CHAPTER VIII

TOO MUCH INFORMATION FOR ONE DAY

After training was over, Jessica, Taeyeon, Ri-in, and Tiffany took the bus and went to Solitaire. The blonde girl looked calm as usual during their final class and the bus ride. Tiffany wondered what Yoona had in plan; blackmailing Jessica to come to their supposed favorite hangout place. She, along with her dorm mates, was curious to find out what would happen and decided to come with Jessica to meet with Yoona. Tiffany however, had another reason; as she was happy to know that she had a chance to spend more time with her American friend.

As they arrived at their destination, Tiffany could see the unique café in front of her; the building was quite the same as any other, but what made it stood out was how they painted their interior with images of playing cards.

Hence the name, Tiffany thought to herself.

“Jessica!” Sooyoung waved at the arriving girls. “Here!”

They sat down at the table next to Sooyoung’s, which was already filled by Yuri and Seohyun. A young waitress quickly approached them and handed them the menu.

“Find anything you like?” Jessica asked to Tiffany, who was staring at the menu; which was printed with many images of small cards on them.

“Oh, I don’t know.” The other American said, “What’s good here?”

“The coffees are nice,” The blonde adjusted her frame. “If you like coffee…”

“I’m not a fan, actually.” Tiffany smiled, “… But I think I’ll give it a try.”

“What are you having?”

“A cup of caramel coffee would be nice…” She smiled back, “I’m cold.”

“Okay.” Tiffany nodded. “I’ll have one too.”

“Two caramel coffees, please.” The blonde said to the waitress.

“And we’ll have a vanilla latte, and a mochaccino, please.” Ri-in ordered for her and Taeyeon.

The waitress repeated their order and went to the counter. Sooyoung dragged her chair closer to Jessica’s table, pushing Tiffany closer to the blonde. And the crescent eyed girl could smell the same perfume Jessica was wearing the other day, mixed with her exhausted and sweaty body odor. It was not a bad smell at all, as Tiffany unconsciously started to close her eyes and leaned closer, and tried to breathe in more of the sweet smell.

“So, what’s up?” Sooyoung’s voice startled Tiffany and she quickly adjusted her sitting position. “It’s rare for you to hangout on weekdays.”

“Yoona said I should come if I don’t want the oppas to have my pictures…” The blonde explained. 

“What pictures?” Sooyoung asked again.

“Apparently she took some pictures of me yesterday at the mall,” Jessica sighed and pushed her side frame up. “And they’re probably inappropriate…”

“Whoa, really?” Yuri sounded surprised.

“She wouldn’t do that, unnie.” Juhyun said. “Yoona unnie is a bit naughty, but she wouldn’t do anything to harm you…”

The girls laughed at Seohyun’s explanation of Yoona’s behavior.

“Rather than calling her naughty, I would say she’s more of a prankster.” Sooyoung giggled.

“Yeah, I think she was just playing around.” Yuri added innocently. “Perhaps she misses you and wanted to hangout with us.”

Jessica nodded and pulled her cell phone out from her bag, and started to text someone. Tiffany noticed that it was the new cell phone they bought together yesterday. The same model and the same strap, but in different colors as hers were white. The crescent eyed girl felt her curiosity got the better of her, and she leaned closer to the blonde girl to see who she was texting. As she got closer she could smell Jessica’s body odor again, and once again she was entranced by her sweet fragrance.

“Soojung,” Jessica said calmly and smiled at Tiffany. “I’m telling her I’m going to be late.”

Tiffany blushed and quickly went back to her previous sitting position. “Oh-Okay…”

“Unnies!” A loud voice could be heard at the entrance.

“Glad you can make it!” Yoona said cheerfully as she dragged a chair from another table and joined her older friends.

“So, what’s up, Yoona?” Yuri asked.

“Nothing much, unnie.” The younger grinned.

“So, Yoona ssi…” Jessica started. “… About the pictures you mentioned…”

The wide grinned girl laughed awkwardly, “Oh, Sica unnie, I just wanted to hangout with you guys today…”

“… No need to add honorifics…” She mumbled.

The blonde girl stared at the younger girl was interrupted when the waitress brought their orders.

“Oh, can I have an iced lemon tea, please?” Yoona told the waitress, who immediately nodded and went back to the counter.

“So, unnies…” The younger said as she put her chin on top of her hands. “… We rarely had the opportunities to hangout during weekdays…”

“Yes, we do; don’t we?” Yuri added awkwardly.

“So I was thinking that us trainees needed to bond more, you know?” Yoona continued.

“Not just between girls; but boys too--”

“--How is it?” Jessica asked Tiffany when she saw her tasting her cup of coffee.

