Oversight: III. Acceptance

 

"This is why I like you a lot, Taeyeon. You give off such a strong and confident aura that it's... really captivating..." she whispered, her tone getting a little bit too seductive while taking another step closer to the older girl.

Stumbling backward when the younger girl stepped forward, Taeyeon's back hit the shelf as the latter grinned victoriously upon the shorter person's reaction.

"Anyone can tell Jessica is all over you by the way how she gets clingy and flirty with you!"

"What's wrong? Are you okay, Taeyeon?" Jessica asked, seeing the sudden change of expression from the older girl when she stood closely in front of her.

Taeyeon came back to her senses and formed a deceiving smile. "Yeah, I'm good. Just a little tired. I had a rough night. Let's go out. Everything is done here."

Jessica nodded as the duo went out together and saw everyone working diligently to fulfill each one of their task. Due to the dimness from the storage room, Jessica didn't notice that one side of Taeyeon's cheek is reddened and swollen. Subconsciously, Jessica stopped the shorter girl from walking and traced her fingers against the wound gently. Taeyeon's body stiffened as she stared at the Korean American confusingly, unsure of this intimate gesture from her friend.

"What happened to your cheek? Does it hurt?" Jessica asked concernedly, caressing the same spot over and over again.

"You don't even care about my feelings anymore."

"It's nothing." Taeyeon flinched and pulled away from the latter's touches instantly when Tiffany's words invaded her mind.

Knowing how much her girlfriend dislikes her closeness with Jessica, Taeyeon should make sure there is a distance between her and Jessica from now on. There has always been a space between them, but perhaps it should be increased in order to prevent any further misinterpretations. Even though Tiffany isn't present, it isn't right to let another girl touch her affectionately in public. In fact, it shouldn't even be allowed when Taeyeon knew the rumors Tiffany heard from others is caused by her inattentiveness. Taeyeon doesn't want anymore misunderstanding between her and Tiffany, not even the slightest possibility.

"Taeng, there's someone looking for you." Hearing Sooyoung's voice, Taeyeon was relieved to leave Jessica, because they should stop getting too close with one another.

Tiffany's words and thoughts are more important...

"Thanks," Taeyeon stated, giving the taller figure a grateful pat on the back before checking who would be seeking her during business hour.

Like she has been informed, Taeyeon found a person waiting for her at a table near the entrance. The person's back looked awfully familiar that Taeyeon may have seen it somewhere before, but can't quite pinpoint it currently. As Taeyeon approached closer, the latter turned around to greet her and made the surprised person decreased her speed. Though some years had already gone by, Taeyoen still can't face the latter confidently when the form in front of her held the same amount of severity after all this while.

"Mr. Hw—Hwang," Taeyeon bowed respectfully, earning an acknowledged nod from the elderly man before taking a seat across from him. "So—uhm—what br—ought you here? Is the—re anything y—ou wa—want?" she stuttered terribly, evidently nervous by her girlfriend's father under whatever circumstances.

"Am I really that frightening to you?" he asked sternly, causing the young lady to look away to avoid the blunt question.

Of course the man sitting in front of her is intimidating, but Taeyeon cannot be rude and say something disrespectful to the latter. It has been three years since Taeyeon had last seen Mr. Hwang, but he didn't change much besides the fact that he had aged over time. With his sudden visit today, Taeyeon wondered what is possibly running through his head. From what Taeyeon had remembered, this man has always accused Taeyeon of corrupting her beloved daughter ever since Tiffany brought her home. Therefore, his impressions on Taeyeon were never pleasant to begin with.

Knowing that he is a demanding man, he can't possibly be back in Seoul to take Tiffany away from her, right?

"Are you out of your mind, Tiffany? You're going out with someone like her?" Mr. Hwang asked, disbelieving the fact that his daughter's partner is the short person in front of his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with me dating, TaeTae. I thought you were more than delighted to meet her," Tiffany defended, clinging close to her girlfriend when her father disapproved the truth.

"I thought you were dating a guy at first, but a girl? You must be insane, young lady. Whatever happened to my obedient daughter that knows what is right and wrong? It must be you that corrupted her!" he stated angrily, accusing Taeyeon for whatever happened to the Tiffany he supposedly know for his entire life.

"TaeTae didn't do anything wrong. She treats me very well. She's the best lover I've ever met in my entire life," Tiffany said confidently, but the old man isn't persuaded by her proclamation.

"Yes, Mr. Hwang. I will love Tiffany with my all. I will make her the happiest person living in this world," Taeyeon exclaimed boldly, holding onto her girlfriend's hand tightly to hide her anxiousness.

"Love? Do you even know the definition of that term, young lady?" he challenged, eyeing the shortest person in the room rudely.

Intimidated by the man's presence, Taeyeon swallowed the lump that formed in before speaking up. "Yes. It means that your daughter is the only person that I'll take care of for as long as we will last."

As cheesy as it sounded, Tiffany couldn't contain the smile that her lover was able to produce with such simple words.

"How can you take care of her when you don't even have a stable income? From what I've heard, you almost didn't get your high school diploma. Do you seriously believe you two will have a bright future?" Ever since the beginning of their meeting, Mr. Hwang doesn't seem to even want to approve the couple at any cause.

"I may not be the brightest student there is, but I can guarantee you that I can take care of your daughter whether I can make it to college or not. I will work harder to give Tiffany everything."

"No matter what you say, I won't approve this relationship."

