(1)

It was all coincidence.

How slim is the chance for a Korean to run into an American in a local gym centre?
What's the odd of finding yourself a love at first sight?
What's the possibility of falling for someone of your sex, in a homophobic society?
How odd it is, to discover that this stranger likes you too.

Taeyeon is breathless, reckless and careless.

There's no need for a mirror though it would be a good idea to have one - she knows the American
woman's lipgloss already left faint lip shapes along her jawline, her cheeks and her own pair of lips,
awaiting to be smudged again.
Taeyeon doesn't care one bit, not the unlocked door, not the people exercising outside, not the fact
that anyone could have intervene their little session here. All she cares about is the foreigner on her
lap, kissing her senselessly, straddling her without any gaps between their fuming bodies.
“You're different than I thought Korean girls would be,” the woman said in English, smirking while
running her long nails along Taeyeon's sharp jawline. “So much different.”
Taeyeon doesn't use much English in her mundane daily life. Thankfully, she had put in the effort to
learn the language in school, it would be a shame to miss any content said in this alluring voice.
Without really knowing how to respond, Taeyeon kisses the woman to shut her up. The sweetness of
the woman's pumped lips is lethally addictive, not even opium could compare to it. Taeyeon could
understand how addicts feel like because she's already so deeply drunk in Tiffany Hwang.
She's not a typical Korean girl, Taeyeon makes sure Tiffany remembers that by biting the latter's
collarbone, hard enough to stain a claim mark, yet gentle enough not to break the skin.
Taeyeon straighten up herself to capture Tiffany's red lips again, hands slide to the brunette's bare
waist, feeling the smoothness of her silky skin. Much to Taeyeon's dislike, Tiffany broke their
passionate kiss and created some space between them. Taeyeon frowns but only to be taken aback
by what she's witnessing.

“It's getting incredibly hot in here." The American woman said grumpily while taking off her half-
trimmed sports top, revealing her proud assets right in front of Taeyeon.
It is only normal for people to get tingles in where it craves for more, especially when a indescribable
hot woman is stripping before your eyes, Taeyeon the mortal is no exception.
“Why don't you speak? Pretty sure you know English.” Tiffany pushed Taeyeon back when the blonde
was about to taste those lips. Obviously teasing to no end.
“Why don't you speak Korean? Your Korean is good enough to help you sign up for fitness course.”
Taeyeon rebutted in her mother tongue, her voice thick with irritation.
Tiffany smiles slyly, tugging a strand of blonde hair behind Taeyeon's ear. She leans closer to
Taeyeon and whispers: “Because I want to hear you say fuck me.”
Taeyeon smirks upon hearing those dirty words, so indecent to swear at someone in Korean culture,
but let all rules be damned because she's with an American now.
“Fuck you.” Taeyeon lowers her voice when speaking into Tiffany's ear and she meant it, literally, fuck
this gorgeous hot woman right here in this isolated gym room.

Tiffany is a tough, bold and dominant woman.

Challenges feed her desire, taking control gives her pleasure, yet much to her surprise, she enjoys
being the submissive one under the blonde's touch.
Every second intensifies their intimate moment, hands roaming in each other's back and down the
spine. Taeyeon's fingertips are cold, her touches make Tiffany shiver, her light touches are thrilling.
Tiffany grinds a little harder against Taeyeon's thighs, it was an agony to endure all the teasing that
never touches where she needs them most. Taeyeon senses the uneasiness in Tiffany's hip shifting,
she doesn't hesitate to take the brunette's harden nipple, sucking it like a newborn baby.
Tiffany moaned in pure delight, she tries all her mighty to swallow the pleasure given by Taeyeon. Her
last piece of consciousness alarms her there are people just right outside, completely oblivious to their
private overheated session, yet her body and her vocal cords seem to have a mind of their own.
Tiffany doesn't want anyone to share their wondrous moment, not one single bit, sharing is not in her
nature, so she bits her lower lip hard to prevent any loud noises slipping.
Taeyeon locked their lips together as soon as she noticed the smothering of moans, she wants to
share that sweet hoarse voice of this American girl too, she’d make sure no one else outside of this
confine will be able to share the fun. Taeyeon’s hands travel down from Tiffany’s nape to her hip
bone, slightly squeezing those firm thighs, then roam to the hip, feeling the softness of the perfect
feminine body. Absolutely perfect. Taeyeon remarked inwardly while groping the brunette’s behind,
hopefully a little butt fetish won’t scare this woman away.
The air has gotten too thick and too hot for Tiffany’s liking, it feels like suffocating, intoxicated in this
petit blonde’s kisses and touches. Tiffany brings Taeyeon’s hands to the hem of her tied gym pants,
an obvious hint that no one could miss.
“Already? I’ve barely started yet.” Taeyeon smirked, fingers fiddling with the tight knot around Tiffany’s
exposed flat stomach.
“Shut up and - ”
“Fuck you,” Taeyeon whispers between hungry kisses, “Fuck you.”

She feels like a beast. A beast that solely feeds on human flesh and nothing else, a beast that won’t
let go once it has found its prey. A beast Kim Taeyeon is.
Sex is not unfamiliar to Taeyeon, it was just her occupation as a singer puts on a strict limit on her
adult life. Could this be the reason why she’s so crazily doped in engaging this indecent act with a
foreign woman? Taeyeon wonders. She nibbles on the bite mark she had planted not long ago, her
hands busy untying the knot, it seems the more frustrated she gets, the tighter the knot is.
“Aren’t you a little too devastated? Here, let me handle it.” Tiffany chuckles when Taeyeon groaned in
frustration. In contrary to the blonde, Tiffany untied the knot so effortlessly, so painfully slowly too.
Taeyeon galloped when the American woman moves upward on her lap, her right hand is taken by
the latter’s and guided towards the midst part of the untied pants. Black lace semi-seethrought
lingerie, with nice patterns, even sexier than thongs - or it could just be Taeyeon unconsciously being
bias when it comes to this American woman.
Tiffany guides Taeyeon’s hand towards her own centre of heat, she shivers lightly when those fingers
gently slides across her dampness, she never knew she could be so sensitive towards any touches.
She wonders if Korean girls know how to do it with people of their same sex, but soon enough her
question is tossed aside when Taeyeon started stroking her core. It was ever so gentle, slow-paced,
just like those endless kisses Taeyeon is giving her. Then sensations intensified, her inside burning
with lust and growing affection, the gentle strokes turned into pressurised rubs and teasing. Taeyeon
would be praised forever in history if she was a pianist or violinist, because the pressure applied and
every spot she taps and lingers is just so right.
Having given a final rub at the entrance, Taeyeon is ready to go on a breathtaking adventure with this
American woman. With her fingertips being the pioneers, she explores the secret garden behind the
gates, leaving her prints at the far end of the road, she traces the outskirts of the warm place, with
care, with delicacy, with admiration, with delight, with desire, with obsession, with dominance, again,
again, again and again.
The heavy breathing mixed with whimpers coming from Tiffany are music to Taeyeon’s ears, at some
point it even synchronises with her own racing heartbeat. At that moment, they were one.
Adrenaline pumping, rapid heartbeats blurring out all sounds but moans, no exercise could compare
to the need of oxygen Taeyeon and Tiffany desperately needs right now. Taeyeon could feel the
pathway tightening, enclosing, forcing her to reach the only ultimate goal at the end of the tunnel. So
she did, hitting the core of desire, bringing the brunette in her embrace to a new high.
“I’m…I’m so close…Ah…” Tiffany mutters into Taeyeon’s shoulder, her manicured nails probably left
horrifying long trails on the blonde’s back because Taeyeon hissed in pain, yet she keeps leading her
to the verge of falling. Ecstasy is just at the corner, a pending tension engulfing Tiffany inside out, it
yells to be released. Taeyeon goes at it faster, rougher, feeding to Tiffany’s greed. Tiffany’s body
twitches and muscles tense up, she hangs onto Taeyeon and bit into her shoulder, hoping that would
mute her possibly piercing scream. It worked, her hoarse voice was only heard by Taeyeon and
Taeyeon only.

Taeyeon’s hand retreated from the sacred place, they are coated with stickiness and lust. She
wonders how do American women taste, so she licks and sucks on her own fingers when Tiffany was
still on cloud nine. Bittersweet, she gathered, probably would need another in-depth investigation to
get more accurate results.
Taeyeon leans in and kisses the brunette’s hair gently, wrapping her arms around the almost naked
body tightly, letting the other woman rest on her shoulder.
Heat is what she normally detests the most, let alone doubling body heat with another person. But
she doesn’t mind sharing the heat with Tiffany, how odd, Taeyeon thought, neither had she enjoyed
sex so much before - gaining pleasure and enormous satisfaction just from touching another woman.
Strange indeed.
When Tiffany regained her strength to get off Taeyeon, she dressed herself again, she clearly had no
intention to cover up the bite marks on her neck, shoulder and collarbone. Taeyeon watched Tiffany in
silence, is this American woman going to expose their private hot session to the public like that?
Heck, just imagine the amount of trouble that would follow suit, she can’t afford to take that risk.
“Is there a chance for you to have a spare set of lingerie in your locker?” Tiffany fixes her messy hair
before turning around to face Taeyeon, rosy cheeks do a much better job than any makeup.
“Yeah, but…are you going outside like that?” Taeyeon stares at her own deeds, feeling extremely
uncomfortable at the thought that she might get caught by the media.
“Ah. I almost forgot this is Korea.” Tiffany said with realisation, “But I don’t have anything extra to
wear.”
“I have a sweater in my locker. Wait here, I’ll go grab whatever you need.” Taeyeon gets up and
hurries to the door, but Tiffany quickly stands in her way.
“How do I know if you’ll come back or not? I’d hate to lose contact with such a special Korean
woman.” Tiffany tugs Taeyeon’s fringe to the back of her ear, then gives a sweet little peck on those
kissable lips.
Taeyeon was lost in those sparkling eyes for a moment, damn those soft lips and that husky voice,
damn American women for their eagerness and sexiness. Facing this brunette’s requests is as if
she’s fighting a losing battle, a King’s fall, all her calmness and rationality gone with the addictive
kisses given by this woman before her eyes.
She could only succumb to Tiffany.
“I will,” Taeyeon couldn’t resist to kiss Tiffany again. “I’ll always come back to you.”
(2)

She should be wiser than this.

Kim Taeyeon should be much wiser than going to the club alone since she has always been the
centre of rumours, articles of any sorts, even if she doesn't do anything nor stepping outside of her
apartment at all.

She can't remember exactly when had she become fond of alcoholic drinks, maybe Lee Soonkyu had
too much of an influence on her. Taeyeon is convinced that 90% of components of that woman's body
is alcohol. Taeyeon on the other hand, is the complete opposite of Sunny, in fact she's so bad with
alcohol that she's only allowed a can of beer tops per night.
If it wasn't an invitation of a very close sunbae of hers, Taeyeon would definitely be laying on that new
huge leather couch of hers, prowling through vanilla ice-cream while running a film marathon.
Thankfully, she's only required to stick around a little after the opening ceremony, it's actually quite a
nice place, not as hot and sweaty as Taeyeon imagined. Westernised interior designs, dim red lights,
private cabinets circling the dance floor, an impressive collection of booze at the bar, they even hired
a foreign DJ. And foremost, the most special rule in the house is that no cigarettes are allowed,
written in big bold letters on the signs. That's not the weirdest part of all, the fact that this club is called
Heartbreak Hotel - certainly not an ordinary name for a club.

Taeyeon sits comfortably inside her private lounge, observing strangers dancing (if those funny
wiggles could be classified as dance moves). Soundproof walls and oneway mirrors offered maximum
sense of privacy, Taeyeon is impressed by the thoughtfulness of this exquisite design. No wonder her
sunbae was confident enough to proclaim this club will become the celebrities' favourite club, indeed
everything is well designed to suit the needs of public figures.
Her managers are not around right now, Taeyeon took a sip of the Long Island Iced Tea, a daring
move for an "alcohol trash". Taeyeon doesn't plan to finish the whole glass, at least not tonight when
media press is dying for a snapshot of any drunken celebrity. In fact, the paparazzis have been
keeping an extra eye out for her ever since they knew of her presence here. She can't let her guard
down.
Just when Taeyeon was about to unlock her phone, her managers returned with the owner of this
place, her sunbae, he came for a brief greeting. Taeyeon knows him well enough to just settle with a
pat on the shoulder, and a few words to congratulate, zero skin contact, nice and simple.

“So what do you think of oppa's new club?” He asked with excitement, it's his first business after
leaving the company after all.
“I like it. The designs, the choice of colours and furniture, and the odd but memorable name too. It's
very unlike you.” Taeyeon looked at their surroundings, adding her conclusion: "Red. Very red indeed.
Red everywhere."
Everyone who knows Taeyeon would know her love goes to blue, purple or black, the darker shades
on the spectrum. Red, pink, yellow, orange...too bright for her liking, too sharp, too dangerous.
The theme colour of this club is obviously red.

“Well, that's because they are all my business partner's doing. Not going to lie, this investor does
have a great taste.” He said proudly.
“An investor?”
“Of course, do you think oppa has as much cash flowing as you do? You should read the articles
more often, Taeyeon-ah. This club is also a property of an oversea company, not just mine.” He
moved to the oneway mirror, squinting at the crowd on the packed dance floor. Taeyeon frowns in
confusion and slight irritation, she reads articles everyday, it's just that she's been incredibly busy
lately with her new album. What does he mean by having a lot of cash flowing though? Those are
hard earned money after working day and night for over a decade.
“Ah-ha, there she is.” He motions Taeyeon to come closer to the oneway mirror and so she did,
reluctantly.
“See that brunette with wavy hair? The one with red lips, there, she's talking to a blonde guy near the
bar.” Following his line of vision, Taeyeon spots the said woman right where he indicated.
The woman in a simple black strap top, showing off her stainless shoulder blades, mini pencil skirt
and bare legs, her slender figure is outlined perfectly just in those casual wear. Taeyeon couldn’t see
the woman’s features clearly for it’s a dimly lit place, she tilts her head slightly hoping to get a better
angle.
When the spotlights rotated, flashing light upon the woman, Taeyeon froze.

It was her.

The American woman she met in the gym few weeks ago.
There is no way she would mistaken someone for the person she had an intimate relationship with -
the person of her own sex, in the unlocked isolated gym room.
Taeyeon knows those curves too well to miss, those pumped lips looks even more seductive than
ever painted in rouge, those dark brown eyes that lure souls in. Everything about that woman crafted
at the bottom of Taeyeon's heart, also with faint nail scratches still physically engraved on her back.
How could Kim Taeyeon forget? No. She couldn't.
She'll always come back to her.

“Hey, are you alright?” Her sunbae’s concerned tone brought Taeyeon back to reality. Taeyeon
quickly clears her throat in attempt to ease the awkwardness. Since it seems like there is a connection
between them, she couldn’t just let this precious opportunity slip out of her hands.
Information. Information is what Taeyeon needs the most. For heaven’s sake she doesn’t even know
that woman’s name.
“Yeah...um, oppa, what's your partner's name?”
“Tiffany, and she's only a business partner, remember to mention this important word - business - just
in case you ran into my girlfriend.”
“Okay, okay...got it, you're taken.”
“And you should be too, the queue for people dying to be your lover is from here all the way to
Canada. I just don't understand why you're still single.”
Here we go again. Taeyeon rolls her eyes in annoyance. Why is everyone so obsessed with getting
her into a romantic relationship? Modern women nowadays shall all be freed from marriage spells or
so-called age limitation, yes, she’s 28 this year, but that doesn’t equal to settling down with someone.
Or ideally, living a happy married family life with two to three children. Taeyeon almost let out a groan
when trying to find the best excuse in stored in her tipsy mind, but alcohol seems to make her spill
nothing else but truth.
“I don't have time and...I don't know, things never end well in my case.” She sighed, mindlessly
drawing random circles on the cold mirror with her index finger, unwilling to remember any of her
tragic relationship endings.
“You just need to find someone with broad shoulders, your Exs are douchebags, plus you need a
better taste in choosing partners.”
“Don't judge, it was just unfortunate they weren't the right ones. And I do have a good taste, just you
wait, I'm going to prove you wrong.” Someday. Taeyeon added inwardly. Maybe someday she’ll finally
be able to find someone who can withstand everything with her, maybe then she’ll be able to embrace
love like normal people do.
Her sunbae sighs rather loudly, he pats Taeyeon’s shoulder before walking to the door.
“I hope you’ll prove me wrong soon, but before that oppa needs to go talk to few more people
because he’s a popular man.”
“I’ll make sure your girlfriend knows that too, Mr. Popular.”
“Ha. Funny. Enjoy your night here, everything’s on the house.”
“Thanks oppa.”

Taeyeon watched as the door closed, her gaze quickly shifted back to the bar on the other side of the
oneway mirror. To her dismay, that American woman, Tiffany, is nowhere to be seen.
Damn it. Taeyeon cursed under her breath. Finding a particular someone in a club is like finding a
needle in a haystack, let alone a new huge club like this one. Taeyeon almost pressed her face
against to the cold surface, desperately trying to get a better view of the occupied dance floor. Damn
her astigmatic eyes, she really needs to get new contact lenses, her vision is too blurred to tell anyone
else from afar. Damn alcohol, she feels lightheaded, every step she takes felt unsteady and wobbly.
One shall not die without a fight, stubborn as Taeyeon is, she scans the whole area again, a group of
foreigners caught her eye.
And there she found the brunette, in the midst of the crowd.

She must have lost her mind, Taeyeon is convinced that she has finally lost all of her sanity.
They say humans are cunning, if lying is a crime, the world would be filled with recidivists. They also
say only the body is honest, for it does not spread filthy lies nor turns black into white, they only
convey what is true. If this statement is valid, Taeyeon thought, then whatever her body is doing must
be reflecting what she truly want - to be closer and closer to Tiffany.
Taeyeon exited the quiet lounge and was welcomed by ear-deafening music, or say heavy groovy
beats. People nodding and swaying their bodies characteristically along with the beat, it was then
Taeyeon realised she is surrounded by a lot of foreigners, at least the club is half filled with
Caucasians. She's glad that she has taken gym sessions, her body is now capable of taking a few
bumps and rough collisions without being knocked down. Having squeezed through those ridiculously
tall and bulky foreigners, Taeyeon finally reached where that American woman was, was, and
vanished yet again.
Feeling incredibly annoyed and sweaty due to alcohol and the thick club air, she waffled her hair in
frustration while trying to locate the figure she's been chasing after. Her patience is running out, she
was never patient, and those whispers and glances given by people around her are not helping at all,
she'll be identified by the crowd soon if she keeps staying idle. Soon she’ll be spotted by her
managers and probably would be forced staying out of public sight - leave or trying her luck for the
last time, are the only two options she has.
Her managers have already noticed her disappearance and began searching for her, Taeyeon could
see their figures just a few feet away, luckily they still haven’t spotted her. Taeyeon puts on her hood
to cover her bleached blonde hair, then quickly moves away from her managers as far as possible.
The priority is to escape from the grasp of her company right now.
So Taeyeon wanders aimlessly to everywhere but close to be found, chasing and losing, finally she
found herself at the darker corner, she has a better full view of the club now.
A familiar figure by the bar captures her attention. The American woman alone with half-filled Martini
in her hand, doesn’t pay any attention to anyone that lays their eyes on her. Taeyeon looks around
carefully, people are too drunk by now to recognise who she is and her managers are not around yet,
she’s safe for now. She moves across the dance floor quickly to approach the latter before loses the
woman again.

“Um, hi.” Taeyeon sat besides the woman, the greeting didn’t sound as good as she planned it.
Tiffany didn’t respond nor glance at the uninvited companion, it seems that the transparent liquid is
more interesting than the person she had sex with. Taeyeon wonders if the brunette is drunk like
everyone else, just when her palm was about to land on Tiffany’s bare shoulder, the latter suddenly
turns around to stare at her.
“It’s you.” Tiffany murmured, breath thick with alcohol.
“It’s me.” Taeyeon said amusingly, this woman is definitely tipsy, but it seems she’s conscious enough
to carry out a decent conversation.
“You haven’t kept your word,” Tiffany sways her empty glass lightly, “You’ll always come back to me,
huh.”
The accusation left Taeyeon dumbstruck, in fact, she has nothing to say. It’s true that she hadn’t
contacted Tiffany since the day they met in the gym. Work was hectic, but truthfully, she could have
spare some time if she really wanted to - she has no excuse, no right to make excuses.
“I…I’m sorry, but I’m here now.” She muttered apologetically, unconsciously pulling her hood down
when the bartender shot her a curious look.
Tiffany downed another glass before flashing a dazzling smile upon her rosy cheeks.
“Relax, I was just kidding. I wasn’t expecting from the beginning.” Tiffany continued with the slightest
care in her tone, sticking up her index finger to the bartender for another shot. “You should try some of
the drinks too, we have the best bartender in the country.”
“I’m fine thanks, that’s very generous of the club owner.” Taeyeon smiles timidly, silently observing
the woman before her for any signs of weirdness. To be honest, every part of this American woman
screams weirdness tonight, not the sexy, eager and aggressive woman Taeyeon remembered. The
woman seems a bit…sad. Her smiles don’t quite reach her eyes, her voice tired and her accented
speeches almost incomprehensible.
It’s just…unlike her. Though Taeyeon barely knows anything about this woman.
“We also have a lady’s night on every Friday, free drinks and everything.” Tiffany takes another glass
of wine from the bartender. Taeyeon watches and amazed by the fact that she’s still able to
communicate after drinking so many high alcohol content mix drinks.
“Wow, wouldn’t you be bankrupted by the end of this month?”
“This club isn’t meant for profit making anyways, clubs like this can’t survive long in Seoul.” Tiffany
scoffed, drowning her voice midway through the sentence.
Taeyeon watches the woman silently, she is convinced this woman will die of excessive alcohol intake
if she continues downing those boozes.
“Still you chose to invest in this place, I guess it’s more than just an investment.” Taeyeon kept her
voice low while holding her hood down, making sure her features are well hidden when the red
spotlights flash upon her face.
“Do you want to know?” Tiffany asked with her head slightly tilted to the side, not a bit offended by the
blonde sticking her nose into others’ private business.
“Do I really want to know?”
“It’s a graveyard, a tombstone, a burial site…whatever you call it.” Tiffany smiled to her own reflection
in the glass. “A farewell to my previous relationship.”
“Heartbreak Hotel.” Taeyeon let out a quiet sigh. So it ended unpleasantly. She remarked mentally,
evidently the brunette’s last relationship was a typical bad breakup - or even worse, putting this much
money into a business to “bury” one’s old love is no joke. This must be a genuine heartbreak.
That’s something new about Tiffany. A bad breakup prior to their secret affair in the gym centre. Well,
at least she gets to meet a drunk Tiffany, that’s new too.
“This place looks exactly like the club we met in LA, and I was in charge of this design, ironic isn’t it?”
Now the American woman’s tone is becoming emotional, it sounds like sobbing to Taeyeon. “Who am
I fooling here…”
For a moment, Taeyeon thought tears are going to fall from those cheeks, for those dark eyes are
glistening and filled with tears, but they are held back. This woman surely hates showing a weaker
side of herself, not even strong boozes could knock down her wall of defence down so easily.
“Time heals.” Taeyeon shrugs, staring at the impressive wine collection right in front of them.
“Perhaps alcohol also helps, temporarily. Though I don’t recommend getting too drunk since you’re
alone.”

Taeyeon felt a hand on her knee, gently yet forcefully swing her around to face to her right, facing
Tiffany to be exact.
“I’m not alone, I’ve got you.” Tiffany mutters while leaning towards Taeyeon, closing the gap between
them inch by inch, closer and closer, until their breaths collide. Tiffany’s hands grab onto both sides of
Taeyeon’s hood, locking their eyes into an intense gaze. “Right?”
Emotions, so many emotions in those teary eyes, so many that sweeps Taeyeon off her feet,
completely captured by the woman before her. Tiffany was pleading, asking her for something.
Taeyeon can’t figure out what is the broken heart demanding for, she may never understand, but who
cares about the future when life is about the present.

She answers Tiffany with a kiss.

(3)

Taeyeon felt like being a teenager once again.

Having an earful of scolding and endless explanations of rules and regulations, guilt trip, blah blah
blah, mental lessons given to her acquaintances back in trainee days on a daily basis. The company
never stops barging into their artists’ life, even if that particular obedient artist has been with them for
over a decade - honestly, is it necessary to educate her all over again? She could even write down all
the rules with her eyes closed, years in the industry has made her constantly aware of her actions and
their consequences.
Although Taeyeon knows fairly well about what is forbidden and what’s not, there is always a part of
her - deep down at the bottom of her heart, engraved in her bones, fighting against these invisible
chains that bind her every move. She’s a rebellious one at heart, one of her closest manager once
commented.
It’s true.
Kim Taeyeon will never surrender to those nonsense limits on her own life set by anyone.

“Taeyeon, are you even listening?” Her manager asked with his arms folded. Taeyeon looks up,
unusual paleness made her emotionless expression scarier, but she doesn’t see the point of being
pretentious when someone is barging into her supposedly private life.
“Yes, I am, and I’m very sorry about what happened the other day. I’ll make sure I disguise myself
better next time.” There are different ways of displaying anger, and she’s the quiet type, the unusual
calmness in her tone made the manager shivers a little, yet he refuses to back down so easily. He
can’t because it’s his duty to negotiate with artists.
“That’s not the point. You shouldn’t be seeing anyone without our approval, do you have any idea how
would the media depict you?”
“Frankly, the media will always have their way of twisting, people like us get bashed for breathing.
Besides, what can they write about when I was merely chatting with one of the owners of the club? A
she, not a he.”
“You know very well how the public is suspicious of your…sexual orientation.” He hesitated.
“If they think talking to someone of your sex can be considered as gay, let them be then. The whole
world could be gay and merry, wonderful.” Taeyeon clapped her hands rather loudly, letting out an
ironic laugh to mock the situation.
The company knows everything about her, sexual orientation included of course, that’s why they’ve
always been extra cautious when she interacts with anyone. There were many times Taeyeon wanted
to laugh at speculations or rumours on the internet, wild imagination or not, some of those analysis
are correct to a certain extent - she’s not attracted to a particular biological sex but one’s personality,
that’s true.
Technically speaking, Tiffany and her were honestly just talking in the club, no funny business. The
company doesn’t need to know about their discrete one-to-one session in the private gym room either,
she still wants to stay in touch with the American woman. As far as they’re oblivious to their
connection (physically and friend zone wise), she could continue telling some white lies.
“Look, I know you’re crossed, but we’re only doing this for your own good.” Her manager sighs, having
been stuck with Kim Taeyeon for over 3 years, he knows too well that she’s as stubborn as a mule.
“You’re having your comeback soon, you know paparazzis are going to be on your tail 24/7. For the
sake of everyone who loves you so dearly, don’t do anything stupid.”
If Kim Taeyeon is a fearless King unafraid of everything, her only weakness would be whom she
treasures and loves endearingly.
Taeyeon frowns, clenches her teeth upon hearing those words. She doesn’t retort back anymore, the
flame previously burning in her eyes is now extinguished, ashes turn into layers above layers of
frustration.
“I’ll leave now, rest well and I’ll come pick you up at 9 tomorrow.”
The manager soon left her house, leaving her in dead silence.

Insomnia has been Taeyeon’s most loyal friend ever since she first debuted.
Countless late nights lack of sleep, her condition gets worse when she’s stressful, her doctors
assigned pills to lessen her suffering, but growing dependence on dosage is the least thing Taeyeon
wants. As time passes, she’s accustomed to this unwanted tiring routine, she’d put on blue jazz
music, watch recorded TV shows or play mobile games, occasionally ending her sleepless nights with
a can of beer. This is one of those nights when Taeyeon’s mind is unease, restless and occupied with
thousands of thoughts. She’s been tossing and turning on the bed, still she couldn’t get rid of her
manager’s words, as if they are a living nightmare that will haunt her until she loses sanity.
So she gave up trying to fall asleep, instead she grabs her phone and proceeds into the pitch dark
living room, flopping onto the comfy new couch. It says 3:19 am on the screen, it doesn’t bother
Taeyeon, she taps on the message icon but doesn’t check all the unread messages, her eyes are
solely fixed on one particular name - Tiffany Hwang.
The name and the numbers beneath it has been sitting on her contact list for nearly a month now, but
the message space between them remains blank. Taeyeon thought for a second before typing in
Korean: “Did you get home alright the other night?”. Not forgetting to add a friendly smily emoticon
before carefully rechecking the message. She takes a deep breath then taps “send”. Something must
have gotten into her during midnights, Taeyeon thought, talking gibberish or overwhelmed by
emotions at wee hours is a rather peculiar side of her.
Once the message was sent, Taeyeon fiddled with the star projector on the coffee table, turned it on
before lying back down again. She stares at the ceiling, it has now become a blue starry sky, the
glistening stars rotate slowly around her, different star signs shine brighter in turns. It’s beautiful
indeed, nerve calming, who cares if these gadgets are common toys for kids? Taeyeon makes a
mental note to thank the fan who gave this little magical gift in the next fan sign event.

She was studying the star signs when her phone suddenly vibrated.
Taeyeon peeks at the lit up screen, her eye sight worsened without contact lens, it took her almost 10
seconds trying to figure out what that blur is next to “from”. When she’s finally able to see (squinting
her eyes into two slim lines), her eyes widen upon rereading the sender’s name. It’s a reply from
Tiffany.

“Fine thank you, you needn't have to pay for the taxi fare.”
Does Tiffany normally text people this formal? Taeyeon wonders, this woman even used honorific in a
casual text message - of course the text is composed of half Korean and half English. Taeyeon
secretly thanks the world for having such advanced technology, she could easily look up foreign
words if necessary. Tiffany seems to understand Korean just fine, so Taeyeon continues typing in
Korean.
“Don't worry about it, I would have see you off personally if my manager wasn't being so difficult.”
“He has a point, being spotted with a drunk woman hanging onto you leaving the club would do
serious damage to your image. I apologise for my miserable behaviour, I shouldn't have drunk so
much.”
Taeyeon almost rolled her eyes in annoyance after reading such a lengthy message.
“Whoa. You sounded just like my manager. Everything's fine, honestly. My manager already nagged
me for the past week now so...how's your day?”
“Busy, as usual. The world of business.”
“Are you an entrepreneur? You seem pretty young for an investor plus a businesswoman.”
“No, I'm a corporate lawyer. But I guess you could say that because I'm on my way there.”
“Is this why you came all the way to Korea?”
“Partly.” Tiffany’s message only came after pauses. “I wanted a trip to take my mind off.”
“Oh.”
Accidentally stepped on the land mine. How smooth, well done, Kim Taeyeon, now the woman is
reminded of the unpleasant past. Taeyeon almost slapped her forehead when trying to massage her
temples, she lets out a loud sigh. The device in her hand now still as dead, no more incoming
messages, no more Tiffany Hwang. Great, just another factor for worsening her insomnia, this time
not even the starry sky could put her mind at ease.
Taeyeon tries counting the projected stars on the ceiling, but her meticulous math work is disturbed by
a flash on her phone screen. Having forgotten which star her finger was pointing at, Taeyeon hurries
to reach for her phone, can’t help but grins when reading the new message.
“Why aren’t you asleep yet? It’s almost 3:30 in the morning.”
“Same goes to you. Hold on, since we’re both wide awake, let me show you something.”
Taeyeon quickly lies back down on the couch to get a full view of the (artificial) starry sky above her, a
Leo star sign was coincidentally captured into the picture too. This is probably the best photo she has
taken in years, since she isn’t very fond of photography. She only takes pictures as updates for fans,
or when she’s extremely bored - but none of these require skills, they only need a face that the public
loves. Feeling content with her photo, Taeyeon sends it off and waits patiently for responds.
“That’s absolutely beautiful! And that’s my star sign too in the picture.”
“You’re a Leo? I’m a Pisces.”
“Which year were you born in?”
“1989, you?”
Another long interval following her last text, Taeyeon frowns, is she really that old? Is it that shocking
to know she’s 28 this year? She can’t stand waiting any longer, eager she may seem, but leaving this
conversation here is getting on her nerves, and it’s also too ambiguous.
“Don’t be so surprised, I know I don’t look my age, but I’m really 28 this year.”
Taeyeon even added an monkey emoticon that shyly covers his eyes, trying to warm the air up a little
bit. Maybe it worked, maybe it was just Tiffany taking too long to reply, nonetheless, another reply
came through as Taeyeon had hoped.
“I insist that’s 27 not 28 since that’s more mathematically correct. Technically we are the same age,
though I haven’t had my birthday yet.”
“So you’re younger than me.”
“By a few months yes, but I’m not going to call you unnie, hope you don’t mind that.”
Damn, is that woman a psychic or has the superpower to read minds? How did she know… Taeyeon
shrugs, well, it feels weird to have the American woman calling her unnie anyways. At first glance
(and until just now), Taeyeon had always thought the brunette is older than her - not significantly older
of course. Makeups and smoky eyes really do women’s real age unjust, Taeyeon gathered.
Taeyeon glanced at the time on the screen, 3:45am. Much as she loves chatting with Tiffany, work is
always her priority, she can’t be weary in rehearsals and recordings later. Devotion and
professionalism are qualities that kept her career going smoothly and steadily throughout the years,
and that she hopes to maintain.
“Fine by me, do it your way then, miss America. Now, I must go lie down for a while before dawn,
busy day waits ahead. You should get some rest too.”
“Wait,” “Can we meet up some time?”
“I’d like to thank you for the other night, perhaps a dinner together? My treat.”
Now, is this woman asking her out on a date? That’s one determined and eager move for a woman,
maybe this is how the Americans do it. The grin on Taeyeon’s face widens.
Three messages came in so quickly that Taeyeon didn't even have time to react. The messages were
all written in English, evidently written in a rush. Taeyeon stares at the English words in awe, once
again mentally thanking her mother for making her attend English tutorials in highschool. Thank
goodness the American woman didn't use overly complicated English words.
“Although you don’t need to thank me like that…I’m up for it.”
“Excellent. I’ll text you later to discuss on this.”
“No problem, goodnight miss Hwang.”
“Sweet dreams to you too, miss Kim.”
(4)

There is a reason why people are told not to play with fire, there are consequences to every
dangerous step one takes.

But they also say higher risk, bigger reward.

Taeyeon has never felt so rejuvenated, despite of the 4-hour sleep, she was unusually energetic and
hyper throughout the concert rehearsals. The live band have been working with her for months, never
had they seen the introvert, quiet and mildly awkward Kim Taeyeon so bright. For Taeyeon is a singer
whose singing requires full imagination and devotion to music, it was difficult for her to practice
singing sad ballad songs. There wasn’t a single blue element in her voice when she sang those
heartbreaking ballads. It was like misplacing a piece of puzzle in a big picture, flaws easily spotted
and incredibly displeasing to see - to hear, in her case. Nonetheless, the rundown was smooth
overall, not one mistake was made when practicing her new choreography, her singing was ideal
other than ballad songs.
How could she sing sad songs when she’s nothing but thrilled?
She tried not to meet the pair of eyes that’s been fixed on her the whole time, her manager. After
working with Taeyeon for years, he knows better than anyone what could potentially be happening in
her mind, this isn’t exactly the first time she’s been giddy about something, or say, someone. He
could sense trouble ahead every time when Kim Taeyeon’s mood stays right above Mount Everest
and never swings to the opposite end.
Once rehearsals were done, Taeyeon bowed to every staff in courtesy as usual, her manager blocked
her escape route before she could make it to the exit.

Perfect timing. Taeyeon thought. Sooner or later, she has to tell him face-to-face or by text, one way
or the other, might as well spill it all out now.

“I’m driving home tonight so you don’t have to wait for me, oppa.” Taeyeon declared, there’s no need
to be pretentious in front of her closest colleague. Her tone was serious and low, matching with the
atmosphere between her manager and herself.
“I know you’re not heading straight home. Even if you are, you’ll head out again, right?” He said flatly,
as if it was a mundane routine of Taeyeon’s.
Taeyeon looks at him expressionlessly. Don’t celebrities all sneak out after sunset, without any
company agents monitoring them? She’s merely a tiny fraction in a pool of celebrities. Besides,
heading out isn’t her favourite leisure activity and never will be, she should never be the target.
“Why questioning when you already knew the answer?” Taeyeon admits with a lopsided smile. She
knows perfectly well that sometimes people get annoyed with her seemingly arrogant smile, and she
does it occasionally just to achieve this exact effect.
Her manager sighs deeply.
“Taeyeon, we’ve talked about this and I’m tired of it. There isn’t a leash on you, neither the company
or I are able to stop you from doing whatever you want.”
“Glad to know that. Oh and please don’t shallow me when I’m out in my private time.” Taeyeon still
remembers those times when she found herself being followed by company agents few years back.
She was beyond furious, mad enough to unleash a wrath on her company (an unwise move but
luckily the company tolerated her lost temper). She rarely drive nor head out on her own since then.
“Just make sure you’ll be cautious, okay? Paparazzis are getting more outrangous these days.” He
ignores her demands but Taeyeon knows it’s a silent agreement.
“Seems like there is a misunderstanding. I’m just going to have dinner with a friend, a female friend, at
a renowned restaurant. Nothing’s going to happen.” She claimed, reassuring her manager she’s not
going to put both his and her career at risk.
“You better keep your words.”
“Always.”

Taeyeon was telling the truth, only the people she trusts deserve the truth. Suddenly, guilt
overwhelms Taeyeon for she was being harsh towards someone with good intentions. But she
couldn’t help it, she hates being constantly reminded the fact that she’s chained, under strict control of
her company. She hates them, rules and all, they destroys every possibility in her life.
Now that she’s freed from work, she can finally make life more enjoyable with her new friend.

Everything was smooth sailing according to plan. She was even off work earlier than planned,
everything should be perfect - should have been perfect.
Taeyeon grips onto the steering wheel tightly for a sharp turn then steps on the accelerator pedal with
full force. Her eyes shift to the back mirror, the three cars that have been on her tail are nowhere to be
seen - temporarily. Still, she keeps stepping onto the pedal until it can bend no more, she needs to get
away, fast. Thankfully the highway is rather vast empty at night, otherwise she’d probably crash into
another car judging by how fast she’s going right now. Taeyeon was never a fast reckless driver nor
does she like speed, but for once, she’s glad that she bought two lovely luxurious sport cars. If it
wasn’t for their impressive horse power, she wouldn’t be able to lose those paparazzis.
No words can describe how crazy those paparazzis are. Taeyeon wouldn’t believe it if she hadn’t
seen them with her own eyes. Those suspicious-looking tinted black vans and cars trailing behind her
ever since she left the car park, no, the paparazzis weren’t even trying to stay covert. They were
driving dangerously close to her car, nearly caused a serious accident when they were in a city chase,
that was when she decided to take this insane chase up on an empty highway.
Her manager was right, the paparazzis are dying to have any reports on Kim Taeyeon the singer,
literally.

Taeyeon takes the next exit to get off the highway when the chase is finally over.
She peeked at the car monitor, it’s already past 20:30 and she was supposed to be having dinner half
an hour ago. Ideally, she was to be at the restaurant fifteen minutes before the scheduled time, she
even timed herself for driving - but life always has its way to ruin every meticulously planned event.
At this particular moment, she’s at the outskirts of Seoul, it’ll take her another good 45 to 30 minutes
to head back, her dinner date will definitely be finished by then.
“Damn it.” Taeyeon cursed under her breath. Damn those bastards, damn all these craziness in the
industry. There’s no way she could make it, she might run into paparazzis again now that they knew
her coming and goings, she couldn’t risk starting another car chase again because innocent people
might get involved into this madness.

Fine, if the paparazzis are so eager to stalk her everywhere, then let them be.

Taeyeon pulls over under a bridge, a pretty well hidden spot, just in case anyone is still pursuing her.
She double checks her surroundings for reassurance before taking her phone out.
She remembers how her mother had always taught her about manners. The best way to show
honesty and sincerity is to meet and talk in person, showing gratitude or apologising, the logic is
applicable to every situation. Well, since she can’t physically be there to apologise, she could perhaps
talk, on the phone.
Never in Kim Taeyeon’s life had she been so nervous upon dialling a number, her eyes bore into the
screen for several minutes, at last, she presses the green dialling icon.

Doo. Doo. Doo.

Taeyeon unconsciously puts her thumb between her upper and lower teeth. Why isn’t she answering
the call? Is she mad at her unnoticed disappearance?

Doo. Doo. Doooo -

“Hello?” Finally! Taeyeon exclaimed internally, trying to hide the excitement before she embarrasses
herself in the next line.
“Hi, um, it’s me.”

Awkward silence.
Taeyeon starts panicking again, she never likes this type of quietness, anxiety slowly piling up is a
rough feeling.

“Ah. I thought your name won’t be showing up on my screen again.” The woman on the other end -
Tiffany, replied calmly, seemingly isn’t affected by the bail on their dinner. No matter what, some
things are odd to be done, such as making formal apologies and providing plausible, logical and
detailed explanation. All of them which Taeyeon’ll have to accomplish before her luck runs out.
“No matter how you think of me now, I’m sincerely sorry for going MIA and please let me explain.”
Taeyeon said in one breath, nearly bit her tongue in the process.
“I’m listening.”
“I was followed by paparazzis, they were a real difficult bunch, some crazy driving here and
there…long story short, I managed to lose them just now, right at the skirt of Seoul.” Taeyeon sighs
while placing her fingers on the steering wheel, fingertips lightly tracing the smoothness along its
leather coating. Fiddling, another habit of hers when she feels uneasy during a conversation. God
knows how lame it might sound in Tiffany’s ears, this is undoubtedly the most convenient excuse for
any celebrity. As a matter of fact, she had also used it a couple of times before too to avoid social
events.
Anyhow, she shouldn’t overthink too much when truth is all she’s giving Tiffany.

“How can you sound so calm after all that? I mean, you’ve just been stalked.” Tiffany’s voice was
slightly lower than usual towards the end. If Taeyeon’s sixth sense doesn’t betray her, that was most
certainly a sign of Tiffany Hwang fuming up, but anger soon drown in disbelief.
“It might be odd but…it’s kind of normal, at least that’s what happens when people like us drive
around on our own.”
“People like us?”
“Umm, right, I guess you haven’t been told yet.” Taeyeon’s voice shivers, it’s been years after the last
introduction of herself after her career took off. Weird, extremely weird indeed. “I’m a singer.”
She might have accidentally left out some descriptions and titles which are always given by the public.
The trustworthy singer. The most successful female singer. The artist with one of the biggest fan
base. The Queen of charts, sales as well as breaking records…The world of entertainment news
constantly gives her grand entitlements, none of which Tiffany should find out from her own mouth.
“That I know, I saw your TV advertisement the other day.”
“Oh.”
“My point is, no one should tolerate this kind of behaviour, celebrities are not obliged to endure this.
You’re only feeding to their needs by dodging.”
“I agree, but things are far more complicated than we can imagine. It’s a world of PR and gambling.”

There’s a gut feeling when you know things aren’t going down well, Taeyeon’s stomach is filled with
this unsettling feelings right now. She could even feel her stomach twitching and retracting as if
someone’s squeezing it mercilessly.
That’s exactly why she hates mentioning her career, nothing ever ends well when the biggest
concern, the heaviest barrier is thrown into the relationship - romantic ones or not. Frustrations are all
that’s left to Kim Taeyeon.

A sigh came into Taeyeon’s ear.

“Right. So…what now?”

Much to Taeyeon’s delight, Tiffany sounds calmer than usual, her voice grew soft and quieter,
somehow it made Taeyeon feel more at ease regardless of her unpleasant night car chase. Taeyeon
takes another good glance at her surroundings, almost pitch black with only a few street lights along
the road ahead. No more paparazzis.
“Thank goodness I’ve really lost them, I’m heading back to Seoul after this call.”
“Guess I’ll have these famous dish all to myself then.”
“I’d really love to join if it doesn’t take at least a good half an hour to drive - I’m sorry, I really am.”
Taeyeon frowns and sighs again for the countless time tonight, if apologies can convert to gold,
Tiffany Hwang would already make it into Forbes by now.
“I understand. You shouldn’t have agreed to dine with me in the first place, you know those
paparazzis are really keeping a close eye on you, right?”
Taeyeon hesitates, battling how far she should take her honesty to. It doesn’t take long for her
subconscious to betray her - she’d go all out for Tiffany, including honesty.
“That’s…correct.” She knew it since the day her name started appearing on most of the forums and
articles.
“And you probably drove way above the speed limit.”
“Um…” Way beyond the limits, actually. Hopefully she didn’t get caught by the speed camera.
“Due to new circumstances, I don’t think us meeting up like this is healthy for you, this won’t work.”

