kiss at ten?”

“Hmm no, I think I had it at 6 years old with my neighbor” Tiffany answered casually, her eyes closed because of the light.

“WHAT?”

“It was a peck, it wasn’t like we were French kissing or something”

“I can’t believe you had your first kiss already”

“Why? Is it that surprising that someone wanted to kiss me?”

“No but first kiss should be with someone special, that’s all” Taeyeon pouted.

“Why are you making such a fuss? Unless…” Tiffany finally opened her eyes and stared at Taeyeon, something came to her mind. “Don’t tell me I was your first kiss?”

Blushing, Taeyeon shook her head. “No not all hahahaha”

“Oh my god! Taengoo-ah was I your first kiss?” Now it was Tiffany’s turn to be all excited as she sat and leaned against the headboard.

“I said no, I kissed a bunch of people before you” Taeyeon tried to remain serious and believable but somehow, Tiffany wasn’t buying it.

“Oh that’s so cute, I was your first kiss!” Tiffany poked Taeyeon’s cheek with her finger, teasing her some more.

“Aish~ stop mentioning it!” Taeyeon got angry and lay down on the bed again. “Ok, let me sleep now”

“I can’t believe it! How come? Didn’t you and Sunye kiss in the past?” Tiffany asked, curious since Sunye was her ex-girlfriend.

“I told you already, we weren’t really dating. I’ve never feel the need to kiss her” Taeyeon explained before closing her eyes. “Now let me sleep please”

“Wow I’m really happy now” Tiffany smiled, leaning down to plent a kiss on her

girlfriend’s forehead.

“Yeah me too, I know my girlfriend had her first kiss in kindergarten. Youhou”

“Don’t be like that, it was a small peck between two innocent children. You’re the only one I kiss like that” Tiffany smiled mischeviously, before turning off the light and lying down on top of Taeyeon.

“Like what?” Taeyeon asked, though she knew very well what her girlfriend meant.

“Shall I show you?” Tiffany smirked before closing the gap between Taeyeon and her.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

The next morning, I got myself ready for my day with Jessica. The weather was nice and I had a good feeling about the date. Today was a big day and I knew nothing could ruin it.

“So you are ready?” my sister popped out from her room as I was walking down the stairs.

“Can’t be more ready” I replied, not looking at her.

Yoona followed my downstairs, fully dressed, a big smile on her face. “What’s going on?” I asked, I knew she was preparing something.

She smiled and grabbed my arm. “I was thinking since you have to go out, can you drive me to Seohyun’s place?”

“I knew you would ask me something”

“Please? We will take the cab from her house”

“Ask mom”

“She is out”

“Argh you’re so annoying,” I put my shoes on and walked out of the house, Yoona trailing behind me “you really need to get that driver licence as soon as possible”

“I know I know, I’ll study for it after summer vacation”

Checking my watch, I realized I still had an hour before picking up Jessica. I guess I was too excited that I prepared way too early. “You’re lucky today, I have time so I can drop both of you downtown if you want” I told my sister.

“Yay!” Yoona shouted out before taking out her phone and calling Seohyun. “Hello~ Are you ready? My sister can drive us downtown” she said over the phone. “Okay then, see you, kiss”

These two have been dating for a while now, and compared to their unnies, they have been doing really well. Even though Yoona is still a prankster and lazy kid sometimes, I think she has really changed over the months. Seohyun was and is a very good influence to her.

Half an hour later, I was done with driving the kids and was ready to pick up my girlfriend. When I got there, to my surprise, she was already outside, waiting for me. But instead of getting in, Jessica stood there, looking at me. I rolled down the passenger’s window and asked her, “You’re not getting in?”

She pouted and I thought I was going crazy because of her cuteness. “This is an official date Yuri, shouldn’t you have some…manners?” she asked me back.

I scratched my head, trying to figure out what kind of manners I should have until it popped up in my mind. I got out of the car and quickly ran to the other side. “Good morning princess” I greeted her with a kiss on the cheek. “You’re beautiful” I complimented her before opening the passenger’s door so she could get in.

Jessica smiled shyly as she got inside the car. “Haha I’ve always wanted to experience that” she admitted.

“I’ve done it before” I said

“I know but this is different, it’s an official date”

“Okay okay”

“So where are we going?”

“Hmm first, we are going to have lunch”

“I can’t wait to see what you have prepared for us today” Jessica said happily.

“I can’t wait too” I replied with a smile, although I was slowly getting nervous as we were getting closer to my confession.

TaeNy’s Apartment,

No POV

While Yuri and Jessica were outside, enjoying the nice weather and going on their date, the atmosphere inside Taeyeon and Tiffany’s apartment was slightly…different.

“I hate you Kim Taeyeon!” Tiffany shouted with all her strength, but even though her loud voice could break down walls, it didn’t disturb her tiny girlfriend who was sitting just beside her.

“You kept on saying that for the last 30 minutes, find something else mushroom” Taeyeon was leaning against the couch, a game controller in her hands and her eyes focus on the large screen in front of her.

“The weather is soooooo beautiful outside and you forced me to study inside?” Tiffany was sitting on the floor, staring at the pile of books that were laying on the table. “You are a true tyrant!”

Taeyeon smiled, though Tiffany was throwing tantrums for the last 20 minutes or so, she couldn’t help but find her girlfriend very cute. “It’s not my fault honey, you’re lacking in some subjects and I have to tutor you so you could do well and because I love you” Taeyeon made her little speech, hoping it would motivate Tiffany a little bit.

“But I don’t care!!!!” Tiffany hoped onto the couch and grabbed Taeyeon’s arm, disturbing the older girl in her game. “Taengoooooo I want to go outside!!!” she whined to her girlfriend.

“Noooooo” Taeyeon screamed in horror as her game character died. “You killed me!!!” she dropped the game controller and let herself fall on the couch like a dead corpse. “It’s over…everything is over…” Taeyeon lamented to herself.

Tiffany sighed at this sad overexaggeration from Taeyeon and continued with her whining. “Come on Taengoo, let’s go outside and enjoy the nice weather”

“But you have to study” Taeyeon muttered, her face still against the pillow.

“I can study outside, let’s go to the park? Or to the beach? It’s been awhile Taengoo-ah!” Tiffany used her latest technique, she backhugged her girlfriend and used her aegyo voice, something she knew Taeyeon couldn’t resist.

And she was right.

After resisting for half an hour, Taeyeon had to give up and agree with her girlfriend’s wishes. “Fine, we can go out BUT it’s for you to study and enjoy the sunshine”

“I agree!” Tiffany jumped up and ran to her room. “I’ll get ready for the beach!”

Taeyeon did not complain and simply went to prepare her bag as well. The only thing that she forgot was that she was bringing her very sexy girlfriend to the beach…

Outside in Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

After having lunch with Jessica, I drove us to our next destination. The ride was quite long and I was waiting for Jessica to either fall asleep, or figuring out where I was bringing her. She made a few complaints about being sleepy and asking me when we will reach our destination but after I tried to make her guess, she gave up and chose to sleep instead.

It took me an hour to reach our destination, and almost like the first time we went there, Jessica slept during the whole ride. And also like the first time, she wasn’t happy when she knew what we were going to do.

“This place is awfully familiar” Jessica commented as we reached our destination. “We have been there before, right?”

“Yep” I said as we got out of the car. “Look there” I pointed at something on the sky and that’s when Jessica remembered.

“What? Why? Kwon Yuri!” Jessica became nervous when she realized it was the place where we went on our first date, for a bungee jump.

“Surprise~”

Jessica punched my arm very hard though it didn’t really hurt me. “Why are we here again? You know it scared me the first time already!” she complained.

I smiled and hold her hand, leading her to the bungee jump location. “You were really afraid the first time but I know you enjoyed it, don’t deny” I said while Jessica stayed silent, a sign that I was right. “There is a reason I brought you here”

“You couldn’t find another plan, right?”

“Of course not! I just…have my reasons,” I kissed her forehead as we arrived to the location “you will understand once our date comes to an end”

Jessica gave me a puzzle look but didn’t ask for more. Somehow, she has gotten much more patient these past months. Like our first time there, Jessica was nervous and scared but she still stayed with me and listened to the instructions very well.

And when it was time for us to make the big jump, we hugged each other and looking into her eyes, I realized how far we have come to this point. “Do you remember when I asked you whether you trust me or not?” I asked her.

“Of course I do” she answered with a warm smile, remembering the words we exchanged months ago. “Are you going to ask me again?”

“No, because I know you do”

“I am glad I did” she said, “I am happy that I let you lead us to what we are now” she admitted.

I was so touched by her words and confession that I almost teared up, but I tried hard to hold it back. “I’m thankful Jessica, that you made that big jump with me and gave us a chance, I couldn’t ask for more, really”

“Babo, don’t be thankful to me while you were the one suffering the most” she hugged me tight and buried her face against my chest. “I’m sorry for putting you through so much pain”

“It was worth it and I have no regrets, so never blame yourself, okay?”

Jessica pulled back and stared into my eyes, it was one of those moments where you know that no matter how painful and complicated things can be sometimes, at the end, it is worth it.

“We are ready” I announced to the staff there.

The man started counting down as Jessica and I were lost into each other eyes. “3, 2, 1”

As we let ourselves fall, Jessica’s lips pressed against mine as we held onto each other tightly. The fall was as beautiful as our first time, the only difference was...we reached another level in our relationship. There were no longer doubts and insecurities concerning our feelings.

I love her and she loves me.

On the beach,

Taeyeon’s POV

When Tiffany suggested going to the beach to study, I agreed. I didn’t really care about the location as long as the girl studies for her upcoming examinations. The only thing that I didn’t think about was the amount of people that were at the beach and the amount of skin my girlfriend was going to expose to all these people.

“Did you really need to wear a bikini?” I stared at Tiffany’s legs, then my eyes went on to her thighs, then to her butt, then to her tummy and my mind already went crazy before reaching the last part of her body.

“We are at the beach Taengoo, what do you want me to wear?” she rolled her eyes

and took out her sunscream.

“Huh what’s wrong with the way I’m dressed?” I looked at myself, I was wearing short and t-shirt, something very casual.

“There is nothing wrong with it baby, but I want to tan and play in the water later so a bikini is much better” she started putting lotion on her arms and legs.

I looked around us and noticed that a few fellows had already taken notice of Tiffany and her pink bikini that was revealing her slim figure. “Aish~ I’m going to rip their eyes off” I mumbled to myself.

“Huh? What did you say?” Tiffany turned to look at me.

“N-Nothing, I said there is lot of people here today”

Tiffany handed me the lotion and lay down on the towel. “Help me put lotion on my back, please” she asked me casually, though my mind went crazy once again looking at her fine body.

I know it seems weird since we are sharing an apartment and even a bed every day, but somehow, I have never paid that extra attention to her body. My girlfriend is gorgeous, I know that, but I have never seen her in that…sexy way.

Carefully, I put some lotion on my hands before rubbing it gently on her, starting from her shoulders. I could see the few jealous stares coming from some guys sitting around and honestly, it made me feel kind of proud.

“Taengoo-ah you should massage me every night from now on, it’s so good~”

“If you study well, I will” I joked.

“Okay so give me the books, please” she asked me.

I gave her the books and continued to put on lotion on her slim and smooth legs. It was the first time that my hands were rubbing on her legs like that and again, I was slowly losing my mind.

“Taengoo-ah~” Tiffan called me, “You’re enjoying my legs, aren’t you”

“Huh?”

“You’ve been rubbing my legs for a long time already” she laughed, “I think my skin is starting to peel off now”

Realizing what I was doing, I pulled my hands away embarrassingly. “W-What are you talking about? If you don’t rub properly, the lotion won’t have any effect” I explained.

“I don’t mind Taengoo-ah, we belong to each other, right?” she turned around and flashed me her beautiful smile.

I smiled back and lay down next to her. “I’m going to take a nap, if someone bother you, wake me up and I’ll handle it”

“What are you talking about?” Tiffany hit me lightly and then looking around her, she finally noticed the stares a few guys were throwing at ther. “Ooh are they looking at me?” she asked innocently.

I knocked her head, angry that she could be so oblivious sometimes. “Hwang Miyoung,” I called her “these wolves are looking at you because you are beautiful and sexy” I told her.

“Really?”

“How come you don’t realize how amazing and gorgeous you are Tiffany? Because I do, every single day” I kissed her.

Tiffany smiled and kissed me back. “Look who’s talking”

We laughed at each other before I pulled her in for another kiss, a deeper, longer kiss. A kiss that shows to everyone that yes, that hot girl was already taken.

I took a nap while my beautiful girlfriend was studying calmly. About 2 hours later, I woke up to find two idiots sitting in front of Tiffany and chatting with her. “What the?” I sat up and glared at our uninvited guests.

Tiffany noticed I was getting angry and politely told them to leave. “Thank you for helping me with this, but my girlfriend is awake now” she bowed to them, “goodbye”

I continued to glare at them until they were completely out of my sight. “Aish~”

“I think someone is jealous~” Tiffany teased me, “I love when you’re jealous”

“I don’t want anyone to look at you even though I understand why they are doing it” I admitted.

“Well, I don’t care who is looking and who isn’t” she cupped my face with her hands, “as long as you are looking at me”

“I will always look at you, you and only you” I said, leaning in to grab her lips with mine.

“Tell me Kim Taeyeon” Tiffany pulled away and pushed me to the ground before lying down next to me. “Since when are you so into PDA?”

I grabbed her waist and switched our position so she was lying on top of me. “Since I want the whole world to know Hwang Miyoung is my girlfriend” I said, pulling her in for another deep kiss.

“I want the whole world to know Kim Taeyeon is mine too!” she said, “What should I do?”

I smiled and kissed her nose. “Never stop kissing me”

“Like this?” Tiffany placed a hand on my face and leaned down, bringing our lips together, something that has been so natural for us to do.

Right there, I wished that the feeling will never go away. We were so close to live happily ever after, just one more obstacle and I will be totally free.

Somewhere in Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

We were finally reaching the last stage of our date. The roof dinner. I did exactly what I did the first time, an helicopter came to pick us up to our final location. On our helicopter ride, the thing that was different from the first time was how Jessica was comfortably sitting against me, my arms around her and our few exchange kisses.

As expected, Jessica was blown away by the settings and her smile was brighter and more beautiful than ever. “Even if we were to come every single night here, I’ll still find that place beautiful” she said as we took place at the table.

“If you want, we can come here every single day”

“It’s very tempting but I guess it won’t make that place that special anymore”

“You’re right,” I hold her hands and kissed them gently, “Let’s come here once a year only then, okay?”

“Okay~”

Our dinner went by and I was getting more and more nervous, it was almost time I confessed to her what I have been doing secretly these past days. I wasn’t nervous because I was afraid she would scold me or something, but since the outcome was still mysterious to me, I was afraid it wouldn’t go the way I wanted.

“Are you okay?” Jessica asked me, she probably noticed I was sweating now.

“S-Sure” I nodded, “and you? Is everything fine? You’re having a nice evening, right?”

Jessica laughed, leaning back on her chair, she crossed her arms and stared at me curiously. “Do you have something to tell me, Kwon Yuri?”

“H-Huh what? W-Why?”

“You’re nervous and sweating”

“D-Do you want to dance?” I blurted out, not knowing what to say anymore.

“Of course” she stood up and walked up to me “Let’s dance”

I remember how nervous and tensed I was the first time my arms wrapped itself around Jessica’s waist, I thought it was a dream and I wished so bad that I would never wake up. “It isn’t a dream, right?” I asked her as our bodies were moving slowly to music.

“Babo~ Why would you think it is a dream?”

“It always feels like a dream when we are together” I admitted.

“Is it that hard to believe we are together?”

“Yes~ Don’t you remember how you hated me at first?”

“I didn’t hate you!” she complained. “I was being careful, that’s different”

“There were times when, I thought all I did was useless and that maybe, I should give up-“

“Why didn’t you?”

“Because I love you too much to give up on you”

Jessica smiled faded away and she looked down. “I’m really sorry Yuri. I-“

“Don’t apologize” I placed a finger on her mouth, cutting her off. “We are here, aren’t we?”

“I’m glad we are here”

A moment passed by until Jessica got curious again and brought it up. “So tell me, what’s your explanation for disappearing this week?”

Suddenly, my voice became hoarse and I didn’t know how I was going to say my speech. “I-I…okay just let me take a breath”

Jessica laughed and stared at me curiously. “Is everything alright?”

I gathered my courage and spoke up. “There is a reason why I brought you here, why I wanted us to go through the same first date we went through many months ago” as I started speaking, our bodies naturally stopped moving and once again, we lost ourselves in each other’s eyes. “That date was more than a simple date, it was the day you gave me a chance, the day we jumped into a relationship together. It wasn’t easy every day and I can’t count the amount of tears we both shed, but we made it and that’s why, after this second official date, I want you to give us another chance”

Jessica tilted her head, not really understanding what I meant by second chance. “The reason I was so busy this week and neglected you is…I was looking for something, for both of us. I hope you will give us this chance and jump with me on this next challenge”

“I’m dying here Yuri, what is it?”

“I want us…to move in together” there, I said it, there was no taking back already, no matter what she said, I had to accept it.

Jessica remained silent, shocked at my proposition. “Please, say something, anything but talk to me” I begged her, the fear of getting reject was slowly building up.

“Y-You want to live with me?”

“Yeah~ You know how we talk about colleges and all that? I understand that we have to live for ourselves and that we can’t always be together, but I really can’t be away from you. Whether we end up in the same college or not, the person I want to see first in the morning is you and right before I fall asleep is also you” I took a deep breath and asked her my final question. “Will you grant me that wish?”

Jessica’s hands which were resting on my arms the entire time went slowly up to my face, her hands warmed up against my cheeks and I saw her eyes getting teary. “Jessica-“

“I love you” she brushed my face gently. “I don’t know what I did in the past to deserve your love, but I’m thankful for it” she rested her hands on my cheeks and brought our faces closer to each other. “Thank you for not giving up on me” she whispered. “And it will be an honor to live with you Kwon Yuri” Jessica brought our lips together for a celebration, a new beginning for our relationship.

There is no word to describe my feelings when she said those words. When we first met, I had the hope that someday, she would fall in love with me and there were ups and many many downs, but somehow, I managed to keep that hope going. After all the tears, I finally succeeded.

“I love you Jung Jessica”

“I love you Kwon Yuri”

Chapter 38 – The sky is crying…

TaeNy’s Apartment,

No POV

On that Saturday morning, Tiffany woke up to the nice smell of food. After brushing her teeth, she stepped out of the room and found her other half in the kitchen, standing in front of the oven, cooking. “Hmm smell nice” Tiffany embraced Taeyeon from behind, “what are you cooking?”

“Something nice for my lovely lady” Taeyeon kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. “Had a good sleep?”

Tiffany smiled and hugged her lover tighter. “Always when I’m with you” she answered, her voice coming off more intense than she wanted.

“Seducing me again?” Taeyeon teased, “it wasn’t enough last night?”

“Excuse-me? Who started it last night?”

“Huh excuse-me too, but who exposed her body at the beach?”

“That’s irrelevant!” Tiffany exclaimed, stomping her foot on the floor.

“Nope, it shows that you started it, you made me go crazy” Taeyeon laughed, she

loved teasing her girlfriend.

“Oh really? Really?” Tiffany started kissing Taeyeon’s neck, “and how would I make you go crazy Kim Taeyeon?” she continued kissing her lover’s neck, “am I making you crazy now?”

Taeyeon breathed heavenly, trying hard to focus on the omelette she was making, “OK DONE” she yelled before freeing herself from Tiffany’s hold. “Come and eat”

“I love it when you’re all shy” Tiffany said while setting the table, “so what are we going to do today?”

“Yeah, about that…” Taeyeon played with her food, not knowing how to tell her girlfriend the news.

“What?”

“I have some business to do this afternoon, but it shouldn’t take long” Taeyeon announced.

“You are not working again, are you?”

“No, it’s not work related…” Taeyeon said, not wanting to tell more.

Tiffany knew her lover too well by now, there weren’t lot of things Taeyeon could hide from her. “Don’t want to talk about it?”

“I’ll tell you when I get back, okay?” Taeyeon assured her.

“Fine...I guess I have to find something to do today then”

“Call your friends, it’s been a while since you saw them, right?”

“Well, I saw them this week in school, but we haven’t hung out in a while…I’ll call them” she decided.

“Maybe I’ll join you once I’m done”

“Yeah!” Tiffany clapped, “It’s about time I officially introduce you to my friends”

“Youhou! I’m super excited” Taeyeon said sarcastically, “since your friend Jessica is so awesome” she added, remembering that little moment she spent with Jessica once.

“I still can’t believe you two had a pillow fight…”

“Believe me, I can’t believe it either” Taeyeon rolled her eyes.

“Anyway, it’s Sunday already!!!!” Tiffany started whining, “I don’t want to go to school tomorrow!” she pouted to Taeyeon, hoping maybe, her lover would find a way for her to skip school.

“Baby, school is almost over, just hang in there for a month” Taeyeon smiled

gently.

“Easy for you to say, you’re not going” Tiffany continued to pout, resting her head on her fist.

“Not my fault if I’m too smart” Taeyeon boasted.

“But you still have to take the exams, right?” Tiffany wondered, she knew Taeyeon had the privilege of skipping school whenever she wanted to, but exams were a big deal.

“Of course, but even blindfolded I will nail it” with times, Tiffany learned how to appreciate Taeyeon’s arrogance.

“Whatever” she sighed, “there is no cure for you anymore”

“Wow now you sound like me” Taeyeon teased.

“I think we are spending too much time together” Tiffany joked.

Though it was a joke, Taeyeon’s smile disappeared and she became nervous. “A month is nothing, right?”

“What?” Tiffany didn’t understand the question.

Taeyeon seemed to be lost in her own world, “I mean…it goes by really fast…”

Tiffany stared at her girlfriend, not understanding a single word she was saying. “Honey, I don’t know what you are talking about”

“Never mind, I’m just mumbling again” Taeyeon shook her head, trying to think about something else.

“I also love when you are mumbling” Tiffany winked.

Showing off again, Taeyeon smirked, “Just admit you love everything about me”

“I love everything about you Kim Taeyeon” Tiffany grabbed her lover’s hands and squeezed them, “and I can’t wait for our next vacation!”

“Study well and I’ll give you a surprise!” Taeyeon kissed her girlfriend’s hands, “I’m going to get ready now” she kissed Tiffany’s hands again before going into her room.

Taeyeon and Tiffany left their apartment at the same time, Taeyeon drove Tiffany to meet her friends before heading off for her important appointment.

Outside in Seoul,

Yuri’s POV

I picked up Jessica at her house before heading to our future home. I was pretty excited to show her our new place, though I didn’t plan on showing her that early. I

wanted to wait until our exams were done so we could really celebrate moving in together and buying furniture, etc. But since I “proposed” to her, Jessica was so happy and excited that she begged me to show her the place.

“Where is it? Why does it take so long?” Jessica complained after a 10 minutes ride, “don’t tell me you chose a remote place in the countryside or something” she teased.

“Of course, an old house in the country side with no one around then at night-”

“Oh my god you pervert!” she hit my arm but was laughing at the same time.

“What?” I laughed, trying to pretend I didn’t know why she hit me. “I meant at night, we could sit outside and look at the starry night”

“Yeah right, cause that’s what you want to do at night” she rolled her eyes.

“Excuse-me miss, but why are you making me sound like a pervert?”

“Because you are Kwon Yuri. Don’t deny you don’t think about it”

“I don’t know what you are talking about” I denied, continuing my innocent acting. “But let’s say I know what you are talking about, shouldn’t you feel flattered?”

“What? Why should I?”

“It means I’m attract to you”

“But I know that already” she leaned in and kissed my neck which made me shiver a bit and Jessica noticed it. “I have you wrap around my finger” she said seductively before leaning back on her seat.

Unconsciously, I turned on the aircon, it was getting hard to breath in that car.

Soon enough, we arrived at a neighborhood Jessica was already familiar with, but since she was too busy teasing me earlier, she didn’t realize it. “Why did you drive me to Taeyeon’s apartment?” Jessica looked around, not understanding what we were doing here.

“What do you think?” I asked her before driving to the parking lot. “Guess Jessica guess” I teased her.

“Are we going to spend time at their place? I want to see our new home Yuri-ah!” Jessica whined as I took her hand and dragged her along with me.

We made our way to the elevator and it was when I clicked on the 7th floor that Jessica started to understand the situation. “Don’t tell me-“

“Come on” I quickly dragged Jessica to the 709th apartment, “Look” I pointed at the door.

“What the-“

“Nice right?” I nudged her, proud of myself.

was nicely written on our door’s frame.

Jessica’s jaw dropped on the floor, not expecting such decoration for our future door. “What if-“

“Nope I won’t take it down” I shook my head, I just loved my idea and there was no way I would change my mind.

Jessica whined a bit but when I gave her the key to our apartment and told her I had a little present for her, she completely forgot the door’s incident. “Honor to you baby, here’s the key”

Jessica unlocked the door and her jaw dropped again. “Huh…okay” she turned to look at me, a puzzled look on her face. “It’s empty”

“Yeah I know” I led her inside.

“Don’t tell me-“

“Yup, that’s my surprise!” I let go of Jessica’s hand and walked to the middle of the apartment. “Tada! This is your new playground!” I clapped my hands happily.

“Baby I love you but you lost me” Jessica scratched her head.

“You love shopping right?” I walked up to her and held her hands, “what do you

think about you, me and shopping all summer to decorate our new home?” I kissed her forehead.

Then, it was like magic, Jessica’s eyes lightened up like fire and she went on crazy mode. “Oh my god! Yuri! It’s going to be so much fun!!!” Sica jumped up and down and went running around the apartment. “This room can be our dressing room! I have so many clothes, you can’t even imagine!” she said out loud though I wasn’t sure whether she was talking to me or more to herself.

I followed Jessica around and just nodded at everything she was saying, I didn’t care much about how our home would look like, I was just happy since Jessica was smiling and looking like she was in heaven.

I just couldn’t wish for more. Standing in that apartment, things were pretty clear for me, I could totally picture Jessica and me living there happily until we were ready to take it to the next level.

“Yuri-ah” Jessica called me.

I found my beautiful girlfriend standing in front of a room, a huge smile on her face. “What is it?” putting my arms around her tiny waist, I put a gentle kiss on the crook of her neck.

“This is our room” she said sweetly, then grabbing my hands, she led me into the room and then stop at random spot, “ok the bed can be here,” then she walked to the next, “and here will be my makeup area,” and she did that for almost all the rooms in our apartment.

We spent hours in this empty apartment, planning out and imagining what our life after summer would look like.

Ice Cream Shop,

Fany’s POV

Since Taeyeon was going to be busy, I decided to call up Sooyoung and Hyoyeon out. Though I started going to school again, we haven’t had the occasion to sit down and talk like old times.

When I arrived to our favorite hangout spot, my friends were already there. Sooyoung was devoring her second ice cream cup, vanilla flavor this time while Hyoyeon was checking Sooyoung and her phone at the same time.

“Hi~” I greeted them and took a sit at the table, “what are you doing?” I asked Hyoyeon.

“I’m timing her” Hyoyeon showed me her phone before focusing on Sooyoung again. “It took her 1 minute and 38 seconds to finish her first cup”

“But…che..firsh..cup…wash…bigger” Sooyoung tried to talk, her mouth full of ice cream.

“Okay…” I tried not to laugh at them for being so crazy and childish. “Excuse-me”

I waved at the waitress, wanting to order some ice cream as well.

“DONE!” Sooyoung’s sudden scream startled me, she put her arms in the air, a sign of triumph. “I did it! Less than 1 minute, right? Right?” invading Hyoyeon’s personal space, she tried to snatch the phone away from her. “Let me see!”

“Calm down you dummy!” Hyoyeon pushed Sooyoung’s face away, “I’m the only judge here” she smirked, “56 seconds! NEW RECORD LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!” she showed her phone to Sooyoung and to everyone in the shop.

“AMAJING! People can you see that??” Sooyoung showed off, grabbing Hyoyeon’s phone, she ran to the shop owner, “auntie! Look at that! I beat my own record, don’t you think I deserve some reward?”

“Alright alright, you kids can eat fully today, my threat!” the lady owner told us.

There were a few laughters and eyes rolling from other customers, but most of them were regulars so they weren’t shocked or surprised with Sooyoung and Hyoyeon’s craziness.

“Yo Tiffany! See how good I was? I won us free ice creams!” Sooyoung walked back to our table with 3 ice creams cup. “Come on, eat eat!” she pushed one cup toward me.

“I just ordered one though” I sighed, wondering how on earth I could eat all that.

“Don’t worry, if you can’t finish, I will help you”

“No wonder” Hyoyeon teased, “So Fany, what’s up?”

“Nothing special, I just felt like hanging out today”

“Where is your other half?” Sooyoung asked, looking very interested.

“Huh she is out today”

“Oh so that’s why you asked us out!” Hyoyeon exclaimed, faking a disappointed look. “I’m sad”

“Yeah I’m really sad” Sooyoung joined in.

“Come on guys, you know I am really sorry for forgetting about our friendship this year” I apogolized and used my puppy eyes on them.

“Argh that Hwang Miyoung! We can’t be angry with her when she does that” Sooyoung looked away while Hyoyeon just laughed.

“Anyway, we will forgive you if you promise to not disappear like that again” Hyoyeon stared at me, “I know you are all in love but don’t forget us, it might be a good thing to get away from your relationship sometimes” she adviced me.

I didn’t ask them, but it was obvious they knew my relationship with Taeyeon wasn’t always rainbow and sunshine. I felt bad for leaving them out of my new life, but everyone got a second chance and I wasn’t going to waste it.

“Hmm I should probably tell the same to that lazy Sooyeon” Hyoyeon mentioned Jessica, who like me, kind of disappeared into her relationship with Yuri. “Where is she by the way? Did you call her?”

“She is busy today” I told them. I called Sica earlier today to ask her out too but she said she had something to do with Yuri.

“I’m going to text her and tell her to come join us when she is done” Sooyoung took out her phone, “I’ll lure her with free ice cream”

“I’m not sure it will work” Hyoyeon stated, “just tell her to come or we will beat her ass”

“I also don’t think it’s going to work” I added

“Damn that Jessica is really afraid of nothing!” Sooyoung said in frustration then the three of us laughed.

When I wasn’t with my friends, I didn’t have the feeling that I was missing them, I was too busy dealing with my relationship that I completely forgot about them. But as I was spending time with the two of them, I remembered how great it was being surrounded by these two friends with who I could laugh and joke so easily.

If only Taeyeon was with me…

Min’s Residence,

No POV

A couple were about to walk out of their room, the wife tried to adjust her husband’s tie one last time before they had to leave. “It will be okay, everything will go as we plan” the husband reassured his wife.

“I hope so”

“Let’s go, they are waiting downstairs”

In the hall, two young ladies were standing awkwardly near the door. None of them spoke nor looked at each other. Sunye, in her blue dress tried her best to look happy even though she felt horrible. Her parents did what she couldn’t do, bringing Taeyeon back.

“Are you really going to do this?” after a silence that lasted an eternity, Sunye spoke up.

Taeyeon who was leaning against the wall, pushed herself up and walked to the door. “I promised” she said without looking at the other girl, “Let’s go” she opened the door and walked out first.

Sunye looked down, this situation was supposed to make her happy, but she wasn’t, she couldn’t be. “Honey, we are here” hearing her father’s voice, Sunye turned around and saw her parents walking down the stairs.

“Is everything okay?” her mom asked, seeing her daughter’s looking so down. “Where is Taeyeon?”

“I’m fine” Sunye faked a smile before heading to the door, “she is already outside”

A limousine was waiting in front of the mansion, its chauffeur was already inside, ready to drive off as soon as his passengers get in. Taeyeon opened the car’s door when she saw the family arriving. “You go first Sir” Taeyeon told Sunye’s father.

“Thank you again Taeyeon, and I apologize for this litte…change of plan” he patted her shoulder before getting in the car.

Taeyeon simply nodded before getting in herself.

“Well, I hope it will be a nice party” Sunye’s mother said as she looked at her daughter.

“I hope so too” Sunye responded, she looked at Taeyeon but the latter was already lost in her thoughts, far away from the real world.

The limousine drove away from the Min’s residence to its destination, and for Taeyeon, this ride was the longest and most painful one she ever had in her life.

Ice Cream Shop,

Fany’s POV

It was almost 2 hours later when Jessica showed up at the shop, but she didn’t come alone.

“Hey guys” Jessica greeted us with a huge smile, the girl was literally shining. “I hope you don’t mind, I brought Yuri along”

“Hello” Yuri waved at everyone before bringing two additional chairs to our table. “I wanted to tag along” she smiled at Sooyoung who for a long time, didn’t blush like that.

“Of course we don’t mind! The more the merrier” Hyoyeon said happily.

“Yeah and we got free ice cream!” Sooyoung showed off again, “I broke my own record today-“

“She ate a cup of ice cream in 56 seconds!” Hyoyeon stole Sooyoung’s line.

“YA! I wanted to tell them myself!” Sooyoung smacked Hyoyeon who was laughing like a crazy kid, “You babo!”

While Jessica wasn’t impressed with Sooyoung’s abilitiy, Yuri was more excited, “awesome! You and Yoona should compete against each other next time!”

“Who’s Yoona?” Sooyoung asked.

“My lil sister”

“Is she a hot-“

“Hum hum…” Hyoyeon suddenly nudged Sooyoung and tried to change the conversation. “So what did you two do today?” she asked the couple.

