CHAPTER XIV

PLANS FOR WINTER BREAK

“It’s going to be a long ride;” Taeyeon said to the black haired American girl who was sitting in front of her on the express train. “Are you sure you don’t want to sleep?”

Tiffany turned her head to face the slanted eyed girl. “It’s only a two hour ride, Taeyeon.”

“And besides, I want to check out the scenery.” She smiled as she looked around the interior. “This is my first time riding an express train.”

“It’s 2 hours and 50 minutes,” The shorter girl corrected her.

“You’re really amazing, you know.” The crescent eyed girl looked amazed. “Every day you travel for more than two hours back and forth.”

“Well…” Taeyeon slightly blushed. “… I didn’t want to have to switch schools…”

“And I certainly didn’t want to have to make new friends.” She added shyly.

“And the company pays for my train tickets; so it’s nice for me, I guess?”

“Yeah, but still…” Tiffany kept praising her resolve. “You have to be exhausted from having to travel back and forth every single day…”

“Oh, I usually just sleep during the rides, so I’m not tired whatsoever…” The slanted eyed girl giggled, and Tiffany followed.

The crescent eyed girl then stared at the distance through the window beside her and let her mind wandered; How did I get on this train?

And her memory took her back to the events two weeks before.

It was almost winter break and the girls were hanging out at the Solitaire one evening after training, talking about their midterm results. Sooyoung, Yoona, Jessica and Seohyun got satisfying results; while Taeyeon, Yuri and Tiffany got medium results.

“If only I didn’t have to take Korean.” Tiffany sighed. “I’d probably be in the top 5…”

“Being in the top ten is quite good enough, Tiff,” Jessica was sitting next to her, trying to comfort her. “Considering you just joined our school and had lots of material to catch up.”

“But still…” The crescent eyed girl looked sad. “… I don’t want our company to think I’m all about the looks and no brain…”

“That’s not true, Tiffany unnie,” Seohyun tried to cheer her up. “You have a very good brain…”

The girls laughed at her comment.

“I-I mean you’re a hard working person and I think you should be proud of that…” The youngest girl tried to put her words differently.

Tiffany giggled and nodded. “I know what you mean, Juhyun; thank you…”

“But, oh…” The blonde girl realized something. “So you’re actually confident about your looks, huh?”

“W-Well…” The black haired American stuttered. “I’m quite the attractive girl; yes…”

“Ooohh, someone’s been checking out the mirror lately.” Yuri joined and .

The girls laughed and Tiffany was blushing, but then Jessica decided to deliver the final blow.

“Well, I do think you are very attractive…” She whispered to her.

Tiffany flashed her eye smile and cupped her own flushing face. “Stop it, you…”

“What are you guys saying?” Sooyoung looked curious.

“Yeah, stop with the English, please.” Yuri shook her head.

“Well, you guys better learn some English then.” Tiffany giggled.

Their orders came and they were enjoying their drinks and snacks when Tiffany remembered to thank her best friend for helping her with her studies. She realized that it was mostly thanks to Jessica that she ultimately earned a spot in the top ten. The blonde shook her head and giggled, saying that it was all because of her hard work instead.

Tiffany then remembered something else; something that had been bothering her since their last trip to the mall, and she decided to ask her blonde friend about it.

“So, um…” She asked Jessica. “… Do you think Krystal is mad at me?”

“Hmm?” The blonde girl was sipping her coffee. “I don’t think so; why?”

“Well, it seems that she always glares at me these days; like I’ve done something wrong to her or something…” Tiffany recalled how Krystal looked hostile towards her that Sunday.

“Oh…” The blue eyed girl looked like she remembered something. “Well…”

“What is it?” The crescent eyed girl was curious.

“Well, she found out about me skipping school to nurse you the other day…” Jessica bumped her bottom frame.

“How?”

“She goes to the same school as we do, Tiff.” The blonde explained. “We go to school together every morning…”

“Oh…” The black haired American girl started to understand the situation. “But how did she find out you skipped school?”

“Chloe and Lily asked her why I was absent that day…” Jessica stared at her coffee.

“Aah, I see now…” Tiffany finally understood.

“I’m sorry, Tiff…” The blue eyed girl continued. “… I’ve already explained to her that you were sick that day…”

“No, it’s okay…” She looked sad.