Taeyeon was left in shock when Tiffany’s overly rational voice hit her.

“Wha - ” Her immediate protest was stopped midway.

“But we can always meet out of public sights, maybe a quiet park. I heard they also make excellent
sandwiches here, I can buy one for you since I don’t think you’ve had dinner yet. What do you say?”

A light chuckle came from the other end, it was then Taeyeon realised she’s been fooled. That woman
really loves teasing her and seeing her shock reactions, just like their first encounter in the gym -
Taeyeon had never experienced such an emotional wreck in one day, all those pushing and pulling,
bold but shy at the same time…She’d better stop before visually pleasing images invade her mind.
Taeyeon shakes her head lightly. Tiffany summarised into one word, tease.
But honestly, who wouldn’t fall for her?
Taeyeon surely would.

“Sign me up.”
“Great. I’ll text you the location later.”
“Sure, bon appétit.”
“See you around, drive safe.”

The blonde ends the call while grinning unconsciously, she takes a deep breath and sits right up in
the driver’s seat. She can’t relax, it’s virtually impossible for her to relax - her mood is swung to the
extreme far end, the good end. As if excitement and anticipation are engulfing her inside out,
adrenaline pumping faster than usual, her feet on the accelerator pedal goes downward further.

A life-risking car chase granted her a late night secretive meet up with someone she’s eager to see,
the outcome made it all worth it.

They say high risk, big rewards.

It’s true.
(5)

There were times when Taeyeon felt lost.

She was lost in a foreign city once during her traveling. She was lost in deciding what’s best for her
career path. She was lost in so many other aspects in life just the same as anyone else. It’s perfectly
fine to be lost, the key is to acknowledge there’ll always be an exit, a silver lining in every cloud, all
agony will eventually pass. But what if -
What if. An unrealistic, unhelpful and meaningless phrase. A practical person like Taeyeon would
dislike the ambiguity embedded within one simple phrase, for she doesn’t want to spare thoughts on
every possibility, every possible future. But what if - what if, she’s lost again but absolutely zero
intention to find the exit?

Taeyeon found herself lost in between the lingering kisses.

How did this happen was a mystery. Taeyeon remembers parking on the road right next to the empty
park, the familiar brunette entering the passenger seat, feeding her poor flat stomach with a famous
sandwich (brought here by Tiffany), her favourite jazz track playing in the background. She
remembers those dark brown eyes locking gaze with her, she also remembers her gaze travelling
downwards onto those pumped red lips.
Then it just happened.

The taste of mint spread across hers and Tiffany’s lips, it wasn’t enough to rinse the taste of smoked
salmon sandwich in her mouth, but Tiffany doesn’t seem to mind that much. She places her palm on
Taeyeon’s cheek to keep the latter’s eyes on her, then gently drawing Taeyeon in to initiate another
kiss. There’s a faint alcohol scent in the brunette’s breath, she must have drunk a glass or two during
dinner, perhaps she drank too much for a normal weekday.
It is an astonishing, mindblowing and addictive experience. Taeyeon had kissed and tasted her past
lovers, none of them were capable of giving her this vibe. This painfully slow yet gentle soft kiss,
rubbing against her own lips ever so lightly, so sensationally, so intimately, so affectionately. Taeyeon
felt Tiffany’s tongue slide across her lower lip, her lips parted immediately waiting for a passionate
intrusion, yet there wasn’t any move. Whether it’s just a wishful thinking for mutual feelings or not,
Taeyeon can’t care less, she’d be happily trapped inside this kiss just for now. Tiffany’s an amazing
kisser, that she knew back in the enclosed gym room. Adding into a file named “Tiffany” in Taeyeon’s
mental library: an excellent tease-kisser when going at slower pace.
Would she get drunk too if she keeps kissing Tiffany like this? Taeyeon wonders. She’s hopeless
when it comes to alcohol after all.
A hand settles on her lap, then it slips away before sensations invade Taeyeon’s fuzzy mind. The next
thing she knew, was she’d have to reluctantly let go of those pumped, sweet soft lips of Tiffany’s
because the latter wanted to speak.
“You forgot about the handbrake.” Tiffany smiles while pulling the handbrake to a full stop.
Taeyeon nearly groaned in frustration out loud upon hearing the verse. Who cares about the
handbrake when a woman, not just some woman but the one whom you’ve had hot sex with, sitting
right next to you, kissing you with all the patience and gentleness in the world? No, definitely not Kim
Taeyeon, she refuses to have her kiss ending this way. She was hoping Tiffany would take the lead
once again to give another sweet peck, but the brunette already returned to her original position. No
leaning across the define line between driver’s seat and passenger seat, no more surprise desert
from the American.
How cruel it is to leave her hanging, to stop right where it had just began, when her anticipation has
turned into desires?

“Sorry, it felt right so I just…got carried away.” Tiffany’s gaze darted onto the road before her, there
was nothing interesting to see, only pitch black shadows.
Taeyeon turns up the A/C in the car, the little session had withdrew nearly all air in the confine of her
own car. She would suffocate to death in here, in the air thick with Tiffany’s perfume - though Taeyeon
is almost certain that would be the best way to end a life. She takes another glance at the brunette
who’s fixing her hair, her eyes automatically lowered to those perfectly shaped, kissable lips…damn it,
control yourself! Taeyeon shakes her head lightly, hoping to get rid of all inappropriate thoughts.
She clears her throat and pretends it to be a cough.
“I understand. It was quite a pleasant experience too so thank you for the special treat.” A small grin
appears on Taeyeon’s pale face.
The calmness in the blonde’s voice is rather strange, or it might just be the nature of Kim Taeyeon’s
voice. Calm, relaxed, plus a little nasally. Tiffany turns to face the blonde, trying to study her facial
features as well as searching for clues for the latter’s current thoughts. Nothing, besides that silly,
childish grin and lazy eyes of hers, nothing.
“It amazes me how you seem so relaxed when it could have put your career at risk, paparazzis might
have followed you here.” Tiffany hopes using her warning tone would emphasise the seriousness of
the matter, yet Taeyeon’s expression remains unchanged. All Taeyeon does is to adjust her position
in the driver’s seat so that she can talk to Tiffany more comfortably.
“I made sure no one was after me, and look, I have tinted windows, if this helps putting your mind at
ease. Besides, there’s no escape if it’s bound to happen, you’ll be more amazed by how many
papaprazzis are sent out there to stalk on celebrities. Every street, every company, every corner,
every spot. Any time, any where.”
“Thanks, I definitely feel much better now.” Tiffany rolled her eyes while replying sarcastically.
“Sorry, I was just trying to lighten up the mood.” Obviously that didn’t work well. Taeyeon thought.
Way to provoke an already irritated woman, Kim Taeyeon.
Determined to save herself from a bad move, Taeyeon clears her throat once more, wiping that
seemingly lack-of-concern grin off her face.
“All I wanted to say was, one can’t worry too much, especially in my industry, where baseless
ridiculous rumours and scandals can flip the world upside down in a blink of an eye. There’s only so
much we can do.” Taeyeon softens her tone. The only way she’d be able to state the cruel reality is to
fully accept it, which she already did ages ago.
Tiffany, however, only shot her a disapproving look.
“Still you could have been more careful…when participating in this kind of activities, out in the open.”
It wasn’t the first time this singer had been so daring and bold. The gym, the new club, this late night
car ride - their encounters had always been filled with intimacy.

It surprises Taeyeon that these familiar warning actually came from this American woman’s mouth.
She, Tiffany Hwang, the one who lured her into a very unexpected session back in the gym when they
first met.
Not to mention, the growing seriousness in Tiffany’s attitude and her way of speaking…it felt as if the
playful American woman Taeyeon knew was just an imagination. But then again, masking oneself is
common among the field of professionals. Celebrities mask their inner self most of the time to gain
public adoration, perhaps lawyers mask their deviance and irrationality for their convenience too.
Then lines between true self and the facade becomes blurry, unable to be identified and distinguished
anymore - Losing one’s self or feeling confused, either way, they all end the same.
For all Taeyeon cares, the differences in Tiffany’s personality are the least of her concern.

Taeyeon heaves a sigh, Tiffany has a point and it’d be meaningless, yet worse, immature to deny.
With the atmosphere intensified, it’s only best to leave the subject than fuming the debate. Taeyeon
stole a glance at the display monitor, changing the song to yet another relaxing jazz song. It’s been a
long day and she’d rather not ending tonight with an unpleasant argument. She’ll do what it takes to
end this conversation.
“I admit I should and I’ll be extra cautious from now on. Can we move on from this topic now?” She
pleads, leaning back on the headrest.
It’s hard to miss the tiredness in Taeyeon’s slightly hoarse voice, Tiffany follows Taeyeon’s line of
vision, silently observing the blonde fiddling with the system. Body language exposes one’s
psychological and emotional status, some people are excellent at hiding the signs, some are just like
an open book. Evidently, Kim Taeyeon is the latter.
But what does she know about Taeyeon besides the fact that she’s a singer and she drives a sports
Porsche, regularly attends the gym training session and she’s the same age as she? Nothing.
Absolutely nothing.
Once bitten, twice shy.
Tiffany will not put trust in others so easily only to have a shattered heart in return.

Tiffany was the first to break the long silence.

“I think there should be some rules and boundaries, between you and I. For our own good if you still
want to hang around.” She exclaims, looking directly into Taeyeon’s eyes to have all her attention.
Once she gets the attention she craved, Tiffany raised her index finger up.
“First off, to point us in the correct direction, I’m not seeking for relationships, it’s not even enlisted on
my priority list.”
Taeyeon didn’t react to the blatant statement. In fact, she’s perfectly still that Tiffany wonders if her
words were heard at all. Was she being too straightforward? Did she use the wrong expression which
made no sense in Korean? Tiffany is confused, but that’s not going to stop her from laying grounds.
At last, Taeyeon spoke.
“Neither am I.” Taeyeon simply lifts her left brow and shrugs, the corner of her lips curls upwards.
Okay. Not quite the reaction I expected but nonetheless. Tiffany lifts up another finger and makes a V
sign with her hand.
“Secondly, sex is not an obligation, neither of us have such duty to fulfil.” Tiffany hesitated as soon as
the words left her mouth. Her eyes happened to land on those pink lips of Taeyeon’s, she can still
taste the mint between her teeth. “Well, if circumstances allowed, then…there might be some
exceptions.”
Little did Tiffany know, Taeyeon felt relieved after the added details.
“Okay.” Taeyeon nods.
“Thirdly, you can have your freedom and I have mine. Time, work, personal space, thoughts and all.
No strings attached.”
“Sounds fair.”
“If you’re okay with these boundaries, then you’re always welcome to be my companion. If you have
any question, shoot.”
Taeyeon’s almost certain that Tiffany just went into her professional mode during this entire
conversation, it reminds her of the day she signed the contract with her agency company. Lawyers,
legal advisers, her parents, authorities. They all looked serious and their tones were unusually low,
she hated every second she had to spend in that environment. She also remembers one thing -
veryone’s mouths kept moving but all she heard was blah blah blah. She couldn’t understand the
meaning behind the complexity, neither did she want to figure out the regulations set by others.
All words that were supposed to be remembered off by heart just went straight through her ears.

“I have one question. Are you done talking?”

“Yes.”
“Then shut up and let me finish my desert.”

Before Tiffany could give her a questioning look, Taeyeon already held the back of the brunette’s neck
and leaned in for another passionate kiss.
(6)

Weeks had past since their last encounter, neither Taeyeon or Tiffany contacted each other ever
since that late night in-car dinner.

As her very first solo concert approaches, Taeyeon nearly locked herself in the practice room 24/7,
rarely leaving the company building unless she couldn’t fight fatigue anymore. Thankfully, stress got
her focus and full attention back onto her work. There wasn’t a single mistake made after excessive
practices she had done, even her weakness, dancing, was so flawless that her choreographer was
amazed. Adding to both her company’s as ell as her delight, her second mini album received much
love worldwide and praises from music critics. As expected, it broke the industry’s record (which was
also her own record) yet again, bringing in even more commercial opportunities which made
Taeyeon’s life even busier.

Among the sea of sponsors, there was one that her company specifically highlighted in pink, it sat on
the very top of the list, emphasising its importance in hierarchy. The Hwang’s company. A company
that was first established in America, it had grown international over the years. Recently, they saved
another Korean construction company that was on the verge of bankrupt. It was a bold move in the
Korean stock market, thus made it the headline just a few months ago, even Taeyeon remembered
watching the news reporting this. Economics aside, this company wanted Taeyeon to shoot an
advertisement for their newly built 6-star hotel.

Needless to say, her company was beyond thrilled when receiving the offer, not to mention the
payment was indeed very tempting, Taeyeon must admit. There was only one thing that bothered her.
Why? Why her, the singer who’s known for being content just staying within her own area of
profession. Surely with this generous offer, more famous and representable public figures would
gladly take up the offer, why her specifically? What did the company see in her, the forever-stay-at-
home-artist? Despite all the wonders, Taeyeon took the offer with a tiny push from her company in the
end. All her questions vanished as she had better things to worry about at this stage.

Taeyeon only realised how fast time flew when she finally reopened the chat room.
Complete freedom was what Tiffany had requested for. Now that Taeyeon thought back on her
“rules”, Taeyeon wasn’t sure if sending texts are a form of freedom intrusion. Tiffany hadn’t texted her
since then, but Taeyeon wasn’t worried because that night ended quite wonderfully, she even got a
sweet kiss from Tiffany after a private communication between bodies.
“Text me.” Was all Taeyeon said before Tiffany stepped out of her car, disappeared in the taxi.
The only answer she got was an ambiguous smile from Tiffany.
Taeyeon would be lying if she said she didn’t mind their chat room being neglected by the woman, but
she had no right to accuse since she didn’t take the initiative either. Regardless of no expectations,
Taeyeon still checked her phone every night after practice just before she crashed out. Several times
she had typed and erased some characters, and more often she’d left the unsent message and slept
with the phone in her hand. Soon her mind would be occupied by busy schedule the next day. She
hoped there could at least Things only work smoothly in an ideal world, sadly they both live in a
realistic world, disappointment is bound to waltz its way into one’s life.
Life must go on, they are not hormonal teenagers anymore, like Tiffany said, there’s no obligation for
anything between them.

Another week without updates from Tiffany had past.

The day had finally come, the very first solo concert of Taeyeon’s. Her voided life was meaningful
again whenever she’s performing, in fact, she was strongly convinced the purpose of her existence
was to sing.
She poured her heart out and fused emotions into every song she sang, put in all her strength into
every dance move, giving her best for any soul that are willing to standby her for a decade. There
were quite a few familiar faces at the front rows, fan site masters or loyal fans, few but enough close
friends of hers in the industry. Taeyeon smiled and waved at them from time to time, she planned to
walk towards their direction once she seized a chance to do so.
During the last half talk interval, Taeyeon finally got the chance, she steadily walked to the front rows
in order to take a better look at those people. Spotlights focused on Taeyeon as she slowly
approached the crowd, audiences’ faces became more visible. Her eyes scanned from one end to the
other, then her speech was disrupted the moment when she locked gaze with a certain someone.
She’s here.

Tiffany is here.

Tiffany sat at the far end of second front row, simply smiled when their eyes met.
Taeyeon blinked in awe several times then realised the awkwardness due to the sudden pause of her
speech, she immediately let out a shy laugh to cover up the shock. Luckily nobody noticed her
dumbfounded expression, she was able to pick up where she left off. She couldn’t help but kept
shifting her gaze to where Tiffany was, but she made sure every glance stolen was subtle enough not
to be picked up. Her speeches were coherent and well organised, but only Taeyeon knew it was the
exact opposite inside her wracked brain.

Why is she here? Is she also a fan of mine? Why didn’t she mention about coming to my concert?
Why didn’t she contact me beforehand? What does this mean? What am I going to do?

Unanswered questions were piling up and almost made Taeyeon zone out when she was waiting for
next song’s intro. They were swept away as soon as the music started, she didn’t have time to spare,
but she’d make sure every enquiry gets a proper answer after the concert.

Taeyeon had never changed clothes that fast, it would probably break the world record for stripping, if
there was any.

Regardless of how much her body and limbs were aching and her mind yelling for rest, she still went
to the after party with staff. Coincidental or not, all of them suggested Heartbreak Hotel, the newish
club, is the best place to hold a little celebration. The place had been reserved solely for them so
there is no risk of leaking indecent pictures or video clips, her company even booked a private cabinet
for Taeyeon in case she needed some quietness after a long day of hard work. Frankly, they all
deserve a crazy night after working their butts off for so long.
For a quiet person, clubs are definitely ranked first on her hate list, but strangely Taeyeon liked that
place. It was unique, fashionable yet comfortable, taking every person’s need into consideration, and
foremost, meeting what a celebrity needs when out in public places - privacy. And so there she was,
sinking into the leather sofa inside her little isolated, soundproof cabinet, reading the last messages
she had sent but never got a reply.

“Would the owner of this fabulous club have time to attend a little after party of mine?” The message
was followed by a picture of the entrance of Heartbreak Hotel.

Tiffany had read her message, the newest functions of communication applications said it all, but she
chose to ignore Taeyeon’s invitation.
Nothing comes through no matter how many times Taeyeon closes then reopens the chat. It was her
night, it should have been her joyful, emotional and memorable night of success, she should be
celebrating it with pride. The night turned out emotional, but took a bad swing that only left her sulking
and ever miserable.
She poured herself a glass of champaign and downed a couple more without realising, her mind
started getting fuzzy when someone knocked on the door.

“Come in.”
“Late to the party, mind if I join?”

The door creaked open and in came the woman who had been on Taeyeon’s mind for the entire night.
Reality hit Taeyeon with full force upon seeing the sight before her, suddenly she was sober and wide
awoke, sitting up straight to welcome the unexpected guest.

“My pleasure.” Taeyeon shifted towards the side to make room for Tiffany. She was about to pour
some champaign in the empty glass but Tiffany stopped her, instead, Tiffany opened the bottle of
whiskey which she brought in and poured the liquor into her glass. Taeyeon watched in amusement
while the brunette downed her first glass. Déjà vu. Only the fact that they’re alone trapped in this
private cabinet but not by the bar.
“Congratulations on your concert, it was splendid.” Tiffany said sincerely with a gentle smile, propping
her head on the backrest, looking at the blonde intently.
“Did you enjoy it?” Taeyeon copied Tiffany’s exact posture, grinning while taking her sweet time to
study Tiffany’s profile. It was dark, but just bright enough for her to outline those long eyelashes, those
almond-shaped eyes, that kissable pair of lips that were always painted in red.
“Very. I sort of understand why the public and paparazzis have their eyes fixed on you now.”
“Pros and cons, there’s a price for fame but I’d rather not talk about it now.” Taeyeon said
nonchalantly, unwilling to ruin the present delightful moment. “So what made the unexpected
appearance?”
“There are posters everywhere about some petit singer holding a concert. I was curious since I rarely
listen to Korean music and my Korean friends seem to be very fond of this artist…so why not give it a
try?” Tiffany’s smile grew wider.
Another half-filled glass was emptied as Tiffany kept sipping on it. It never fails to amaze Taeyeon
how Tiffany could take in so much liquor yet able to compose herself well. At least Tiffany’s words
were still organised and perfectly comprehensible, her tone was calm, unlike most people after
drinking. Taeyeon on the other hand, was already getting dizzy after drinking few shots of champaign,
her world was slowly spinning, and the champaign wasn’t even that high in alcohol units.
“That was quite an expensive seat for someone just experimenting how broad their music taste could
get. I heard the tickets were very hard to get, especially the front rows.” Taeyeon smirked, taking a
brave step in attempt to tear the lion’s prideful mask away. So much for satisfying that curiosity of
yours, miss Hwang.
“I have my ways.” Tiffany didn’t fall for the trap but only gave a vague answer.
“Oh? I hope you didn’t do anything unlawful, miss corporate lawyer.”
“Don’t worry, I stick to my professionalism even after working hours, it was legal by all means.”
“Good, wouldn’t want to be involved in an illegal business scandal. Anyways, any comments
regarding the concert? Or the singer herself, compliment or not, I can take both.”

Tiffany looked at Taeyeon in silence for a second, her index finger tracing the edge of the empty glass
in a circular motion. Perhaps Dionysus also gets drunk too, there’s only so much one can take at
once. Taeyeon thought. She could visualise the wheels in Tiffany’s brain kicking and turning, a little
rusty and movements agitated under the influence of alcohol. They always say drunken words only
tell the truth, and she’s always been a fan of honesty.
“Well, although I’m no expert in this field, I thought the singer did exceptionally well.” Tiffany put down
the glass on the table. Her free hand gently caressed the side of Taeyeon’s throat. “Her voice was
calming and smoothing, yet so incredibly powerful.”
Taeyeon shivered when Tiffany’s hand slowly travelled from her throat upwards, brushing her lips
lightly in the process. Tiffany smiled, feeling content by the blonde’s reaction. She tapped the tip of
her nose before continuing her sincere thoughts.
“Her little nasal sound when singing was cute. Her dance moves were not overly complicated but very
much atheistically pleasing. Every word and sound that left her mouth was overflowing with
emotions…especially the ballad songs, people were wiping their eyes when she sang those songs.”
“Did she made you cry too?”
Taeyeon was curious. A voice kept repeating “Yes” at the back of her mind, a determination to win
overwhelmed her. As if this was some kind of competition between them, to win for domination, to
conquer and to tame the other. Kim Taeyeon hates to lose, she’d never accept losing against anyone
and anything. She’d rather die than losing, one way or the other.
“Almost, but I swore not to shed a tear anymore.” Tiffany merely shrugged, the uncaring manner was
too cold for her usually passionate personality.
“Guess the singer still has a long road to win this audience’s heart over.”
There Taeyeon went, treading on thin ice, along the define borderline set by Tiffany and agreed by
herself. It was an unplanned act on impulse, Taeyeon wouldn’t have the courage to push the
boundaries if alcohol wasn’t inside her system. Tiffany seemed unaffected by her bold move, her
tender touches now turned into another sweet gesture.
“The singer is talented, she has the voice I adore and her techniques are beyond great. It’s just
because…” She tugged Taeyeon’s fringe to the back of her ear. Taeyeon could smell the strong
bittersweet alcoholic scent in Tiffany’s breath as the latter closed the gap between them. With those
red lips only inches away from her own, Taeyeon tried with all her might but couldn’t advert her gaze.

“The emotions in your singing reminded me of my ex.” Tiffany’s voice was just above whisper.

And hatred and sadness are the only emotions that stir her heart whenever she thought of her ex.

She closed her eyes and kissed Taeyeon, letting herself go for yet another night.
(7)

Taeyeon woke up with a throbbing pain in head, alcohol was all that filled her senses first thing in the
morning.

Rubbing her puffy eyes, she took a look at the surroundings. Four walls painted in baby blue,
professional stereo system right before the bedpost, black furry carpet and some spooky-looking toys
she bought throughout the years. The familiar heartwarming scent and scenery helped alleviating her
headache, smoothening out her morning temper, at least she was back home lying on her
comfortable bed.
Taeyeon dragged her feet towards the open kitchen and grabbed some ice-cream from the fridge. Her
mother would scold her for mistreating her body by consuming junk food (also before brushing her
teeth), but honestly, she couldn’t give a damn as long as it helps relieving both her physical and
psychological condition. She sat at the bar table to prowl throw her bucket of ice-cream, a black
poodle came near and sat next to his empty bowl, silently watching his owner massaging her temples.
Taeyeon smiled widely upon seeing the cute pup, two of her favourite things on Earth came to rescue
her from a dreadful hangover, bad but not too bad at all.

“Looks like someone’s hungry. Alright, breakfast will be served in no time.” She bent down to give her
favourite non-human existence a good rub behind his ears. “Tell me, Ginger, was I awfully drunk last
night? Cause I don’t remember a thing.”

“So, you did go to the concert in the end.”

Tiffany sipped on her Iced Cappuccino, half ignoring the burning passion in her old friend, Kwon Yuri’s
eyes.

“I was bored and time wasn’t slipping away quick enough.” Contrary to her old friend’s enthusiasm,
Tiffany merely shrugged. She was never a good liar, lucky for her, Yuri isn’t quite the sharp type who
picks up any signals straight away. Lying through your teeth eh, Hwang Miyoung. Tiffany sighed
inwardly, still unsure of why she had to swallow the truth.
She was indeed interested in the petit singer. Ask any sane person, they’d nod and agree it’s not a
crime or sin to be curious about someone.
Yet lie was what Tiffany just told.

“It’s good to have your mind on something else, it’s exactly what your trip is about. You got to admit it
was worthy though.” Yuri commented sincerely, taking another sip on her freshly made coffee, not
forgetting to put on a victorious grin. After all, she just managed to persuade a stubborn mule
(metaphorically) into her favourite artist, for Tiffany wasn’t fond of Korean music ever since high
school.
Tiffany looked up at Yuri, battling and listing all the reasoning of whether she should continue with her
little lie.
There were so many moments that were imprinted on her mind, she wasn’t sure which one would fit
“excellence” more, maybe every single moment was worthy to be classified as “simply marvellous”.
Perhaps, it was the angelic voice that impacted her the most.
The heavenly voice evoked all emotions she had been trying to lock up once and for good.

“Well, I agree she’s quite talented, it was a spectacular concert to say the least.” Tiffany sighed, lying
wasn’t her forte and definitely least of her favourite thing. Moreover, Kim Taeyeon’s voice deserves to
be praised and recognised.

“Quite talented is an understatement. Honestly, she should try acting or modelling, it’s such a waste of
her other talents.”

Here we go again. Tiffany rolled her eyes while shaking her head lightly.

“Biased opinion much, Kim Taeyeon’s number one fan girl?”

“You should have seen her photo shoots from earlier years, she mastered that sexy concept in spite
of that innocent youthful appearance, totally proved her capability of carrying out various styles.” Yuri
exclaimed excitedly, as if she’s one of those hardcore fan union deputy or fan site master.
Though Yuri was talking about sexiness in women, that was solely platonic love, a combination of
admiration and worshipping, religion would be the closest synonym.
Tiffany was confident enough to conclude because it seemed like a norm among the Korean
entertainment industry. She was stunned to see how many female fans the said singer has, but then
again, she could relate to them on a certain level - Kim Taeyeon has a certain charm that allure
people, even women.

Even herself.

“Hey, don’t give me that blank look, I’m serious. She has a small physique but her body proportion is
good, speaking from a professional perspective.” Yuri lowered her voice, eyeing their surroundings to
make sure nobody was eavesdropping before leaning towards the confused Tiffany. “Reliable source
from colleagues, she’s been working out in the gym lately, both you and I would be amazed when she
reveals…”

Oh, I think the surprise was already ruined for me.

Tiffany drank up her Cappuccino, nodding nonchalantly upon her friend’s protest and the awaiting-to-
be-revealed-surprise-information. Of course she knew, oh, she knew it better than anyone else. Kim
Taeyeon’s frequent visits to the local gym centre, her workout results, her surprisingly fierce side
behind those innocent eyes, the way her fingers glide down her bare torso and so much
more…Tiffany knew them well. Previous encounters with Kim Taeyeon already took the surprise
away, nonetheless, Tiffany wouldn’t mind having it blown away too early this way at all. Oh, there’re
so many little tales of Kim Taeyeon that Tiffany knew of, but no one needs to know, not even her best
friend.

“Okay, okay, master of yoga. Let’s see how things turn out for her next commercial advertisement
then.”
“I don’t think she’ll accept…wait, you talk as if you know something.” Yuri raised her eyebrows in
suspicion, even coffee didn’t have her attention right now, her eyes were fixed on Tiffany like an eagle
that had found its prey.
“That I do.” The proud smile on Tiffany’s face grew wider as she increasingly enjoyed being an
insider. “My company recruited her to shoot an advertisement for our new hotel line.”
“Oh my god, you did not.”
“Yes I did.”
Yuri gasped and her signature shocked expression was back, Tiffany couldn’t help but let out a loud
laugh at her friend’s dramatic yet hilarious reaction.
“Is there any chance for you to meet her in person?” Yuri’s eyes were literally sparkling.
“Sorry to disappoint, but my duty is to deal with legal documents, Taeyeon will most definitely only be
staying inside the studio.”
“Darn, I was going to ask you to get an autograph from her.”

Tiffany spared a moment of thought before taking out her journal and flipped to the page with current
date written on top. The page was white as a brand new sheet except “Coffee with Yuri” was written in
one slot. Perfect. Tiffany thought, the visit is due to be made sooner or later - preferably the earlier the
better for the other person.

“Actually, today might just be your lucky day, Yuri.” She started searching for a specific name in her
phone contact list. “I’m meeting her later.”

Losing her phone was none other than disastrous to Kim Taeyeon.

She had been looking for the gadget since morning, her flat was nearly flipped upside down during the
search yet nothing was found, she even rushed to her cars to check even though she hadn’t been
driving for the past week. To her distress, Taeyeon still couldn’t find it anywhere, no luck asking the
staff who accompanied her way back home either. She couldn’t rely on her poor memory since
alcohol was all that remained in her system after last night’s celebration. In short, her phone had
really gone missing and untraceable.
Alerting both her agency and manager were the first thing she did, there wasn’t time to panic or worry,
they’d contact the mobile company right away to erase all information on her sim card. After a hectic
and frantic morning, life must carry on since she had an important project to work on today. Anxiety
only hit Taeyeon when the director called a break.
Her mind was too emptied and vulnerable for unsettling thoughts to hijack, no, she practically jumped
into the mind trap knowing it’d worry her to no end.
Taeyeon sat in silence inside the preparation room, desperate to put her mind at ease but failed
miserably.
There were pictures, passwords, contacts, messages, chat records, browsing history and everything
private on her phone. Although she’s always been paranoid and set passwords for nearly everything,
never went overboard in conversations, what if someone decided to hack it and sell the information to
the press? She’s been around for too long to think wishfully, to hope ethics is still implanted in media’s
nature. Just imagining the possible consequences made Taeyeon suffocate, unable to breathe
without trembling.
Taeyeon heaves a sigh for the countless time today, praying for her company to resolve this
emergency once and for all.

A knocking brought Taeyeon back from her thoughts.

“Taeyeon, do you have a moment? There’s someone we’d like you to meet.” It was her manager, his
tone was abnormally gentle and friendly.
What kind of visitor would make her agency make time for her to meet in person? That’s definitely a
first in her 10-year career. Taeyeon frowns in confusion, can’t help but feel slightly annoyed, there’s
already so much to worry about, she isn’t in the best mood to socialise with a stranger, not to mention
she’s still on set working.
“Yes oppa, come in.” Nonetheless, she disguises her dismay expertly.
The door knob turnes as she stands up, ready to bow politely to whoever is going to enter the room.
She freezes, eyes widen when her manager steps aside, revealing the surprise guest. A brunette
dressed in a burgundy blouse, a crepe pink thigh-heigh skirt and a plain white coat over her shoulder.
The elegant smart business outfit outlines the woman’s figure well, if Taeyeon didn’t know better,
she’d mistake her as a model or a star rather than a lawyer.
Tiffany, Tiffany, Tiffany. Always strikes unexpectedly.
Taeyeon mutters in the back of her mind, surprised yet thrilled to see the woman at the most
unexpected time and place. Definitely something new. She thought, shifting her eyes back onto her
manger who’s standing sideways to them.
“This is Miss Hwang, she’s the corporate lawyer in the Hwang company. We thought we should show
her the progress since she’s already in the building.” Her manager
“Please call me Tiffany, there’s no need to be so formal outside of conference rooms.” Tiffany bows
politely and extends her hand to Taeyeon. “Nice to meet you, miss Kim.”
“Taeyeon is fine. Excuse my appearance, I would have looked more presentable if I had known your
presence.” Taeyeon smiles timidly while shaking hands with the brunette. She was too worry sick to
have some touch-ups done during her short break, not that she really minds though since Tiffany had
seen her with minimum make-up on.
“No, my fault for coming unnoticed and you look amazing already, Taeyeon. Glad to know you’re the
one representing our company.” Tiffany’s tone is sweet and formal, nowhere similar to the way
Taeyeon remembers her way of talking…loud, determined, eager, dangerous and playful. Yet, this
side of Tiffany is just as interesting, the blatant contrast is adding spice to her knowledge of Tiffany
Hwang.
“My pleasure to have the opportunity to work with you too.” Taeyeon replied modestly.

A loud cry of her manager’s name from outside disrupted their greeting.

“Miss Hwang, I’m afraid I’ll have to leave you here temporarily, the crew is summoning me. I’ll bring
you the papers as soon as possible, are you pressed for time?” Her manager says apologetically.
Another desperate call for him indicating he really can’t stay for any longer. He takes a peek outside
the door and sighs in defeat.
“Not at all, please take your time and thank you, oppa.” Tiffany smiles and bows towards the man.
“No problem. And Taeyeon, please keep our guest company in the mean time.”
“Certainly.”

Taeyeon watches her manager leaves the room, only exhales lightly when the door clicks shut softly.

“That was quite a good act, you should consider pursuing a career in acting.” Tiffany smiles slyly, “Oh,
before I forget, here.”
Swinging her branded handbag swiftly, the brunette takes out a familiar silver-black device.
“Wha - My phone! Where did you…?!” Taeyeon gasps and her deformed speech contains a mix of joy
and confusion, making Tiffany chuckle in amusement. “I assure you nothing was done to it.” She
hands the phone back to its rightful owner, witnessing the worry in the singer’s eyes vanished like
smoke.
“You kind of left it on my lap when we were…spending some quiet time together last night. Your
colleagues were coming so I left in a hurry, I guess I accidentally grabbed your phone with me.”
“Did they…were we…?” Uncharacteristic speech of hers frustrates Taeyeon, she just can’t bring
herself to say the three letter word out loud. Her eyes dart to the side, embarrassed by what she was
implying.
Tiffany had to giggle at how suddenly the blonde acts shyly and reserved, where did that fierce
rebellious bad girl go? Kim Taeyeon seems to have quite contradictory sides, like how she would cling
onto her and make whiny sounds when drunk, a completely different image that is now permanently
saved in Tiffany’s memory.
“You mean caught in act? No, luckily you were too drunk to do anything. Also I took the back exit so I
don’t think anyone saw us together.” Tiffany tries to recall memories from last night, she nods again in
certainty.
“Nice to know. I spent all morning finding this stupid thing, almost had a heart attack. Thank you for
returning it.” Taeyeon sighs in relieve, showing her first genuine grin to her life saviour (literally, it
could end her career if the phone was in others’ hands).
“No problem.”

Taeyeon gestures the empty chair next to Tiffany to seat, but the latter shakes her head, leaning little
of her weigh on the desk instead. It is an awkward position for the both of them, Taeyeon decides to
remain standing, taking one step forward to close the gap between them.

“So, did you know about the Hwang company working with me beforehand?” She intentionally lowers
her voice, these walls are barely an inch thicker than a children’s book, she can’t risk anyone hearing
their conversation.
“Not before we met. I only knew a few days before the statement was made, but yes, I knew before
you did.” Tiffany said frankly, the grin widens as she scans the singer up and down, slowly.
“Fascinating to see you working though.” Never had Tiffany pictured the petit singer in a elegant long
dress, especially one in bright red. The blonde was always wearing comfortable baggy dark clothes in
their previous meetings, if not, fancy and exaggerating stage outfits during the concert. As if
discovering a brand new world, Tiffany tilts her head to get a better look at the dress - the curves
outlined by the fitted dress.
Taeyeon would have loved to have the brunette’s attention solely on her, but perhaps not this
particular moment when she already felt uncomfortable in this tight long dress. She feels so out of
place even though this is where she’s been in and out countless times in the past decade.
“Not quite the usual work I do, but you’ve seen it already.” Taeyeon shrugs, pretending she doesn’t
notice the glance given by the woman. “Are you just dropping by to watch me work?”
“Well, I’ve got to ensure we did hire the right person for our very first advertisement.” Tiffany says
nonchalantly, the corner of her lips curls upwards. Indeed, she’s more than satisfied with their brand
representative. Nice pick there, worth all the hassles she had to go through in order to persuade the
board with her decision.
“No other purposes at all?” Taeyeon smiled mischievously, dropping her tone lower on purpose. “Let’s
say…finish off where we left off yesterday?” She leans in and whispers into the brunette’s ear.
“Where you left off.” Tiffany corrects Taeyeon. “Much as I liked our previous meetings, today’s not the
day. Remember? It’s not an obligation.” Laying her palm against the blonde’s shoulder to maintain the
little distance between them, subtly refusing to let those lips touch her own.
“Through and fine with it.” Taeyeon understands the hint, it’d be too oblivious of her if she failed to
pick up the signal. She keeps her distance just as Tiffany wishes, smiling nonchalantly.
The obvious disappoint in the blonde’s eyes is too hard to miss. Tiffany can see right through
Taeyeon’s meticulous disguise, maybe she should take it back, Kim Taeyeon shouldn’t try going into
acting, not so soon.
She reaches out to smoothen out the wrinkle at the hem of Taeyeon’s dress, the gentle touches leave
a lingering feeling in Taeyeon’s heart. This is dangerously close and Taeyeon is sure Tiffany knows
that well, but playing with fire seems to be the nature of their relationship, and surely Tiffany is an
expert in the ring of fire. Her fingers trace along Taeyeon’s jawline, a lazy smile appears when she
senses the latter’s body tensing up.
Much as Taeyeon wants to ignore Tiffany’s decline and taste those red lips right now, she’ll retain
herself with all her might in respect to her new companion.
If this is a game, then she’ll make sure she’ll not lose without a fight.

A buzz in Tiffany’s coat pocket captures her attention.

The paperworks must be here already. She thought as she takes a quick glance at the lit screen,
indeed a new message from Taeyeon’s company.

“Now if you don’t mind, I have another meeting to attend to, you have work to focus on too.” Tiffany
walks to the door to check on the staff. Everyone was back in place, the background decorations and
cameras are all set, they seem to be eyeing Taeyeon’s little rest room too. “Looks like everything’s
ready to go.” She turns to face Taeyeon again, this time she takes the initiative to approach the latter.
She gave the singer a peck on the lips, those dark brown eyes are too irresistible, a deflated Taeyeon
is interesting to see, but her with a cute dimple smile is even better. Tiffany concludes. Just like now.
“Hold up!” Tiffany’s about to turn on her heels when a grip tightens on her wrist. She turns around,
finding a pair of determined eyes on her. “Can we meet again? Like, just hanging out like friends, no
obligations. Maybe a lunch or dinner?” Taeyeon stresses on the title of their previously undefined
relationship, her grip isn’t going to be loosed if her question goes unanswered.
Tiffany absolutely adores this side of Taeyeon, especially when she’s eager, willing to do anything to
achieve the end goal. It reminds her of her stubborn niece who wouldn’t take no for an answer, and
will nag until she gets what she wants.
Well, this woman with baby face might as well matches a child’s profile. Tiffany chuckles at the
thought.
“See you around, friend.”
Tiffany doesn’t answer the question directly, only giving Taeyeon a grin before she departs.
(8)

Promises are made to be kept, but what if there wasn’t a promise to begin with?
It would be easy to close case if there was verbal agreement, yet there was none but ambiguity,
unsolved riddles and undiscovered possibilities.

Unfortunately, all Taeyeon has is puzzling words from Tiffany Hwang.

Taeyeon has been frustrated and uncharacteristically grumpy throughout the past week.
Her company’s efficiency and their discrete ways of dealing with issues never fail to amaze Taeyeon.
The fact that they made sure all data was erased without a trace only hours after she declared the
disappearance of her phone, as well as took her phone in for a detailed clearing when she was
attending a meeting. The genuine surprise came when she realised her phone was as clean as new,
nothing was spared from the checkup, not even a picture of her dog.
Annoyed, yes, she definitely felt that, but she couldn’t be mad at those who only wanted to prevent
disasters. Moreover, she too, gave the company consent to have full access to her phone, with good
intentions.
Taeyeon wouldn’t be as frustrated as she is now if she hadn’t met the American woman back in the
gym.
First, she agreed to contact the brunette but failed to do so. And now, she lost her number, unable to
invite the latter to grab lunch with her.
Taeyeon went to the gym hoping to see the familiar figure, she even risked being seen by paparazzis
to try her luck at Heartbreak Hotel. Still, there was no sign of Tiffany, no connections since her sunbae
couldn’t contact the brunette too. Taeyeon was stuck, frustrated, disappointed and impatient, unlike
the person she always sees herself as - she just couldn’t endure the suffering of being passive.
Taeyeon wasn’t born an adventurous person, nor is she bold enough to wander off in search for
excitement. Frankly, there isn’t need for her to take initiative, people will always take their chances to
hit on her. In response, she’s usually passive or impassive, one or the other. Inputing effort is rare for
her, true, but she’s not going to stick to her character since she’s already out of it.

A day without work has come, Taeyeon decided to dial a number, expecting a truck-worth of nosy
questions being thrown at her.

“Hey, what a day to have you calling me!” A cheerful voice greets Taeyeon.
“You made me sound like a bad friend and it’s not true, Sunny.”
Taeyeon’s tone was lower and flatter than expected, not exactly the attitude she should have when
talking with her best friend slash ex-flatmate. It made the atmosphere awkward since she hadn’t
called Sunny for a while, especially when Taeyeon knew very well it’s supposed to be working hours
in where Sunny is.
“Relax! I was just kidding. Someone’s a bit grouchy today, what’s the matter?” Thankfully, her friend
just casually discards the tension.
“I was wondering if you can do me a favour…” Taeyeon mutters, fidgeting with the dogeared page in
the book she was supposed to read but never got into even the first page.
“Anything for my best friend, as long as it’s reasonable and practical.”
“Well, you know I’m reserved and always love staying home, spending time alone…I don’t really have
human connections, my social network is beyond limited and there’s someone I want to get hold of…”
Stop beating around the bush, Kim Taeyeon. Taeyeon bites her lower lip and sighs. “I’ve los-…” her
line is abruptedly cut off by a loud cry.
“You’re taking an interest in someone?!”
Taeyeon thought her eardrum was nearly penetrated by her friend’s suddenly raised volume. She had
to take her phone few inches away from her poor ear before speaking.
“I said I want to make contact with someone.” She repeated calmly, as-matter-of-factly, not dropping
the slightest hint for Sunny to pick up.
“A special someone it seems.”
“That’s your imagination and I’m not going to argue with you on this.” Taeyeon shrugs although
there’s no way her friend could see. “Anyways, long story short, I’ve lost her number. She’s working in
your field so I figured you might be able to help.”
“Oh? It’s a she? Do tell.” The playfulness in Sunny’s voice makes Taeyeon furrow her brows.
“Please hear me out, Soonkyu. No questions right now.”
Addressing her friend by real name is a clear sign for the latter to be serious. Sunny’s immediate
pause between speeches confirms the method indeeds work perfectly well every time. Guilt builds up
in Taeyeon because she knows how much her dear friend hates being called by this name, but she
really, genuinely, desperately needs Sunny’s sincere help right now.
Sunny’s small sigh came through the phone.
“Okay, fine, I’ll interrogate you thoroughly when I get back to Seoul. Which company is she working
for then?”
“The Hwang’s.”
“You mean the one that just shocked the Korea stock market by their ambiguous goal?” Sunny’s tone
lowers, half filled with suspicion and carefulness. Taeyeon wonders what caused the sudden change
of tone, but her priority isn’t investigating the relationship between Sunny and the Hwang enterprise.
Her mind and thoughts are entirely on something else.
“Yes though I have no idea what ambiguous goal you’re talking about. She works as a corporate
lawyer at The Hwang’s.” Taeyeon continues, picking up a pencil and started drawing random circles
on a blank page in the book.
“Do you know her name?”
“Tiffany. Tiffany Hwang.” Unconsciously, her pen jots down a name completely identical to what she
had just said.
Tiffany. In red letters. Reminding Taeyeon of those lips that twice left trails of red lipgloss marks on
her own lips, jawlines and down her neck. Those dangerous, irresistible, alluring red lips of Tiffany’s…
“Funny, a Hwang working for the Hwang’s.” Sunny’s voice make Taeyeon snap out of her flashbacks.
“Right, I’ll get back to you later, you owe me a dinner.” The former says hurrily, Taeyeon can hear
someone knocking in the background.
“Sure, thanks a lot, Soonkyu.”
“Don’t call me that name, unless you want to pay for another meal.” Another loud knock came from
Sunny’s end, forcing her to get off the line. “Gotta go, a CEO can’t be late for meetings.”