“This is good.” Tiffany smiled. “Very good…”

The blonde girl smiled, “I know, right?”

“I think I’m going to start drinking coffee.” The black haired American girl sipped her coffee.

“Then we can become coffee buddies.” The blue eyed girl smiled.

Both American girls laughed as they had found something in common other than their nationality.

“Unnie!” Yoona shouted. “Are you even listening to me?”

“Oh. Sorry.” Tiffany said apologetically, while Jessica just stared at the annoyed girl.

“So… As I was saying—“ She was about to continue when a loud cheerful voice interrupted her.

“--Jessica! Fancy meeting you here!”

The girls turned their heads towards the voice and saw a number of boys entered the café. The boy who voiced his excitement walked towards their table with a huge grin on his face.

Jessica smiled at the boy and said, “Yeah, fancy meeting you here, Donghae oppa…”

“What a lovely coincidence!” Yoona shouted in glee.

Tiffany took the time to look at this Donghae oppa. He was considerably tall, with a well built body and fair skin. He was quite handsome too, with his downturned small eyes and proportionally big nose. He wore a designer hat that covered his black short hair, which was parted sideways. A masculine boy.

“Ah, the new beauty is here, as well!” He smiled at Tiffany. “Stephanie, right?”

The black haired American girl nodded and smiled, “Just call me Tiffany, oppa.”

“Isn’t this nice; Heechul was just asking about you.” Another boy said to Tiffany.

He was just inches taller than Donghae, and slimmer. He had a small face and straight small nose. His hair was ginger colored and he wore the same hairstyle as his friend. A Different kind of handsome than Donghae.

“Leeteuk oppa.” Yuri smiled and nodded to the boy.

“Hey, I was just curious about her since Yoona said she was pretty.” Another boy walked towards the girls.

This time it was a long black haired boy with more or less the same height as his friends. With a regular body mass and a slightly chubby face; he also looked quite attractive.

“And I was right, wasn’t I, Heechul oppa?” Yoona grinned.

“Oh, you are very correct!” Heechul playfully pinched her cheek and chuckled.

Tiffany slightly blushed at his comment and noticed that there were three other boys in the background. They were chatting with Ri-in and Taeyeon before they decided to sit at an empty table near the girls’.

“So, what’s up, Sica?” Donghae said as he pulled a chair and sat across from the blonde girl.

The blue eyed girl just smiled at him and nodded, while the other two boys also pulled chairs and sat next to Donghae. Tiffany’s small table was now cramped with nine people.

“Oppa…” Sooyoung looked curious. “Why are you guys here?”

“What?” Leeteuk, who was the nearest to Sooyoung answered. “Can’t we hangout here after a long and tiring day?”

“That’s not what I meant,” Sooyoung insisted. “I mean, how did you know we were going to be here?”

“I told you it was a coincidence.” Donghae laughed but he kept his stare at Jessica, who was now sipping her coffee. “Aren’t you happy to see your handsome oppa?”

Heechul in the mean time was staring at Tiffany, and made her slightly uncomfortable.

“So, Tiffany,” Heechul smiled. “I heard you’re from the America…”

“I always wanted to go there, you know.”

“Oh, really?” The crescent eyed girl smiled.

“Yeah, I want to see Hollywood, you know...” He winked at her, earning a glare from the blonde who was sitting next to Tiffany.

“So, I was wondering if you could help me with my English, you know…” He did not realize the glare.

“Of course,” Tiffany said, trying to be polite. “I’ll be glad to help…”

“Excuse me; I need to call my sister…” The blonde girl stood up and walked towards the entrance.

“O-Okay, Sica…” Donghae was a little surprised.

Yoona stared at her blonde friend with a worried look on her face. She then turned to Yuri and mouthed something, but the latter just shrugged; the same confusion was there on her face.

“So, I haven’t seen you much, Taeyeon…” Leeteuk asked the girl who sat furthest.

“Oh. Y-Yes, oppa…” The short girl was surprised.

“We should do this more, you know; hangout and talk.” He continued.

“You know she’s a very shy person, oppa…” Ri-in explained. “… Especially around boys.”

The slanted eyed girl glared at her Chinese roommate, but Ri-in continued. “You should take the initiatives if you want to engage her in long conversations.”

Leeteuk chuckled, “Yes, yes. I’ll keep that in mind, Ri-in, thank you…”

Then he turned to the shorter girl again and smiled. “Let me try Ri-in’s advice right now…”

Taeyeon blushed, and she turned her gaze down to stare at her feet.  