“I’ll talk to her again later.” Jessica stared at her fellow American friend. “I’ll tell her to be nicer to you.”

“You don’t have to do that…” Tiffany shook her head.

“I think I need to.” The blonde insisted. “I don’t want her to be mad at you.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my best friend, silly.” The blue eyed girl smiled. “And she has to be nice to my best friend.”

Tiffany finally smiled. “Thank you.”

“Yah!” Sooyoung suddenly shouted. “Do you think there’s only the two of you in this world?”

“Stop. With. The. English!”

“Wow, you’re English is quite good, Sooyoung…” Tiffany noticed.

“Of course!” The tall tanned girl crossed her arms. “I learn English in my school, you know.”

“So don’t think that I don’t understand a word about what you were saying!”

“O-Oh…” The crescent eyed girl blushed. “R-Really?”

“Yeah!” Sooyoung taunted her. “Try me!”

“She’s lying.” Jessica said calmly.

“Oh! So you’re saying that I’m lying?” The tallest girl glared at her.

“I. Hear. You. Full!”

“Oh, I see…” Tiffany noticed that Sooyoung could only understand a few words.

“What?” Sooyoung turned to Tiffany. “Ugh, I said I can understand you!”

And the girls laughed at the frustrated tall girl.

“What were you guys talking about anyway?” Taeyeon finally joined the conversation, after being the silent audience for quite some time.

“It’s a secret, Taeyeon.” And Tiffany winked at her.

“Were you talking about us?” Yuri suddenly grew suspicious. “It’s rude, you know…”

“O-Of course not!” The crescent eyed girl was surprised by her comment. “We would never do that!”

“Really?” Taeyeon’s eyes were filled with doubts.

“Y-Yes!” Tiffany shouted. “We promise!”

“So what do you talk about when you use English?” The tanned girl insisted.

“It’s a secret; like Tiffany said.” Jessica calmly said as she drank her coffee.

“I swear I’m going to work hard to study English from now on.” Sooyoung said disappointedly.

“Yeah; me too.” Yuri patted Sooyoung’s shoulder, and the girls giggled.

“Finally!” Yoona suddenly yelled. “It’s done!”

The girls turned their heads to look at the deer-eyed girl who was smiling widely.

“What’s done?” Yuri asked.

“Here, Seohyunnie!” Yoona handed her a Crayon Shin-chan rag doll.

Seohyun stared at the fresh-knitted rag doll in her hand in disbelief.

“Did you make this?” She stared at her childhood friend.

“Yes!” Yoona looked excited. “This doll is waaay better than that pillow Yuri unnie gave you, don’t you think?”

The youngest girl gave her the best smile she had. “Yes! This is much, much better!”

“What?” Yuri suddenly stood up from her chair. “How could that ugly doll compare to my cute pillow?”

Yoona’s eyes grew bigger and she quickly stood up and slammed the table. “What did you say?”

“What?” The tanned girl taunted her. “It’s the truth!”

“That’s not even Sin-chan!” She pointed at the rag doll. “It looks like a white pig with an oversized head!”

“Wha…” The younger girl looked sad. “How could you…”

Seohyun was about to stop them from quarreling when she noticed that Yoona’s fingers were filled with bandages. She stared at her and felt her eyes were teary.

“I take that back!” Juhyun said loudly, and the girls quickly turned their attention to her. “It’s not better!”

The deer eyed girl stared at her with opened as she did not want to believe what she just said.

“Seohyun, what are you--” She said weakly.

“--This is the best doll ever!” The youngest girl said as she wiped her own tears. “The best!”

Yoona’s frown turned to a huge grin in an instant. She then turned to the disappointed Yuri and laughed.

“Ha! I won!”

“B-But…” Yuri stuttered.

“But what?” Yoona was enjoying her victory over the factory-made pillow. “Of course I won!”

“I knitted this doll with my whole heart!” The deer eyed girl put her hands on her chest. “I didn’t just buy it at some store like you did.”

“Ugh…” The tanned girl admitted her defeat and sat down. “You win this time, Yoona…”

 “Thank you, Yoona unnie…” Seohyun held the rag doll to her chest. “… I’ll cherish this doll forever…”

“You’re welcome!” The deer eyed girl giggled and hugged her younger friend.