“Well…” Jessica hesitated, she didn’t know whether she could announce the good news.

“We can’t talk about it” Yuri told us, a sorry look on her face.

“But I want to tell them!” Jessica grabbed Yuri’s arm and whined, “please baby, let me tell my friends”

“But Taeng isn’t here, you know I have to tell her first” Yuri complained.

“What is it? What is it?” I got excited for some gossips but before Sica could say anything, my phone rang.

“Nooo don’t answer, it’s getting interesting” Hyoyeon tried to stop me from answering my phone.

But I did nonetheless, “hello?”

“Hwang Tiffany?”

“Yes? Who is asking?”

“It doesn’t matter,” a voice I didn’t recognized spoke to me, “just come to Seoul Hotel ballroom now, you are cordially invited”

“Excuse-me?”

“Kim Taeyeon is waiting for you, so come, now”

“W-What?”

Then the person hung up.

“Who was it?” Yuri was looking worriedly at me, “is everything okay?”

Puzzled, I just nodeed, trying to figure out what that call was. “Hum I have to go”

“Where?” Jessica asked.

“Seoul Hotel”

“Who was it Tiffany?” Yuri asked me again.

“I don’t know,” I admit, “but I should go”

None of my friends understood what was happening, and neither did I, but something was telling me that I had to listen to that person and go to that hotel.

“I’ll drive you” Yuri stood up, “I have a bad feeling about this” she said protectively.

“We will go too” my other friends offered, but I stopped them.

“N-No…I have to go alone…I think”

“Ok, let’s go” Jessica stood up.

“Sorry guys, I’ll call you later” I told my friends.

“You sure you don’t want us to come?” Hyoyeon asked.

“Yeah sure, don’t worry” I reassured them.

Yuri, Jessica and I left the shop, leaving Sooyoung and Hyoyeon behind. I didn’t know what was happening and what kind of surprise I’d see once I got at the hotel, but something was telling me that it wouldn’t good.

Seoul Hotel,

No POV

The ballroom was heating up as the DJ started playing his songs, the guests were gathered in small groups, some talking with their friends, some trying to socialize

with the upper kids. At the tables, the adults were busy talking business, even though the event wasn’t mean for that.

Mister and Misses Min were trying to entertain their older guests while their daughter took care of the younger ones.

“So Sunye, do you plan on moving back here later?” one of her guests asked.

Sunye smiled and shook her head, “it might not be a good idea”

“Why not?” the same girl asked, then pointing at Taeyeon who was sitting alone at a table, she whispered, “aren’t you and Kim Taeyeon back together?”

“We-“

“Congratulations Sunye!” Kim Hyunjoong and his girlfriend clapped their hands exaggeratedly, as they walked toward Sunye, flowers in hand.

“Hyunjoong, Seungyeon, you two are late” Sunye welcomed her guests, but her smile looked forced.

“We stopped to buy you some flowers” Seungyeon gave Sunye the bouquet, then pointed at Taeyeon sitting by herself, “Your girlfriend is not in the mood?”

“Leave her alone, please” Sunye warned the two new arrived guests. “Don’t make a scene here”

“We don’t want to Sunye, don’t worry, today is all about you” Hyungjoong gave Sunye a hug before making a sign to the DJ. “What about some romantic song now?” and as he said those words, the upbeat song stopped to be replace by a love song.

“Feel like dancing Sunye?” Hyunjoong asked Sunye but he was looking at the lonely girl sitting by herself.

And before Sunye could protest, it was too late. “Hey Kim Taeyeon!” Hyunjoong shouted across the room, “your girlfriend wants to dance, you wouldn’t disappoint such a beautiful girl, right?”

Taeyeon who until now was sitting quietly at an empty table, praying this party would end as soon as possible, looked up and threw a cold glare at Hyungjoong. “Come on, she is waiting for you” he added, bringing even more attention to Taeyeon.

“It’s okay, I don’t want to dance” Sunye tried to stop the mess but unfortunately for her, her parents joined in.

“Taeyeon, Sunye, you two should open the dance” Mister Min said and then, everyone started clapping.

Relunctantly, Taeyeon stood up and with heavy steps, made her way toward her ex-girlfriend.

Outside of Seoul Hotel,

Fany’s POV

“It’s fine guys, just wait for me here, I will go in and check”

“I don’t like this” Yuri said, a very serious expression on her face.

“It’s Seoul Hotel, I don’t think something bad can happen” I told both of them before getting out of the car.

“Call us if there is anything weird” Yuri adviced me, “we will wait here”

I waved at them and ran inside the hotel. “Excuse-me, where is the ballroom?” I asked the lady at the information desk.

After she indicated me the way, I rushed inside, suddenly feeling excited. Maybe Taeyeon wanted to surprise me?

As I approached the huge double-door, I could hear a love song playing from inside. Cautiously, I grabbed the door’s knob and opened it slowly. Needless to say, what I saw wasn’t what I expected at all.

“What is this?” I looked around the room, trying to process what I was seeing, “Taeyeon?”

Inside the ballroom,

No POV

The love song was playing as everyone gathered around the couple of the night; Sunye and Taeyeon.

The ex-lovers were awkwardly dancing in the middle of the room, their bodies not too close to each other, but enough for the dance to not look weird. Sunye knew that Taeyeon would do everything to get out of that place, but being so close to Taeyeon again, she couldn’t help but smile. It felt good and she couldn’t deny it.

“If I hadn’t left, maybe today would have been a happy day for both of us, don’t you think?” Sunye whispered into Taeyeon’s ear.

“Maybe, but I like how things are now” Taeyeon answered, while trying to keep a certain distance between them.

“Because you have her” Sunye said sadly.

“She is the best thing that ever happened to me” Taeyeon said with a smile, the only thought of Tiffany brought a smile on her face, and she probably didn’t even realize it.

But unfortunately, that smile was the cause of another heartbreak.

“Taeyeon?”

With the music playing, Tiffany’s voice was only a whisper, but it was a whisper that only one particular girl could hear, even with the music, even among millions of other voices.

“Tiffany?” Taeyeon let go of Sunye and turned to look at the girl she had hurt again.

“Who is she?” Seungyeon asked loudly, while her boyfriend told the DJ to stop the music.

“She doesn’t look like she belongs here” a girl commented.

Tiffany was standing there, alone, facing all these people and she couldn’t move. Her eyes were fixed on Taeyeon, tears ready to fall.

“What’s your name again?” It was Hyungjoong’s turn to speak, “are you here to bid farewell to Taeyeon and Sunye who are going to leave for America tomorrow?” he revealed all with a smile.

“That voice…” Tiffany had the impression that she heard his voice earlier, but she wasn’t sure.

“Tiffany” Taeyeon took a few steps toward her girlfriend but Sunye’s father was faster, “Excuse-me miss, were you invited?” he walked up to Tiffany and asked her.

Realizing the situation, Tiffany smiled sadly, her teary eyes never leaving Taeyeon’s. “Nobody…I’m a nobody…” she said before storming out of the room.

“TIFFANY!” under everyone’s amazement, Taeyeon ran after her girlfriend.

Outside of Seoul Hotel,

The sky was grey, an early sign of the tragedy that was coming. Little drops of rain welcomed Tiffany as she ran outside of the hotel, holding back her tears, maybe the sky was waiting on her to let the rain fall. Tiffany wanted to run awayso badly, but her legs wouldn’t want to carry her further.

“Tiffany!” that voice that brought a smile to her face whenever she heard it, was the same voice that she was trying to run away from at the very moment. Tiffany didn’t want to turn around and look at the love of her life. Somehow, she knew where this was going. Deep inside her heart, she already knew the outcome.

She tried again to run, but this time, it wasn’t her legs that didn’t obey her. A pair of strong arms encircled her waist, forcing her to stay on the spot. “I am so sorry” Taeyeon whispered, “You weren’t-“

“Let me go” Tiffany ordered, she freed herself from Taeyeon’s grip and pushed the older girl away from her. “What do think you are doing Kim Taeyeon?” with tears in her eyes, Tiffany was ready to face Taeyeon.

“I know it sounds bad but-“

“No, you lied to me AGAIN, you hid something from me AGAIN. It doesn’t sound bad Taeyeon, it’s too much”

“I made a promise to her parents, I had to keep it” Taeyeon tried to defend herself.

“And what about the millions promised you made to me? Don’t they mean anything to you?”

“Tiffany…”

“I’m tired of all this Taeyeon-ah, we can’t keep doing this”

“We don’t have to, it will be over in a month. After I come back, it-“

“When were you going to tell me by the way?” Tiffany was furious, “once you are out of the country? Did you think I wouldn’t notice you went missing?”

Truth was, Taeyeon only learned today that she had to leave on Monday morning, when Sunye’s father announced it to her, she was devastated, she couldn’t believe that she had less than a day to bid farewell to her girlfriend.

“I wasn’t supposed to leave tomorrow, I thought-” Taeyeon tried to explain.

“WHEN?”

“I couldn’t find the right time…we were so happy, I-“

“You had to ruin it…again, why Taeyeon, why?” Tiffany looked defeated, “why do you keep doing this? Giving me happiness then takes it away”

“Tiff-“

“I don’t want you to go” Tiffany wasn’t giving her the choice, it was an order.

“You know I have to”

“No I don’t and I don’t want to know.” Tiffany shook her head, not wanting to understand or compromise. “Yes, I’m going to be selfish and mean here but don’t go!”

“Tiffany, I don’t have a choice! This will be a crucial surgery for her, if I don’t go and she dies…how am I going to live with that?” Taeyeon pled, she wished she wouldn’t care about Sunye’s well-being, but she did.

“Don’t you understand? It will never be over! You will always feel guilty when she is around, she will always be a part of your life, of our lives! I can’t do this, it’s too tiring Taeyeon-ah”

“Please, trust me” Taeyeon begged, trying to get closer to Tiffany.

“I don’t believe you anymore,” Tiffany looked down, the little drops were now getting bigger, the rain was ready to fall heavenly, like Tiffany’s tears. “I-I just can’t anymore, it’s too painful Taeyeon-ah…”

“Fany…” Taeyeon tried to hold her lover’s hand but she pushed her away again. “Just a little longer, please…”

“If you leave,” Tiffany looked up, the tears were falling now “it is over, you and me, over”

If Taeyeon wasn’t stubborn, if she wasn’t trying so hard to be responsible, if she could close her eyes for a second and forget that guilty feeling that consumed her years ago, she would have run to Tiffany, hug her and tell her that there is nothing more important to her than them being together.

But she couldn’t. A part of Taeyeon knew it was wrong, she knew Tiffany had all the right to react the way she was, but it was too late to turn back. There was no guarantee the guilt would go away once she fulfilled her promise, but she had to try.

“I’m so sorry Tiffany” those were the only words Taeyeon could say in this situation, the tears were also forming in her eyes.

The two lovers were soaked wet because of the heavy rain falling on them, though it washed away their tears, it couldn’t wash away the pain in their hearts.

“I know you meant what you said earlier, but Fany-ah,” Taeyeon hold back her tears, “it won’t be over, I will never let you go, I will come back, no matter what happens, I will come back and fight for us” she said, her voice cracking a little.

Taeyeon turned around and with a broken heart, walked away from the girl she loved the most.

“KIM TAEYEON!” Tiffany gathered all the energy she had left and yelled her lover’s name. “I-If you leave now…w-we are done…” the desperation in her voice was heartbreaking, but it wasn’t enough to hold back her lover.

“I’m so sorry” Taeyeon whispered as she walked away like a zombie. How did they end up like that? After all they have been through, she couldn’t believe it was the end of their relationship.

If I heartbreak could kill, Tiffany might have died right there. Like the time she lost her mother, then when she lost her father, she felt the pain slowly killing her from inside. Watching Taeyeon walking away from her, felt like a thousand knives were cutting through her heart.

“Don’t leave me…Taeyeon…don’t leave…” Tiffany pled, but it was over. There was nothing else she could do but break down and cry, cry like she hasn’t cried in a long time.

And as if heaven was sharing her pain, the sky got darker, and it rain harder, like it haven’t in a long time.

Inside the ballroom,

No POV

Taeyeon walked back to the ballroom where everyone was enjoying their night like the incident earlier didn’t happen at all. From head to toe, she was completely wet because of the rain but she didn’t care at all. When they saw her, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and stared at her, like she was some crazy girl without manners.

“Hey Kim Taeyeon, what happened to you? Is it a new fashion trend?” Kim Hyunjoong said with a smile, happy of the scene.

Without a single word, Taeyeon walked like a lifeless body toward the bar where she took a sit and ordered everything the barman could offer her. The whisperings and stares didn’t disturb her at all, everything around her was empty. She couldn’t see anything, couldn’t hear anything, couldn’t feel anything…

The only thing that remained was the pain of losing the one she loved the most.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri’s POV

One of the worse days in my life…when I saw Tiffany running out of that hotel and Taeyeon trailing after her, I knew it was bad. Jessica and I followed them and we witnessed everything. I felt like we intruded in their private lives since it was so emotional, so raw and we couldn’t do anything. We were hiding there and didn’t stop that tragedy, we couldn’t stop it. When Taeyeon turned around and walked

away, my heart broke with Tiffany’s.

I wanted to follow Taeyeon back inside, to find out what the hell was going on with her, but I couldn’t let Tiffany alone. She was kneeling on the ground, crying her heart out. Jessica and I immediately rushed to her once Taeyeon was gone and we tried to get her away butTiffany didnd’t move, didn’t say a word, she was only crying and it took us a long time before we could walk her back to the car so I could take her home.

“Is Tiffany alright?” my mom asked me when I went to the kitchen to take some drinks.

“I don’t know, she doesn’t talk at all…” I said, taking a seat at the counter.

“And where is Taeyeon?”

“She is not answering her phone…”

“What did that kid do again…”

“She is going to Los Angeles tomorrow” my dad popped into the kitchen, “Sunye’s parents are holding a farewell party at Seoul Hotel right now”

“And why is Taeyeon going?” my mom was shocked, and so was I.

“Sunye is going to have a heart surgery in a few days and Taeyeon is going with her…a lucky charm I guess” my dad informed us.

“That’s ridiculous!” my mom couldn’t believe it. “Did they trick her into doing it? I’m sure they used her feelings again, I-“

“Let it go” my father said, “there is nothing we can do, that’s Taeyeon’s choice after all”

I knew too well how Taeyeon felt about Sunye, how she has been feeling all these years. The guilt she has been holding into is not easy to let go. “So I guess they broke up” I said.

“How did you know about the party?” my mom asked.

“Some people at the company were talking about it. Gossips again”

“I can’t believe she didn’t tell me about it” I got angry, “I’m her best friend!”

“Honey, maybe she didn’t know how to tell you”

“What an idiot!” If Taeyeon was in front of me, I would have punched the hell out of her. “What are we going to do with Tiffany? I can’t believe it”

“She will need her friends” my mom adviced me, “and I know she can count on you”

I simply nodded, not knowing how I could be a help for Tiffany during Taeyeon’s absence. I didn’t want to take a side, but it was really hard for me not to be angry at

my friend for hurting Tiffany like this. I’ve known Taeyeon my whole life, and I knew too well what she had to go through in the past, but it was still hard for me to accept that decision of hers.

Even though the one she left behind was Tiffany, I was still feeling betrayed by my childhood friend, but the thing was, I couldn’t let it affect me because I had to be strong for Tiffany.

Incheon Airport,

No POV

Like she has announced, Taeyeon left the country on Monday morning with Sunye and her family. She had tried to call Tiffany all night, but the latter didn’t pick her phone, even her best friend Yuri gave her the cold shoulder. Taeyeon knew this time, she went too far and that her relatives and friends wouldn’t simply approve of her decision. It was with a broken heart that Taeyeon stepped inside the plane, looking outside of the window, she thought about the next month, when she will come back. She wondered whether her relationship with Tiffany could be saved, because as much as she didn’t want to admit it, they weren’t together anymore.

“I’m sorry for what happened to you” Sunye took the seat next to Taeyeon’s.

“You are not sorry” Taeyeon replied coldly.

“If you are going to be like this, why are you even here?” Sunye asked, hurt at

Taeyeon’s words.

Taeyeon looked at Sunye, knowing that at some point, they would have to talk about it, “I had to” she started, “If my presence could help you go through this surgery and be alive, I’ll do it. I don’t want to regret it later if…anything happen to you”

“And do you think you’re going to help me by being so cold?”

“I can’t do more that…you want me to be nice? Be affectionate? Hug you? Comfort you? I can’t! The girl I want to hug and love right at this moment doesn’t want to talk to me anymore,” Taeyeon got frustrated, “I come to support you, because it is an important and crucial time in your life and you said you need me, but I really can’t do more than that”

Sunye nodded, defeated, it was the best she could get of Taeyeon. “I see…but you know Taeyeon, nobody is blaming you anymore,” she took Taeyeon’s hand and hold it tightly, “what happened to me years ago, wasn’t your fault, and if coming with me this time is the only way for you to let go of that memory, then I accept it, I won’t mind you going with me to free yourself from the past instead of you coming with me because you love me”

Knowing she went too far earlier, Taeyeon tried to apologize, “Sun-“

“I’m fine,” Sunye smiled weakly, “I will go through this with the people I love by my side, then I will let you go” she then leaned in and kissed Taeyeon on the cheek.

“And, I really am sorry for you and Tiffany” Sunye said sincerely, beforegoing back to her seat. After she left, Taeyeon found herself at the verge of crying. She missed Tiffany, she missed her friends, and she was scared that a month later, she would not get her old life back.

A month, a whole month away from the one she loves.



Kim’s Residence,

Fany’s POV

One year. It has been one year. I still remember that fateful day when Taeyeon became a part of my life. We were both put in an awkward position when her parents asked us to marry each other. How could we agree to it? We didn’t even know each other, left alone had feelings for each other. They didn’t force us though, they gave us time, one year. We had a year to get to know each other, share our lives by living under the same roof and coming up with our decision.

And today was the day. It will either be the end of our love story, or the beginning of another journey together.

Taeyeon has left for the United States, 3 weeks ago, 21 days without seeing her

was a real torture to me. She was supposed to leave for a month, but Sunye’s recovery was faster than planned and so Taeyeon’s parents fixed today for our meeting.

Three weeks ago, I told Taeyeon that it was over, but I didn’t mean it at all. I just wanted her to stay with me, I just needed her to let that stupid guilt go and move on. But she didn’t. And here I was, standing there in front of her house, wondering if she would come back.

Yuri told me that Taeyeon texted and called every single day to ask how I was doing, since she couldn’t reach me directly. I turned off my phone when she left. I didn’t want to hear her, it was too hard living without her and I knew it would be even harder for me if I had to hear her voice on the phone.

I didn’t know how things would turn out, but I had to be strong. I always need to be strong.

*Ding Dong*

I rang the doorbell and waited for someone to open the door for me. It wasn’t the first time that I came to this house, but today, I was extremely nervous. I didn’t want it to end, whether we get married or not wasn’t important, I just wanted our relationship back.

“Miss Tiffany” a maid opened the door for me.

I welcomed her politely before following her to the living room where Taeyeon’s

parents were waiting for me. They were sitting on the couch when I came in and auntie immediately walked up to me and hugged me tightly. I knew she was feeling sorry for me, for what happened between her daughter and me.

“How are you doing Miyoung?” she led me to the couch and poured me a cup of tea.

I smiled weakly, too nervous to control my facial expressions. “I’m doing fine, thank you”

“Congratulations on your graduation” uncle told me, while auntie was busy patting my back gently.

Graduation…who would have thought that studies and exams were what helped me so much since Taeyeon left. I poured all my energy and time into studying, tried so hard to occupy myself so I wouldn’t break down and cry every day.

I wanted to ask about Taeyeon, ask them whether they knew she was coming back or not, but I was too afraid of their answers. If she wasn’t coming back, they wouldn’t have invited me over, right? It would be done already, they wouldn’t need to listen to my decision.

While waiting for Taeyeon to arrive, we sat there and talked about various things, though our minds were thinking about one common subject: Taeyeon.

Incheon Airport,

No POV

An hour late, the plane had an hour late. Taeyeon ran through the airport and went through the customs as fast as she could before running out to catch a cab.

2 days ago, her parents called her and told her that the meeting they planned a year ago was going to happen. It was a meeting where Taeyeon and Tiffany have to give their decisions, whether they want to stay together and fulfill her parents’ wish to see them get married or they want to go on their separate ways. Taeyeon was thrilled, because if Tiffany agreed to the meeting, it meant that she was probably ready to give her another chance.

“Excuse me sir, do you mind driving faster? I’m in a hurry” Taeyeon tried to remain polite, but deep inside, she just wanted to grab the steering wheel and drove the car herself.

She wanted to call her parents and tell them she would be late but her phone ran out of battery while on the plane. And as if it couldn’t get worse, about 20 minutes to her house, the taxi got stuck in traffic jam. “What the hell? Tell me this isn’t happening” looking out of the window, Taeyeon ran a hand through her hair, frustrated at what she was seeing.

“I’ll stop here” she told the driver before paying for the ride. “Thank you”

Stepping out of the car, Taeyeon could see all the vehicles that were stuck in the traffic jam. “Big traffic jam, awesome, and it had to happen today” she

complained, looking around.

There was no way she could take the bus or subway since she didn’t know how to use them, so the last thing left for her to do was…run.

Taeyeon surprised herself, at how fast she could run with these short legs of hers.

Running as fast as she could, images of Tiffany popping up in her head, Taeyeon smiled at the thought of reuniting with the love of her life. She smiled at the thought of Tiffany’s eye smile, those eyes that she had missed so much. Today was a big day and Taeyeon wanted it to be a day for Tiffany to remember, a new start for both of them.

Even heaven was giving her its blessing as all red lights turned to green when Taeyeon was about to cross a street.

But sometimes, things don’t always go the way we want them to…

“WATCH OUT!”

*Noises of a car braking*

Kim’s Residence,

Fany’s POV

An hour went by and still no news of Taeyeon. I was holding my phone and checking it every minute, but nothing came. Auntie and uncle were getting impatient as well, they made several phone calls to try and find out whether Taeyeon came back or not.

“Good news” uncle announced after finishing his last call. “Taeyeon is back in Korea already, her flight landed safely”

Unknownwingly, I let out a sigh of relief. Taeyeon was back, she really came back.

Auntie who was standing by the window walked back to the couch and sat down next to me. “I knew she wouldn’t let you down” she smiled at me.

My mood went up again, having found new hope for my relationship with Taeyeon.

“Let’s watch something on the TV while waiting for her, she will arrive really soon” uncle took the remote and turned on the TV.



For the third time in my life, I felt this emptiness around me, this cold and scary feeling that make you shiver because you know, you just know something happened.

Outside in Seoul,

NO POV

A group of passerbys were gathering around the street, looking at the fatal scene in front of them. Ahjummas were in shocked, parents preventing their kids from going too close, students whispering among each other and the police officers doing their best to stop people from coming closer.

And among the chaos, in the middle of that street, a girl was lying on the ground, lifeless, and not too far away from her, was an opened little box, with a shiny ring inside.

Meanwhile, in a household, a family received a phone call that they weren’t expecting at all…

*ring ring ring*

Sometimes, things don’t go the way with want. We hope for a happy ending, people around us smiling, living happily with their loved ones, but it is always easier to wish for something than to make it happen. Maybe some things are just not mean to be, and instead of crying over a future that we will not see, it is better to smile over memories that are still clear in our minds.

The End Epilogue – Our First Love Story

4 weeks later…

YulSic’s Apartment,

No POV

It was a shiny Saturday in Seoul, the birds were singing, announcing a bright day ahead. It was almost noon when Jessica opened her eyes, the sunlight disturbing her sleep. She took her phone and checked the time before getting off the bed lazily. Her hair was a real mess, the last evidence of a wild night with her lover, who on the other hand, was already awaked.

Jessica opened the door’s room and called for her lover, “Yuri-ah?”

“In the kitchen, baby” she heard Yuri yelled back.

After she was sure her other half was at home, Jessica went into the bathroom to get herself ready. Today was a special day, they had many guests coming over and it was the first time that they visited.

While Jessica was making herself all pretty for the day, the other occupant of the

apartment, Yuri, was up since dawn. Since their friends were coming over, Yuri woke up really early to set the table, cleaned up the living room and prepared the food. It was not like Jessica didn’t want to help, but there was no way she would wake up early to do it. Last night, the couple went out and since they were too tired when they got back, they went straight to bed, though they didn’t sleep immediately…

“Wahhh” Yuri was startled by her girlfriend’s exclamation, “it’s so pretty” Jessica praised upon seeing the dining table. “You did a very good job Kwon Seobang”

Stopping what she was doing, Yuri turned around and smiled brightly, “I know right? I’m so talented in decorating” she praised herself.

Jessica rolled her eyes and walked up to her lover, “yes yes, you are amazing” she said before planting a kiss on Yuri’s lips. “Good morning” she greeted their lips only inches away from each other.

“Morning sunshine” Yuri gave her another light kiss, “slept well?”

Jessica smiled, remembering their last night, “wonderful sleep I had” she said before pouting, “but I’m still tired”

Yuri laughed and kissed her girlfriend’s forehead, “I assumed, that’s why I didn’t wake you up this morning”

“I would have killed you” Jessica turned serious, “like really kill you”

Yuri smiled, amused at her girlfriend’s threats. “I assumed that too”

Jessica’s face softened up again and she embraced Yuri, “but you really did an amazing job, thank you”

“Well, I had to since you are so bad at cooking” Yuri teased.

“Kw-“

“BUT that’s why I love you” she quickly added before Jessica could scold her.

“You love me because I can’t cook?”

“That’s one of your charms” Yuri winked, “and after last night, I won’t mind cooking or doing whatever you want me to” she brushed Jessica’s back with her hands and planted kisses on her neck.

Jessica smiled and allowed Yuri to tease her, “yeah, I must admit we were really good last night”

“See, I told you we had to practice again and again and again”

“Stop it, it’s ticklish” Jessica laughed and tried to stop Yuri from teasing her neck, “Behave a little, you pervert!”

“I know you lo-“

*Ding Dong*

The doorbell rang and stopped the couple in their actions, “guess I have to wait until tonight” Yuri said disappointed.

“Who said you will get anything tonight?” Jessica freed herself from her lover’s grip and stuck her tongue out at her, “you had enough already” she teased Yuri before walking to the door.

Yuri followed Jessica to the door, a creepy smile on her face, “I’ll never have enough of you baby, never”

“Shhh now, behave! We have guests” Jessica hit Yuri’s arm before opening the door.

“HELLO!!!” their friends, Sooyoung and Hyoyeon greeted loudly, “thanks for inviting us!” the duo shouted in unison, “we brought you guys some food” they gave Jessica a huge plastic bag.

“Thank you” Yuri stepped aside, letting them in.

Jessica rolled her eyes, “you know, you two don’t have to scream” she told them.

“Ah Sooyeon-ah, I’m sure your neighbors are used to hear loud noises from here anyway” Sooyoung teased, which make both Yuri and Jessica blushed.

“You’re so bad Shikshin, teased them like that,” Hyoyeon scolded her friend, “that

place is huge” she said, walking around.

“Yuri will show you around,” Jessica offered, “what do you want to drink?”

“Any soft drink you have is good” Hyoyeon and Sooyoung said in unison again, “by the way, when are the others coming?”

Yuri led the duo to the first room, “I told them noon but they will be late because of my sister, I’m sure”

“Who is picking up your sister?”

“Oh Seohyun’s sister is driving them, you will love her, she is really nice”

After Yuri showed the apartment to Hyoyeon and Sooyoung, they went back to the living room where Jessica had prepared the drinks. “It’s a really nice apartment” Hyoyeon praised, “and I love the decoration”

“Yup, really nice, I bet you did it Yuri?” Sooyoung asked, ignoring the cold glares Jessica was throwing at her.

“I DID!” Jessica stopped herself from punching her friend, but when she saw Yuri staring at her, she corrected herself, “we, we did it, together”

“It took us 3 weeks to get that result,” Yuri explained, “the shopping took the longest, it was a real pain to agree on everything”

“No wonder with Jessica” Sooyoung mumbled, but unfortunately for her, Jessica heard it.

“Do you want me to kick you out?” Jessica glared at her friend.

“I was joking! You know I love you” Sooyoung tried to save her life.

*Ding Dong*

Yuri stood up and went to open the door. “Welcome kids!”

“Who are you calling kids?” Yoona pushed her sister aside and ran into the apartment. “HELLO guys!” her voice could be heard.

“Hello Yuri-unnie, thanks for inviting us” Seohyun, the opposite of Yoona, greeted politely before stepping in too.

“Yo Yul, what’s up?” Sunny entered the house, “we brought you guys some fruits” she handed them over to Yuri.

“Thank you, I forgot to buy some yesterday” Yuri walked her new arrived guests to the living room, where the others were sitting. “This is Sooyoung, Hyoyeon and this is Seohyun’s sister, Lee Sunkyu but call her Sunny” she introduced them.

“Lee Sunkyu?” Sooyoung repeated, wanting to laugh really hard.

“You laugh and I choke you” Sunny warned her before she could do anything.

Sooyoung gulped and leaned back on her chair, “No comment on your name”

“Aren’t you Taeyeon’s cousin?” Hyoyeon, who was checking on Sunny since she entered, asked.

“Yup, how do you know?”

“I know everything” Hyoyeon replied.

“Okay…” Sunny said a little freaked out.

This time, Jessica showed them around.

“I’m hungry!!!!” Sooyoung complained, “can we eat already?!?!”

“Yeah I’m hungry too!” Yoona joined in.

“Calm down you two, I prepare so much food that you can’t even finish” Yuri said.

“Excuse-me? Is that a challenge?” Sooyoung asked seriously.

“Yeah, are you challenging me? I can eat everything if I want to” Yoona said with confidence.

“Yeah me too!” replied Sooyoung.

Then the two shikshins looked at each other, fire burning in their eyes. “Want to compete with me little kid?” Sooyoung defied Yoona.

“Bring it on!” Yoona accepted the challenge.

“Ok” Sooyoung walked to the kitchen and opened the bag she brought for Yuri and Jessica. She opened it and took out 2 bags of chips, “here, a little starter” she threw one to Yoona and went back to her seat.

“You will regret this” Yoona said, opening the bag and starting to eat.

“Gosh, remind me again why we invited them?” Jessica whispered to Yuri.

“We need them to finish all the food you wanted us to buy, Miss I-don’t-knowhow-to-measure-quantity” Yuri whispered back.

“You-” Jessica was ready to give her lover a scolding.

“Let’s eat!” Yuri ran to the kitchen to avoid getting hit by her girlfriend. Soon enough, everyone was gathering around the table, ready to appease their hungry stomachs.

“Yuri cooked all that?” Sunny asked, her eyes amazed by all the dishes.

“Impossible, since when my sister can do this?” Yoona teased.

“That’s the magical effect of living on your own” Yuri answered.

“I can’t believe that in all Seoul, you were still able to pick an apartment in Taeyeon’s building” Hyoyeon stated.

“This building is good and it’s a good area too. Not too far from downtown and not too far from my parents’ house” Yuri explained, “it’s like in the middle of all the places we want to go”

“And I don’t mind living near my best buddy” Jessica said, thinking about her best friend.

It has been a month since Jessica and Tiffany didn’t see each other. One was busy decorating and moving in her new apartment while the other flew around the globe for vacations.

“THANKS FOR THE FOOD!” everyone shouted in unison.

As everyone started eating and chatting happily, Jessica looked around her and felt emotional. She couldn’t believe that she was really sitting there, happy with her friends. A year ago, she was still lost within her past relationship, trying to believe in love again. And now, she has found Yuri.

Jessica stared at Yuri and smiled to herself. So many things happened between them, they went through so much to finally be together like this and Jessica didn’t know which of her lucky star she had to thank. Yuri was the happiness that was missing in her life.

“Are you okay?” noticing that her girlfriend was staring at her, Yuri held Jessica’s hand and squeezed it gently.

“Yeah~” she showed her infamous eyesmile, “I-I just can’t believe we are here”

Yuri smiled and bringing Jessica’s hand to her face, she kissed it gently, “I love you”

“Hum Hum there is people around” Sunny coughed, stopping the couple’s little moment.

“You will understand us once you find your other half” Yuri teased her.

“Oh you’re single shorty?” Sooyoung asked.

“Call me shorty again and I choke you” Sunny warned again.

“Okay guys, let’s cheers for Yuri and Jessica on their new life as roommates” Sooyoung stood up, ignoring Sunny’s glares.

“Cheers!” everyone cheers together.

“And let’s cheers for Tiffany and Taeyeon who aren’t there with us.”

“Cheers!” everyone cheered again.

“Talking about Taeyeon, I really can’t believe what happened to Taeyeon, she

nearly died, right?” Hyoyeon asked. She heard lot of gossips going around that Taeyeon nearly got into a car accident but she wasn’t able to learn more about it.

Yuri and Jessica looked at each other, remembering that crazy day their friends told them about. Each detail of the story was burned into their memories.

>



*Ring Ring Ring*

Misses Kim was startled by the sudden sound of the phone ringing, she slowly stood up and with shaken legs, walked to answer the phone. Tiffany, who was sitting on the couch, stared at Taeyeon’s mother, anticipating her phone conversation.

Her heart was beating so fast, so hard that she thought it would jump out of her chest. The news she just saw on TV made her really nervous, and it didn’t help that she had that familiar feeling again, like she knew something really bad happened.