Taeyeon chuckles before bidding goodbye to her old friend.

Years of idol life with Sunny as her group member had made Taeyeon seldom forgets her friend is
now a busy CEO running a successful business, sometimes she’d call Sunny at the weirdest time due
to her irregular schudule, earning a scold from the latter for causing sleep deprivation. Nonetheless,
Sunny is still close with her even after the disbandment, they keep in touch regardless of the changes
in the nature of their occupation.
Taeyeon’s grateful for having a friend who understands how the entertainment world works.
Sometimes, it can be convenient for both of them in terms of having connections between the
business field and the entertainment industry, connections worth more than gold in their fields.
Information from various sources may come in handy.
Like now.

Tiffany’s phone beeped again, again and again throughout the past week.

Without even sparing a glance at the brightly lit screen, she gets up from the couch to wash up the
plate. If this was her house back in LA, she’d turn the stereo system right up to maximum to drown
those endless notifications, unfortunately she’ll have to stick with whatever she has now, in the heart
of Seoul. Her apartment is unusually quiet, Tiffany needs it, she needs time and quietness to think
clearly, she dares not to make yet another mistake by following her heart.
Her phone beeped yet again, vigorous vibrations startle the brunette who’s drown in her own thoughts
by the kitchen counter. Tiffany heaves a sigh, walking back to the coffee table and checks the device
that wouldn’t leave her in peace for the past 7 days. It’s him. The message sender’s name remains
“unknown” but she knows better than anyone, it is undoubtedly and definitely him, the one who ripped
her heart into pieces then left without a single word. What a surprise to be meeting him again in a
club, with nearly the exact setting when they first met.
Déjà vu. Her emotions, her feelings towards him, remains unchanged even if he hurt her in the most
ruthless way ever, even if he rewrote the definition of fidelity and commitment in her dictionary.
Everything is burdensome, yet there is a glimpse of happiness when he reappears, smiling timidly to
her.
Pretentious is his expertise, there are countless masks hidden behind those seemingly innocent eyes
of his, his tongue can tell a million lies without the slightest hesitation. For Tiffany was once a victim of
his cunning acts, she knew that all too well. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me.
Tiffany mentally reminds herself the idiom, stares at the screen blankly, has no intention to unlock the
device.
She turns it off before replacing the SIM card with a newly issued one, she’s been using the new
number since the day he decided to barge into her life again.
Truthfully, she’s confused and lost, unprepared to deal with a tangled, complicated relationship. Her
heart whispers yes while her head screams a big no, so she took Yuri’s advice, she’ll give all the time
and room in the world solely to herself to settle her mind and soul before making any decision.
Once her phone is back and running, no more messages come through to this new number. Tiffany
lies on the couch with an arm covering her eyes, her mind still in a mess, too weary to resort the
gears in her head to think.

And Kim Taeyeon was already far out of the picture when he strikes again.

Rapid fierce doorbell rings woke Taeyeon up from her well deserved sleep after working 48 hours
nonstop.

She reluctantly drags her bare feet to the foyer, opening her eyes a tiny bit to see who’s so eager to
ruin a peaceful morning from the CCTV monitor. Behind the closed door stands a petit woman with
short brown hair, dressed in a hoody, comfortable baggy trousers and trendy sneakers. Taeyeon’s
eyes widen when her brain finally kicks in, she quickly opens the door.

“Sunn-”
A weight clings onto Taeyeon as a warm hug embraces her tightly, muffling her unfinished sentence.
“Surprise Taengoo!” An energetic high-pitched voice rings in Taeyeon’s ear, it can only belong to
Sunny, her busy ex-flatmate and best friend. The shorter woman cups her face, turning her head left
and right as if she’s really examining Taeyeon’s features. “Aigoo, my little paper human has become
healthier! Let’s check the results of working out…”
“Perverting is not a proper way to greet your friend, Lee Soonkyu.” Taeyeon smacks the hand that
was trying to get under her pyjama top by reflex, glaring at the latter in displeased.
“You and your morning temper. I ran straight here after dropping off the luggage at home, I deserve a
breakfast and a best friend medal.” Sunny smells her shirt. “And I kinda stink, you better be grateful
because I chose telling you something before having a shower.”
Taeyeon raised her eye brows.
“Are you going to invite me in then?” Sunny urged Taeyeon by poking the blonde’s forearm. To her
surprise, it’s now firm and in perfect shape, visible thanks to Taeyeon’s sleeveless pyjama top.
Taeyeon let out an ‘ouch’ as usual though it didn’t hurt, she steps aside for her unexpected guest to
enter.
“Come in, I think I still have some cereals and milk left.”
“That’ll do just fine.”

After Sunny practically devoured two bowls of cereals, she starts picking out bits and pieces from her
huge travel bag, seemingly in search for something. Sunny finally stops the frantic searching after
pouring out everything, it was a personal journal, its faded cover suggested it’s frequently used. She
takes out a folded paper from it, handing it to Taeyeon who has been watching in silence.
“What’s this?” Taeyeon takes the paper and frowns upon unfolding it.
“See for yourself.”
A picture is printed on the paper, a photo printed to be precise. There is a Westernised looking
building in the background, people wearing black gowns with mortarboards, balloons and bouquets in
their hands. Although Taeyeon didn’t take education to a higher level, she knows this scene perfectly
well. A fresh looking bare-faced Tiffany is in the centre of the picture, wearing the biggest, brightest,
from ear to ear smile on her youthful face.
“That’s…Tiffany? So you found her.” Taeyeon takes a closer look at the picture, fascinated by a
significantly younger version of Tiffany. Never had she imagined the sexy, confident and eager
American woman looking so innocent and vulnerable. Experience and the adult world surely has
immense influence in everyone’s life, Taeyeon thought.
“I did as per request. It took quite some time though, it would have been a piece of cake if I knew her
real name.” Sunny retrieves the paper and flattens it on the table.
“Why didn’t you tell me earlier? You don’t have to come all the way to just deliver the message.”
Taeyeon frowns, it is unusual for her friend to withdraw information from her.
“There is something I need to tell and dig, it’ll be easier to talk in person.” Sunny explains, pointing at
the middle-aged man who is standing next to Tiffany in the picture. “See this person here? He’s the
president of the Hwang enterprise, this was taken at a university graduation ceremony.”
Sunny’s index finger then shifts to Tiffany, the girl who’s showing a signature eye-smile, linking arms
with the man.
“And there’s your Tiffany, linking arms with the president.” Her tone becomes more serious, tapping
on the girl in the frame slowly and repeatedly.
“Are you implying she’s…”
“Hwang, Taeyeon, Tiffany is a Hwang and she works for the Hwang’s, looking intimate with the
president.” Sunny holds in the urge to sigh, sometimes her old friend is too blunt to pick up the
simplest signal. “Has it come across your mind that she might have some connection to the
company?”
“No, you know how thousands of Koreans share the same surname, how would I guess?” Taeyeon
scoffs, folding her arms across her chest.
Undeniably, nearly everyone has the same surname in Korea. Hwang isn’t a particular special
surname to say the least, it won’t automatically give any hints, Sunny has to agree with the blonde’s
point.
“Well, luckily I have my source.”
“Just shoot away, Soonkyu.”
“Tiffany Hwang is the president’s youngest daughter, and she’s the successor to the Hwang
enterprise.” Sunny continues after taking a sip of coffee, retrieving the information that was only
stored a few days ago. “As far as the business world is concerned, the name Hwang Miyoung is the
only thing we know about this mysterious heir. No pictures, no information, no contacts and such.”
Taeyeon can only stare in wide eyes upon hearing Sunny’s words.
Confused, very confused, extremely confused and unable to process the information she had just
heard, Taeyeon stayed idle until Sunny scrunches her face because of the black coffee.
“Wait, you’re saying…Tiffany is not actually a corporate lawyer?” Has she been lying to me all this
time? Her name, her identity and could there possibly be more? The blonde stares at the girl in the
picture, questions start messing with her restless brain.
She would never know if Sunny didn’t find out about her, is there something Tiffany is trying to hide?
They are friends and don’t friends stay honest with each other?
Or maybe it’s because the American woman may not find Kim Taeyeon trustworthy enough to share
some details of her life. After all, they met in the gym centre, started off with final base, both agreed
not to intervene or tie a ribbon around each other. Tiffany has no obligation to tell and Taeyeon has no
right to ask.
It’s only natural for her to be oblivious to Tiffany Hwang’s life, but Taeyeon can’t help feeling
disappointed.
“Yes and no, she does work in that post for the company, I even got hold of her working number. But
heaven knows why is she living a covert life like this, her father had been rambling about leaving his
business at capable hands for a while now.” Sunny sighs again, she’d become a millionaire by now if
only a sigh worths a dollar. That poor old man, none of his children want to take over the family
business.
“You know her father?”
“Technically no, my father and uncle know him but I don’t. I’ve only met him once or twice in business
gatherings.”
“Okay…”
“There’s more I figured you should know.”
Taeyon isn’t sure where this is going. She knows Sunny far too well, nothing good ever comes when
the latter is speaking in such a flat tone. Like that time when her grandma died when she was working
at the radio station, Sunny called and informed her in the calmest, deepest tone Taeyeon had never
heard of. Or that one time when she confessed to Taeyeon about quitting an idol life, hoping for a
wish and support from her best friend.
Taeyeon hates it when Sunny’s face is pale and tensed, ready to break the news - like now.

“She was engaged not long ago.”

(9)

Some things are bound to happen no matter how hard one tries to avoid, sooner or later, all chains
will break loose.

Tiffany sits at the bar, downing yet another glass of strong booze, ignoring the hungry predators
whose eyes have been fixed on her all night. Although being one of many investors, Tiffany was
never a regular customer in Heartbreak Hotel, truthfully, it’s not her favourite place since it looks
awfully familiar with the bar where she met him. She has no one to blame but herself, she was in
charged of decorations and she picked the design knowingly. Whatever reason Tiffany had given
herself back then wasn’t important anymore, that was all pitiful lies in hope to convince herself that
she had moved on, persuading herself to build a tombstone to bid goodbye to her past relationship.
She was wrong, this place isn’t a tombstone for her unwanted past, but a grave for her freedom.
That’s right, she had dug a grave for herself and stupidly leaped in.
News travel fast, people are already talking about his arrival at Seoul, a city foreign to the both him
and her.
He’s hunting Tiffany like a leopard, born with extreme speed, hyper sensitive system, sharp claws and
ruthless nature, he doesn’t even let Tiffany catch a break. Then bam! He has tailed Tiffany all the way
from America to Seoul before she noticed. For Tiffany is a vulnerable prey with shields still
unrecovered from her last wound, she has nowhere to run nor hide, more so - she’s sick of this hide-
and-seek game. There’s no escape out on the plain, everywhere will become a hunting ground when
he is around, so Tiffany is just going to sit here and wait. She’s going to put herself out of mystery.

To Tiffany’s relieve, he’s not around, at least not tonight.

In comfort for her weary mind and soul, she decided to use alcohol to numb herself, to save her
weekend from endless sulking.
After downing the Nth glass, Tiffany knows she had hit her new limit when drowsiness started
bothering her, the letters on the drink menu are wobbly and flowing, she can’t order more liquor when
she can’t even read properly. Tiffany props her head with one hand, eye lids half closed, her head is
getting increasingly heavy. Sleepiness slowly taking over her mind, without a functioning balance
mechanism, Tiffany nearly fell off the highchair but something stopped her from falling flat just in time.
“I didn’t quite expect to find you in this state, but hi.”
Tiffany opens her eyes a little upon hearing a calm, smoothing female voice. Strands of blond hair
catches her eyes, then that exotic pale skin tone rings the bell in her head - Kim Taeyeon.
The blonde helps Tiffany to sit back up properly before leaning on the bar counter besides her.
Taeyeon fixes the hood above her head, politely refuses drink offer from the bartender, her attention
solely on the drunk brunette. She isn’t expecting any coherent or logical response from the latter in
this state, but there’s a saying about truth. They say truths will only be revealed under the influence of
alcohol. Taeyeon wants to test this hypothesis.
“You shouldn’t be here…people will recognise you.” Despite developing a headache, Tiffany is still
able to carry out a decent conversation, only few of her words turn into a chunk of syllables.
“I have more important things to take care of.” Taeyeon shrugs nonchalantly, shifting her gaze
sideways on the drunk brunette. “I have a question for you.”
No more beating around the bush this time, Taeyeon thought, she has had enough of agony.
Leaving questions unanswered is an agony, a pain that burns right through your soul, it bores a
massive hole into the deepest part of your heart. It’ll torture one brutally until he or she can take it no
more, and it’s the exact description of Kim Taeyeon’s life in the past few days. She’s not going to
endure the suffering anymore.
An answer is what she desperately needs for the time being.

“Are you engaged to someone?” Taeyeon tries to sound as impassive as possible.

Risky move was what she had bravely taken just now. Taeyeon carefully observes Tiffany’s
expression, she can’t picture nor imagine how would the latter react to the overly personal question.
Surprisingly, she’s abnormally calm right now in spite of having taken such a bold step, it was as if
she had finally shrugged off all the burdens on her shoulder.
Tiffany didn’t move an inch, her drowsy eyes are fixed on the empty small glass in her hands.
“You’re overstepping the boundaries here.” The significant obvious change in Tiffany’s voice made
Taeyeon frown. Her tone was cold as stone, signalling a pure rejection.
Boundaries this, boundaries that. Where does truth lie in the midst of all boundaries? Taeyeon balls
her fists, maintaining her composure. Patience, one step at a time, Taeyeon.
She needs a reason, a convincing legitimate reason to crack the nut.
“It’s not just about you. The situation is entirely different if you’re really engaged, think about the
media, work and my reputation.” Taeyeon explains, carefully constructed her speech, hoping the
brunette will fall under the guilt trap. “I need to know what I’ve gotten into.” She said sternly.
It’s true that everything will be damned if their relationship was revealed by the press, even more so if
Tiffany was really engaged to another famous heir in the business world. It’d be the end for the both of
them, especially Taeyeon, who has more to lose than Tiffany whose life doesn’t depend on publicity.
Taeyeon had to twist her words in order to get her answer, but the words turned out colder than she
would have thought.

Tiffany pauses and seemingly lost in her own thoughts, then a mocking grin appears on her rosy
cheek.
“I’ve warned you before, didn’t I? Stay away then, if you’re so worried about us.” Tiffany says while
asking for another strong drink.
Taeyeon waved at the bartender to discard Tiffany’s order, too much binge drinking does no good to
this conversation, a even more drunk Tiffany wouldn’t give her the answer. Tiffany’s mocking grin
causes anger to rise inside Taeyeon’s chest. The brunette’s impassive, dismissive attitude and her
stubbornness provoke her, perhaps it was insecurity that made her anxious.
For those who indeed have something to hide, they’ll try their best to avoid the subject, change it,
scoff at it, dismiss it, avoid it.
Deep down, Taeyeon knows her growing impatience and anger are caused by the ambiguity and
insecurity in Tiffany’s response.

“Why wouldn’t you just tell? It’s not like I can use this against you, my career and my life are on the
line too.” Much as Taeyeon tries to hold in her anger, but she unconsciously raised her voice which
made Tiffany frown.
The excessive alcohol is taking a toll on Tiffany’s system, even the smallest sound become a thunder
in her ears. Her head hurts, her senses become hyper active, Taeyeon’s presence is only adding to
her suffering. She’d beg for the blonde to leave her alone just for tonight, but the former wouldn’t
budge, Tiffany can tell from the way Taeyeon looks at her.
“Why do you want to know?” Tiffany doesn’t spare a glance at Taeyeon. “Does it matter to you?”
Tiffany’s words hit Taeyeon like an arrow, penetrated straight through her heart.
Tiffany’s right, it shouldn’t matter to Taeyeon for she’s just another stranger whose path is crossed
with Tiffany’s. Yet, it does matter, though Taeyeon can’t justify the reason. It was a tug at the heart, a
burden on her chest, she just can’t let this go.
“Honesty matters.” Taeyeon mutters. Ironic, how she’s demanding Tiffany’s honesty when she’s not
giving her most sincere answer herself.
“I didn’t lie, you didn’t ask either.” Tiffany frowns while massaging her temples, her headache seems
to be worsening. “I don’t want to talk about this right now.” Her voice thick with tiredness, too annoyed
to think. Thanks to the never ending conversation, her numbness is now vanished, she’s more sober
than before.
Tiffany grabs her overcoat from the highchair but is stopped by a tight grip on her wrist.
“You’re just going to walk away after you’ve dragged me into this?” Taeyeon says displeasingly,
there’s no way she’ll let the brunette flee.
“What do you want me to do then?!” Tiffany yanks Taeyeon’s hand away, unconsciously raising her
voice at the blonde, earning odd glances from others surrounding them.
Taeyeon immediately use her free hand to pull her hood further downwards, covering the top half of
her face. She grabs Tiffany’s wrist again, tighter this time to make sure the latter wouldn’t have a
chance to break free.
“An answer is all I need, Tiffany, just one answer.” Taeyeon lowers her voice, unwillingly to attract
anymore unwanted attention.
“Yes. There, happy?” The brunette turns around and glare at Taeyeon, finally giving the answer the
blonde demands. “Send me the bill.” She says to the bartender, making full use of the advantage of
being the owner.

Tiffany ignores her call from behind, nearly lost her balance as soon as her heels touch the tile floor.
She steadies her pace, continues walking away from the bar, away from everything that brings her
nothing but headaches. She can’t walk any fast under this condition, she can’t even narrow her sight
to make the road straight again. Her world is blurry, out of line, out of shape. Tiffany hears rapid
footsteps coming from behind, it doesn’t take a second guess to know who’s chasing after her.
“Wait!” A shout echoes in the narrow alley, the footsteps becoming louder and louder. Tiffany wants to
get away but the best she can do now is to keep herself balanced.
Finally the chaser caught up with her, a hand holding onto her wrist again to prevent retaliation.
Before Tiffany could snap at Taeyeon, the latter forcefully spin her around, pulling her arm over her
shoulder to support the weight. Now, Tiffany’s final escape route is finally cut off, half of her body is
leaning on the petit blonde. Although Tiffany wants to resist, the strength inside her body is withdrawn
completely.
Besides, a shoulder is probably what she needs the most right now.
“Hate me all you want but you’re not heading home like this, I’m driving.” Taeyeon declares, no
negotiation is allowed, not when the brunette is obviously too drunk to go home alone at this hour.
She’s frustrated and angry, she’d love to leave this place and this woman, take a spin to let some
steam off, to empty her mind - if only she could bring herself to do so. Her conscience can’t let her
stand and watch the brunette wander in the night in this state. It worries her, it hurts her to see Tiffany
treating herself like this.

Without resistance from the brunette, Taeyeon takes Tiffany to her car and speed away.

None of them said a word during the ride.

It was a long drive to Tiffany’s apartment, the cool breeze coming from the rolled down window wipes
away the remaining alcohol in Tiffany’s system. The throbbing pain is diminished, but her heart is just
as heavy as the moment she stepped inside Taeyeon’s car. To Tiffany’s delight, they arrived at her
apartment at last, she was relieved the whole journey was somewhat smooth and peaceful, no
tagalongs at least.
Tiffany mutters a thank you under her breath and hurries out the car. “I’ll walk you back.” Taeyeon
says quietly. She walks a few steps behind Tiffany, maintaining a safe, comfortable distance between
them since they’ve just had a quarrel. Taeyeon means well, Tiffany knows that, moreover she doesn’t
have the energy to decline or initiate another argument right now, so she let Taeyeon continue
accompanying her.
They walk in silence, all the way into the elevator inside Tiffany’s apartment building and right in front
of her doorstep.

Tiffany punches in the keys to her apartment while Taeyeon watches in the hallway.
Not quite the way I wanted the night to end, but at least she has returned home safely. Taeyeon
thought, turning on her heels to leave Tiffany in peace.
“He cheated on me.” Tiffany’s voice is just above whisper. “Four months away from wedding and he
cheated on me.”
Taeyeon doesn’t know how to respond to the sudden confession, an answer she’s been desperately
looking for these days. All she can do is to stare at the unmoved Tiffany in wide eyes.
“Funny, after all the things he had done, I still couldn’t beat myself up to cancel the engagement.”
Tiffany’s voice is shaking slightly, due to anger or sorrow, Taeyeon doesn’t know because all she can
see is the brunette’s now crooked back.
“Pathetic, aren’t I?” Tiffany holds her head down, fingers still holding onto the unturned keys, her voice
finally cracked as tears welling up. “I can’t be free, I don’t know how to free myself from the past,
they’re haunting me day and night…” Tears Tiffany’s been trying fight back now crumbling down her
cheeks. She makes sure her back is facing the blonde, so that the latter won’t be able to witness this
side of her.

Maybe there are more to Tiffany’s monologue, maybe what she’s about to do is breaking the
boundaries, but Taeyeon can’t care less. She launches forward and gently turns the sobbing woman
to face her, pulling her into a tight hug. Guiltiness, painfulness, regretfulness and
pitifulness…confusing, complicated emotions collide and mix with one another, making Taeyeon act
on impulse.
Tiffany’s body relaxes in her embrace, she buries her face into Taeyeon’s shoulder and let tears flow
as they please. Hearing the muffled sniffing and sobbing break Taeyeon’s heart, she tightens her
arms around the burnette’s waist.

“I’ll show you how to be free if you let me.” Taeyeon mutters.
(10)

To have someone witnessing you exposing your weakest side was awkward to say the least, but even
more awkward finding that someone had probably spent the night in your flat. Tiffany is one of those
“lucky” people who got to experience all these in a roll.

Tiffany woke up at noon (very unlike her healthy daily routine) to find a handwritten note on the dining
table, the scribbles are in Korean, pretty much tells who wrote it since Tiffany’s colleagues and friends
rarely write Korean - apart from that certain someone who wandered her way into her life recently.
The handwriting is neat and small just like its writer, simple words that convey a good morning, a
“takeaway breakfast is in the fridge”, a “promise I didn’t do anything at all” and finally, a “I’m going to
work, call me later, goodbye”. Tiffany glances at the bottom right corner where the writer addressed
her name - Taeyeon, for some reason, it was written in English.
So Kim Taeyeon was really here last night, that means she really did cry in front of the blonde, it
wasn’t a dream at all. Tiffany raffles her messy bed hair in frustration, that’s why she shouldn’t binge
drink, things always get out of control when alcohol has taken over the lead. She hates her weakest
side being exposed, in fact, she can’t even remember when was the last time she cried like a lost
child, not even on her mother’s annual memorial day. On one hand, Tiffany is mad at herself for losing
control, leaking her abandoned past just like that. On the other hand, she’s trapped because facing
Taeyeon would feel incredibly weird now.
But firstly, the current problem she’s facing now is retracing the memory from last night. All she
remembers is letting her tears flow in Taeyeon’s arms, next she was already being tugged in bed,
then it was already noon when she woke up in haste. There’s a wide memory gap in the hours when
she’s between drunk and sober, she remembers hearing some soft mutters from Taeyeon but unable
to piece them together, what did Taeyeon say? Did she stay until she finally fell asleep? When did
she leave? Why is she being so nice to her knowing it’s probably going nowhere?
Tiffany recalls telling Kim Taeyeon at least twice about her being unavailable, not because she’s
dating anyone, but because she’s not seeking a relationship, not so soon. Yet, here Taeyeon is,
waltzing her way into her life and prying into her past, seemingly unaffected by those boundaries they
had agreed upon. That blonde singer is indeed weird and unreadable, Tiffany thought, sipping her
afternoon coffee in hope to kick her brain back to functional. She had missed today’s work unnoticed,
she expects her mailbox has exploded by now, but her mind is still set on her last counter with
Taeyeon, from last night.
Kim Taeyeon isn’t the source of her headaches and miserable moods. After all, she has no one to
blame but herself, she, Tiffany Hwang, is the one who led on.
Tiffany shakes her head, furrows her brows as she silently heaves a sigh.

Taeyeon didn’t receive any calls from the Tiffany all day, not even a thank you message from the well-
mannered woman.

It was expected though, after spending quite some time with Tiffany, Taeyeon figured out some
distinctive traits of Tiffany’s, including her usual reaction when something’s troubling her, or when
she’s recomposing herself. Taeyeon could get used to not contacting Tiffany for a few days, quite
frankly, she’s glad the latter hasn’t called since things is bound to get awkward between them. Never
had Taeyeon thought a tough woman like Tiffany would cry helplessly like that, vulnerable and
absolutely shattered, it stung her like a spear penetrated right through her heart. Peeling others’ scars
was never Taeyeon’s intention, all she wanted was only an answer, she got her answer in the end but
the damage is already done. She watched Tiffany sleep, making sure the latter wouldn’t shed tears
again in her sleep, then left before the flat owner woke up - that’s the least she could do to
compensate the heartbroken woman.
Maybe Tiffany is right, she’s overstepping boundaries which only resulted in inflicting pain on Tiffany.
Taeyeon doesn’t know where this is heading, she got an answer and what now? How exactly is she
going to heal those wounds spread all over Tiffany’s heart and soul?
Would Tiffany let her in?

Taeyeon tapped on almost every application on her phone absentmindedly. True that she should be
focusing at meeting now, but the image of a weary Tiffany doesn’t budge at all.
The president keeps praising her for the record breaking sales of her second solo album in digital and
hardcopies, also talking about organising more solo concert in the near future. Everything would make
Taeyeon’s stomach flip in joy and excitement, but her mind is somewhere outside this confine,
probably still wandering in Tiffany’s apartment.
Still no messages from Tiffany. Taeyeon checks her inbox for the countless time today, she sighs
rather loudly, capturing the president and everyone’s attention.
“Are you okay Taeyeon? We’re nearly done here so you can go home and rest, you’ve been working
your socks off lately.” The president said while gesturing her manager to get his attention. “Please
take Taeyeon home safely.”
“Thank you President Kim, but I think I’ll walk home.” Taeyeon declined his offer politely, already
getting up from her seat, ready to take leave.
“At this time of night? People are going to recognise you, it might get out of hand.”
“If anything happens then I’ll let you know as soon as possible, besides, I need some fresh air.”
Indeed she needs some time and space alone to think things through. Taeyeon put on a weary smile.
“Okay, take care and let us know when you get home.”
“Sure, goodbye President Kim.” Taeyeon bowed and leave the meeting room, instantly feeling
relieved since there was no more rambling at her ears.

Taeyeon steps out the elevator and stops by the reception in the lobby.
A woman leans on the reception desk, dressed in casual light grey sleeves hoodie, skinny jeans and
flat pumps, her rich honey brown locks tied up in a bun. Taeyeon almost didn’t recognise the brunette,
only realising it was indeed Tiffany when she smiles timidly and waves at her.
It was an utter surprise to see Tiffany here, right at where she works, dressed so casually and also
with minimal makeup on, a very different Tiffany from whom Taeyeon has always relate to.
Nonetheless, it was a pleasant surprise, too pleasant that made her footsteps lighter, her mood felt
brighter, her grin grew wider.
Taeyeon walks faster towards the brunette, gesturing her to walk along with her, away from the
reception.
“The receptionist said you were busy so I thought I’d wait a bit.” Tiffany walks by Taeyeon’s side to
keep up with the blonde’s pace, she doesn’t know where the singer is going, but she’ll tag along for
now.
Taeyeon is surprised by how casual and cheerful Tiffany is after last night. She had pictured their next
meet up more miserable, more embarrassing and foremost, so awkward that they’d rather dig a hole
to hide. Taeyeon can’t help but smile to the friendly brunette who always shows up unexpectedly, it
seems like her life is now officially tangled with Tiffany Hwang’s.
“I was kind of busy but no, anyways, you could have messaged me you know, it saves you from
waiting in boredom.”
“It’s okay, I don’t want to interrupt you from work, and it was nice chatting with people.” Tiffany said
nonchalantly, turning around to wave goodbye to the receptionist whom she’s been talking to. Then
she’s back walking besides Taeyeon. “It’s nothing important, I was thinking I should thank you in
person…you know, walking me home, buying breakfast and all. I want to thank you for taking care of
me and It’s more sincere this way, face-to-face.”
“Do I get to have you grant me a wish as a repay for my generosity?” Taeyeon smiles sheepishly, her
sudden request made Tiffany suspicious.
“I’ll listen to your wish but no guarantee though.” Tiffany raises her eyebrows curiously, careful not to
grant anything that’s too ridiculous, or say, crazy and weird.
“Take a stroll with me?”
That’s it? A stroll? Tiffany blinks in surprise, she was expecting something more…daring or perhaps
special, certainly not an ordinary activity one can practice everyday. Tiffany looks at Taeyeon to make
sure she heard it right, indeed Taeyeon’s serious expression proves her hearing is perfectly well.
A stroll it is then. Tiffany nods and the blonde grins in return. “This way, let’s take the back exit so we
won’t attract too much attention.” Taeyeon guides Tiffany to another passage far from the main
entrance, they exit the building and into the night.

They grew quiet as they walk slowly on empty streets. A couple of people recognised Taeyeon due to
her blond hair, but none of them approached or disturbed them. There wasn’t anyone tailing them too
so Taeyeon felt a bit more relaxed as the cool breeze welcomes her. She missed taking long walks at
night like this, she’d go out for a walk whenever her mind was occupied, it was her habit back when
she was still a trainee. This place and this bridge by the road, right by the river, has always been her
favourite spot of all time.
Taeyeon stopped and leaned against the iron railing, staring at the dark river ahead. Tiffany follows
suit, having her back leaned against the railing, her hands tugged into her hoodie pocket. Strangely,
for a blabby social butterfly like her, the silence between them is somehow comforting, nerve-calming,
smoothing the crease on her forehead. It feels natural to have Taeyeon around even if no words were
spoken, as if they’ve known each other for more than a decade. Tiffany is surprised to find herself at
peace in Taeyeon’s presence.

“I feel better after last night.” Tiffany mutters, unlike her usually loud voice, it was much softer, more
genuine.
“Are you talking about the binge drinking or ruining my favourite shirt with your tears and slime?”
Taeyeon jokes with a playful smile, only to see Tiffany rolling her eyes in response.
“I’ll pretend I didn’t hear that, but thanks, it’s been a while since I last let it all out.” Tiffany
displeasingly discards the joke, her tone now deepens and slightly weary. “All I did was to avoid,
pretending nothing happened so that there would be no wounds. Apparently denial doesn’t work.”
Why is she confessing to Taeyeon like a sinner to a priest, begging for God’s forgiveness, Tiffany
doesn’t know, it was just an urge to do so. Maybe because she feels safe with Taeyeon, she trusts
Taeyeon well enough to share the deepest feelings that had been bottled up for too long.
“You shouldn’t thank me because I wasn’t being considerate at all. Sorry for causing more pain to
you.” Taeyeon sighs regretfully, if only she had known it hurts Tiffany so much, she wouldn’t insist to
have her way.
“It’s better to face it once and for all. To be honest, I’m grateful you did that because I’m not sure if I’ll
have the courage to confront myself.” Tiffany merely shrugs, giving the blonde a reassuring smile
hoping it could at least wash away some of Taeyeon’s guiltiness. She moves closer to Taeyeon until
their shoulders touched, sharing the warmth as the wind blows harder.
“Glad to know I’m at least helpful in some way.” Pun intended. Taeyeon takes off her jacket and
places it on Tiffany’s shoulders, covering her bare arms.
“Aren’t you cold? You’re wearing only a tank top, you need this more than I do.”
“Nah, I’ve been practicing all day and I’m boiling.” Lies. Taeyeon noted inwardly. Neither did she
practice or feel hot, but she hates seeing a Tiffany looking weary and vulnerable again, so her jacket
must go. “Thank you.” Tiffany said quietly, eyes fixed on the river just like what Taeyeon’s been doing
all this time.

It was a quiet place regardless of the cars speeding their way across the bridge. No one would stop
and stare at the two women taking an evening walk by the river.
It was an ideal place to confess, to let the heart but not the mind speak - should anything goes wrong,
toss it to the wind, or let the rowdy car engines be the scapegoat for mishearing.

“Hey…you said you know how to be free…Have you been through this too?” Tiffany asked cautiously,
afraid the question may perhaps be too personal. “Of course you don’t have to answer, excuse my
nosiness.” She quickly adds when Taeyeon remained quiet upon hearing her words. Shit, what was
she thinking? Trespassing the lines drawn by no others but herself, what a hypocrite, Tiffany Hwang.
Tiffany wants to slap herself for making such a dumb move, but seeing Taeyeon’s gentle smile made
her rules and boundaries fly out of the window again.
“Being cheated on? No. But bad breakups and failed relationships, definitely a yes. Adding on top of
that, bad public reception after the press release.” Taeyeon speaks in a soft tone, calm and
composed as if she’s telling someone else’s life story. The breeze caresses her blond strands, her
hair messy but glows in the midst of night. “It took me two years to recover from the damage caused
by dating, still recovering right now, to this day.”
“Was it that bad?” Curiosity got the best of Tiffany, even if she knows perfectly well that she shouldn’t
continue heading down this direction.
Taeyeon spares a moment of thought, watching at the waves hitting the shore beneath the bridge.
Tiffany anticipate patiently, she isn’t expecting much for Kim Taeyeon was never a talker, at least not
much about her own self.
But the petit blonde singer never fails to amaze Tiffany.
“It’s hard to say in my position. It was a stupid mistake I’ll regret for life, hence I deserved all the
hatred and bashing directed at me, at least I think so. The backlash hit me very hard, I must admit,
the most frustrating thing was none of those guys I dated had a backbone to withstand the hardship
with me. The last time this happened, I was that close to quitting this job and to become a hermit back
in Jeonju. No love means no more drama, no more jerks.” Taeyeon’s smile fades a little, it’s true that
she wears her heart at her sleeves. Although she’s already accepted her past and mistakes, she has
moved on, still it’s hard to suppress the sadness whenever she thinks about them.
Guilt almost consumed Tiffany inside out. She really shouldn’t have asked, it was no different from
peeling someone’s scab, and now Taeyeon’s wound is exposed, she could see the pain in Taeyeon’s
eyes clearly.
“I’m sorry to hear that, it must be very tough for you.” Tiffany averts her gaze, trying hard not to meet
with those sad eyes because it makes her heart sink even deeper.
“Don’t be, I’m all fine now, time and music heals.” Taeyeon turns around to give Tiffany a reassuring
smile. It’s genuine enough to take some guilt off the brunette’s shoulder. “But you, Tiffany, you don’t
deserve to be heartbroken like this - you deserve to be loved.” Taeyeon looks into those dark brown
orbs of Tiffany’s, her tone filled with none but sincerity.
Locking gaze with the blonde, Tiffany becomes speechless. Suddenly all barriers around her heart are
broken down, the urge to spill everything piling up in her heart is back.
“I want to, be loved and to love.” Her lips are moving, words are flowing out shakily, her voice
desperate. It’s not Tiffany who’s speaking, it’s her heart that’s unravelling. “I want to be free from him
so I can love again.”
“All you gotta do is try.” Taeyeon places her hand on top of Tiffany’s, just touching the back of her
hand with delicacy. “We can try together.” If only you give me, give us a chance. Taeyeon slowly
closes the gap between them, holding onto the brunette’s hand as those long fingers laced with hers.
Taeyeon’s forehead leans against Tiffany’s, her eyes never left the latter for half a second.
“Where are we going with this?” Tiffany whispers, hoping maybe an answer will appear in the singer’s
gentle eyes. Insecure, nervousness, worries, lost and confused - she needs a map, a guideline to
show the way, so that she can move forward.
“I have no idea, but I’m willing to take the leap.” Giving her hand a light squeeze, the firmness in
Taeyeon’s tone warms Tiffany’s heart, her hold brings tremendous comfort.
“What if there’s only downfall in the end?”
“Then we’ll get crushed, together.” Taeyeon smiles, a rather childish grin that shows her dimple.
The corners of Tiffany’s lips upturns, her eyes welling up but she managed to hold them in. It’s a
weird night, to experience so many emotions within 24 hours and to shed tears without really knowing
why. Maybe it’s the warmth from Taeyeon, maybe it’s the singer’s blunt but sincere words that gets
her. Emotions just hit her like a truck.
“Sounds horrible.” Tiffany mutters, tightening her grip on Taeyeon’s hand. “But it’s not something I’ve
never done before.”

Taeyeon could see Tiffany’s eyes glistening with tears though they didn’t fall from the latter’s cheek.
She holds Tiffany’s cheek with her free hand, caressing it slowly with her thumb.

Then she closes her eyes and leans in, capturing those cherry lips tenderly.
(11)

It didn’t take long for Tiffany to recompose herself as her work demands both professionalism,
concentration and devotion.

The past few days felt like a dream to Tiffany. It started as a nightmare haunting her with him
constantly reminding her of a failed relationship, then there was the petit blonde singer, holding her
tightly at her weakest times, holding her hand inviting her to take a leap of faith together. Tiffany felt
as if she’s lost all sobriety through these days and nights. It felt surreal when her fingertips touched
the pair of lips that was showering her with gentle kisses, losing the Tiffany Hwang she thought
herself as when looking into those soft dark eyes, her body shivered under those tender touches,
every inch of her skin, her heart, sensitive as a fragile newborn.
Kisses and a whisper of goodbye were what they last shared before Taeyeon walked her back home
the other night, no trespassing, no breaking the rules that are still valid since they aren’t entitled to
anything, not just yet.
Her heart definitely felt lighter after series of events, at least pain is alleviated whenever Tiffany thinks
about him, little progress but it’s still a start. Tiffany saves the document file on her desktop, trying her
best not to let her mind wander on the vibration coming from her drawer. She needs to be 100%
focused, undistracted so that she can give her best at work - so she had hoped, but her mind already
betrayed her. Failing miserably, Tiffany finally opens the drawer to take out the now silent device, it
sat quiet in her hands for few seconds, soon its screen lit up as a text came through.

“Sorry to disturb you at office hour, but I was wondering if you have time this weekend? Let me know
after you’re finished with work.” A sweating emoticon is followed by another dorky smile emoticon.

Tiffany has to smile to that, somehow those weird emoticons resemble the petit singer, especially that
one with opened eyes and a wide dorky grin, a dimple is what it lacks to be complete. “It’s fine. I think
I’m free all weekend, why?” She quickly replies, in contrast to Taeyeon’s message, hers is rather plain
and straightforward, even a bit too boring.

“There’s a place I want to go. It’s quite a long drive away, but I’ll do all the driving so…wanna join
me?” Another text came through at the speed of light, Tiffany wonders if all celebrities have that much
free time on hand. Nonetheless, she keeps the conversation rolling, curious about where the singer is
leading her.
“Sounds straight out of a horror film that involves kidnapping.”
“Good idea. Would I have the honour to kidnap you for a day then?” Taeyeon plays along, not
forgetting to add a thinking emoticon at the end.
“Only if you treat the victim nicely and return her home safely.”
“Yes ma’am, I’ll kidnap the victim with my best ride and treat her like a princess.” The message is
followed by a saluting soldier, making Tiffany giggle at the cute dorkiness. “See you on Saturday, I’ll
come pick you up at your apartment parking lot.” Tiffany types a brief “okay” before someone knocks
at her office door. She sighs, putting her phone back into the drawer then locks it, patting her face
lightly. “Focus, Tiffany, now.” She mutters to herself.

Taeyeon was right about picking her up in the underground parking lot, the singer would definitely be
targeted within seconds if she were to wait out on the streets. Tiffany stares at the pitch black 2-seater
Porsche, metallic coating with a carbon fibre hood, low-ride and red seats - indeed a luxurious car you
would stop and stare for a good while.
“You got a new car?” Tiffany remembers another Porsche Taeyeon used to drive, it shares some
similarities to this but not screaming the word “new and exclusive” silently, definitely not looking like
it’s from a sci-fic film too. “Nice car, by the way.” She leans in to study the exterior design of the
Porsche, although she has absolutely no knowledge in sport cars, admiring the curves and edgeless
design is another matter.
“Thanks, it’s new and you’re my first passenger.” Taeyeon grins proudly as her leans on the car door,
her eyes brimming with excitement and eagerness, she even wore her favourite (most comfortable)
clothing to maximise the new experience. She opens the door and Tiffany gladly hops in, still
fascinated by every interior detail. The leather, the define cutting and smoothness across the trim,
even the neon blue headboard light felt impressive.
“It’s this year’s new model.” Taeyeon hops in the driver’s seat, igniting the car then in came a furious
roaring from the engine. “V8 engine, over 447kW max power output, 345 km/h tops, 0 to 100km within
2.6 seconds…” Taeyeon looks satisfied while murmuring information which Tiffany doesn’t
understand. The brunette looks at her amusingly, waiting for the admiration to halt.
“Are you a car maniac? Your eyes are sparkling when it comes to cars.” Tiffany observes Taeyeon as
the latter blushes, so she was right, her analysis on people is always accurate and on point.
Well this is new, never had she met a woman so passionate about cars, those supposedly masculine
hobbies and interests…and here Kim Taeyeon is, driving a brand new fast car, talking about cars like
women talking about a shopping trip. The contrast is even bigger when Taeyeon sits comfortably in
her seat, with her youthful appearance and a petit figure, looking like a school kid getting a taste of
driving.
“Yes. I’m not mad enough to own a Ferrari, Lamborghini or Bugatti though, that’s just too much.”
Taeyeon clears her throat, feeling a sudden need to defend herself. Of course she doesn’t own those
lovely super cars, but she does own another Mercedes two-seater, a silver beauty that captures her
heart at first sight. She’ll introduce Tiffany to it soon, hopefully.
“But you still like them.” Tiffany puts on a victorious grin.
“True, but fuel cost, maintenance and everything must be taken into account too, plus their butts are
not as pretty as this baby.”
Tiffany’s eyes widen, did she just hear butt?
“Excuse me?”
“I-I…I mean the car boot, the back of my car looks nicer, yeah, that’s it.” Taeyeon nearly bit her own
tongue in haste to explain, she can’t believe the word just slipped, she wants to smack herself.
“I’m pretty sure you just said the word butt.” Tiffany squints at a blushing Taeyeon, the singer’s pale
skin doesn’t help covering the growing redness. “Pervert.” She comments, her tone’s judgemental yet
playful enough.
“No, I’m not a pervert, I’m just a nice kidnapper.” Taeyeon pouts.
“Admit it, you’re a byuntae.” Tiffany holds the urge to pinch those puffy cheeks. Why does a 27 years-
old woman so cute like this? Did Kim Taeyeon lie about her age?
“Fine, I’m nice kidnapper plus a byuntae, you can’t deny my car has a nice butt though.” Disliking
losing in anything (including debates, of course), Taeyeon deflates a little and keeps pouting. Her car
is indeed a good-looking one, nobody can object to that.
Tiffany laughs.
“Super-byuntae-pervert.”

Tiffany steps out of the car, taking a deep breath with her eyes closed.
“So this is what the 3-hour drive is about, Jeonju huh?” The brunette stretches her limbs, still numb
from the long drive but it was endurable. The stereo system in Taeyeon’s car is rather impressive too,
as long as there is music, she doesn’t mind being trapped inside a car for longer hours.
Taeyeon fixes her hair that was blown messy during the ride, flashing her companion a smile. She
puts on a cap to make sure most of her features are well hidden. “Can you wait here while I get
something? I’ll be right back.” She points at the tiny shopping mall behind with her thumb.
“Sure.” Tiffany answers nonchalantly, still taking in the scenery before her.
Jeonju is almost the exact opposite of Seoul, a combination of rural old-fashioned sites and urban
area. Quietness and relaxing is what Tiffany felt so far, unlike the hectic fast-paced Capital that
reminds her nothing but stress and work, most of the time. It took quite a while to get here from the
big city, but they made it just in time to catch a glimpse of sunset. The sky is painted with shades of
orange, velvet near the edge of the sun, the rest is circled by soft light blue. She takes off her
sunglasses to take a good look at the ethereal scene, taking a snapshot of it with her phone and
categorised it under a file called “Step 1”.