And with that the two tables were filled with chatter and laughter. Donghae decided to turn his attention from the missing blonde for a while and chatted with Sooyoung, Yuri, and Seohyun. Heechul and Yoona were practicing their English with Tiffany, trying to get to know her better. And Leeteuk was chatting with Taeyeon and Ri-in.

“So, you are very beautiful girl, Tiffany…” Heechul grinned, “… Maybe we date sometimes.”

“O-Oh, okay?” Tiffany answered, but she did not really mean that. In fact, she did not even hear what the boy was saying to her. She was staring at the entrance and wondered why Jessica had not returned yet. For some reasons she was worried about the blonde girl.

“Really?” Heechul was grinning widely. “So when can we—“

The black haired American girl suddenly stood up and walked.

“—I’m sorry; I need to go to the toilet…” She said without looking.

And both Yoona and Heechul looked puzzled when Tiffany went to the entrance, instead of the toilet like she claimed.

Outside she found a blonde girl standing alone in the cold, on the sidewalk. Tiffany moved closer and stood next to her. And that was when she heard the blue eyed girl was singing a lullaby to her phone.

Jessica noticed the presence of her fellow American and put her finger to her lips. Tiffany decided to stay put and listen to the blonde’s singing.

Such a beautiful voice, she thought, as she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sweet melody.

Tiffany was drawn deeper to the sound of the lullaby, and unknowingly she joined her fellow American, humming the lyrics of the song.

“Soojung couldn’t sleep.” A lovely voice whispered in her ears, and she opened her eyes.

Jessica was standing very close to her, and their faces were very much close to each other’s. Tiffany stared at the blonde’s lips and felt excessively drawn to them. She leaned closer and she could feel Jessica’s cold breath from her slightly opened mouth.

“Tiffany?” The blonde whispered, and the crescent eyed girl suddenly realized she was too close to her, and quickly stepped away from her.

“I-I was worried about you…” She turned her body around so that the blonde could not see her burning face.

“Thank you.” Tiffany could hear Jessica giggled.

“Are they done flirting with each other now?” The blue eyed girl asked.

“N-No, I don’t know…” The black haired girl still stuttered as she tried her best to lower her heartbeat.

“I was-How’s Krystal?”

“I told you she couldn’t sleep.” The blonde giggled again. “So she asked me to sing her a lullaby.”

“Did she fall asleep?” Her face was still hot.

“Yes, she did.” And Tiffany could feel Jessica’s fingers touched hers.

Her face was burning once again, and her slightly lowered heartbeat started to jump uncontrollably. She held her breath as her mind went blank, and she closed her eyes once again.

What is this?

“Unnies!” It was Yoona’s voice.

“Why are you guys standing out in the cold?” Her voice was nearer, and Tiffany opened her eyes.

Yoona stared at the blushing girl in front of her. She noticed how Tiffany was breathing heavily, and turned to look at her other older friend, who was smiling in ignorant.

“Did I interrupt something?” The younger girl asked in a suspicious tone.

“Yes, you did.” Jessica simply said. “And because of that I think you owe me an explanation.”

Yoona laughed awkwardly and realized she just made a huge mistake by coming out there to check up on the older girls. “Wh-what ever do you mean, oh beautiful unnie?”

“Why are they here?” Jessica glared at her younger friend, while Tiffany just stared at the two and used the opportunity to calm herself.

“Didn’t you hear Donghae oppa?” Yoona was trembling. “It was a coincidence…”

“Yoona-yaa…” The blonde suddenly sang her name in a cutely manner, but her eyes told a different gaze.

“Yuri unnie was the one with the idea!” The younger girl quickly bowed and apologized. “I’m sorry, unnie! Please don’t kill me!”

“And what was the idea?” Jessica pressed on.

“To arrange for you and Donghae oppa to meet; so he can asks you out on a date!” Yoona was still bowing.

“And if I agree to go out with him, what would the oppas give to you in return?” The blue eyed girl looked curious.

“The oppas promised us that they’ll feature us in their MV when they debut.” Yoona did not even dare to move.

Tiffany started to giggle when she saw the younger stayed in that position for a while. Jessica sighed, but soon giggled along as she messed with Yoona’s hair.

“Come on, let’s go inside.” The blonde smiled. “It’s too cold out here.”

Yoona grinned and quickly followed her two older friends.

“So what do you think of Dong—“

“—Don’t push it.” Jessica warned her and she quickly sealed her own mouth.

“Where were you guys?” Sooyoung asked when the three girls sat back on their seats. “I thought you ran away.”

“Why would we run away?” Yoona giggled awkwardly.

“So, Jessica…” Donghae looked worried. “… Did something happen with your sister?”