“Misses Kim speaking?” Taeyeon’s mother spoke gently, her voice shaking a little.

Tiffany was staring at her, praying the older woman wouldn’t break down or faint,

sign that her intuition was right.

“Oh my god Taeyeon”

“Don’t tell me she-” Tiffany felt the tears coming up, but Taeyeon’s mother next sentence calmed her down.

“Where are you?” Misses Kim asked on the phone.

“I’m at the police station, there was an accident mom…it was horrible…” Taeyeon said, “I have to talk to the policemen now, tell them what I saw, can you ask someone to come and pick me up?” she asked her mother, her voice was so childlike, so innocent.

“Of course honey, I will tell your father. Be careful until then, okay?” her mother said, before adding, “I love you”

There was a short pause before Taeyeon replied, “I love you too mom” then she hung up.

Misses Kim hung up the phone, her eyes a little teary. “She is fine” she said before hugging her husband who was standing next to her.

Tiffany allowed herself to breath and realizing she was quietly crying, she wiped her tears. “Thank god” she whispered, “she is fine”

Taeyeon’s mother walked up to her and gave her a huge too, “Don’t worry, she

has nothing” she reassured Tiffany, “she is at the police station now, you will see her soon”

“I’ll go pick her up then” Mr. Kim said before exiting the living room.

Tiffany and Taeyeon’s mother stayed in each other’s embrace for a while, both women were relieved to learn the good news.



“Oh my god, it must have been a real nightmare when they heard the phone rang” Sooyoung said, totally absorbed into the story.

Jessica nodded, “I wouldn’t have dared to pick up the phone”

“Me neither” Yoona agreed.

“So she was lucky?” Hyoyeon asked, wanting to know more.

Yuri nodded, “I don’t know if guardian angel exists, but Taeyeon sure used hers that day”



The lights were all green and Taeyeon crossed the street as fast as she could.

“WATCH OUT”

It happened in a split of second. The car, the girl, the shouting, Taeyeon…

Taeyeon barely had the time to turn her head that she was already down on the ground, two strong hands on her shoulders. Taeyeon sat up, her breathing was irregular and her eyes were looking around, like searching for something, before it lay on the bloody and lifeless body lying meters away from her.

“Hey kid, are you okay?” she heard someone behind her.

The same strong hands helped her stand on her feet, “what’s your name?”

“T-T-Taeyeon”

“Ok Taeyeon, are you okay? Are you hurt somewhere?” he asked her again.

“N-No I-I don’t think so”

“Fine, the paramedics are on their way, okay? Its fine now” he reassured her.

“T-Thanks”

Taeyeon walked a little away and sat against a building’s wall, trying to calm herself down so she could think properly. She tried her best to not look at the lifeless victim lying on the road, but it was too hard. She could have been that girl lying on the ground, it could have been her blood, and it could have been her life…

Putting her hands in her pocket, she realized that something was missing. “WWhere is it? She stood up and started looking around, “where is it?”

The man that saved her was kneeling near the victim, staying with her while the police and the paramedics were on their way. Taeyeon wanted to ask him whether he has seen what she was looking for, but before she could open her mouth, she spotted the little shiny object lying near his knee.

Taeyeon wanted to go and pick it up so badly, but she didn’t dare to. She was too afraid of going near the victim, the blood was scaring her away. “Hey kid!” the man called her, “is that yours?” he showed her the little box.

Taeyeon nodded but didn’t move. “Here, take it” the man handed it to her, “your fiancée’s name is Tiffany? It’s very nice, you are lucky” he told her before walking back to the victim.

Holding the little box, Taeyeon took out the ring and looked at it, “Always in my heart” she read the short inscription inside, “Tiffany…”



“Wow, she was really lucky” Hyoyeon said after Yuri told them the story.

“I know,” Yuri nodded, “She told me it was really close, just one step behind and it was her”

“That guy was really quick to grab her,” Sooyoung commented, “I don’t think I would have reacted that quickly”

Yuri explained, remembering every single word Taeyeon told her, “She had a foot on the sidewalk when he grabbed her, but it went really fast.”

“Yeah that kid is definitely lucky” Hyoyeon and Sooyoung nodded, agreeing with each other.

“I also told her that next time I see her run down the street, I will smack her” Yuri joked.

“But it is really horrible for the victim,” Sunny said, “I read in the newspaper that she was really young”

“She was around our age I think,” Yuri tried to remember, “they said she had some important appointment that day and that’s why she was running too”

“The driver was our age too…”

“I can’t believe he really tried to escape though, there were so many witnesses”

Yoona said.

“He is young, I think he panicked” Hyoyeon guessed.

“But that is going to ruin his chance of having a lighter sentence” Sunny stated.

“Sure, he will go to jail for a very long time,” Jessica said, “but I can’t feel sorry for him, honestly”

“He nearly ran over my best friend so yeah, I can’t feel sorry either” Yuri added.

"I bet Tiffany was freaking out when she learned the news” Sooyoung said, thinking about their friend that wasn’t with them.

“She told me she nearly had a heart attack when she saw the news on TV. She was so sure something happened to Taeyeon” Jessica remembered.

“So did she forgive Taeyeon? They are back together, right?” curious Sooyoung asked, her eyes switching between Yuri and Jessica.

“Yeah, I want to know this story too!” Seohyun joined in.

“Well…” Jessica started, remembering the story her best friend had told her.



Kim’s Residence,

Tiffany’s POV

I was sitting in the living room with Auntie, waiting for Taeyeon to come back. I knew she was fine but I was still very nervous. It has been three weeks since we last saw each other, and the last time we talked, it didn’t end well.

“Hey~”

When I looked up, she was there, standing by the door, a sorry smile on her face. Almost like a robot, I stood up and walked toward her. Taeyeon didn’t move and waited for me. When I reached her, I stared right into her eyes and held up my right hand, ready to slap her.

Taeyeon closed her eyes and waited, but the hit never came. Instead, I hugged her tightly, tears falling down on my face. “I hate you Kim Taeyeon”

When I felt Taeyeon’s arms around me, I cried harder. “I hate you, I hate you”

“I am so sorry Tiffany,” she whispered, “I will never leave you again” she hugged me tightly.

That night, Taeyeon and I were sitting in her room, trying to talk about the last events. I was about to talk when Taeyeon showed me a little box with a ring inside.

“I-I bought this…for you” she said nervously, giving me the box.

I held it in my hand, not sure of what it was supposed to represent. “This is…”

“I was about to propose” Taeyeon announced, “but I won’t do it”

My heart went from about to explode, to disappointment again. But that was before she could give me her reasons.

“You know,” she started, “that accident, or more what I saw of it…i-it didn’t last more than one second and yet, even for one second, I saw something in my head, you know what it was?” she asked me.

I stared at her, not knowing what to respond, “What did you see?”

“You mean who?” Taeyeon smiled, “I saw you”

I didn’t know what to say, I didn’t know whether I had to believe her or not, so many things happened and though I wanted her back, I wasn’t completely sure I could trust and forgive her again.

“Actually, since that day, all I could see whenever I close my eyes was you” Taeyeon went on, “I know it sounds cheesy and cliché, but all I think about was you, Tiffany, not a single day, a single moment where I wasn’t thinking about you”

“Taeyeon…”

“I know what I did was unforgivable and I don’t have the right to ask you to forgive me,” Taeyeon took my hand, “but…we are mean to be together”

“I wish it could be that easy” I told her, remembering the pain I went through when she left me.

“It will never be easy, life isn’t easy and relationships are worse, but I don’t care,” Taeyeon was holding both of my hands now, “I just know that, if something had happened to me today, I would have hated myself for not making it up to you, for never having the chance to apologize, for leaving you behind”

“How can I trust you again?” I asked out loud, the love I had for Taeyeon would never change, but the trust I put in her was almost gone.

“By giving me another chance” Taeyeon pled, “I’m not asking you to trust me now, or tomorrow, but I’m asking you to give me the chance to win back that trust. Whether it is in a month, or a year, I’ll earn it back”

“Does it mean you want us to be friends until that day?” I asked kind of confused.

“I am in love with you Tiffany,” she told me, “and if I have to wait then I will, but…I don’t want to be your friend, because I am not. I’m your soul mate”

Taeyeon picked up the box I had dropped earlier when she held my hands, and took out the ring. “Here,” she handed it to me, “it was supposed to be an engagement ring, but let’s make it a promise ring or a second chance ring instead.

When you are ready to be with me again, wear it”

I stared at the ring and read the inscription inside, “Always In My Heart” Taeyeon said it out loud.

“You can wear it now if you want to” she tried to joke but smiled awkwardly after, “sorry”

I wanted to smile and hugged her, tell her I love her no matter the circumstances, but a part of me held me back. I couldn’t forgive her that easily, I suffered so much during those three weeks that I couldn’t let it go.

After our talk, Taeyeon and I slept in different rooms. But that night, I didn’t sleep at all, knowing she was so close to me, yet so far, was uncomfortable. I wanted her with me, holding me tight like she used to, but it was too quick. We needed some distance from each other, needed to learn how to breathe without being attached to each other’s hips.



Everyone around the table was focus on Jessica who was telling the story. Seohyun and Sooyoung, the two sensitive girls were even teary, listening to Taeyeon’s words for Tiffany.

“Their love is so beautiful” Sooyoung said, wiping a little tear from her eye.

“I was holding back my tears when Tiffany told me the story,” Jessica recalled, “I couldn’t believe Taeyeon could be so romantic and cheesy”

“Taeng isn’t as cold as people think,” Yuri said, “and Tiffany changed her a lot”

“But wait,” Sunny was confused, “Tiffany didn’t want to forgive her but she still went on vacations with her? Around the world?” she asked in disbelief.

“What do you want? They can’t live without each other” Jessica said, laughing.

“I think they went together as friends” Yuri explained, not really convinced either.

“But they can’t be friends!” Yoona exclaimed, “That’s just crazy if they thought they could be friends”

“To Tiffany’s defense,” Jessica tried to explain, “she said she went for the shopping and not for Taeyeon”

“Yeah right” Yoona rolled her eyes.

“It’s been a month. Do you think she is wearing the ring?” Seohyun asked, wondering if her cousin was finally forgiven.

“Hmm I bet she is” Yuri was confident.

“Nahh I think this time she will make Taeyeon suffer a little longer” Jessica disagreed with her girlfriend.

“Wanna bet?” Hyoyeon who was always ready for some kind of betting game jumped in.

“I bet she won’t be wearing the ring when they get back” Jessica said, Yoona and Hyoyeon joining her.

“I bet she is wearing it already” Yuri, Seohyun and Sooyoung all agreed with each other.

“There is no way she will resist Taeyeon after such confession” Sooyoung was sure of herself.

“You guys are going to lose!” Jessica declared, “Tiffany told me herself that this vacation was a test and she wouldn’t go easy on Taeyeon”

Upon hearing her girlfriend, Yuri complained, “I wish Sica’s tests would include long and nice vacation too” she said, “most of the time, it involves us going to the beach and her hitting my head whenever my eyes dare to look away from her” she laughed, earning a hit from Jessica.

“That’s because you are a pervert” she pinched Yuri’s cheek.

“But that time I didn’t even look!” Yuri defended herself.

“I knew my sister was a pervert!” Yoona exclaimed while everyone laughed.

“I really didn’t though,” Yuri whined, “The real pervert is Taeyeon, she likes to look at people’s butts” Yuri dragged her friend into the mess.

“Can we talk about something else? There are kids around!” Sunny playfully scolded them, covering her little sister’s ears.

“Please shorty, your sister is a big girl already” Soooyung rolled her eyes at Sunny’s comment.

“You s-“

*ring ring ring*

Sooyoung stuck her tongue at Sunny before answering her phone, “Hello?” she then sighed and got angry, “for the love of god! Leave me alone! Find someone else to bother!! AND STOP CALLING ME!” Sooyoung hung up angrily.

“Ya Sooyoung, what’s wrong?” Yuri asked, while Hyoyeon was holding her laughter.

Sooyoung nudged Hyoyeon before sighing again, “whose fault?!?!” she stared at Yuri.

“What? Me?” Yuri pointed at herself, “what did I do?”

“The crazy girl that kept following you, Park Gyuri, she is bothering me now” Sooyoung explained, defeated. “I did everything I could, I scolded her, yelled at

her, threw things at her…”

“I understand you buddy” Yuri offered her hand as Sooyoung shook it, “That girl is a real pain, good luck”

“No but really, I’m so close to push her under a bus” Sooyoung admitted.

“Violence is not a solution” Seohyun said, shaking her head.

“Well in that case…” Yuri looked at Sooyoung, indirectly telling her that it wouldn’t be that bad if she were to throw the annoying girl under a bus.

“Give me your phone” out of nowhere, Sunny spoke up.

Though she was clueless, Sooyoung obeyed and handed her phone to Sunny. “What are you going to d-”

“Quiet!” Sunny said before using Sooyoung’s phone. There was a short silence before she spoke. “Hello? Park Gyuri is it?”

Everyone’s jaw dropped on the floor as they realized Sunny way calling the infamous crazy girl, Park Gyuri.

“What is she doing?” Yuri asked the others, but they were all focus on Sunny.

“Listen you little brat, leave my friend alone or you will regret it,” she said, a smile on her face, “ever heard of Lee Sunkyu? You know, the one who is worse than the

Flower Boys? Yes? Good girl, stop bothering my friend if you don’t want to deal with Lee Sunkyu herself. I won’t repeat it twice. Bye” Sunny explained calmly before hanging up.

Her friends were now all in shocked, none of them understanding what happened.

“Huh…excuse-me…” Sooyoung was going to ask Sunny something.

“She won’t bother you anymore” Sunny assured her.

“How did you…what?” Sooyoung was speechless.

“I’m Lee Sunkyu” Sunny answered, a smirk on her face.

“That smirk, is that a family thing?” Jessica asked Yuri, remembering all the times Taeyeon would smirk like that.

“Scary family” Yuri concluded.

“Well, thank you Sunny,” Sooyoung said with a smile, “I’ll threat you dinner next time”

“And I will gladly accept” Sunny smiled, giving back Sooyoung’s phone.

“Looks like we have a new couple in town” Jessica whispered to Yuri.

“Well, if it happens, I pity your friend” Yuri whispered back.

“So guys, did you receive your acceptance letters yet?” Hyoyeon asked, once everyone calmed down.

“Yup” everyone answered.

“And where did you apply?” Yoona asked them.

“Seoul University” Yuri replied, “Taeyeon and I got in, of course”

“Wah you two are really smart then,” Hyoyeon teased.

“We are going to rule the campus” Yuri said happily.

“Count me in too” Sunny held up her hand, “Seoul campus will be mine” she smirked, scaring Yuri.

Ignoring their little childish moment, Jessica spoke, “though my grades weren’t the best, I still got into Kyung Hee, Arts & Design department”

“And we got into Dongkuk” Hyoyeon said, pointing at Sooyoung and herself.

“What about Fany-unnie?” Seohyun asked.

And to everyone’s surprise, Jessica announced proudly for her friend, “she got into Yonsei”

Everyone clapped their hands happily even though Tiffany wasn’t there with them, “I knew she would do it! She worked so hard for that” Sooyoung said, remembering all the studies Tiffany pulled up before the exams.

Breaking the happy moment, Jessica spoke up, “so it looks like most of us are going their separate ways…that’s going to be weird not seeing you guys in the morning”

“And it will be weird to not stop you from skipping school” Yuri added, looking at her girlfriend.

“Oh I will miss the food in front of the school!” Sooyoung cried while Hyoyeon patted her back.

“I will miss…hmm…sitting beside Jessica and staring at her face during classes” Yuri kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.

“Aish~ I wish we could be in the same class” Yoona complained, resting her head on Seohyun’s shoulder. “Life is so unfair”

Everyone laughed at Yoona’s sudden outburst before continuing their discussion. The day went really fast with everyone gathering together like this, chatting, playing with each other. Even though summer was only starting and they were still on vacation, the little party had a strong feeling of farewell. They were saying goodbye to their high school years, leaving happy and sad memories behind as to prepare for a new journey.

Marriott Hotel, Paris

Tiffany’s POV

Paris, City of Lovers. If someone had told me I would ever visit that City, I wouldn’t have believed it. But then, if someone had told me I would have moved in with a total stranger, fall in love with her, get my heart broken into million pieces, I wouldn’t have believed it either. But it happened. All of that happened.

The stranger, the love, the pain, it all happened.

Sometimes, I wonder what are the reasons certain things happen in our lives, why me? Why her? Why at that time? What did I do to deserve that happiness? What did I do to deserve that pain? Some say, everything happen for a reason, but I wonder, what are those reasons?

If I could choose, I would have kept all the happy memories and erased all the bad ones. Did Taeyeon and I really need to go through all this? Did we really need to fall so deeply in love just to be separated in the end? If the reason for these events is for our love to be stronger, deeper, then I don’t believe it.

Or maybe, this wasn’t about me. Maybe it wasn’t my story to tell, maybe it was Taeyeon’s story all along. Maybe all these tests, all those hardships, the tears, the pain, were the reasons that Taeyeon needed to change, to become someone else, a better daughter, a better lover, a better person.

Because, I love her, I loved her and there wasn’t a time when I doubted about my feelings. I knew all along how I felt and how strong these feelings were. I didn’t need the fear of losing her to open my eyes, never. So maybe, just maybe, these were all for Taeyeon.

“What are you doing out here?” a pair of warm arms encircled my waist, pulling me into a tight embrace.

Standing on the balcony of our hotel’s room, I was watching the passersby walking on the famous Champ-Elysée, though I was more lost in my thoughts than paying attention to them. “I was just thinking” I intertwined my hands with hers. “Miss me already?”

Taeyeon rested her head on my shoulder, her breathing tickling my neck, “I was afraid when I didn’t see you in the room” she admitted.

“Where do you think I would go?” I asked jokingly, but I knew why she was feeling this way.

Taeyeon stayed quiet for a moment, not answering me. I knew what she was thinking about, so squeezing her hands gently, I tried to reassure her. “Stop thinking about it, can you?”

“What if-”

Shifting my body around, I was now facing her. “I’m not going to change my mind and run away, Taeyeon”

“I wouldn’t blame you though”

“What did you promise me again?”

“To forget about it”

“So why can’t you?”

“Because you were thinking…”

“I wasn’t thinking of leaving you”

“I-It’s just…” Taeyeon looked away, frustrated at herself. “I am constantly afraid of losing you now”

Yeah, maybe things do happen for a reason. Maybe everything that happened to us was a lesson for Taeyeon, for her to learn to cherish me, though I got hurt in the process.

“Baby,” I caressed her soft face, “you have to learn how to let things go, it’s not possible to move on if you hold so hard into the past”

“But what I did was awful”

“And I have forgiven you,” I kissed her, “let it go now” wrapping my arms around her neck, I brought her face closer to mine, “we agreed to start anew, didn’t we?

This is a new beginning and I don’t want it to be full of sad thoughts, ok?”

Taeyeon finally nodded, “I am lucky, aren’t I?”

“Stop thinking this way, I am lucky too” I kissed her and as our kiss got deeper, Taeyeon had to pull away.

“My god! What if people are looking at us?” she suddenly looked around, checking if there was someone.

I rolled my eyes and hit her arms, “you killed the mood! You babo!” I tried to push her away but she held into me.

“Sorry sorry that was a stupid joke,” Taeyeon laughed, holding me, “let’s start again” she tried to kiss me but I pushed her face away.

“No no I don’t feel like making out with you anymore” I pushed Taeyeon away and walked back into the suite room.

She followed me back in, still laughing. “Oh you prefer making out in the room?” she joked, jumping on the bed, “that’s fine with me”

“Go away” I ignored her and went to pick up my luggage. I kneeled on the floor and opened one of them, Taeyeon still on the bed, making cute faces so I would pay attention to her. “I won’t give in baby, you know it”

I heard her sigh and jumped off the bed. I was quite sure she would bother me

again but she didn’t. Instead, she walked toward the bathroom. “I’m going to shower” Taeyeon told me while I started unpacking “wanna join me?” she teased, leaning against the bathroom’s door, “I won’t ask you twice”

I threw a pair of socks at her, “you pervert!”

Taeyeon dodged it away and teased me again, “That’s not what you said-“

I threw another pair of socks at her, “we were wearing bikinis at that time!” I yelled before she disappeared into the bathroom.

Feeling myself blushing, I shook my head furiously, trying to get the weird thoughts out of my head. I could hear Taeyeon singing under the shower and I laughed at her, though she couldn’t hear me. I was just going to take out some clothes for the day, but somehow, I ended up opening all the luggage, and gosh, we had a lot!

I was so absorbed into taking out different things we bought on our trip that I didn’t realize the big mess I created into the room; a mess that Taeyeon didn’t miss when she came out of her shower.

“What…the…hell?” Taeyeon looked at the pile of clothes lying around the floor. “Did typhoon Tiffany just come here?”

“Sorry” I stared at her, my puppy eyes ready.

Taeyeon smiled and came to sit by my side, “what are you doing?”

“I wanted to take out some clothes but every time I picked something up, it reminded me of some part of our vacation” I explained.

“So you ended up taking out everything”

I nodded cutely, “you are going to help me pack everything back, right?”

“Do I have a choice?” Taeyeon scratched her head.

I laughed and planted a huge kiss on her cheek. “Nope”

“Sure, you know I love doing that” she said sarcastically.

“Why did you buy that by the way?” I held up a huge hat with England’s flag printed on it.

Taeyeon took it away from me and threw it inside one of our luggage, “It’s for Yuri. She told me she has always wanted one like that”

“Jessica will kill her if she wears that in the street” I imagined Yuri wearing that and Jessica walking as far away as she could.

“Where did we buy this?” Taeyeon showed me another hat.

“Mexico” I replied, shocked that she didn’t know.

“And honestly baby, do you think we bought enough shirts?” Taeyeon asked me while pointing at all the I love (insert City name) shirts that we bought in each city we visited.

“It’s a must buy!” I complained, “I want to collect them”

“Fine fine”

“Ya don’t make fun of me, Miss I bought Disney toys!” I took her peas-in-a-pod plush.

“Noooooooooooooooooo my peas!” Taeyeon snatched the plush away from me, “that’s my peas! Look at them! So cute and so soft” she hugged the plush while I looked bewildered.

“Kim Taeyeon! Me or you peas?!?!” I asked for fun.

Taeyeon looked at me cautiously, and then looked at her peas. She then hugged her peas tighter and rolled on the floor, “MY PEAS!”

I grabbed my Totoro plush and hit her with it, “what? You chose peas instead of me?”

Taeyeon laughed and rolled around on the floor, “looks who is talking! You are in love with Totoro!”

“Totoro is my bestfriend!!!” I continued to hit her.

“My peas too!” Taeyeon argued back.

“You met your peas 2 weeks ago!”

“It was love at first sight!”

Taeyeon and I had fun like this for a while, creating an even bigger mess in the room.

So later that night, we lay exhaustively on the bed and talked about various things that happened since we met each other.

“Do you regret it?” Taeyeon suddenly asked me.

“What?”

“Meeting me”

“Well,” I started, remembering our first meeting, “I cried a lot because of you”

Taeyeon pulled me closer to her, “I know”

“But I also smiled a lot because of you,” I went on, “I think the smile overweight the pain so I can hardly regret it”

“I want you to know, that day,” Taeyeon was going to mention a memory that I

was trying so hard not to remember so I tried to stop her.

“Taeyeon, I don’t want-“

“Wait, let me explain” She cut me off, “that day, I didn’t choose Sunye over you” she explained, “I chose myself”

I shifted my body a little so I could see her face. “I was selfish…I was tiring of feeling guilty and responsible over her so I left. I chose to hurt you so I could repay her. It was like…I’ll go with you so after that we can be even, but it was stupid” Taeyeon admitted.

“She is fine now” Taeyeon told me Sunye’s surgery was a huge success and she was much better.

“Yeah but I don’t think I was of any help” Taeyeon added, “I was just there you now, like a zombie. In the end, I hurt everyone and for nothing”

“Let’s forget that, okay?”

“I am just so sorry for hurting you”

“Well, didn’t I give you your punishment already?” I placed my hand on her face, “you have to stay by my side, forever”

“I am really sorry Tiffany” she apologized again, I could see tears in her eyes.

“Stop apologizing,” I cupped her face with my hands, “don’t you know things happen for a reason?”

Yes, all these hardships made us stronger as a couple. We went through so much that I don’t know if there is anything in this world that could break us apart. And for sure, these breaking moments were a part of Taeyeon’s changes.

“And what is the reason?”

“You, Taeyeon, it all happened for you”

Taeyeon stared at me, loss at words. “In what way?”

“You changed,” I tried to explain to her, “you are not the same Kim Taeyeon I met a year ago, you don’t treat me like you did a year ago and after what happened last month, I know something changed again”

“I won’t be that stupid again,” she confessed, “if I ever hurt you like that again, don’t take me back”

“I know you won’t” I kissed her cheek gently, “but you have to believe it yourself”

Taeyeon smiled and kissed my nose before hugging me tighter. “Honestly, our story is quite amazing”

“A rollercoaster fairytale” I smiled, thinking about our relationship’s ups and downs.

“Yup a kickass fairytale” she joked.

Intertwining my fingers with hers, I played with her soft hands, “A story I would love to tell our children and grand-children” I said, looking at the shiny ring on my finger.

Taeyeon placed a kiss on my head, “and how would you call that story?”

I turned my body around so I would lie on my stomach and face Taeyeon, “Hmm…let me think,” I said, kissing her first, “what do you think about…” I kissed her again, “Our First Love Story”

The END

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

Special Side Chapter - Tutoring Tricks

1. TaeNy Tricks!

Taeny's Appartment,

No POV

On a beautiful and shiny day, Tiffany was stuck at home doing her homework. Like usual, her smart girlfriend Taeyeon was tutoring her. While most tutor seats beside their student and tries their best to help them, Taeyeon does it another way.

"Are you done yet? Its diner time soon!" said Taeyeon.

The older girl was sitting on the couch, playing a video game while her girlfriend was sitting at the diner table and dealing with her homework.

"I can't do this Taengoo ahhhhhhhh!" Tiffany scratched her head, helpless.

"Well you should though, if not I'm going to eat diner by myself" Taeyeon threatened Fany.

"But I don't get this problem?come here and help me!!!" Tiffany shouted in the living room.

"I explained it to you twice already. Focus a little more honey, you can do it! Fighting!" Taeyeon gave some encouragement to her girlfriend, but still couldn't take away her eyes from the TV.

"Aigoo now I'm hungry Taengooooooooo!!!" Tiffany started to whine loudly.

At first, Taeyeon ignored the whining and focus on her game, but after 10 minutes of Tiffany loud and high pitch screaming, she gave up.

"I give up! I give up!" she exclaimed while leaving the comfortable couch. "I'm going to cook diner and if you are a nice and obedient girl, you will try to solve the problem quietly, alright?" she said before giving Tiffany a kiss.

"No! I'm hungry so I can't concentrate. I will rest while you're cooking!" she said with a smile before crashing on the couch.

"YOU...aish whatever..." Taeyeon gave up again and started doing her own thing.

It took Taeyeon about 30 minutes to cook some dishes and even though she made everything quickly, it was nonetheless very tasty.

"WAHHHHH so nice" Tiffany clapped her hand together as she sat at the table, ready to eat.

"WAIT!" Taeyeon stopped Tiffany from eating the food. "I forgot that you can't eat"

"What? WHY?" Tiffany complained loudly.

"Because you're not done with your homework!" Taeyeon changed her expression and became more serious, which scared Tiffany.

"But...you said you were going to cook and all?" The hungry girl pouted.

"Did you forget the rule Tiffany? No homework no food!" like it wasn't enough of a torture, Taeyeon said that with a huge smile on her face.

Tiffany pouted and made her more adorable puppy eyes to win over her girlfriend. And it worked!

"Okay...fine! What about...for each correct answer that you find, I feed you a full spoon??" Taeng suggested.

Tiffany didn't hesitate a second before accepting the deal. "OKAY!" she clapped happily.

For about an hour, Taeyeon feed Tiffany after each answer that she got correctly. Sometimes, she would even feed her twice because the question was hard. That was definitely the best plan Taeyeon ever had to make Tiffany study quietly and efficiently.

After her homework was done, Tiffany turned to Taeyeon with a naughty smile. "Now I want some dessert..."

"I didn't make dessert..." Taeyeon replied while looking weirdly at Tiffany. "Why are you looking at me like this? Tiffany...NOOOOOO" Taeyeon ran away before Tiffany could catch her.

"Come here Taengoo!!!" Tiffany chased after Taeng.

After a long chasing all over the apartment, Tiffany finally trapped Taeng in the bedroom. With a still naughty smile on her face, Tiffany closed and locked the door, making sure Taeyeon couldn't run away again.

"Hehehe" Tiffany rubbed her hands together with a creepy smile.

"YA Tiffany! Don't come over here" Taeng said afraid. She took some steps back, wanting to keep a fair gap between Fany and her, but unfortunately, she bumped into the bed and fell on it.

"Taengoo you can't get away this time...HAHAHA" she said before laughing out loud.

"You are not Tiffany...you are the evil Mushroom!" Taeng stated before trying to hide under the blanket.

But once again, Tiffany was faster. She jumped on the bed and finally caught Taeyeon.

Fany was now sitting on top of her girlfriend, looking at her with very expressive eyes. "Tonight, you are all mine Kim Taeyeon" she said with a sweet smile before bending down to kiss the love of her life.

2. YulSic Tricks!

Kwon's Residence,

No POV,

Like every day after school, Jessica went to her girlfriend's house to study. Since Yuri was one of the top students, it was perfectly normal for her to tutor Jessica and help her with her homework. Of course, these tutoring lessons were only an excuse for both of them?

"Yuri-ah can't we do that later? I need a nap!" Jessica complained as soon as Yuri told her to take out her school books.

"Nope we can't. I know you Jessica, if I let you sleep then you will only wake up when its time for you to go home which means you won't study at all"

"But you know I can't concentrate right after school, I need to rest my brain a bit"

"You want to do something else before we study?" Yuri already had something in mind. "Because I have a very good suggestion in this case..." she said with a flirtatious look.

Jessica sighed before opening her bag to take out her books.

"YA! Does it mean you prefer doing your homework than...doing you-know-what with me?" Yuri whined.

"You don't let me sleep so I don't see why I should make you happy Kwon Yuri" Sica said as she sat at the desk.

Yuri grumbled something before joining her girlfriend. The two of them were both reluctant to study but since none of them were ready to let the other "win", they had no other choice but do their homework.

"Did you get question number 4?" Sica asked.

"Yes I did" Yul simply answered.

"Explain it to me, please" she asked a little annoyed.

Yuri then proceeded to explain to Jessica how she found the answer to that particular question. During the explanation, Jessica paid very close attention to Yuri's face, like she was studying it. Feeling her girlfriend's stare on her, Yuri's face reddened a little before looking at Jessica.

"What is it?" Yuri asked unsure, wondering why Jessica's behavior changed.

"Nothing, it's just that..."

"What?"

"You're so hot...when you're all focus..." Sica said shyly but her eyes not leaving Yuri's.

"Really?" Yuri's head leaned closer to Jessica's, ready to kiss her.

"Really...hot..." Sica whispered sensually before closing her eyes, inviting Yuri to kiss her.

Yuri smiled sweetly before closing the gap between them. As the kiss deepened and Yuri losing herself into it, Jessica pulled away apologetically.

"We can't do this" she said sadly.

"Why?"

"Because I have to finish my homework"

"Screw the homework, I don't care" Yuri said impatiently while trying to kiss her girlfriend again.

"No, you know I really have to do them...the teacher always check if I do them or

not..." Sica said seriously.

It was a real fact. Every time the teachers decide to check whether their students did their homework or not, Jessica was always one of the few students getting picked.

Jessica touched Yuri's face gently and said in a very tentative voice. "If only I could finish my homework quickly then maybe we can..."

Those words were enough to make Yuri go crazy. "I'll do them!" she said before taking Sica's books.

"What? No you can't. I have to do them myself" Jessica refused but it was obvious she was only acting.

"It will take too much time if you do them yourself. I'm faster" Yuri said before doing Jessica's homework.

Jessica threw some complaints here and there while making her way to Yuri's bed, but Yul was so focus that she didn't pay attention. All she wanted was to finish those homework fast enough to spend some time with her gorgeous girlfriend.

30 minutes passed and Yuri was finally done with her girlfriend's homework. She closed the books proudly and turned to her left, where Jessica was supposed to still be sitting.

"Sica?" Yuri called her girlfriend before her eyes spotted the sleeping figure on her

bed. "I can't believe it?she got me again..." Yul sighed.

Since Jessica was already sleeping, Yuri decided to finish her own homework before taking care of her tricky girlfriend. She was definitely going to wake Jessica up, but knew better to not wake the monster when she was only sleeping for 30 minutes. At least, she had to let the beauty sleep one hour.

So once Yuri was done with her studies, she made her way to where Sica was sleeping. Quietly, she climbed on the bed next to Jessica and touched her face gently. At first, Yuri wanted to nudge Sica until she wakes up but finally, she chose the teasing method.

Yuri stroke away Jessica's hair before kissing her gently on the neck. Those kissed had an immediate effect on Jessica who was waking up slowly. Not stopping at all, Yuri started putting kisses on Jessica's face. She smiled when her sleeping girlfriend started to laugh.

"Stop it Kwon Yuri, that's not fair to attack me when I'm sleeping" a now awakened Jessica complained.