Before Tiffany realised, Taeyeon already returned with a goofy grin. There’s something small and
dexterous moving fast round her feet, Tiffany tilts her head and frowns at whatever Taeyeon has
brought back - “Oh my god.” She exclaims when she finally sees the little black thing peeking from
behind Taeyeon’s legs. It’s a black poodle.
“Meet Ginger, my little man. And Ginger, this is Tiffany noona.” Taeyeon bends down to stroke the
poodle’s curly black fur, lifting its foreleg to wave at the surprised brunette. “Hi, I’m Ginger Kim, I’m
almost 4 years-old.” Taeyeon mimics the squeaky voice of a young child. Tiffany lets out a small laugh
at the blonde’s childishness, nonetheless, she kneels down to pat Ginger’s head.
“Hi there, would you kindly tell me where this kidnapper abducted you so I can return you to safety?”
Tiffany lets the pup sniff her hand before rubbing the back of its ear.
“Yah! I didn’t abduct Ginger, I picked him up from my parents’ shop.” Taeyeon protests while patting
Ginger on the back, but it seems to be more interested in the brunette’s touch rather than its rightful
owner’s. “Hello? Mr. Ginger Kim? Do you even remember who’s your owner?”
“Seems like he prefers me over his owner.” Tiffany chuckles after seeing Taeyeon dejectedly retracts
her hand. “Traitor.” She scoffs at the cute little fluffy that’s now enjoying Tiffany’s gentle pats.
“Wait…you said your parents’ shop?” Realising what she had just heard, Tiffany looks up instantly, a
slight panic taking over her mind. Is she going to introduce…
“Yeah, the shop’s back there. I’m here to pick him up since they’re out of the country next week, got
some dog duties to do.” Taeyeon lifts her chin slightly to point towards the mall. “Besides, it’s always
nice to have a change of scenery, right? Escaping from the city for some fresh air, Jeonju is a
beautiful place to recharge.” She smiles. There’re indeed plenty of happy memories in Jeonju, it’s a
place she’s most familiar with, a place full of nostalgic feelings.
Tiffany exhales in relief, for a moment she thought she’s going to meet Taeyeon’s parents - not that
she’s scared or anything, but it’s just…awkward, in so many ways.
“Sorry it’s kinda late so I can’t really show you around, I do know a few good restaurants though.”
Taeyeon unlocks her car, the leash slipped out of her grip in the process. “Aish, Ginger!” Before she
could grab the leash again, the black pup seizes the opportunity to run across to Tiffany’s side,
jumping up and down and yelping.
“It’s okay, I got him, let’s settle him down and have dinner.” Tiffany picks up Ginger, trying her very
best to avoid his friendly greeting licks. Guess it can’t be help that Ginger obviously likes her.

They went back inside the car, letting the pup sit on Tiffany’s lap as Taeyeon needs to concentrate on
driving. Taeyeon has never seen Ginger so calm and relaxed during car rides, it either barks like
there’s no tomorrow or pacing up and down all over the car, frantically searching a hiding place,
chewing whatever it can dig its teeth in. Now it just sits quiet and still, even heaving a content sigh as
its chin rested on Tiffany’s lap.
“I have two dogs too, both are white maltese.” Tiffany strokes the black poodle gently, it reminds her
of the lovely pups back at her apartment in Seoul.
“Really? What are their names?”
“Prince and Princess.”
Although Taeyeon continues driving smoothly through the busy traffic, Tiffany is certain about
somehow being judged silently by the blonde.
“What? You named him Ginger too! Plus I think Prince and Princess are perfect for names.” Tiffany’s
loud voice made Taeyeon wince, may God have mercy upon her poor sensitive ears - Tiffany really is
loud.
“I didn’t say anything!” Taeyeon takes a sharp cut to the right lane, stealing a glance at the displeased
brunette. “And what’s with Ginger? It’s a great name! Cute like Ginger bread man!” She protests. To
be honest, she was indeed inwardly judging the name Prince and Princess, Disney dreamy fancy
names were never her style, she’d rather name her dog Godzilla - but Tiffany doesn’t need to know
that.
“Doesn’t change the fact that it’s weird.” Tiffany huffs, folding her arms across her chest.
“Says yo- …hang on, it should be around here…Why can’t I see…Aha! There it is.” The excitement in
Taeyeon’s voice caught Tiffany’s attention. The car turns into an alley and pulled a stop right in front
of a small restaurant.
There isn’t much decoration on the exterior, only a simple neon banner that says the restaurant’s
name, parts of the wall paint faded indicating this place has been through quite some years. Tiffany
felt the warmth leaving her lap, Ginger is already up, prowling its way to Taeyeon’s side.
“My family comes here very often, this little guy here is a regular too.” Taeyeon explains, her forearm
being wracked repeatedly by the black pup’s wagging tail. “Okay, okay, I’ll let you out in no time.
Patience!” She lightly pats the pup’s lower back. Tiffany nods, stepping out of the car to follow
Taeyeon’s lead.

According to Taeyeon, this little restaurant down the alley is ran by a family from one generation to the
next. Taeyeon used to come here with her family a lot before she became a trainee, although it’s been
years after she moved to Seoul, nothing changes in here - the classic tile floorings, handcrafted
wooden tables and chairs, the pictures and post-its on the walls, the cuisine taste, the staff,
everything’s pretty much the same as Taeyeon remembers them.
Tiffany sits quietly, listening to the blonde talks a little about this place, the owner (Ahjussi) and his
family, some memories she had left right here. Usually Tiffany is the talker in every conversation, but
It feels pleasant to be a listener once in a while. It’s interesting to see Taeyeon so lively, taking the
initiative to talk and to share. At first, Tiffany thought she’s the typical quiet type, maybe even an
introvert since the blonde rarely speaks, she only got a nod as a respond from her. The Kim Taeyeon
right in front of her now is different, in a good way of course, less miserable and more enthusiastic, as
if the air in Jeonju really rejuvenated her. There’s serenity in her voice, in the way she speaks,
comforting even. It doesn’t matter what Taeyeon is talking about, career, troubles, cars, dogs,
historical events in Jeonju or whatever topic, Tiffany could listen to Taeyeon all day.

“What do you think of this restaurant?”

“It’s cozy, unique with delicious food in a bundle. I’d say it’s on a Michelin standard.”
Taeyeon laughs at the brunette’s playful remark, that’s a very specific and professional way to
compliment a dining place, very Tiffany-like. “Phew, what a relief. Wouldn’t want to disappoint my
victim, it’s my treat after all.” Taeyeon exhales dramatically, pretending to wipe her forehead.
“What treat?” Tiffany blinks in confusion.
“I missed out on you once, remember? So I’m making up for that, though it’s not much comparing to
that top notch restaurant.” Taeyeon props her head on the table, finding it amusing to see her
lonesome little black pup being so clingy towards Tiffany. It’s practically napping on the brunette’s lap
again.
“Don’t get me wrong, but why are you doing all this?” Tiffany frowns, still stroking the pup’s fur at a
steady pace. “You don’t need to do this, .” Tiffany looks down at the sleeping pup, half smiling.
“We’re friends, right?” Taeyeon didn’t answer to her question, the smile on her face grows wider.
Tiffany hesitates before nodding. “Yes.” Of course, their relationship status remains unchanged -
paying mutual respect to their agreement upon the boundaries.
“Friends share, I’m not good with words, that’s why I decided to show you instead, this, my
hometown.” Taeyeon leans back, looking down at her own hands which are now placed between her
legs. “It’s my hiding place whenever I need to heal. Taking a stroll along the river, diving around,
eating at a family restaurant or just stare at the sky, breathing. Anything will take my mind off. I hope
this little trip helps.”
The sudden lack of confidence in Taeyeon’s tone disappears immediately as she hurries to apologise.
“Again, I’m sorry we didn’t get to do much today, but I’ll bring you back again when I get more free
time on hands…if you want to come along that is.” Taeyeon almost couldn’t hear her own voice
towards the end of her speech. What’s with all the nervousness out of the blue? Taeyeon sighs, trying
to sit up straight so that she can try behaving normal again.
Tiffany shakes her head, a gentle smile spread across her slightly flushed cheeks.
“I’d love to.” The brunette’s voice softens. “Thank you, for everything.”
Taeyeon’s right, she needs to get out of Seoul, to leave the miserable feeling behind even just for a
day, get some fresh air after being emotionally strained for so long. New place, new faces, new
stories - so that she can turn to a new page, start moving on from the past.
Take the leap. She remembers what the petit had told her the other night. Together.

Taeyeon can’t help but smile along with Tiffany.

“Wanna grab desert? Promise I’ll send you back in time, no later than mid-night.” She takes a look at
her watch. There’s still time for a good chitchat at a cafe or go for a drive. Either way, she doesn’t
want tonight to end so soon.
“Better keep your words, my nice kidnapper.” Tiffany taps on her bare wrist, raising one eyebrow,
squinting at the singer who’s grinning like a mischievous kid.
“Yes ma’am, always.”
They went to a quiet cafe for Patbingsoo. There were people who recognised Taeyeon, but they only
bowed and leave them alone, not trying to figure out who was this pretty brunette accompanying the
famous singer.
It was a peaceful night Taeyeon has had in a long while, albeit emptiness was invading her when
Tiffany bit goodbye - it was definitely a day Taeyeon’ll remember for the rest of her life. It was the day
when she finally got to see those beautiful eyes turn into crescents, that beautiful smile of Tiffany’s
engraved in her heart.
(12)

She chickened out, big time.

Taeyeon buries her face in her palms, feeling absolutely deflated and mostly angry, mad at herself for
being such a coward.
Introducing Tiffany to her family was the original plan, her originally perfect plan, but all gone with the
wind thanks to her own weakness. It was purely an act on impulse but nothing impossible, all she got
to do was to introduce Tiffany as a friend to her parents, yet all her strength abandoned her at the
moment she stepped out of her car. It was none other than the guiltiness inside her - the fact that she
doesn’t see Tiffany simply as a friend.
No, she can’t lie to her parents, she can’t even convince herself to categorise Tiffany Hwang merely
as a friend.
Taeyeon doesn’t believe in friends with benefit kind of crap. No one can stay clear from developing
feelings for someone they find attractive, sexually or in other areas. In her case, Tiffany is the very
first to make her heart hang like that, her mind revolves around Tiffany related stuff almost everyday.
That pretty wide smile of TIffany’s, those sparkling dark brown eyes, that fruity scent when wind blows
her long black hair, the softness of her pink lips…images of the brunette claimed every spot in
Taeyeon’s head, refusing to leave her in peace and quiet. They drive her crazy.
It’s insane.
It feels like someone else is controlling her own body while she plays the role of an observer. Part of
Taeyeon warns her shouldn’t get too involved with this relationship, another part of her pushes her
closer to Tiffany. It’s something Taeyeon had never felt before, not even when she thought she was
hopelessly in love with some guy. This, Tiffany, them, is like a drug stronger than opium, running in
her veins, itching, as if her life depends on it.
She would do anything to get closer to Tiffany, in fact, she had already done that.

“You’re seeing someone, don’t even try denying it.”

Her manager’s words rang inside her head.

“Whatever you do is your freedom, but rules are rules, you’ve got to come clean to the company and
spill. Who’s that person?”

Of course Taeyeon didn’t give the name since they were never dating, at least that’s not how their
frequent meetings were categorised. Technically speaking, they’re still friends without the benefit,
friends that occasionally share light kisses when they are caught up in the moment. Her manager
wasn’t exactly pleased with her refusal in detailing her current possible date, but they respect her
freedom and backed off, much to Taeyeon’s relief.
Apparently the songs in her latest album showed hints - the lyrics, the sweetness in her voice, the
dreamy sensations in her new songs, practically scream “I’m hopelessly in love”. Undeniably, the final
decision was hers to pick which lyrics goes to each song. Love songs are always in trend, but she
happened to pick the sexiest, clingiest and most addictive lyrics. It was no coincidence, it is her
feelings towards the brunette laying flat out on the paper, no disguises, no camoflashes, no
smokescreens. It is all written and sung for all to acknowledge.
The perks of being a singer is, no matter how strongly you relate to the lyrics, you can always toss the
responsibilities to song writers. Taeyeon could fool the world but her company, guess they would
never be convinced after hearing she sang her heart and soul out. Being able to convey emotions
through singing is Taeyeon’s most significant forte, but her best quality had turned against her in this
matter. Even her best friend, the now CEO of another entertainment company phoned her in regard to
her new songs.

“After all these years being your colleague and best friend, I didn’t know you’re that expressive and
not to mention, bold.”
Her friend’s voice echoed in the bathroom, Taeyeon sighs while continue putting on make-up.
“You know I didn’t write the lyrics, I think it’s a good time to have a change in music taste. A more
groovy, upbeat, adrenaline pumping kind of songs…Lyrics are a bit bold but it helps bringing out
sexiness.” She explains, surely the lyrics in her new songs aren’t the only ones being too expressive.
Other artists’ work contains even more controversial content in their choice of lyrics. It is just a big
deal only because the famous ballad singer Kim Taeyeon, went for a more mature concept this time.
“Fairly bold, I’d say. Don’t even try to fool me, Teang. You picked those lyrics for a reason.” Sunny
taps on some hard surface, her habit when confronting people. “Be honest with me, is it the Tiffany?”
“Well that’s…partly the reason.” Taeyeon hesitated. Well, Tiffany is actually all the reason.
“I hope you realise how your songs had exposed every inch of you.”
“Come on, no one can put a finger on it with just the song lyrics, that’s just nonsense.”
“You’re right, nobody can, but paps will definitely pick up the obvious hint and start tailing you more
often.” Sunny pauses before lowering her voice. “Just in case you’ve forgotten, you’re a paparazzi
magnet since the day you debut.”
Yes, she knows that perfectly well.
Taeyeon remains silent while her best friend continues slapping her mind back to reality.
“We’re talking about Tiffany Hwang, the legitimate successor to the Hwang enterprise. You, just shot
a CF for their company’s new hotel business. What will people think if they found out you two are
frequently meeting up with each other? Going beyond the friend zone? Kim Taeyeon the famous
singer sleeps around to get good deals, even with girls.”
“A normal person with common sense wouldn’t take media play seriously. None of it is true, people
should know that.”
“Sadly you can’t change a person’s mind or hoping idiocy will vanish from Earth. Taeng, you should
know better.”
Sunny’s hint makes Taeyeon frowns. Talking about the past is the only thing she hates the most,
Sunny knows that, still she’d go as far as to remind Taeyeon about her past in order to raise her
awareness in this matter.
“Do we really have to go through this at the middle of night?” Taeyeon inhales to calm down, her tone
filled with annoyance though her best friend meant good.
“Yes because you’re up to something and I’m warning you before all things turn hell. All it takes is a
big mouth, a camera lens and two careless individuals, then you’re screwed.”
Taeyeon can sense the frustration and tiredness in her best friend’s slightly lower voice. This must
really bother her since she rarely calls at midnight, being a CEO drains every bit of her, according to
Sunny.
“Exactly. I haven’t told anyone about Tiffany and I, therefore not a soul can tell. There, all is well.”
Taeyeon sighs, resuming drawing her eyebrows. “Don’t worry, I’m 27 already, I can handle myself.”
Thickening her naturally light brows, with a final touch up on her close-to-none makeup, Taeyeon
checks herself again in the mirror. Perfect. She sprays her favourite perfume.
“I trust you. Just…be careful okay? I don’t want to see my best friend appearing on every nasty
magazine’s front page.” Even if Taeyeon had given her words, her best friend is still not at ease.
“You won’t. Once bitten, twice shy.” Taeyeon lets out a bitter laugh, walking out of the bathroom all
freshened up.
Their conversation ends with another sigh from Sunny, Taeyeon reassured her she’d keep an eye on
surroundings more often before hanging up. Although she isn’t as worried as her best friend, she’s
grateful for the latter to remind her again about the danger around the corner. She’s been out of the
game for too long, there’re plenty of dirty new tricks invented by paparazzis that she’s unaware of -
she needs to be even more careful than before.
Taeyeon makes sure to lower the cap as much as possible to cover half of her face, then she grabs
the car keys and heads into the night.

“Hi.” The sight of a smiling brunette entering the black Porsche makes Taeyeon grin.
“Hi, looking casual and comfortable there.” Taeyeon glances at Tiffany, her clothing is ordinary and
baggier than what she normally wears - smart, elegant, fitting glamorous stylish outfits. Taeyeon can’t
help but also notice Tiffany is near barefaced.
Funny how both of them decided to wear the minimum makeup and looking untrendy to meet up with
each other. Pure coincidence, as if they have the same circuit inside their brains. Taeyeon has to
smile at the thought.
“Why, you didn’t mention about smart dressing code so I figured comfy home clothes would do.”
Tiffany looks down at her oversized T-shirt. “And I’m tired from work so couldn’t be bothered to pick
new outfits. Sorry.” Her tone is apologetic but kind of nonchalant at the same time. She’s too
exhausted, the only reason for her to leave home late is Taeyeon.
“Who am I to judge? Clothes are only external booster for beauty, true beauty doesn’t care.” Taeyeon
shrugs, igniting the car engine. The loud mechanic roaring almost devoured her last sentence, but
luckily the brunette caught every word just right.
“If this is your way of complimenting then I’m flattered.” Tiffany chuckles, never had she been
complimented in this dorky way before.
“You’re welcome.” Taeyeon steals a glance at the grinning Tiffany, a lopsided smile appears on her
face in return. “Buckle up, we’re going for a quick drive.”

The sharp looking Porsche parks right beneath a tree, in between two tall lorries that shield them from
being easily spotted.
Tiffany’s eyes never left Taeyeon while she eyes her surrounding with suspicion. The blonde wasn’t
so careful in their previous encounters, Tiffany wonders what causes the singer to become so tensed
all of a sudden, but she chooses to zip her mouth for mutual respect. Once confirmed they’re safe,
Taeyeon turns off the engine and finally heaves a sigh.
“Sorry, I’ve got to make sure.” Says the blonde apologetically. “Also sorry about this, that’s sort of how
dates need to be done for us.” She points at the car interior briefly.
“Don’t mind it, I don't plan to set a foot outside this car looking like this.” Tiffany points at her makeup-
free face, making Taeyeon chuckle.
“It's quite a sight.”
Tiffany slaps the blonde's arm.
“Ow, I haven't finished!” Taeyeon groans dramatically, rubbing the red spot on her arm. “Those heavy
makeup covers what you naturally possess, it's unfair to hide it from the public eyes so I prefer this
version of you.”
“You and your sweet mouth, Kim Taeyeon.”
“I'll take that as a compliment.” Taeyeon winks playfully but soon grimaced at her own action.
A dork at her best. Tiffany thought, sparkles of liveliness is now back in her eyes thanks to the dorky
magic performed by none but the one and only Kim Taeyeon.
“This sounds random but I’ve always wanted to ask something.” Tiffany fiddles with the car system
display. Surprisingly, Taeyeon has quite a lot of English songs in her collection, and she has exquisite
taste in music too. Perfect for late night car rides and an open conversation. “Do celebrities always do
this…car date thing? Swear I’ve seen quite a number of news about car dates already this year.”
Taeyeon watches as the brunette changes the song to a more sensual pop song, meanwhile carefully
picking and constructing the words to avoid getting the wrong end of the stick.
“Yes, it’s a norm among us because it’s probably the safest way to date.” Taeyeon confesses, leaning
her chin on her arms just above the steering wheel.
“Still can’t avoid getting caught huh.”
“Paps don’t follow us 24/7, they have their source of information, you know how ugly rivalries can get
in this cruel industry.”
“Do you have any rivals?”
“Um, no? As far as I’m concerned.” Taeyeon frowns, trying her best to recall every incident in all her
years in the industry. Nope, being an introvert and a home-person, she rarely had contact with anyone
outside her company. She works fine with colleagues, gets along with celebrities and always reminds
herself to be polite to anyone. No, Kim Taeyeon doesn’t have any enemies but some nonsensical
netizens.
“Good, cause I don’t want you to get caught like the rest of them.” Tiffany turns to face Taeyeon, her
dark brown eyes tell nothing but sincerity.
“Don’t worry, I’ve already had a lecture from my best friend on staying alert and carefulness.” Taeyeon
smiles bitterly. “Besides, I’ve had my share.”
The sight of a quiet Taeyeon puts a halt at the words that were just going to slip from Tiffany’s mouth.
Remembering Taeyeon once told her about her down times in the past years, she decides not to
question further. Tiffany pats the blonde’s thigh. The friendly gesture seemed to have startled her a
little, Tiffany could feel Taeyeon’s muscles suddenly tensed up, but soon relaxed.
“I-I’m sorry.” Tiffany retracts her hand quickly. For a second there Tiffany completely forgot they didn’t
start off as friends. Stupid. You could have overstep the boundaries! She thought to herself, blushing
slightly but luckily it’s too dark for Taeyeon to notice.
“N-No, I’m sorry…I-I was spacing out so - Ah! Ow, ow…urgh…” Taeyeon whines as she accidentally
bit her bottom lip. She could taste iron on the tip of her tongue, there’s faint stains of blood on her
fingertip when she wipes the cut.
“Silly.” Tiffany grabs a tissue from the the box sitting just behind the handbrake and hands it to
Taeyeon. “Why do you risk so much for me?”
“I have the same question for you too.” Taeyeon inhales, hoping that would help gathering more
courage. “Out of all the celebrities you can choose for the hotel commercial ad, why me?” There, she
said it. A question that had been wandering in her mind ever since Sunny told her about Tiffany, the
daughter of the President from Hwang Company.
Tiffany’s eyes widened as she heard Taeyeon loud and clear.
Thought I was covert enough, so she had done some research on me? Tiffany stares at the blonde in
disbelief, she can’t believe Taeyeon would invade someone’s private life like that - at least not in this
way. But if Taeyeon is really innocent, then there’s no explanation as for how did she know about her
real identity. Not even her colleagues in Korea knows about her other identity besides the future CEO.
Seeing the smile on the brunette’s face vanished made Taeyeon panic.
“I-I was trying to call you but it said your number wasn’t available, so I asked a close friend of mine to
get your work number - she’s in the business field too so she happens to know a lot of things - ” Said
Taeyeon in one breath, she finally pauses for air. “I didn’t mean to pry on you and I’ve never thought
of that, I swear. My friend was worried so she told me something she found…but there wasn’t much, I
didn’t want to hear those information.”
“Calm down, Taeyeon, it’s okay.” Tiffany gives the blonde a gentle smile for reassurance.
“I’m sorry, I really am. I hope you know I trust you from the very beginning.” With guilt flooding her
heart, Taeyeon balls her fists in nervousness, avoiding Tiffany’s eyes.
“Don’t blame yourself, I haven’t been telling you much about myself, so I’m at fault too.”
“No obligations and no questionings, remember?”
“Yes, but friends should share and honestly my life isn’t that secretive. So rules can be bended
according to context, in this case.”
“What case?”
“Our case.”
Taeyeon can’t help but grins like a fool. Seems like the strict lawyer Tiffany Hwang is willing to break
some boundaries. A wave of joy hit her, sparkles glimmering in her eyes. It’s not just her imagination,
Tiffany is putting in the effort too. There is room and more possibilities for their relationship.
Yes, Tiffany had said she wasn’t seeking for a new relationship, but life is all about uncertainties.
Who would have thought she’ll be seeing this beautiful brunette once or twice every week after their
supposedly-one-time-fling in the gym? Taeyeon surely wouldn’t, but here she is, driving the brunette
around and chat.
“So…back to your original question.” Tiffany pauses to find the exact words needed. “You can sing
well, you have the appearance, you’ve worked in the entertainment industry for years so you know the
tricks, your business value ranks at top 3. In conclusion, you’re definitely a valuable player on our
team. I personally examined your skills and performance not long ago, I trust my own judgement.”
Taeyeon blinks blankly, unsure how should she respond to the professional examination report from
the lawyer (soon-to-be CEO). Wait, did she say skills and performance….
Tiffany can see Taeyeon’s eyes slowly travel down to her lips and onto her exposed collarbone.
“Yah! Not that kind of skills! Byuntae yeon!” She slaps Taeyeon hard on her thigh, making the latter
snap back to reality. “Geez, you would have been arrested for harassment if you were a man.”
“Would you report me in though?”
“Why wouldn’t I?”
“Cause I have a feeling you like having my attention too.”
“Oh? Such confidence.”
“Am I right though? May I know my score in your previous examination?”
“Huh. Let me think. 85? 88? You could have done better, that bob hair of yours wasn’t exactly
appealing.” Tiffany smiles mischievously, fingers curling around the tips of Taeyeon’s mid-length
blond hair. She likes Taeyeon’s hair this way. it’s lighter, sexier, wilder…matching her unrestricted
personality. “Not a bad score, I quite enjoyed it.”
“The pleasure is mine.” Taeyeon takes her hand and playfully places a light kiss on its back.
“Okay, seriously though, I really want you to know this.” Tiffany looks into the blonde’s eyes, making
sure the latter gets the certainty behind her stare. “No, Taeyeon. I didn’t give you the job because I
slept with you. You earned it.”
“Thanks.”
“Thank me with some real profits, miss Kim, or we won’t be able to hire you anymore.”
“Yes ma’am, with honour.” Taeyeon chuckles at the half serious comment, saluting to her temporary
boss like a soldier. “I owe you an answer too.” She inhales, holding Tiffany’s hand firmly yet gentle.
She looks down at their joined hands, the corner of her lips rises. “I put myself at risk willingly because
you’re worth it.”
Tiffany intertwines their fingers, unconsciously smiling at the singer’s most sincere words. Her heart
flutters, a little light-headed, contentment which she hasn’t felt in a few months since her last
relationship. She felt treasured, special, special not in the business profit or fame-gaining way, but in
a genuinely affectionate way.
You’re definitely worth it too. Tiffany palms Taeyeon’s slightly rosy cheek, looking into those gentle
eyes, she sees none but love in those dark orbs. She can’t help but closes the gap between them, it
felt right to do so - the timing is right, the moment is right, the place is right, the person is right. You’re
definitely worthy for me to take a big leap. She kisses the blonde on the lips.
Taeyeon smiles into the kiss, closing her eyes, her hand cups Tiffany’s cheek and losing herself to the
sweet kiss she’s been missing for weeks.
(13)

Tiffany Hwang is 27 years-old this year. A mature, highly educated, sophisticated and elegant woman
who works as a corporate lawyer for an international enterprise.

Born in a respected successful family, the youngest daughter to the billionaire entrepreneur, Tiffany
Hwang has always been the “lucky girl” as long as she could remember. Smart in class, good grades
that got her into Stanford to study law. An outgoing, bright and confident personality that enables her
to be a social butterfly, surrounded by friends and family, busy living a so far comfortable life. You
would think such graceful poise young lady wouldn’t have interest other than branded clothes,
perfumes or killer heels. One thing you must know about Tiffany Hwang Miyoung, is that she’s not
your ordinary woman, she’s a full grown woman who’s a hardcore Disney fanatic.
Believing Santa Clause is real until the age of eight, happily ever after and fairy godmothers - Tiffany
concluded it’s the environment that made her still a child at heart.
There’s something miraculous behind endorsing the artificial wonder tales, as oppose to reality, it
offers an escape route away from distresses, pain, burdens and disappointments. Perfect
demonstration of hyper reality, she remembers the words from her professor back in university.
Little did she know about the rumour of Disney in Asia - couples who have been on a Disney date will
break up, sooner or later.
Superstitious and utterly baseless, a knowledgeable person will say, probably will mock the immaturity
of such false notion. Tiffany, however, holds no thoughts upon the seemingly ridiculous belief. The
reason is simple - because she did go on Disney dates with all her past lovers and ended breaking up
with them.
Thus, when Taeyeon initiated her to go to Tokyo Disney with her, she insisted declining the kind offer.
Afraid of yet another fail relationship, Tiffany tried her best to come up with excuses to reject Taeyeon.
Work, family, her dogs, friends…millions of brilliant reasons for her to use, yet none of them came out
her mouth upon hearing the excitement in Taeyeon’s voice. She didn’t have the heart to say no to the
singer, neither did she want to say no. It did sound like a wonderful vacation plan to get away from the
concrete jungle, let alone going to her favourite place on Earth - Disney.

So here she is, taking a break from work and off to Tokyo.
Tiffany leans on the pole behind her, sipping her iced mint tea while patiently waiting for her
companion to show up. Heat is her biggest enemy, the weather now is not helping at all - she shrugs
the denim jacket off her shoulders, frowning behind her classic sunglasses due to the boiling stuffy
weather. Maybe she shouldn’t be here so early, but punctuality is part of politeness and it’s in her
nature to be well-mannered.
Just as Tiffany thought she was just about to melt like an ice cube, a black SUV arrives right in front of
her, the tinted back window rolls down soon after the arrival.
“Get in!” Exclaims Taeyeon, her greyish blonde hair and Korean language attracted quite some
attention.
Tiffany did as she was told, swiftly closing the door before any curious looks could be thrown at them.
She carefully eyes the middle-aged man driving, he doesn’t seem to know her nor does he ring the
bell, probably someone from Taeyeon’s company. Taeyeon on the other hand, seems pretty relaxed
and giddy, with two ice-cream cones in her hands.
“Here, how long have you been waiting?” The singer hands the ice-cream to Tiffany. It’s her favourite
strawberry raspberry mix, plus some marshmallow as the topping.
“Not that long, thanks for the ice-cream by the way. And this is…?” Tiffany nods as she meets the
man’s eyes, the latter smiles and nods in return.
“Ah, uncle Watanabe. He’s my dad’s friend, they used to be bandmates.” Taeyeon licks the top of her
ice-cream. “Since I didn’t want anyone from my company to know about this, I asked if he could kindly
drive us around for the day.”
“Thank you, Mr. Watanabe.” Tiffany said in perfect Japanese. Luckily her occupation requires her to
communicate with clients all over the world, simple foreign languages are installed inside her head for
times like this.
“You’re welcome, young lady. Please don’t mind my presence.” The man said politely in Korean,
much to Tiffany’s surprise. Well I guess he learnt Korean while he was working with Taeyeon’s father.
After devouring the ice-cream, Taeyeon grabs her phone from her skinny jeans pocket, showing the
GPS map to the brunette.
“We’ll be there in 25 minutes, less if the traffic is smooth.” The blonde grins, her eyes filled with
excitement as if there’re million stars hiding behind those brown orbs. If Tiffany didn’t know better, she
would definitely have mistaken the singer for a teenager, a fairly young one with a loveable angelic
face.
“You seem pretty excited, are you a fan? Secretly a princess movie lover or some sort?” Tiffany
teases. To be honest, she shouldn’t be the one judging because herself fits the description perfectly.
“Ew, no, I don’t like cliché romance fairytales, thank you very much. But I do like cartoons, Disney
cartoons, I love how they tell stories as well as the characters.” Taeyeon’s face scrunches up,
pretending to get goosebumps when talking about love stories. Prince and princess stuff was never
her cup of tea, and it would never be.
“How unromantic of you, miss Kim.” Tiffany frowns, the princess fanatic part of her is unsatisfied with
the blonde’s answer.
“Well, one doesn’t need to love watching cliché films to be romantic.” Taeyeon argues, lifting her index
finger to point at her left chest. “It’s all about this.”
Tiffany looks at the singer in wide eyes. This is a side of Kim Taeyeon that she didn’t know of - a
confident, glowing and seemingly an expert in love Kim Taeyeon. She felt her cheeks warming up a
little, just a little warmer, and the dorky smile on Taeyeon’s youthful face makes her chuckle.
“Huh, totally not cliché at all.” She raises her brows, shaking her head sideways and shrugs.
“I prefer calling this…sweet.” Taeyeon grimaces at her comment soon after the words had left her
mouth. “Yuck, that came out more unbearable than I thought.”
“Glad you finally noticed.”
They laugh together at the weird conversation they were just having.
Tiffany picked a random holiday vibe music list and let it help further heightening their mood. They
had a brief catch up with each other since they haven’t seen each other for three weeks, letting the
topic flow from work and onto favourite movie, hilarious encounters in Japan when Taeyeon last
visited. Moments spent with Taeyeon seem timeless, Tiffany found herself lost in their conversation
when Mr. Watanabe cleared his throat.
“Let’s go have some fun, I’m dying for a good stress relief and some fresh air!” Taeyeon jumps out of
the car in high spirit, offering a hand to help the brunette get off the high-rider SUV. “I already got us
tickets and fast passes.” She says as Tiffany holds onto her hand to hop off the vehicle.
These kind of gentle gestures…and her hand is warm, slender but soft, her skin is smooth like silk.
Tiffany stares at Taeyeon’s back blankly, still lost in her thoughts. She shakes her head vigorously to
snap out of it.
“Thanks, lunch’s on me then.” She follows the blonde, watching her put on a snapback, tugging her
blond strands underneath it to make sure it’s not so easily spotted. Precautions, of course. Somehow
Tiffany’s glad she didn’t follow her heart to become a singer (or celebrity), for her, it’s still a mystery
how can celebrities endure such a suffocating hide-and-seek lifestyle, especially for Asian Pop stars.
It’s amazing how Taeyeon got through the past decade spending her leisure time mostly behind the
mask.
“Un-un. Don’t even think about it. Going dutch is as far as I can tolerate.” The singer halts her steps
and suddenly turns around to face the brunette, wiggling her finger in front of the latter.
“Tolerate.” Tiffany rolls her eyes. “Bossy Miss Kim, how should I thank you in return then?”
“Simple. Have fun and enjoy the day, with me.” The corners of Taeyeon’s lips upturn, her smile wide
enough to show her cute little dimple.
Her request is simple, perhaps too simple - but very much Taeyeon. Tiffany thought. A successful
artist probably has everything, Taeyeon could have anything but an ordinary life, a happiness that can
only be shared between the commons. As a matter of fact, Tiffany can’t recall any of their previous
meet ups to be as free as this one, even their short visit to Jeonju was mostly spent inside Taeyeon’s
Porsche.
Here in Japan, miles away from where all eyes and ears are up for the slightest movement from the
famous singer, they finally get to enjoy a day without constant worries.
Tiffany smiles, increasing her pace to walk in front of the confused Taeyeon, looking as if she’s going
to leave the latter behind.
“What are you waiting for? The last one doesn’t get to pay for lunch.”
“Challenge accepted.”
Taeyeon chases after the laughing brunette, she doesn’t mind looking like a five year-old right now, as
long as she’s with her.

It’s supposed to be a sunny hot summer day, says the weather report and the weather application on
her phone.

The heavy rain suddenly pours from the sky, sweeping everyone off their feet, making them run
around like headless chickens. Like everybody else who hasn’t got an umbrella, Taeyeon and Tiffany
ran to the closest shelter to wait for the rain to stop. Soaked from head to toe, the two women are
probably at their worst visual state right now. They exchanges glances, can’t help but laugh at each
other’s ruined appearance.
“Thank God I didn’t put on my makeup, or I’d rather die than letting anyone sees me with a smudged
joker face.” Taeyeon sighs in relief. She really is grateful for deciding no makeup for today, she would
hate herself for ruining her own image in Tiffany’s mind.
“Good thing that my light makeup is waterproof.” Tiffany laughs along. But really, she bets Taeyeon
would still look breathtakingly gorgeous with ruined makeup on. The singer has always been so
humble about her appearance.
Kim Taeyeon may not appeal to anyone at first sight, but the longer you look at her, the more you’ll
discover, like exploring the insides of a Russian doll. Tiffany stealthily steals a few glances at the
blonde. Skin of snowy white colour, mesmerising eyes, small nose, thin lips and defined sharp
jawline. Her beauty lies in its naturalness and softness, a face that would be forever imprinted onto
one’s mind and would never get tired of starting at it.
She’s even more beautiful without makeup. Tiffany sighs inwardly. These thoughts keep popping up
whenever they seize the chance, forcing her to be lost in thoughts, whether she likes them or not.
Taeyeon lifts her snapback and scrapes her wet fringe backwards, wiping the droplets off her
forehead with her bare arm. Damn those muscles. Tiffany shuts her eyes immediately in order to stop
herself from gawking at the latter’s biceps. She had seen them before, she personally examined
Taeyeon’s fitness course results. As those toned up muscles made themselves seen, flashbacks
quickly invades Tiffany’s blank mind.

That day when they first met in the gym…the sparks in their eyes….those arms that held her sitting
steadily on her lap…those tender touches…sweat sliding from her temple and down to her chin…

“Looks like we’re going to be stuck here for a while.” The usual calmness in Taeyeon’s voice
combines with the sound of raindrops, forming a new sense of relaxation.
Only then Tiffany is once again dragged back to reality.
“Huh? Oh, ah…At least our phones are still up and running, that’s all a tourist needs.” She clumsily
takes her phone out of her jacket, showing its lit up screen to Taeyeon, pretending to be well-
composed. “By the way, never thought you’re a Disney fanatic too.” She changes the subject hoping
it’ll wipe out the evidence of weirdness in her uncharacteristic behaviour.
“So are you, Miss Hwang.”
“Not crazy enough to go on six roller-coaster rides in a roll and bought a bag of stuffed toys to
accompany.”
“At least I didn’t go all heart-eyes when I saw the pink princess dresses or that strange-looking pink
unicorn. The pink and princess obsession is real.” Taeyeon retorts. Antagonising Tiffany would never
be her intention, but boy, those fancy pink princess dresses were genuinely, unbelievably ugly. Very
much like something that will appear in her nightmare, dresses, ugly dresses and pink, all pink.
“Well, I didn’t shout and roar ‘To infinite and beyond!’ in the crowd like an excited little boy. That was
embarrassing, everyone was giving us weird looks as if we’ve gone mad.” Tiffany huffs. That’s right,
Kim Taeyeon the 27 years-old grown woman just screamed on top of her voice like an excited boy
going on a scout camp for the very first time. Not to mention she almost broke the attraction because
she was trying way too hard to hit the aliens with those laser toy guns (Tiffany doubts if those plastic
toy guns can actually hit the target, the scores didn’t seem to add up).
Taeyeon lets out a laugh, ending this endless childish debate that’s looping. Thankfully the crowd is
on the other side under the same roof so no one would notice the loud ahjumma laugh, Tiffany is
certain that quite a few people had just recognised Taeyeon already, but none had invaded their
privacy.
“Thanks, I really had fun.” Taeyeon says softly before taking in a deep breath. Her suddenly tensed
expression raises Tiffany’s awareness, fingers fiddling and her hands clasp together then residing
next to her thighs. “I know you were reluctant to come here at first but you still came, so I just want to
thank you for doing this…childish date with me. I would have opted for another plan more suitable for
our age, it’s just…I…I feel like you need to relax more, leave everything behind and have fun once in
a while. Disney seemed like a perfect option…”
Taeyeon has this weird spill-everything-in-one-breath tendency, Tiffany gathered. She can’t help
feeling guilty seeing Taeyeon being nervous and insecure like this. Tiffany was never the type to hide
a single bit of her emotions while Taeyeon is the exact opposite, sensitive, alert and quick in picking
up changes. It must be the hesitant in her voice when accepting Taeyeon’s invitation that sold her out.
“Quite frankly, I wasn’t very keen on going on Disney dates, that’s true.” Tiffany sighs, noticing the
blonde immediately sulks upon hearing her words.
“Because there’s a saying, I’ve heard couples going on a Disney date will eventually break up.” She
continues in a small voice. God, this is embarrassing. “But then my intelligence bashed me for
missing out on a great opportunity because of some stupid ridiculous superstitious so-called curse, so
here I am.”
Taeyeon’s face instantly lit up with joy as if there’s a million packages of jellies right in front of her -
then her freezes on spot, eyes fixed on Tiffany, her mouth opens and closes a few times but no words
ever came out.
“I’m glad…wait…are we…an item?” She asks carefully in a barely audible voice, as if she’s
murmuring, but the brunette has a good hearing.
“I don’t know, what do you say?” Tiffany tilts her head to look at the dumbfounded singer in
amusement.
A question that’s been bothering her lately but no conclusion was drawn: What are they?
She likes Taeyeon. She’s attracted to Taeyeon. Her world didn’t spin nor her heart pounding crazily
as if it’s going to burst any minute, but everything feels just right with Taeyeon, comfortable, peaceful,
slow-paced. Tiffany wouldn’t dare to label this content happiness ‘love’ because it’s not merely a
word. It’s a commitment, a promise that ties two hearts together, a vow to give and take.
But she really likes Taeyeon, her feelings had already passed the boundary she set herself - feelings,
are all that matters in any relationships.
Taking the leap of faith. Tiffany thought, she observes Taeyeon’s expression while the latter seems to
be at a loss for words.
Taeyeon clears her throat, turning to face Tiffany, she’s more composed as the childishness vanishes
from her serious expression.
“I’d like to think we are a couple…only if you agree.” She makes sure her voice is loud enough to be
heard through the heavy rainstorm. Her heart is racing faster than a cheetah out on a hunt. Taking in
another sharp breath from the damp air, she manages to slow it down. Awaiting for the brunette’s
answer, nervousness slowly creeps into her heart.
“Hm. Might give it a second thought now after seeing my potential date in her most unattractive state.”
Tiffany folds her arms across her chest, raising her left eyebrow, pretending to be examining the
blonde.

A sudden buzz in Tiffany’s jacket pocket made her jump.

An oversea phone call? Must be an important one otherwise they wouldn’t call during my vacation.
Quickly excuses herself from their conversation, Tiffany takes out the still buzzing phone and checks
the caller ID.

It’s him?! How did he…?

It’s an unknown caller but Tiffany recognises the digits, far too familiar with these numbers. How could
she forget? That bastard had been calling her endlessly ever since he arrived Seoul, distance and
peace were only gained when she changed her mobile number a few weeks ago. Tiffany should have
known how clingy and shameless that guy is, but she had never expected him to be hunting her down
like a stalker.
How did he know my number? Tiffany frowns at the display screen, unconsciously tightening her grip,
completely unaware of her fingers turning pale due to the force she’s applying.
Taeyeon stares at the brunette quietly. Whoever’s calling must be extremely persistent because the
phone is still buzzing after fifteen seconds. Yet, Tiffany shows no sign of answering the call, she just
keeps staring at the screen with a frown. Her face turns stone cold, her eyes no longer holds sparkles
which Taeyeon loves endearingly, Tiffany’s change in behaviour made her concern.
Taeyeon takes hold of Tiffany’s hand which is holding the phone, swiftly taking it away from her grip
and puts it back inside where it was. Tiffany’s body relaxes under Taeyeon’s gentle touches on the
back of her hand, their fingers slotting in between each others’, locking and settling.
“Hey…I forgot to tell you one thing.” Taeyeon whispers, leaning her forehead against Tiffany’s.
“You’re supposed to be with me and only me, nobody else, nothing else.”
Capturing Tiffany’s eyes and attention, Taeyeon feels relief to see the latter is slowly returning to her
usual self, her soft gaze says it all. The close proximity between them warns Tiffany that they’re still in
public, but her body doesn’t want to step back, every fibre in her body is yearning for Taeyeon’s hold.
Taeyeon is right, it’s their special day so she should be entirely belonged to Taeyeon.
“Looks like my potential date is a possessive one.” A pair of arms wrap around Tiffany’s waist, gently
pulling her closer until their bodies touched.
“Cause I would never want to lose you.” There’s weakness inside Taeyeon’s gentle voice, loud and
clear to both of them.
Tiffany lifts up the blonde’s hood, pulling it above the latter’s head and grabs the sides.
“You have me.” She says, tugging Taeyeon’s hood towards herself and captured her lips.
Taeyeon’s lips were cold, her body was shivering slightly due to the rain, but the kiss from Tiffany
gave life into her, she no longer feels cold. Tiffany wraps her arms around Taeyeon’s neck as the
latter deepens the kiss, enjoying the sweetness and warmth given by the blonde, letting her grasp
every inch of air between their lips.
Her phone buzzes again in her pocket but this time, it fails to have her attention.
(14)

Sunny was in awe when her best friend declined her Happy Friday drinking invitation.

For almost five years, they’ve been keeping this ritual on every Friday night, no matter how busy or
tired Taeyeon was. Taeyeon would bring various kinds of alcohol on her way to Sunny’s apartment,
they would drink (obviously not binge drinking for Taeyeon is an alcohol-trash, she can never become
an alcoholic according to Sunny) until the sun comes up. A relaxation or a therapy, whatever title they
gave this regular meet up to justify their frequent drinking, it’s a relatively useful way to escape from
reality. In Taeyeon’s case, the tipsiness and burning sensation on her tongue and down her throat
chase away her loneliness.
If Taeyeon no longer needs the booze, that could only meant one thing - her shattered, heavily
guarded heart has found a place to settle.
The suspicion is nothing new to Sunny, in fact, it’s so obvious that her best friend is hopelessly in
love, she doesn’t even feel the need to investigate.
Nowadays, Taeyeon would suddenly put their phone conversations on hold, then comes back
sounding all giddy and unable to focus on the topic. On other days, Taeyeon would ask her for
advices on presents or recommendations on renowned restaurants out of the blue. There was also
one time when she asked ‘hypothetic relationship questions’, they ended up discussing South Korea’s
acceptance and attitude towards homosexuality for three hours. Although Taeyeon hasn’t officially
admitted her newfound relationship status, her change of behaviour already confirmed Sunny’s
suspicion.
That aside, the least thing she wants to see is Taeyeon getting heartbroken again for yet another
relationship, so she dug deeper into her best friend’s date.