Juhyun welcomed the hug but then she glanced at a certain blonde girl and looked apologetic. Tiffany caught the look on her face and wondered, but she was soon distracted by Sooyoung’s whine.

“What is this?” The tall girl frowned. “Is it still Juhyun Day?”

“When are we going to have Sooyoung Day?”

And the girls laughed at the jealous tall tanned girl.

It was Friday night just ten days from winter break, and Tiffany and Taeyeon were watching the TV in their living room. Yujin and Jihye had not returned to their dorm yet, and Ri-in told them she had an important appointment. Taeyeon browsed through the channels as her favorite TV drama had not aired yet.

“So, Tiffany…” She said. “… Winter break is coming and it’s a long holiday, you know…”

“Hmm?” The crescent eyed girl had not thought about it. “Oh, yeah…”

“So, you want to come with me and spend the holiday in Jeonju?” Taeyeon turned to her, and Tiffany could see her eyes were filled with expectation.

“Hmm…” The black haired American girl gave it some thoughts. “I don’t know…”

“Why?” The slanted eyed girl asked. “Do you have something better to do?”

“You’ll be all alone for the whole week, you know.”

“Yeah, I know…” Tiffany sighed, and her mind wandered to a certain blonde girl.

Will she invite me to spend the holiday in her house? She wished that the blue eyed girl would do so, but deep inside she knew that she was asking too much; even for her new best friend.

She probably already had plans with her family…

“So come with me then!” Taeyeon insisted. “I already told my mom that you’re coming!”

“W-What?” Tiffany was surprised. “Why would you do that?”

“Well, I figured you wouldn’t have any plans for the holiday,” The shorter girl explained. “And we can have so much fun in Jeonju!”

“We can go sightseeing, visit the museum, go hiking…”

But what if Jessica really asks me?

It would be the best holiday ever…

“You should’ve asked me first before telling your mother, Taeyeon.” The crescent eyed girl sighed. “I don’t want to impose--”

“--But you will not!” The slanted eyed girl quickly said. “My mom loves it when I bring friends to sleep over!”

“I don’t know, Taeyeon…”

“Are you expecting someone else to invite you instead?” Taeyeon stared at her with suspicious eyes.

“W-What?” Tiffany startled. “N-No!”

“Then why wouldn’t you come with me?” The slanted eyed girl was starting to get upset.

“I-I…” The crescent eyed girl was trying to find a reason why she should decline her invitation; but she could not find any.

And what about Jessica’s plans? Maybe her family is planning to go abroad…

I can’t ruin their holiday…

“O-Okay…” She finally said.

“Really?” Taeyeon looked happy. “You promise?”

“Y-Yeah, I promise, Taeyeon…” Tiffany forced a smile. “… It would be fun…”

“Of course it would be!” The slanted eyed girl laughed. “It would be the best holiday ever!”

Tiffany finally gave up and giggled. “Yeah, it would be fun.”

“Thank you, Taeyeon.” She flashed her eye smile.

“Don’t mention it.”

And besides; Krystal is still mad at me… I can’t imagine how furious she would be if she knew I’d be staying at her house for a week… The crescent eyed girl sighed.

And one week before the long break, Tiffany finally found out the real answer to her questions, as they were once again sitting in their favorite café, talking about their winter plans.

“So, winter break is coming…” Jessica stared at her; somehow she was not as calm as usual.

“Mhmm…” Tiffany sipped her cup of favorite coffee. She had tried some other drinks the menu had to offer, but somehow she thought the caramel coffee tasted the best.

“Well…” The blonde took a deep breath. “… My dad wants you to join us for the holiday…”

“What?” The black haired American girl was surprised; very surprised. “W-Why?”

“W-Well…” Jessica stuttered. “… H-He likes you, you know…”

“W-What?” Tiffany’s eyes grew bigger.

“Well, I’ve been telling him about you…” The blue eyed girl didn’t have the courage to look at her in the eye. “About us…”

“U-Us?” Her face was flushing, like always. “W-What do you mean by us?”

The blonde took another deep breath to calm herself. “I’ve been telling him about us being best friends now…”

“O-Oh…” Somehow she felt like she was expecting something different entirely, although she herself didn't know what.