"And is it fair to trick me into doing your homework?" Yuri replied before giving Jessica a peck on the lips.

"That's not my fault if you are a naughty kid"

"Want me to show you how naughty I am???" Yuri smiled.

"Sorry but isn't it time for me to go home?" Sica tried to find an escape.

"We still have 2 hours Princess and I'm done with all our homework so..." Yuri bit her lips.

"So?" Jessica smiled, knowing perfectly what Yuri had in mind.

"So it's enough time for me to enjoy my reward" she said before kissing Jessica.

And this time, none of them pulled away.

3. YoonHyun Tricks!

Kwon's Residence,

No POV

Yoona and Seohyun were alone in Yoona's room. it was a usual day after school. Both of them were sitting at the desk, doing their homework. They were not from the same school and not even on the same grade, but they like to help each other with their respective homework. Needless to say, Seohyun has a higher level of motivation and concentration than Yoona who get distracted very easily.

"We should take a break" Yoona said, lying on her chair.

"We had a small break 10 minutes ago, Yoona"

"Don't you want a break? We can cuddle for 5 minutes then I won't ask for a break anymore"

"That's what you said 10 minutes ago, Yoona"

Seohyun continued to do her homework, ignoring her bored girlfriend next to her. Yoona is a great student, with good grades but she is lacking a lot of motivation, especially when Seohyun is around.

"Are you hungry Seohyun?" Yoona asked, unable to focus on her studies.

"No I'm not, thank you"

"Do you need something?" Yoona asked again.

"No, thank you"

"If I..."

"Study Yoona, study" Seohyun cut her off.

It was almost impossible to disturb Seohyun when she is studying. Of course, nothing is impossible and Yoona knows it better than anyone else.

"Can I just...turn on the TV? It will help me concentrate..." Yoona found an excuse to put her plan into play.

Seohyun looked at Yoona like she was crazy, but didn't stop her. Yoona turned on the TV and the DVD player. She made sure that Seohyun wasn't looking and putted a DVD in. Then she went to sit back next to Seohyun, and acted like nothing was going on.

"Okay, I'm focus now. I'll do my homework without any interruptions." Yoona said but once again, Seohyun wasn't paying attention.

That's when Seohyun heard a familiar song.

She jumped from her chair, like someone has called her. "Keroro???" she turned around and looked at the TV where Keroro episode intro was playing.

"Oh...Keroro...how come..." Yoona acted dumb.

Seohyun was already on the couch, staring at the TV while Yoona smiled proudly. She closed her book and turned to Seohyun.

"Seohyun, you still have 2 exercises to do" she said.

Seohyun's eyes were glued on the screen where a couple of frogs were fighting some monster.

"I'll do it after this episode" Seohyun answered without even looking at her

girlfriend.

"But we have to study" Yoona continued her act.

"...Just one episode...please..." Seohyun begged.

Yoong smiled proudly before joining her girlfriend on the couch. She lay down at the extreme side of the couch and looked at Seohyun with a smile.

"Want to join me?" she asked Seohyun while pointing to the empty space next to her.

Seohyun with a shy smile joined Yoona, lying down next to her but her eyes never leaving the screen. Yoona hugged her girlfriend and kissed the back of her head.

"Don't you like that better than homework?" asked Yoona.

"Keroro is better than homework" Seohyun answered innocently.

Yoona rolled her eyes. "It's the DVD Seohyun, there are at least 5 episodes on that disk?are you going to watch all of it?"

"Yes"

"Can I get a kiss?"

"No"

"What if I turn off the TV?" Yoong threatened her girlfriend.

Hearing the threat, Seohyun immediately turned her head around and kissed Yoona. She was only going to give Yoong a quick peck before focusing on her anime again but when she was going to pull away, Yoona stopped her by grabbing her head, continuing the kiss.

A Christmas Together

Kwon's Residence,

No POV

One of the best times of the year has come. Christmas! This is the first Christmas for our three couples since they found each other. To fully celebrate it, they all gather at Yuri's house. All of them have already arranged with their families. They will celebrate with their own family on the 26th.

Around noon, Yuri's parents went out. They were going to spend Christmas with Seohyun's parents. Since Yoona and Seohyun met each other and started spending all of their free time together, their respective parents also came to know each other and became good friends.

While Yoona was preparing, Yuri went out to pick up Seohyun and Jessica.

Around 1pm, everyone was already there. Taeyeon and Tiffany arrived with their arms full of presents. It was also Tiffany first Christmas without her father. While it was hard for her, she was still able to smile genuinely, because she was truly happy to be with her second family.

The girls spent the afternoon baking cookies and talking about their Christmas' memories.

"Guess what my beloved sister gave me as a present last year?" Yuri asked everyone.

Jessica, Tiffany and Seohyun were trying to guess while Taeyeon was laughing.

"You mean you didn't like her present Yul?" Taeyeon teased. "I think it was quite original"

Yoona joined in. "I'm proud of my present! It was a great idea!"

"A coupon! My sister gave me a coupon!" Yuri complained while everyone looked amused.

"A blank coupon where she could write down a wish. I named it the Tell me your wish Christmas" Yoona said proudly. "I gave one to my parents too and they were very happy"

Fany found the idea fabulous whereas Jessica thought it wouldn't work for her. "I don't think I can give Yuri a wish coupon...that would be a suicide" she said.

"Why?" Seohyun asked innocently.

Taeng knowing what Jessica meant looked at her with big eyes.

"Huh...I mean...because..." Sica stuttered.

"Because Yuri is expecting a huge present from Jessica" Taeng said quickly, saving the situation.

Yuri looked at Jessica with a mischievous smile. "Does it mean I won't have a wish coupon? Never?"

Everyone except Seohyun responded. "NEVER" they shouted at the same time, before the room was filled with laughter.

After they were done with the cooking, they went in the living which was nicely decorated. They all sat down on the couch and watch a Christmas movie together.

"We do that every year, right Taeng?" Yuri asked.

Taeyeon nodded and smiled, thinking about each Christmas she has spent with the Kwon family. "We played in the morning, helped auntie with the cookies before watching a movie and waiting for dinner"

"And presents!" Yuri added.

"We made presents ourselves when we were kids" Taeyeon explained. "Auntie said it was more meaningful"

"She is right" Tiffany agreed.

"My present is meaningful" Yuri said with confidence.

"I'm sure it's something lame" Yoona teased her sister.

The two sisters started bickering with each other. Taeyeon looked at them and smiled sweetly. Since she was an only child, she has always considered the Kwon sisters like her own siblings.

After the movie, Yoona, Seohyun and Tiffany went back in the kitchen to prepare diner while Yuri and Taeyeon played video game. As for Jessica, she did what she does the best. Sleep.

"I must say..." Taeyeon started speaking. "the food is really really good!" she said after tasting the meat.

They were all sitting a the dining table, sharing their very first Christmas diner together.

"Obviously Jessica wasn't in the kitchen" Yuri joked, but got immediately hit by Jessica.

"Tiffany was in though..." Taeyeon said while anticipating a hit from Fany.

"I don't care about your jokes, I improve a lot! Right Seohyun?" Fany waited for Seohyun to back her up.

"Tiffany unnie did a good job" Seohyun said.

"But you did the best" Yoona complimented her girlfriend.

"You two should learn from Yoona" Tiffany said. "She really knows how to talk to her girlfriend"

"Not like some people..." Jessica said while looking at Yuri and Taeyeon.

The two of them looked away innocently.

"I believe I'm a better speaker than Taeyeon" Yuri said.

"You're not better, you just speak more" Taeyeon corrected.

"I agree" Yoona nodded, taking Taeyeon's side.

Yuri was going to argue back when Sica putted a full spoon in her mouth, to stop her from talking nonsense. They all laughed at Yuri before continuing their conversation.

"What is the best present you guys ever had?" Tiffany asked.

In the group, Tiffany and Jessica were the only one from a modest family. The other four were all rich kids, and Tiffany was quite curious on what kind of presents her friends received on their birthdays or Christmas.

"By best present, do you mean the most extravagant?" Taeyeon asked, a little confused.

Yuri ignored Taeng's question and went on to explain. "For our dear Taeyeon, there are two types of present. The ones from her parents and the ones from my family"

Tiffany immediately got the meaning. "Ok...so give me one of each" she told Taeng.

"Most expensive presents were cars. 5 of them exactly. I received them as soon as I got my driver license" Taeyeon said.

Tiffany and Jessica were in shock. "5 cars?" Jessica asked.

"Since they didn't know my favorite color, my favorite brand or any other thing I like, they bought 5 different cars." She explained the reason why her parents did that.

"What about the non-expensive present then?" Fany asked.

"A scarf and gloves" Taeyeon said with a smile. "The scarf was from Yuri and the gloves from auntie"

"I knew you loved that scarf!" Yuri exclaimed. "I did a good job"

Taeyeon was 13 years old when she received the scarf and the gloves for Christmas. It was the first time that she received a handmade cloth as presents. Though she doesn't wear them anymore, she still treasures them.

"What about you guys?" Taeng asked.

"A doll house! A pink one nonetheless. It is in my room if any of you want to see it" Fany said.

Jessica thought for a moment. "A dog...but it died a few years later"

For Seohyun, it was a white piano. For Yoong, the aquarium in her room, full of exotic fishes and for her sister Yuri, it was...Jessica.

"I'm not your present Yuri" Sica said, confused.

"I consider you being with me as a present from heaven" Yul said.

Yoona and Taeyeon made a disgusted face at Yul's cheesiness.

They finished their diner in a happy mood. Everyone gave a hand at cleaning the dishes. It was the last step before enjoying the night, opening presents and cherishing the moment spent together.

When everything was clean, they gathered in the living room and sat down on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, ready to exchange presents. That night, they all opened their presents with a big smile on their face. They were excited and happy like they were little children.

Seohyun received DVDs, some limited Keroro stuff and a brand new cellphone from Yoona.

Yuri got a new camera from Taeng, a book about dating from Yoona, a shirt with "Team YulSic" printed on it from Fany, a handmade scarf and a letter from Sica who told her to read it only when she is alone and finally a digital picture frame from Seohyun.

Yoona got 10 coupons for free driving lesson from her sister and other random and funny presents from her friends and girlfriend.

Sica got an Ipod touch from Taeyeon, so she can listen to it whenever she doesn't want to listen to Yuri's constant talking. Yoon and Seohyun bought lot of books and Yuri got her girlfriend a special alarm clock.

Taeyeon received a new watch, classical CDs, a doll made by Tiffany who is supposed to represent her, a game and a book about how to exercise in the morning in order to grow up by Yoona.

Tiffany got pink clothes, cooking books, romantic DVDs, perfume and a huge frame with a picture of the 6 of them, smiling happily.

"Your new family" Taeyeon said.

Tiffany eyes got teary. "My family" she repeated.

Yuri took pictures with her new camera while Taeyeon and Seohyun sat at the piano. The two of them started playing before everyone joined them around the piano. They sang Christmas songs together, holding hands.

It was their first Christmas together but it wouldn't be the last, because they are a family.

The End

Special Chapter – YulSic at the pool

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Yuri invited her girlfriend Jessica over to her house. Poor Yuri was bored to death since she was stuck at home with her sister Yoona and her girlfriend Seohyun. The youngsters were busy playing with each other in the swimming pool, leaving Yuri all alone.

“Why do you have to babysit them? They’re big enough you know?” Jessica

asked, lying down on the beach chair.

Since she was too busy staring at her gorgeous girlfriend who was wearing her yellow bikinis, Yuri totally ignored what Jessica was asking, her mind was only focus on one thing. “Hey Sica, you didn’t put any sunscreen on?” Yuri innocently asked.

Realizing she was indeed, exposing her unprotected skin to the sun, Jessica quickly grabbed some lotion in her bag. “Right, I totally forgot. Thanks for reminding me”

Yuri was already smiling big, anticipating what she had to do next, but her smile faded away when Jessica opened the lotion and applied it on herself. “Jessica-unnie!” Yoona called from the swimming pool, “I think my sister would like to-“

“Swim!” Yuri quickly stopped her sister from saying too much. “I’d love to swim” she turned to Jessica with a smile.

“But you can’t swim” Jessica stated.

“Y-Yeah…that’s why I want to learn,” Yuri blurted out, “and as my girlfriend, you should teach me” she grinned, happy with herself. There was no way Yuri wouldn’t get what she wanted.

“I’m not interested” Jessica replied, finishing off with her sunscreen, she put it on the table and lay back down on her chair.

“But come on baby, it might be funny!” Yuri whined.

“No”

“Pleaseeeeeeeee” Yuri sat on her girlfriend’s chair and squeezed her.

“Aish ~ I want to sleep!!” Jessica playfully hit Yuri’s arms.

“Fine, either you teach me how to swim or I stay like this” Yuri hugged Jessica’s body and rested her head on her girlfriend’s chest. “Actually, I don’t mind staying like this” Yuri said with a huge smile.

“Huh please, two innocent people standing here!” Yoona called them, it was always awkward seeing her sister being touchy-feely with someone.

“Sorry kid, I’m stuck in this position” Yuri shouted, it was so obvious she was enjoying the situation.

“Maybe you should teach her Jessica-unnie,” Seohyun joined in, “it is kind of pitiful that she doesn’t know how to swim”

“Yah! Seohyun! Don’t say I’m pitiful please” Yuri complained.

“Ok fine, I’ll teach you” Jessica accepted. She didn’t reject Yuri earlier because she didn’t want to teach her, she was just being her lazy self.

“Hmm actually, no, it’s fine, I don’t mind staying like this” Yuri whispered so only

Jessica could hear her.

“You’re enjoying too much Kwon Yuri” Jessica said, playing with her girlfriend’s hair. “But Seohyun is right, it is kind of sad you don’t know how to swim”

“Aigoo don’t say that!”

“What if I fall into the water? Do you want some handsome stranger to save me instead of you?”

“But you can swim”

“And what if I’m unconscious? Do you really want some tall, tanned guy to save me with his strong arms? Think about it, me, a guy, me in his arms, me-“

“Ok ok let’s go I want to swim” Yuri stood up instantly and jumped in the pool. “Ok I’m ready!”

Still lying on her chair, Jessica laughed at her girlfriend’s jealousy. It was quite mean to make Yuri jealous, but Jessica loved it when Yuri was protective, she was too cute to resist.

“Come on Seohyun, we should let them alone,” Yoona came out of the water, “the spectacle might be too pitiful” she teaser her sister.

“Wait until I know how to swim, I’m sure I can beat you” Yuri argued back.

Yoona and Seohyun grabbed their towels and disappeared inside the house, leaving the older couple their alone time. Soon enough, Jessica joined Yuri inside the pool.

“I’m wondering,” Jessica made her way toward Yuri, “do you really want to learn or it was some tricks to chase the kids away?”

Yuri grabbed Jessica’s wrist and pulled her closer. “I don’t know…” she leaned in and kissed Jessica’s neck, “you tell me”

Even though a make out session was very tempting, Jessica was strong enough to reject the offer for now. “I’d love it honey but you still have to learn” seeing Yuri’s pout, she had to use the jealous technique again. “Think about me and the handsome guy”

“Fine fine teach me please” Yuri turned on her serious mode and was ready to learn.

For about 30 minutes, Jessica taught her girlfriend the basic moves and surprisingly, Yuri was really good. “How come nobody taught you before?” Jessica asked.

“Because I wasn’t interested” Yuri admitted. “I had no one to save back then” she smiled at Jessica.

“You’re really a fast learner”

“I’m just athletic” Yuri boasted. “There is nothing I can’t do”

“Yes I know, you’re awesome blablablabla” Jessica mimicked her girlfriend.

“Don’t make fun of me, you know I’m right, right?” Yuri laughed and slowly made her way toward her girlfriend.

Knowing too well what Yuri wanted to do, Jessica splashed water at her. “Catch me if you can” she stuck her tongue out at Yuri and swam away.

The lovely couple swam around, playing in the pool, enjoying each other’s company like any other normal couple out there. Even though it wasn’t anything glamorous or exciting, Yuri and Jessica both enjoyed every single minute of it. Though they were a young couple, what they have been through made them realize that each moment count, even the simplest one.

“I guess I won” Yuri putted her hands on the edge of the pool, cornering Jessica. “I caught you Jung Jessica” she said with a smile, of course, there was another meaning behind Yuri’s words.

Jessica smiled and encircled her arms around Yuri’s waist. “You caught me a long time ago,” she tightened her grip around Yuri, “I just didn’t want to admit it”

Staring at Jessica, Yuri wondered how it was possible for her heart to beat so fast whenever she looked at the girl in front of her. Everything about Jessica Jung made her crazy, the girl was like a piece of art in Yuri’s eyes and though she could stare at her forever, she would never fully grasp the true beauty of Jessica’s features.

“Don’t stare at me like that,” Jessica smiled shyly, “you’ll make me blush”

“Sorry, I’m just mesmerized by your beauty” Yuri complimented her girlfriend.

Jessica couldn’t help but laughed at Yuri and her cheesiness. “You’re such a sweet talker Kwon Yuri”

“No, I’m only sweet talking to you. I’ll never talk to any other girl like that, never” Yuri switched to serious mode, something that she does quite often.

“Is that a promise?”

“It is reality” Yuri said, “I will never talk to anyone like I talk to you, and I will never kiss anyone like I kiss you”

Satisfied with Yuri’s words, there was nothing else Jessica could do but nodded and biting her lips shyly, she leaned in to capture Yuri’s lips with her own. And inbetween kisses, Yuri managed to praise the awesomeness that was her girlfriend, “Jessica, you are the best swimming instructor in the world” she mumbled before getting back to her favorite activity…

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

Side Chapter – TaeNy at the park

On a beautiful Sunday afternoon, Taeyeon and Tiffany decided to go outside for some fresh air. The young couple was tired and bored staying in their apartment, doing nothing. Even though Taeyeon didn’t mind that much, Tiffany really insisted to go out.

“We can have a picnic!” Tiffany was trying to plan their little trip outside. “And we can lie down on the fresh grass and read a book!”

Taeyeon was sitting on the couch, wondering why Tiffany could be so excited going at the park. “Do you miss the outside world that much?” she joked.

“I miss being a normal couple, going out and all” Tiffany sighed, they were really living like some fugitives.

Taeyeon could understand her girlfriend’s frustrations. If it wasn’t for her scandal, they wouldn’t need to avoid going outside, something that she knew, Tiffany enjoyed a lot. “Okay, I have an idea then” Taeyeon left the couch and joined Tiffany in the kitchen.

“What is it? A trip? Oh my god, is it a trip?” Tiffany jumped up and down though Taeyeon didn’t confirm anything.

“Calm down mushroom, we don’t have time to go on a trip” she broke Tiffany’s

hope of going abroad. “I was thinking about riding a bicycle along the Han River, what do you think? It’s quite romantic actually, I saw it on TV” Taeyeon suggested, quite happy with her idea.

Usually, Tiffany would be happy and excited for any kind of activity, but after hearing Taeyeon’s, she didn’t have any reaction, worst, she was quite unhappy. “Hmm no, I don’t want to”

“Why not?” Taeyeon asked curiously, “We can ride to some nice spot and have a picnic there”

“Can’t we walk instead?”

“It’s not interesting, riding a bicycle is better”

Tiffany looked away, that idea was really not to her taste. “B-But I…”

“Is something wrong?” Taeyeon got closer to Tiffany and embraced her. “You know you can tell me anything, right?” she saw Tiffany pouting and felt relieved, it was probably not something serious.

“I don’t know how to ride a bicycle…” Tiffany whispered, not sure she wanted Taeyeon to know her secret.

“Oh really???” Taeyeon exclaimed, shocked at the revelation. “Your parents never taught you?”

“Daddy did but I fell down once and it hurt so bad that I didn’t dare to try again” she admitted.

Taeyeon tried to suppress her laughter, not because she wanted to make fun of Tiffany, but because the image of little Tiffany being scared was very cute to her. “And are you still afraid now?” she asked her girlfriend.

“Of course not! I’m a big girl now!” Tiffany shouted, boasting her chest.

“Okok calm down, I believe you” Taeyeon patted her girlfriend’s head gently. “So do you want me to teach you? I’m a good teacher so you won’t have to worry”

“Hmm I won’t fall again, right?”

“Huh I can’t promise you that…”

“KIM TAEYEON!”

“Ok ok I’ll hold the bicycle all the time so you won’t fall, I promise” Tiffany was a cute girl, no doubt, but once she starts screaming, even the powerful Taeyeon can’t do anything.

The young couple started packing their picnic and soon after, they left the apartment for their little outing. It was once in the car that Tiffany realized something very important. “Oh no…”

“What? Don’t tell me you’re already scared!” Taeyeon teased.

Tiffany ignored Taeyeon’s comment and went back to her little concern. “Tell me oh-so-smart Taengoo, how am I supposed to ride a bicycle when I have none?”

Finally realizing the problem, Taeyeon stopped the car and drove away in another direction. “Well, we will handle that first then” she said with a smile.

20 minutes later, the two came out from a shop with Tiffany brand new pink bicycle that was nicely wrap in a huge box. “Problem solved” Taeyeon announced proudly, after she and Tiffany managed to put the box in the backseats.

“Yeah let’s go!” Tiffany pumped her fist in the air.

Once they arrived at the park, they found a nice spot where Tiffany could learn how to ride calmly, away from curious eyes that might embarrassed her. “Taengoo, fast, put the bicycle together”

“Wait a minute, I have to put my sunglasses on, your bicycle is so pink that I can’t see anything” Taeyeon joked, the only reason they took so little time at the shop was because as soon as Tiffany saw the pink bicycle, she wanted it. They didn’t need to talk with the seller, no advice was asked, the bicycle was pink and Tiffany needed nothing else.

“What if there was no pink one?” Taeyeon asked curiously.

“There is always a pink one Taengoo, always”

“Whatever” Taeyeon ignored her girlfriend’s craziness with pink and focused back on the bicycle she had to assemble. A good 10 minutes later, she was finally done. “Tada! Say I’m awesome!”

“Yeah my pink bicycle!” Tiffany jumped up and down toward her new toy. “It’s soooooo cute!”

“It will look even cuter if you use it”

“Of course I will!”

Tiffany sat on her bicycle, holding the handlebar tightly while Taeyeon stood next to her. “Ok, I’m going to hold on the handlebar and the saddle while you try to ride, okay?”

Tiffany nodded and started off, trying her best to stop her shaking hands. The first few attempts were unsuccessful, Tiffany was shaking too much that she couldn’t ride straight. It also didn’t help that Taeyeon was laughing like an idiot every time.

“Stop making fun of me!” Tiffany scolder her girlfriend, though she herself, was laughing too.

“I’m sorry baby but you’re so cute” Taeyeon kissed her girlfriend’s head while she was still trying to maintain her balance.

“Ok enough, I suck” Tiffany wanted to give up but Taeyeon forced her to stay sit.

“Hwang Miyoung never gives up! You can do it baby, I know it!” Taeyeon motivated her girlfriend.

The two became serious again and stopped fooling around. After trying again and again and again, Tiffany was finally able to ride the bicycle without having Taeyeon helping her. And though it was nothing more than riding a bicycle, Tiffany still felt like a bird that learned how to fly.

“I made it!!!!!!” she yelled as she rode around the park, a huge smile on her face.

Proud of herself, Taeyeon walked to their little picnic place, where a blanket was nicely settled on the grass and sat down, admiring her girlfriend on her pink bicycle. “Go Tiffany!” she cheered from afar, before taking out her phone and snapping pictures of her happy mushroom.

After a while, Tiffany got tired and joined Taeyeon on the blanket. “Thank you so much” she hugged her girlfriend and planted a big kiss on her cheek. “Thank you so much”

Taeyeon patted her girlfriend’s back gently, proud of her student. “I’m proud of you, see, it wasn’t easy but you made it”

“I had a good teacher” Tiffany grabbed a fruit and feed her lover. “Say ahhhhhh”

In the past, these little cheesy lovely moments would be very awkward for Taeyeon, but now, she was really enjoying these little moments that couples share. “It tastes even better since you fed me” she said, chewing the fruit.

“Kim Taeyeon, you’re becoming cheesier nowadays”

“Don’t you like it?” Taeyeon leaned closer to her girlfriend, offering her a kiss.

Tiffany closed the gap between their lips for a quick kiss. “I love it!”

Taeyeon lay down on the blanket, staring at the clouds in the sky. She felt happy, just being there with Tiffany made her happy. She took her phone again and took pictures of Tiffany. “I need to make a picture collection of you” she said.

“And why?”

“Because you are beautiful” she snapped a picture of Tiffany’s eye smile.

“What about making a picture collection of us?” Tiffany suggested as she lay down next to Taeyeon. “Come on, let’s take pictures” she brought her lips to Taeyeon’s cheek as the flash went on.

“Oh kissing pictures? Good idea” Taeyeon aimed with her phone before kissing Tiffany.

“You’re really enjoying these public display of affection too much Taengoo” Tiffany managed to say before Taeyeon grasped her lips again.

The two of them enjoyed their beautiful afternoon at the park, eating, talking, laughing and being a couple they have always wanted to be.

Special Chapter – TaengSic?

It has been almost a year since Taeyeon, Tiffany, Yuri and Jessica became friends. They even went on vacation together to Bali and often hang out at each other places. While Tiffany and Yuri get along very well with each other, their personalities quite matching, Taeyeon and Jessica, on the other hand, have never really spoken to each other.

But not long ago, things started to change…

It was a Friday night like many others, the little group were all gathering at TaeNy’s apartment, eating and playing around. They were just done with their games when Yuri wanted to watch a horror movie, something she knew Jessica hated but it was a good excuse for some cuddling on the couch.

“Come on guys, I heard this movie is really good” Yuri tried to convince the others.

“I’m in” Tiffany said happily. She wasn’t a big fan of horror movies but she wasn’t going to reject a good excuse for some cuddling on the couch too.

“Since when are you so excited for this kind of movies?” Taeyeon asked suspiciously.

“W-What? I heard it was good that’s why”

“Oh no!” Yuri exclaimed from the kitchen. “You guys don’t have popcorns!”

“We can’t watch a movie without popcorn, so let’s not watch” Jessica butted in.

“I’ll go buy some” Tiffany stood from the couch and walked away.

“Yah! It’s already dark outside, don’t go around” Taeyeon was worried for her girlfriend.

“I’ll go with her” Yuri quickly said, running to give her girlfriend a kiss before flying to the hallway to get her shoes.

“NO!” Taeyeon and Jessica both yelled at the same time. Then they looked at each other, shocked at their identical reactions.

Yuri and Tiffany stared at them, confused. “Huh…are you guys ok?”

“I-We can’t stay alone…” Taeyeon mumbled, looking away.

“Yeah~ it’s kind of awkward…” Jessica added, looking away too.

Yuri and Tiffany laughed at their reactions but ignored their complaints. “Aigoo, you two don’t have to be shy, we are all friends! Haha see you later kids!” Yuri made fun of them before leaving the apartment with Tiffany.

Taeyeon and Jessica looked at each other again before sliding their bodies onto the

couch. The TV was on, but the awkwardness still filled the living room. None of them spoke, too uncomfortable with each other.

Feeling too uncomfortable, sitting there and doing nothing, Taeyeon grabbed the TV remote and started zapping through the channels. “Oh this drama is good” Jessica exclaimed, but Taeyeon continued to change the channels. “Yah! Let’s watch that drama!”

“I don’t want to, it’s boring, too dramatic and mushy mushy” Taeyeon said, not paying attention to the fuming girl sitting beside her.

“You have nothing to watch anyway, so let me watch that drama” Jessica was getting angry already.

“Who said I have nothing to watch?” Taeyeon flipped through another channel and just to annoy Jessica, acted like the documentary showing on the screen was interesting to her. “See, I’m going to watch that” she pointed at the TV.

“What’s that?” Jessica asked annoyingly.

Taeyeon was going to check the TV program but got interrupted by a dolphin scream. “AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH” Jessica ‘s high pitch scream nearly broke the windows.

It was so strong that Taeyeon had to cover her ears. “What’s wrong with you?” she scolded Jessica whose body was pressed against her right arm. “Huh…excuse me miss, that’s my arm you’re holding onto” Taeyeon stated.

“Switch the channel you dummy!” Jessica scolded Taeyeon, her face hiding behind the latter’s shoulder.

Looking at the screen, Taeyeon realized it was a documentary about ghosts. “Oooh so that’s why” she finally understood the nature of Jessica’s crazy scream. “It looks interesting, I’m gonna watch it” she said with a smile.

“Kim Taeyeon, I’m gonna kill you”

“Don’t say things like that, they might come and get you” she went on and teased Jessica.

But you can’t annoy the Ice Princess for too long, somehow, she will fight back. “Change the channel!!!!” Jessica got angry and grabbing the pillow on the couch, started hitting Taeyeon’s face with it.

“Ouch!” Taeyeon shouted when she felt the strong hit. “Yah! Stop it!” she tried to push Jessica away but the hits were coming and coming.

“Idiot Kim Taeyeon!” Jessica hit harder and harder. “I can’t believe Tiffany is dating a babo like you”

Taeyeon who until now was only protecting her face, also grabbed a pillow and fought back. “What? I also can’t believe Yuri is with someone like you!”

“I’m better than you!” Jessica shouted. “You look like an elementary kid!”

“You are violent and you can’t cook! And if only you could see the way you walk sometimes!” Taeyeon argued back.

The two…friends, fought with each other until exhaustion. After a while, they were too tired to hit or argued with each other that they fell on the couch, each at the opposite side, their hands still holding their pillows tightly.

“I won”

“No I won”

With their tired bodies, the two girls closed their eyes, trying to catch their breaths and rested a little.

“Oh my god” Tiffany exclaimed when she walked into the living room. “What happened to you guys?” she asked.

Taeyeon and Jessica’s hairs were a real mess, their faces were all red and they looked like they just came back from intense training. “Did we miss something?” Yuri stared at the two girls on the couch.

“I-It’s the last time…“

“That we stay alone…”

Taeyeon and Jessica helped each other finishing their sentences. Yuri and Tiffany

stared at each other, confused at what might have happened during their absence, but quickly shrugged it off and went to prepare the popcorn and different snacks they have bought.

Finally, Yuri and Tiffany got what they wanted. They were cuddling with their respective lovers on the couch while Taeyeon and Jessica were too tired to pay any attention at all.

It was the first time Taeyeon and Jessica had to be alone with each other, and unfortunately, it might not have been the last…

Seohyun's Showcase

Friday night, Seohyun’s school was doing a music festival with performances by the students themselves. Since she was also taking part in it, Seohyun asked her family and friends to come and support her.

“I’m so excited!!!” Yoona jumped up and down. With Yuri, Taeyeon, Jessica and Tiffany, she was walking toward the school’s gym.

“That kid here was excited since this morning” Yuri pointed at her sister.

“I can’t wait to see Seohyun perform too” Tiffany said, putting her arm around Yoona’s shoulder. “We will cheer for her together”

“Yeah!” Yoona pumped her fist in the air.

With Taeyeon’s smartness, the gang secured first-row seats. “You know how I always tell you that money is not a solution?” Yuri said to Taeyeon, “well, I won’t say it this time”

Taeyeon laughed and high-five her friend.

“I can’t believe you pay people to queue for us” Tiffany wasn’t sure whether what Taeyeon did was a good thing or not.

“I gave those kids some pocket money” Taeyeon defended herself, “it was that or coming really early to wait”

“You didn’t complain for SNSD” Tiffany pointed out.

“But that’s SNSD!” Taeyeon argued back, finding it offending that Tiffany could compare a schools’ showcase to her ultimate idols.

“I wonder when it will be her turn, she didn’t tell me” Yoona pouted.

“I bet she is near the end” Taeyeon said.

“Is she singing a solo?” Jessica dared to ask.

Yoona made a face, definitely unhappy, “unfortunately, she isn’t. She has a duet with that dude”

“Oh right!” Jessica snapped, remembering that day Yoona wanted to stalk her girlfriend. “The pretty boy”

“WHAT?!” Yoona nearly stood up in shock, “who are you calling pretty boy?!?!”

Jessica immediately regretted her words, she turned to look at Yuri, asking for help but nobody came to her rescue. “I-I meant…huh…”

Yoona sighed and slouched on her chair, “I don’t care. Seohyun said she loved me”

“Oh but she loves you!” Yuri who was sitting beside her sister, gave her a hug, “nobody said she didn’t”

“Yeah don’t listen to Jessica,” Tiffany jumped in, “she has bad taste anyway”

Tiffany’s comment triggered Yuri who put on a shocked mixed with hurt expression. “How could you Hwang Miyoung?”

Tiffany pouted while Taeyeon and Jessica were laughing at the scene. “Don’t worry Yoong, if that guy becomes a hassle, I will take him down for you”

Everyone looked at Taeyeon in horror; everyone except Yoona. “Thanks unnie!”

“Hello everyone!” a short girl around Taeyeon’s height waved to everyone.

“Hey Sunny!” Taeyeon stood up and hugged her other cousin, “where are auntie and uncle?”

“They had something tonight, so I came prepared” Sunny showed off her super camera.

“Wow that looks super pro” Yuri stared at the camera in Sunny’s hands, “maybe I should buy one like this too”

“What do you want to record Kwon Yuri?” Jessica glared at her too playful lover.

“You, of course” Yuri grinned, leaning in to kiss Jessica’s neck.

“Please, we are in a public place” Yoona grimaced.

The light finally went off, signaling the beginning of the school’s showcase. Needless to say, the little gang was absolutely not interested in most of the performers, who were either bad, or just boring.