Tiffany Hwang.
Woman of their age, with an impressive education background and a powerful family behind her. The
legitimate future CEO of the Hwang’s company, currently working as a corporate lawyer in their Korea
branch. Prefers living a covert simple lifestyle rather than living in fame. Was an intelligent,
passionate, determined and loyal debate team leader slash chairlady of the students’ union,
according to Stanford. No bad reportedly habits nor scandals.
This person seems beyond ideal and perfect, and judging from how Taeyeon turned into a fool in love,
it’s highly plausible that this Tiffany is a wonderful lover too. It’s been months after her best friend had
fallen in love and everything seemed to be sailing smoothly, no storms or scandal outbreaks in the
industry either, nice and quiet.
Yet, Sunny’s instinct kept telling her something’s wrong, as if this temporary peacefulness was
foreshadowing a tremendous storm ahead. Having been rolling in this industry for a decade, the
quietness always irks Sunny to no end, normally it’s either debating over the smallest matter, or they’ll
be throwing a morbid party to celebrate the end of some certain celebrity. Nonetheless, no news is
good news, Sunny’s more than relieved to know her best friend was finally building a rigid relationship
with someone much better.
Nothing should go wrong if Taeyeon stays within the safety zone - so Sunny had thought before an e-
mail popped up on her laptop.

Taeyeon throws her car keys on the table, casually throwing herself on the leather couch then lets
herself completely sink in. The heavily scented candle sits on the coffee table, it’s her favourite rose
scent, sweet, alluring and nerve-calming. She unconsciously smiles at the cute pink heart-shaped pot
that’s holding the candle, every element of this apartment reflects its owner’s unique taste.
Smells delicious. Taeyeon thought, turning to check on the kitchen. Another thing she loves about
Tiffany’s apartment is the open kitchen, the brilliant design allows her to watch the flat owner, Tiffany,
busily preparing diner.
The beautiful brunette has her brown tresses tied up in a high ponytail, still wearing her office blouse
underneath the cartoon apron, completely focused on the task of making a fine cuisine for Taeyeon. It
would definitely be a lie to say Taeyeon didn’t feel flattered at this sight, it’s a warm feeling that makes
her smile like the biggest idiot in the world, but she dares to say she’ll be the happiest idiot alive.
She takes her sweet time to take a good look at Tiffany’s apartment for the umpteenth time. Modern
and organised, a rocky plain black feature wall behind the television, surprisingly there isn’t much pink
in the apartment. Apparently the only pink room in this complex is Tiffany’s bedroom, and it’s painted
in baby pink, quoting from her girlfriend’s exact words. Tiffany lives an hour away from Taeyeon’s
dorm, located at one of the wealthiest district in Seoul, another reason for Taeyeon to love spending
time here rather than her own place - it has probably the best security in town, so no intruders can
gain access. Sometimes Taeyeon even spend the night here after working late, she just couldn’t
resist.
She would gladly admit she’s a fool, a fool who’s hopelessly in love.

“Dinner’s ready!” Tiffany’s cheerful voice brings Taeyeon’s wandering mind back to reality. “What
would you like to have? Cola? Water? Juice?”
“Water would do, thanks.” Taeyeon walks over to the table with a wide grin. A rich smell becomes
even stronger when she sits down in front of the plate. Macaroni and cheese, an English dish,
improvised by none other than Tiffany Hwang, the American-Korean. “Whoa, this looks like a
masterpiece.” She carefully peels off the crispy cheese layer on top, having a taste of the appetising
dish. “And it tastes like one too!”
“Master chief Hwang at your service, Miss Kim.” Tiffany bowed with a playful smile before sitting down
besides the blonde.
“How come you didn’t mention you’re that good? It’ll definitely be a bonus point.” The singer’s
exaggerating comment makes Tiffany chuckle. “Totally girlfriend material, whoever gets to date you
must be a very luck person.” Taeyeon remarks with a serious face.
“Thank you, my lucky person. Though I must say, sorry to disappoint, this is possibly the only dish I
can cook.” Tiffany wipes the cheese that’s left at the corner of Taeyeon’s lips with her thumb. Hm.
Seems like my cooking skills have indeed become a little rusty. Tiffany thought as she licks the tip of
her thumb.
The gawking from across the dining table makes Tiffany smile. Knowing the brunette is toying with her
on purpose, Taeyeon quickly regains her self-possessed, pretending she didn’t see the seductive
gesture at all.
“Heck, my mother would be screaming in joy if I can bake a cookie, so you’re amazing already.” It’s
true, god bless her for not burning the Kim’s kitchen down in the years she’s been alive.
“By your standard Miss Kim?”
“Yes, I must also inform you that my standard is exceptionally high for everything I pursuit, Miss
Hwang.” Taeyeon pats her chest, raising her chin like a proud soldier.
“Does that include choosing partners too?”
“Look in the mirror and you’ll get your answer.”
“Sweet talker. Those lips of yours better not slip these words to another girl.” Tiffany pinches
Taeyeon’s nose lightly, she can’t help smiling at the cliché line.
And yet the romantic film hater is the most cliché person Tiffany had ever met, not even her previous
playboy-ish exes were half as cliché as Taeyeon - they tried, but failing miserably. Taeyeon on the
other hand, does that so naturally, so effortlessly and so endearingly, as if romance is embedded
inside her genetic helix.
“My lips are yours exclusively.” Taeyeon smirked, wiping her mouth with a napkin before folding it
neatly and places it on the emptied plate.
“Good.”
Tiffany leans in to claim Taeyeon’s lips, those lips that belongs to her only.

Friday nights are the best. Not necessarily special or memorable in any context, but peacefulness is
what makes it unique and rare.
They would cuddle on the sofa with a fluffy pink blanket covering their legs. Taeyeon would flip the
channels mindlessly trying to find one with a good film on, while Tiffany plays with Prince and
Princess. Sometimes they’d talk about the most random stuff on Earth, or they’d debate over topics
that would never get answered (like the theory of God, hens came first or eggs came first). Often
they’d stay quiet in each other’s hold because work had drained the last bit of their energy.
Whatever they do, for leisure or not, they all had become Taeyeon’s favourite activities.

“Speaking of which…what are your family like?” Tiffany nuzzles against Taeyeon’s neck, inhaling the
latter’s favourite perfume greedily. Cool Water. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it, I was just
being curious cause you rarely talk about them.”
Taeyeon averts her gaze from the television and onto the brunette. She was confused at first then
came the hesitation.
“Ah…it’s not like I’m not close with them, it’s just…I’ve been living in Seoul for the past 12 years.”
Taeyeon shrugs, her fingers slowly curling around a small strand of Tiffany’s long hair, playing with
them. “Anyways, what would you like to know?”
“Whatever you feel comfortable telling me.”
“Right. You already know the basics, my brother’s working in a Korean mobile game company and my
sister had just graduated from high school. As for my parents, they’re still running an optical shop in
Jeonju, sort of like a family business. There’s nothing much interesting about my family, to be honest.”
“Ordinary is a blessing.”
Taeyeon nods. Usually she plays the role of a listener, receiving information is what she’s
accustomed to. It feels strange to be the one telling so much about her own self, her family even. It’s a
sensitive topic after all, but since the questioner is someone she holds dearly, she would stand in the
spotlight once in a while.
But why is she asking about my family? Taeyeon asks herself mentally. Is she hinting something? Or
is she concerned about how my family will perceive this relationship…to accept us?
All of a sudden, the urge to change the subject overrides the willingness to try being less conservative
for her girlfriend.
“What about you? Do you have any relatives here?” Taeyeon grabs the remote control and changes
the channel, trying to sound unbothered by her own uneasiness.
This time it’s Tiffany’s turn to hesitate.
“Only my distant aunt but the rest of my family is based in the States, so technically I’m alone in this
country.” She flashes a faint smile and shrugs nonchalantly.
Unknown to Taeyeon, one of the very best qualities of Tiffany's is to keep her emotions at bay. If she
completely isolate herself from pain, then she'll be able to carry on living with numbness.
The weak link between her aunt and her family is a gateway to memories she buried deep within her
heart, wounds that never seem to heal, not even through the course of time. They're locked away
from anyone who wants to have a glimpse, scared for them to be exposed again.
Taeyeon smiles sheepishly while stealing a glance at the brunette besides her.
“Ah, almost forgot you’re an American, your Korean is so much better than I remembered.” She
remembers how Tiffany sounded so foreign when they first met, heavily American influenced Korean.
Indistinguishable words slurring out of her mouth. It took Taeyeon quite some time to figure out what
Tiffany meant.
Then bam, suddenly Tiffany could speak Korean as fluently as a local citizen before she realised.
“Language and accents are always good identity disguises.” Tiffany explains, it’d be dumb for a
lawyer to miss such an obvious hint from the singer. Well, one must be carefully when it comes to
dealing with strangers…attractive strangers. She justifies. “And sometimes it could be an advantage.”
“English and its charm, makes sense to me.” Says Taeyeon with a smirk.
“I was only referring to convenience in making business deals, byuntae.” Tiffany pinches Taeyeon’s
forearm, gaining an exaggerated reaction from the latter. So she pinches her again, a little harder this
time.
“I know! You are the one who’s got the wrong idea - Ow! Yah! Okay, okay! I admit I was thinking
about something else!” Taeyeon covers her reddened arm and surrenders to her girlfriend’s violent
act.
She has no right to complain though, indeed she was low-key referring to something entirely different
from profession. From the way Tiffany studies her with an amused smile, Taeyeon gathers the
brunette must have already joint the dots in that clever head of hers.
Slowly but swiftly, Tiffany shifts slightly to climb onto the blonde, straddling her, trapping her between
herself and the sofa, effectively blocking her last escape route.
Taeyeon’s body tensed up as she feels Tiffany’s body gently pressing against hers. Damn. She
gulped, it takes everything for her to avoid looking down that loose baby-pink T-shirt. This woman
surely knows how to play with fire.
“So…it’s charming? Me speaking English?” Tiffany’s lips are only inches away from Taeyeon’s ear,
she shivers as the warm breath hovers above it and the back of her neck.
“It’s sexy, very sexy to be precise.” Taeyeon tries to maintain the usual calmness in her tone.
Goddamn it Tiffany, what are you doing to me?
To Tiffany’s delight, the answer is fairly honest and flattering to say the least.
“A reward for your honesty.”
A kiss lands on the blonde’s lips, a gentle slow-paced kiss with a tender tug to end the sweet gesture
of love.

“How long are you planning to stay?” Taeyeon caresses the soft brown tresses, lifting them close to
her nose. She adores wonderful scents, she’s a perfume collector but right now, her favourite scent is
the one that lingers inside her heart, and it belongs to Tiffany.
Tiffany takes her time to digest the words. Somehow there’s a strange feeling bothering her, that this
topic may lead to an unpleasant outcome. She stole a glance at Taeyeon’s side profile before
answering her question.
“Once the branch is on the right track then I’ll head back, there’re ropes to learn from my father before
he retires.” Tiffany leans on Taeyeon’s shoulder, slipping her hand underneath Taeyeon’s and locks
their hands together.
“And what’s the definition of ‘the right track’?” Says the blonde in a small voice.
Now Tiffany can finally name the irking feeling. Treading on thin ice. She sighs. It’s bound to be
saddening and frustrating when this topic is brought up, she should have seen it coming. Frankly, she
wouldn’t even remember it was supposed to be her short stay in Seoul if Taeyeon didn’t mention it
just now.
Regardless, Taeyeon deserves to know about her plan to stay or leave.
“When the profit outweighs the expense and loss by 45 percent.” Taeyeon immediately sulks upon
hearing her words. Tiffany cups the singer’s face to look her in the eyes. “Look, it’s not quite there yet,
also plans tend to change.”
Taeyeon seems to ease up a little, but the crease on her eyebrows is still present.
“What about your own plan? Will you come back to Korea for good?” Taeyeon asks persistently.
“I…I haven’t thought about it yet.”
For all the years Tiffany’s been alive, she has always considered herself as a well-organised person,
heading into the future according to her meticulously drawn flawless map. But this time, not even a
compass could help her find the directions anymore - Kim Taeyeon came fast like bolt, sweeping her
off her feet like a hurricane, ruining her supposedly perfect future layout.
She isn’t sure about where this discrete relationship lead them, mist is all that she sees ahead of them
at this very moment.
“Neither have I.” Taeyeon kisses Tiffany’s forehead as an apology. “Sorry, that was a weird question.
Guess I should have a day off, stress is getting on my nerves.”
Bad liar. Tiffany addresses mentally. She can’t tell what’s on her lover’s mind for the latter’s often
unreadable, but she appreciates a change of topic for now, so she lets herself sink into the blonde’s
hold.
“Relax, remember the rules at my place?”
“No work and related talks.”
“Good, now I’m going to take a shower. Ice-cream with waffles afterwards?”
“Sure, chocolate flavour for me please.”

Taeyeon continues mindlessly changing the channels while waiting for Tiffany.
She jerks up as her phone vibrates violently against the coffee table, she almost cuss at the jump
scare though it was her spacing out in the first place.
“It’s Friday night and you’ve bailed on me again.”
A flat voice came through without any greeting or polite openings, Taeyeon doesn’t even need to take
a look at the display to figure out who the caller is. Taeyeon frowns and raffles her messy hair in
frustration. How is she going to explain this…about Tiffany and herself? She hasn’t opened up to
anyone about their relationship and she feels guilty for keeping her best friend out of the loop.
She inhales deeply, trying to find suitable words that hopefully wouldn’t displease Sunny.
“Sunny…things are a bit different and I - ”
“Stop. I don’t need any explanations, you’re so predictable and obvious, Kim Taeyeon.” Sunny
shushed her before asking in a more serious low tone. “Is she next to you right now?”
“No, she’s in the shower, what’s wrong?” Taeyeon sits up from the sofa, eyeing the bathroom door as
she keeps her voice down.
“Nothing. Just don’t want to be the third wheel that’s all. So how is it going with her?”
Sunny’s weird behaviour doesn’t help at all even though she tries to sound nonchalant.
“We’re quite different both in personality and culturally, argue about the tiniest thing here and
there…but everything’s fine, surprisingly.” Nonetheless, Taeyeon decides to follow her lead to see
what’s been up her best friend’s sleeves.
“No suspicion from your company?”
“The usual, they’ll find out themselves anyways.” So is this what she’s getting at? Taeyeon continues:
“I haven’t told anyone, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“Good, you wouldn’t want to go on an indefinite hiatus at your peak.” Sunny’s words always strike the
cord like a spear penetrates straight through the heart. “Heard you went to Tokyo Disney together, no
hassle?”
“What are you? Private detective or stalker Lee Soonkyu?” Taeyeon nearly raised her voice at the
interrogation, only reminding herself to keep it down because it’s almost mid-night.
“A person who’s trying to look out for her best friend.”
Then Taeyeon remembers Lee Soonkyu is best at shutting her up with valid reasons, and she hates
her for being so right all the time.
“Fine. Yes, we went there for the day, some people recognised us but no hassles whatsoever.” She
huffs in defeat, annoyance is apparent in her grumble.
“Last question. Are you happy now?”
“What?”
“Are you happy to be with her?”
Her best friend’s stern voice makes Taeyeon hesitate for a moment, spending few seconds to rethink
about her answer to the easy yet extremely difficult question.
Happy is a concept that varies between people. It’s vague and undefinable, it’ll come in all forms and
shapes, it comes and go like summer breeze. Sometimes, it won’t mean anything at all because of
one tiny wound. Often, it’ll surround you and gradually becomes the air one needs to survive.
And Tiffany is like air to Taeyeon.
“Yes - she’s a wonderful person, someone I wouldn’t dream of having,” Taeyeon takes a deep breath.
“I’ve never been happier in my life, Soonkyu.”
“Nice to know.” Sunny pauses, faint sounds of fingers tapping on the table can be heard in the
background. “Grasp that happiness, make it everlasting - you know what you should and shouldn’t do,
it’s important.”
“Yeah, grandma Lee, you’ve warned me so many times before.” Taeyeon rolls her eyes when her
eyes catches a figure walking out of the bathroom. Tiffany in a white bathrobe, walking towards her
direction. “Honestly, what’s with you? If you don’t have anything to say then I’m hanging up because
I’m kinda - ” Her words were abrutedly cut off by a quick peck on the lips given by the brunette.
“Busy.”
“No and I don’t want these sounds haunting me in my sleep, bye.”
Poor Sunny. Taeyeon thought. She must have heard some sounds when their lips parted because
she hung up at the speed of light.
Minutes later, Tiffany reappears in her comfy sleepwear, hugging Taeyeon from behind. The blonde
offers her a spoonful of ice-cream while scooting some more to place them on top of the reheated
waffles.
“Who was that?” The brunette rests her chin on Taeyeon’s shoulder, watching her desert being
completed with chocolate buttons as toppings.
“Sunny, she’s acting a little weird today.” Taeyeon frowns then shakes her head lightly. “Maybe I
should go check on her.”
“You should, wash some guilt off me because I’m always keeping her best friend.”
“Awwww, how considerate of you. Don’t worry, I’m sure she doesn’t mind, I’ll make up to her.”
Taeyeon turns around and feeds another spoonful of ice-cream to her lover.
“Send her my regards.”
“Will do.”

“Tell them we’ll make good use of it when the timing’s right,” Sunny orders. “Also make sure they don’t
have any copies.”
After getting a brief answer from the other side of the phone, she finally puts her overheated device on
the table, her ear suffers a raging pain from conversing over the phone for too long. Her eyes are
fixed on the monitor that’s currently on her mailbox page, displaying an anonymous e-mail with the
title ‘Tokyo isn’t a safe haven’ which she had received this morning. There’re attachments in image
formats and only a contact number written in the main body, the number Sunny had told her lefthand
man to dial just now.
Trading information - a phenomenon in the entertainment industry.
Those pests want nothing but catastrophes, nothing is more desirable and juicier than two mega
entertainment companies battling on media. With a good payment and a few cunning words to
convince them there’ll be a war between companies, they’ll agree to exchange even the most
valuable chess piece. Nasty, shameless and unethical, but this is how the media functions. If one
wants to retaliate, they can only fight them with dirty tricks.
She was going to warn the couple, but she didn’t have the heart to ruin her best friend’s newfound
delicate happiness - she couldn’t bear the guilt to become the one destroying everything.
Therefore she didn’t tell her and handled it discretely.

Sunny logs out and closes the browser, shutting her sore eyes for she’s been staring at the screen
intensely today.

There’s only so much I can help, Taeng…

(15)

Pisces. The zodiac sign permanently engraved on the back of Taeyeon’s ear.

Why hadn’t Tiffany noticed the tattoo before is a misery, perhaps it was too well hidden underneath
the blond tresses, or maybe she was falling too deep into those mesmerising eyes, failing to register
other features of hers.
Her finger traces the inked sign, fingertip barely touching the milky white smooth skin, avoiding waking
the singer from her well deserved sleep. Fascinated by her new discovery, Tiffany brushes the latter’s
fringe aside to have a better look at the tiny tattoo, one that Taeyeon had never mentioned before. It
stays there blatantly like a stain on powder snow, like ink spread across a blank paper, hard to be
ignored once it’s been spotted. She leans down to place a peck on Taeyeon’s ear shell as her other
hand clings onto the latter’s arm, pressing it against her own body.
Although Taeyeon claims sexiness doesn’t exist in her nature, Tiffany knows better that it isn’t true at
all. Women with tattoos are irresistible, intoxicating, charming and incredibly sexy, they are the ones
you see on big screens making you question your sexual orientation - Taeyeon fits perfectly into the
criteria (and she’s also a famous person). Sometimes Tiffany doubts if Taeyeon’s really that oblivious
about her own charm, quite often she is convinced the blonde deliberately plays dumb to drive people
even crazier for her, a tactful way to lure them into her lethal trap. Among them there’s Tiffany, one of
many victims who fell under her spell, but she wouldn’t mind falling in even deeper. It’s exhilarating,
addictive, unstoppable, like free falling.
Her finger continues trailing Taeyeon’s features, exploring and registering every curve with
tenderness. The ticklish touches made Taeyeon shuffle in her sleep but isn’t startled by her actions,
much to Tiffany’s delight. The blonde lifts up her arm to shield her eyes from the sunlight, exposing
another tattoo just above her elbow, the one Tiffany loves the most.

Serenity. The beautiful word not only phonetically identical to Taeyeon’s name, but also accurately
describing her best quality.

And there’s another one on Taeyeon’s thumb, ‘I’, it was chosen to be tattooed at the most visible
place to herself because it was her very first solo album. It is engraved there to remind herself how
lucky she was to have received so much love and support from everyone during her first debut, it’ll
give her strength at times, according to the singer.
Three tattoos in total, none of them are designed to be hidden from the public eye - a daring move
since Korea is still a relatively conservative country, prejudice and criticisms are thrown towards
women if they got even a single tattoo done. Taeyeon though, as sweet and innocent looking as she
is, has a heart of a rebel deep down. ‘Unrestricted personality.’ Tiffany remembers the answer
Taeyeon had given in a recent magazine interview. ‘I seem to be the person who hates to be living in
boundaries, perhaps that’s why people consider me cool. Everyone has their preference in lifestyle,
mine just happens to be this, I guess.’
Admittedly, Tiffany fell even deeper after reading the pop singer’s interview.
How could a person be both timid and rebellious at the same time? As if it’s a packet of Pop Rocks
that comes in different flavours, an astonishing sensation has your mind blown away when you try
each one of them, spicy, sweet, sour, cola, strawberry, lemonade…anything you did or didn’t expect
to be conquering your taste bud. Taeyeon is that amazing packet of wonders, a little excitement plus
amazing qualities to offer, everything Tiffany has grown addicted to.
Tiffany caresses the blonde’s cheek gently, simply watching Taeyeon sleeping peacefully.
It’s a rare opportunity for her to see her lover’s still fast asleep beside her. It was either Taeyeon has
to leave at wee hours for work, or Taeyeon waking her up in her softest voice, telling her to brush her
teeth because breakfast is ready. For Taeyeon’s an early bird and Tiffany’s always sleep deprived, it’s
quite a new sight for her to wake up next to a sleeping Taeyeon - a cute looking sleeping Taeyeon.
She had considered making breakfast for the both of them, but her body and soul refused to move an
inch away from the blonde. She ended up clinging onto the latter’s arm, listening to her regularly
breathing while quietly admiring the blonde’s features. She could do this everyday, every night, and
never gets tired of it.
She grabs her phone on the nightstand and takes a picture of the sleeping beauty, unconsciously
smiling at the exploding cuteness in the frame.
Just like that, everything happened and clicked just like that.

Tiffany had fallen for Taeyeon much deeper before realisation hit her like a truck.

“Is it okay for Prince to stay over at yours for the night if it runs late?” Tiffany shouts down the corridor
as she checks herself in the mirror.
“Sure, no problem.” Another voice came from afar, the little disappointment echoes in the hallway. A
blond head peeped from the end of the corridor, sneaking a peek at the brunette who’s walking
towards the living room, hands busy tapping on the smartphone.
Taeyeon can smell the familiar sweet flowery perfume from miles away. Being a perfume collector,
every fibre in Taeyeon’s body warns her that is not a good sign at all. The perfume, namely Tiffany’s
favourite perfume, is too alluring and too irresistible, no mankind would be able to withhold from
pursuing such a fine lady. She has a bad feeling about this…charity event that her girlfriend is
attending. No matter how many times the brunette had reassured her the event is strictly professional,
Taeyeon still can’t feel at ease.
Taeyeon watches Tiffany gathering stuff to put into the branded handbag. Black dress exposing her
bare shoulders, the tightening design shows off the wearer’s lines and curves, the long dark brown
tresses flipped to one side, exposing the crook of her neck, fair skin and red lips…everything is on
spot, not excessive and breathtaking enough. What happened to keeping it subtle? This outfit on this
gorgeous woman certainly defeats this ‘laying low’ objective. Taeyeon mentally protests, her eyes are
still glued to the humming woman.
She nearly forgot Tiffany Hwang is born a social butterfly.
“Do you really have to go? Can’t you leave early?” Taeyeon sulks further into the couch, huffing to
signal her low spirit.
“It’s a charity event, Taeyeon. Also my presence is required throughout the whole night because I
represent my father for the company.” Tiffany strifes in a laugh when she saw the grown woman
brooding like a kid. Well, one of the two must act mature. Tiffany walks behind the couch and leans in
to kiss her sulking lover’s blond hair, cupping her chubby face and gives a light squish. “I’ll be back in
no time so stop sulking, you big baby.”
“The big baby demands a 24/7 daycare from whom she loves.” Taeyeon pouts, unwillingly to let go of
Tiffany’s hand.
“I didn’t sign up for being a babysitter in this relationship.” The brunette can’t help but grins at the sight
of her cutely nagging lover. “I’ll text you, okay? Be good.”
“Yes, Miss Hwang. I’ll curl up in my bed with your Prince and cry myself to sleep.” Taeyeon reluctantly
follows Tiffany’s pull and gets off the sofa. She walks the latter to the foyer, arms immediately drapes
around her as soon as they arrived at the entrance. She hugs Tiffany tightly, putting up a last fight for
her lover to stay.
Taeyeon leans against the door frame while watching Tiffany puts her high heels on, then she fixes
Tiffany’s hair before the latter steps out of her apartment.
“Silly, you’ll be fine.” Tiffany gives Taeyeon a goodbye kiss on the lips. “I’m off.”
“Drive safely.”
“Thank you.”

To be fairly honest, the charity event serves a more important purpose than solely displaying
generosity from the rich and famous.
An event attended by countless successful business tycoon is almost same as a hunting ground filled
with preys, an excellent opportunity to promote as well as seeking for potential investors. Tiffany,
who’s shouldering the responsibility to make their Asia branch break into the Korean market, of
course wouldn’t miss such chance.
Tiffany wasn’t surprised when a number of people approached her for an introduction, her father is
well-known in the Korean business world even though he decided to run his business in the States.
Prior to his international enterprise plan, he was a founder of several mega companies. Being the
young heir of the Hwangs thus making Tiffany known and even popular among the industry - though
she was only known as Stephanie Hwang and was rarely seen at public events. It’s a shame to have
to blow up her mysterious cover as the corporate lawyer, but it’s bound to happen when the company
needs to expand its network. Tiffany only hopes people will keep this piece of information within their
minds.
Whenever there’s a pro, there must be a con, they always come in a package.
An awfully familiar company name caught Tiffany’s attention during the auction, then the man dressed
in black suit had her heart sunk.

It was him.

Of course. Tiffany thought. He’s been trying to contact her ever since he came to Seoul half a year
ago, he even went as far as phoning her working number in order to reach her.
Her eyes were fixed on the smiling man while he spotted her too. This can’t be a coincident, Tiffany
knows him too well to be so innocent in thinking they were destined to meet. She didn’t return the
smile, only averted her gaze onto the glass of wine in her hands. Hatred was all she felt at the
moment their eyes met.
She carried on greeting everyone with politeness and a dazzling smile, the business world is all about
people connection after all, a little charm she had thrown would possibly turn into profits later. Quite a
few old friends of her father’s also came to talk with her, giving her tips and advices here and there.
Strangely, he didn’t make a move on her, nor was he seen anywhere in her sight.
Then the pent up anger and irritation confused her.

“You know he’s here, right?” Yuri lowers her voice while eyeing their surroundings, no sign of the
familiar man who previously ruthlessly broke her friend’s heart.
“I didn’t know but now I do.” I wouldn’t come if I knew. Tiffany keeps her voice down, avoiding to
attract any unnecessary attention.
“He’s persistent, Fany. I heard he’s been asking your friends your whereabouts, his company’s setting
a foot in the Korea market too.” Yuri sits back and sips her wine. “He won’t be leaving Korea anytime
soon.”
“More like his father’s company.” Tiffany mutters in mockery. “And I know he’s been trying to track me
down, he’s on my blacklist so no more useless phone calls from him.”
“How long are you going to stay in Korea then? You might want to consider taking this self-mediating
trip to elsewhere.”
Tiffany frowns and her lips pursed. She hesitated for thinking of a proper way to state her answer. Yuri
doesn’t know about Taeyeon and certainly uninformed about their affair. How is she going to break
the news to her friend? Is she going to digest all these information at once? Is Yuri going to accept
and approve their relationship?
Frankly, she hadn’t once thought of being in this situation. Tiffany…Stephanie Hwang Miyoung falling
in love with a woman, neither her friends or herself could have foreseen this.
“I’m prolonging my stay.” Tiffany announced, staring at the emptied glass on the dining table. “Even if
I fly to another country he’ll still follow me around, so there’s no point in leaving.”
“But what are you going to do with him? You know he won’t give up.”
“Tie up loose ends.” Tiffany sighs. To end things which she should have done on the night she caught
him redhanded.
Suddenly Yuri halts her words as her body tenses up, if looks could kill, whoever is being stared by
Yuri would be dead by now. Confused, Tiffany follows her line of vision to see what got her friend on
high alert.
“Good evening, ladies.” The tall handsome man walks in front of them, bowing politely as he casually
interrupts their conversation.
He hasn’t changed a single bit. Tiffany reckons. Slicked back undercut hair, overflowing confidence
completed with a charming smile, a gentle deep voice that lures countless girls to fall into his
meticulously set trap. Arrogance behind his intense stare, as if they’re saying ‘you’re mine,
Stephanie.’. Tiffany feels weak and small in his presence, insignificant and suffocating from the heavy
air between them. Knowing Tiffany isn’t able to put on a tough front, his smile grows wider, a smile
which Tiffany loves and hates at the same time.
The most complicated part of the human heart is, feelings will betray humanity, they will turn against
one’s will regardless of how hard one tries to deny.
She has a lover now, someone who deserves her love so much more, she has moved on - Tiffany
mentally reminds herself. But the complicated feeling jiggling inside her chest leaves her in
restlessness. Tiffany doesn’t know what this feeling is, she doesn’t dare to open the Pandora’s box
either.
She just stands there while Yuri holds a firm grip on her wrist.
“We’re in the middle of a conversation here, do you mind?” Yuri hisses, the warning in her voice didn’t
go unnoticed by the man, he merely shrugs in response.
“Can I have a word with Miss Hwang here? It won’t take long, just a couple of seconds.” His
nonchalant attitude irritates Yuri to no end, but her rising anger is suppressed by Tiffany’s hold.
“It’s okay, Yuri.” Tiffany gives her friend a reassuring smile. “I have some unfinished business with him
too.”
Yuri keeps glaring at the smiling man. “I’ll be around if you need me.” She said before leaving the ex-
lovers alone.
Regaining her composure, Tiffany brings herself to look her past lover in the eyes, making sure her
stare is as cold as a stone. To her annoyance, the man seems unaffected by the intensity between
them. Instead, he closes the gap slowly, causing Tiffany to take a step back by reflex.
“Stay back and talk. You have a minute before I end this.” Tiffany stares at him coldly, maintaining a
safe distance.
“How cold of you, Stephanie.” His expression painted with hurt. “We’re a bit old for hide and seek,
don’t you think? Look, I’ve found you on the other side of the globe, we’re destined to be together.”
“Shameless. You questioned my friends for my coming and goings.” Tiffany’s voice is low and filled
with anger.
“I had to. Don’t make me, Steph. ” He raises his eyebrows and leans in. “Do what’s best for us.”
What’s best for us? What’s left for them anyways? Anger is slowly consuming Tiffany, but she won’t
give in so easily. Rationality is the last piece of her that she can never lose to him, otherwise she’d
end up getting burnt. She remains silent with arms folding across her chest, throwing daggers at the
arrogant man with her eyes. He must be up to something. She mentally remarks, participating
whatever gibberish he’s going to spill.
“Think about our family and our companies…” He deliberately makes himself sound as if he’s in
agony, as if he’s unwilling to say the words that would impose a burden on the brunette. “You know
what’s best for all of us.”
Tiffany freezes as the words finally hit her.
Her glare no longer bears anger and hatred but replaced by shock, reacting exactly the way the man
wanted.
“Give me a call when you’ve thought this through.” The man seizes the chance to kiss Tiffany’s hand
when she’s still in a daze. “Until then, my Stephanie.”

Tiffany can’t recall what exactly happen suit. All she remembers is how hard she rubbed her hands
under the running tap, her thumb kept rubbing against the back of her right hand until her skin was
reddened and numb from pain.
It was a light peck from the shameless man, but it felt beyond filthy to Tiffany. How painstakingly
wrong and ignorant of her to think that maybe, just maybe, she still has feelings for him, and he may
have changed for the better. How foolish and naïve of her to think she’ll get out of this the way she
wants.
No, the last remaining feelings for him has vanished, completely out of the window and can never be
retrieved. Tiffany was so blind when she first met him. So, so blind.
She was appalled by his words, his cleverly disguised, subtle threats. She felt sick having been kissed
on the hand by him, she wanted to erase any traces of him so she kept washing her hands. She
would have scratched her skin to bleed if Yuri didn’t show up in the bathroom to check up on her.
As the representative of her father’s company, Tiffany stayed composed until the charity event was
eventually over, smiling, chatting, acting as if nothing had happened.

It was already 3 a.m. in the morning when she arrived at Taeyeon’s apartment.
She should have gone back to her own apartment instead of going to the singer’s unannounced. But a
sudden urge just claimed her, her mind wasn’t in control but her feeling was, her heart was pulling her
towards Kim Taeyeon’s door. Restlessness and uneasiness, weariness and utterly at loss. Only the
calmness and serenity in Taeyeon’s voice, the peacefulness felt in her presence, could comfort her
like being sheltered in safe haven.
So she just went straight to Taeyeon’s place.
The tiny white pup came dashing to the foyer and barks endlessly. Tiffany picks him up, patting his
head to shush him from waking up the whole apartment complex. There’s also another small black
pup moving, sniffing her while its tail wagging violently against her legs. Tiffany greets them with a few
pats on their heads, then she hears footsteps dragging from across the hallway.
“Tiffany…?” The petit blonde rubs her eyes, squinting to see who made the pups barking like there’s
no tomorrow.
“Hi, sorry to wake you.” Tiffany tugs the messy blond hair behind Taeyeon’s ear. She secretly hopes
the latter is too sleepy to notice the weak embedded in her hoarse voice. “Go back to sleep.” She
takes hold of Taeyeon’s wrists to guide her back to the bedroom.
A sleepy Taeyeon is even quieter and more obedient than usual, which Tiffany is grateful for at times
like this. She tugs the blonde in bed without any difficulty, only a slight clinginess from Taeyeon when
she was about to stand up.
“Are you coming too?…” Taeyeon holds her hand, fighting the drowsiness that’s quickly engulfing her.
“I will later, you can sleep first.” Tiffany gives their joint hands a light squeeze.
She kneels down beside the bed, silently watching her lover falls asleep, their fingers still intertwined.
Slowly but surely, her exhausted mind finally found its peace, there’s no longer millions after millions
of questions and worries occupying her mind. Foremost, images of him also fades out, his words
aren’t haunting her for now.
Tiffany rests her head on the edge of Taeyeon’s bed, staring at the innocent face absentmindedly.

What should I do now? Taeyeon…

(16)

"Will you become my one and only wife, Stephanie?"

She heard a hypnotising deep voice calling her name like a lullaby. The joy in her heart turned into
loud thumping inside her chest as if it was going to burst any minute. She remembered how surprised
and touched she was seeing the man kneeling down on one knee. She remembered how her tears of
joy streaming down her cheeks when the diamond ring slipped into her ring finger.
She sincerely thought he was the one, and they would be living happily ever after.
The memory of kissing the man who she loved wholeheartedly is still vivid.

"Listen, it's not what you think, Steph."

She was trying to give her fiancé a surprise on his birthday, she even flew back few days earlier for
preparation. Little did she know, she ended up the one utterly surprised.
Her heart sunk and time froze at the sight of another woman hovered above her fiancé, kissing him
passionately. The woman had a mocking smile when she looked at her, whereas the man, the one
supposed to be committed to her, didn't show a sign of panic.
Crack. Deep wounds on her heart extended, slicing it into pieces. She remembered how hard she
tried to grasp air into her lungs, how her chest was burning in pain.
She remembered how she fought back the tears of anger and sorrow, how cold the it was when she
stormed out of his house and into the December night.

"Cancel the engagement, please."

She remembered how emotionless her voice was when calling off her own wedding.
She remembered how she locked herself in the confines of her room, losing appetite and interests in
almost everything. She shut everyone out for weeks, then she was surrounded by a million people but
still felt lonely, her voided heart was left with a massive hole.
She remembered how bitter her own tears tasted. She remembered how tears rolled down
uncontrollably until her eyes were too sore to even see.
She remembered how she cried herself to sleep, how she felt like crying but there wasn't any tears
left anymore.

She was a fool.

She was a pathetic fool for being so blind when his crimes were always right under her nose.

"Hey...hey, wake up, Fany." A worried voice wakes Tiffany up from drowsiness.
She slowly opens her eyelids, only to see Taeyeon's face inches away from hers, her faint brows
furrowed in concern. Her eyes feel sore and puffy, it took Tiffany a few seconds to let reality kick back
in. Sun is up and shining and she's lying on Taeyeon's bed.
"You were crying in your sleep, bad dreams?" The blonde asks in a gentle voice, her thumb wiping
the tear trails on Tiffany's cheeks.
Tiffany rubs her eyes, indeed there are still some tears.
She can't remember when did she fall asleep. She vaguely recalls watching Taeyeon falling back to
sleep last night, then her mind gradually gave up on replaying scenes form the charity event.
She was hoping maybe she'll finally find peace in sleep, but memories of the past came back to haunt
her. Indeed it's a bad dream. A nightmare. A living hell which she can't seem to escape.
"Please talk to me, Fany. You're making me worry." Taeyeon kneels besides the bed and holds her
hand. Tiffany notices Taeyeon is also in her pyjamas, she must have started the latter while she cried
unconsciously.
"Don't worry, I'm fine...it was just...a really bad dream." Tiffany smiles weakly, which is not convincing
at all for Taeyeon.
"Wanna talk about it?" The blonde tightens her grip.
"It's okay." Tiffany shakes her head, already feeling better having been cared for.
Although Taeyeon is still not convinced that her girlfriend is genuinely fine, she decides to respect her
choice for keeping things in, for love and trust are what they're doing this for.
"Okay. You know I'm here." Taeyeon kisses Tiffany's hand for reassurance. "I'll make us breakfast.
Cereal and toast for you?"
The singer was about to stand up when she felt a hand grabbing her wrist, pulling her towards the
bed. Taeyeon resorts back to a squatting position, meeting Tiffany's eyes. Confused and slightly
worried, she just stays quiet when the brunette caresses her face.
Tiffany closes her eyes and leans in to kiss Taeyeon.
It was a long, gentle peck on the lips. A kiss that feels entirely different from the previous kisses they
shared. It felt like surreal. It felt like Tiffany was slowly slipping away from the kiss, like Tiffany was
using every passing second to capture the moment, for it to be everlasting.
When their lips finally parted, Tiffany leans her forehead against Taeyeon's, staring into those gentle
eyes that are sparkling with affection.
"Thank you for being with me." Tiffany whispers softly.
"I'll always be there for you." With another kiss on the brunette's forehead, Taeyeon envelopes
Toffany into her arms.

Something irritates Taeyeon, like a sting in the tail, she can't ignore this unsettling feeling. The reason
of it all, is that she can't erase the sadness in Tiffany's eyes.

Tiffany has developed a hobby ever since she realised time waits for no one.

It was an ordinary hobby for anyone regardless of age, gender, culture or backgrounds, a hobby that
can capture glimpses of life, to trap time within the white frames even after bones turn into ashes. Life
is short but that’s what makes it so beautiful and meaningful. Tiffany is an enthusiast in living life to
the fullest, she wants to create as well as capturing every memorable moment, hence the camera and
expanding album collection.
The beauty of Mother Nature, the strangers she had met on trips, friends and families who she loves,
her favourite places and things…everything remains perfectly still and fresh under her lens. She
would go through bunches of photo albums in her phone every now and then to be embraced by the
nostalgic feeling. She loves how the photos bring back the pleasant memories, as if she could relive
them over again like a video tape. She loves how they proved to her that she didn’t leave any regrets
in the past.
This hobby of hers still continues even to this day.
"Let's take a picture together, Tae." The brunette holds a Leica camera, trying out various poses while
lying on the couch. She beckons the petit singer over but the latter merely raises her eyebrows at the
sudden request.
"But we're not even doing anything here? There's nothing special to capture." Taeyeon stays put in
her seat across the couch.
"We don't have to be doing anything at all. I just want a picture of us." Tiffany tilts her head to get a full
look at her whiny girlfriend.
Knowing Taeyeon, it's going to be a tough fight since she was never fond of photography. In fact,
almost 90 percent of Taeyeon's photo album is consisted of pictures of Ginger, Prince and awesome
fancy cars.
"You know how much I dislike taking photos...and I look awful." As expected, Taeyeon puts on her
worst looking face, pretending to be non-photogenic.
"You look just fine, Taeyeon." Tiffany rolls her eyes. Geez, bet people will flip if they hear what
Taeyeon had just said about her bare face. Tiffany sits up, a list full of reasons is ready to be thrown
at her lover. "These photos are all memories! You're not going to remember what you've done when
you look back, that's why we need photos to remind ourselves."
Damn. Taeyeon heaves a sigh. Note to self: never start a debate with a lawyer.
"How come you always sound so convincing?" The singer reluctantly scoots closer towards the
smiling Tiffany. Zero chance for her to win an argument against Tiffany, there’s no point in resisting
because she’ll always give in anyways, as usual.
"Because I'm always right. Now get in the picture." Tiffany flashes a victorious grin while flipping her
hair confidently.
Taeyeon only groans in defeat and moves her bottom right next to her girlfriend who never takes no
for an answer. "Bossy." She mutters, her volume is just enough to be heard by the brunette.
"I heard that." Tiffany slaps Taeyeon’s thigh lightly then stretches her arm with the camera in her
hand. “Smile!"
Being the professional all-rounder artist as she is, Taeyeon puts on the best natural smile for the her
girlfriend’s sake, then falls back into the couch the second when Tiffany lowers the camera to check
the photos. She sneaks a peek at the monitor and finds the photos are currently being transferred to
Tiffany’s phone.
“Wouldn’t that use up all your phone storage?” Asks Taeyeon. She’s been seeing the brunette doing
this almost every time right after they’ve taken pictures. “Whoa, you have so many albums there.”
“Yah! No peeking!” Tiffany hides her phone away from the blonde, her loud voice made Taeyeon
wince.
“What? Are you hiding something from me?” Taeyeon rubs her ringing ears while raising her
eyebrows in suspicion.
“Of course not!”
“Then what’s with the number titles?” Yes, she saw them, those albums using numbers as titles.
Taeyeon didn’t intentionally find out about them, but they were too odd that they caught her eyes at
the very first sight.
“It’s a secret only I’ll can know.”
“Oh so we’re keeping things from each other now?” The blonde leans backwards with her arms folded
across her chest, pushing her girlfriend’s limits.
“That’s not it, seriously, there’s nothing secretive in these folders so stop asking.” She flicks the
blonde in the arms, the tone of her voice filled with seriousness. The sternness in Tiffany’s voice gives
Taeyeon a chill, sometimes the former really can’t take a joke. Maybe it’s a genetic trait commonly
found in professional persons, Taeyeon thought.
“How do I know if you’re not keeping my nudes?” The blonde swiftly changes the atmosphere.
Tiffany turns around in order to read Taeyeon’s expressions. She smirks at the dirty comment when
playfulness and humour finally hit her.
“I’d totally set it as my wallpaper if I have pictures like that, laying them out for the world to see, no
hiding.” Tiffany smiles sheepishly.
“Wow, pervert.”
“I have a good teacher.” Tiffany elbows Taeyeon in the ribs. “Now go shower because I don’t want to
go on a date with a stinky shortie.”
“YAH! I’M NOT SHORT!” The petit singer immediately jumps up from the couch to protest. For the
record, height is never the topic to be joked about, according to Taeyeon.
Tiffany lets out a loud laugh and throws her arms around the pouting blonde, pulling her closer so that
she can claim those fine lips. She has learnt this handy little trick through spending time with
Taeyeon, it never fails to coax or cooing a sulking Taeyeon.
Just how weak am I. Taeyeon mentally sighs at herself melting and her heart softens in the brunette’s
hold. She hates being called short let alone the word shortie, however, she just can’t bring herself to
be mad at Tiffany. It’s frustrating, but feeling absolutely loved at the same time, only Tiffany Hwang is
able to provoke her without getting a wrath of Hell Kim Taeyeon.
Tiffany is her only weakness.
“Now go and I’ll pick an outfit for you, you need some colours in your life, too much black and grey.”
Oh no. Taeyeon has a bad feeling about this. Last time when Tiffany offered to organise her outfit for
her mini concert, it was a baby pink fur coat with a cat tail at the back. It was…beyond wild.
“No dresses, no skirts, no pink please.” Taeyeon insists.
“God, you’re so boring!” Tiffany frowns, unwrapping her arms but they were grabbed by the blonde as
soon as they left the latter’s waist.
“Thanks, love you too.” Taeyeon gives Tiffany a peck on the lips.

