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 ex-girlfriend 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. <<Take care of my mushroom! Thanks>>

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

<<BREAKING NEWS>>

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”

<<30 minutes later>>

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.