45 minutes went by and when the MC of the night announced Seo Juhyun and Jung Yonghwa as the next performers, the little gang and even the whole crowd went wild.

“What the?” Taeyeon turned around and looked at the people cheering. “Since

when our little maknae became so popular?”

“You didn’t know?” Sunny was already recording, not wanting to miss her little sister’s entrance. “She even has a fan club”

Yoona was too busy getting completely excited and didn’t hear the fan club part. She opened her bag and took out a huge towel with written on it and held it high so her girlfriend wouldn’t miss it.

Meanwhile, Yuri and Taeyeon were cracking up, laughing at Yoona’s fan girl behavior while their respective girlfriends, Jessica and Tiffany were watching in admiration, finding Yoona’s way of cheering very cute.

“Yah Yuri” Taeyeon nudged her friend, “when did your sister become like this?”

“That’s love”

“SEOHYUNNNNNNN!!!” Yoona yelled like a crazy fan girl when Seohyun finally stepped into the limelight, her beauty was shining bright.

Seohyun was wearing a very cute and elegant purple dress, holding a microphone in her hand; she looked like a real superstar. Though the stage lights were blinding her, she could still somewhat figure out where her friends were sitting and definitely could hear her girlfriend’s screaming.

After introducing themselves briefly, Yonghwa sat on a high chair, his guitar in

hands while Seohyun stood beside him with her angelic smile.

“Thank god he’s busy playing guitar,” Yoona mumbled, “his hands will be busy that way”

“Stop being so jealous”

The song started, a love confession song that made Yoona cringe, though Seohyun’s wonderful singing and lovely voice made up for it. Yoona waved her towel, her eyes never leaving Seohyun, but unfortunately for her, since Seohyun was performing a duet, she had to interact with her partner.

“I’m going to kill him!” Yoona fumed with rage, “how dared he look at her this way?!?!”

“She is really beautiful”

“I KNOW!”

But the best part in all this was the moment Yonghwa put his guitar down and took Seohyun’s hand as he sang his verse, like a real love confession.

“Somebody I’m going to throw my chair at him…”

Yuri who was beside her sister tried to calm her down, “it’s just a performance”

“But how dared he touch her hand? Only I can hold her hand!”

“Calm down, it doesn’t mean anything” Yuri patted her sister’s back.

When the performance finally ended, Yoona was exhausted. A 3 minutes performance was like a year to her. Seohyun and her partner finally let go of each other hand and proceeded to give their little speech.

Yonghwa quickly thanked his friends and family for coming to support him before it was Seohyun’s turn. “I want to thank Yonghwa for helping me rehearsing the song and singing with me,”

“Why is she thanking him? He should thank her instead” Yoona mumbled while throwing dead glares at her opponent.

“I also want to thank everyone who came to support the showcase tonight and for cheering so loudly, I was really happy to perform in front of everyone. And lastly, thank you to my friends and family for coming.” She waved to her friends on the first row, “especially to my girlfriend Yoona who really support me and even helped me practice. I love you” Seohyun finished her speech with a flying kiss toward her beloved girlfriend.

Everyone turned and looked at Yoona, thinking she was a really lucky girl to have such an angel like Seohyun loving her. Yoona’s smile couldn’t be bigger as she sent tons of flying kissed toward her girlfriend on stage before the latter had to leave the stage.

“She is so wonderful” Yoona was zoning out, still thinking about her girlfriend on

stage.

“And she said she loves you in front of so many people” Tiffany pointed out, “you had nothing to worry about. There is no competition at all.”

Yoona nodded and picking her bag on the floor; gave it to her sister. “Here take this for me, I’ll leave first” she said before rushing out.

“Where is she going?”

“I guess she doesn’t want us to be around later” Yuri guessed, knowing her sister, she probably wanted to spend some quality time alone with Seohyun.

And Yuri was right. Outside of the gymnasium, Yoona was waiting for Seohyun impatiently. The showcase wasn’t done yet but she knew Seohyun didn’t need to stay until the end.

“Yoona!” Seohyun came out running in her casual clothes.

Yoona smiled and opened her arms widely, welcoming her girlfriend with a warm hug. “You were FANTASTIC tonight!”

“Really? You really like it?”

“Yes! It was really really really good” Yoona stroke her girlfriend’s hair, “you should become a singer!”

Seohyun laughed, her girlfriend’s exaggerations never failed to make her smile. “I’m not that good, and Yonghwa helped me a lot”

At the mention of the guy’s name, Yoona became a little jealous. “Can we not talk about him?”

Taking Yoona’s hand with her own, Seohyun tried to reassure her girlfriend, “you really have no need to worry about; he is just a nice senior”

“I just don’t like the way he is looking at you” Yoona admitted, just thinking about the way Yonghwa was staring at her Seohyun was upsetting.

“I didn’t see anything though, and you know why?” Seohyun stroke Yoona’s cheek gently, “because I don’t care at all. I just see the way you look at me and it is enough”

“I know it’s stupid to be jealous like that, but I can’t help it” Yoona confessed, “I love you so much that it’s hard to share”

“You don’t need to share, it’s just you and me” Seohyun leaned in and kissed Yoona, “forever”

“Is it a promise?”

“Yes, and I will keep it”

The young couple then walked away hands in hands. The night was far from being

over and they wanted to spend it together until the very last moment.

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

YulSic – A Winter's Day

It was a cold winter day inside the Kwon’s residence. Yuri and Jessica were being lazy in bed, none of them wanting to get up even though it was slowly approaching noon.

“Hmmm we have to get up now baby” Yuri cuddled against her sleepy girlfriend.

Jessica put away the blanket covering her face. “I don’t want to”

“Aren’t you hungry?” Yuri brushed away the hair from Jessica’s neck and placed a kiss there. "We can order something or go out. You choose”

“I want to stay like this” Jessica mumbled.

“All day? Or…you want something else?” Yuri used her sexy voice to imply

something only she knew.

“What are you talking about?” Still sleepy, Jessica didn’t understand what her girlfriend meant.

“Second round?” Yuri’s hand caressed her girlfriend’s tummy gently.

“I’m still tired honey”

“We should go out though. Yoona and Seohyun are enjoying their weekend in Busan and Taeyeon and Fany went skiing while we are staying here”

“What do you want to do outside?”

“I don’t know but we should get out of the house though”

“It’s cold outside” Jessica whined “we are much better here”

“Let’s go ice skating!” Yuri suggested with enthusiasm.

“I just said it was cold outside”

“I know but we should enjoy the snow. It’s been a while since I went there”

After some serious thinking, Jessica finally accepted. “Fine let’s go do some exercises outside of this room”

“Ok it’s decided then” Yuri let go of Jessica’s warm body and got off bed.

“But I really don’t feel like getting up” Jessica grabbed her girlfriend’s pillow and hugged it tight.

“I know baby but we really need to get out of here for a while. At least long enough so we can tell the others we did something this weekend” By others, Yuri mostly thought about her parents who were away for the weekends. She knew it would be weird if she tell them she and her girlfriend didn’t leave the house for two days.

“We did a lot of things!” Jessica disagreed.

“Yeah…but I doubt you would want to tell them about those…things” Yuri pointed out.

“Of course I won’t”

“That’s what I thought” Yuri changed her clothes and waited for Jessica to do the same.

Needless to say, Jessica changed her clothes like a lazy girl. She was really not motivated to go out at all. Originally, Jessica has planned to lock herself up in her house and have her parents pamper her for the weekend but that was before her beloved girlfriend invited her over for the weekend.

Yuri sat on the couch and watched her girlfriend getting ready. Jessica’s

movements were so slow that Yuri thought she was watching her moving in slowmotions. “Baby you know I love you but it would be nice to leave the house before tonight” Yuri teased.

Jessica threw her infamous deadly stare before putting on some makeup. “Do you want to be seen with a hot girlfriend or a messy one?”

“Oh but you know I find you hot even with messy hair” Yuri stood up and walked toward her girlfriend, embracing her from behind. “I don’t call you Gorjess for nothing” she kissed Jessica on the cheek.

“I don’t like how you have become such a sweet talker Kwon Yuri. Makes me think I can’t leave you alone”

“I told you already. I only use my powerful sweet talking with you” Yuri kissed Jessica again. “Now can we go already?”

“It’s cold outside, wear a warmer jacket please” Jessica looked at Yuri’s attire. “And where is your scarf? And your gloves? Yuri it’s winter outside, not summer”

Yuri obeyed her girlfriend as she quickly changed her thin jacket into a much bigger and warmer one. She also put on her scarf and grabbed her gloves before throwing them into her bag. “I’m ready!”

“Let’s go then”

The two kids grabbed their bags before leaving the house for the ice skating area.

The scenery outside was simply beautiful. Everywhere and everything was recovered by a thin layer of snow. The road was clean enough for Yuri to drive safely while Jessica was busy looking out of the window.

*~Girls’ Generation makes them feel the heat~*

Jessica’s cellphone rang as she picked it up. “Oh it’s Tiffany. Hello?”

“Hi~” Tiffany’s sweet voice replied on the phone.

“What’s up Fany? How is the mountain?” Jessica asked her friend.

“Very nice until an hour ago”

“Why? Something happened? Wait I will put you on speakers” Jessica put the phone on speakers so Yuri could also hear the conversation.

“We were enjoying our time there happily and went snowboarding but when we used the chair lift earlier, it got stuck up in the air for an hour and Taeyeon freaked out so she is in a bad mood now” Tiffany explained on the phone.

“Ha ha did you film her face when she freaked out? I want to see it!” Yuri was laughing at her friend’s unfortunate experience.

“SHUT UP YURI!” Taeyeon’s voice was heard in the background.

“Anyway, we will come back later today. Wanna go out and have dinner all together?”

“Sure. We are going ice skating now so we can meet up tonight”

“Fine, I will call you when we are back in Seoul. Bye”

“Be careful on the road later. Bye” Jessica hung up. “You’re so mean” Jessica hit Yuri playfully.

“What? I’m sure it was really funny” Yuri laughed again.

“I’d love to see you stuck on a chair lift”

“I’m not afraid. If it’s not too high I would jump down”

“Yeah right”

“I’m awesome like that” Yuri smirked before leaning in for a kiss.

“Watch the road!” Jessica pushed Yuri’s face away.

“It’s red light!” Yuri laughed and quickly stole a kiss from her girlfriend.

The two lovebirds teased and played with each other on their way to ice skating place. After parking their car and walking to the skating ring, the two were surprised with the amount of people that were there.

“Wow so many people” Jessica stated, looking at the people skating happily.

“It’s the ice skating season” Yuri pointed out. “Only we can stay inside all the time”

“Are you complaining now?”

“No I’m not”

“Yuri-ah I’m a little hungry. Should we eat before playing?”

“Sure” Yuri held Jessica’s hand as the two walked past the skating ring. They were walking calmly when Jessica noticed something and grabbed Yuri’s arm. “Oh my god” she exclaimed.

“What what???” Yuri looked around and noticed something as well. “Oh my god”

“Sunny and Sooyoung!”

“Isn’t that an After School member?” Yuri and Jessica exclaimed at the same time.

“What? Where?” Jessica looked at the direction her girlfriend was pointing at. “Oh it’s After School’s Nana” she recognized the tall and pretty idol.

“And who is she with?” Yuri tried to recognize the girl who was with the female idol but has never seen her before. “Must be a simple student”

“Noooo where are they?” Jessica exclaimed when she couldn’t spot her friends anymore.

“Who?”

“Sunny and Sooyoung! They were there!!! Together!!!” Jessica pointed at the spot on the ring where she saw her friends earlier. “Oh my god! Are they dating???”

“I don’t know. Did they look like they were dating?”

“I think they were holding hands” Jessica tried to remember what she saw. “Aish~ That’s your fault!” she hit Yuri.

“What did I do?”

“You disturbed me and now I lost them”

“If they are still around we will bump into them anyway” Yuri took her girlfriend’s hand and dragged her inside the skating ring. “Besides, you shouldn’t try to spy on them if they are indeed dating. Let them be”

“I really want to call Tiffany now”

“No gossips for now Sooyeon. We didn’t come here for that”

“Fine”

After Yuri convinced Jessica to stop looking for her friends, the two of them went to eat at huge pizza before going back to the skating ring. After changing into their skating shoes, the couple took over the ring with their good skills. Both of them were really good at skating and Yuri even did Girls’ Generation’s Gee dance on ice to impress and amuse her girlfriend. They had so much fun that they didn’t even realize the time they spent playing around.

“Wah 2 hours already?” Yuri checked her watch. “Are you thirsty”

“I’m a little cold now” Jessica put her hands inside Yuri’s pocket to warm them up. “A hot chocolate drink will be good”

“There is a nice café near here. Let’s go” Yuri held Jessica’s hand as the couple left the ring to the dressing room so they could retrieve their belongings and change back into their boots.

Yuri and Jessica walked hands in hands to a nearby café so they could have some hot beverage to warm them up. The couple walked into the café and sat at a table near the window. After ordering hot chocolate for both, Yuri held Jessica’s hands in her own to warm them up.

“Why are you smiling like that?” Jessica asked since Yuri was smiling at her.

Yuri’s smile grew bigger. “You are beautiful” she complimented her girlfriend before kissing her hands that she was still holding.

Jessica blushed a little at the compliment. The two of them have been dating for a long time now but Jessica couldn’t help but feel shy whenever Yuri complimented her. “You know what I realized? It’s our second winter together” Jessica pointed out.

“And we will have many more in the future”

“How many?” Jessica asked playfully.

“All of them. We should have an official winter day every year where we can spend our time outside before setting up at a nice café like this one so I can look into your eyes and tell you how much I love you” Yuri sweet talked to Jessica.

Jessica blushed at Yuri’s words. “You are doing it again” she said.

“What?”

“The sweet talking”

“I can’t help it when I’m with you”

“I guess that’s one of the reasons I fell in love with you” Jessica concluded playfully.

“I knew you love the sweet talk”

“I love you more”

“I knew that too” Yuri smirked again.

“That smirk again. Tiffany and I complain all the time about that but you and Taeyeon never stop”

“That’s our trademark! We can’t live without it!”

“Whatever”

“Anyway, did I say you look beautiful today?” Yuri went back to her sweet talking.

“What’s wrong with you? You are on fire today with the compliments” Jessica was amused.

“That’s because I’m blown away by my girlfriend’s beauty. I just-“

“Oh my god! Yuri! It’s them!” Jessica suddenly pointed out of the window. There was a black car on the road in front of the café. “Sunny and Sooyoung!”

“Oh that’s Sunny’s car” Yuri pointed out.

“So they are dating? I have to tell Fany!” Jessica wanted to take out her phone but Yuri stopped her.

“Don’t! We don’t know if they are really dating or not. Besides, I’m sure they

wouldn’t want you to spill the beans for them if they were indeed a couple” Yuri tried to persuade her girlfriend.

“But Fany will kill me if she finds out I hide it from her. You know how we are with gossips”

“Oooh yeah I know. I won’t tell Fany you knew about it so keep the secret. They will reveal it when they are ready AND if they are really dating”

“Fine I won’t tell but it will be very hard to act normally in front of them now”

“We spot them together in a car Sica. It’s not like we ran into them while they were doing what we did last night” Yuri said with a creepy smile.

“That’s a very nice example baby” Jessica rolled her eyes.

“Thanks”

Finally, Jessica let go of the gossip as Sunny’s car drove away peacefully.

“Anyway you ruined the mood!” Yuri complained once Jessica paid attention to her again. “I was all fire up for the sweet talking and all and you killed it”

“Ok sorry baby. Say something cheesy I’m ready” Jessica teased her girlfriend.

“No I don’t want to anymore. I lost my inspiration” Yuri pouted.

Jessica grabbed her lover’s hands and held them up to her face. “Please? For me?” Jessica used her aegyo voice.

While she tried really hard to maintain a serious and frustrated expression, Yuri couldn’t hold it any longer and smiled widely at her girlfriend’s cuteness. “It’s too dangerous. I really can’t be angry or say no to you”

“Why would you want to say no to me? I only accept yes for an answer” it was Jessica’s turn to smirk.

“That’s dangerous too…you using my trademark smirk” Yuri pinched her girlfriend’s cheeks gently. “You are too adorable Sooyeon”

Our lovely couple spent their remaining afternoon at the café. They talked, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company on that cold but sweet winter day.

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

TaeNy at the Ski Resort

The coldest season of the year had arrived. Winter is a romantic season, couples walk in the street holding each other close to keep their bodies warm, or stay inside and cuddle in front of the chimney.

It was Friday and the well-deserved weekend had arrived for Taeyeon and Tiffany. The couple were living together but barely had time to spend with each other through the week because of their studies.

Tiffany was walking out of campus, handbag on one shoulder and hugging a few books against her chest. Her last class was over and she was finally able to breathe a little with the upcoming weekend. The bright girl was accompanied by a few classmates; they walked out together and were going to the subway station when one of her friends noticed a weird girl jumping up and down in front of a car.

“Guys, look at that dork.” The girl pointed out and as soon as Tiffany looked at her, her eyes went big.

“Taeyeon?!” Tiffany stopped and waited until the weird girl who was still jumping turned around slowly.

It was Taeyeon. “Well, it looks like I have to go. See you guys on Monday!” Tiffany bid farewell to her friends and walked toward her girlfriend who hadn’t noticed her yet.

Too busy keeping herself warm by jumping, Taeyeon didn’t notice the mischievous smiling girl who was getting close to her. When Tiffany got close enough, she threw her arms around the small body and stopped her from jumping again.

“Ahhh~” Taeyeon let out a weird scream when she felt two arms around her waist and nearly lost her balance when her feet touched the ground again. She immediately recognized the cute laugh and turned around with a smile. “Hello beautiful.” Taeyeon kissed her girlfriend.

Her arms still around the shorter girl, Tiffany leaned back and stared at her lover curiously. “Can you tell me what you were doing just now?”

“Oh I was a little cold so I jumped.”

“Why didn’t you wait in the car?”

“Because I was afraid you wouldn’t see me.”

“You could have called.”

“I did but your battery died, I guess?”

Tiffany retrieved her right arm from her lover’s waist and searched for her phone. “Ooh…” The battery was indeed dead. “Sorry.” She apologized and hugged Taeyeon again.

“It’s fine. I didn’t wait long anyway.” Taeyeon stroked her girlfriend’s hair before pulling away. “As much as I love public display of affection, I think we should go.” She leaned in and gave Tiffany a peck with letting go of her body.

The couple then quickly went into Taeyeon’s car. “How come you came to pick me up today? Did we have something plan?” Tiffany asked as she fastened her seatbelt.

“Nope, we had nothing planned but I decided to have a last minute plan.” Taeyeon grinned.

“Really??? What is it?”

“I didn’t want to spend the weekend at home doing nothing and since we barely spent time together this week, I thought it would be nice to have a romantic weekend just the two of us.” Taeyeon explained as she drove through the city. “You, me and the mountain.”

“We are going to the mountain?”

“Yeah, I realized we haven’t gone there yet and I know you like skiing.”

“That’s great!” Tiffany clapped her hands happily and leaned in to give her lover a peck on the cheek.

“We are going home now and I will give you roughly 30 minutes to pack your bag

before we leave. I wanted to do it for you but figured you would complain about the clothes I might have packed so I didn’t.”

“Ah you’re smart.”

“I know.”

It was only a weekend which means two days and a half at the resort but Tiffany was still struggling when packing her clothes. Taeyeon sat impatiently on the bed watching her girlfriend chose which clothes she wanted to bring.

“5 more minutes and I’m leaving without you.” Taeyeon stood up and walked out of the room.

“You can’t go without me. Who is going to keep you company, huh?”

“I believe there are many people at the resort. Many of whom would love to keep me company.” Taeyeon said from the living room.

“KIM TAEYEON! YOU DARE?!” Tiffany shouted. “Aish~” She threw a few more clothes into her already filled bag, closed it and pulled it out of the room. “I’m done!”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes and took the luggage from Tiffany. “Thank you for being so fast.” She said sarcastically and received a deserved punch in the arm.

The couple then drove to the ski resort, a long ride where Tiffany felt asleep

multiple times and Taeyeon felt like waking her up every single time because she wanted to have someone to talk to. When they finally arrived at the resort where Taeyeon’s parents owned a chalet, she parked the car in the garage and woke Tiffany up.

“Hmmm?” Tiffany stirred and opened her eyes slowly. “Where are we?” She asked, looking around.

Taeyeon laughed and opened the car’s door. “In the garage. Come on.” She went to open the trunk and took out their bags. Tiffany was not fully awake yet and stumbled around before following Taeyeon up the stairs.

“Welcome to the Kim’s cozy chalet!” Taeyeon opened the door and stepped aside so Tiffany could enter.

It was exactly like those chalets you see on TV. Made of woods, primary color is brown which gives you a feeling of warmness and coziness. A fire was already lighted up in the chimney and all Tiffany wanted to do was lie on the couch and sleep.

“Still sleepy, huh?” Taeyeon asked as she noticed Tiffany stared at the comfortable and inviting couch in front of her.

The younger girl nodded apologetically, feeling a little guilty for not keeping company to her girlfriend during the long ride. Taeyeon smiled and gave her a hug. “I know you’re tired. We will go out for dinner and you can sleep early, okay?” She kissed Tiffany’s nose gently.

It was a hard week for Tiffany as the girl had many assignments and had to spend many sleepless nights to complete all of them.

It was already evening when they arrived, so after unpacking and taking a shower, they went out to find a nice restaurant. Walking in the streets, Tiffany’s eyes lightened up in front of the many stores they walked by and she didn’t forget to remind Taeyeon that they wouldn’t leave the resort without doing a little shopping.

After walking around, they finally picked a restaurant which mainly served European food. The place was already filled with customers and our couple was lucky as there was one last free table for them.

“Wah we are so lucky.” Tiffany exclaimed as they took their seats.

“Yes I do have some magical powers.” Taeyeon joked.

“Is it the first time you come here?”

“In the resort? No, but in this restaurant yes. Usually I come here with Yuri and we mostly order delivery food.”

“I’m glad you brought me here though. It is a really nice surprise.”

“Yes, I do make good surprises.” Taeyeon grinned.

They spent a romantic dinner and even stayed for over two hours talking about

various things, like it was their first dinner together and they were getting to know each other. By the time they walked out of the restaurant, most shops were already closed but there were still people walking down the streets; families with their children playing in the snow, couples walking hands in hands and friends chatting happily among themselves.

Taeyeon pulled Tiffany’s waist closer as they walked back to the chalet. “Are you tired?” She asked before kissing her girlfriend’s head.

Tiffany smiled and shook her head, “not at all.”

It was a small walk as they reached the chalet in less than 20 minutes. Locking the door behind her, Taeyeon took off her shoes and followed Tiffany inside the room where they both changed into their pajamas.

“It’s only 11pm…” Tiffany pouted when Taeyeon told her to go sleep.

“But you are tired.”

“I want to lie down on the couch and watch the fire.” The younger girl whined. It was something she saw a lot in romantic movies and always wanted to do.

“We still have tomorrow night to do that. You have to rest because we are going skiing tomorrow and I don’t want you to fall asleep on the slopes.” Taeyeon joked and dragged Tiffany inside the bedroom.

“But I’m not sleepy yet…” Tiffany complained once more before landing on the

bed.

Taeyeon pulled the blanket over their bodies and pulled her pouty girlfriend closer to her. “You really are not sleepy?”

Tiffany shook her head with a mischievous smile; she knew where this was going. She shifted around so she could see her lover’s face and kissed her. “Not tired…at all.” She grinned.

It didn’t take long for Taeyeon to understand the signals as she leaned in and captured Tiffany’s lips with her own. “I…will…never…be…tired…for…this…” Tiffany spoke through the kisses.

The night ended well as our lovely couple fell asleep in each other’s arms, resting their now tired bodies so they could enjoy the fresh snow the mountain was offering them during this weekend. ********

There was nothing that Tiffany enjoyed more than waking up in Taeyeon’s warm embrace. It was something she had the chance to enjoy before they even became an official couple. And she couldn’t thank heaven enough for giving her the chance to wake up every morning in her lovers’ arms.

“Morning sunshine.” Taeyeon kissed her girlfriend’s forehead.

Still adjusting her eyes to the morning light, Tiffany cuddled against Taeyeon,

resting her face in the latter’s neck. “Morning.”

“Ready for a really active day?” Taeyeon asked, her hand moving up and down Tiffany’s back.

“Can we stay like this all weekend instead? I don’t mind staying in.” Tiffany’s breaths were tickling against Taeyeon’s soft skin.

“I wouldn’t mind either but we will regret not going out and enjoy the snow.” Taeyeon pulled away a little so she could look at her girlfriend. “Come on lazy bum, let’s get tired outside.” She smiled and kissed the pouting girl.

Reluctantly, Tiffany pulled away and rolled to get off bed while Taeyeon watched with a smile. “I guess I have to go shower now, all by myself…alone…” Tiffany mumbled as she glanced at her girlfriend who was still lying on bed.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes and got off bed as well, “and people say I’m the naughty one.” She said smiling before following Tiffany inside the bathroom and closing the door.

An hour later, the couple was ready to go out. Before they could hit the fresh slopes, Tiffany had to go buy a new pair of ski since the ones Taeyeon had at the chalet weren’t fit for her. It was needless to say that the skis Tiffany chose were pink, like her ski outfit.

“What would you do if one day, pink wasn’t a color anymore?” Taeyeon asked as they left the shop with their new item.

Tiffany rolled her eyes at the stupid question. “It’s impossible.”

“Yeah I know, but what if? Like imagine if they couldn’t produce pink anymore. What kind of color would you settle with?”

“I can’t. There is only pink.”

“I don’t even know why I’m asking.”

Taeyeon and Tiffany went back to their car and drove to the ski station where they had to take the lift.

“I’m so excited! It’s been so long since I went skiing.” Tiffany exclaimed happily as they entered the small cabin lift.

It took the lift 30 minutes to reach the ski station up in the mountain. The station was already filled with people of all ages. Before hitting the slopes, Taeyeon and Tiffany went for breakfast. It was when they noticed another couple at the table next to theirs.

“Let me spread it for you.” The guy at the table took the slice of bread from his girlfriend and spread the jam on it. They smiled at each other before leaning in and sharing a kiss.

Taeyeon rolled her eyes while Tiffany found it really cute. “How thoughtful.” Tiffany commented.

“I don’t see how it’s thoughtful.” Taeyeon said.

The guy was now taking his girlfriend’s hot drink and holding it in his hands. “Let me check if it isn’t too hot.”

Taeyeon grimaced at the cheesy view. After they were done with breakfast, the two left the restaurant. At the same time, the couple sitting next to them earlier left as well. The guy was holding both his skis and his girlfriend’s.

Once again, Tiffany teased Taeyeon by complimenting the guy’s thoughtfulness. “How nice, I wouldn’t mind if someone was holding mine.”

Taeyeon sighed. “Let me hold your skis.” She said before trying to grab her girlfriend’s skis.

Tiffany smiled and backed away, “I was just joking baby. I can hold them myself.” She pinched Taeyeon’s cheek with her free hand. ********

“Yahou!!!!” Tiffany yelled as she went down the slopes like a pro.

Close behind, Taeyeon was following her, an amused smile on her face. One of the things she loves the most about her girlfriend is how happy and excited Tiffany is about everything.

“YAH! FANY SLOW DOWN!” Taeyeon yelled, her girlfriend going too fast for her liking.

They went up and down the slopes a few more times before it was lunch time. Like it was destined to happen, they met the young couple from the morning, in the same restaurant.

“Ah look, it’s your ideal man.” Taeyeon teased as the couple sat down at the table next to them.

Tiffany leaned forward and slapped her girlfriend’s arm. They both ordered their food and once again, witnessed the cheesiness that the couple next to them was displaying.

“Let me cut it for you.” The guy cut the meat on his girlfriend’s plate for her.

This time, instead of rolling her eyes, Taeyeon grinned and did the same for Tiffany. The younger girl laughed, knowing her girlfriend wanted to be playful. “Ah let me eat this little piece of meat in case it’s too hot.” Taeyeon said, trying to not laugh.

Tiffany laughed but still shook her head. “It’s not nice to make fun of other people, Taeng.”

“What? I’m only taking care of my girlfriend. I’m being thoughtful.” Taeyeon smiled. “Now, say ahhhh~” She feed Tiffany.

During the whole meal, Taeyeon was playing around, mirroring the other couple’s actions. Although Tiffany wasn’t approving of her lover’s childish behavior, it was still amusing and she couldn’t help but laugh.

Once they were done, they rested for a while before picking up their snowboard and skis for a second round on the slopes.

Both of them were really good and they even raced against each other a few times, Tiffany even won even though Taeyeon used the ‘I let you win’ excuse. They did that a few hours before they grew tired and decided to go back to the resort.

“Shopping shopping!!!” Tiffany sang happily as they got back to the chalet. “I’m going to shower and we can go out shopping!”

Taeyeon froze, not expecting Tiffany to regain all her energy so fast. “NOW?!?!”

“YES!” Tiffany yelled from the room upstairs.

Taeyeon took off her ski outfit and lay down on the couch, too lazy to shower. But then, her super excited girlfriend scolded her. “KIM TAEYEON! GO SHOWER!”

Sighing, Taeyeon stood up and dragged her feet upstairs. Tiffany was already out of the shower and Taeyeon wondered if the girl did even shower since she was so fast. “Your turn.” Tiffany pushed Taeyeon inside the bathroom.

“Why are you in a rush?”

“Because I want to have enough time to visit all the shops.”

“ALL?!?!” Taeyeon walked back into the room.

“Yes so go shower.” Tiffany kissed her and pushed her back into the bathroom. ********

“Tiffany, I’m tired…” Taeyeon rested her head on her girlfriend’s back.

Tiffany was standing in front of a mirror, trying on some hats and ignoring the whining girl behind her. “I’m almost done Taengoo. Come on, tell me if this one suits me.”

“It’s absolutely beautiful on you.” Taeyeon said without even looking.

“Yah! Be more convincing.”

Taeyeon put a kiss on Tiffany’s neck before moving back. “Everything looks beautiful on you baby so can you just buy it so we can go?”

The shopaholic girl sighed and took off the hat. “Fine I will buy this one.”

Saying Tiffany robbed most of the stores was a small statement. Compared to Taeyeon, Tiffany wasn’t from a rich family but the money her father had left her with was enough for the girl to have some crazy shopping moments.

After she successfully dragged Tiffany out of the last shop, Taeyeon found them another nice restaurant for dinner. Tiffany might have not realized it but it was already evening and both their stomachs were growling in pain.

When they sat down at their table, Taeyeon looked around, expecting to see the couple they met twice in a day, but they weren’t there. “You look disappointed.” Tiffany pointed out.

Taeyeon shrugged and focused back on the menu in her hands. “They were funny.”

“They probably saw your dorky behavior and were afraid.” Tiffany teased.

Taeyeon stuck out her tongue before calling the waiter so they could order. The dinner went well and the couple had a short walk before going back to the chalet. And like she promised Tiffany, Taeyeon let her girlfriend lie down on the couch to watch the fire in the chimney like in the romantic movies.

“Happy now?” Taeyeon asked the girl in her arms.

They were comfortably lying on the couch, under a thick blanket. “Very happy.” Tiffany turned her head slightly so she could get a kiss from her girlfriend.

“Then I’m happy too.” Taeyeon said.

“Tell me. Did you come here often in the past?”

“Hmm I used to come here once a year with either Yuri or Seohyun and Sunny.”

Taeyeon recalled.

“I think this place is really romantic.”

Taeyeon laughed. “That’s because we are here together. If you come here with someone else, it won’t look romantic at all.”

“You think so? I really think the whole place gives off a romantic feeling.”

“I came with Yuri and my cousins in the past and believe me, there was nothing romantic about that place.”

“Maybe that’s because I’m more of a romantic than you.” Tiffany joked.

“Yes because I wasn’t the one planning this surprise and romantic trip.”

Tiffany rolled around so she was facing Taeyeon. “And I’m really thankful. Thank you for doing this.” She caressed Taeyeon’s neck before kissing the girl.

“You’re welcome. I know you have been really tired this week.” Taeyeon smiled gently, enjoying Tiffany’s warm hand on the back of her neck.

“Yeah, I’m glad this week is over.” Tiffany admitted. “I miss you.” She kissed her again.

“Honestly, I didn’t know I could miss someone I was living with.” Taeyeon joked, “but I really miss you too.”

“But it makes the situation now even more meaningful.” Tiffany smiled. “More romantic.”

Taeyeon stroke her girlfriend’s soft cheek. “I love you.” She placed a kiss on her lover’s nose.

The famous eye smile appeared on Tiffany’s beautiful face and Taeyeon wondered what she did to deserve an angel in her life. “I love you too.”

“But I love you more.”

“No, I love you more.”

“Like how much more? Because I love you as much as I love video games.” Taeyeon joked.

“What a comparison.” Tiffany rolled her eyes. “I love you more than…”

“Pink? Totoro?”

“No way, they will always come before you.” Tiffany joked and Taeyeon tickled her. “Ahhh noooo Taeyeon!! Stop!!! It’s ticklish!! AHHH!”

“Say I’m more important than pink and Totoro!” Taeyeon continued with her attacks.

“Ok ok!” Tiffany surrendered her face red like a tomato after all her efforts to get away from her lover’s grip. “I love you more than…pink…and…Totoro…” Tiffany said painfully.

Taeyeon patted her girlfriend’s head with a smile. “Ah good girl.”