“So he thinks, and my mom also thinks; that you should spend your holiday with us.”

“And what do you think?” Tiffany stared at her, hoping to get the answer she wanted to hear.

“I think it would be…” The blonde said shyly as she sipped her coffee. “… nice if you could join us…”

The crescent eyed girl flashed her eye smile as she was satisfied with her answer, but quickly realized that she had already promised Taeyeon.

“I can’t,” She looked sad. “I’m sorry…”

“I already promised Taeyeon to spend the holiday in her hometown…”

“Oh…” Jessica looked disappointed. “I see…”

“Why don’t you ask Sooyoung or the other girls instead?” Tiffany tried to come with an idea.

“Hmm?” The blonde lazily stirred her cup of coffee. “I’d rather not…”

“Why not?”

“Well, I—“

“—Wait; don’t answer it.” The crescent eyed girl suddenly said and smiled. “You’re just going to tease me and say that you’d rather spend the holiday with me.”

“Oh, are you a psychic now?” The blue eyed girl found her smile again.

“That’s what you’re going to say anyway; right?”

“No…” Jessica shook her head cutely. “I was going to say that I don’t want to spend my holiday with anyone else but you.”

“But that’s the same thing!” Tiffany giggled.

“No; it’s not.” The blonde smiled and adjusted her glasses.

The black haired American girl thought about it, and as soon as she found out the difference, she flushed and covered her cheeks with her hands.

“I thought I asked you to stop teasing me…” Tiffany muttered.

“Why should I?” Jessica giggled. “It’s fun.”

“Oh, you…” The crescent eyed girl sighed and turned away. “… You flirt…”

“But I had a feeling it would turn out like this.” Jessica let out a deep sigh.

“You do?”

“Yeah; I figured I was late…” The blonde’s finger circled the edge of her empty cup. “… I should’ve asked you earlier; I’m sorry…”

“Oh!” Tiffany was surprised. “You don’t have to apologize, Jessie…”

“I-I was the one who thought…” And she could not continue her words, as she knew that it would tell her blonde friend that she was actually waiting for her invitation, and she didn't want to admit it so easily.

“Hmm?” Jessica asked.

“N-Never mind…”

“Okay, then.” The blue eyed girl then carefully pulled out a small box from her bag and placed it on top of her lap underneath the table; without their friends seeing. “Here…”

“What is this?” Tiffany whispered.

“It’s your Christmas present.” The blonde calmly said.

“Oh!” The crescent eyed girl realized that she had not prepared any present for her new best friend. “I don’t have anything for you…”

“Don’t worry,” Jessica said. “It’s too early anyway.”

“Yeah, it is!” Tiffany giggled as she stared at her Christmas present. “It’s way too early!”

And deep inside the crescent eyed girl was very happy. She knew that it was just an early Christmas gift for her, but the fact that Jessica was the one who gave it to her made her feel warm and tingly inside. Soon Tiffany felt there were butterflies in her stomach, and her chest tightened. She took a deep breath and tried to calm her pounding heart.

“Promise me you’ll only open it on Christmas.” Jessica said after a while.

“Why?” Tiffany asked after her heart had calmed down a bit.

“Because it’s a Christmas present, silly.” The blonde giggled.

“Okay…”

“I’ll make sure I’ll have something for you when I get back.” The crescent eyed girl felt sad because she thought that she was letting her best friend down by not preparing a gift soon enough.

“That’s okay, Tiff.” The blue eyed girl shook her head.

“No, it’s not okay.” Tiffany was serious. “I’m getting you a gift and that’s it!”

“Okay…” Jessica smiled. “… I’ll be expecting your gift then…”

“So this means I’m getting a gift from a Jeonju gift shop, huh?” The blonde giggled, and Tiffany soon followed, but not before she slapped Jessica’s arm.

“Jessie! Don’t ruin the surprise!” And they both laughed.

Meanwhile three sets of eyes were staring at them from the other table the whole time.

“What do you think they’re talking about?” The tanned girl asked the younger girl next to her.

“Hmm…” The deer eyed girl looked serious. “… I think they’re planning something…”

“Yeah; they’re definitely planning something,” The tall girl said suspiciously. “Something big.”