Taeyeon was never a fan of romance, nonetheless, she sat in the cinema for nearly two hours without
falling asleep - all for her beloved girlfriend.
Tiffany on the other hand, seemed to be deeply intrigued, she was so engaged into the film that she
stayed completely silent throughout the whole film, only focusing on the giant screen. It was a popular
Hollywood Blockbuster romantic film, adapted from the bestselling book and starring attractive film
stars, apparently it’s nominated for Oscars Academy too.
Although the plot was interesting (surprisingly), Taeyeon wasn’t able to concentrate, her mind was
going through different scenarios and her eyes were busy observing their surroundings. She was on
high alert but she was meticulous enough not to let the brunette beside her notice the tension. It was
her idea to go on a date in broad daylight, there were too many discrete dates inside the confines of
her car or their apartments, but rarely normal dates. Shopping, chatting at a coffee shop, watching
films, going to theme parks…ordinary dates which couples all do are like reaching the sky for them.
It’s a shame, a constant struggle they’ll have to live with as long as Taeyeon still pursuit this career of
hers.
Taeyeon would be lying to say she didn’t want to experience a real relationship, one that is genuine,
enabling her to love someone without having to be trapped inside any private confines. Her previous
relationships were none but flings if she was to compare them with what she’s having now. None of
her exes made her feel secure or brave enough to go on a normal date, it was a pity that she never
knew what love really was until she met Tiffany Hwang.
If she was to define love, it would be willing and trying to give her lover the best. The best dates, the
best presents, the best memories, the best experiences, the best of her.
To be honest, it was a great gamble for Taeyeon, for they could be caught or recognised by the public
any minute, she could have lost everything she had earned through the years. But it was worthy
because Tiffany was exceptionally happier than ever, and her smile is wider, brighter, lovelier. Nothing
suits Tiffany better than the blazing sunshine, being able to see her love one glowing worths every
risk she’s taking. She would take a plunge from the top of Mt Everest if that’s what it takes to see a
dazzling smile like that.
Much to Taeyeon’s relief, there was no sign of public recognition or traces of paps following them.

Taeyeon completely spaced out, she was only awaken by a light squeeze of her hand. She flashes a
smile to Tiffany before pulling up her mask to cover her face, they’re just about to exit the cinema via
the main entrance. As usual, her disguise set and blond hair made her stand out from the crowd, but
they were long gone before anyone could catch another good look at them.
They stayed quiet while making their way to the nearest coffee shop. It was a pleasant silent though,
a communication that requires no words but just exchange of glances and gentle gesturers. They
picked a table at the top floor near the balcony, Taeyeon finally took her cap and mask off as soon as
they say down. This place is Tiffany’s favourite, so she invested her faith into it.
“What do you think about the film?” Tiffany hands the menu to the waiter after ordering for the both of
them.
“It was okay for a love drama, cooler than I thought. But I still prefer action horror.” Taeyeon shrugs.
She wasn’t exactly focusing on the plot but she managed to get the gist of it. Needless to say, she
would 100 percent choose action horror films over romance anytime, any day.
“No, we’re never going to see that Zombie Busan film, you know how much I hate horror films.” Tiffany
points her folk at Taeyeon like a mother warning her disobedient child.
“You’re no fun.”
“Says you, Miss unromantic.”
Tiffany sits back, staring outside the window then averting her gaze on the table dressing patterns.
“Hey…” She says in a small voice. “What would you do if you can turn back time?”
It was a question out of the blue and it left Taeyeon dumbfounded for seconds. After a few blinks, the
blond singer quickly picks up some hint. Time traveling and butterfly effects, they were the main
themes of the film they’ve just watched, a fairly controversial hypothetic theory on its own. For
instance, it almost took a wrong turn for the main couple in the film. Just one slip up then everything
will start crumbling down.
Taeyeon had never spent a thought on this, simply because she didn’t feel the need to rewind or undo
anything.
“I don’t think I’ll do anything because I am myself because of everything that happened in the past.
Altering the past also means changing the future and I’m not quite fond of that idea, it’s scary.”
Taeyeon clasps her hands together, putting on a faint smile while staring at the glass of water. “But if I
were to choose…I wish I could meet you earlier.”
Tiffany raises her brows in surprise.
“How? We didn’t even live in the same country.”
“I’ll figure a way, no matter how much it takes.” Taeyeon answers without hesitation, her eyes filled
with confidence and determination.
“Why? I thought you wouldn’t change a thing about the past.”
“Yes, I’m afraid of losing what I have now if I alter anything in the past, but I won’t be if I go through
the change with you.” The blonde looks into Tiffany’s eyes, with sincerity and affection, she continues.
“I want to meet you earlier, so that we can have more time, to make so many more memories
together.”
“You do realise we might not be what we’ve become if we met earlier, right?” Butterfly effect. Tiffany
mutters to herself mentally. Taeyeon is absolutely right about the cause and effect relationship in time
manipulation, events add up like dots being joint together, then they become the reality in this current
moment.
If they met earlier, everything would have been different. They might not even become friends in the
first place since they have extremely opposite personalities and interests, not to mention they came
from different background and cultures, even now they’d have arguments over differences in
perspectives.
Contrary to Tiffany, Taeyeon seems to be calm and unworried about the alternative ending suggested
by the brunette.
“It will be if it’s meant to be. Friends or lovers, it doesn’t matter, I’m grateful for just having you in my
life.” Says Taeyeon softly, her smile grows wider as they lock gazes. “Of course I would try my very
best to pursuit you.”
Air suddenly becomes thinner, Tiffany has to inhale harder to contain the happiness exploding from
inside her chest. She feels a little lightheaded, a wonderful feeling that makes her heart flatter and her
soul on cloud nine. Sweet words, so sweet that would make her diabetic sooner or later, Taeyeon is
slowly killing her, spoiling her with endless sweetness.
“What has gotten into you today, Miss Kim? All those words made me cringe.” She has to suppress a
wide smile upon hearing these honey-like words, but her crescent-shaped eyes have betrayed her.
“So did I, urgh, please just forget what I just said.” Taeyeon grimaces. Seriously, what had Tiffany
done to me? Never thought those cliché words would come out of my mouth and they just came out
naturally. She wanted to burry her blushing face into her palms, this is undoubtedly the most
embarrassing thing thus far.
Tiffany simply laughs at the blushing woman. She pats the latter’s hand to lessen the embarrassment,
then she holds her hand by the fingers, just a light touch, but enough to express the much greater
love underneath.
“I don’t think I want to change anything at all too.” Tiffany smiles. “Taeyeon-ah, I’m very happy, I love
the way we are now and it’s never too late to make memories together.”
Taeyeon smiles in return, it’s one of those brightest smiles that show her cute dimple. No words are
needed, her smile had already conveyed all her feelings for Tiffany, and that, gives her all the strength
and courage to face the storm ahead of her.
It was silly of her to ask such question. Time won’t ever be turned back nor mistakes could be
undone, it was only wishful thinking - but they can be compensated in the current moment. They can
become steppingstones to a brighter future if every step is taken carefully and correctly. Courage and
a will of steel, are what it takes to face the unpleasant part in one’s past.
Everything will be alright as long as she loves Taeyeon and Taeyeon loves her, no matter how difficult
the situation might be.

That night after Taeyeon dropped her off, Tiffany finally sent a message to the number that has been
blocked for months.

‘Let’s put an end to this. Meet me at the restaurant, I’ll send you the location.’
(17)

Courage, hope and devotion are what it takes to be committed to a relationship.

If Tiffany could afford to give, she can equally take them back if only she reaches out to grab what she
regretted to give away. She is ready, more than ready to reclaim the precious parts of her from
someone doesn’t deserve them.
Half an hour had passed since Tiffany arrived at the restaurant. She sat in silent while waiting for the
other person to show up. The whole room is reserved for tonight’s private conversation though she
won’t be staying for long. Truthfully, she has no appetite for irritation and uneasiness had engulfed
every inch of her.
It wasn’t anxiety, it was the thought of meeting him face-to-face alone that irks Tiffany. She had
previously trying to avoid triggering any memory with him, she fled all the way from America to Seoul
just to erase his traces inside her broken heart. She has been doing fine and recovering without his
presence, but seeing him again felt as if all wounds were reopened, stinging and bleeding. As if she
was a defenceless soldier lying on the ground, being kick in the wounds by enemies.
But she must do this, she must end this mess herself right here tonight, no matter how hurtful it might
be.
Tiffany stops mindlessly toying with the diamond ring and lets out a small sigh, the corners of her lips
upturned, forming a faint smile. It’s funny how fast this little accessory turned from a manifestation of
love and trust, to the sharpest knife that repeatedly stabs her weary heart with no mercy. She could
barely lay an eye on it because the memories and broken promises hurt too much. But when she took
it out today just before coming here, it didn’t hurt anymore, the pain and anger were replaced by a
wave of relief. It was then, Tiffany knows she was finally free.
This ring, along with the pain and memories that became nightmares, should all be returned to their
rightful owner because Tiffany Hwang, refuses to be their host anymore.

The door was pushed open and in walked a man, suited up and looking sharp as ever. If anything,
Tiffany would say the man is overflowing with confidence, as usual.
“Sorry, forgot to pick up something so I had to rush back.” The young man pats the leather case in his
hand. He sits on the opposite side, flashing a charming smile to Tiffany. “Would you like to order
something?”
“No need, I won’t be here for long.” Tiffany’s face is deadpanned, her words came out colder than she
expected but it felt just right for the current situation.
The man seems to get the hint but the realisation didn’t wipe the smile off his face. He notices the
familiar diamond ring as Tiffany lays her fingers on it, somehow his smile grows even wider upon
seeing it.
“First off, this belongs to you.” She pushes the ring right in front of him, her tone is still flat. “Secondly,
I acknowledge some of our subunits are merged with your family’s. The Hwang company appreciates
your family’s cooperation and contributions to our success throughout the years, however, we regret
to inform you that we will no longer share partnership. The subunits will be shut down and your losses
will be covered by us.”
The systematic-like rehearsed declaration surprises the man. Tiffany can tell by the way his smile
suddenly faded a little, she can’t help but feeling stronger after delivering the message.
“Do you realise how much that would cost your company?” His voice deepens. “I thought you’re
smarter than this.”
“I am, that’s why I’m drawing a define line between you and I, as well as our companies.”
The man leans back, frowning as he swipes his slicked hair back.
“It was just a mistake, Steph. We can make it work if you’d forgive and give me another chance.” He
stares into Tiffany’s eyes, the confident smile is nowhere to be seen.
“For the sake of profits and reputation.” The brunette squinted as if she’s judging the man, mockery
thick in her voice. “I know you. I also know how business world works. There’s no use in coaxing me,
my mind is set.”
The man pauses sighs again, his stare intensifies as his hands clasped together in front of his nose.
“You’re really not going to change your mind? Does the time we spent together meant nothing to
you?” He tries convincing her again.
“Not anymore.”
“Don’t make me do this, Steph.”
“We’re done here, I’m leaving.” Says Tiffany nonchalantly. She grabs her purse, more than ready to
leave this looping meaningless conversation behind.
The young man watches her wearing her cardigan, seemingly at a loss of words but remains calm
and still. He quietly reaches out to open his leather case to take out a paper file when Tiffany was just
about to get up from the seat. His abnormal quietness and weird actions bother Tiffany. What kind of
tricks is he playing now? Tiffany looks at the paper file suspiciously. Is it another trap just to make me
stay to listen to his crap?
Nonetheless, she decides to stay for figuring out what has the man got to say at last.
“I know you, Stephanie.” He flips open the file without sparing a glance at the brunette. “You’re strong,
determined, fierce and stubborn, you stick to your decision without a doubt. Do you honestly think I’d
come unprepared?” He takes out more than a dozen photos from the file then leaves them scattering
on the table.
Tiffany freezes as she realised what did the photos capture. Pictures of none other than an awfully
familiar blonde and herself, mostly taken at nights but visible enough to tell the features of the two
women in frame. They were taken at different dates and times, snapshots of them in various
environments. Taking a stroll with joint hands, chatting inside the car, the luxurious black Porsche
entering her apartment building…there are even pictures of events taken place from a while ago.
Tiffany didn’t say a word, she didn’t even react to the photos lying in front of her. She was numb,
completely frozen and strangely calm. People lose the ability to react if the shock received was too
great, they even become extremely rational in the worst stage of panic. Tiffany is exactly in this state
right now. She’s composed, her mind is clear, her thoughts are orientated and logical, as if she’s
dealing with yet another case with her professionalism.
“You two were always so careful, so discrete, but remember you told me love turns people into fools?
It’s a pity to see you walking down that road again, especially with a woman.” Says the man
regretfully. “You left me no choice, Steph.” Pain painted on his face. Pretentious or not, Tiffany doesn’t
care, his sincerity is irrelevant to her.
“Where did you get these?” She questions in the calmest tone while glaring at the man.
“Does it matter? There’s always going to be eyes and ears everywhere.” He shrugs impassioned.
“What do you want?”
The man wears a faint smile.
“Simple. Marry me, you have your life and I’ll have mine, no drama, no conflicts.” He sips some iced
water to clear his throat. “Also it’ll be great if your company can provide us some help into the Korean
market.”
Tiffany didn’t move a muscle upon hearing his words, she was disgusted by the intention behind the
threat as well as his requests. Easy as it may sound, the man can make her do whatever he desires
as long as he still has the photos. It may start with a false marriage, merging their companies into
one, then so many more greeds for her to fulfil in his favour.
She can see him clearly ever since their bad breakup, she knows him too well to believe his tempting
words.
As a matter of fact, she still has the upper hand because the decision is hers, how this will turn out
depends on her, and he will give her time to consider.
“Bastard.” Tiffany cusses. Without taking another look at the photos, she pushes herself up from the
chair to leave. The air in this cabin is too heavy to remain thinking straight, she can’t stay here any
longer than intended.
“I’ll be waiting for your good news.”
She heard him on her way out of the private cabin, his voice urges her to fasten her pace in order to
get out of this place.

Tiffany spent the night driving aimlessly around the city.

She was supposed to be having a late dinner with Taeyeon after the singer finishes her recording, but
she figured now is perhaps not the best time for them to meet - not until she can wrap her head
around what happened. She texted Taeyeon an apology and promised to make up for the dinner
another day.
Streetlights passing by as her mind wanders among the past, good or bad, happy or sad. Some parts
are vivid while some has faded a little, they’re floating on the surface in the sea of memories, each
being revised by Tiffany. It felt like she was reviewing her life from cradle to now, remembering every
step and risk she had taken to achieve or to pursuit her goals.
Tiffany was calm, surprisingly calm that she scares herself. Maybe deep down she knows this day will
come, this relationship will suffer or worse, being used as a weapon against them. She had expected
the worst, but it still struck her knowing it was him who’s imposing the threat to Taeyeon and herself.
Had she ended everything back then, he wouldn’t be able to get back at her - at Taeyeon.
A business world is forgetful, nobody ever concerns about scandals or controversial relationship
status. You see polygamy in first world countries but they wouldn’t be charged guilty, you also see the
rich leaving irresponsible speeches but no one challenges them. As long as their company is making
profit, which the profit isn’t controlled by the public, they are their own boss.
The entertainment world is a different story. The more Tiffany knows about Korean entertainment
industry, the more she backs away from it. Celebrity lives on publicity, their reputation determines
everything and sometimes their career might end because of blind hatred that comes out of nowhere.
One slip up or one scandal can possibly be the end of a celebrity’s career because the public is
unforgiving, as far as Tiffany is concerned. There’re good people who understand and will forgive, but
sadly they don’t take up a great proportion in the KPOP industry. Taeyeon has been around for nearly
a decade, she survived and overcome many hardships, she has established a strong base in the
industry, Tiffany knows that. But what they’re facing now is entirely different, a whirlwind that can
possibly become a storm that dessert everything Taeyeon had invested over the years. Fame,
reputation, career, wealth…Taeyeon has so much to lose.
She is forced to play a chess game that wouldn’t allow a single miscalculation.
The rules are set by the villain and he has dragged the innocent into the matter, one step wrong then
both of them will be over in a heartbeat. Tiffany isn’t afraid of losing because she can always recover
from falls, it’s Taeyeon whom she’s scared for.
No, Tiffany can’t let him have his way, no matter what he uses to threaten her.
She’ll not surrender.

Tiffany came home to find her living room is dimly lit.

She recognises the pair of old black converse high lying messily in the foyer, the shoelaces are untied
suggesting its owner roughly yanked them off her feet. Tiffany shakes her head at the sight, bending
down to organise the shoes in a neat order, dealing with her girlfriend’s child-like habit has become a
daily routine for her. She proceeds walking into the living room, already hearing a faint singing voice
echoing.
She walks behind the couch quietly, unwilling to startle the blonde who’s seemingly lost in practicing
singing while using her laptop. It’s an English song Tiffany heard of somewhere else, maybe when
she was randomly browsing music channels. What is this song called again? Coffee…by Miguel.
Taeyeon’s cover is much smoother, much softer and more sensual than the original singer. The
acoustic version is even better, Tiffany reckon, she has always loved Taeyeon’s singing regardless
the genres of songs she sings.
She loves Taeyeon’s slightly accented English, although she always refuses to speak the language
due to embarrassment. The charm in the singer’s voice is serenity, and the way she speaks English is
soft and gentle, like music to ears. Tiffany doesn’t think Taeyeon realises the magic she possesses,
she could listen to her singing English songs forever.
Tiffany waits until Taeyeon finishes singing the song, then takes off her cardigan and places it on the
sofa, startling the blonde in the process. She greets Taeyeon with a light peck on her cheek, fitting
herself into the space between the latter and the armrest. At last, Tiffany’s brain shuts down and her
mind emptied when Taeyeon’s arms wrapped around her. Only then she realised how weary she is,
she could barely speak a word or two, all she wants is Taeyeon’s warmth, Taeyeon’s presence.
She was wrong thinking taking some time alone would ease her mind. It has always been Taeyeon,
she’s seeking for Taeyeon.
“Sorry, I was a little worry so I just came over to check on you. I’ll leave soon.” Taeyeon kisses her
soft brown hair.
“No, stay.” Tiffany’s voice quivers and barely audible, Taeyeon would definitely miss it if her lover isn’t
tucked under her chin. The brunette is unusually quiet tonight which makes Taeyeon more concerned
than before she got here. As a stubborn person herself too, Taeyeon knows there’s no point in
making Tiffany talk if the latter doesn’t take the initiative. In fact, she had been implying she’ll be here
to listen whenever Tiffany feels comfortable to talk about…whatever is bothering her. Still, no
feedbacks so far.
“You’ve been stressed and pretty quiet lately, trouble at work?” Taeyeon strokes Tiffany’s back slowly.
There’s a long pause before Tiffany inhales and exhales a little louder than normal. If only Taeyeon
could see right through the brunette’s mind, they wouldn’t be stuck at constantly seeking and giving
the least comfort.
“Sort of.” Tiffany closes her heavy eyelids, resting her head under the crook of Taeyeon’s neck.
“Suddenly everything just burst and gets messier…I guess I’m too caught up. Sorry for making you
worry.” Indeed, everything just exploded all at once without a warning, like breaking a window to let
oxygen being suck into a room devoured by flames.
She won’t allow anyone to be burnt alive in this mess, but first she needs closure to keep her sane.
“You’re always welcome to talk or vent the frustration out on me, though I’d much appreciate the
former. Just say what you need and I’ll try my best to help.” Taeyeon slips her fingers between
Tiffany’s, locking their hands together.
Tiffany kisses the sharp jawline to return the sweet gesture. “Keep me company, that’s all I ask of
you.”
“Your wish is my command. Anything else you want?”
Tiffany pauses a while to think, the fiddling with Taeyeon’s fingers also stopped simultaneously.
Taeyeon could see the wheels turning in the brunette’s brain but little does she know about the things
on her mind, so she just waits patiently. Tiffany pushes herself up from Taeyeon’s hold, staying at the
same eye level as the latter.
“Remember your best friend who’s also in the business world and resourceful enough to dig
thoroughly into my background?”
“Ah…that. I’m sorry again for what she had done.” Taeyeon frowns, wishing this topic will never be
brought up ever again.
“It’s fine, really, don’t worry about it.” Tiffany reassures her lover by giving her hand a light squeeze.
“I’m actually thinking maybe I can get some help from her since she seems quite connected and
tactful.”
Taeyeon raises her brows in surprise.
For someone like her who doesn’t spare a single thought about the business world nor the economy,
she’ll never understand how companies normally solve their problems - it all seems too complicated
for a simple person like herself. Taeyeon hasn’t properly introduced Sunny to Tiffany because it’d be
too awkward to begin with. Frankly, she’s been looking for a good timing to introduce these two to
each other, sooner or later Tiffany will have to get used to Sunny and vise versa.
Maybe it’s a signal from above to let these two meet. Taeyeon thought.
“She’s smart, that I admit, but I’m not sure if she’ll help. I can give you her number though.” Sunny has
her rules when dealing with business and she’s extremely cautious, apparently it’s because she
doesn’t want to repeat her father’s mistakes. Hence, Taeyeon is uncertain whether her best friend
would give a hand or not…let alone almost all enterprises are rivals.
“That will do, I’ll handle the rest.” Tiffany pats Taeyeon’s thigh, her smile is still weak out of mental
exhaustion.
“Everything will be fine, you’ll be fine.” Taeyeon tightens her hold around the brunette’s waist. She
was never a touchy-freely person, but if hugs and kisses are medicating her girlfriend, then she’ll
gladly give them all.
“Thanks.” The brunette kisses the top of her nose. “Stay over, I don’t want you driving alone at night,
no negotiation.”
“Yes ma’am.”

It’s a dangerous chess game she’s playing, and she will not go down without a fight.

Road to victory, is the only path.

(18)

Sunny remembers her father used to give her a lecture on misfortunes.

Coincidental or not, they have a tendency to strike one after another in a roll, as if they’ve been
queuing up to wait for the best time to deliver a final strike together. Sunny used to think it was
nothing more than a sore complaint from the man who failed running a business, going bankrupt
wasn’t exactly an easy thing to overcome. Sometimes she even wonders whether it’s karma, but it
doesn’t make sense because the world is filled with unjust misfortunes ruining good people’s lives.
Her old man has the wisdom and that is just the way it is. Sunny figured.
As if God is trying to prove her father’s words right, two bad news came into her mailbox in one day.
One titled ‘Another paycheque please’ and another named ‘Ragnarökr’, the former was sent by the
same anonymous sender, the latter was sent urgently by her loyal secretary.
She had expected this day to come. A day when all misfortunes and dangers come viciously at once,
destroying everything in a blink of an eye.
But her question is, how should one react when disasters come hunting after them? Do you run and
pray for mysterious days be gone soon, or do you fight against them until the last breath? She hasn’t
put herself into the situation yet, but battling against bad lucks and bounce back would be nice, she
thought.
And a call from Tiffany Hwang provided a satisfactory answer to her wonder.

Meeting Tiffany for the first time is somewhat pleasant, though the purpose of their rendezvous is not
as gratifying.
Sunny steals glances at the brunette sitting opposite her as the latter places her order. She must
admit her best friend’s taste in choosing partners has indeed changed for the better, this woman is
very beautiful to say the least, incomparable to all of Taeyeon’s exes combined. Despite the appealing
appearance and stylish outfits, Tiffany is well-mannered and extremely polite, a woman of elegance
and an aura that puts people and herself in the right place.
It was awkward but bearable. Sunny waits for Tiffany to take the initiative, she’s well prepared for
whatever will be dropped by the brunette because her pursed lips and furrowed brows sold her out.
“I’d like to apologise for the sudden invitation, but I believe you’re the only person who can help me.”
Tiffany bows her head to show her honesty.
“Don’t mind it, I’m always up for a good dinner. Besides, Taeyeon’s friend is my friend.” Sunny
intentionally stresses on the word ‘friend’ and Tiffany seems to have picked up the hint. “Then, what
can I help you with, Miss Hwang?”
“Please call me Tiffany.” Tiffany smiles politely, but it soon fades away. “I heard you have connections
in the industry, and I hope you can help me gather some information about this person, his family also
runs a company.” She shows a picture of a young man to Sunny.
The woman’s straightforwardness caught Sunny off guard. Maybe she underestimated the
seriousness of the hell storm about to wrack her brain.
Sunny remains composed and calm as usual, trying to recognise the man in Tiffany’s phone screen,
but it didn’t strike a chord.
“Never seen him before, what about him?”
“He was my fiancé but he cheated on me, then he followed me all the way from the States to Seoul.”
Tiffany explains briefly with an impassioned tone. She would prefer talking about gross stuff than
mentioning her past with him. “I hope you can dig into his relationships with women, especially from
two years ago up till today. I believe most of the women around him come from Kroean business
families. I can’t investigate myself because he has something against me. He subtly blackmailed me.
The reason why I had to meet you in person is also because someone might be spying on the line.”
Sunny raised her eyebrows at the unusual request. This mess is definitely way bigger than she had
thought, it’s like a giant space rock hitting Earth, metaphorically speaking.
“Sounds like you’ve gotten yourself into a big trouble, Tiffany.” Sunny slices her grilled stake in tiny
squares, still mastered in hiding her feelings. “Has it got anything to do with Taeyeon?”
“How do you…” It’s Tiffany’s time to be shocked.
“Wilde guess. Please continue what you were saying.” Sunny shrugs nonchalantly, stuffing the meat
inside her mouth.
From what Sunny observed, Tiffany is just as bad in masking her emotions, just as bad as Taeyeon.
The blatant pause and awkward hesitation between Tiffany’s speeches proved Sunny right. Indeed
Taeyeon is involved.
Tiffany lets out a heavy sigh.
“You’re absolutely right, Taeyeon has been dragged into this. I can’t take legal action because
everything will be over for Taeyeon even if we won in court. That’s the worst that can happen.”

Now Sunny begins to see where Tiffany is coming from.

The borderline illegal acts she’s asking her to commit, the discreteness of this meeting and the
desperation in Tiffany’s voice. She can imagine what happened between Tiffany and her ex-fiancé.
The ‘conversation’ must have been torturous to Tiffany, Sunny can only hope the cunning man
doesn’t have a lot against Tiffany and her friend.
Sunny takes a sip of the fine bordeaux wine, contemplating what should she say to this uneasy
woman in front of her.
“I received two e-mails today. One contains photos recently taken near my best friend’s apartment,
and the other one is an investigation report from my righthand man.” She lowers her voice, keeping
the conversation exclusively between the two of them.
“Investigation?” Tiffany frowns in confusion.
“It isn’t the first time I received photos from paps. In fact, I saved your butts right after your trip to
Tokyo Disney. I’m afraid I’ve been aware of this the whole time, yet I still didn’t manage to stop
another batch of paps doing deeds.” Sunny confesses. It was hard to keep a secret for so long, she
was relieved yet feeling guilty at the same time. They deserve to know about this.
“Another batch? How many paparazzis are there?”
“Oh, so many that I’ve lost count.” Sunny shakes her head. “Anyways, the report says the ex-fiancé of
yours hired private detectives to spy on you. They bought photos from some other paps, that’s why he
got something against you.”
Tiffany just stays silent while the short-haired woman continues her speech.
“Good thing is that I have given them a much generous offer to make the paps work for me but not for
them anymore. No more new photos will be taken, for now.”
It is a lot to consume all at once, even for Tiffany. She feels as if her brain has gone short circuited,
unable to think or come up with any words, she isn’t even capable of reacting properly to the brain-
wracking information.
So it was her who brought all of this to themselves? Tiffany can’t help but feeling sick, her guts are
twisting inside, causing enormous pain. All of this mess because I didn’t break it off with him with a
clean cut. I’m the one who put Taeyeon’s career and happiness in danger. She hears her voice
talking inside her brain.
“I brought the paparazzis here…I’m the cause of this…” Tiffany mutters, her face pale.
“No, Tiffany, you’re not the only cause. Do you think the public will turn a blind eye to my best friend’s
obviously-in-love lyrics? I mean, almost every song in her last album is a reference to you.”
“I…didn’t know that.”
“Taeyeon expresses her feelings through singing, that’s a gift but also a dagger. People can easily
pick up the changes in her work, hence all the speculation and paps’ attention.”
Sunny sighs at the lack of response from the brunette.
“She’s a public figure who’ll always have to live under paps’ close watch, it just happened that some
scumbag decided to trip you over by joining forces.” The short-haired woman tries to comfort her
companion. Facts and a positive mindset are required if they want to win this battle. “Technically,
both of you caused this, but it’s definitely not your fault.”

Loving someone is never a fault.

Tiffany knows that very well. Beautiful elements like love itself can never become a fault, neither is
fighting for your love. It was never and never will be Taeyeon’s or her fault in this case, all they did
was loving and cherishing each other. Sunny’s words remind Tiffany of this basic yet easily
forgettable principle. It is the reason why she’s willing to battle against the evil. It is the source of her
courage and she mustn’t forget.
“I won’t ever tend to his demands.” Says Tiffany sternly.
Sunny has to smile at the sight of the brunette straightening her posture, looking confident and
recollected again, just like a couple of minutes ago when they first met. The fierce, determined,
confident Tiffany Hwang.
“What are you going to do then after I’ve got what you want?”
“I’ll lay my cards on the table. If exposing my relationship is what he desires then I’ll expose his too,
many of his relationships, to be precise. That will be the case if he doesn't take his chance to leave us
alone.” Tiffany pauses and leans back, clasping her hands together on her lap. “Of course, I’ll tell
Taeyeon first and ask for her opinion on this. There’s a chance for her to reject the idea, she has so
much more to lose after all.” She says softly.
Tiffany’s answer is truly surprisingly for Sunny, but then all is due to expectation.
Sunny has heard of Tiffany’s fearlessness and daring tactics in the business world, she knows what
this woman is capable of.
If one chases a lion into a dead alley, cornering and threatening it with a gun, it’ll not surrender but
turn around to fight at all cost. What is there to lose for the lion anyway? Its life is already on the line,
the provoking would only instigate its anger and the will to live.
Tiffany is exactly that, a proud lion that wouldn’t go down without a fight. Even if she dies, she’ll exit
with the loudest roar.
It has barely been half an hour since they officially met each other, and Sunny has already taken a
like towards Tiffany. Great as a friend, excellent as a lover, unafraid of losing yet cautiously taking
every step, truly gold in many aspects.
“It’s almost suicidal, you know.” Sunny hides her tiny smirk behind the wine glass.
“I know.”
“What if she disagrees with your plan?”
“Then I’ll respect her decisions and try figure out another way to settle this down as quietly as
possible.” Tiffany simply smiles at the worse case scenario.
“You’re putting everything on your shoulders, Tiffany.”
“It’s worth it, fighting for what is precious to me.”
“Even if you might lose everything in the end?”
“Yes.” Even if it means I’ll have to leave Taeyeon. Tiffany closes her eyes and takes a deep breath.
Very well. Sunny keeps a tiny smile to herself. You’ve successfully earned my respect and trust.
“I admire your courage and determination. Send someone to my office to collect whatever you need
next Monday, we’ll keep in touch once you’ve made sure the lines are clear.”
“Thank you, Sunny.” For the first time tonight, Tiffany finally wears a genuine smile that goes up to her
eyes, showing her signature eye-smile.
“Don’t mention it, friends help each other out.” Sunny smiles in return.

They chatted about some dynamic changes in the stock market, exchanging views on various topics
regarding to business afterwards.
Tiffany excused herself to the bathroom, it was then Sunny finally took her phone out. It was
previously lying flat on her lap and covered by a napkin, completely unnoticed by the brunette. She
presses the home button to see the call is still up and running, then she puts the boiling hot device
close to her ears.
“You heard her, Taeng.”
The other side of the phone remains silent, as if nobody was there to begin with.
“Taeng? Are you there?” Sunny repeats with a louder voice.
Finally after few seconds, a sallow breathing came through and Sunny could hear someone inhaling
rather loudly in the background. “I…I need some time to think.” Her best friend’s voice is barely
audible and shaking. Sunny recalls the last time she heard this voice was when the dating news came
out, resulting in Taeyeon getting a lot of backlashes from the public.
Sunny frowns at her friend’s ambiguous speech. She’s bothered, extremely bothered by the
weakness in Taeyeon’s voice - because she also remembers how her best friend tries to run away
from problems by pushing everyone away.
“She’s a keeper, Taeyeon.” Sunny emphases, there’s nothing more she can do.
Another heavy exhale came through. “I know.” says her best friend hastily.

Then the line was cut off.

(19)

She didn’t mean to pry, she was only worried about her girlfriend’s well-being.

People regret something they’ve done without thinking twice, but Pandora’s Box cannot be closed
once evils had been unleashed. Taeyeon was curious and worried about Tiffany’s unusual
restlessness and the creases on her forehead that never seemed to go away. She decided to get a
glimpse of what’s going on Tiffany’s mind because the latter has no intention to share a penny of
thoughts with her.
Had she known it is a wildfire, a catastrophe that will crumble down on her, she wouldn’t command
her best friend to put her on the line on that night.

Taeyeon refused to follow through her schedule. She cancelled the recordings, missed out on
meetings and photo shoots, she even blocked her manager and colleagues on her phone. She locked
herself in her apartment for an entire week, ignoring every call and message that made her phone
buzzed violently in the past few days.
Noises. Noises everywhere, surrounding her even in the confines of her apartment, even when her
voice is the only sound bouncing off the walls. She hates quietness because it irks her, but it is what
she needs to stay sane, even a sound of pin dropping on the floor would set her off.
Taeyeon sits in the dark living room, curtains are drawn and she curls up at the far end on the couch.
Memories of the past few days are fragmented, scattered and untraceable, she can’t recall what had
she accomplished besides soullessly staring at the black television screen. She doesn’t even
remember when was the last time she ate properly today.
Her phone buzzed furiously again. She spares a glance at the lit up screen and sees the name ‘Fany’,
then she averts her gaze onto the iPad on her lap, ignoring the device on the coffee table. There is an
urge to throw the device against the wall, but strength had long abandoned her. She scrolls down the
webpage, seeing a sea of Naver posts with different celebrities as titles, most of them are bashing
idols for their exposed relationship or scrutinised for whatever behaviours undesired by Netizens or
fans. The forums are always filled with negative news and posts, one after another in a vicious cycle,
feeding to critics’ hunger.
This one is about how celebrities should be careful when dating. That one is about how evil the
celebrity is because she ‘deceived’ her fans. Another one is about how allegedly a rookie singer is
disrespectful towards his seniors….In her time within the industry, Taeyeon has seen more than
enough posts like this, mostly completed with nasty commentaries.
Unsurprisingly, some of the articles contain her name, but none of them are aiming to dishonour or
insult her. Not yet. Taeyeon thought. It only takes few seconds for the world to turn upside down in
this cruel industry. It doesn’t matter if it is an honest mistake, a false rumour or a simply falling in love,
anything could potentially ruin a celebrity’s career in Korea. She knows it best because she too, was
and still is a victim of cyber-bullying.

Soon there will be pictures of her in the articles. Pictures of Tiffany and herself interacting intimately,
maybe even more intimate than anyone could imagine.

The thought doesn’t budge even if Taeyeon shakes her throbbing head violently. It’s like a chain
tightening around her strengthless body, binding her limbs together, crushing every rational nerve left
inside her brain.
Which part did it go wrong? Taeyeon asks herself. Was it the first late night stroll along the Hang
River? She removes her index finger from the touchscreen. Or was it before they officially exchanged
numbers? Was it the time when they had dinner inside her car? No, she made sure there was nobody
following her, that couldn’t be it.
Previous encounters replay inside Taeyeon’s head over again, under examination for any possible
incautious part that might have attracted those hungry hyenas.
No, she has always been so careful and alert whenever they meet, not once had she forgotten about
keeping disguised. She always go out at night with her black Porsche, drives around Tiffany’s
apartment block a couple of times to ensure she’s clear before finally entering the parking lot….So
how did people seize the chance to take pictures of them together? How? When? Where?
Taeyeon keeps backtracking every date she had with Tiffany, reenacting the scenes in her mind. If
she could reach underneath her skull, she’d scoop her brain searching for the tiniest detail. The
throbbing pain is increasing as she forces herself to think harder, it feels as if her head is splitting in
half, yet she still can’t figure out where did it go wrong.
No, there must be something she has done wrong or forgotten to do. There must be a crack in her
defence allowing others to give a fatal attack. Just think harder, Kim Taeyeon. God damn it! Use your
stupid brain!
She doesn’t understand it.
She doesn’t understand any of it.
Why can’t she find the source of problem?
Why can’t she list out all the possible reasonable causes like she used to?
Why she can’t seem to rationalise herself like she used to?
Why is she feeling so terrified again when she swore not to succumb to fear ever again?
Taeyeon encircles her knees and buries her face between them. Her head is exploding, suffering in
great affliction, even paracetamol can’t smooth the increasing pain anymore. Extreme pain causes
tinnitus, almost making Taeyeon missed the ringing doorbell. The erratic rhythm makes Taeyeon
furrow her brows, she holds herself tighter as if doing so will make the frantic ringing leave her alone.
The ringing finally stopped, then a soft click follow suit.
Taeyeon is well aware of the identity of the unnoticed visitor. She knows how she prefers closing the
door with a gentle push. She also recognises the sounds of footsteps stepping on the wooden floor.
She remembers every missable detail of her off by heart.
How could she forget?

Taeyeon flinches as the lights in the living room suddenly turned on.
She lifts her head from her knees and turns around to find Tiffany standing in the hallway. Tiffany is
still in her white office suit. Her eye-bags are fairly visible although they were covered with shaders,
she looks slightly thinner, paler and devastated to Taeyeon. Those beautiful eyes that used to sparkle
with liveliness and confidence are now dull, filled with fatigue and unspoken sorrow. And that dazzling
bright smile that everyone adores so much is nowhere to be seen, replaced by a pair of pursed lips.
Tiffany quietly takes off her blazer, placing it and her phone on the armrest before kneeing down
before Taeyeon.
“I was worried sick about you, Taeyeon. Why didn’t you pick up my calls?” Tiffany was angry and
frustrated. Frustration seems to be the only element accompanying her in the past weeks, and the
fact that her lover disappeared on her was the least she need at times like this. She’s mad and
beyond worried - she was scared.
But Tiffany will retain herself from venting her mixed emotions on the blonde. She doesn’t want to hurt
the one she treasures, neither do they need wraths, all they need is a decent conversation.
Tiffany reaches out to hold Taeyeon’s hands. They are cold, holding a tight grip on the side of their
owner’s thighs, she didn’t respond to the brunette’s touch. For Tiffany, a blank stare and an
expressionless face are more hurtful than the silence, but she understands why would Taeyeon react
this way.
“Sunny told me about what you heard that night. I’m sorry, Taeyeon. I’m really sorry.” Tiffany whispers
in a small voice. She gives Taeyeon’s hands a light squeeze just like they used to do to comfort each
other, but the latter still didn’t reciprocate any tenderness she’s offering to her.
Taeyeon’s eyes are lifeless as if they’ve been engulfed by pure darkness.
“What are you sorry for?” Asks the singer flatly.
It surprises Tiffany how strangely cold and impassioned Taeyeon sounds, it is a tone she has never
heard before. Robotic, scary in an unexplainable way. Tiffany finds herself averting gazes with
Taeyeon, maybe it was guilt, or maybe she can’t stand seeing the interrogative means behind those
penetrating eyes.
“Everything. None of this would happen if I had broken it off with him completely back then.” Tiffany
confesses, secretly feeling relieved that at least she doesn’t have to go through explaining the
situation again. If she was to deliver the message herself, she would probably be beaten to death by
her own guilt though she understands it wasn’t entirely her fault.
“That’s not it.” Taeyeon shakes her head, her voice becomes thick with frustration. “That’s not it.”
“Talk to me, Taeyeon, we can work it out together.”
The blonde suddenly unwraps her arms from her body, her unannounced motions nearly made
Tiffany jerk backwards.
“Talk? Has this idea ever come across your mind when I kept asking you what’s wrong?” The blatant
rise in Taeyeon’s voice startled Tiffany. “When? Tiffany, when? When did you know about the
pictures? When are you planning to tell me if I didn’t find out myself?”
Anger. Taeyeon can feel it’s quickly piling up inside her chest, burning with excessive oxygen with
every breath she takes. Flames, swallowing her from the inside, sneaking their way into her voice,
changing the tones of every syllable coming out of her mouth. She can feel she’s slowly losing herself
to the fire but there is nothing she could do.
Tiffany also stands back up as Taeyeon gets up from the couch. They need to talk and Tiffany won’t
let Taeyeon escape again, she’s ready to grab onto the blonde’s wrist if necessary.
“I was planning to tell you but I didn’t want you to be dragged into the mess. It was only between him
and I - ”
“Well too late cause I’ve already been dragged into this!” Taeyeon’s shout abruptly cuts off Tiffany’s
unfinished words.
Taeyeon never knew she could produce such a raw loud roar, it was never her intention to yell at
someone she loves so dearly - but she did, she shouted on top of her lungs to shut Tiffany up.
Pain spreads across her chest as her breath regulates itself again, a numbing pain that feels like
being stabbed through the heart by a thousand spears. Taeyeon looks at the startled brunette only to
see the hurt in her eyes, then the pain multiplies. She doesn’t remember feeling this hurt when she
yelled at anyone. What are you doing Kim Taeyeon?
“I’m sorry, Taeyeon. I really am.” Tiffany mutters, her brows furrowed and her lips would bleed any
minute because she’s biting them too hard.
No, there’s nothing to be sorry for. The headache and ringing pain in Taeyeon’s ears return to torture
her further. Why do people apologise when it was never their fault? Why are you even apologising to
me when I’m mistreating you?
Irritated, annoyed and frustrated all mixed up into a chunk of mess, occupying the blonde’s unstable
mind and conquering it.
“Stop apologising, just stop.” No, that’s not what I meant. Argh, my head hurts. Taeyeon holds her
forehead, hoping that will ease the pain that’s affecting her to think clearly. No, stop it, you’re just
taking it out on her. She takes a step back and she heard herself saying: “Instead of playing the
heroine why won’t you ever talk to me about anything? Why!?”

Hurtful words were spitted and there is no take back.

