It was rather a different morning for Taeyeon. The people on her apartment looked so shock when she came home Saturday night when she should have been there since the night before. They didn’t stop asking her what happened to her that it is rare for her not to sleep on her own bed in that apartment. But because of irritation from their nonstop questioning, she has blurted out that she slept over her officemate’s house. The girls suddenly stop saying anything and just locked their gaze towards her with their jaws dropped. And until that morning, they looked at her with stun.

(Taeyeon’s POV)

“I’m going.”

“Wait Taeng!” that’s Sunny. She was one of those who insisted on living here in my apartment and give me the responsibility of her. Nice.

“What?”

“Is it really true? You really slept over?”

“Yes.”

“But unnie~”

“It’s true. Bye!” I intentionally interrupted Yoona, a lovable dongsaeng of mine, because the longer I stay the longer they will not stop pestering me.

And I will be late for work if I won’t make my move now. We live at Incheon and it is a long journey to my work which was located at Seoul. I want some diversion in life and I find travelling to work interesting, then I end up working so far from where I am living.

That long journey gives me time, a time I need to think. But nowadays, thinking is not that important. And the long journey I used to think before was altered into something, something my brain can’t comprehend. I’m used to travel and enjoy the boring long time but now, I know that something has really changed in me, because I have this urge to get into work faster.

I don’t know why I am excited. Like I wanted to be on a place even I don’t need to. The boring time is now irritating and I want to pull the time just to lessen it so I can go to where I have to go.

I know this sounds pathetic but I can’t stop it. I need to be there in the office to see her? Am I crazy? I used to hate her irritating loudness. I don’t care about her on the first days we worked. But when I heard her bursting her anger on me, I saw the difference. What she showed me before is different to the one I like to talk with now.

That’s the real reason I chose to put down some of my walls for her, because I saw in her the sincerity. She will push herself on me just to get in. Maybe I am selfish for those who I never let to be in my life but still trying to. Maybe I’m a selfish person that I let a stranger than those who are always with me. But Tiffany is different and I can see that.

“Hey Taeyeon! Why are you zoning out?”

I jerked up when I heard Tiffany’s voice.  I didn’t know that I am already at our office. Am I that so occupied thinking about things?

“Oh~ just thinking about some things. Wait, why are you here this early?”

“You’re actually 20 minutes late Taeyeon.”

“I am late? 20 minutes late?” I asked her with so much surprise. I thought I have calculated my travel time correctly and I was never been late ever since I worked in the company.

“Ahmm yes you are 20 minutes late. Did something happen to you on your way here?”

“Nothing, maybe I just miscalculated my travel time today.”

“Travel time? Its sounds like you travel a long time to here. Why? Do you live in a faraway place?”

When I heard her question, one thing has occurred to me in an instant, she’s trying to fish something about me. It’s not her fault because she just wants to know me better but I don’t want her to get what she wants. It’s not that I don’t like her to know. I just don’t want her to know about me. Like I said before, she will be in my life for a short period of time. When my interest in this work has gotten on me, I will walk away from this company, away from her. So it is better to be in this way, and I also have a hunch that I won’t stay here that long. The less she knows about me, the less time she needs to forget about me. As simple as that.

“You have my profile, you should know.”

As much as I want to not sound sarcastic, it came out like that. Fortunately, she didn’t notice it, or she did? I really can’t tell because I suddenly can’t read her expression.

“I guess I’ll check it out later. Anyways, Miss Cho is expecting us, let’s go?”

Change of moods doesn’t new to me. Observing people was my hobby and I can guarantee that Tiffany have changed her mood because of me, because of my avoidance. But I already cleared it to her, didn’t I?

“Hey Tiffany, I know your mad at me.”

“No.”

“Yes, you are. I already told, I don’t want to talk about me.”

“That’s right. That’s why I won’t ask again. I’m sorry that I asked that. Let it go, don’t be bother about it.”

“But you are mad.”

“I told you I am not. Just forget about it.”

She walks away after saying that in rather rough voice that shows her mood. See? She’s mad at me. As much as I want to see her true natures, I don’t want to see an angry Tiffany again. Seriously, it scares the hell out of me. You will feel like you’re trapped in a place where a volcano is threatening to erupt any moment. That’s a hellish feeling!

“Taeyeon! Aren’t you coming?”

“I’m sorry, I just thought of something.”

“It’s okay.”

Then she gave me a fake smile.

How did I know? I don’t know either. I just know that it is a fake smile. But I rather not to think about it anymore and I should just follow her to Ms. Cho’s office. And I should mind what words I will let out of my mouth from now on.

When we made it to the office, we were just told to listen about something that regards with our works. For a full hour, we just sit there and listened to everything our head was saying until she let us make our way out of her office.