“But what could they possibly be planning?” Yuri stared at the two Americans.

“I don’t know, unnie.” Yoona said. “But I can assure you that whatever they’re planning; it’s something bad…”

“R-Really?” Sooyoung gasped. “They’re planning something bad for Christmas?”

“H-How evil!”

“Yeah…” Yuri kept staring at them. “… They’re evil alright…”

“What are we going to do, unnie?” Yoona kept her voice low. “If we don’t stop them; they’ll ruin Christmas for everyone!”

“Damn!” Sooyoung cursed. “If only I learned English back then when I was training with the FBI…”

“… We could’ve easily figure out their plans…”

“Don’t blame yourself, Lieutenant Sooyoung!” Yuri patted her shoulder. “No one could’ve expected those two innocent looking American girls to have evil plans to destroy the world on Christmas!”

“They’re planning to destroy the world?” Yoona shouted.

“Shussh!” The tanned girl quickly covered with her hands. “They’ll hear you!”

“Anyway,” Sooyoung narrowed her eyes and stared at her colleagues. “We’ll need a counter attack plan, Captain Yuri.”

“I think I have just the plan.” The tanned girl smiled proudly.

“What are you guys talking about, unnies?” Seohyun joined their conversation.

“Ah, Sergeant Seohyun.” Yuri put her arm around the youngest. “Perfect timing as always.”

“I have a plan to save the world and you’re going to be our secret weapon.”

“If you’re going to prank Sica unnie again I won’t have anything to do with it, Yuri unnie…” Juhyun looked worried.

“Quiet, Sergeant!” Yuri scolded her. “This is about saving the world!”

“And about saving Lieutenant Jessica from Dr. Hwang’s evil clutches!”

“Oh, I’m in!” Seohyun’s eyes suddenly sparkled at the thought of saving her beloved Sica unnie.

“Wait; I thought they’re both evil?” Sooyoung looked puzzled.

“No.” Yoona quickly explained the situation. “Dr. Tiffany Hwang has brainwashed her, making our lovely Jessica unnie her puppet.”

“That’s so evil!” Sergeant Seohyun looked upset. “How could she do something like that?”

“Yeah…” Captain Yuri shook her head. “… That’s why we need to combine all our strength to save our poor Jessica…”

“Yes!” The tallest girl looked excited. “Tell us your plan, captain!”

“Alright, listen…” The tanned girl started to explain. “… Sergeant Seohyun and Private Yoona—“

“—Heeyy; why am I a private?” The deer eyed girl was not satisfied with her rank.

“You were demoted because you were caught bribing Sergeant Seohyun with a rag doll!”

“Pfft; you’re not going to let that one go huh, unnie?” Yoona giggled.

“Shut it, private!” Yuri raised her hand. “Don’t interrupt me when I talk!”

“Don’t you think we should also share our plan with General Taeyeon and her friends, captain?” Sooyoung said as she stared at Taeyeon and her other dorm mates.

“No.” Yuri pointed out. “General Taeyeon has been brainwashed by Dr. Hwang too.”

“In fact, she invited Dr. Hwang to her base in Jeonju to celebrate Christmas!”

“My God!” Yoona shouted. “She’s powerful enough to brainwash our general and infiltrate our base in Jeonju!”

The other girls turned around and stared at the deer eyed girl.

“Imigrate?” Tiffany asked.

“Infiltrate.” Taeyeon quickly corrected her roommate.

“What are you guys talking about?” Ri-in asked. “Sounds like fun.”

“N-Nothing…” Captain Yuri stuttered. “It’s nothing…”

“We’re just talking about our holiday plans…”

“Weird…” The crescent eyed girl said, while Jessica was eyeing the four odd girls with suspicion in her eyes.

“How many times do I have to tell you to keep it down, private?” Yuri scolded the younger.

“Sorry, sorry…” Yoona quickly covered .

“Now; as I was saying,” Their captain continued. “General Taeyeon is brainwashed, and the other three girls are civilians.”

“We can’t go to Jeonju to save General Taeyeon, but we can save Lieutenant Jessica who will be staying in her private base in Seoul!”

“Oooh, so we’re going to Sica unnie’s place for Christmas?” Seohyun looked excited.