Nothing hurts more than hearing your lover giving a full blast of anger with accusations directed at
yourself. Tiffany felt her heart sink upon hearing the loud cry.
Yes, she should have approached Taeyeon to inform her about this earlier, but she was scared too,
she was petrified. The thought of Taeyeon losing everything she’s been working so hard for over a
decade, the thought of a meltdown of their relationship, the thought of losing Taeyeon. They frighten
her so much that she can’t even bear thinking about them. It took Tiffany few days to overcome the
fear buried deep inside her heart, hence the hesitation to tell Taeyeon.
Is it wrong to feel scared to talk? Is it wrong to try protecting something…someone she loves? Has
she been at the wrong all the time?
Tiffany shakes her head in disbelief. The crease on her forehead tenfolds and her eyes glisten with
tears but she’ll never show. She inhales sharply in attempt to regulate her breathing.
“Do you think I want all of this to happen? I’ve been thinking of ways to retaliate, I’ve been making
phone calls and gathering evidence, I’ve been trying my very best to win this. Taeyeon, don’t you
see? You’re not the only one suffering here, I’m suffering too.” Tiffany’s voice trembles but also loud,
loud enough for Taeyeon to know how exhausted and sad she feels.
So now I’m in the bad light aren’t I? Taeyeon hears her anger talking. She didn’t miss the tears Tiffany
desperately trying to hide and she hates it. She hates seeing people cry, especially someone she
cares deeply - because she knows too damn well herself is the sole reason to cause them pain.
But frustrations. Helplessness and hopelessness, anger, pain and regretfulness and fear and
everything else are far more powerful than the rational part of her right now.
“Sunny didn’t tell me anything and you too, why am I always the only oblivious one? Do you know how
helpless and despair I feel? Have you ever considered how I think or how I feel?!” Taeyeon’s lips are
moving but she doesn’t register what she’s talking about. She has lost it to the devil, completely lost it.
All she knows is pain, the pain she’s inflicting on Tiffany as well as herself. The unbearable pain
increases with every word slipping through her teeth, she feels as if there are tons of rocks placed on
her chest, crushing her bones and organs. She suffocates, her chest heaving up and down rapidly
trying to grasp more air into her lungs.
“I’ve been trying to contact you but you shut me out! How am I supposed to know how you feel when
you refuse to talk?!” Tiffany balls her fists, trying to calm herself down by taking in deep breaths.
“Talk! You want to talk but what good does it now?! It’s already too late! Talking won’t save my career
or yours!” The blonde’s terrifyingly loud voice echoes inside the living room. “You know it, Tiffany, we
both know it! Whether or not I’ll still end up losing everything if you don’t do what he says!”
Dead silence takes up everything afterwards.
The argument ended one-sidedly with an unintended final blow from Taeyeon.
Tiffany becomes speechless at Taeyeon’s last remarks. As a professionally trained lawyer, arguing
even in the worst position is her forte, but she’s at a loss of words. She didn’t retort not because she
doesn’t want to, but deep down she knows Taeyeon is right, it’s too late to talk about it when someone
is already holding a dagger against their necks.
Guilt has never once left Tiffany for she’s absolutely powerless and useless when her lover’s future is
on the line. Her optimism and courage start crumbling down as her eyes meet with Taeyeon’s. She
can’t bring herself to promise a hysterical Taeyeon some false hopes, neither can she continue
hurting each other with meaningless words for she mustn’t become weak.
So Tiffany just remains quiet, listening to the ragged breathing of Taeyeon’s.
“It’s too late…” Taeyeon flops on the couch, burying her face into her hands. “It’s already too late…”
Her voice finally cracks.
Weakness is evident in the singer’s hoarse voice, a signal of its owner suffering from a mental
breakdown.
Those dark days locked away in the dusty corner of Taeyeon’s heart are unleashed. Hateful words
flooding her online social space, disappointed faces of her colleagues and fans, how her family was
heartbroken and suffered because of her, how her previous lovers all left her alone in the darkness
where light was never seen. She remembers the tears she cried and the sickening endless scrutinies
around her. She remembers how anxious and frightened she was facing cameras as well as
appearing in the public. She remembers how hard and harsh life was, how depressed and helpless
she was.
And they’re back haunting her now, making her weak, turning her into a coward, into an asshole who
only causes more pain to whom she loves.

Tiffany backs away from the quiet blonde to give her some space.
She can finally see it clearly now. The outrage and loud cries are unintentional, they were caused by
the weakness within Taeyeon. Desperate and at loss, worried, angry, frustration, insecure…Taeyeon
trapped herself with them. For an entire week, Kim Taeyeon had chained herself with them, drowning
herself in the darkness.
Anger suddenly vanishes from Tiffany’s chest, it was replaced by weariness and her heart aches for
the blonde.
“I’m tired, Taeyeon.” Tiffany mutters. It hurts so much to see Taeyeon so vulnerable, so far from her
usually tough and bright personality. “But I’ll be strong for both of us.”

She left Taeyeon’s apartment without saying goodbye.

(20)

A decision is a decision, words like ‘regret’ or ‘going back’ are non-existent once one’s mind is set,
especially for someone like Tiffany Hwang.

Time has never been on Tiffany’s side - she competes with time.
There are stages for courses in life to take place, like a toddler learns to crawl before walking, a young
child leans to talk before singing, couples date before getting married and the list goes on. Tiffany
detests the long wait, she wants to accomplish the things she has in mind without taking the long
route. She is naturally impatient, this fact was already established when she was eight months old.
She was sprinting towards a pink unicorn toy with wobbly steps, ending in giving a hard kiss to the
ground because she hadn’t quite mastered walking with two legs yet.
It is amazing how little things can tell how a person will grow up to be.
Tiffany often finds herself racing with time just like when she was still young. There is always a strong
feeling urging her to make decisions quickly because time waits for no one. She doesn’t want to live
with regrets, and the only way to avoid it is to live life to the fullest, burn it with passion like there’s no
tomorrow. As if it’s a chemical reaction, time pressure plus a little impatience equals Tiffany Hwang’s
fast-paced lifestyle.
She finishes tasks fast, she walks fast, she reaches her goal fast, she talks fast, she thinks fast.
She falls in love fast, her heart breaks even faster.

People say rushing a decision is the cause of every wrong step taken afterwards. That’s a load of
crap. Tiffany used to discard. Decisions only turn out wrong because they weren’t contemplated
thoroughly, simple as that.
But sometimes life itself is an irony, overthrowing whatever theory you’ve derived from experiences
like a slap in the cheek. Confidence was what led Tiffany picking the right decisions throughout her
life, but she had shot herself in the foot once. That ex-fiancé of hers is undoubtedly a solid proof of an
unbelievably bad decision, and she had been warned by family and friends.
Apparently she was too confident and ignorant in making choices - choices regarding to love.
Tiffany chose to love the man and the trial with him was an utter failure, making her question her
attitude towards making decisions when it comes to relationships. Evidently, her instincts and courage
might guide her into the right path, but they didn’t seem to work in the world of love. Maybe she really
was too reckless and naïve. Maybe she shouldn’t take things so fast. She never should have let
herself fall for someone so fast because it’ll only hurt herself more.
The Taeyeon she met a few days ago wasn’t the one Tiffany so quickly fell in love with.
Those irrational, blameful, selfish harsh words that came out of Taeyeon’s mouth, that furious ear-
deafening loud voice and those eyes screaming madness. Tiffany can’t wipe their last encounter off
her mind no matter how she tried occupying herself with piles of work. There are more than plenty
issues for her to worry and to deal with, however, heartache won’t leave her alone even for a second.
Tiffany can’t believe the woman she loves and tries to protect hurt her. It was out of anger and fear,
she understands because she could see them in Taeyeon’s eyes, embedded in Taeyeon’s trembling
voice. Yet, she still finds it hard to believe Taeyeon reacted that way. That Kim Taeyeon was a sadist
who Tiffany couldn’t recognise, someone far from the blonde she grew to love dearly.
She had never expected this side of Taeyeon, at least not placing blames and spitting hurtful words to
her love ones.
Or maybe it’s just like what happened with him. People only shows their true selves under
circumstances or when disaster strikes, and maybe Taeyeon too, is no exception. Maybe her career
is the only thing she concerns in this mess.
Maybe she’ll regret this - regret giving her shattered heart to Taeyeon.

Tiffany lowers her head and buries her face in her palms, taking in deep breaths hoping the heaviness
on her chest could be alleviated as air being squeezed out of her lungs. She can’t force herself to
concentrate anymore. Files stacking on top of one another waiting for her to read, but the tiny words
printed on papers become a blur in her eyes. Thinking hurts. Everything hurts.
Look at her now.
She took the leap just as the blonde had told her. But there is no land in sight, not even a shallow cliff
for her to cling onto, only sharp crayon rocks beneath her free-falling body.

Did she choose the wrong person to love again?

“I’ve spoken to Taeyeon and she told me what happened.”

Tiffany heard Sunny’s voice echoing faintly.

“She really shouldn’t have done that, I apologise for my friend’s asshole behaviour.”

Sunny’s voice was remorseful though it seemed distant, as if it went through a layer of noise.

“It’s not my place to say this but…she has been through a lot, she was so close to giving up until she
met you. Search her name and you’ll understand why she freaked out like that.”

Sunny sighed after a short pause.

“Please have faith in her, Tiffany.”

Tiffany woke up with an instant pain and soreness in both her shoulders and neck.
The clock strikes eleven. Not a sound was heard nor a soul is seen outside the glass windows
separating Tiffany’s office and the working area, the only remaining source of light is the LED
spotlights shining over her.
She must have drifted off. Tiffany gently rubs her heavy eyes, sighing while frowning at the file she
had managed finish reading before the unwanted nap. Recently she just falls asleep without noticing,
her exhausted body and mind are protesting whenever, wherever she is and whatever she’s doing.
But sleep is something Tiffany can’t afford, because it takes so damn much time and she has no time
to waste anymore.
Days have passed since her unpleasant conversation with Taeyeon but Tiffany didn’t halt her steps.
She drafted legal statements for breaking up with his company, explained to her father about her
every decision, contacted the best men in the company to come up with a contingency plan and
anything she could possibly do to keep things under controlled.
Although she’s too weary to figure out what’s on Taeyeon’s mind, she knows Taeyeon is certainly
wrong about one thing.
There is still time though not much, and it’s not too late, at least not for Tiffany.

As promised, Sunny successfully gathered detailed information about the most hideous part of her ex-
fiancé’s life, all packed into the file in her hands at this very moment.
She flips through the pages to take mental notes on certain points. The dates and times of his
frequent meet-ups with women are stated clearly in chronological order, it brings a bitter smile on
Tiffany’s face when she saw the first listed date to be not long after she first met him. Two days after
their first encounter at the bar, to be precise.
So it really was right under my nose since the very beginning. Tiffany scoffs at herself. How foolish of
me to have overlooked, to be so ignorant about his unfaithfulness.
Listed dates accompanied with photos, some are too intimate and some even include faces which
Tiffany recognises. Tiffany feels sick and mocked. It disgusts her how he lied through his teeth so
causally all this time, and the fact that she believed those deceptive words so easily launched a final
blow to her reopened and fresh wounds.
How stupid was I to think he loves me to some extend when he was merely toying with me just like
any woman he fooled?
Tiffany can’t stand reading the pages of his cheating record anymore. Facing her own stupidity is
torturous and cruel, but she can’t be more thankful for Sunny to lend her a hand, now she can turn her
stupidity into a weapon.

Then she begins to wonder, is this all worthy? Scavenging whatever she could find out there to bite
him back like a mad dog? Is her effort even appreciated by the one she desperately wants to protect?

Her mind wanders back to the blonde like a kite returning to its owner.
Tiffany remembers what Sunny told her over the phone, a period in the past which Taeyeon rarely
talks about or mentions. She opens the search engine and does as she was told, suggested
keywords pops up after Taeyeon’s name in a split second. Tiffany clicks on the second most
frequently searched option - some male idol’s name and Taeyeon’s. A name Taeyeon had never
spoken of.
Surprisingly, most results are not statements or reports, they are articles published by ordinary people
criticising the couple.
Tiffany clicks on a random Naver article regarding to the outbreak of Taeyeon’s dating news, scrolls
down and sees comments containing ‘Liar’ ‘Cunning bitch’ ‘Go to hell’ ‘Piece of plastic shit’ ‘Whore’
‘Get out’ ‘Kill yourself’ Tiffany stares at the screen with wide eyes. Foul languages and the negativity
that lies bare in front of her eyes are beyond shocking. The so-called reasons to spat hate don’t even
make sense to anyone with a right mind.
Unable to bear reading those hateful comments, Tiffany closes the current tab and begins browsing
for a more positive webpage, but there is none. Unacceptance and disapproval can be felt by just
looking at other titles. ‘The couple that should just break up’ ‘Inappropriate, unacceptable behaviours
of idols dating’ ‘Public demanding apology from Taeyeon’. Even more neutral articles are bashing
Taeyeon for she reportedly used her social media to send secret love messages, upsetting fans and
the public and her ‘crimes’ go on and on.
Tiffany then discovers another an article published a year after the dating scandal, it talks about
Taeyeon finally decided to take legal actions against people who leave insults on her family’s and her
online social space. The article writes about the singer had been receiving hundreds of hate message
on a daily basis for more than a year, some people even tag her in gruesome bloody images, sending
her death threats. The final straw for the singer to take action against them was because her family
was under attacked too. Few captions of the said insults and disgusting messages are shown in the
article, but that’s more than enough for Tiffany to feel the seriousness.
According to some articles, Taeyeon has been suffering from blind hate even now. There are also old
pictures of Taeyeon taken few months after the scandal. She looked terrifyingly skinny, fear was
evident in her eyes when cameras are in front of her, she rarely smiles or looks into the lenses. She
was either lifeless or appeared scared, entirely different from the way Tiffany remembers her.

This is the worst example of mass cyber-bullying.

Tiffany can’t read them anymore. She closes the browser and closes her eyes, taking deep breaths to
take in everything she had just read. What in the world had Taeyeon done to deserve such
tremendous hatred?
Nothing. What Taeyeon did was to love and circumstances didn’t allow her to love freely, that’s all.
Tiffany can’t help but resent the haters who gains happiness through hurting others, she also resent
whoever Taeyeon was seeing because he left her during difficult times. Although Tiffany has no right
to judge, but if she’s responsible enough and truly loves that person, she would never leave her even
if sky falls.
She wonders how Taeyeon felt in those days. It must have been cold and dark, it must felt like the
whole world had turned against you seeing her personal space flooded with hateful words. She can’t
help but feel terribly sorry for Taeyeon. Knowing her lover’s unspoken past feels like experiencing it
herself, it hurts her just as much.
Taeyeon had never once mentioned any of this. In fact, she was the one encouraging her to love
again, to search for love even if it means taking risks. She never showed a sign of doubt or hesitation
when it comes to love, which is also why Tiffany decided to take the leap.

‘Have faith in her.’

Tiffany remembers the Kim Taeyeon she fell in love with. The bright, daring, dorky, caring and
tentative Kim Taeyeon. The Taeyeon who has been through hardships and managed to climb back to
the top, recomposing herself after downfalls, sailing through the seas of criticisms and hatred.
Then Taeyeon found love again - they found each other.

I trust you, but for how long if you don’t prove me right?

Tiffany needs to constantly remind herself the Taeyeon she knows and loves, not the Kim Taeyeon
who shouted at her with heartbreaking words. She needs the reassurance, but the only one who can
offer it hasn’t made any move, as if the bond between them is slowly being torn apart. She doesn’t
want to regret what she had with Taeyeon, but her doubts on this relationship only strengthens when
she’s fighting this alone.

Are you going to break my heart too, Taeyeon?

(21)

“Where are you when she is fighting alone?”

The very first message came through, and the only few messages Taeyeon would read, contains
merely a sentence. No, greetings, no regards, nothing else. She deserves it, in fact she should feel
grateful for not being given cold shoulders by the sender, her best friend. Truthfully, Taeyeon secretly
hoped there were explosive harsh words in the text message. Blasting accusations, spitting swear
words, scolding her without the slightest mercy, give her a slap so that she can wake up from the
vicious cycle she’s been trapped in.
Taeyeon takes a last long glance at the text before throwing the dimly lit phone on the messy bed.
She has barely stepped out of her apartment these days since the day they had an argument.
The curtains are tightly drawn to block out rays of sun. Taeyeon hated sunshines because they are
too bright, too warm and very often too hot, too hot that it sets fire to your skin and burn. Foremost,
the liveliness and its symbolic meaning remind her of Tiffany. They remind Taeyeon of all those harsh
words she regretted throwing at her girlfriend. She never should have said anything that demolishes
everything they’ve ever built together, and she resents and feels ashamed of herself for unleashing a
wrath on Tiffany like that. Completely unnecessary and utterly nonsensical.

She panicked, she was terrified, she was succumbing to fear and to the vividness of her unwanted
past.

This world she’s in is way too cruel, too unforgiving, too aggressive. It’s a world full of madness and
magnifying glasses. It’s a world full of hungry bastards that will cling their teeth tightly when they smell
even just a drop of blood. Taeyeon knows it best because she’s been there, done that. She was the
defenseless prey being left alone out on the hunting ground with uncountable pairs of blood-thirsty
eyes fixed on her. Running away or constantly trying to find a new hideout place seemed like the only
way to survive through board daylight and cold nights, all she could do was flee.
It was extremely exhausting and frightening. It was emotionally draining enough for Taeyeon to fly
under the radar while silently letting the criticisms and backlashes sinking in. She thought she was
strong enough to take any impacts or damages inflicted on her by strangers who probably didn’t like
her to begin with - but she was awfully wrong. Her shell cracked when she realised the tough steel-
like front of hers cannot protect whom she loves, namely her family and friends.
Situation escalated and was blown out of proportion, her family was under cyber-bullying, resulting in
her brother closing his social media account temporarily. Her younger sister had it worst, she suffered
from endless rumours and cold words from her classmates as well as youngsters of her age who
happened to be fans of Taeyeon’s ex-lover. Sarcasms, criticisms, bullying…her family ended up being
the victim of her stupid mistake, they suffered greatly all because of her. Then it was no longer solely
about Kim Taeyeon anymore, it was about everyone who relates to her, including people she
accidentally exchanged glances with. Everyone around her would be dragged into the mess, a
shadow followed Taeyeon everywhere anytime, became the catalyst of the pre-existing chaos which
haunted her.
It was never about her career, never. It wasn’t even about being rich and famous for a promising
future life.
It was just about the people she loves and cares the most, the source of her motivation and strength
to prowl through hardships, to endure the bitterness and sorrow in this inhumane industry.
Kim Taeyeon can take a plunge, a dramatic fall and still able to stand tall with pride and dignity in the
heart of darkness, but she’s only human and she too, has cracks in the shield securing her heart.
Disappointment, troubles and further suffering caused by her alone are what Taeyeon isn’t strong
enough to face, she will never forgive herself for dishonouring as well as causing more hassles to
anybody.
She doesn’t care about the end of her hard earned success, all she ever cares about is her beloved
ones’ happiness, it has always been this way.
She wants to offer the best and to protect them, hence the pressure. Depression and panic, strike her
in the guts knowing whatever out there is posing potential threat to the happiness she has been gladly
offering over these tough years.
Taeyeon’s scared.
Whatever Tiffany’s ex-fiancé has against them will be the final nail in the coffin of their current
peaceful lives. South Korea’s traditional values posted a taboo to their relationship, the public is
disgusted by homosexuals, let alone the entertainment industry. How would everyone react to Tiffany
and her discrete love? Their families don’t even know about this yet, Taeyeon can’t imagine having
her family finding her out of the closet via reading the news headlines.
And Tiffany, how will this scandal affect her business plans and her newly launched hotel branch? Will
it cost Tiffany a fortune so she’ll be summoned back to the States again? How does her family view
their relationship? Can Tiffany take such a massive hit and those endless frantic harasses from the
Korean media?
Taeyeon is petrified because she has been through so much so that she nearly gave up. She almost
called her company to inform them she couldn’t endure this burdensome super-star life anymore.
People change, and changes are even more rapid and dramatic when they are pressurised,
challenged, criticised and hated for.
Taeyeon knows because herself is inevitable to undergoing changes too. She almost lost all faith and
hopes in love, neither did she search for one after licking the wounds left by her ex-boyfriends or
girlfriends, for none of them had the will of steel to take impacts. They all left her, or the other way
round when she felt tired of maintaining a no longer content, mutually-committed relationship.
Although she stopped midway in her journey searching for love, she continued doing what she’s been
passionate about as well as making everyone happy and proud.
She was lonely, a body with half of its soul missing, but she was playing the perfect role extremely
well.

Then she met Tiffany, the American woman with bright red lips who turned her world upside down.

A familiar beeping abruptedly dragged Taeyeon back to reality.

She grabs her phone to take a peek but it wasn’t the source of that reminder beeping. Confused,
Taeyeon scans her surroundings but still no hint, so she finally steps outside the bedroom and into
the living room. The living room is also lacking proper lightings but Taeyeon has no intention to open
the curtains nor turn on the lights. Ironically, it was the dark that actually helps her locating the source
of sound.
Taeyeon picks up the rose pink phone on the coffee table, pressing the home button to see a low
battery warning. It’s Tiffany’s private phone, she left without it that day and never came back for it.
The pink phone has been sitting rather quiet these days, so quiet that Taeyeon didn’t even remember
its existence - either Tiffany’s too busy to pick up personal calls or she’s just leaving everything
behind.
Taeyeon plugs the charge cable into the phone and sits on the sofa, in the exact same spot she last
sat while having a breakdown in front of Tiffany.
Respecting one’s privacy is vital in a healthy relationship, but since they aren’t going anywhere by the
looks of it, it wouldn’t harm to just take a sneak peek - Taeyeon desperately needs something to keep
her sane, a video or a picture of Tiffany, to distract herself from her cyclic mysterious self. She needs
Tiffany for assurance, she’s been missing the brunette much more than she thought.
Taeyeon tries to unlock the phone but already stuck at entering passcode. What is it? Taeyeon
squints at the lock screen. Tiffany surely doesn’t use her own birthday as passcodes because that’s
dumb, she said. So Taeyeon tries another combination that flashes across her mind just now.

890309

And the phone unlocks with a loud click.

Taeyeon raised her brows at her spot on wild guess. This is unlike Tiffany’s usual style, it’s very
heartwarming and…extra affectionate. But guess there are still different sides of Tiffany waiting to be
discovered.
Spying on people’s properties is against Taeyeon’s moral concerns, and there isn’t much to look at
anyways. Tiffany has a picture of Prince and Princess as the wallpaper, she doesn’t have any mobile
games or other applications, only with essential communication tools in a neatly organised fashion.
She’ll never check Tiffany’s contact list or read the messages exchanged between Tiffany and others,
there isn’t a need to do so because she trusts Tiffany enough. Funny how she was able to trust an
individual so easily, to give her heart so easily…Taeyeon sighs softly. Maybe love really is a pure
madness after all.
Taeyeon clicks open the photo album absentmindedly. There are albums named with weird titles such
as ’1’ ‘2’ ‘3’ and ‘4’, Taeyeon has never had a chance to look at them because Tiffany would strongly
refuse anyone to see the contents inside these secretive albums. But the captions look rather
intriguing to Taeyeon - ‘1’ with a picture of sunset, ‘2’ with a bouquet of red and pink roses, ‘3’ with
candlelights and stuffed toys, ‘4’ with…their selfies.
Unconsciously holding her breath, Taeyeon taps the first album and begins scrolling through the
pictures one by one.
The album named ‘1’ begins with a photo of a beautiful sunset, the indication beneath said it was
taken in Jeonju - on the same day and year when Taeyeon first took her there. Following suit are
pictures of the adorable Ginger, the blue ice-lolly that made Taeyeon’s tongue the same colour, the
little pink dice-shaped car fragrance sitting on the head trim of Taeyeon’s Porsche, the night view of
Hang River, the castle in Tokyo Disney which they had visited together.
Next album titled ‘2’ has a huge collection of gifts which Taeyeon prepared with careful thoughts.
Flower bouquets, candlelight dinners, silly handmade matched key rings, sticky notes Taeyeon had
left with cheesy words to express her love to her…As if this album is a place to store everything
Taeyeon-related, to remember everything that triggers specific sweet memories that never fails
making her lips upturn.
‘3’ contains more daily related pictures, nothing remotely special or eye-capturing, just ordinary things
people would often easily ignore. There are pictures of their respective apartments, pictures of
Taeyeon fast asleep or wearing an apron preparing their dinner, Taeyeon playing with Ginger, Prince
and Princess, Taeyeon showing her childish dimple smile or pretending to be angry….Taeyeon,
Taeyeon and more shots of Taeyeon.
Finally, Taeyeon reaches the final album named ’4’. Nervous, she taps the album lightly and inhales
when the pictures showed up.
The forth album is a collection of them.
Taeyeon remembers countless times Tiffany had requested her to take pictures together, anytime and
anywhere, Tiffany would randomly take pictures of different moments they spent together. Photos of
them being couch potatoes lazing around on the sofa, their sweet morning kiss, their intertwined
hands, them wearing couple shirts, their super messy faces after playing cake pranks on each
other…Everything, Tiffany had captured almost every memory shared between the both of them. She
keeps them safe and sound in this private phone which she forbids anyone to gain access to.
There are only these four albums on Tiffany’s phone, only photos related to Kim Taeyeon, all
organised in a chronological order like a timeline of their relationship - showing how much has
changed between now and then, constantly reminding its owner the happiness she wishes to cherish
and forever locked up in her heart.

Fingers trembling, Taeyeon stares at the last picture in album ‘4’, it was taken the night before she
asked Sunny for help…opening the Pandora’s box by hearing her best friend’s conversation with her
girlfriend.
The numbness rose from the bottom of her heart spreads across her chest in a blink of an eye.
Heartache and the twirling of her stomach are the only sensations Taeyeon got left right now.
She was so ignorant and selfish hurting Tiffany like that - indeed she didn’t even know how much
Tiffany invested in their relationship after having her heart broken. Tiffany had never said direct
affectionate words like ‘I love you’, but Taeyeon could see it in her sparkling eyes, Taeyeon could feel
it through every tender kiss, every gentle touch given by Tiffany. Words were never needed.
How could she forget the unconditional love Tiffany has always been giving her? How could she lost it
to panic and barked at Tiffany like that? How could she be so cruel to the one she loves?
Tears started welling up Taeyeon’s eyes. Her grip on Tiffany’s phone tightens while burying her face
between her knees. When quietness and the void consumed her shattered heart, tears began falling
uncontrollably, dripping on the carpet beneath her feet.
“I’m sorry…” She mutters in a weak cry. “Fany-ah…I’m sorry…”

Now she finally understands.

The pain Tiffany is going through, the helplessness and the disappointment in Kim Taeyeon - the love
so deep that it hurts so, so great that her heart is ripping apart.
(22)

It’s been a long day, an extra long night for Tiffany.

The window next to her is rolled all the way down, allowing the cool breeze caresses her pale
expressionless face. Tiffany stops at the traffic light and taps the car monitor for a speed dialling to
her trusted righthand man. She props her elbow on the narrow windowsill, fingers digging into the
brown tresses that are blown messy by the wind. Expectedly, the phone was answered shortly after a
few rings.
“How may I assist you, Miss Hwang?” A deep voice with full awareness and sincerity came through
the car stereo system.
“Please gather the best PR team ASAP. I’m holding an emergency meeting in two hours, let
everybody know.” Tiffany demands calmly, her voice is quieter and flatter than usual. “I want the best
team, no matter how much it costs.”
“I’m on it.”
“Thanks.”
Tiffany steps on the accelerator when the traffic light finally turns green. It’s late at night now but
Seoul is still filled with cars, department stores are still busy serving customers, youngsters still
wandering in the streets with loud laughters. A normal weekend in Seoul it seems, very much similar
to every other night when Tiffany leaves her office after sorting work until pass dinner hours. But
everything seems so different tonight, too different to Tiffany’s liking.
People, cars, buildings and everything move in slow motion in Tiffany’s eyes, even the slightest sound
seems like a loud bang next to her ears, time doesn’t go by as quickly as she wishes them to. The air
is damper, colder, thicker. It sinks inside her lungs and piles up into a big chunky of air sac, placing
burdens on her chest, making it harder to breathe.
Her mind flows along with the chilling breeze sliding pass her cheeks.
The face of a desperate man demanding her to succumb to his wishes. The face she once thought
she knew so well that she was willing to spend a lifetime with. The man who threatens her with
illegally taken photos of her and her lover. The cusses and mad words spilled from the man’s mouth.
The self-destructive grin on the man’s face with twisted expressions. The shock that rocked her heart
when the man admitted he’s in huge debt and it can very possibly cause bankrupt of his family’s
business. The petty feeling when he starts losing his rationality because she would rather have her
relationship exposed than agreeing to his deals.
‘So what if you’ve found my fling histories? You think that will make me back down?’ The man
exclaimed with a hysterical laugh. ‘You wanna play? Let it be then! Let’s see how will the public react
to a homosexual couple! You too won’t get out of this alive!’
Tiffany remembers how the man slams his fist on the table, causing the pictures to fall out from the
folder containing details of his hideous love lives. She also remembers how the man left the
restaurant with the most pathetic, hysterical, crazy laugh she has ever witnessed in the time she’s
been alive.
It felt like a soap drama that is poorly produced but always receive high viewing rates, but then again
maybe life itself is indeed a drama too.
Tiffany had failed negotiating with him, or let’s say, there wasn’t any chance for negotiations to begin
with. For him, blackmailing Tiffany is necessary otherwise he’ll destroy everything his family has. For
Tiffany, retaliation is a must because it’s not just about her freedom but also others’ sakes, she knew
there’s definitely something more than him wanting her back only for love.
She was proven right in the end, he has been up to something all this time.
But what now? What is she going to do when the man decided to drag her and Taeyeon into the pit?
How is she going to minimise the impact on both of them?
Nothing. Absolutely nothing is on Tiffany’s mind at this very moment.
Perhaps there’s no way to reduce the damage ready to hit them with full force.
Her grips on the steering wheel lightly, making a right turn to the road heading to the renowned best
living area, where Taeyeon’s apartment is.

10:00 p.m. at night, a doorbell ring torn the silence in Taeyeon’s apartment apart.
The blonde gets up from her bed and heads to the foyer, looking through the peephole, she finds the
woman she’s been missing so much at her door.
Taeyeon hesitates for a moment before finally opening the door, then a drenched Tiffany stands right
in front of her. The brunette is soaked from head to toe, her honey brown tresses are dripping water
and her cardigan tightens around her slender body. Tiffany has gotten skinnier than Taeyeon recalls,
also her skin appears to be dust pale because of the coldness brought by the rain, and she looks
extremely exhausted, emotionally drained, soulless.
Tiffany looks lost, defenceless, fragile and tired. Her pride and fierce aura vanished, to the point she
doesn’t care about revealing her vulnerability before Taeyeon like she used to. The woman in front of
Taeyeon is no longer the one she falls in love with, nor did she remember seeing her lover in her
weakest state like this.
“I’m sorry…” Tiffany’s voice shivers but her words remain composed. “I failed…I thought maybe I can
protect us but I was wrong, he won’t loose his bite on me…I’m sorry…”
I’m very, very sorry, Taeyeon. Tiffany mutters, her head hangs lower, avoiding a direct eye contact
with the quiet blonde.
Taeyeon is speechless, unable to react to the sudden outbreak of this bad news. There’re no anger or
panic feeling, Taeyeon is set in her tranquility, the only feeling occupying her heart is the pain upon
seeing Tiffany starts trembling.
She wanted to pull the woman into a tight embrace, but her body wouldn’t move an inch because
Tiffany moved backwards by one step. Tiffany inhales in order to steady her ragged breathing,
holding in the tears that begin blurring her vision. She didn’t come here just to cry a river, she doesn’t
need anyone’s compassion or reassurance - because gentleness and warmth will make her weaker
than she is now. Then she’ll lose the ability to continuing fighting.
“He’ll release the photos anytime soon…You should tell your company about this.” Tiffany lifts her
head to face Taeyeon after gathering courages to be tough again. “I’ve already gathered a PR team to
prepare for statements…Just tell me what you need us to include in the statement and we’ll facilitate
as much as possible.” She sniffs, unable to fight the single droplet of tear falling from her cheek.
Tiffany’s a mess right now. The tip of her nose is red, her eyes are puffy and the black circles visible,
she smells of dampness and sadness, she looks small, refrained, weary.
Taeyeon wanted to say something, her lips parted but nothing came out.
It hurts to see Tiffany still tries putting on a tough front when she’s at a loss. It hurts Taeyeon to see
someone fights with her very last breath for them…for her.
Taeyeon’s surprised to see this brunette unwilling to let go of her, left in awestruck that Tiffany still
came back after receiving those harsh blameful words from her. Why? Why is Tiffany so persistent
and stubborn? Why is she still carrying all the burdens on herself? Aren’t they supposed to be going
through tough times together?
“I…” Taeyeon finally speaks, but words got stuck in her dry throat. “Tiffany…” Her name is the only
thing she can pronounce.
Tiffany shakes her head lightly with a weary smile, suggesting she doesn’t need any forced response
from Taeyeon, for she understands the singer was never an expressive person.
“I don’t regret anything…I don’t regret loving you, Taeyeon.” The weak smile on Tiffany’s pale face is
still and pitiable, causing a sting on Taeyeon’s already clenched heart. “Do you?” She asked softly,
muffling another sob.

Do you? Do you regret loving me?

Taeyeon thought she heard Tiffany’s voice echoing inside her head though the latter didn’t say it.
Tiffany frowns at the blonde’s silence. She won’t be able to hold back the tears soon and she hates
letting Taeyeon feel pressurised. All she wants is an honest answer, not some sweet words aiming to
comfort her crying self, she must get away from Taeyeon before her limbs lose all strength to run
away. She’s no longer composed anymore, she’ll lose herself to weakness anytime and Taeyeon
doesn’t need to witness that side of Tiffany Hwang.
If this is their very last encounter, Tiffany’d hate to have Taeyeon remembering a crying Tiffany
Hwang as their last memory together.
Before Taeyeon even had time to digest the sudden question from the brunette, Tiffany already wiped
the tears from her glistening eyes and disappears in the elevator. Taeyeon stands completely still at
the foyer with her door wide opened, the image of Tiffany leaving keeps replaying in her mind like a
film on loop. She remembers the promised she made to herself, never let this beautiful loveable
woman to shed a tear because of a shattered heart.
But all Kim Taeyeon ever does these days is only breaking Tiffany’s heart.

Tiffany is right about the mad man releasing the photos soon, much sooner than Taeyeon predicted
actually.
As expected, the public went absolutely wild straight after the revealing of their dating photos. There
aren’t photos showing their intimate acts - they are actually decent photos of their frequent meetings,
holding hands, getting off Taeyeon’s Porsche, entering the same restaurants and wearing couple
clothes and accessories. Of course there won’t be any taboo pictures because they were always so
cautious about public display of affection, they had never done it apart from a few nights in Tiffany’s
private parking lot when they lost to the heat. Again, luckily the media didn’t get any indecent pictures.
Endless phone rings keep bombing Taeyeon’s ears ever since the release of those photos.
Surprisingly, the singer is somewhat calm, almost as if she wasn’t a part of this mess from the
beginning. She ignores calls from her company and her manager, she also gives merely a short to
friends and family to let them know she’s doing fine.
It’s true, Taeyeon is really doing while everything crumbles down in the midst of this chaos - In fact,
she feels even calmer than she ever was. It’s a bizarre feeling, like she’s sailing steadily through the
storm even though she doesn’t know where this leads to. She wasn’t at all baffled to see a sea of
hateful comments directed at her, she didn’t even spare a glance at hearing her name being
mentioned on national television channels. All are expected, the dramatic reaction and endless
criticisms from the general public too, are something Taeyeon had foreseen, thus she’s grown numb
towards them.
There’s no point in worrying because that is impractical. Taeyeon merely continued her life in the
confinement of her apartment for the past few days. Neither did she contact her company for
discussions on damage control or contacting Tiffany to draft a statement in her favour. She didn’t
even confirm her relationship with Tiffany to her company.
Taeyeon needed time for reality to sink in, and she’s thankful for Tiffany’s understanding since the
Hwang company’s been remaining silent on this scandal.

There is a type of people who grows more and more rational when situation worsens, Taeyeon fits the
profile perfectly.
She reflects on every past relationships. Every single one of them either ended tragically or there
wasn’t strong feelings attached from the beginning. Taeyeon’s been wondering why but she always
gives up dwelling on failed relationships. Sometimes love doesn’t work out the way she hopes, simple
as that, and very often love isn’t reasonable nor can it be justified.
Breakup, fall in love, breakup, heartbroken. Fall in love, breakup, heartbroken. Over and over again.
Kim Taeyeon never learns because she failed to see the heart of the problem - she was always so
passive and so meticulous, she’s too greedy because she wants to fulfil everyone’s expectations.
Some fans don’t want her to date anyone, so she avoids falling in love. Even if she does, she’ll try her
best to keep it a secret. Her company wishes her to break up with her lover because she should be
focusing on her uprising career, so she takes their advices. She wants to protect her family and
friends, so she monitors her every word and action, doesn’t allow any mistakes to be made.
Sacrifices are inevitable, so Taeyeon chose to sacrifice love for utilitarianism.
She never fought for any relationship because her past lovers didn’t wish to do the same, so she just
let go, she learnt to let go when things take a wrong turn because it was always easier for her and her
lovers. It’s a pessimistic mentality that had developed without her realisation, a cruel, pathetic betrayal
of love. It’s an act of a coward, an excuse in hope to lighten the guiltiness and burdens on her
shoulders.
Taeyeon did try. She tried fighting for the love she thought was worthy, she was risking everything she
had ever earned - but her ex-boyfriend left her alone in the dark, saying he couldn’t handle the hate
anymore, he didn’t want to risk his career. It was two years ago, Taeyeon almost gave up looking for
love since then.
She really did try, it just didn’t work out.

Since then her way of loving someone is deformed, she has become a coward who doesn’t know how
to love properly.

Isn’t it fairly simple? Love is simple for Taeyeon knows.

If you truly love someone, you’ll give your heart and soul willingly, you’ll risk everything for her - you’ll
do anything to protect her - Taeyeon is doing the exact opposite.
She’s been relying on Tiffany’s strength to protect them both, she’s been a pain, a sharp knife that
backstabs the already weary Tiffany. Even until now, she’s been hiding inside her apartment, laying
low while Tiffany, is obviously out there battling with paparazzis and aggressive, offensive comments
from the public. Taeyeon knows because all of a sudden, Tiffany’s covert identity is exposed, her
name and her family background revealed on newspapers and broadcasts.
Taeyeon was trying so hard to find the fault in this love, where did everything go wrong, but this
mentality was wrong in the first place.
Love isn’t a crime, nothing went wrong.
Loving Tiffany and everything happened aftermath were never wrong and never will be wrong.

Taeyeon’s ashamed of herself for being such a coward, for letting Tiffany facing this harsh world
alone, for breaking Tiffany’s heart again.

This time she’ll be the one to fight - she’ll be the one to protect their love.
(23)

Tiffany barely had any sleep in the past 48 hours.

Outbreak dating scandal of the famous K-POP super star Kim Taeyeon and herself has gone viral,
almost every radio station, television channels, newspapers are still making their relationship their
headlines. Tiffany was slightly taken aback when she saw her background being dug up thoroughly
and openly discussed by Korean critics. She has always known Taeyeon is famous, but she didn’t
know how much impact could the singer have on the society. Truthfully, Tiffany never thought the
scandal would turn into something this big - being the hot topic among people of all ages, including
people who don’t pay attention to K-POP.
How large the scale has become startled Tiffany a little, but she had braced herself for the impact.
She’s able to carry on working, refining dozens of statement drafts prepared by her PR team, ready to
be released as soon as Taeyeon tells her what helps the situation best.
Still, no sign of Taeyeon ever since the outbreak and Tiffany continues to wait patiently.
They both need time to see how the Korean society reacts to their morally-forbidden relationship,
especially Tiffany because she as a foreigner, is completely clueless about the possible damage a
scandal can cost. She became the focus and interest of the public overnight, waves of hateful
comments demanding her to get out of Korea flooded her supposed-to-be quiet social media account.
In the end, she simply deactivated all social communicative accounts to avoid being bombarded with
hate messages day and night.
She feels better after getting some quietness back, at least she has some room to let her mind rest.
Strangers’ blind hatred doesn’t harm her much because they can’t affect her life in any aspect,
Tiffany’s been handling the backlashes well these days even though it’s her first time experiencing
this…mass criticism and discrimination.
To be honest, Tiffany doesn’t even have time to spare on caring the general opinion on her
relationship.
She’s been busy handling her unsatisfied, disappointed and impatient shareholders, drown in frequent
meetings with colleagues for more contingency plans. Even after work, after avoiding being involved
in a crash with paparazzis tailing her car, she needs to phone her family to explain everything from
the very beginning - from him, from his lies to Taeyeon, then from newfound happiness to the current
chaotic scene.

Exhausted she’s been throughout this week, she still managed to wake up early in the morning today
for yet another meeting with her PR team.
Stifling in a loud yawn, Tiffany peeks at the front mirror, surprised to see no suspicious cars or vans
are following her in close proximity. Absolutely no sign of paparazzis. She frowns in confusion,
continuing driving away from her apartment building and starts heading to her office.
This is incredibly strange…too strange for Tiffany’s liking. Normally they’d hunt her down like a school
of sharks smelled blood, but today they’re all gone, vanished without a trace - as if they’re no longer
interested in the wounded lion anymore. Tiffany can’t help but taps the steering wheel slowly, a little
habit of hers whenever she’s feeling irritated and insecure. Have I missed anything? Did World War III
start without her realisation or apocalypse is finally coming? Tiffany exhales with excessive heaviness
in her chest.

The end of hunting game…is this a good sign or the opposite?

Suddenly her phone vibrates violently, the loud ringtone through the bluetooth loud speaker made
Tiffany jump on her seat. She answers the call hurriedly while keeping a firm grip on the steering
wheel.

“Hello? Fany?” Yuri’s hoarse loud voice came through.

“Yuri?” Tiffany can’t be more confused. Her friend’s unusual impatient tone irks her, something must
have happened whenever Yuri talks in a rush manner.
“Thank god I saved your working number,” Yuri takes a short breath. “Where are you now? Are you
somewhere near a TV or a computer? You might wanna see this right now.”
“I’m driving to my office, I can’t get internet access. What’s happening?”
“Pull over or park your car somewhere - just stop whatever you’re doing and search Kim Taeyeon’s
name, she’s having a press conference right now!” Yuri practically shouted down the phone, her voice
filled with worry.
Tiffany’s heart skipped a beat upon hearing Yuri’s words. She thought she misheard her friend - but
she gathered herself quickly when her heart starts racing up and down like crazy.
“What?! A press conference?! What for?!” Tiffany takes a sharp turn to exit the highway, her eyes
frantically searching for an empty place to stop by.
“I don’t know, apparently her company only gave a short notice an hour ago about this whole
conference thing.” Says Yuri hastily. “It’ll start in five minutes, hurry, you might even be able to stop
her from doing anything stupid if you’re somewhere near the conference place.”
“Thanks Yuri, I’ll talk to you later.”

What are you doing, Taeyeon? Why didn’t you tell me anything on your mind? What are you thinking?

She’s not too far away from Seoul city hall, but still she won’t be able to make it there in time.
Tiffany quickly pulls over as soon as she ended the call with Yuri. Without stopping the engine, she
grabs her phone and types Kim Taeyeon into the searching engine, the top result already provided
the broadcast link Tiffany needs.
Frowning, she impatiently taps on the link a few times as if this would make the browser loads faster.
It’s still 8 o’clock in the morning, why did Taeyeon’s company decide to hold a press conference at
this hour? Why wasn’t there an early notice for this conference? What is her company planning to do?
What will happen with Taeyeon now that the scandal is being discussed on a large scale?
Tiffany’s heart is close to bursting out from its cage when the link finally finished loading. She was just
in time to see the petit singer entering the room, seated right in the middle of the long white table.
Hundreds of camera lights flashes upon Taeyeon’s bare face. Wearing a plain white blouse with fitting
black pants, Taeyeon has her mid-long blond hair tied up in a tiny ponytail. She looks even paler than
ever without makeups, there isn’t a slightest hint of emotion on her stoned face, only seriousness is
evident. Taeyeon is sitting straight with a piercing stare directed at reporters and cameras lined up in
front of her. She seems fairly composed and tough, at least not the Taeyeon who broke down before
Tiffany’s eyes.
Once the cameras stopped taking pictures of the singer, she clears her throat and begins talking.