“I should have bitten you.” Tiffany said.

“You did,” Taeyeon grinned, “last night.”

Tiffany’s face reddened at the mention of the little incident the previous night. “That’s not my fault!”

“Whose fault then?” Taeyeon pulled her girlfriend closer, “but I didn’t mind at all.” She kissed Tiffany. “In fact,” she shifted her body so she was now lying on top of her girlfriend, “I don’t mind if we do it again. “ Taeyeon smiled before leaning down to kiss Tiffany. ********

Sunday was there and with it, was the last day of the weekend.

Taeyeon was the first to wake up and since she knew her girlfriend was going to have a hard time waking up again, she sneaked out of the chalet to buy breakfast.

When Tiffany opened her tired eyes, Taeyeon was already changed, ready for the day. “What are you doing? Already up?” The sleepy girl asked, encircling her arms

around her lover’s waist.

Taeyeon was sitting on the couch, watching the news on TV while drinking her hot beverage. “I bought breakfast for us.” She stroke Tiffany’s hair. “We have a short day ahead of us so I woke up earlier.”

“What time are we leaving?”

“Late afternoon? So we have time to enjoy the snow.”

“It’s fine with me.” Tiffany stretched her arms before getting up. “I’ll go change.” She kissed Taeyeon before walking upstairs. ********

The whole morning, Taeyeon and Tiffany went down the slopes, but this time, going slower than the previous day. They stopped at certain spots to take pictures with their phones before going down again.

They even tried to go down the slopes holding hands but it was too difficult and Taeyeon fell a few times which made Tiffany laughed.

It was only 2 in the afternoon when they took the lift again. Sitting side by side, they were admiring the view; Taeyeon put her arm around her girlfriend and pulled her closer to keep them warm.

“We should come here more often. Maybe next time ask the others to come along.”

Tiffany said, resting her head on Taeyeon’s right shoulder.

“Yeah, next time we will ask them to come. Yuri was kind of jealous when I told her I was bringing you here.”

“Did you ask her to come with Sica?”

“I said I wouldn’t mind if they wanted to tag along but I think Sica didn’t want to do anything this weekend.” Taeyeon explained.

“Typical of Sica. It’s winter so she likes to stay inside and sleep.” Tiffany pointed out.

“Can’t blame her though. I enjoy doing nothing but cuddle during winter.”

“It’s weird, I enjoy cuddling all the time.” Tiffany grinned and Taeyeon laughed at her.

“Naughty girl.”

They were going up slowly while the lift suddenly stopped moving. At first, Taeyeon and Tiffany didn’t think much of it since it happened all the time, but when the lift didn’t start moving again after 10 minutes, they thought it was weird.

“What’s going on?” Taeyeon looked around.

“I don’t know.”

“It better not be stuck or I’m going to throw a fist.” It was only 10 minutes but Taeyeon was already growing impatient.

“Calm down, I bet it will be fine in 5 more minutes.” >

“It’s enough! I can’t take it anymore!” Taeyeon was agitated as she tried to take off her board.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m jumping.”

“W-What?!”

“It’s not that high. We are at what? 3-4 meters?” Taeyeon looked down.

“Are you out of your mind?” Tiffany hit Taeyeon and tried to grab her hands so she would stop moving them around. “Stop it!”

Taeyeon groaned and stopped her nonsense. “I can’t believe we are stuck…what if they don’t come to save us? We are going to spend the night up there and freeze to death.”

Tiffany sighed and ignored her crazy girlfriend. It wasn’t the first time that

Taeyeon had gone crazy like this and she knew there was nothing to do but wait until it was over.

“I’m going to sue them all or maybe I can burn the whole place down.” Taeyeon continued to mumble crazy things while Tiffany rested her head on her shoulder, ignoring the babbling.

“Or maybe-” Taeyeon suddenly stopped her crazy antics when she felt the lift moving again.

“Thank god!” Tiffany exclaimed as the lift moved again.

Taeyeon finally relaxed after an hour. “Wah~ it wasn’t that bad after all.” She said with a smile and Tiffany had to hold back the urge to punch her for being so annoying during the whole thing.

After being stuck up in the air for over an hour, Taeyeon was quite pissed off and didn’t want to do anything anymore. They went down the slopes one last time before heading back to the chalet where they took a shower and packed their belongings. Tiffany didn’t miss the chance to call their friends to tell them about the funny incident and planned an evening meet up with them back in the city.

On the ride home, Taeyeon was still pouting because she got scolded by Tiffany and Yuri made fun of her over the phone.

“Can you stop pouting? I didn’t even laugh that much.” Tiffany tried to comfort the angry girl.

“Yuri did.”

“Ok I’m sorry. I’ll make it up for you later.” She leaned in and kissed Taeyeon’s cheek.

“Not gonna work this time.” Taeyeon was still pouting.

“Really?” Tiffany leaned in again, this time aiming for the neck. “Not working?”

Even though she was trying hard, Taeyeon couldn’t hold back her smile anymore. “Yah! Naughty girl, I’m driving.” She complained, acting like she wasn’t enjoying it.

Tiffany leaned back on her seat and watched the road in front of her. “We should do that more often.”

“Naughty things?!” Taeyeon asked.

Tiffany slapped her girlfriend’s arm. “This trip.” She rolled her eyes, “we do enough naughty things at home.”

Taeyeon grinned. “Yes we do.”

The ride back to Seoul was cheerful as the couple talked about their short weekend and the various things that happened to them during these two days. It was one of the many memories they created together since that faithful day where they

stepped into each other’s life.

Weekend at Disneyland

It was a beautiful evening in Tokyo as our lovely couples landed at Haneda Airport. All of them had a stressful week and decided to go on a last minute trip to Japan.

After going throw the customs easily, the small group of friends walked toward the baggage claim and waited for their luggage.

Taeyeon took off her jacket and threw it on the trolley behind her before fanning herself with her hand. “Why is it so hot?”

“It’s summer, what do you expect?” Yuri put her passport back into her bag before putting on the empty trolley.

“Don’t they have air conditioner though?” The short girl complained again.

“Stop complaining already. The one who suffered the most hasn’t said anything yet.” Yuri pointed to the blond girl sitting on a bench not far from them.

“Unnie, I think Sica-unnie passed out.” Seohyun looked back and forth between the blond and her unnies.

Jessica who had just dyed her hair blond before summer started was sitting on a bench, her head hanging down and her eyes closed. She was only wearing a thin shirt but her body was sweating like she was in a sauna.

Tiffany who was impatiently waiting for their luggage took a glance at her best friend, “Want me to check on her?”

Yuri shook her head, “Nah she is fine.”

“She is going to kill you for not caring about her.” Yoona butted in. “I’m gonna tell her that you didn’t care.” She grinned mischievously before her sister hit the back of her head, “OUCH!!!” She groaned and massaged the hurting spot.

“I don’t know why I let you come with us. It was a vacation for us adults.” The elder Kwon rolled her eyes regretting her decision.

“Yeah because adults spend their weekends at Disneyland.”

“Why are you with her?” Yuri ignored her sister and looked at the pure and angelic Seohyun. “Tell me and I will help you dump her.”

Seohyun laughed and stroked her girlfriend’s hair, “She is perfect to me.” The youngest girl smiled lovingly.

Yoona grinned and gave her sweet girlfriend a kiss on the cheek. “I love you.”

Both Taeyeon and Yuri turned away from the cheesy scene, “Eww tha’ts so...my fingers are curled up now.” Yuri shivered and looked back at the rolling carpet in front of her.

“They are so cute.” Tiffany cuddled against Taeyeon’s arm. “You should be cheesier you know.”

“What? Who said I was too cheesy last night?”

“No, last night was really too much. Your little speech gave me goose bumps!”

“That’s fine. I won’t make any more speeches.”

“Ah Taeyeon-ah don’t be sad. You know I love your cheesiness.” The taller girl kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.

“Where the hell is our luggage?” Yuri grew impatient.

“Ah! Mine is coming!” Tiffany jumped up excitedly as she pointed at the huge pink suitcase that was slowly making its way toward them.

Taeyeon waited for the suitcase to reach her before leaning down and grabbing it. “2 days and she packed the whole apartment in there.” Taeyeon stated after putting the heavy suitcase on the trolley.

“Your clothes are in there too!” Tiffany argued.

“You mean my two pants and two shirts?”

Seohyun laughed at her two arguing unnies before spotting her own suitcase. “Ah mine is coming too.”

Slowly, everyone’s luggage arrived and they picked them up on their trolleys before walking toward their friend who was sitting by herself.

“Sica-ah we can go.” Yuri stood behind her trolley and called her girlfriend.

“I think she really passed out.” Seohyun pointed out while Yoona was holding in her laughter.

“Sica.” Tiffany walked up to her friend and nudged her, “Sica-ah.” She leaned closer to check on the silent girl before turning back toward her friends. “I think she is asleep.”

Taeyeon made a weird face not really understanding how someone could fall asleep like that while Yuri shook her head slowly, “She is so unique that it scares me.” She walked closer to her girlfriend and held the sleeping girl in her arm.

“Are you going to carry her?”

“Put her on the trolley.” Taeyeon suggested for fun.

“Yeah that would be funny.” Yoona laughed.

“We are almost outside. I can carry her. She is as heavy as feathers.” Yuri pointed out.

“Aww that’s so nice! Last time Taeyeon had to carry me on her back she said she was going to die.” Tiffany hit her girlfriend on the arm as she remembered that day.

“You ate more than all of us that day!” Taeyeon argued back but got hit again.

“They are so fun.” Yoona pushed her trolley as she and Seohyun walked away from the group.

“Yah!” Yuri saw the youngest couple leave, “The kids are leaving without us.” She told the still arguing couple. “Let’s go.”

The group exited the airport and called for two taxis to drive them to their hotel.

“Oh my god! I’m so excited!!!” Tiffany clapped her hands happily as the car drove to its destination.

Taeyeon smiled and took a picture of her girlfriend with her phone. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking pictures of you for my new folder.” She took another picture and

checked it, “Ah you closed your eyes there. One more.” She pointed the phone at Tiffany. “Smile!”

The younger girl made a peace sign, “Which folder?”

“TaeNy at Disneyland.” Taeyeon grinned before leaning closer to her girlfriend to take a picture of them.

“Ah that’s my cheesy Taengoo.” Tiffany gave her a kiss before looking out of the window again.

By the time they reached Disneyland, Jessica was awake and grumpy which was the opposite of her best friend Tiffany who was like a little kid in a big candy store.

“Oh my god oh my god!” Tiffany exclaimed as their car made its way toward their hotel.

The famous Disney castle.

“It’s so beautiful!!! Like in the movies!” Tiffany exclaimed again as they got off the car.

Taeyeon could only smile seeing her girlfriend so happy. She paid the driver and took out their suitcase from the trunk.

“Wah nice!” Yoona looked at the big castle standing in front of her.

Yuri was pulling her and Jessica’s suitcase while the sleepy girl was dragging her feet behind. “Baby, are you okay?” The taller girl extended her hand for her girlfriend.

Jessica stayed quiet and held Yuri’s hand. “I need some strong coffee. We woke up too early this morning.”

“It was only 6.” She kissed the top of Jessica’s head. They quickly checked in and a spread among the 7th floor. It was close to 8pm and they all agreed to go on their separate ways for the night. **********

Yoona and Seohyun had finished their dinner in a nice restaurant from the park and decided to take a walk before heading back to their room.

“Are you cold?” Yoona was already ready to take off her jacket but Seohyun shook her head.

“I’m fine. The weather is nice.”

“It’s kind of scary though walking around here at night. It’s so big.” Yoona pointed out.

“Maybe there are little gnomes watching us right now.” Seohyun joked and felt Yoona walking closer to her. “Don’t tell me you are afraid?” The maknae laughed.

“I wouldn’t know what to do against gnomes.”

“You are so much taller than them.”

“Don’t talk like they are real and we might really meet some, please.”

“That would be fun.”

“Yeah I’m excited already.” Yoona said sarcastically.

Seohyun laughed, “You are so cute. How come you have a badass reputation at school?”

“Because I’m really badass at school.” Yoona smiled, “If I wanted, I could make up my own gang and all.”

Seohyun laughed again. The younger girl then noticed an illuminated bridge and pointed to it. “That’s really nice. Let’s go there.” She dragged her girlfriend toward the bridge.

Yoona took out her camera from her bag and took a picture of the amazed Seohyun. She then walked up to her girlfriend and took a picture of the two of them.

“Let’s take picture like in some Disney movies.” Yoona suggested. “I wish there was a big rock so we can do the Lion King.” She joked.

“Oh we can do Rapunzel! I saw her tower earlier.” Seohyun took Yoona’s hand and dragged her away.

“I doubt we can get in thought.” Yoona pointed out but the younger girl didn’t listen to her.

The young couple spent hours walking around the park and taking pictures of themselves replaying some of the famous Disney movies’ scenes they could remember.

“I don’t remember this scene.” Seohyun looked up at the streetlight.

“I’m sure I saw it though.” Yoona pulled her girlfriend closer by the waist, “They kissed under a streetlight.”

Seohyun tried to remember that scene from a movie but was unsuccessful. “Really?”

“Oh yes.” The playful girl used her other hand to take another picture of them before leaning in to kiss her beautiful girlfriend. **********

“This fountain is beautiful!” Tiffany exclaimed as she stood in front of the illuminated fountain. “I want the same!”

“Sure.” Taeyeon joined her girlfriend and hugged her from behind.

Tiffany grinned and slapped the hands around her waist playfully. “Stop joking.”

“No, I’m being super serious here. We can have it if you want.”

“And where are we going to put it? In front of the building?”

“No, in our living room.”

Another slap on Taeyeon’s hands. “Stop it.”

“I can buy the mini version of it. They might have it in one of their souvenir shops.”

Tiffany sighed and shook her head, “I can’t believe I almost believe you again.”

“You didn’t say you want the real size.” The shorter girl laughed.

“Thank you.” Tiffany said holding Taeyeon’s hands that were around her waist.

“For what?”

“For bringing me here.”

“It was your idea after all.” Taeyeon pecked her girlfriend’s temple.

“But you didn’t have to agree.”

“What? You know I can’t resist those Disney characters and princess castles.” Taeyeon exaggerated playfully.

Tiffany rolled her eyes and turned around so she could look at Taeyeon. “There is something I’ve always wanted to do.” She said before wrapping her arms around her lover’s neck.

“I think I know what it is.” Taeyeon smiled and waited for Tiffany to close the gap between their lips. “Mmm I like a lot of your ideas recently.” The shorter girl said once the kiss ended.

“I have many more.” Tiffany bit her lips before giving her girlfriend a peck.

Taeyeon released Tiffany’s body and suddenly lifted her up. “W-What are you doing Taeyeon-ah?” Tiffany laughed.

The short girl ignored her girlfriend and walked toward the fountain. She stopped when her legs touched the stone and before Tiffany could protest, Taeyeon stepped over the small border and into the water.

“What are you doing Taeyeon? We can’t do that!”

Taeyeon laughed and put Tiffany down. “I’ve always wanted to do that too.” She held her girlfriend’s neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss.

“You are crazy.” Tiffany gently pushed her lover away. “I bet the security is coming.” She looked around.

“You worry too much,” Taeyeon leaned in and kissed her girlfriend’s neck. “We…can…tell…our children and…grandchildren,” the kisses made their way up to Tiffany’s lips, “That we…kissed…inside of the famous Disney fountain.” A last peck.

“Can we also tell them that you fell into the famous Disney fountain?” Tiffany grinned mischievously.

“Huh?” And before Taeyeon knew it, she fell down on her butt into the cold water. “Y-Yah!” Taeyeon ran her hand through her wet hair. “Tiffany!”

Tiffany held her waist and laughed, “That was so easy Taeyeon-ah.” She bent down and splashed more water at her lover.

“Stop it!” Taeyeon stood up.

“Make me.” Tiffany stuck out her tongue and splashed water at Taeyeon again.

The shorter girl sighed before chasing her girlfriend around the fountain. The couple laughed and played in the water like little kids.

“Ok you won.” Taeyeon surrendered and sat on the edge of the fountain. “I’m tired already.”

“Oh it was a game?” Tiffany walked to her lover and sat on her laps. “What did I win then?”

“You won a really nice shower and a kiss.” Taeyeon pecked her girlfriend on the lips. “Let’s go back now. You will catch a cold.” Another peck.

The couple stood up and left the fountain in their wet clothes. “Baby,” Tiffany called her girlfriend as they walked hand in hand to their hotel. “Do you realize you took a bath in the fountain without checking if the water was clean or not?”

Taeyeon thought about that and shook her head, “I’m going to take a bath later and wash every single part of my body.” She winked at her now blushing girlfriend.

“ByunTae.”

“And you love it.” **********

Compared to the two other couples, Yuri and Jessica settled for something less tiring.

“We should do this every single night.” Jessica closed her eyes and enjoyed the peaceful moment.

Yuri who was sitting across from her girlfriend nodded, “I’m going to buy one and put it in our bathroom.”

The couple was sitting in the Jacuzzi. They had dinner in the room and decided to relax their bodies with a nice bath.

“I don’t think it would fit into our bathroom.”

“I would make sure it does.” Yuri winked.

“I don’t like that wink.”

“Why not?”

“It means you are thinking of something naughty.”

“What? Can you stop making me look like some pervert?”

“Aren’t you?”

“I’m only a pervert with you.”

“That sounds so wrong Kwon Yuri.”

Yuri laughed and moved across the tube, “I was just thinking that it could really be romantic you know.”

“What? You being a pervert for me?”

“No,” Yuri rolled her eyes, “Imagine if there were candles and petals everywhere around here.” She explained to Jessica and when the latter smiled, she leaned in and kissed her girlfriend’s neck. “Don’t you think…it can be…really…romantic?” The kisses moved from Jessica’s neck to her shoulder.

“I don’t know…why don’t we try it?” She pushed Yuri’s head away from her shoulder.

“Huh?” Yuri stared at her girlfriend confused.

“Let’s do it. Candles and everything.” Jessica smiled widely.

“NOW?” Yuri leaned back.

“Yeah so we can see if it’s really nice.”

“How do you want me to find candles and petals at this hour?” Yuri pouted, “And we were in the right mood just now!” She complained.

“You are always on the mood.” Jessica teased. “Come on, hurry up. I will wait for you.”

“Jessica-ah…”

“The reward will be really nice Kwon Yuri.” A wink.

“Ok fine but it better be really nice Jung Sooyeon.” Yuri stepped out of the tub and

grabbed a towel. “If not, you won’t see this,” she pointed at her tone body, “For a long time.” She grinned and walked out of the bathroom.

There was nothing hard with this task. Yuri knew it would be quite easy to find candles in such a big hotel. She went to the information desk and asked for some candles and even offered to pay for all them. After a little conversation with the manager, she succeeded and went back to her room with candles and flowers.

Jessica was still in the Jacuzzi like she promised. The bathroom’s door opened and there stood Yuri.

“Candles and flowers. Jung Sooyeon, I want my reward.” She laughed evilly before closing the door. ******** The next morning, the couples gathered in the large dining room for breakfast. They talked about their evenings and Taeyeon made a mental note about spending some time in the Jacuzzi with Tiffany.

An hour later and everyone was ready to spend the day in the most magical place in the whole world.

“I’m warning you guys already,” Tiffany said excitedly, “I want to take a picture with every single character.”

“Me too unnie!” Seohyun held up her hand.

They had only stepped into the park that Tiffany spotted a familiar figure. “Ahh Goofy Goof!!!” She screamed and ran toward the character.

If it was someone else, Taeyeon would have been embarrassed but seeing her girlfriend so happy made her smile. She took out her digital camera and walked toward Tiffany who was already hugging Goofy Goof.

“Is it a guy or a girl in there?” Taeyeon looked suspiciously as she saw the mascot putting his arms around her girlfriend’s body.

“Goofy Goof is a male.” Yuri answered.

“Ok ok you have hugged him enough.” Taeyeon pulled Tiffany away. “Let’s take a picture.” She stepped back and aimed the camera at her girlfriend and the big dog.

Tiffany took a picture with Goofy Goof alone before all her friends joined her for a group picture.

After meeting with Goofy Goof, the group stopped at the souvenir shop to buy some funny headbands for themselves.

“Which one do you prefer?” Jessica stood in front of Yuri and tried on a cat headband and a fox one.

Yuri watched her girlfriend tried both headbands on before talking, “The cat is cute but the fox is sexy. Wear both!”

Jessica rolled her eyes and walked to the small mirror on the wall, “You’re not helping.”

“Buy both and you can change every hour.” Yuri walked around the stalls and chose one. “Monster headband! Awesome!” She tried it on and checked her face on the mirror.

“Nice Yuri.” Taeyeon gave her a thumb up from the cashier. “Did you buy one for every day of the week?” The shorter girl took the plastic bag from her girlfriend to check its content.

Tiffany stuck out her tongue and took the cute tiger headband from the bag and wore it on her head. “How do I look?”

Taeyeon smiled and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek. “The cutest girl in the world.” And another kiss.

“Please, there are children everywhere.” Jessica teased her friends as she walked out of the shop with Yuri.

“You wouldn’t want to corrupt the kids, would you?” Yuri added.

The group continued to walk around the park and went on almost all the attractions they could. Even those reserved for the children.

“I knew Taeyeon would fit in that small plane.” Yuri laughed as she watched her best friend pouted from her plane.

“She is so cute!!!” Tiffany was standing next to them and filming with her phone. “Take pictures of her Yuri.” She shoved the camera to the girl beside her.

Earlier, they saw the small attraction that was made for children under 7 and Yuri bet that Taeyeon could fit in one of the plane.

“That’s so fun!!!” Yoona also succeeded and got on one as well.

After lunch, the group went into a Disney store where Tiffany went crazy over princess dresses for little girl while Yuri bought different Mickey Mouse plush for herself.

“What’s that?” Taeyeon asked but no one was near her. She grabbed the green thing from the shelves and examined it. “Peas-in-a-pod from Toy Story 3.” She read and tried to remember the Disney movie she had seen with her girlfriend. She saw the zipper and opened the thing. Her eyes went wide when she saw the three peas staring back at her. “Awwww cute!!!!” She exclaimed loudly.

Jessica was standing near the cashier her arms crossed and looking at her girlfriend with disapproval.

“I only have one back at home!” Yuri paid for her Mickey plush and t-shirts and walked outside.

Taeyeon was the last one to walk out with her bag. She called her friends and took out her new purchase happily. “Guys look at that!” She grabbed the peas and

showed them off. “Cute right?”

“Wah how many did you buy?” Yoona grabbed the bag and looked inside. “1, 2, 3, 4…Are you going to farm peas or what?” She handed the bag to Tiffany.

“Taengoo, why did you buy so many?”

“They weren’t expensive and I only bought two for each size.” Taeyeon argued.

Yuri was about to take out the peas from the pod when Taeyeon slapped her hand. “Yah! Don’t take them out you crazy!”

“Whatever. I have my Mickey.” Yuri stuck out her tongue. **********

The couples went back to their room to rest for a while before going out for dinner all together.

Taeyeon and Tiffany were going to walk out of their room when the younger girl noticed something and stopped her lover from leaving the room.

“What’s that?”

“What?”

“You are kidding me Taeyeon.”

“What?” Taeyeon repeated, not understanding.

“There is no way you are bringing your peas to dinner.” Tiffany pointed at the green plush Taeyeon was holding with her right hand.

“Why not?”

“We are going to the restaurant. Not to a children party.”

“But they are so cute and soft.” The shorter girl held the plush up and cuddled it.

Tiffany rolled her eyes and opened the door’s room, “Hurry up or I’m leaving without you.”

Reluctantly, Taeyeon walked back inside the room and to the bed before laying down her peas near the pillows where her other 5 other peas were. She sighed, “I’m sorry.”

Still holding the door, Tiffany shook her head, “I can’t believe you.”

They finally left their room and met up with the friends in the lobby.

“What’s that face Taeng?” Yuri pulled her friend by the shoulder.

“Nothing she is just acting childish.” Tiffany shook her head once again.

The little group left their hotel and tried to find a nice restaurant to have dinner. Taeyeon was still pouting like a kid and refused to talk to Tiffany on their way there.

The six of them were waiting for their food when someone finally asked what had happened between the usually sweet couple.

“Why is Taeyeon-unnie sulking like that?” Seohyun asked Tiffany.

Tiffany sighed, “She wanted to bring her peas here and I didn’t let her. Please, don’t tell me you are siding with her.”

Jessica held up her hand, “I’ll never side with her.” She grinned and Taeyeon glared at her.

“Unnie you are angry because of this?” Yoona laughed.

“It’s been a while since you acted like that for a toy.” Yuri teased, “It’s nothing Fany-ah. She is always like that when she has a new toy. She wants to play with it and have it with her all the time but it won’t last long.”

Taeyeon stopped pouting and finally spoke up, “I just think it’s unfair since she has her Totoro and bring it everywhere but I can’t.”

“Excuse me? Did I ever bring a plush to a restaurant? It’s always on my suitcase when we travel!” Tiffany argued back.

“Ok ok enough you two. It’s just a plush!” Jessica tried to calm her friends, “We are not 5 anymore.”

Taeyeon and Tiffany stayed angry at each other for the rest of the dinner.

“Are you guys going to be okay?” Yuri asked her two angry friends when the elevator reached their floor. She was afraid the two would argue again once in their room.

They both nodded without looking at each other.

“Fine. Act like adults now please.” Jessica teased them before taking Yuri’s hand and leading her back to their own room.

“Good night unnies!” Seohyun and Yoona waved as they walked away too.

Once back into their room, Taeyeon jumped on her bed and hugged all her peas. Tiffany stood in front of her and sighed, “Yah! Kim Taeyeon!”

Taeyeon looked up and saw her angry girlfriend, “Wanna hug them too?” She grinned but Tiffany didn’t find it funny.

“I’ll take a shower and I don’t want to see them on the bed. Put them somewhere else.” She said before grabbing her pajamas and disappeared in the bathroom.

Taeyeon sat up and scratched her head, “I guess I teased her a little too much this time.” She talked to her peas before getting off the bed with them in her arms. “I’m

sorry guys but you will sleep on the couch tonight.” She laid them down on the large couch.

She heard the water running down from the bathroom and had a great idea to make up with her girlfriend.

Tiffany was under the hot shower and completely oblivious to her surroundings. She had started to apply the shampoo on her hair when the shower’s door slid open and before she could scream, Taeyeon hugged her.

“Yah! What are you doing?” Tiffany slapped her lover’s back. The shampoo was running down on her face and she had to close her eyes. “Let go of me Taeyeonah!”

The shorter girl shook her head, “Not until you say you are not angry anymore.”

“I’m not angry.” Tiffany said quickly while trying to free herself from Taeyeon’s tight hug.

“You didn’t mean it.”

“Taeyeon!” Tiffany tried to get rid of the shampoo on her face before hitting Taeyeon again.

After a minute that seemed like an eternity for both girls, Taeyeon let go and stepped back. “I’m sorry.” She helped her girlfriend cleaned up her face and held both of her hands, “I shouldn’t have made a fuss with my peas. I was just playing

around. Sorry.”

Tiffany sighed and pulled her lover in for a hug. “That was such a stupid fight.” She stated.

“I know right?” Taeyeon nodded, “It must be the evil witch who threw a curse on us.”

“Yes right.”

“Why not? We are at Disneyland after all.”

Tiffany pulled away, “I wonder if Disney will approve of this.”

“Of what?”

The taller girl grinned, “This.” She leaned in and captured Taeyeon’s lips. **********

Their last day at Disneyland was there. Their flight back to Seoul was in late afternoon and Tiffany wanted to make sure that she could take picture with every single Disney character from the park.

“So today is mascot hunting?” Yoona was looking at the map. “We missed the parade yesterday but we can see it today. All the characters will be there.”

“But I doubt Tiffany can jump in and take pictures with all of them.” Jessica pointed out.

“That’s your fault!” Tiffany hit Taeyeon. “We wasted our time waiting for that attraction yesterday.”

“What? Yuri wanted to play too!”

“Hey guys, there is a Buzz stand somewhere.” Yoona showed them the map in her hands.

“Ok let’s go! We can also ask him if he knows where Woody is.” Tiffany said happily.

“I wonder if someone is wearing the Peas costume.” Taeyeon wondered.

“Yeah go tell Tiffany you want to hug and cuddle with mascot version of your peas. I bet she would love it.” Yuri teased.

Taeyeon laughed, “No thanks. I don’t want to die yet. It took me enough energy last night to calm her.” She grinned at the thought of their last night activity.

“What did you guys do?” Yuri whispered so her girlfriend wouldn’t hear.

“Jessica!” Taeyeon suddenly called the other girl, “Yuri is being a pervert again!” She shouted before running away.

“Yah! Kim Taeyeon!” Yuri pointed at the running girl. “I don’t know what she is talking about.” She held her hands up while Jessica glared at her.

They made their way to the Buzz stand and saw the character taking pictures with little kids who were lining up in order.

“What we have to line up?” Jessica complained.

“Is he that popular?”

“He freaks me out though.” Taeyeon said. “Yah Fany-ah, don’t hug him please.”

Tiffany laughed and joined the small line made up of kids with their parents. Yoona took pictures of an embarrassing Tiffany who was the only adult in the line not with a child.

“Taengoo go stand with her so they will think you are her kid.” Yuri joked and got punch by her friend.

“Shut up.” The short girl pouted. “It’s obvious I’m older than these kids.” She tried to reassure herself.

The line moved quite slowly as each kid took their time to talk to the fake Buzz even though he couldn’t talk to them. When Tiffany’s turn came, Taeyeon swore that she could see the fake Buzz smiled which was impossible.

“I’m sure it’s some pervert under that costume.” She held up her camera.

“They look good together.” Yuri teased again and got punch…again.

“Can we all take picture with him?” Seohyun asked.

“Yeah we are with Fany after all.” Jessica walked toward the mascot and her friend.

“My pose is going to be me punching him.” Taeyeon said as she stopped in front of the mascot but before she could do like she said, Tiffany grabbed her and pulled her toward her.

“Stop acting jealous.” The taller girl pecked her girlfriend on the cheek. “I love you.”

Taeyeon smiled again and posed normally for the group picture.

Tiffany then tried to ask Buzz where his friends were but like usual, he didn’t respond.

The group then moved along and tried to find other Disney characters.

“Oh…My…God!” Yuri suddenly exclaimed. And before her friends could ask her what she had seen, Yuri shouted and ran toward the famous mascot. “MICKEY!!!!!!!!”

“Oh my god.” Jessica said shocked at how Yuri was behaving.

“Poor Mickey.” Yoona said as she saw her sister jumped on the poor mascot and hugged it hard.

“That’s embarrassing.” Taeyeon added.

“That’s so cute!!!” Tiffany and Seohyun were the only one who felt otherwise. They joined Yuri and gave a hug to Mickey too.

“Am I the only one who is disturbed when thinking about the pervert dude under his costume?” Taeyeon frowned.

“Sometimes it’s pervert girl.” Jessica looked at Mickey suspiciously. “That thing is still holding my Yuri.”

The group then took picture with the famous mouse that Yuri didn’t want to let go and if not for Jessica hitting and dragging her away, she would have brought the mascot home with them.

“I want one for real.” Yuri pouted as she looked back to where Mickey was standing, now busy with other kids.

“You said that again and your new bedroom will be the living room and your friend the couch.” Jessica threatened her.

“This place can really drive people crazy.” Yoona pointed out. “Taeyeon-unnie with her peas, Yuri-unnie with Mickey and Tiffany-unnie with…everything.”

Later on, the group found a nice spot to watch the Disney parade and Jessica had to literally hold onto Yuri to make sure her crazy girlfriend wouldn’t jump on Mickey again.

Tiffany and Seohyun were mesmerized by the Disney princesses. At one point, Yuri was the one getting angry when a dude that she supposed was acting like a Disney prince walked over to Jessica and kissed her hand.

“I would have killed him.” Taeyeon teased her friend.

“He was handsome.” Jessica tried to make her girlfriend jealous.

“What? Did you see the amount of makeup he had?” Yuri crossed her arms angrily.

When the parade ended, it was time for everyone to go back to their rooms and packed for their return to Seoul.

Tiffany had the occasion to bump into other Disney characters on her way back to the hotel and quickly took a picture with each of them. Her collection was far from being completed but she smartly convinced Taeyeon that they could visit other Disneyland in the future.

The flight back home was quiet as everyone doze off on the plane. It was a quick but wonderful weekend for the couples and they promised that there would be more trips like this in the future.

A Month without You… - 1st week

Kwon’s Residence,

“She left.” Yuri put her phone down on the table and sat on the chair. Her girlfriend, Jessica was sitting on the couch, lost in her thoughts. “Should I tell Tiffany?”

Jessica leaned against the couch and shook her head. “I don’t know. I don’t know what we should and shouldn’t do anymore…she is…can it get worse?” She asked. Her eyes were getting teary at the thought of her best friend.

Yuri joined her girlfriend on the couch and embraced her. “It will get better. I’m sure of it.” She consoled Jessica. “All we can do now is to be there for her, okay? We have to be strong.”

She felt Jessica nodded against her chest and smiled, although it wasn’t a happy smile. Taeyeon left and they had to pick up the broken pieces of Tiffany’s heart. Yuri was positive things would get better eventually, but it didn’t change the fact that her two best friends were in a horrible place and she didn’t know when they would come back happily.

“I think she knows…”

“Hum?”

“Tiffany, she knows Taeyeon left.”