For the whole day, we focused ourselves on the jobs given to us. Tiffany, her work which I still don’t know what is. And me, my fourth task that Tiffany had told me to finish it today. We’re busy that we almost lost track of time and almost forgot to take our lunch if it was not because of her alarm. She tagged me along when she passed by on my cubicle. But not like the other times that we took our lunch, that one was full of silence, to which have surprised me because of what I knew about Tiffany’s character. Ever since I met her, my lunches with her were never been that quiet. She always has something to say.

What’s more that shocked me was when I felt like we’re back to last Friday. Where I felt silent was suffocating and I rather hear her loud voice than not hearing her at all. I think I became more adept to her cheerfulness than her silence.

Until it is time to go home, I’ve never seen a single smile from her since that fake smile. She’s so quiet and serious. Even the people in the office noticed it and they can’t avoid talking about it as what I heard in the washroom when I went there after lunch.

“Have you seen her today?”

“Miss Hwang?”

“Yeah, she’s kind of different today, right?”

“And I heard she talks sternly earlier.”

“Do you know what happened?”

“No, but maybe it’s her boyfriend.”

“But I haven’t heard that she has one. Maybe it’s her day of the month.”

“Maybe.”

People talk about others at their backs and that was something so disappointing about people. The more they see about you, the more they talk about it. It is so shameful to say that they are your kinds.

I’m possibly out of myself today because I found now myself at the entrance of our company building without me knowing. But one thing is for sure, Tiffany Hwang is still standing beside me. I can confidently say now that I am accustomed to her daily routine because I literally been with her every time. And I very well knew that whenever I got out of the elevator in the lobby, she will be still standing in the elevator waiting for it to descend her to the parking lot where her car was parked.

“Why are you not in the parking lot?” I asked her without hiding my curiosity.

“I told you that I won’t ask questions about you again, right?”

“But… I know that there is a ‘but’ there.”

“And I am not denying it. Fine, I’m going to tell it to you. Listen, I quit asking you question because you don’t like it, but, I will find it out with my own way.”

“And by ‘your own way’, you mean…”

“I am going to your house today, of course by means of following you."

“Ah~ o - ! WHAT?!?”

“I will follow you until you reach your house. At least I didn’t ask you in that way.”

“No way! That’s unacceptable idea Tiffany.”

“Hey! I gave my whole time thinking about that! Don’t take it that low.”

“Fine... But is it that the reason why you were all serious the whole day?”

“Yes, it is. I thought of every possible way to know about you without asking it from you. I thought a quite a lot of ways, you know. I first thought of making you drunk but remembering what happened last Friday, I bet it was a bad idea. Another was being close to you and let you speak for yourself but then again I concluded that it will take a long time to happen and I hate waiting for too long. Then I remembered my question to you earlier about your place. And I thought ‘why not start with that?’ But when I’m going to check at your profile, I realized that I have given it back to Miss Cho for their further evaluation of you. And then my brilliant mind leads me to this… to follow you to know it myself. Isn’t that great of me, is it?”

I don’t know whether to compliment her or to crack up in front of her. But I think the former is much more needed. Raging her more will cause more miscommunications and misunderstandings. And telling her that she did a nice thinking won’t hurt, right?

“Yeah, I think that’s brilliant. You can as you please. Is it you that will do it anyway.”

Maybe it is for the best. Like what she said, at least it will not come from me. I won’t say anything I didn’t want to say. Though, there is still that thought that she will have learnt something about me that somewhat doesn’t feel right for me. It’s like, what the sense of hiding it if she will still find a way to know it. Does it make sense? I don’t know. Let’s just wait.

“Alright! And by the way, I like your improvements. From the stoic-indifferent girl to a more talkative and expressive one, though it’s just towards me. I really like it!”

And that’s what I call genuine smile. That bright smile that beaming on her lips and bringing radiance all over her is definitely a real smile. The smile, which is little by little, is making me like it.

What am I saying? Did I really said/think that I like her smile? Taeyeon… Taeyeon… you’re going insane.

“Whatever… If you’re going to follow me back home, then start moving your feet. We’ll going to be late if we’ll stay here longer.”

“What are you doing still standing there Taeyeon? Come on! Make your moves faster!”

What a long day… and it’s still not done yet.

Sorry guys, I know I told you that I will try to update last week but I didn't, right? That's because I got a mental block so I couldn't continue the story... But here it is... and hope you still enjoy it! ^^

And thank you for still hanging with the story... and thanks for those who subscribed to it, even to those who gave some of their times to read it. Thank you so much! 

`Promise that I will do my best to the next chapters... ^^