The blonde girl just smiled and shook her head. She then sipped her cup of coffee, but realized it had gone cold. She then turned to her left and asked Tiffany if her coffee was the same too, and the girl nodded.

“I think I need a fresh cup of coffee,” The blue eyed girl turned to Yuri and sighed. “Mine’s already cold…”

Yuri noticed her cold stare and quickly turned to Yoona, who stared back with sad eyes and nodded weakly. Suddenly Yuri felt goose bumps all over her body.

“Oh, I’ll buy a new cup for you, Sica.” Donghae smiled at the chance.

“Oh, no need, Donghae oppa!” Yuri quickly stood up from her chair and rushed to the counter. “I’ll buy it for you, Sica!”

“Two cups, please.” Jessica said calmly, “Tiffany’s also gone cold.”

“So, Jessica…” Donghae continued. “… We’ve known each other for a long time, right?”

And Jessica knew what he was going to say. “So, I was thinking maybe you’d like to hang-out with me sometime…”

“We are hanging out right now, oppa.” The blonde smiled.

“Yes, well…” The masculine boy seemed to hesitate for a while. “… I was thinking more like a date…”

Tiffany turned her gaze from the blushing boy and stared at Jessica. There was something inside of her that did not want the blonde girl to say yes to the invitation. She held her breath and waited for the blue eyed girl to give her answer. And now there were two equally nervous people on that table waiting for what Jessica would say.

“Of course.” Jessica smiled, and Tiffany lost her stomach, while Donghae’s face suddenly turned bright. “We’ll make it a grand date.”

“Seriously?” He shouted in glee. “Wow, awesome!”

Jessica smiled and nodded. After that, Tiffany did not have any interest in their conversations. She let her mind went blank when all her friends were busy chatting. She did not even listen to what Heechul said to her the whole time.

The next thing Tiffany knew, she was lying on her bed, staring at her phone strap. Taeyeon and Ri-in were busy chatting about how they were now friends with the famous SM oppas; giggling and laughing when they recalled how funny or how cute the oppas were.

Tiffany sighed and put her cell phone down next to her on the bed. She had just realized that she was dead tired. She closed her eyes and thought about the long day she just had. It was her first day in school, and she made friends with two more funny girls. She learned Jessica’s nickname, and that she was left-handed, and her hatred for onions and garlic. She went to Jessica’s favorite hang-out place, and she learned that Donghae oppa had a crush on the blonde girl. She learned that the blue eyed beauty had finally agreed to go on a date with the boy.

And the crescent eyed girl did not understand what Jessica saw in Donghae. Sure he was kind of cool, and handsome, and athletic; but Tiffany was sure that the boy was not Jessica’s type.

But then she realized something; how could she know what kind of boys the blonde prefers? She did not know her that much; in fact, she just met her a few days ago. So how come she was sure that the blue eyed girl would not want to go out with Donghae?

If she was right, and that was a big if; then what kind of guy would Jessica fancy? And why would she want to know?

Because she’s my friend; and I care about her well being… She tried to justify her thoughts.

But her mind started to question her intention; what if Donghae turned out to be the perfect guy for her?

And the black haired girl stared at her phone strap; What should I do, mister Pink?

I didn’t care much about Liz dating Nick before, and she’s my best friend…

So why do I care so much about who Jessica would date?

And it’s not like they would be dating; it’s just one date…

One stupid date.

I don’t like him. I don’t like him, mister Pink…

“And you should not like him too.” She said to her phone strap.     

“What were you saying, Tiffany?” Ri-in asked her as she climbed into her bed.

“O-Oh, nothing…” The crescent eyed girl did not realize that she actually muttered that last words.

“I heard that Heechul oppa was interested in you...” The Chinese girl continued as she turned to face Tiffany.

“Really?” Taeyeon sat back in her bed, she looked surprised. “What did he say?”

“Well, he was asking around about her at the studio,” Ri-in explained. “And Juhyun told me he was asking Tiffany out earlier at the café…”

“No, he didn’t!” The black haired American girl was shocked.

Ri-in giggled and turned to face the ceiling. “Oh, really? Then what were you talking about before?”

“You guys looked like you were having fun…”

“I-I was helping him with his English…” The crescent eyed girl tried to recall the event.

“Yes, yes; and what were you talking about?” The Chinese girl insisted.

“I don’t know…” Tiffany was puzzled as why she herself could not remember what they were talking about. “I-I was preoccupied…”

“With what?” Ri-in laughed. “What could possibly distract you when you’re talking with one of our coolest oppa?”

Jessica…

“I-I was thinking about school…” Tiffany quickly shook her thought. “… It’s my first day after all…”

“I’m behind on my lessons a bit…”

“Oh, you’re so funny, Tiffany!” Ri-in laughed, and Taeyeon joined her.