"Please daddy. I really love TaeTae," Tiffany pleaded, wanting her father to accept the person standing beside her. "Aren't you happy that I've finally found someone that loves me this much?"

Tiffany knew her father is always a strict man, but she still carried the slightest hope that the old man will be touched by the couple's determination.

"It's either her or this family, Miyoung. I'll let you choose whether you want to stay or go."

"You're not here to—uhm—"

"Don't worry. I'm not here to break you two apart anymore," Mr. Hwang interrupted, staring at the short girl strictly, like he always does. "I just wanted to see how you girls are doing these couple of years since I left Seoul. I've talked with Tiffany earlier and thought I should drop by here to check on you as well, since it's an undeniable fact that you two are together."

"Oh..."

"I heard you two were at the verge of separating." Taeyeon was taken aback by his blunt and unforeseen statement. "Whatever happened to the promises you made to me when I told you two to end things?"

"I—I'm sorry..." Taeyeon replied weakly, ashamed that she couldn't keep her promise to its fullest and make the Korean American smile constantly. "You were right. I'm not the one for your daughter after all. I should've listened to you. I'm terribly sorry, Mr. Hwang."

The remorseful girl stood up and bowed at the old man formally, indicating the guilt and wrongs she carried for mistreating someone she has always loved and cherished. It may seem normal to have ups and downs in a relationship, but to Taeyeon, it's unforgivable when she had broken a promise she made. Tiffany deserved better than what Taeyeon is currently providing her, because her girlfriend is evidently discontented by a lot of things between them and mostly Taeyeon's conducts.

Though Taeyeon's formality is somewhat attaining a lot of customers' attention, she remained the same posture. "Are you just going to apologize and throw away your responsibilities? I expected more from you than this, you know. If it was three years ago, I will definitely be delighted to hear this from you, but I guess I'm just disappointed right now."

Taeyeon looked up, looking at her girlfriend's father quizzically while returning to a normal position. "Uhm... Pardon?"

"I admit I may not have approved you at first, but I can't deny the fact that Tiffany is happier after meeting you," Mr. Hwang sighed, always disliking how he has to contradict what he originally disapproved.

"Sweetheart, are you going to stay home for dinner tonight?" Mr. Hwang asked, checking his daughter's room uninvitingly.

Aware that her father is nearby; Tiffany quickly hung up with her girlfriend that was on the other line before greeting the latter with an awkward smile. "Yeah. I don't have any plans later."

"You don't have a date tonight?" he asked, chuckling as he stepped into the room and approached Tiffany's bed. "When are you going to bring your little lover home and let me have a look, young missy?"

Letting out a sheepish laugh, Tiffany tried to hide the redness that surfaced on her cheeks. "You're thinking too much, daddy. I don't have anyone."

"You really think I don't know how my daughter is behaving nowadays, huh? You're always giggling while on phone and daydreaming whenever I talk to you. Anyone could've figured it out by now. I'm not really that strict, you know. If you really found the right one, just bring him home. I would love to see who has such an impact on my spoiled princess."

"Someday..."

Although Tiffany is uneasy that her father had mistaken the gender of her lover, she didn't dare to correct Mr. Hwang. Coming from a strict family, Tiffany needs to find the best opportunity before she can expose her relationship with Taeyeon.

"You may not be an ideal son-in-law, or in your case, daughter-in-law, but you're the perfect half for Tiffany. If she's happy about it, then I can't question much about it. After all, she's the one making the final decision for her happiness."

"I—I don't know what to say..." Taeyeon stated, at a loss of words ever since the entrance of Tiffany's father.

"I really hope I was wrong since the beginning," Mr. Hwang stated, getting up from his seat and readied to leave. "By the way, I would like to invite you for dinner someday and get to know you from the start," he added before leaving the dumbfounded girl in disbelief and an opened mouth

Unbelievable...

This is the first time her girlfriend's father had ever invited Taeyeon to attend any sort of events or gathering and Taeyeon was definitely delighted to hear it. Taeyeon would love to take Tiffany's hand and step into the Hwang's household together without disapproving eyes from the only man she feared. After all these years, Taeyeon had finally gained Mr. Hwang's approval towards their relationship, though it's during a rough period. She may not be in good terms with Tiffany at the moment, but Taeyeon know things will get better between them eventually, because Taeyeon is not willing to release her love easily after getting an approbation from Mr. Hwang.

"If you're done talking, get back to work!" Sooyoung shouted at the short employer and brought Taeyeon back to reality to resume working.

"You could at least let me enjoy my little moment longer," Taeyeon exclaimed, punching her friend's arm playfully when she approached the taller girl.

"Who was that anyway? You seemed so nervous in front of him," Jessica said, curious with the older girl's interaction with the old man a moment ago.

Clearly certain that it's none of her coworker's concerns, Taeyeon didn't say much. "Oh, it was nothing," Taeyeon smiled, oblivious of the slight frown that formed on Jessica's expression.

"Oh, I see... Are you still coming to the gathering tonight like we planned last week, Taengoo?" Jessica asked, changing the topic instantly when knowing the previous one isn't likable to her ears.

"Let me think about it first and get back to you later."

---

Flipping over the last page, the novel that Tiffany was reading has been concluded and the Korean American is left with nothing else to do. Having to be able to complete an entire novel within a day, it proved that Tiffany has been home all day long. She is still desperately waiting for Taeyeon's call or even a simple message, but hours had already passed since the first couple of text messages and there aren't any responses from her lover at all. From the current time shown on the clock, the restaurant should be closed