“I know but-”

“Don’t tell her. Not now. It would just confirm what she already knows and it will hurt her.”

“I won’t tell her then. I’ll tell her when Taeyeon lands safely in Los Angeles since I know she will be worried.”

“She shouldn’t…” Jessica said bitterly. “Taeyeon doesn’t deserve it…”

“Jessica…”

“I know she is your best friend but…I really hate her right now.” Jessica pulled back and stared into her girlfriend’s eyes. “Why did she do this?”

During all these years, Yuri proudly claimed that Kim Taeyeon was her best friend and nobody on this planet knew her better than she did. A look, a smile, a nod or a wink was enough for the two childhood friends to understand each other. They were like sisters, maybe even closer than real sisters, but unfortunately, as much as she tried to, she couldn’t understand Taeyeon’s latest behavior.

Did she hate her friend? No, hate was a strong word. But she was disappointed. She was angry. She was hurt.

They were so close and yet, Taeyeon didn’t talk to her about such a big and important decision. It was like years and years of trust vanished in an instant.

“I’m sorry.” Yuri apologized. A part of her wanted to defend her friend but there was nothing to say.

“And now you apologize for her.” Jessica caressed her girlfriend’s cheek softly before placing a kiss on her lips. “I’ll go see Tiffany.” She pulled away and got off the couch. “Can I stay here tonight? I want to keep an eye on her.”

“Of course.” Yuri also got off the couch and followed Jessica outside. “I’ll be in the kitchen. I think it will be better if Tiffany stays here for the time being so I’ll talk about it with my parents.”

Jessica nodded and kissed Yuri before walking toward the guest room where her friend was resting.

*Knock Knock Knock*

No response. “Tiffany? I’m coming in.” Jessica opened the door slowly. The room was dark and quiet. Slipping inside, Jessica could see the lying figure on the bed but it was too dark to see whether her friend was sleeping or not.

“Tiffany?” Jessica called softly as she walked toward the bed. “Are you asleep?” She asked but as she reached the bed, the answer was clear.

Lying on the bed and facing the wall, Tiffany was quietly crying. There was no sound but by the way her shoulders were shaking, Jessica could tell her friend was crying. She sat on the edge of the bed and stroked her friend’s hair gently. “It’s going to be okay Fany-ah. Trust me. It will be okay.” Jessica said, trying to hold back her own tears.

She didn’t know if things would be better. Yuri believed it but she wasn’t as positive and trustful as her girlfriend. But what else could she do? Although she didn’t believe in her words, she had to try and comfort her friend. Maybe it would get better. It had to. Tiffany deserved it.

Jessica rested her head against the wall and continued to stroke Tiffany’s hair, comforting her. After a while, Tiffany’s body calmed down and Jessica assumed she had fallen asleep. She pulled the cover over her friend’s body and left the room quietly.

*******

Yuri walked into the living room where her parents were and sat down on the armchair. “Mom, dad, I have something to ask you.” She spoke up.

“Ah Yuri, we also want to talk to you.” Her mother said.

“Oh really? What is it?”

“You go first.”

“I was thinking, it might be better if Tiffany stay with us for the time being. I don’t want her to go back to the apartment and stay there by herself.”

Her mother smiled and nodded her head in approval. “That’s what we want to talk to you about. I also want her to stay there until things are resolved. We have to take care of her.”

“Yes. There is enough room in the house anyway. It’s not the right time for her to be left alone at the apartment.” Her father added.

Yuri smiled at her parents’ thoughtfulness. She was glad they felt the same way as her. “Great. I will tell her tomorrow even though I doubt it would make her feel better…” She stated sadly.

“How is she?”

“I don’t know. Jessica went to check on her. I guess, I hope she is sleeping.”

“Poor girl. It broke my heart seeing her cry.”

“Me too mom…”

“What about Taeyeon?”

“She texted me earlier and told me she landed safely in Los Angeles.”

“Don’t be too harsh on her Yuri-ah.” Mrs. Kwon looked at her daughter lovingly. She knew how her daughter felt and the last thing she wanted was the two childhood friends to drift apart. “It must not be easy for Taeyeon too.”

“I’m trying to understand her you know, but it is very hard.”

“Everything happens for a reason and I’m sure Taeyeonnie has hers. We have to be patient to find them out.”

“I talked to her father earlier. He and her mother didn’t know as well. It’s safe to say they are quite…shocked.”

“She had never acted with their approval anyway. I’m not surprised she didn’t tell them.”

“The only thing you can do now is to be there for Tiffany and wait until Taeyeon comes back. There is not much we can do for both of them.”

“I know.”

“Anyway, it’s late. You should go rest as well. Tomorrow will be a better day.” Mrs. Kwon stood up and gave her daughter a hug. “Is Jessica staying here tonight?”

“Yes. She wants to keep an eye on Tiffany too.”

“Good. You two go rest then. Tell her I say goodnight.” Yuri stood up and gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before leaving the living room.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

I couldn’t remember the last time I had fallen asleep. It was a long flight and I was exhausted but I couldn’t fall asleep. Whenever I closed my eyes, Tiffany’s face and her tears would appear and the pain in my heart was too strong to ignore.

I dropped my bag on the floor and went into the bathroom. I turned on the cold water and splash it on my face. It was icy cold but it made me feel alive.

Lying on the bed, I turned on the TV so the silence around me wouldn’t eat me up. I was physically and mentally exhausted even though I did nothing but sat on a plane for hours.

Sunye’s parents offered me to stay with them at their house but I refused. Sunye was already admitted in the hospital and since I was there to give her my support, there was no need for me to stay at their house. I rented a room in a hotel close to the hospital instead. It was more practical this way since I had no plans to visit nor stroll around the city anyway.

The surgery was schedule for the next day. Her parents asked me to be present

before the surgery and I thought it was evident since I came all the way there.

I took out my phone and checked my messages. All of them were from my parents. Yuri replied to my messages but her answers were short and straight to the point. I knew she was angry with me and although I wanted to apologize, I just felt it wasn’t the right time.

The hardest was to be away from Tiffany and not knowing what and how she was doing. I asked Yuri but she didn’t tell me much. She only told me she would take care of Tiffany…something that I couldn’t do.

I closed my eyes and prayed that sleep would take me away.

Kwon’s Residence,

Yuri turned off her alarm clock as she stirred under the blanket. The sleeping girl next to her buried her face deeper inside the pillow and Yuri smiled at the sight. It was always the same. Jessica was already half-awake but instead of getting up, she would whine and roll around thinking Yuri would be nice and not drag her to school.

“Sleeping princess, wake up.” Yuri slide closed to her girlfriend and wrapped her arm around the tiny waist, “We have to go to school.” She brushed Jessica’s hair gently before placing a kiss on the girl’s bare shoulder. “Wake up.”

“Hmmm leave me alone.” Jessica mumbled.

“We are going to be late baby.” Another kiss on the neck and Yuri felt her girlfriend shivering. “We still have to check on Tiffany…”

At the mention of her best friend’s name, Jessica’s eyes popped open and she turned to look at Yuri. “What are we going to do? Do you think she will go to school?”

Yuri shrugged and sat up, “She has to since exams are almost there but I don’t know if we can force her to.”

Jessica sighed, “We can’t force her. It won’t help. Let’s take it slowly. I’m more worried about her health. She didn’t eat anything yesterday.”

“I know.”

The couple got off bed and went through their morning routine. Yuri was the first one to be ready so she went to check on Tiffany.

It was expected that Tiffany wouldn’t answer when Yuri knocked on her door. “Tiffany, we have to go to school. Are you coming?”

No answer.

“Fany?”

Still nothing.

“I’m coming in.” Yuri said as she turned the doorknob. Stepping inside the room, she noticed the blinds were completely down, leaving the room in complete darkness. “Tiffany?”

Tiffany’s lying figure was seen under the covers. She was lying in the same position as she was the night before. Yuri couldn’t tell whether her friend was sleeping or not and she preferred to not force her too much.

“We are going to school Fany-ah. Exams are coming up so we have to study. Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?” She talked to the sleeping figure.

Yuri wasn’t expecting a reply but it didn’t stop her from speaking like Tiffany was awake. “It’s fine if you want to stay at home today. We can study together tonight. Hmm I’m going to open the blinds a bit, okay? It’s too dark in here and you need some sunlight.” She walked to the windows and opened the blinds.

“So how is she?” Jessica whispered by the door.

Yuri shook her head and walked toward her girlfriend, “My mom will be at home so if you need anything, ask her.”

Yuri closed the door and stood outside with Jessica. “I don’t know if she is sleeping or not.”

“We can’t leave her like this.”

“Don’t worry. I will tell my mom to take care of her. She doesn’t listen to us but maybe she will listen to my mother.”

Yuri and Jessica went into the kitchen where Mrs. Kwon was preparing breakfast. “How is Tiffany?”

“She doesn’t even move mom.”

“You two eat and go to school. I’ll take care of her.”

“Where is Yoona?”

“She left already.”

Yuri and Jessica ate their breakfast before leaving for school. Although she didn’t want to leave her best friend alone, Jessica knew there was no choice. For now, none of them could help her since Tiffany had shut everyone out. It was hard but they had to give her some space and be patient.

S1 High School,

The class was quiet. Everyone was studying calmly while the teacher walked around answering questions whenever a student needed help. Those study classes were a real nightmare for Jessica who felt sleepy whenever things were too quiet for her tastes.

“Yuri-ah, I’m sleepy.”

“You just woke up.”

“This subject is so boring.”

“I know but you still have to study it.”

“Look. I think Sooyoung is sleeping.” Jessica pointed at her friend whose head was swinging left and right. “She is going to get caught.” She laughed quietly.

“You are such a bad friend.”

“Yah!”

“Jessica, Yuri. Do you have any questions?” The teacher glared at them.

The noisy couple shook their heads and went back into study mode.

When the bell rang, Jessica let out a sigh of relief and stretched on her chair. “Finally!”

“Time to eat!” Sooyoung’s voice echoed through the class. “I was so hungry that it made me feel sleepy.”

“You fell asleep.”

“Who said that?”

“I saw you. We saw you.”

“Whatever.”

The group of friends walked out of class together. They bought something at the cafeteria before setting down at their usual spot, outside. They were talking about random things until the topic switched to their friend, Tiffany.

“How is she?” Hyoyeon asked.

“We heard what happened with Taeyeon. That’s awful.” Sooyoung added.

Gossips traveled extremely fast in their school and practically every single student heard of the Taeyeon and Tiffany’s story.

Jessica shook her head, “I can’t believe everyone knows already.”

“That was expected.” Yuri pointed out. “It will die down eventually.”

“Maybe but if Tiffany comes to school-”

“We will protect her.” Yuri said.

“So how is she?” Hyoyeon asked again as her question hadn’t been answered yet.

“Hard to say…She seems to be sleeping so it’s a good thing, right?”

“She cried until her body was too exhausted. I don’t know what we can do to make her feel better.”

“Drag Taeyeon back.” Sooyoung blurted out.

“She will come back.” Yuri stated. “But whether she comes back now or in a few weeks doesn’t change the fact that she left in the first place.”

“True.”

“What a turnover. I thought things were good between them.”

“Tiffany thought too.”

“Anyway, let’s not depress over that issue. We have to be happy and cheerful for Tiffany.”

“Easier to say than do.”

“I know.” Yuri leaned over and kissed her girlfriend on the cheek.

The group with the help of Hyoyeon changed topic and discussed about something else. Everyone was worried about Tiffany but it was true that they couldn’t only talk and focus on that. They had other things to worry about and while it was hard to do so, they still had to try.

Kwon’s Residence,

Mrs. Kwon made porridge and a few side dishes. After her daughter and Jessica left the house, she decided to cook some food for Tiffany who was still locked in her room.

Being a mother’s figure to Taeyeon, Mrs. Kwon was the best to handle this kind of situations. She knew how to talk to someone who refused to open up and knew her words could help the young girl.

Walking inside the room where Tiffany was, Mrs. Kwon realized things were worse than she had expected. She walked toward the bed where she sat down. “Tiffany.” She brushed the young girl’s hair.

She knew Tiffany was awake since the girl was holding her phone tightly. “Wake up and eat Tiffany. You can’t skip too many meals.” Mrs. Kwon tried to reason her.

“I…I’m not hungry…” Her voice was weak and soft.

Mrs. Kwon sighed, “You are hungry, believe me. Now you wouldn’t want this old lady to worry, right? So wake up, go wash your face and come downstairs with me.”

Tiffany shook her head, “Thank you but-”

“There is no but. You know, deep down that eventually, you will have to come out so better do it now. There are only you and me in the house. You don’t want to face your friends? It’s the best time to sneak out.” She smiled.

“…”

“Listen, I made you some delicious food and I put lot of effort into it so make me happy and eat them, okay? You wouldn’t want to make me sad, right? I will let you prepare slowly and will wait for you downstairs.” Mrs. Kwon stood up and walked out of the room.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

I doze off a few hours but I felt even more tired than I was before my nap. And Tiffany wasn’t in my dream or was it a nightmare? I sat up and opened up my phone. There were a few messages from my father and one from Mr. Min. I replied to the newest message before going into the bathroom to take a shower; a cold shower. My body was freezing but once again, it made me feel better.

The icy water touching my body was soothing. It made me feel another kind of pain. It made me forget the painful thought of Tiffany.

I changed clothes and left my hotel. It took me a short 5 minutes to reach the

hospital.

Sunye’s room was luxurious for a hospital’s room. That’s what you get when you can afford it. She was lying on her bed, talking with her parents when I came in. I bowed to Mr. and Mrs. Min and sat on a chair on the other side of the bed.

“Well, we will go talk to your doctor about tomorrow’s schedule. We will be back shortly, honey.” Mr. Min kissed his daughter’s forehead.

They left the room and closed the door behind them.

I stared at the floor, not knowing what to say or to do. Was I supposed to comfort her? Cheer her up? My headache was becoming stronger as I thought about it and I just wanted someone to knock me off to take away that pain.

“Since when are we so awkward with each other?” Sunye spoke up.

I looked up and smiled weakly, “I’m sorry. I’m not really useful, am I?”

“Are you really taking this as a mission?”

“I…”

“I really am sorry Taeyeon. I know you don’t want to be here-”

“Let’s not talk about that. I’m here now.”

“Do you hate me?”

“Why?”

“I broke your relationship with Tiffany.”

“This wasn’t your fault. I did it.”

“Maybe you should go back.”

“I broke too many promises already. Let me fulfill this one.”

“I wish I wasn’t sick.” She said sadly. “I wish things were like before. I wish I could have you by my side on your own will. Don’t you wish that too?”

How could I?

“I’m sorry Sunye. If I had a wish right now, it would be setting you free. I’m sorry that you are still holding on to me and I know it is my fault for giving you hope when there were none left. I don’t deserve your love.”

“I’m getting used to the feeling of being rejected.” She laughed.

“You will find someone better than me. That can’t be hard.”

“You are a good person Taeyeon. Never believe people who say you aren’t.”

I smiled. I recently broke the heart of the most wonderful girl in the world, how could I possibly consider myself as a good person?

“Are you ready for your surgery tomorrow?” I changed the topic.

“I have to…”

“It will be fine. I heard the surgeon is one of the best in the world.”

“I believe he is but we never know. Accidents can happen.”

“You shouldn’t have negative thoughts when inside the surgery room. Think positively.”

“Don’t worry, I will. If I don’t make it, it would have waste your time, wouldn’t it?”

“Don’t say that. You are making it sound like I don’t care about your life.”

“Do you?”

“I wouldn’t be here if I didn’t.”

“I will make it. I will come out alive and I will see you again. Promise.” Sunye extended her pinky finger, “Pinky promise?”

Smiling wholeheartedly was something Taeyeon couldn’t do since her breakup

with Tiffany, but seeing Sunye making that effort to relieve the awkwardness between them, she couldn’t help but smile. “Promise.”

Kwon’s Residence,

Mrs. Kwon was sitting at the dining table. In front of her lay various dishes and a bowl of porridge still steaming hot. It had been 10 minutes since she walked down from Tiffany’s room.

The sound of timid footsteps caught her attention and she looked up at the opening door. Tiffany appeared, her head slightly down.

“Ah Tiffany, come here.” Mrs. Kwon pointed at the empty seat across her.

The young girl kept her head down as she walked toward the table and took her seat. “Thank you.”

“It’s fine Fany-ah. You can look at me. There is no one but us here.”

Tiffany nodded and looked up. Her eyes were all swollen because of the tears and the dark under her eyes were the signs of her lack of sleep. Mrs. Kwon shook her head sadly, “You have to take care of yourself Tiffany.” She picked the spoon and handed it to the young girl. “Eat now. Please.”

Tiffany nodded again. She took the spoon and began to eat.

“Be careful, it’s still hot.” Mrs. Kwon warned her.

Mrs. Kwon watched Tiffany ate in silence. No words were exchanged but she knew that’s what Tiffany needed too. Slowly, the dishes on the table disappeared and Mrs. Kwon smiled. “You said you weren’t hungry?” The elder woman teased. “I can recognize a hungry kid when I see one.”

“Thank you.” Tiffany bowed.

“Since when are you so unfamiliar with me, huh?”

“I…”

“Well, I’m happy you enjoyed my food.”

“It was delicious.”

“Shall we wash the dishes? Will you help me?” Mrs. Kwon stood up and started cleaning the table. Tiffany helping her immediately.

The two women washed the dishes together, like they did the first time Tiffany came to the Kwon’s house. That day, Mrs. Kwon and Tiffany immediately bonded and since then, their relationship had only been better.

“You know,” Mrs. Kwon spoke up. “You are not alone. You might think that nobody can understand and feel your pain but you are wrong. And even if they can’t understand you, they can empathize with you. Believe me; sharing your pain

is the first step toward healing.”

Tiffany stayed silent and stared at the white plate in her hands. She heard every words Yuri’s mom was saying and while she wanted to talk about her feelings, she was too afraid to cry as soon as the name Taeyeon escaped her lips. So she nodded silently and waited for Mrs. Kwon to continue.

“I know it’s hard to show our weak side, but nobody is going to judge you here. We all have been there. Heartbreaks are common. It’s a bad period but it will go away. You won’t stay sad all your life. And…she will come back.”

Tiffany listened attentively at Mrs. Kwon’s words. Unconsciously, a tear dropped on Tiffany’s cheek when Taeyeon’s name was mentioned.

“You are probably wondering why this is happening to you. What did you do wrong? A lot of ‘what if’ kind of questions. The truth is nobody could have predicted it and you couldn’t have prevented it of happening either. Everything happens for a reason Tiffany. It might take time to understand it, but one day, you will.” Mrs. Kwon turned off the water and took off the gloves she was wearing. “You know, I used to have the same conversation with Taeyeon. She held a lot of her emotions in when she was little. I guess you could see it, how it was so hard for her to open up. But then you came and changed her completely. It meant something Tiffany and I’m sure Taeyeon knows it. She loves you.”

Tiffany wiped the tears that were forming at the corners of her eyes and Mrs. Kwon gave her a hug. “Everything will be okay when she comes back. You only have to be strong and believe in your love for each other. I know you’re angry with

her and you have all the rights to be. But it doesn’t mean you have to punish yourself for her mistake.” The older woman patted the crying girl gently on the back. “Now cry if you need to. It will be our secret.”

So silently, Tiffany shared her tears with Mrs. Kwon.

**********

After dropping Jessica at her house and promising her that she would take care of Tiffany, Yuri went back home. Her little sister, Yoona was already there with her girlfriend Seohyun. The two girls were doing their homework in the kitchen while Mrs. Kwon was busy preparing snacks.

“Hi mom. Hi kids.” Yuri greeted everyone.

“Ah Yuri. Where is Jessica?”

“At home. She wanted to come and see Tiffany but I told her to go home and rest.” Yuri grabbed a kimbap on the counter and ate it. “How is Fany?”

“She ate lunch with me and I talked to her a little bit. Don’t worry. It will be okay.”

“Good. We were worried since she didn’t eat anything yesterday.”

“Later take those kimbap in her room.”

“I will ask her if she wants to study too. I’m kind of worried about her exams.”

“The key is to not try to make her talk. Don’t force her to share her feelings with you. Act like nothing happened.”

“It’s kind of hard…”

“Keep in mind that she is constantly thinking about those events. Taeyeon is on her mind every second of the day so when you are with her, even if you know it’s impossible, try to make her think about other things. Taeyeon shouldn’t be the center of your conversations.”

“Okay I will.”

“Good.” Yuri grabbed another kimbap and ate it before taking the plate her mother had prepared for Tiffany.

Like usual, the room was dark. Yuri wondered how Tiffany could stay in the darkness all day. It was gloomy and enough to make everyone depressed. She turned on the light and put the plate down on the table.

“My mom made kimbap.” She said.

Tiffany was lying in her usual position, facing the wall.

“I know you might not be hungry but try and eat them. You have to eat something

Fany-ah.”

“…”

Yuri sighed and went to sit on the edge of the bed. She stared at Tiffany’s back and stopped herself from shaking the lying girl to knock some senses into her. She knew it was easy for her to think this way and she was probably not in the right to act like she understood but the truth was, Yuri had been there. She had been hurt in the past and she knew that how it was to feel betrayed by the one you loved.

“Taeyeon is an idiot.” She said out loud. “She is an idiot for acting like this but you are idiot for not standing up.”

Tiffany’s body moved a little as she heard her friend’s harsh words.

“I’ve been there Fany. I know what’s like to feel all miserable, don’t you remember? I know what it is and you know as much as I do that it’s useless to be like this. You deserved better than locking yourself in a room all day and cry. It’s not going to bring her back faster.” Yuri sighed, “I don’t want to sound harsh and scold you. It hurt me to see you like this you know? I just want you to take care of yourself…”

“Thank you.” Tiffany’s words were like whispers.

Yuri stood up and walked to the door, “I guess you already know but she is fine. I mean, she is safe.” She said to her friend before closing the door behind her.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

Everything reminded me how Tiffany. I was lying alone in my hotel room and every single object reminded me of Tiffany. Staring at the ceiling, I remembered how we used to lie in bed together and talked all night. How her soft hand was holding mine, our hands fitting perfectly with each other. The huge LED screen brought back memories of all the time we spent watching those romantic movies that made me cringe while Tiffany enjoyed them so much.

I stood up and walked toward the windows to lower down the blinds. The view from my room wasn’t bad and I thought about Tiffany again. We never talked about Los Angeles but I knew she would love to come in that city. I imagined all the things I could do if Tiffany was by my side; all the places we could visit, all the food we could try out and all the crazy shopping she could do.

Would I have the chance to bring her in that city in the future?

Turning off the lights, I lay down on my bed and took my phone out. Tiffany and I took so many pictures together that I could spend an entire day just looking at them.

It hurt that she wasn’t there with me, that I couldn’t touch her, kiss her, but seeing her beautiful face on the tiny screen of my phone was still enough to make me smile.

That night, I didn’t sleep. My heart was aching for her presence.

I missed her so much I could die.

Kwon’s Residence,

Another day went by and Tiffany was still the same. She spent the day helping Mrs. Kwon with various chores in the house before retreating in her room in the evening. She was still trying to avoid her friends in fear of breaking down in front of them.

Yuri was in her room, checking her phone while her sister flipped through the TV channels. “The surgery is today.” Yuri said out loud after she finished reading one of her message.

“It’s Taeyeon-unnie?”

“Yeah.”

“Are you still angry with her?”

“Of course. How can I not?”

“Don’t you think it’s hard for her too?”

“Probably but it’s hard for me to take that into consideration when I see how messed up Tiffany is every day.”

“I know.” Yoona sighed. She wanted to try and understand Taeyeon’s feelings but it was hard.

“Let’s hope everything goes well with Sunye so Taeyeon can come back early.”

“What if it doesn’t go well? The surgery I mean.”

“I don’t want to think about that. Taeyeon has no control over it but I’m sure she would find a way to blame herself. She’s been doing that for years already…” Yuri said bitterly.

“I feel bad for her though. How much guilt had she been holding in all these years?”

“Too much I guess. I just think it’s unfair that Tiffany has to pay for that.”

Yoona nodded and turned off the TV. “By the way, when are you going to talk to the parents?”

“About what?”

“The good news of course.”

“Ah…that. I don’t know. I think it’s better if Jessica and I announce it to her

parents first. You know, in case they may be against it.”

“Why would they be against it? I thought they love you?”

“Yeah they love me but still. She is their baby daughter.”

“And who told you the parents wouldn’t be against it?”

“Oh I’m sure mom won’t like the idea of me moving out but she will let go anyway. Dad isn’t a problem.”

“Did you tell Taeyeon-unnie?”

“Nope. And I don’t think Jessica told Tiffany as well. It might not be the right time to give her this kind of happy news.”

“I hope things will go back to normal soon. The atmosphere is all gloomy at home.”

“Yeah I know what you mean…”

The two sisters discussed a little longer before Yoona went back to her room. Yuri turned off the light and lay on her bed. She had almost forgotten about the moving out issue. With Jessica, they hadn’t discussed much about the new place since she wanted Jessica to focus on the exams.

While she knew for sure that her parents wouldn’t be against it, a part of her was

afraid that Jessica’s parents would object.

It sure was a stressful week with Taeyeon and Tiffany’s issue, all the studies for their upcoming exams and the moving out news she had to share with her and Jessica’s parents.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

The surgery went well. Sunye’s parents asked for the best surgeon in the field and it was a relief when he walked out of the surgery room with a smile on his face. I didn’t ask him anything; I was just standing there, next to her parents, listening to their conversation. The surgeon told us that she wasn’t awake yet so I went back to my hotel.

I was like a ghost. People could feel I was there but my involvement was nonexistent.

Her parents knew it; they knew all I could do was being present. That’s what they asked me to do anyway. The night they called me out, I knew that someday, I would regret it, but I couldn’t refuse their request. I couldn’t say no. But I also know that if they were to request that from me again, I would refuse it.



“We have a favor.”

Sunye’s parents were kneeling on the floor, their heads down.

“Please Mr. and Mrs. Min, don’t do that.” Taeyeon rushed toward the elders and helped them stand up. “What’s going on?”

Mrs. Min grabbed Taeyeon’s hands and begged her to help them. “Please Taeyeon.”

Mr. Min calmed his wife, asking her to let Taeyeon’s hands go. He held her shoulders and walked her back to her seat. Taeyeon followed them and sat down, trying to figure what was happening.

“We need your help Taeyeon.”

“Please tell me.”

Mr. Min breathed in deeply before speaking. “Sunye is going to have a major heart surgery in Los Angeles…and we would like you to be by her side when it happens.”

Taeyeon was taken aback. She wasn’t expecting this kind of favor. She thought they wanted her to help Sungmin with his scandal but this request…it was huge.

“I-I…”

“We know about your new life but she still loves you.”

“Her doctor said this was an important surgery. It could go wrong on so many levels and Sunye needs everyone she loves by her side to help her mentally. Your presence can save our daughter.”

Taeyeon heard all their words and registered them but she didn’t understand them all. Her mind was thinking about something else, someone else. “I don’t know if I”

“Taeyeon. I am so sorry for blaming you all these years and you have the right to be angry at me, but please, help Sunye.”

“I am not angry at you,” Taeyeon shook her head. “This is the problem…”

“You don’t need to stay long. Just until she is out from danger and her state is stable. A few weeks…”

“Few weeks?”

“Are you worrying about your examinations? That shouldn’t be a problem, we can-”

“No,” Taeyeon shook her head again. “I can’t do that to her…” She mumbled.

“To who?”

“I’m sorry. I have to think about it first.” Taeyeon stood up and bowed. “I really can’t give you an answer now.” She was about to leave when Sunye’s father spoke up.

“The surgery is next week.”

And Taeyeon felt the world falling on her.

“Please save her.”



I just couldn’t say no. Looking at them, these same eyes that held me responsible for their daughter’s situation, I felt even guiltier. I almost killed her back then so this request was a way for me to redeem myself.

The thing is; it was hard to believe that this request broke my life apart. My life, my heart, her heart…everything broke into million pieces and I didn’t know if I would be able to collect the pieces later on.

Being away from Tiffany was a torture, but I deserved it. I deserved all the pain our separation was causing me, and I deserved the cold shoulder my friends were giving me. I deserved all this pain and I guess I would have accepted it better if I knew I was the only one suffering…but I wasn’t.

“I’m so sorry Tiffany.” Sitting alone in my hotel room, I stared at her pictures in my phone and unconsciously, my tears dropped.

S1 High School,

Jessica’s POV

3 days. It had been 3 days since Taeyeon left. We were still studying for our upcoming exams in school and Tiffany was still not ready to come with us. She was slowly opening up again since she wasn’t locking herself in her room all day but she was still being distant with us.

Yuri told me that she spent a lot of time with Mrs. Kwon. They cooked and even cleaned the house together. I did wonder why she couldn’t talk to me but I didn’t want to make a fuss about it since the most important thing was her getting better.

After school, Yuri had some business to do so I decided to hang out with my friends. It had been a while since we spent time together at our favorite ice cream shop.

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung were like usual, bickering with each other about random

things.

“I told you they are dating! I saw them!”

“Who?”

“No they’re not dating! She is dating some other dude!”

“Who?”

“I saw them for god sake!”

“WHO?!” I raised my voice and both girls turned to look at me. “Sorry, who?”

“Park Gyuri.”

“Argh please don’t talk about that bit-”

“That what?” Sooyoung smiled as she also noticed the girl who had just entered the shop.

Park Gyuri walked to the counter, ordered something, paid then left the shop as quick as she had entered. The gossip girls waited until she was out of sight before they went back to talking about her.

“So what about that evil wicked girl?” Jessica asked.

“I saw her with that guy, the tall one who is in the basketball team.” Hyoyeon said, “They were eating each other’s mouth after school, so don’t tell me they are not dating!” She glared at Sooyoung.

“But I saw her holding hands with some other guy yesterday!”

“Huh sorry but I think kissing each other means more than holding hands.”

“Maybe she is dating them both.”

“It won’t surprise me knowing the girl.”

“Honestly, who cares? Why are we even talking about her?”

“Okay girl easy now. We know you don’t like her.”

Jessica dismissed the last comment with her hand and took a sip of her fresh drink. “Anyway, I can’t wait to graduate. All those exams studies are killing me.” She complained.

“Well, if you had been studying harder all year, you wouldn’t need to complain now.”

“Shut up.”

“Isn’t Yuri tutoring you? It must help.”

“I bet they spent their tutoring sessions making out.” Sooyoung grinned.

“Yah!”

“Oh come on. I’ve always wondered, is she a good kisser?”

“I’m not talking about this with you.”

“Please understand her. She is desperate.”

“Yah I heard you! I’m not desperate. I can go out there and date if I want to.”

“Really? Go then.”

“Whatever.” Sooyoung ignored Hyoyeon and looked back at Jessica. “So is she?”

“I’m not telling you.”

“Just say yes or no.”

“I don’t want to.” Jessica was starting to blush.

“Leave her alone now. I bet she is. No, I hope she is since she is kind of hot.”

“Hey!”

“What? I’m complimenting your girlfriend. Be happy.”

“I must admit, I kind of like her when we first met. I didn’t quite understand why she liked you instead of a hot and tall girl like me but I’m fine with it now.” Sooyoung rambled while her two friends stared at her in disbelief. “What?”

“You liked Yuri?” Jessica asked surprised.

“Well, like Hyoyeon said, she is hot.”

“Yes she is.” Jessica grinned. “And she is mine.”

“Great, now she is gonna show off.” Hyoyeon face palmed Sooyoung.

“Yah!!! Why did you hit me?”

“That’s your fault. You talked about her first.”

Jessica laughed out loud at her two bickering friends. It was nice to be in a friendly atmosphere like this and forgot about all the worries and sad events that happened a few days earlier.

She needed a break. It wasn’t obvious and she didn’t talk about it but Jessica was really stressed over the upcoming exams. And it didn’t help that she was also worried for her best friend.

Jessica couldn’t wait for the exam period to be over. She was already looking forward to her summer vacation and all the good things that were waiting for her.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

I dragged myself out of my hotel room to visit Sunye at the hospital after her parents texted me and told me she was awake.

Walking into her room, I felt quite uneasy. She was lying on her bed, half-awake and I wondered if my presence wasn’t going to tire her out. She was speaking really slowly and her eyes were barely opened.

“Hey.” I sat down on the chair next to her bed.

She smiled and replied with a weak voice, “You are here.”

I held up my pinky finger, “Pinky promise.”

She tried to laugh but coughed a little. “Are you okay? Do you need something?” I stood up but she shook her head slowly. “Tell me if you need anything.” I sat back down.

“I’m happy you are here.” She managed to say.

I smiled but found nothing to say. It was a confusing feeling. I was definitely happy that she made it and the surgery was a total success, but the situation I was

in stopped me from being happy.

“The doctor said you were really strong. Your body is going to heal in no time.”

“When…are you….going to…leave?”

“You want me to leave?”

“No…but I know…you will…”

“I will stay until you can get out of here. I-”

“Promised. I know.”

“Just get better, okay?”

Sunye looked away. I don’t know why she was acting this way. There was something about her that I couldn’t point out. Maybe I was tired and thinking too much or maybe she was tired so I couldn’t see the happiness in her eyes. But she wasn’t looking relieved at the good news. She was going to get better but she wasn’t thrilled about it.

I stayed a little longer with her before the nurse came in and told me that she needed to rest. I didn’t say it but I was thankful that the nurse came. I wanted to leave that hospital room where the smell, the atmosphere was slowly suffocating me.