“What should I bring?” The youngest was busy with her own thoughts. “What should I wear?”

“Can we have a sleepover?”

“It will not be a social visit, sergeant.” Yuri sighed and shook her head. “Remember that!”

“O-Okay…”

“But a sleepover sounds like a great idea.” Sooyoung said cheerfully. “It’s been a while since we last visited her house.”

“Yeah,” Yoona nodded repeatedly. “We can have so much fun with Sica unnie.”

“Okay, okay…” Yuri sighed once again. “… I guess a sleepover at her house sounds fun…”

“Really?” Juhyun’s eyes were sparkling like diamond in the sun. “Yay!”

“We should make sure to bring gifts for Sica unnie’s parents.” The deer eyed girl said.

“Yeah, we should.” The tall tanned girl agreed. “Maybe a cake?”

“A cake would be perfect!” Yoona smiled widely. “Great idea!”

“What about Sica unnie?” Seohyun asked. “We should get her a present too...”

“Perhaps a new pair of glasses,” Her eyes were sparkling. “I found a cute pair the other day…”

“Oh, I already have the perfect gift for her.” Yuri grinned. “Don’t worry, Juhyun-ah…”

“And you guys can help me give it to her…”

“Really?” Yoona looked excited. “What did you get her, Yuri unnie?”

“Oh, it’s a secret,” The tanned girl laughed proudly. “But I’m sure you guys would love it.”

“We would love it?” Seohyun was puzzled. “Aren’t we supposed to get Sica unnie something she would love instead?”

“So our plan is to infiltrate Lieutenant Jessica’s base and cure her from Dr. Hwang’s brainwashing.” Yuri ignored the youngest girl’s comment.

“It will just be the four of us, since General Taeyeon will be out of our reach, and those three are civilians.”

“And we can’t afford to endanger civilians in our war!”

“Ooohh…” Sooyoung giggled. “You sound like a real captain, Yuri.”

And the four girls giggled.

“So should I bring my camera?” Yoona asked after a while.

Yuri turned to stare at her and patted her on her shoulder. “Excellent idea. I’m proud of you, private.”

“What should we name this operation, captain?” The tall tanned girl asked.

“Do we have to name it?” Yuri thought it would be a hassle.

“Of course we should!” Sooyoung insisted. “Every war movie named their operations!”

“Well then let’s just name it; Operation-to-save-Jessica-Jung-from-Tiffany-Hwang’s-brainwashing.”

“Ugh; it’s too long, Yuri unnie…” Yoona disapproved.

“How about Operation Crayon Shin-chan?” Seohyun gave her idea.

“No.” The three girls said together, and Seohyun quickly pouted and hugged her rag doll.

“Why are you carrying that doll around?” Yuri looked annoyed.

“Because it’s cute and it’s a gift from Yoona unnie.” Juhyun looked offended by the question.

“Then why aren’t you carrying the pillow I gave you?” The tanned girl was starting to get upset.

“Oh, my God! Stop bullying Seohyunnie, unnie!” The deer-eyed girl glared at her tanned older friend.

“Ugh, fine!”

“Let’s just name it Operation Dessert Storm.” Sooyoung looked proud of her own idea.

“Why?” Her fellow tanned girl wondered. “We’re not going to some desert.”

“Oh, I like that name, unnie.” Yoona quickly approved. “It sounds delicious!”

“Why would a desert sounds delicious?” Yuri was getting confused.

“We should name it Operation Merry Christmas Sica Unnie!” Seohyun gave another idea.

“No,” The tallest girl said. “It’s too obvious it’s boring.”

“But it’s for Christmas and we’re going to Sica unnie’s house!” The youngest girl insisted.

“No,” The deer eyed girl agreed with Sooyoung. “I like Operation Dessert Storm more.”

“Look,” Yuri was getting tired. “It doesn’t matter what we call it—“

“—It’s a covert operation so I think my idea sounds the best!” Sooyoung insisted.

“But that name doesn’t have anything to do with our operation!” Seohyun started to argue.

“Exactly!” Yoona defended the tall girl. “That way no one can tell what we’re going to do!”

“Okay, okay; stop!” Yuri was getting irritated.