“Thank you for coming to this conference under such a short notice,” Taeyeon lowers her head to
show gratitudes. “First of all, I would like to apologise for the trauma and discomfort I’ve caused in the
past few days. It was never my intention to bring inconvenience and harm to any individual.”
Tiffany watches in silent while Taeyeon stands up for another 90 degrees bow.
“I apologise for remaining silent since the outbreak of my scandal. I realise the impact this incident
has on the society and therefore, I am here to speak upon the matter.” The singer’s voice is extremely
calm for someone having to face such a massive crowd, for someone who’s about to talk about her
biggest scandal to date.
Tiffany notices there isn’t any script in Taeyeon’s hands or on the table, also she wasn’t accompanied
by her agencies. Where is her PR team and her company? Did they abandon her? Tiffany can’t help
but furrows her brows worriedly.
“Here, I confirm the scandal as well as the speculations - are true.” Taeyeon speaks in a firm tone,
audible to everybody inside the conference room and clear even to online broadcast viewers. “I, Kim
Taeyeon, and Tiffany Hwang are dating.” The blonde announces despite of loud gasps echoing in the
room.
Tiffany stares at her phone screen in wide eyes, she can’t believe what she just heard - did Taeyeon
just confirm the scandal…did she just revealed their relationship?
While the brunette’s brain goes into malfunctioning due to the shock, the small figure on the screen
begins her speech again.
“I’m fully aware of the possible impact on our society of my role as a celebrity. Thus, I believe honesty
and respect should be valued and promoted by us, the public figures.” Taeyeon’s voice is relatively
soft yet firm, thick with determination and a strong will. “I believe love should not be limited, nor should
it be discriminated. It should not be labelled as a sin only because one falls in love with someone of
the same sex.”
Now Tiffany understands. Taeyeon doesn’t have a script, because she’s speaking her mind, claiming
what she thinks is right.
“Celebrities are also humans, flesh and blood like everybody else. We should be entitled to love freely
without constantly feeling frightened, afraid of the world finding out about our relationships.” The
singer’s tone is stern and becoming desperate. “I sincerely hope the media will give celebrities some
space, a little more privacy so that we can protect whom we love dearly. Our families, our friends, our
partners…people we cherish.”
Taeyeon pauses and closes her eyes, taking a deep breath to maintain self-collected.
The interval seems like forever to Tiffany. She can barely hear her own heartbeat anymore, she
doesn’t even feel blood travelling in her veins.
Confirming the rumours is no different from digging her career its grave, Taeyeon should know this
better than anyone. Yet, there she was, revealing their relationship to the public.
Why? Stupid Kim Taeyeon, why?
Why are you throwing away all my effort trying to save your career so casually like that? Don’t you
understand admitting our love will cost everything you’ve earned?
Tiffany lowers her head with her eyes fixed on the screen. Blank, her mind has nothing except
blankness.
“As an entertainer who has been in the industry for almost a decade, I can’t be more grateful to have
received so much love and support from the public. Hence, I can’t ask for your forgiveness.” Taeyeon
puts on a faint smile. “Having spent days to reflect myself, I hereby announce a decision which is also
supported by my company.”
No, please Taeyeon, no. Please don’t say it.
Tiffany pleads in a whisper, however her sincere prayers aren’t heard by heaven above, nor did they
reach Taeyeon.
“I, Kim Taeyeon, will take an indefinite hiatus from the entertainment industry.” There was a slight
shiver at the end of Taeyeon’s announcement, but the singer was able to stop before her voice crack.
“ At last, all I ask of you is to give my family and friends peace because they don’t deserve to be hated
on. Once again, I am sincerely sorry for disappointing everyone who trusted and supported me
through these years.”
The singer stands from her seat and bows for more than a minute. Camera flashes crazily to capture
the very last public appearance of the famous idol, hoping they’d get the best shot of the tough Kim
Taeyeon being teary or even breakdowns in front of everyone.
But even in her own downfall, Taeyeon doesn’t show a slightest fear. After the long-lasting bow, she’s
still looking at the cameras with pride and dignity, like an invincible soldier hanging her chin up high
because she’s been paralysed due to the brave fight she had put up. The singer bows for the last time
before exiting the stage, ignoring the questions mixed with shoutings from the crowd.
The live broadcast ends seconds after Teayeon’s disappearance, leaving Tiffany in awe.

Kim Taeyeon did it. She really did it - she openly admitted their relationship and voiced her opinions.

Why is that Kim Taeyeon always ruins her plans so effortlessly, so casually?

One minute she was the sexy stranger back in the gym where they met, next minute she was the one
overstepping the boundaries, proclaiming a large piece of her heart without asking for her permission.
Meticulous planning is what keeps Tiffany’s life organised, but Kim Taeyeon has the habit of
demolishing whatever rules or schedules she ever makes, including this surprise conference - It
completely ruins Tiffany’s contingency plans or whatever statements her PR team came up with after
wracking their brains.
What is it with Taeyeon and stunts she loves pulling? Is it fun to have her lover going on an emotion
roller-coaster?
Tiffany can’t think straight, she doesn’t even know what to tell her colleagues after the conference that
swept her off her feet. Now that all her plans and efforts to save Taeyeon’s career had gone down the
drain, what is left there for her to do? What will the shareholders think about the future prospect of her
company? What’s going to happen with them? What kind of future lies ahead of them?
In the end, she gives up thinking. Her body moves at their will, her foot on the pedals and her fingers
gripping the steering wheel firmly.
Then her car heads towards the heart of Seoul.

Tiffany steps on the brake, turning off the engine and gets off the car. Feeling a little lightheaded, she
walks at a slower pace across the parking lot and towards the elevator to the lobby. Security guards
gather in a semi-circle around the elevator, this explains why there isn’t a single paparazzi around, the
guards must be keeping them out of the parking lot.
When Tiffany was just about to turn around to find another route, she notices the guards shuffling as
the elevator door opens. The guards gather around the person stepping out of the elevator, somehow
Tiffany knows this person is the one she’s looking for.
She freezes when she sees the familiar blond hair, she’d recognise that petit figure even when she
becomes old and wrinkly.

Taeyeon.

The blonde also seems to have noticed Tiffany’s presence, she briefly talks to her manager and the
guards, then they all made way for the singer. They didn’t follow Taeyeon, only watches her from afar
while she walks towards Tiffany.
Closing the distance between them, Taeyeon’s lips upturn slightly, it’s not the best smile Tiffany has
seen. Still, the awkward smile is all it takes to make Tiffany’s eyes welled up. Her heart mellows upon
seeing the blonde slowly approaching her, tears begin piling up as she’s finally able to see Taeyeon
up close.
It felt like a century had passed since the last time they face each other without tensions and
weariness.
She misses her terribly, her heart aches at the sight of Taeyeon smiling weakly, the pain is so great
that she almost stops breathing. Is it possible to feel both happy and painful at the same time because
you love someone so deep? Tiffany frowns, begins sniffing when trying to hold back the tears.
Taeyeon finally stops within a few steps in front of Tiffany.
“Remember you told me the fairytale about a princess falling in love with a knight? The one I never
get why you love it so much?” Taeyeon talks with a lighthearted tone, her grin widens but there isn’t
happiness. “I think I understand now…the best part of the story is that the knight fights bravely for the
princess even when the whole world is against them.”
The random storytelling doesn’t help Tiffany fighting back the tears at all, but they’ve got to wait, at
least wait till Taeyeon finishes her speech.
“Well, I might not be as tall and as hefty as your dream knight…but my wish to fight for the princess is
the same as the handsome robust knight.” Taeyeon laughs nervously, her smile fades a little as she
furrows her brows. “Fany-ah…I’m sorry to leave you facing everything alone and I never should have
hurt you…But I did. I don’t know what else to say that will ease your pain…I’m really sorry, I really
am.” The singer’s voice shivers, her eyes glistening too when she sees a tear quietly falling down the
brunette’s cheek.
“You’re so stupid, Kim Taeyeon…” Tiffany sniffs. “Do you even know - do you know…what’s going to
happen with…your career afterwards?”
Taeyeon merely shrugs. Of course she knows, both of them understand pretty well her career has hit
a dead end after this conference, but does it matter? What good does a career do when it means
living a pretentious, oppressed life without someone she loves?
She doesn’t need a meaningless empty life, not anymore because she has found Tiffany Hwang.
“You’re so…so…so stupid…” Tiffany mutters, her speech is becoming harder to comprehend due to
the sobbing.
“I am an idiot, please don’t hate me more because of my stupidity?” Taeyeon smile weakly. “You can
even hit me many times as you want if it helps.”
Tiffany launches forwards soon after Taeyeon’s words died down. The blonde closed her eyelids and
braced herself for impacts, but she was greeted by warmth around her body instead. Then she
realises the brunette has her arms circled around her neck, hugging her tightly as if she’ll vanish any
minute.
The sobs are muffled in Taeyeon’s shoulder, she carefully encircles her arms around Tiffany’s waist
to pull the latter closer into her embrace. The sweet scent of Tiffany’s shampoo, the richness in the
honey-brown long tresses slipping through her fingers, the softness and warmth of Tiffany’s body
pressing against hers…Taeyeon missed everything about Tiffany, she can never survive a day
without missing and loving Tiffany.
She was helpless and lost without Tiffany’s presence, but now she has found her place and her inner
peace, right beside Tiffany.
“I’m sorry, Fany-ah…Please forgive me…” Taeyeon whispers softly to the brunette in her arms. Tears
also start streaming down her pale face, her tough front crumbling down because there’s no need to
fight anymore. “I love you…” Taeyeon tightens her hold.
She felt a nod on her shoulder.

And everything doesn’t matter anymore as long as they have each other.
(24)

You’re a person of a tiny frame but surely not someone to be underestimated.

Sunny remembers the exact words her uncle once commented on Kim Taeyeon, the quiet weird kid
trainee who always sat in the corner by herself. She used to think he was only referring to that
reserved kid’s talent in singing, as time passes, she realises what her uncle really meant. Kim
Taeyeon isn’t just some idol made fame because she sings well, she is something more, something
much bigger than her petit figure.
Not only did Kim Taeyeon enter the Korean entertainment industry with high expectations, she also
exits with a bang - a rather loud exit, man explosion worth of a million tons of nuclear bombs
metaphorically, from Sunny’s perspective.
That stunt Kim Taeyeon pulled early in the morning nearly made Sunny hyperventilate. If she didn’t
see the live broadcast herself, she’d think the company had finally turned her best friend into an
insane person, for only a lunatic would do something so risky, so reckless. But Sunny sat in her office
that morning and watched the whole conference until the very end, calmness was evident on
Taeyeon’s bare face. Then Sunny knew, Kim Taeyeon had finally made up her mind and decided to
head down the road she chose - no one could change that stubborn blonde’s mind, not even her
family.

Then Taeyeon was gone, vanished without saying goodbye to everyone she loves and cares the
most, gone together with Tiffany.

Three years later, Sunny is still mad at her best friend leaving all the mess behind for her to clean up,
Taeyeon even left a message asking her to help handling everything aftermath (should anything
happen that is, luckily there was none).
Surprisingly and unsurprisingly at the same time, Taeyeon admitting to be dating a woman did cause
a massive impact on the Korean society. Her dating scandal were discussed more openly by the
public, some LGBT communities stood up in defence for Taeyeon and Tiffany while others bashed the
couple for committing sins, for being abnormal and having an incredibly bad influence on the nation.
Debates were seen on screen and on the internet, people didn’t reach the ultimate answer to the
controversial ’homosexual relationship is right or wrong’ question, but it raised enough concerns about
freedom to love and celebrity privacy in a traditional Asian society. Apparently some celebrities were
encouraged and also came out of their closets. Many of them actually openly supported Taeyeon for
the famous singer merely asked for the freedom to love.
Homosexuality isn’t new to the industry, Sunny knew it better than anyone since she too, had been an
idol long enough before switching to business.
She was astonished by how outspoken the industry had become after Taeyeon’s conference. Never
had she imagined a day when the cruel and oppressed Korean entertainment world actually stood up
for some artist in her downfall. It was quite a nice yet sad sight to see because it sacrificed an artist’s
career, ten years worth of effort, for the world to finally face the issue with some level of positivity.
Then, as expected, the scandal as well as the hot debates ended within six months. No matter how
shocking it was, the entertainment world doesn’t hold onto the same topic for long.
As if it’s a mutual consent, no one talks about Kim Taeyeon, neither do shows or articles mention the
once loved singer anymore. It feels like this person never existed, or the public just pretends there
wasn’t any Kim Taeyeon to begin with.
Taeyeon was here, she came and she was gone, like whirlwind swirling across the land and
disappeared without a trace.

As for Tiffany, since they didn’t have the chance to become good friends, Sunny doesn’t know how
the brunette was coping with the situation, the only information she has is solely related to the Hwang
enterprise. Their stocks took quite a hard hit following the release of a statement admitting the
scandal was true, but all the economy cares about is money, not scandals. The Hwang enterprise
held their ground in the Korean market firmly, their hotel line was doing fine with steady growth in
profits. To be fairly honest, the Hwangs never did rely on the Korean market anyway for their base is
in the States, therefore not much harm could be done.
And for that bastard who tried blackmailing Tiffany but failed miserably, Sunny made sure herself to
follow his news closely, she’d like to see how that piece of dirt turned out.
Karma is a wicked thing. Some news agents exposed his hideous womaniser lifestyle with pictures
and details, all of which were identical to the information Sunny initially gathered for Tiffany. It really
must be karma because Sunny told her hired private detectives to do whatever they want with his ugly
information, better if they dispose them - obviously they didn’t, they made a fortunate by selling his
information to the thirsty media.
Quite a number of renowned companies were dragged into his scandal because the young daughters
of billionaires were involved too. The scandal quickly turned into a court case because the victimised
companies were suing him for ruining their reputation as well as asking for compensations. In the end,
not only was he in debt and bankrupted, his family business couldn’t recover from financial crisis,
ended up selling the company at a ridiculously low price.
He was beyond pathetic, unworthy for the slightest compassion. His suffering didn’t mean anything at
all to Sunny because the damage is already done, it’s irreversible no matter how bad karma gets him.
Nothing could turn back the clock, nor could her best friend return to continue singing like the old
days.

‘Across the ocean, across the sea,

Starting to forget the way you look at me now
Over the mountains, across the sky,
Need to see your face, I need to look in your eyes’

The petit woman with greyish mid-long hair sits comfortably on the metal high stool with her legs
crossed. Leather black jacket covering the simple white T-shirt underneath, ripped jeans wrapped
around her slender legs, wearing classic converse high - the woman dresses as casual as everybody
else in the dark confinements inside the pub. Her unique Asian features don’t quite make her fit in the
crowd, however that’s not the reason for all the attention she’s gained right now.
She keeps her eyes shut, holding the microphone with the habit of tilting her head slightly to the side,
diligently keeping up with the tempo played by the guitarist.

‘Through the sorrow, and the fights,

Don't you worry
'cause everything's gonna be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight. Be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight’

Her English pronunciation is close to perfect, her breathing between verses was unheard, her angelic
voice is both soft and calm. It feels like listening to the sound of waves, natural, peaceful, relaxing and
comforting.
The singer seems to be enjoying herself on the small stage too. Her foot is gentling tapping on the
wooden floor in sync with the tempo, a faint smile appears on her youthful face when she opens her
eyes to maintain eye contacts with the audience.

‘Oh, I, Oh, I,
I love you
And everything's gonna be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight Be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight

Through the long nights. And the bright lights

Don't you worry
'cause everything's gonna be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight. Be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight

You know that I care for you

I'll always be there for you. I promise I will stay right here, yeah
I know that you want me too,
Baby we can make it through anything
'Cause everything's gonna be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight. Be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight

Through the sorrow, and the fights,

Don't you worry
'cause everything's gonna be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight. Be alright, ai-ai-ai-aight

Through the sorrow, and the fights,

Don't you worry
Everything's gonna be alright’

The singer receives a round of applause as the song ends, she smiles contently while bowing 90
degrees to the audience, a tradition she insists to continue even though she’s living in a country with a
completely different culture. Her eyes quickly scans the crowd before her, when a familiar figure
appears in her vision, her smile grows wider from ear to ear. Without hesitation, she jumps off the tiny
stage and away from the soft spotlight, walking towards the bar in a fast pace. Right in front of the
bartender sits a similarly small Asian woman, who is just about to down another drink while waiting for
the singer to approach.
“You’re finally here!” “I missed you, my midget friend.” The singer says in Korean while throwing her
arms around Sunny’s equally small body, initiating the first friendly tight hug in many years.
“Yah Kim Taeyeon! Don’t talk as if nothing happened and I’m still mad at you! Do you know how many
years has it been since you left without a word?!” Sunny quickly wiggles out of Taeyeon’s embrace,
raising her voice due to the unsettled tiny bit of anger lingering in her stomach.
How dare this woman calls her a midget when she’s one too?! How dare this woman acts all lovely
and excited after abandoning her best friend?! Sunny screams internally with her tongue poking the
inside of her cheek.
“Three…Almost…four?” Taeyeon answered guiltily.
“Exactly! Four years! Four flipping years! Couldn’t you at least say ‘oh we’re moving to LA’?! Does it
feel good to let people worry about you?” Sunny exclaims. Realising it’s no use in reminding
themselves about the solemn past, she sighs and sits back down next to the bar counter. “You have
no idea how you’ve turned the world upside down, Taeng. Your family’s been worrying about you too,
you know.” She sips on the glass of sparkling wine.
For almost four years, not once did Kim Taeyeon or Tiffany Hwang contact anyone apart from their
families. No news, no updates, not even a simple safe and sound message to put people’s mind at
ease. Sunny deserves every right to be mad at Kim Taeyeon, but she knows she can’t beat herself to
hold the grudge, not when her best friend is finally enjoying life.
“Yeah, I know. I’m really sorry, but it was probably better off this way. Tiffany and I wanted
some…quietness. We wanted to settle down in peace.” Taeyeon leans against the counter, averting
her gaze on the pitch dark floor. “I keep in touch with my family though, just not very often. You see, I
have work to do too.”
Sunny raised her eyebrows.
“Work…you mean working as the part-time singer ‘Erica Kim’ in this pub?” She finds it hard not to
mock the new stage name Taeyeon has, the latter doesn’t seem to mind it.
“Yup, didn’t you just see my performance? Was my English pronunciation okay?”
“Couldn’t tell if you were born raised in the States or not, if I didn’t know you better.” Understanding
the singer’s will to lift up the mood by talking lightheartedly, Sunny heaves yet another sigh and goes
along with the notion.
“Good, that means all those hell pronunciation practices with Fany didn’t go to waste.” Taeyeon
chuckles.
Sunny on the other hand, keeps her intense stare on the now empty glass, fingertips slowly tracing its
round edge.
Taeyeon knows this expression way too well. She hated seeing Sunny with furrowed brows and
pursed lips, partly because she looks scary without a smile, another reason is because it means
there’s something on her mind.
“Taeng,” Says Sunny softly. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“Are you really happy? Singing on a small stage like this with just a couple of strangers to be your
audience?” Sunny looks around their surroundings. Darkness, quiet music, faint smell of alcohol,
chitchatting, tables seated with a few customers. “It’s so much different than what it used to be…your
life used to be.”
Enormous stage with a dozen spotlights focusing on her, ear-deafening loud chantings and screams
from the fans, the best crew and production team for making albums as well as concert tours…The
two lives are incomparable, they’re two separate routes that shares no similarities with each other.
Taeyeon loved being on stage performing and singing, that’s why she worked days and nights for a
decade to achieve where she was. Then how? How can this life satisfy the desire…this lifelong
dream within her?
The concern in Sunny’s eyes is too readable, Taeyeon merely gives a reassuring smile to her best
friend.
“I love singing, Soonkyu.” Taeyeon grabs a cup of ice water kindly offered by the bartender, her throat
is a little dry after singing for an hour. “It doesn’t matter where I perform or how many people care to
listen. I love singing and so I’ll continue to do so wherever I am, and if some of these strangers are
willing to listen, then I’ll be glad to sing for them too. This stage might be tiny and this pub might be a
little shabby, but there isn’t a barrier between the audience and me. No makeups, no standard song
lists to go through, I can sing the songs I wish to sing, I can be myself. That’s all that matters.”
Her dream has always been simple, way simpler than everybody else’s she knew from her previous
career.
Singing has always been Kim Taeyeon’s passion, it’s in her genes to sing, and so she’ll still walk
down that route regardless of when and where. No restrictions, no pressure, no cameras trying to
capture her appearance rather than her singing, no distance between the performer and the audience.
Taeyeon loves that naturalness and tranquility gained on this petit stage, it has things which a vast
fancy stage couldn’t offer.
“You’ve changed.” Sunny smiles.
“Don’t we all?” Taeyeon also returns a faint smile, she knew Sunny would understand. “But I’m happy,
really, don’t worry about me.”
“What can I say? Your life, your decision.”
“You know there wasn’t a choice right from the beginning, Soonkyu. Whether the public accepts us or
not, I’d never recover from the plunge anyway. It’s not like I was making reckless decisions about
ending my career, the why not put up a last fight before the curtain falls?” Taeyeon frowns, unwillingly
to continue explaining this to someone who has almost as much insight as she does. They need to let
go, like she did.
Sunny briefly looks at Taeyeon before letting out another audible sigh.
“Even so it’d be great if you could perhaps inform me before making such a shocking announcement.”
“Sorry, but I wanted handle this alone…I had to do it myself, I wasted too much time.” Taeyeon said
apologetically.
“You better, otherwise Miss Hwang won’t forgive you even in next life.”
Taeyeon chuckled at the surprisingly accurate comment about her girlfriend. Indeed, an angry Tiffany
is not to be messed with, all hell unravels when the brunette is crossed.
They fall into another short silent before Sunny raised another question.
“So…you’ve been following the news back home?”
“It was brave for those who followed my footsteps…but my case didn’t quite change the situation.
Well, wasn’t expecting any anyways, gave up caring ages ago.” Taeyeon shrugs nonchalantly. She
isn’t lying, she wasn’t hoping for any revolutionary changes in her nation, she was just expressing
what she truly believes with the hope to protect her own relationship during the conference.
As for the aftermath, they were just some surprising events that might impose an influence on the
society, something completely out of Taeyeon’s imagination.
“Maybe it doesn’t seem like things have changed for the better, but it’s still a small step to a brighter
future.” Sunny pats her best friend on the shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Taeng.”
Taeyeon grins, somehow she knew deep down Sunny would hope she stand up for her beliefs and
her own happiness regardless of how much it takes. It means a lot to have her best friend’s support,
even after all this time.
In this lonely and cold entertainment world, Kim Taeyeon is merely a shooting star that burns bright
and be gone in a blink of an eye. Maybe her name won’t even be marked in the history because she
committed such a sin, but she’s done living such a tiresome life, she’s done constantly giving up the
freedom to love and to be loved.
She wasn’t sure whether quitting was the wisest decision to make, but at least now she knows her
best friend has her back the whole time.

The bartender clears his throat to get the women’s attention.

“Sorry to interrupt, ladies. Erica, someone’s here to pick you up.” He lifts his chin to point at the
entrance where a brunette is casually chatting with the security guards.
Tiffany. Sunny silently calls the name when she spotted the woman.
The brunette stands underneath the bright lights and Sunny can easily pick up her features. Tiffany
hasn’t changed much even four years after their last encounter, except from the hair colour, she has
jet black hair now and it suits her even better. More mature, more elegant…even her expressions
became much softer.
Sunny didn’t miss the wide childish grin that grew from ear to ear on Taeyeon’s face - how long has it
been since the last time Kim Taeyeon genuinely smiles like this again?
Almost four years.
“Ah, Fany’s here.” Taeyeon put an arm around her best friend’s shoulder, unable to retain the
happiness flooding her heart. “Do you wanna come along? We’re just about to get dinner, she’d love
to see you.”
“Dinner at this time of night? No thanks you crazy midget, I don’t wanna get fat and also I hate being
the third wheel.” Sunny taps on the air watch on her wrist, cringing her nose in disapproval. It’s nearly
10 o’clock at night, what kind of life is Kim Taeyeon living now? Grabbing dinner just now? She surely
doesn’t need a bloated face the next morning to attend another business meeting.
“Working late night is part of the job description for a pub singer,” Taeyeon shrugs, her grip on the
other woman’s shoulder tightens a little. “But I invited you to come visit…”
“CEO Lee had a wonderful holiday plan even before your poorly written e-mail invitation was sent, so
don’t you worry about my tightly packed schedule.” Sunny shrugs off Taeyeon’s uncharacteristically
clingy grasp, she’d never get used to a overly passionate and touchy-freely Taeyeon though she
understands it was out of excitement.
“Okay, Miss CEO Lee, would you like to join us for lunch tomorrow then?” Such a killjoy. Taeyeon
sighs and releases her best friend, she was hoping they could spend the night to catch up.
“Sounds agreeable, you’re picking me up though.”
“With pleasure, Miss CEO.” Taeyeon bows with both hands resting on her stomach, imitating one of
Sunny’s loyal employees.
Sunny shovels Taeyeon playfully and the two let out silly laughs.
Tiffany also notices the women seated near the bar counter, her eyes turn into crescent when she
smiles and nods politely at Sunny. Tiffany didn’t come over but stays put where she is, mouthing ‘it’s
okay’ in Korean to Taeyeon before stepping aside to check her phone. Well, finding something to kill
time while they’re having a conversation, Sunny thought. What a considerate girlfriend, Kim Taeyeon
you lucky midget.
“You gotta go - Ah, wait, one last thing -” Sunny pauses before speaking in a lower voice. “Do you
wanna know what happened to Tiffany’s ex?”
Taeyeon stares at her with an unreadable expression, or say, there isn’t any apparent thoughts
shown through her facial expression. Taeyeon tilts her head while spending a few seconds to think,
giving a shrug to Sunny as her respond.
“Nah, it doesn’t matter anymore.” Taeyeon smiles nonchalantly. “Give me a call tomorrow morning,
yeah? Oh and her bill is on me, thanks.” She switches the last part of her speech to English for the
bartender to understand.
“Cool, now go get your girl before she dies of boredom.” Sunny pushes the blonde, pretending to be
annoyed by the latter’s clinginess.
Taeyeon bits goodbye then quickly runs towards Tiffany happily like a kid running towards a sweets
shop. Sunny watches as the couple waves at her before exiting the quiet pub. They were gone, but
Sunny’s still staring at the front entrance absentmindedly, lost in her own thoughts.
Then she flashes a faint smile.

Kim Taeyeon has changed, but definitely changed for the better.

Her life was filled with emptiness without work, she was chasing after the love that can’t last forever
once she steps off the big stage. Her days were repetitive and became burdensome, it was
suffocating for her to be living under scrutiny as well as being monitored every minute. She was happy
though because her love for singing never faded even during toughest times.
She had suffered and gone through enough to finally find inner peace, the simple yet unique
happiness that fulfils the void in her heart.
The Kim Taeyeon standing on the fancy huge stage with overflowing confidence and power, the Erica
Kim dresses comfortably and sings with her heart and soul on a tiny stage at a local pub.
They are different yet so similar at heart, their passion never dies and their bravery in pursuing the life
they wishes to have…the greatest quality within Kim Taeyeon are all the same. The only difference is,
the singer has a new definition for ‘happiness’ nowadays.

Taeyeon and Tiffany are content with their new life now, they have so much more to look forward to in
the future, that’s all that matters.
(25)

Nothing compares to a bright sunny day in California.

Tiffany has always loved Long Beach, it brings back so many good childhood memories, when her
beloved mother was still alive and well. Her mother would take her siblings and her here every month,
they’d spend the whole weekend staying outdoors swimming or surfing, which her father loves the
most about water sports. Tiffany’s mother used to teach her how to build a perfect sandcastle, they’d
play spelling games and that’s why Tiffany developed a passion for learning new phrases.
She still comes here often even after her mother passed away, in memory of the days filled with pure
joy and warmth in her mother’s arms. It’s safe to say Long Beach became her safe haven ever since
she bid her last goodbye to her mother. Tiffany would come here whenever she’s stressed, had
arguments with her family, before making any huge decisions or when she just wanted to talk.
She came here when her father disagreed with her college choice, she also came here before
announcing cancelation of her own wedding. For a tough woman like Tiffany, it’s hard to show her
emotional side to anybody, subconsciously, she categorised admitting her worries and concerns is
succumbing to weakness. Growing up for Tiffany was a lonely journey, then the loneliness followed
her into adulthood, she was surrounded by friends and family, but still she preferred the Long Beach
as her company whenever she needs someone - something to talk to.
Long Beach is meaningful to Tiffany, she has never taken anyone to this sacred place which seals
many of precious memories of hers.
But now her lonesome figure is no longer seen here, because Taeyeon is walking beside her with
their fingers intertwined.

Weekends in Long Beach are always flooded with people, families or couples or tourists, but Taeyeon
doesn’t mind the nosiness surrounding them. She swings their hands gently while walking along the
coast. Nobody cares about the women holding hands, no one knows they shocked the Korean society
a few years back, no one finds it odd to see same sex couples dating in public. No pressure, no
worries, no judgemental harsh words or criticisms.
Taeyeon loves the freedom. She loves it so much that even her skin feels on fire, she’s still humming
a song lightheartedly.
“Are you sure Sunny’s okay off alone? She flew hours here to see you, you know.” Tiffany squeezes
her hand lightly, furrowing her brows in concern.
“She’ll be fine. Besides, she’s actually here for real business, one of her artist is shooting his MV here
so she’s monitoring the progress.” Taeyeon shrugs. Nowadays her best friend seems to travel to
different countries for work purposes, those business meetings grew more frequent since her
entertainment company became well known in Korea.
“Oh? Seems like K-POP is really keen on American style lately, what’s so intriguing about the States
though?” Tiffany asks with genuine interest, she can’t find the answer herself because she’s
technically American, at heart.
Taeyeon frowns as she frantically searches for an answer in her head.
“Well, the scene? The language? I don’t know about the general public, but for me, it’s definitely the
people.” Taeyeon deliberately glances at the beautiful woman walking besides her.
“That’s your conclusion after living in the States for nearly four years?” Tiffany chuckles, pretending
she didn’t notice the obvious hint given by the blonde. “Sounds like you’ve met someone interesting
too.” She smiles amusingly.
“That I have indeed. An American I’ve met years ago at a local gym. That woman had such a strong
American accent when she talked, I didn’t quite understand what she was saying, but who cares? She
was hot, like, really hot!” Taeyeon sways their joint hands, she doesn’t even try to hide the excitement
in her slightly higher tone.
For the Nth time, Tiffany’s glad that they’re in the States so nobody would understand Korean (unless
there’re Koreans around). What came out of Taeyeon’s mouth was nothing but embarrassing, not to
mention it’s quite an inappropriate thing to say on a date in broad daylight.
“Pervert.” Tiffany slaps Taeyeon’s forearm.
“But this American woman loves the pervert.” Taeyeon smiles confidently, unaffected by another slap
on her arm.
“The said American woman might be having a second thought about that now.”
Tiffany pretends to let go of Taeyeon’s hand in protest to her endless teasing, but the latter quickly
tightens her hold, locking their hands together tighter as ever. This is what Tiffany hates but loves the
most at the same time - Taeyeon knows exactly how to play push and pull, she knows her well
enough to push the limits, yet able to keep Tiffany wrapped around her finger.
It takes two to tango, guess I can’t complain. Tiffany lets Taeyeon continue holding her hand,
reminding herself not to let the happiness show, not just yet.
“Can a home meal cooked by Erica Kim win back the American beauty’s heart?” Taeyeon suddenly
halts her steps and turns around, now facing her girlfriend on the same eye level, thanks to
unevenness of the sandpit. Her cute dimple smile never fails making Tiffany’s heart melt, that childish
cute loveable grin of hers, makes Tiffany’s day.
Sweet talker. Tiffany raises her eyebrows, retaining a smile and decides to play along.
“Depends on what she’s planning to make.”
“You’ll see.”

The couple keep walking down the coastline as they talk about different things. Taeyeon shares the
little episodes she witnessed or was told at work, Tiffany talks about her older brother’s expecting a
baby girl…merely ordinary things everyone could experience. They hold hands while walking, their
shoulders touch occasionally, no different from the intimacy shared between friends. They’re like best
friends but also like family, they’re also in love with each other at the same time.
Tiffany enjoys moments like this, moments when there isn’t a need to draw a line to define the nature
of their relationship, moments when they can enjoy each other’s company without having to care
about how others view them.
It’s definitely love, Tiffany knows that. It’s the kind of love which combines friendship, family bond and
romantic attraction. The kind of love that only the two of them can understand.
A timid smile grew on Tiffany’s face as she listens to Taeyeon’s little stories intently.
She remembers the very first time she fell attracted to this petit dorky singer, it was that time when
they went all the way to Jeonju for a brief escape from reality. Circumstances were a little different
back then, they were still carefully treading on the borderline of the boundaries Tiffany had set.
It was then she knew another side of Kim Taeyeon, an enthusiastic, cheerful dorky person who has
the magic to lure people in deeper by just one look, or an ahjumma laugh when she gets excited.
Taeyeon was the one pampered Tiffany back to health when she was broken. If Tiffany was a
withered flower, then Taeyeon would be the sun that showered her in warmth and brightness, helping
her to bloom again, with nothing but endless love.
Tiffany can’t be more grateful to have Taeyeon as her love.

They reaches the far end of the beach where there isn’t a lot of people around. Tiffany takes off her
flip-flops and sits down, not minding the sand will get on her white top. Taeyeon follows suit, seating
herself on Tiffany’s left-hand side, as usual.
“I used to come here a lot.” Tiffany’s gaze is fixed on the ocean before them.
“Alone? With family and friends?” Taeyeon props her arms above her bent knees, resting her chin on
them while looking at the same direction as Tiffany.
Everything’s gone quieter, they’re now able to hear the sounds of wave rushing and washing away
their footprints, the little rattling noise made by seagulls, the sounds of their own hearts pounding at a
steady pace. Tiffany dips her fingers into the soft sand, feeling their rough texture when she finally
unlocks the door to a long-sealed off part of her heart.
“Started with family then gradually became me alone, I preferred it that way, sometimes you just feel
the need to be alone.” Says Tiffany quietly.
“Like how I lock myself when I want to be left alone.” Taeyeon steals a glance at her lover, thankfully
the latter just seems relaxed, not sad or stressed. “But that’s only when something’s on my mind.”
Tiffany merely responded with a faint smile.
“I thought you’re the type to talk to let everything off your chest, but now I know we’re actually quite
alike.” The blonde heaves a sigh. “I find it hard to open up to anyone too.” Still finding it hard. Taeyeon
thought. She can relate to Tiffany because surprisingly, they’re very much alike. Especially when it
comes to dealing with complicated feelings.
“I talk to the ocean, or it’s really just talking to myself. It felt easier and…it feels like my mum is
listening.” Tiffany’s voice becomes smaller, almost missable if one doesn’t pay full attention to it. “We
used to exchange little secrets or messages when we came here. I’d talk to her about anything, a
surprise present I bought for daddy, things happened in school that made me angry, arguments,
fights, my worries…”
Taeyeon knows what happened to Tiffany’s mother, therefore she avoids getting into topics involving
mothers - Tiffany’s biggest weakness is her mother.
“I’m sorry…” Taeyeon turns her head to check on Tiffany, there aren’t tears in the latter’s eyes, but
still there’s glimpse of sadness hidden behind those beautiful eyes.
“It’s okay, it’s just that I haven’t been here for a while now so I got a bit emotional.” Tiffany gives a
reassuring smile.
“When was the last time you were here? It was when I first got here, right?”
Tiffany seems to be taken aback by Taeyeon’s question, she nods after sparing a moment of
thoughts.
“I could tell something’s troubling you. I didn’t ask you back then, care to share now?” The blonde
shrugs, her gut feelings have always been right. “Of course it’s perfectly fine if you don’t want to.” She
adds, unwilling to pressurise her lover.
Tiffany’s eyes met with Taeyeon’s. Taeyeon’s eyes are so gentle, her gaze is soft and caring. Then,
Tiffany heard another soft click in her heart.
“I was wondering whether I’ve made the right choice.” Tiffany mutters as if she’s talking to herself.
“Have I ruined Taeyeon’s life? Have I dishonoured my family? Could I have handled this better? Did I
indirectly force Taeyeon to give up her career? Are we really going to be happy living a new life in the
States?…There were so many questions in my head, questions I can’t figure out the answers myself,
so I was hoping maybe mommy could guide me if she heard me out.” She lowers her head at the end
of her self-questioning.
Taeyeon was speechless.
Although somehow she has always known the worries rooted in Tiffany’s mind, these are thoughts
she first heard from the latter. How would Taeyeon have imagined there were so many conflicts and
struggles that were troubling Tiffany? Tiffany also seemed to be coping with their new life pretty well
too, so Taeyeon wouldn’t have known about Tiffany’s doubts.
“And you said I worry too much.” Taeyeon sighs. “You’re silly, Hwang Miyoung. You’re silly because
you’re always so tough when you don’t to be, you’re always fighting alone when you’ve got allies.”
She takes Tiffany’s hand and holds it firmly near where her heart beats.
“Do you trust me?” Taeyeon locks her eyes with Tiffany’s, both of her hands now cupping the latter’s
face.
“Of course I do.” Tiffany answers without hesitation, frowning, unsure of where this is going.
“Then count on me, talk to me. There’s no need to act tough when we’re together because I’m your
shelter, I always will be as long as I love you.” Taeyeon leans forward to kiss Tiffany’s forehead. For
Taeyeon, love is a lifelong commitment. It’s something you can lean on, it can heal, it can also protect
the person you’re destined to be with.
She might not be tall and strong, but her love will always shelter Tiffany.
“It’s hard to change…but I’ll try.” Tiffany’s touched by the blonde’s words, but she isn’t sure if she can
let go of this memorable place just yet.
As if she can read Tiffany’s mind, Taeyeon shakes her head and brushing the latter’s fringe to the
side.
“I’m not asking you to stop coming here, I just want you to know I’m here for you too, not just your
mum up there.” Taeyeon makes sure their eye contact is unbroken.
Tiffany knows. She knows Taeyeon’s been by her side all along, through ups and downs and into the
new life they’ve found after chaos.
And she really - really can’t be more grateful for this.
“I know.” Tiffany lowers her body to lean on the blonde’s shoulder. “I love you, Taeyeon.” She
whispers.
She heard a small chuckle from her lover.
“Ditto.”

Friday nights are always a joy. Not only because they have a whole weekend to look forward to, but
also because it’s time for Taeyeon to show off her cooking skills. The blonde didn’t have the slightest
interest in cooking, handling five or ten more ingredients and to turn them into something eatable
seem like an impossible task for the professional singer. Taeyeon would never step a foot into the
kitchen unless she’s craving for ice-cream or juice.
But cooking has become one of her favourite thing to do nowadays, partly because she misses
Korean food and there isn’t a lot of good Korean restaurants around, so she’s forced to make meals
which satisfy her taste bud. Since she only works at night, she’s in charge of restocking their food
supplies as well as preparing supper. Cooking has gradually turned into a hobby for Taeyeon because
nothing compares to seeing a happy well-fed Tiffany. She’d even come up with new self-improvised
recipes to try out.

“Didn’t know you love Korean food so much, does it mean my cooking skill has beaten yours?”
Taeyeon wipes the Jajang sauce off the corner of Tiffany’s lips, smiling contently.
“Yours are fusion dishes so technically they’re not typical Korean food.” Tiffany corrects the blonde
as-a-matter-of-factly. “And I don’t recall I was ever good at cookery?” But her cooking has improved
significantly for sure. Tiffany admits internally, she’ll never say these words easily.
“I thought someone just told me about how her baking skills impressed everyone at the office last
week? I must be hallucinating then.” Taeyeon frowns, propping her chin in her palm. She has no
intention to stop the teasing any minute.
Still feeling the need to win every argument or debate (also a keen habit developed due to her career),
Tiffany continues: “Baking is different from cooking, like deserts aren’t proper meals.” She lets out a
contented sigh as she swallows the last mouthful of Jajangmyeon.
“You and your way of arguing.” Taeyeon shakes her head in defeat. “So you’re taking a day off
tomorrow?”
“Yup, hopefully taking a few days off won’t destroy the company, daddy’s still a bit worried about me
taking over the family business. I don’t want him asking more questions.”
“Everything’s going to be just fine, CEO Hwang, you’re a human too so you deserve a break.”
Taeyeon takes Tiffany’s plate to the sink, smiling softly in means to comfort her girlfriend.
“Huh. But you can’t take even a night off.” Says Tiffany dejectedly, pouting even though both of them
had passed that age long ago.
“Awww, please don’t sulk, you know how busy it gets when it’s summer.” Taeyeon makes a subtle
reference to the pub, which is the most packed place throughout the whole summer, thanks to
students and tourists. Though her smile is gentle as ever, it doesn’t seem to revive the delightful
feeling in Tiffany.
“I’m just annoyed by the fact that tourists get to have you for nights when your girlfriend can’t.”
“That sounded so wrong.” Taeyeon can’t help but lets out an amusing laugh. “No one’s gonna own me
for any night any day, apart from you, Miss Hwang. I promise I’ll make it up to you, okay?” She comes
round the dinning table, kneeling before the woman with a cute yet annoyed look. She takes her hand
and kisses the back of it, as if the light kiss will seal the promise.
“You better keep your words, Kim.” Unmoving, Tiffany strives the urge to throw her arms around the
blonde.
“When do I ever break my promise?” Taeyeon winks. She rises and gently pulls Tiffany along with
her. “Right, I’m off now. Be good.” Taeyeon takes off the pink apron then holds Tiffany’s hand again,
throwing the black leather jacket over her shoulders on her way to the foyer.
“Are you sure you don’t need me to pick you up?” Tiffany smoothens the wrinkles on Taeyeon’s
jacket, then watches the blonde putting on those military-like heavy boots. Sometimes she’s glad
Taeyeon’s only performing on a small stage and it’s not a necessity for her to wear revealing stage
outfits.
Just stay like that, perfect. Tiffany thought. A plain T-shirt with a trendy jacket, comfy jeans and a pair
of old boots. There, close-to-none exposure yet fashionable enough.
“I don’t want you to drive late at night, I’ll just take a taxi.” Taeyeon briefly turns around, landing a peck
on Tiffany’s lips.
“Be safe.”
“Thank you, see you in a bit.”
And Taeyeon was gone.

Nights without Taeyeon became a routine. Tiffany has grown accustomed to falling asleep without the
pair of warm arms holding her into an embrace, instead, a small white dog replaced the empty spot.
Tiffany’d continue ploughing through the unfinished paperwork stacked up in her study, maybe
stealing a minute or two to play fetch with the cute little dog. Sometimes she’d be a couch potato,
holding a film marathon alone on quiet nights. Then, she’d read for half an hour before putting the
lights out.
It is bearable, a little lonely at times, but bearable. Knowing Taeyeon is happy doing what she has
always been passionate about, and the fact that Taeyeon is satisfied by being financially independent
- makes Tiffany content. They’re just like any other couple out there. They found a balance in their
relationship, they settled with what they have and they seek sustainability and consistency in their
unique living pattern. They are an item, but they managed to stick together while chasing after
happiness in various aspects in their lives. Tiffany can’t ask for more. Honestly, she still wonders if
she’s been living in an imaginary world this whole time before sleepiness engulfed her.
When the clock strikes four or five in the morning, she’d feel something snuggling up close against her
back - something warm and smooth, like baby’s skin. Tiffany’d be too tired to welcome her
hardworking lover, but she’d show her affection in an unspoken way. She’d turn around and place
herself in the crook of her lover’s neck, inhaling her scent greedily, sinking into her tender hold.
Sleep is cast away when the blinds can’t block the sun anymore. Tiffany would slowly wake from a
peaceful sleep, opening her eyes to see a youthful, innocent face next to her - her lover, Taeyeon.
She loves waking up to see Taeyeon laying besides her, she could stay in bed all day just to watch
the latter sleep. Yesterday, today, the day after tomorrow, the following year, the next twenty years
and more.

Tiffany tip-toes out of their bedroom without startling the sleeping blonde.
She pats the white dog which greeted her with a few excited barks and a wagging tail. She feeds him
before making a cup of coffee for herself, that’s when she notices the bouquet on the kitchen island,
accompanied by a handwritten small card. The bouquet is a combination of roses, more than a dozen
light-shade pink roses on the outer layer and a lone red one in the centre.
A smile spreads across Tiffany’s face. She picks up the card, it reads:

‘Morning, Yepeuni. I love you.’

Why, this random bouquet and the sudden cliché romance?

Tiffany chuckles at the round-looking, cute Korean handwritings, silently appreciating her lover’s
romantic gesture, certainly no woman would not be flattered by such sweetness. Then she
remembers, the coy ‘Ditto’ Taeyeon told her in a relatively small, gentle voice yesterday. Would that
be it? Because Taeyeon was too shy to verbally express her affection in three simple words hence
the bouquet and the message card?
Having lived with Taeyeon for nearly four years, Tiffany knows the latter enough to know that could
very well be the reason.
Rather than tasting the freshly made coffee, instead Tiffany heads back to their bedroom, carefully
lifting up the duvet so that she can have a good look at Taeyeon’s previously covered side profile. She
then leans in and kisses her warm cheek.

I love you too.