Taeyeon knew she was being irrational by running away from the hospital. However, she had no choice as she was already heavily in Sunny's debt and she knew that she did not have enough money to pay her. It was cowardly of her but what other choice did she have at the moment? Wheezing, Taeyeon finally came to a stop on a deserted road, her lungs unable to keep up with her body. 

Where was I? Where's the way to my house?

Her first priority was to quench her parched throat but Taeyeon did not have any money on her. 

Argh, I should have drank the glass of water that Sunny left for me at the hospital. 

Suddenly, Taeyeon caught a glimpse of a shadow lurking in the background behind her. 

No....no..this can't be happening. I have just came out of hospital and am I going to go back there again? My mind must be playing tricks on me.

Time stopped still for Taeyeon as the streetlamp's light reflected against someone's gold watch in the background.

Fearing the worst, Taeyeon half limped half ran in the opposite distance, holding her ribs while wincing.

"SOMEONE HELP ME! I'M BEING CHASED! HELP-"A slender and pale hand immediately covered Taeyeon's mouth as she attempted to scream for help. 

Desperate, Taeyeon bit one of the fingers, causing a howl from its owner. 

"Taeyeon! What's wrong with you? Why did you bite me?!" A familiar voice came from behind Taeyeon.

"Sunny...?"

"YOU IDIOT! I CHASED AFTER YOU BECAUSE YOU ESCAPED FROM THE HOSPITAL AND NOW YOU THINK I AM SOME KIDNAPPER TRYING TO KIDNAP YOU OR SOMETHING? CAN WE PLEASE GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL?" Sunny's voice had a tinge of pain and unmistakable anger to it.

"DO YOU KNOW HOW WORRIED I WAS ABOUT YOU? I COULD HAVE JUST LEFT YOU TO DIE ON THE STREETS!"

"Worried...?" It was the only word Taeyeon made sense out of whatever Sunny was uttering right now.

"YES YOU IDIOT! SO CAN WE PLEASE GO BACK TO THE HOSPITAL TO GET YOU SOME REST?"

Something snapped in Taeyeon as she roughly shoved Sunny's hands that were now holding her back.

"No. I'm not going back to the hospital with you. Let me go."

"FOR GOODNESS' SAKE TAEYEON! CAN YOU STOP ACTING IN SOME SOAP OPERA AND THINK ABOUT YOUR INJURIES!" Sunny almost screamed at Taeyeon.

"STOP ACTING LIKE YOU CARE ABOUT SOMEONE WHOM YOU FIRST MET! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO JUDGE WHETHER I HAVE TO GO TO HOSPITAL AND I'M ALREADY HEAVILY IN DEBT JUST BECAUSE YOU SAVED ME THAT NIGHT! YOU SHOULD HAVE LEFT ME TO DIE! I DON'T EVEN HAVE ANYTHING TO REPAY YOU! LEAVE ME ALONE! WHETHER MY INJURIES ARE TREATED OR UNTREATED IS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!" Taeyeon retorted, turning her back on Sunny, ignoring the small stab of pain that went through her heart.

"Thank you and goodbye." Taeyeon's parting words were spoken softer than the howl of wind at night, and even Sunny had to strain to hear it before her heart broke into pieces without her even realising it.

And Taeyeon disappeared, just like any of the targets that Sunny was ordered to erase from the face of the earth.

*********

A year after

Harder. Harder. And harder. 

Taeyeon punched the punching bag with such force that it went flying back into the wall, leaving a slight indent in it. Unrelentingly, Taeyeon steadied the punching bag and started her routine that she had been perfecting over the last one year.

Harder. Harder. and harder.

"You're going to break the thing if you punch any harder. Let's go and get some food because I'm so hungry right now."

"Give me 5 mins!" Taeyeon replied, never once letting her attention drift to somewhere else other than the punching bag.

"YAH KIM TAEYEON!"

"Arraseo."

Steadying the punching bag once again, Taeyeon picked up her duffel bag on the floor before following her friend out to the showers in the gym.

"So where do you want to eat Sooyoung?" Taeyeon asked as she tried to stifle her yawn.

"Close that big fat mouth of yours and let's head over to that tonkatsu place over there! Your treat since you won last week's fight." Taeyeon could already see stars dancing in Sooyoung's eyes with the mention of free food.