“Let’s just take Sooyoung’s idea, Seohyun.” Yuri sighed. “We’re getting sidetracked here…”

“We’re not getting anywhere if we keep this up.”

“Yes, Yuri unnie…” Juhyun looked disappointed but she also didn’t want this conversation turned into an argument.

“Good girl,” Yuri smiled. “Operation Desert Storm it is then!”

“Operation Dessert Storm!” Sooyoung corrected her.

“That’s what I said.”

“No; you said Opera—“

“—Dessert Storm; got it.” The tanned girl sighed once again. “Meeting adjourned.”

And that was how Tiffany got on the train, heading for Taeyeon’s hometown; Jeonju. The black haired American girl stared at the sleeping shorter girl in front of her and sighed; it turned out that the trip was a little bit boring since there were only the two of them, and one girl was already sleeping.

The crescent eyed girl looked around the train but found nothing to her interest. She had been staring out the window in hope of finding interesting sceneries, but she got bored pretty quickly. Tiffany then took out her cell phone and stared at her wallpaper; somehow she was missing that blonde girl.

Her phone suddenly rang and she almost jumped in her seat, but she quickly opened the text message just received in excitement.

Are we there yet, Los Angeles? The text said.

The black haired American smiled and quickly wrote her reply, Not yet, silly.

You said it would take us two hours. It’s two hours already. Another reply came.

Well, apparently I got the schedule wrong, San Francisco. I guess it would take ‘us’ a little bit longer.

Are you bored yet? Jessica’s replies came almost too quickly; like always.

A little bit.

Why don’t you try to get some sleep?

I’m not sleepy. Are you trying to get rid of me? Tiffany got a little upset.

:D I’m not. I was just throwing ideas. And the crescent eyed girl could tell that the blonde was giggling when she wrote that reply.

Maybe I’ll follow your advice then.

No. Don’t. Let’s talk some more. Tiffany flashed her eye smile when she read the message.

Why? Wait; I already know. You’re going to say that you miss me already. ;)

… I do. The reply came a little bit slower than usual.

Tease. :) And Tiffany could not stop smiling.

The black haired American girl then spent the ride texting her best friend in Seoul. They talked about how Tiffany should’ve brought her camera so she could take pictures of her holiday in historical Jeonju, and the crescent eyed girl said that Taeyeon probably had a camera back home and they could use it instead.

Then Tiffany asked what Jessica plans would be for the winter break, and the blonde girl seemed not too excited as she told her that she would probably just stay home with her parents and her baby sister. The blue eyed girl then told her that she had scolded Krystal for her behavior towards her, and she told her that her sister would apologize to her later. Tiffany then said that it would not be necessary, but Jessica insisted, and the crescent eyed girl then changed the subject of their conversation.

Not long after, an announcement came that they were about to reach Jeonju in five minutes, and Taeyeon suddenly opened her eyes and asked Tiffany to gather her things. The crescent eyed girl then said goodbye to Jessica and promised her that she would text her later.

As the two girls alighted and headed towards the station’s exit, Tiffany could already tell the difference between Jeonju and Seoul. And as she was standing outside the train station she could see snow falling from the sky lightly. The two of them then rode a taxi to reach Taeyeon’s house, and on their way there the slanted eyed girl excitedly told Tiffany about Jeonju’s landmarks and tourist attractions; just like an experienced tour guide. The crescent eyed girl looked outside the taxi’s window and stared at the beautiful city while listening to Taeyeon’s explanation, but she found that her mind quickly wondered to something else; If only Jessica could come too…

What is she doing right now? And she unconsciously took out her phone and stared at it.

“Tiffany?” The slanted eyed girl who was sitting next to her asked. “Are you listening?”

“O-Oh, sorry, Taeyeon.” The black haired American girl said. “I was thinking about something…”

Taeyeon giggled and said. “You seem to zone out a lot these days…”

“R-Really?”

“Yeah,” The shorter girl turned to her and smiled. “So what do you usually think about?”

“I-I don’t know…” The crescent eyed girl stuttered. “… Nothing important I guess…”

“You’re funny…” Taeyeon turned her head and stared at the streets of her hometown.

And if Tiffany was not too busy with her own thoughts, she would have caught Taeyeon’s sad look through her reflection in the window.