“Are you sure you didn’t remember what you two talked about?” The shorter girl asked again after their laughter stopped.

“I really don’t.” The crescent eyed girl was starting to get annoyed.

“Well, you should explain it properly to Heechul oppa then,” Ri-in said. “He seemed to think that you agreed to go out with him on a date…”

“Yes; I should.” She sighed. “Thanks, Ri-in.”

“No problem.” The Chinese girl smiled.

“Okay; enough chatting.” Taeyeon interrupted. “Let’s sleep now.”

“Okay…” Ri-in quickly agreed. “Goodnight, Taeyeon, Tiffany…”

“Goodnight…”  

Tiffany stared at the ceiling and closed her eyes. Her mind wandered back to the events at the café, and eventually her mind brought her back to a blonde figure named Jessica Jung. And as she pictured the blue eyed girl in her mind, she could remember how Donghae asked her out, and Jessica agreed. She pictured how lovely the blonde’s face was when she said yes; with a cute little shy smile and glittering eyes.

Why did she say yes? She sighed.

That means she likes him too, right?

So Jessica likes Donghae oppa…

Another detail about the Ice Princess… Saved.

The crescent eyed girl clenched her fists.

Too much information for one day, she thought.

And her phone vibrated. The black haired American girl lazily turned her body to face her phone and opened a text message.

What a day, huh? :) It was Jessica.

Tiffany frowned and hesitated for a while, before texting back.

Yes, I’m tired. Goodnight.

It took only a few seconds and her phone was vibrating again; this time with a call. She glanced at the screen and saw the blonde’s name. She wanted to ignore the call, but somehow she was curious about what Jessica wanted to say to make her call. And deep down she was happy because she was about to hear the blonde’s voice again. This will be our first phone call…

She stood up and went to the empty living room. Yujin and Jihye were nowhere in sight, as they were probably already in their room, sleeping. Tiffany sat on the couch and hugged a pillow, before she put her cell phone to her ears.

“Yes, this is Tiffany speaking.”

Oh, I’m sorry. I thought this was Donghae oppa’s number.

And the crescent eyed girl could feel her blood boil. She was about to throw her phone at the wall when she heard a lovely giggle on the other side of the phone.

I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to make you jealous.

“Wh-Why would I be jealous?” She stuttered.

The blonde laughed.

“Why would I be jealous when you already have a girlfriend?” She tried to defend herself.

I don’t know. You tell me.

And Tiffany could not think of anything to say, and they both stayed quiet for some time.

“I don’t think trainees are allowed to date.” She finally said. What am I saying?

Well, there isn’t any rule against that.

“Then I don’t think trainees should date.” Why am I saying these things?

Okay…

“We-We have so much to do; school, training…” Tiffany was about to cry. I don’t want you to go out with him!

Yes, I agree with you. We trainees shouldn’t bother with silly things like dating. Jessica said after a while.

“Re-Really?” A smile crept to her lips. “I-I mean you shouldn’t! You can’t afford to think of other things but study and train!”

Jessica giggled once more. Yes, yes. You are absolutely right, Tiffany.

“But what are you going to do? You already agreed to go out with him…” The crescent eyed girl suddenly remembered.

I agreed to have a “grand” date… Which means it won’t be just the two of us.

“What?” Tiffany was confused.

I never wanted to go out with him. I was just trying to be polite…

“So?”

So, on our date I’ll ask the girls to come too…

“Oh, I see…” The crescent eyed girl smiled almost instantly.

“But would the girls want to come if they knew it was a date?”

They better; Yuri and Yoona owe me this much. Sooyoung will come if I say I’d treat her. And Juhyun would be excited to come.

“Oh, right…” Tiffany was waiting for her to say her name.

And you have to come to make sure it wouldn’t be a real date between trainees, right?

The black haired girl giggled. “Yes. Of course. I have to come too to keep an eye on you…”

Thank you.

“For what?”

For keeping an eye on me.

Stop that! She was blushing once again.

“So, are you sure you fully understand that trainees shouldn’t date?” She was trying to change the subject.

Yes, I’m sure, Los Angeles. Besides, we have exams coming up next month, so we have to focus all our energy to study…

“Good. I’m glad you…” Tiffany noticed something was off. “… What do you mean exams?”

I mean exams; as in midterm exam. Next month.

“Wh-What are you talking about?” She shouted. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

Well, I thought you already knew…

“Oh, my God!” She covered her face with her hand. “I’m so dead!”

Don’t worry, Los Angeles… I’ll help you study. Jessica giggled.

“Oh; you better, San Francisco!”