Instead of taking a cab back to the hotel, I walked instead. It wasn’t a long walk. And I needed it. I had a headache since I landed in the city and it didn’t want to go away no matter the amount of pills I took.

I zoned out as I stood in the street, waiting for the light to turn green. I really felt like a lifeless soul wandering around without a destination. It didn’t help my mental state that I was lacking days of sleep either. A pink bicycle rode by and I swear the girl riding it looked like Tiffany’s clone.

I was getting pathetic as days gone by and I knew it wouldn’t get better.

That night, I went back to my hotel room and like every night since I arrived, I looked at the pictures of Tiffany in my phone and prayed someone would come and free me.

Kwon’s Residence,

Jessica went into the guest room and stood by the door. It wasn’t late but Tiffany was already in bed.

“Hey Tiffany. We are having a study group in the living room. Want to join us?” Jessica carefully walked in the guest room and sat on the edge of the bed.

Tiffany was lying under the cover, facing the wall and didn’t move at Jessica’s presence.

“Listen Fany…” Jessica got closer to the sleeping figure. “I know it’s hard…and I know it hurts more than anyone can imagine…but you have to stand up again and live.”

“…”

“Do you remember how I looked like after Donghae dumped me? Do you remember how dead I was? It was pitiful and I am ashamed when I think about how miserable and how I was ready to hide for the rest of my life for someone else’s stupidity. You are better than this. You are stronger than this. Don’t become like me Fany-ah.”

“…”

“Listen. I’m not asking you to move on and find someone else nor am I asking you to forgive Taeyeon, but you can’t stay like this forever. I know there is nothing better to do than hide and cry but believe me; it won’t help you once you will have to go out and face the world. This is a crucial time for your future. Exams are coming up and you are not allowed to fail. I know it hurts but staying here and thinking about it every second of your life won’t help…it is only worse. I know you can do it.”

“…”

Jessica wanted to yell at her friend and asked her to stop being like this because it hurt all of them to see her like this, but she had no right to do so…not since she went through the exact same thing. Defeated, she let the crying girl rest and walked

to the door.

“I miss my best friend. We miss you Miyoungie.” Jessica said before closing the door behind her.

*********

Yuri, Jessica, Seohyun and Yoona were gathering in the kitchen for their study session. Each busy with their books and notes. So busy they didn’t hear the shy footsteps of their friend entering the room.

When Tiffany stepped into the kitchen to stand in front of her friends, they were all speechless like they had seen a ghost.

“I’m sorry.” Tiffany said. All the girls kept quiet as they knew their friend had something to say.

“I’m sorry for worrying everyone.” She started. “I know you have been trying very hard to cheer me up and I apologize for disregarding your efforts.”

Jessica patted her friend’s back in comfort while Tiffany continued, “This week, I had all the time to think over and I’ve come to realize that it was stupid to hide and give up on everything because of a breakup. You were right Sica, I have to be strong for myself.”

Another pat on her back and Tiffany smiled, “So I’m going to get back on track and do my best so I can graduate next month.” She announced happily.

“I’m glad you are thinking this way unnie.” Yoona smiled.

“We will do it together.” Seohyun added.

“Thank you girls.” Tiffany attempted her famous eyes smile and even though it wasn’t as bright as usual, it was better than the teary eyes that she had been showing for days.

“Okay, let’s nail those exams!!!” Yuri cheered.

The study session was calm. A few jokes and bickering between Yuri and Yoona livened up the atmosphere but most of them were really serious with the study. Like Mrs. Kwon had advised, none of the girls mentioned Taeyeon or the events that happened days ago.

And it worked. Tiffany talked, smiled and laughed and no matter how hard it was for her to not think about Taeyeon, she still tried and for a couple of hours, her mind was able to rest a while.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

Sunye was slowly getting better. She was allowed to get out of her room and be outside for longer periods. Her parents and her doctor were all happy with her progresses. She was getting better at a fast speed. But somehow, she didn’t look happy to me.

Sitting on a wheelchair, I pushed her around the hospital park. The weather was good and her parents insisted I took her out to breathe some fresh air.

There was a fountain in the middle of the park and I sat on a bench with her on the wheelchair next to me. “What’s wrong with you?” I asked her even though a part of me didn’t want to know the answer.

She looked at me innocently, but we both knew she knew what I was talking about. “What do you mean?”

“I was expecting you to be in party mode after the doctor said you are going to get better. Why are you looking so sad?”

“I’m not sad.”

“But you are not happy.”

“I’m just greedy.”

“For what?”

“I wanted to get my health back and now that I’m getting it, there is something else

that I really want back…but I know I can’t.” She stared at me and I knew what she meant.

“Your health is the most important thing.”

“Yes it is. My health is the reason why you are sitting by my side right now.”

“I hope you are not thinking about-”

“I’m not stupid, don’t worry. And I wouldn’t do that to you.”

“I didn’t mean that.”

“I admit that I did think about it though.” She looked at the fountain. “Me getting better only means that you will leave and move on with your life. So yeah, I admit it, a part of me was sad that I was going to get better because I wanted you to stay with me.”

I stayed quiet. There was nothing I could say that would make her feel better.

“I’m sorry.” She said and her apology made me feel worse.

I simply nodded.

“And I’m worried about you Taeyeon,” She turned to look at me. “Are you eating? You lost weight.” She studied my face and I looked away.

“I’m fine.” I lied.

“And those dark circles under your eyes. What’s going on?”

“Jet lag, that’s all. It’s been a few days only. I will get used to it.”

“I’m getting better and you are neglecting your health? I don’t want you to join me in the hospital, you know.”

“I’m fine, don’t worry.”

She studied my face some more and I felt like hundred people were hitting my head with a hammer. The little talk about my physical state didn’t help.

We stayed for half an hour before I walked her back to her room.

Three more weeks…I needed to keep going for three more weeks before I could get my life back. My only worry was that I didn’t know if my body could keep going on like this.

Kwon’s Residence,

The rest of the week at the Kwon’s house was all about studies. Tiffany didn’t go back to school and decided to study at home only. Yuri gave her all her notes to study and from morning until night, all Tiffany did was study.

The girl found out that while she was completely absorbed into her books, her mind was free from Taeyeon. She set a goal for herself and was determined to reach it.

Everyone was quite surprised at the turnout and Jessica, for example, didn’t know that her best friend could be such a passionate student. Their study sessions were mostly Yuri interrogating Tiffany and finding out that the girl had most of her answers right.

Emotionally, Tiffany wasn’t getting better. Whenever she was alone in her room at night, ready to fall asleep, the need to look at Taeyeon’s pictures saved on her phone was too strong and each time she stared at the small screen with Taeyeon’s smiling face on it, she cried.

But Tiffany found a way to escape from that harsh reality without Taeyeon, but little did she know that across the ocean, her other half was slowly falling into despair.

A Month without You… - 2nd week

S1 High School,

The time students hated the most was there; examinations. The school was filled with nervous, stressed out students everywhere, and amongst them, was Tiffany. After Taeyeon had left, she poured all her time and energy into her studies.

It surprised everyone and even herself how easy and fast she could memorize and understand subjects that she almost failed during the year. Maybe it was the sadness and the little bit of anger that helped her but Tiffany was ready and confident.

She couldn’t fail. Her relationship was already a failure and she couldn’t allow herself to go through another failure so soon.

This new motivation was not an indication of Tiffany’s mood though. The girl was still unstable emotionally and would often cry at certain things that reminded her of her beloved lover. Yuri and Jessica became her chaperon as they rarely left her side.

Tiffany walked with confidence inside the classroom. Students were chatting among themselves before the examination started but Tiffany ignored the noises and tried to concentrate.

“Is she going to be okay?” Hyoyeon was watching Tiffany from her desk.

“She has to. The girl worked like crazy to get ready.” Jessica was sitting on Hyoyeon and Sooyoung’s desk since they still had a few minutes left before the exam started.

“We are going to party tonight to celebrate. You coming?” Sooyoung asked.

“Why do you want to party? Maybe you will screw up.” Hyoyeon teased, her eyes still focus on the lonely girl a few desks ahead.

“Yah! I studied really hard. I’m confident. I’m going to nail it today.”

“Where are you guys going?”

“Not sure. I heard about this new club in town. We can try it out.”

“I’ll see if Yuri wants to go…and Tiffany too.” Jessica nodded toward her best friend who was still focus on her books.

“I bet she will study like crazy for the next exam.”

“I think so too but I’ll ask her anyway.”

The bell rang and everyone got back to their desks. Yuri who was still outside quickly ran into the class. Tiffany looked up from her books and saw the teacher walking to the front of the class. She closed her books and put them back into her bag.

The silence that filled the room was nerve-wracking. Few students began to sweat and shake even though the teacher hadn’t opened his mouth. As the papers were passed around, Tiffany quickly turned to look at the familiar faces that were her friends as they mouthed ‘good luck’ to each other.

It was the beginning of an intense and stressful week. Leaving behind her personal problems, Tiffany took a deep breath as she wrote down her name.

She couldn’t mess up.

*********

Heavy sighs, cheers and words of support could be heard as students walked out of their classes. The hallways and staircases were filled with senior students talking about the examination they had just taken. They compared their answers and sighed every time their friends didn’t pick the same choice even though no one knew the correct answer yet.

Our small group of friends made their way out of the building rapidly. All the talking inside was giving Jessica a headache.

Each of them exhaled loudly as they stepped out in the school’s yard. The sun was shining and some of them took it as a sign that things weren’t that bad.

After a few talks, they all agreed to go to the nearby ice cream shop to hang out a while. Even Tiffany

“So how did you guys do?” Sooyoung finally asked the question that everyone tried to not bring up.

“I kind of hoped we would talk about that. It stresses me out just thinking about it.” Jessica said, holding her head and leaning on the table.

“I’m sure you did fine.” Yuri said as she brushed her girlfriend’s hair. “Don’t think about it, just focus on the next one.”

“Thanks! Now I’m stressed for the next one.” Hyoyeon joked. “What about you Fany?”

Tiffany who had been quiet the whole time, smiled. “I think I did well. I didn’t really switch answers or hesitated. I’m confident.”

“Wow what did you take to be so confident?” Sooyoung asked but then got hit by Hyoyeon. “Yah!” The tall girl massaged the back of her head.

“Let’s order guys.” Yuri said as the waitress approached them.

They all ordered their favorites before going back into a casual talk. The examination week had only started but Sooyoung was already planning for her summer vacation.

“I feel like going to New York and show off my English skills.” The tallest of the group said excitedly.

“You mean Engrish.” Hyoyeon laughed before getting hit on the arm. “Don’t go alone, please. We don’t want to see you on the news for getting lost in the big city.”

“I can totally survive in that big city! Right Yuri?”

“Huh? Why are you asking me?”

“Have you been there in the past?”

Yuri nodded. “Yeah, I went there once with Tae-…” She glanced at Tiffany whose face froze at the familiar name. “Yeah, I’ve been there in the past.” She quickly finished her sentence.

The atmosphere turned awkward as everyone went quiet while taking discreet glances at Tiffany who was now busy eating her ice cream.

“I’m fine.” The husky voice broke the silence. “It’s fine if you want to mention Taeyeon. I’m not going to burst down and cry, don’t worry.” She looked up and smiled at the worried faces staring at her.

Jessica was the first one to smile back. She knew her best friend’s words weren’t completely true but she was at least, trying to get better.

“So how was New York?” Hyoyeon asked, trying to dissolve the awkward moment.

Then slowly, the conversation went back on track. Yuri talked about her trip to the big city, telling some funny stories that happened to her and Taeyeon, even though she tried to not use her best friend’s name too often.

Tiffany laughed at the stories. She smiled and enjoyed the lively moment she was spending with her close friends. Her eyes disappeared a few times as she clapped and laughed at her friends’ funny behaviors but at the back of her mind, the thought of Taeyeon never left her. **********

It was evening when Yuri and Tiffany went back home. The dinner was ready and Mrs. Kwon was already excited and impatient to know how the examination went. Her daughter calmed her down and told her that both of them were confident. She gave them a hug before calling her younger daughter to come down.

Yoona’s day was also stressful even though the youngest of the family didn’t seem to mind. All she wanted was to go through all the exams quickly so she could enjoy her first summer vacation with Seohyun.

“Did you do well, kids?” Mr. Kwon sat at his usual seat around the table.

Both Tiffany and Yuri nodded while Yoona pretended she didn’t hear her father’s question.

“Yoongie?”

The youngest sighed, “I did the best as I could. I won’t be first though.”

“That’s because you don’t bother enough.” Her father replied, shaking his head. “Did it go well for Seohyunie?”

“She said it went well.” Yoona answered.

“Looks like it went well for everyone.” Mrs. Kwon concluded with a smile. The elder woman served the food for everyone with the help of Tiffany.

A week ago, Tiffany moved in with the family, temporarily. After her breakup with Taeyeon, it was impossible for Yuri and the Kwons to let her by herself at the apartment. Though it was hard in the beginning because of her depression, Tiffany slowly got back on track with their helps. They embraced her in their family like she was their own daughter and Tiffany understood better how Taeyeon was so fond of every of them.

“Thanks for the food!” The kids cheered happily before enjoying the food.

“So mom, dad, I was thinking about going to Europe this summer.” Yoona spoke while chewing her food. “Can I?”

“Are you really asking for our permission?” Her mother asked surprised. She knew her youngest daughter too well. No matter what her husband and she said, Yoona would still find a way to get what she wanted.

The youngest girl smiled innocently, “Of course I have to ask for your permission.”

Yuri rolled her eyes at the innocent act her sister was trying to pull. “You know you will go anyway, stop the act.”

“I’m not acting!”

“She wants more pocket money.”

“You know I’ll give you money Yoongie. You just need to-”

Yoona sighed. “Come to the company and work, blablabla.” The youngest girl swayed her hand in the air, annoyed.

“Spoiled little kid.” Yuri mumbled and her sister glared at her.

“What about you two, any plans for this summer?” Mr. Kwon asked the two other girls in the room.

Yuri made a blowfish face and shook her head like she had no plans while the truth was, she was planning to use her vacation to move in with Jessica. The young couple was still waiting for the right time to talk to their parents about it.

Tiffany, who was bringing the dishes over shook her head as well. “I’ll wait until the results are out before planning anything. I don’t think I’ll go anywhere if I fail.”

“You won’t fail. You studied like crazy. Don’t worry.” Yuri tried to reassure her friend.

“I hope it would be enough.” Tiffany sighed as she sat next to her friend.

“Come on kids; let’s not worry over this during dinner. Enjoy the food instead.” Mrs. Kwon was the last one to sit at the table.

Everyone thanked her for the food before they started eating.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

It had been one week in Los Angeles already. I actually thought that time wouldn’t move at all but the first week went by quite fast. Or maybe it was all those hours doing nothing in my hotel room that went by fast.

Sunye was still in the hospital but she was getting better and better each day. It was quite ironical how her health was increasing while mine was decreasing as each day passed.

Yuri texted me and told me Tiffany was getting better and while I was reassured to know that, it didn’t make me feel better.

Today, I decided to get out a little bit instead of locking myself between these four walls.

I needed to breathe.

The sun was shining brightly in the sky in the middle of the afternoon. The people outside were in a good mood whether they were hanging out with friends or walking alone on these large streets.

Walking past the different clothing stores, I thought about her again. She could be a crazy shopaholic sometimes and I thought about how happy and delighted she would be if she were there with me.

I found a nice restaurant with a small terrace and decided to have a drink. It had been a week since I did nothing but wander between my hotel and the hospital. It was like vacation. Sitting there sipping my drink and watching anonymous men and women walked around living their lives was something that I had wished to do for a longtime.

The past year was like a dramatic movie. Thinking back, there were not many occasions to just sit and relax completely. There was always something lingering at the back of my mind.

I took out my phone and went through the latest messages that Yuri had sent me. She was warming up to me again. Her texts were a little longer and there were no more short and cold replies whenever I asked about Tiffany.

She said Tiffany was confident with her exams and she studied really hard for them. I knew she could totally do it. She also told me about their study sessions at her home and it reminded me of those hours tutoring Tiffany. She often got distracted when I was tutoring her. She would whine and complain about being lock at home while her friends were playing outside. That was so childish but I missed it so much. I would give anything for her to whine and complain to me again.

“Are you finished?” The tall waitress pointed to my empty glass.

“Yes.” I nodded and with a smile she took it and put it on her tray before looking back at me. “Do you want anything else?”

“No thanks.” I smiled politely and she walked away.

I took a look at my watch and saw it was getting close to 6pm already. I still had to go and visit Sunye at the hospital. I shoved my phone into my pocket and was about to stand up when someone approached me.

“Hum excuse-me, are you Kim Taeyeon?” It was a girl about my age that I’ve never seen before.

I looked at her curiously and nodded slowly, “Yes I am. And you are?”

She extended her hand with a smile, “I’m Kim Seungyeon. We were in the same class in high school.”

I unconsciously tilted my head trying to remember her face but was unsuccessful. Nonetheless, she laughed at my expression and I suddenly became self-conscious.

“Don’t worry; I didn’t expect you to remember me.” She laughed before pointing to the empty chair across the table. “May I?”

A year ago, before Tiffany came into my life, I wouldn’t even look at this stranger girl let alone spoke to her but now, I found myself unable to shoo her away. “Sure.” I nodded and she took her seat.

“Wow.” She suddenly exclaimed and like earlier, I tilted my head not understanding.

“What is it?”

“No, I just…it’s hard to believe I’m talking to THE Kim Taeyeon.” She laughed again. “You can’t even imagine how hard it was for me to approach you just now.”

“I see.”

“So what are you doing here? Did you transfer here?”

“No, I’m here for personal business.” I said simply.

“Oh…I read that you quit your father’s company.”

It wasn’t a conversation that I felt like having anymore. “I did.” Short answers

were what I did best. It drove people away and can cut short to any conversation. At that very moment, I only wanted her to leave by herself.

“Sorry, I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable.” She apologized and I nodded. “It’s just…that was the only thing we knew about you. You weren’t really talkative.”

“I’m trying to change.”

“I can see that. You aren’t that scary now that I talk to you.”

“A-Are you living here now?” I asked her. That was basic conversation. I was trying to make an effort.

“Yes. I moved there with my family about 2 years ago.”

“I see.”

She smiled at me and it felt like she was studying me like I was a book that she was trying to read. “Aren’t you supposed to be in school though? I thought it was exams week.”

“I’m taking them a little later.” I explained.

“It will be easy for you. You are so smart.”

“Thanks.”

“I remember how you were always the first in school even though it looked like you didn’t care. That was impressive.”

I smiled politely and she went on with her compliments. “And you were really popular too. Lot of students had a crush on you.”

“Really?” I asked curiously. This was something I never paid attention to since I only hung out with Yuri and tried to stay away from everyone else.

“You didn’t know? There was a fanclub too.” She said happily. “I can’t believe you didn’t notice it. Those girls were crazy about you.”

“A fanclub? Why?”

“Well, you know the Boys over Flowers drama don’t you? That’s the same. You are rich, smart and attractive and you have that mysterious bad girl feel that students love.” She explained.

“I’m not that good…” My thoughts wandered back to her. Tiffany used to say the same.

“Are you okay?” She asked and I realized I had zone out.

“Y-Yeah, hum…” I checked my watch, “I’m sorry but I have to go.” I stood up.

“Oh s-sure.” She also stood up and offered me her hand. “It was nice talking to

you.”

I smiled and shook her hand, “The same. Have a great evening.”

“Thanks. You too.” She smiled and walked away first.

I knew how people at school saw me but it was hard to believe that I had ‘fans’. Yuri had told me before that some students liked me but I didn’t believe her. What was there to like? I thought she was just teasing me but hearing it from someone I couldn’t even remember was different. It was a little weird.

Kwon’s Residence,

Another study night. It had become a daily routine for Tiffany to study every night in her room when they weren’t holding study sessions in the kitchen. It was the only thing she could do to keep her mind off Taeyeon.

Lying on the bed, she read the notes Yuri lent to her for their literature exam. She felt tired and knew it was better to go sleep early but she couldn’t. Every night was the same. She had to wait until her eyes were too tired to go to bed. It was the only solution so she would not think about her. She had to sleep before her mind wandered to the one that she missed so much.

Tiffany sighed and looked over her shoulder at her phone lying on the nightstand. She wanted to reach for it and write to Taeyeon so badly. She wanted to hear her voice. It hurt her so much to know that a few weeks ago, they were still sharing the

same bed. How did things turn so badly? How could two people who loved each other so much be separated that easily?

Thankfully, Yuri would always update her about Taeyeon’s stay in the US. She wouldn’t say it directly to her though. It was always said to a third party and Tiffany would always overhear it although she knew Yuri made sure she would hear it.

Her friends were all trying to make things easier for her by not talking about Taeyeon. There was always an awkward silence when one of them let her name slip off their mouth. She understood why they were doing it but it was frustrating to her.

Another sigh.

Tiffany put the notes down on the nightstand before turning off the light.

She was still not sleepy and it only meant one thing. She was going to mourn over the loss of her first relationship until sleep could take her away.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

I sat on the chair beside Sunye’s bed and watched as she ate her dinner. It was becoming a habit to visit her at night. Her parents mostly came and stayed with her

from morning until late afternoon.

Sunye drank her soup while I read the newspaper in silence. That was mostly how my evening visits were like. Sunye would talk to me about various things that happened in the day with her checkups while I listened and commented a few times.

She asked me about my days too but there was nothing I could say. I made up some lies about walking around the city and doing some shopping but I knew she figured out I was lying.

“I’m seriously worried about you.” Sunye looked at me, concerned.

“You don’t have to be.”

“You are like a ghost Taeyeon. Do you even sleep and eat anymore?” She studied my face.

“Of course I do! I wouldn’t be sitting here if I wasn’t.” I tried to pass it as a joke. The constant stares were making me feel uneasy.

But she insisted. “Taeyeon.”

“I’m fine.” I looked at her. “I heard you might leave this room next week already?”

“That’s what I hope for but I’m not sure it will happen.”

“Your health is getting better. I heard the doctor said you are recovering faster than he thought you would.”

“I’m feeling better too.”

“That’s good.” I nodded.

“But you look like a mess.”

“Thank you. I appreciate that.” I smiled. It was easier to talk to her now. We could joke around without feeling uncomfortable.

“Taeyeon.” She called my name intensely again.

“I went out today and even met some girl who was in my class 2 years ago.” I changed the topic.

“Oh really? What’s her name?”

“Kim Seungyeon? I think.” I wasn’t sure I remembered her name right.

“Ah I remember her. She was in our class in middle school too I think.”

“I have no idea.” I admitted.

“Of course you won’t remember her.” She smiled. “Who do you actually remember?”

I shook my head. I remembered no one. I didn’t care either. I didn’t need friends, I didn’t want friends. Thinking back on those years, I’ve changed so much. Did we have those kinds of conversations with Sunye back then? Even with her I was quiet. What did she see in me anyway?

“You know,” Sunye shifted a little on her bed before speaking. “I admire Tiffany. I might not be her biggest fan but I truly admire her.”

Her sudden confession startled me. I kept staring at her, waiting for her to continue. I probably had a funny and puzzled look on my face since she laughed a little.

“How long have we known each other Taeyeon?” She asked.

“Since we were 8 or 9?”

“So ten years.” She nodded. “All these years and I’ve never been able to help you open up. I remember when we were together and I see the way you are now, you’re shining. Your smile look genuine, your eyes don’t have that painful look in them anymore…you look happy Taeyeon-ah. And that’s because of her.”

I smiled sadly and leaned back on my chair. It was true. I’ve changed a lot since I met her. Tiffany turned my world upside down but in a good way. I learned how to express myself, I learned to enjoy people’s company, I learned to love and be loved. I was finally in a good place and it was all thanked to Tiffany.

But I screwed up.

“She will forgive you.”

“Huh?”

“You think it’s over but I’m sure it isn’t. She loves you and you love her. There is no reason you two don’t end up together.”

I kept quiet. There was nothing to say anyway. I could only wish Tiffany would take me back but I knew she had no reasons to do so. I broke her heart so many times already. There were better fishes out there waiting for her.

After another half an hour of talking, I took my leave. The walk from the hospital to my hotel was getting more and more familiar. It became a routine. Maybe I needed something like this to keep me sane. I didn’t want to admit it but I was getting homesick.

I missed the familiarity of Seoul. I missed the possibility to take my car and drive to meet my friends. I missed my apartment, I missed my bed and more than anything, I missed Tiffany.

It was probably cliché but everything around me was bland without her. She was my sunshine, my air, but I had to lose her to realize all this.

That night, clinging on the small hope left in me, I fell asleep.

S1 High School,

Another day for high school students. As some teenagers made their way into the building, others stood inside, enjoying the street food across the street. Among them was Sooyoung, standing in the middle of a small crowd.

She was eating in a rush since she was going to be late for her next exam. Next to her, Hyoyeon was grabbing her friend’s arm and trying to pull her away.

“You must be kidding me. Can’t you wait until exam is over? We’re going to be late.” The shorter girl tried to drag her friend again.

“Aish. Just one more.” Sooyoung took some money out of her pocket but Hyoyeon was too strong and finally she got drag away from the food stand.

“You can eat later!”

Together, they rushed to the school.

“YAH! Let me go!” A high-pitch voice was heard in the street.

Hyoyeon and Sooyoung stopped on track as they saw a girl and a guy arguing near the school’s gate.

“Hmm…should we help her?”

“That’s Gyuri though.”

“Aish.” Sooyoung rolled her eyes before walking toward the arguing people.

“I told you to let me go!!” Gyuri tried to free herself from the man’s grip.

“Shut up!” The guy tried to drag her off but a sudden hand on his arm made him stop. “Yah! Who are you?” He screamed at the stranger.

“Let go of her, you idiot.” Sooyoung grabbed Gyuri’s arm and tried to pull her away.

“What are you doing?” The guy let go of Gyuri so he could use both hands to push Sooyoung away, but his lack of strength only made Sooyoung smirked.

“Don’t make me punch you punk.” Sooyoung pulled Gyuri behind her before confronting the guy. “Aish, how old are you? You look so small.” She teased him.

Though it was a guy, he was indeed much shorter than Sooyoung and by his appearance, he also seemed weaker.

From afar, Hyoyeon rolled her eyes. “Yah! Choi Sooyoung! We’re going to be late!”

Hearing her friend’s words, Sooyoung sighed and slapped the guy’s head playfully, like she was hitting a naughty kid. “Be smart and go back to your mommy, ok? Don’t bother girls in the middle of the street anymore. Good kid.” She patted his

head before walking away, dragging Gyuri with her.

When they joined Hyoyeon, Sooyoung let go of the arm she was holding.

“Thank you Sooyoung.” Gyuri smiled at the tall girl. “You were really brave.” Her eyes sparkled as she looked up to the taller girl.

Hyoyeon rolled her eyes at the obvious. She nudged Sooyoung and the latter understood.

“If you want to thank me, you can buy me food.” Sooyoung grinned before walking away.

“I can’t believe it.” Hyoyeon whispered when Sooyoung caught up with her on the stairs.

“I had to do something!” Sooyoung exclaimed.

“She is going to cling to you now.” The shorter girl laughed. “Yuri is going to be so happy.”

“Shut up.” The tall girl pushed her friend away before entering her class.

Jessica’s House,

That evening, Yuri went over to Jessica’s house for dinner and tutoring sessions.

Of course, the tutoring thing was merely an excuse to spend time together.

“You do know that my parents are downstairs?” Jessica said between kisses.

Yuri nodded but didn’t move. Her arms strongly around her girlfriend’s waist, pulling her closer. “They won’t storm in.”

“I’d love to see your face if they do.” Jessica tried to pull Yuri away. “Be good now.”

Yuri pouted and released her girlfriend who sat up. “You know what my father asked me last night?”

“What?”

“He asked about my plans for this summer.”

“Oh…”

“Yeah…maybe we should talk about it with our parents soon.”

“Didn’t we agree to wait until graduation?”

“Yeah but it’s hard to keep the secret. The other day, I almost asked my mom about furniture…” Yuri pouted.

“Well, if you are confident with your parents, we can tell them first.”

“I’m sure they don’t mind.”

“So let’s tell them this weekend.”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it.” Yuri nodded. “Oh by the way, did you hear about Sooyoung?”

“What with her?”

“She helped Gyuri this morning and now the girl won’t leave her alone” She laughed out loud. It was too funny that her friend was stuck with Gyuri’s craziness now.

“Stop laughing like a crazy woman and help me study.” Jessica grabbed her girlfriend’s hand and pulled her up.

Yuri whined but still complied. “Aish, I thought we came here to take a break?”

“No, I did ask you to come so we could study together.”

“Well, I read between the lines.”

“There was nothing between the lines you horny teenager.” Jessica knocked Yuri’s head.

“Yeah right, you weren’t complaining last t-”

Another hit and Yuri groaned in pain. She massaged her head and pouted. “Fine fine, let’s study.”

Kwon’s Residence,

In the blink of an eye, the week was already over. The stressful days went by and it was finally time to rest for the hard working students. In her room, Tiffany could finally breathe though the end of the examinations meant that her mind was free to think over other things.

She took her phone and looked at all the unsent messages she had kept. Almost every day, like keeping a diary, she wrote something that was meant for Taeyeon to read. Every day, she was closer to click on the sending button but every day, she backed out.

But unknown to her, downstairs, her friends were growing uncomfortable at their own situation.

Yuri and Jessica were sitting next to each other in the living room. In front of them were Yuri’s parents. The elders were gathered in the room by Yuri who told them she had something important to ask.

Ten minutes went by and the two teenagers were still quiet. Jessica nudged her girlfriend discreetly, asking her to step up. Yuri shifted awkwardly on the couch before speaking up. “Mom, dad.” She began but stopped when her mother started

laughing. “What?”

“It looks like you are going to announce your engagement.” The older woman laughed again.

“Mommy!” Yuri whined, “I’m trying to be serious here.”

“Okay okay go on.” The mother tried to keep her seriousness while her husband shook his head. His wife was so childish sometimes.

“Hmm…I-I…I mean…J-Jessica and I…” Yuri stuttered.

“Yuri, say what you want to say, please.” Her father sighed. “What are you afraid of?”

“Jessica and I want to move in together!” She said in one breath, so quick that she wasn’t even sure the words came out right.

“What?”

“Ohhhh!”

Needless to say, the reaction from both parents was different. Her father was slightly shocked while her mother was beyond happy.

“Omo that’s so cute, don’t you think honey?” She nudged her husband. “My baby Yul is growing up so fast!” She stood up and walked over her daughter to give her

a hug and squeezed her cheeks.

“Mom.” Yuri tried to get away. “So are you two okay with this?”

“What did your parents say?” Mr. Kwon asked Jessica.

The young girl shifted a little, “Well…”

“They don’t know yet.” Yuri jumped in.

“We were planning to ask them after the exam’s result.” She admitted.

“That’s a good idea.” Mr. Kwon nodded. “I personally do not mind if you want to live together. After all, you will be going to college this year so it will be nice to get out here and be more independent.” He said.

Mrs. Kwon still hugging her daughter, nodded. “My baby is going to live by herself. You must remember to come visit me.” She squeezed her eldest daughter.

“Aish mom! I’m not living now.” Yuri whined and tried to push her mother away.

Jessica laughed. Yuri and her mother had such a cute relationship. She was glad that they were supportive of them moving in together. They didn’t even have any conditions.

And although she knew her parents would accept it too, she was still a little nervous about telling them.

Los Angeles,

Taeyeon’s POV

Another week was coming to an end. Time was flying. I used to fear that time would be too slow, afraid that I’d agonize as each day passed slowly, but now that things went by so fast, I was even more afraid.

Two more weeks and I could go back home, back to my families, my friends…her. But what if the nightmare continued even in Seoul? What if it was really over? That was my biggest fear.

Coming back to witness her moving on.

Wandering the big street, something caught my attention. I stopped in front of the shiny windows and looked inside. Everything was so shiny and pretty. I could see Tiffany’s eyes sparkled as she looked at those jewelries.

I smiled just thinking about it. Would she like something like this?

For some reason, I didn’t walk away. Instead, I entered the shop and looked around. I didn’t know what I was looking for but when my eyes spot the ring nicely put behind the clean window, I couldn’t look away.

This was meant for her.

Back to my hotel, I safely put my new purchase in my luggage before heading out again. It was the time for me to visit Sunye again. The doctor was confident about her health and still a few more days to go before she could be discharge from the hospital.

Again, she studied my face when I walked in and sat beside her bed. It was probably a habit because I didn’t see any changes whenever I looked into the mirror. Sure, I lost some weight but it wasn’t that obvious, at least not to me.

“Did you see doctor Han?” She asked.

I shook my head. “I only briefly met your parents downstairs. Why?”

“I’ll be discharge in two days.” She said happily.

“Told you.” I smiled.

“Taeyeon-ah.”

“I’m fine.” I insisted before she could ask about my health again.

“You should ask for a checkup, seriously.” She was about to press the call button when I stood up and grabbed her wrist, stopping her.

“I said I was fine.” I said before releasing her.

Maybe it was the hospital’s room, or maybe it was all these talks about my health but I was getting dizzy.

“Taeyeon?”

I closed my eyes and held onto the nightstand, hoping the dizziness would go away. I breathed in and out slowly. This was a good trick. It worked quite well since my headache started two weeks ago.

I heard Sunye calling me again and before I knew it, my legs failed me and my body hit the floor loudly.

Then everything went black...