"NOOOOO!!! My money will be emptied by you for ordering the food on the entire menu!" Sooyoung was such a big shikshin that she once ate 5 whole plates of spaghetti and a whole box of pizza when Taeyeon was treating her at the Italian restaurant. Hence causing an unfixable hole at the bottom of her wallet. Obviously.

"Oh pul-lease. Anybody who has eyes could see that you are earning a haystack of money each week with every fight that you have won. Anyways....my birthday is coming in half a year's time so it is still your treat. HURRY UP YOU SLOWPOKE OR I WOULD EAT YOU FOR DINNER INSTEAD!"

"YAH! IT IS WAY TOO EARLY TO CELEBRATE YOUR BIRTHDAY AND I AM NOT A SLOWPOKE!"

Taeyeon retorted but Sooyoung was already skipping over to the tonkatsu place and making her way to one of the tables.
********
"THIS IS THE LIFE!" Sooyoung blurted while shoving down her second plate of tonkatsu, causing food particles to fly out of and Taeyeon giving her a hairy eyeball as a result.(Note: it actually means death glare)

"Anyways, how's the situation back at home?" Sooyoung asked while chewing, entirely ignoring Taeyeon glaring at her for talking while eating.

"Dad got accused of drug abuse and the last I heard from him was when he was running away from some loansharks for not returning their money." Taeyeon answered in a bored manner.

"So are you going to do anything about him?" Sooyoung asked while drinking the leftover sauce from the tonkatsu.(LOL "drinking")

"Of course not. Why would I even help him?" Taeyeon was not exactly on good terms with her father.

"Um...then how about that girl who was named Sunny?" Sooyoung asked without a moment's hesitation, starting to eat the leftover tonkatsu pieces on Taeyeon's plate.

"Damn it. I shouldn't have asked you that." Ever since she started to become closer to Taeyeon last year, Taeyeon had almost always ranted about a girl named Sunny over their regular bouts of alcohol. Sooyoung knew that it was a taboo subject for the both of them except the times when they went to bars together. One look on Taeyeon's face told her that she had made a grave mistake.

"I told you before that I don't keep in contact with her. I don't even have her number for goodness' sake." Taeyeon's curt reply had suddenly made the atmosphere tense. Sooyoung could even swear that the temperature had dropped a few degrees with the coldness in Taeyeon's words.

"When is the match going to be held? I should be able to make time from work to watch you." Sooyoung attempted to divert the subject.

"It is on the 3rd of August at night. Wae? Are you seriously coming?" Taeyeon's mood seemed to have heightened.

"I might but on one condition." Sooyoung smiled creepily like a crazed psychopath. "I am going to crash at your place for tonight because I feel way too lazy to drive back to my house."

"ANDWAEEEE! YOU ARE GOING TO EAT UP EVERYTHING!"

"I am way too stuffed to eat the food in your refrigerator. And please settle the bill thanks!" Before, Taeyeon could retort, Sooyoung had already grabbed the Taeyeon's car keys and left the restaurant, leaving Taeyeon to stare at the hefty sum on the bill open-mouthed.

An hour later

"YOU SAID YOU ARE NOT GOING TO EAT ANYTHING IN MY HOUSE!"

"I only said that I would not eat the food in your refrigerator, and not the food that is on the dining table."

"GET OUT OF MY HOUSE!"

"...."

"YAH CHOI SOOYOUNG GET UP RIGHT NOW OR I SHALL BRING THE CHAIR DOWN ON YOUR BIG HEAD!" 

"...."

"DID YOU JUST FALL ASLEEP IN MY HOUSE?!"

"...."

Annoyed, Taeyeon kicked the sofa, causing Sooyoung to drop onto the floor but still ineffectively waking her up.

"DAMN YOU CHOI SOOYOUNG I SHALL HATE YOU FOR LIFE!"

"...."

Giving up, Taeyeon went back to her room but not before swearing to kill the shikshin the moment she could lay her hands on her.

Author's note: Hi ppl my sch hols have just starteed so I might be able to update faster once I have the inspiration! Thk you to all those who have subscribed and pls feel free to comment AND WISHING YOU A HAPPY HOLS TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE THEIR SCH HOLIDAYS COMING UP SOON:)))))