♪ Song of the chapter: Taeyeon - Secret ♪ 

***

With the softly spreading melodies of the piano
I close my eyes, lean on the music and start my story
Like this

Taeyeon whispered a tune as she walked towards the direction of the school library but the melody coming from the music room stopped her in her tracks. She peeked in through the small glass window on the door and saw a girl on the piano.

Beautiful back view.

She did not realize how long she had been standing there until she saw the girl turning around. Their eyes matched. The girl smiled at her, eyes disappearing at the same time.

And an even beautiful face.

Taeyeon wanted to run – peeking wasn’t exactly a normal thing to do after all – but she couldn’t stop looking inside the music room. Her legs weren’t obeying her mind.

The door opened.

“H-hi.” Taeyeon stumbled a few steps back reflexively. “S-sorry, I didn’t mean to act like a stalker or a creeper. I was j-just attracted to the piano melody.” Oh my god, so embarrassing.

The girl giggled. “That’s okay. I didn’t come out to tell you off.”

Taeyeon exhaled in relief. “Thank god.”

“You like classical music?”

“I like it but I also know nothing about it. It’s soothing.”

“It is, huh?”

“Yeah.” Taeyeon scratched her neck out of awkwardness. Get out of here before you embarrass yourself even further, Kim Taeyeon. “Well, I better get going.”

“I’ll not be in your way then. Nice meeting you…”

“Taeyeon.” Taeyeon held out her hand. “Kim Taeyeon.”

“Nice meeting you, Taeyeon.” The girl shook her hand. “I’m Tiffany.”

“Ah, that explains the accent.”

“It’s pretty strong, isn’t it?”

“It’s cute,” Taeyeon blurted.

She saw Tiffany raised her brows slightly before she chuckled.

“I mean it’s okay. I can understand still.” Goddammit.

“That’s good to hear,” Tiffany chuckled again. “You better get to the library quick before the others swarm in.”

“How did you know I’m going to the library?”

“You’re holding a stack of books.” Tiffany pointed. “And the place left along this corridor is the library.”

“R-right.” Strike 3 for embarrassment. Way to go. “See you around then, Tiffany.”

“See you too.”

Taeyeon walked away as fast as her legs could take her. All she wanted to do was to dig a hole and hide herself. Get a grip, Kim Taeyeon!

===

I remember the past days
Why did they hurt so much?
In the memories that have gone and the scattered memories
When I was struggling with the unfamiliar world

It became a habit for Taeyeon to stop by the music room every time Tiffany had piano practice. The two realized how they have so much in common which brought them closer, and soon they became best friends who were almost inseparable, all the way till the end of high school.

Although they went to different universities, with Taeyeon pursuing a business degree while Tiffany majored in music, they never drifted apart and maybe had grown even closer. There must be a reason why there’s a saying ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ after all.

What Tiffany did not know was that Taeyeon saw her as more than just a best friend. She tried to ignore the twisty feeling in her stomach whenever their skin come into contact, the rapid heartbeat when Tiffany comes close to her, the fluttery feelings she feels just at the thought of the girl with eyesmile, but she failed. Miserably.

Taeyeon certainly wasn’t a daredevil – she had never told Tiffany about it. The last thing she wanted was Tiffany to run away from her. She would rather have her by her side as a best friend than to not have her at all. She convinced herself that she would be okay as long as Tiffany is still here in her life, even if it isn’t the relationship she wanted.

Tiffany had her fair share of dates for the past five years. The girl would come running to Taeyeon, telling her about the dates she had or will be going on. Taeyeon would smile and congratulate her all the time, although the smile wasn’t a sincere one. She felt bad. She wanted to congratulate Tiffany genuinely but she couldn’t help but feel jealous. If only I can get a date with you too. A real date.

They were at Taeyeon’s house, sinking into the couch. Tiffany sighed and placed her head on Taeyeon’s shoulder.

“So what’s up? Why did you come over all of a sudden?”

“I broke up with him.”

“Why?”

Tiffany shook her head. “I don’t know. It didn’t feel right.”

“It’s his loss.”

Taeyeon Tiffany’s hair softly. No one said anything after.

===

Oh, then there’s you
Inside my messy heart
Oh it’s you
You made me find the hidden secret
For a long time, deep inside my heart
I hid these precious words
I wanna take them out and tell you
Oh, then there’s you

“Bad day at work?”

Tiffany nodded.

“Mind telling me what happened?”

“It’s nothing big, don’t worry.”

“If you say so.”

The two stared into a distance from the swing they were on.

“Taeyeon-ah…”

“Hmm?”

“Should I pursue something else?”

“What do you mean?”

“Should I give up on music and do something else?”

“But music is your passion, Fany-ah.”

“It’s too hard…”

Taeyeon turned when she heard a sniff coming from the girl next to her. She brought Tiffany into her arms, her palm Tiffany’s back slowly.

“I thought passion would overcome anything, but the reality is too harsh… I’m already 25 but I still have to depend on Appa because I got nothing under my name.” Tiffany sniffed. “I don’t know how much longer can I hold on, Taeyeon-ah… I really don’t…”

Taeyeon held on to Tiffany, letting the latter cry into her shoulder. She let go only when she felt the girl calming down.

“I’m here for you. You know I always am. If anything, I’ll support you.”

“Monetary or morally?”

“Both.”

Tiffany chuckled. “You’re crazy.”

“Maybe.” But I’ll do anything for you, as long as you’re happy.

“But thanks, Taeyeon-ah. I appreciate it.”

Taeyeon smiled. “You know you can always lean on me when you need someone, right?”

“I know. Thanks for being here all the time.” Tiffany rested her head on Taeyeon’s shoulder.

Taeyeon leaned against Tiffany’s head. “My pleasure.”

===

The closer I got to my dreams
The more fear covered me, no no
So I prayed that you would come find me
When I was lost and take me away

“You’re going on a date with… who?”

“Yuri.”

“Yuri as in the choreographer in the agency you’re working at? The hot and tanned girl?”

Tiffany nodded.

“Since when are you…”

Taeyeon stopped her sentence. She didn’t want to sound offensive. Since when are you into girls?

“Into girls?”

“Y-yeah…”

Tiffany shrugged. “Yuri asked me out so I thought I would give it a try. I’m kind of done with meeting jerks anyway.” But it’s mainly for you, Taeyeon-ah. I know you like me and I can’t ignore my heart and my feelings towards you anymore. I need to know if I can do this. I need to make sure that I can do this before I enter your life with a new status because I don’t want to hurt you.

“O-oh.”

“You okay? You… don’t mind it, do y