“Ugh, why do we have to be waiters again? It’s one of our best friend’s engagement party!” Taecyeon whined as Wooyoung, Taecyeon and Junho, who had changed into smart black suits with red bow ties, walked around with trays of drinks. The ceremony had ended and the guests were in a reception room, eating light snacks and chatting.

“We’re doing Taeyeon a favor because there weren’t enough people so just shut up already! You’re making me feel worse!” Junho snapped back. Junho and Taecyeon continued squabbling, earning the stares of a few guests.

“Yah, stop it you two! People are staring!” Wooyoung said through gritted teeth.

“Sigh… okay, time to start work. See you guys.” Junho said with a sigh before walking to a corner to offer drinks to the guests.

“That suit looks good on you!” a familiar voice caused Wooyoung to look up from his tray. He was busy clearing a table before the interruption.

Wooyoung looked up and saw Taeyeon in a cream coloured dress that just touched her knee caps. As usual, her style was simple but elegant and she was stunning. Wooyoung was speechless for a moment before he shook himself out of it and retorted, “Yah, what did I tell you? I’m always this handsome!”

“Haha you’re always praising yourself!” Taeyeon laughed.

“How do I look?” Taeyeon asked, holding up the side of her flare dress.

“Why are you asking me? Go look in a mirror instead!” Wooyoung teased.

“Yah! I just gave you a compliment and this is how you repay me? You’re so mean!” Taeyeon pouted. Wooyoung just gave a smirk, and Taeyeon stuck out her tongue at him.

“Taeyeon! Can you come here for a moment?” Leeteuk called, and Taeyeon nodded.

“Talk later! Thanks for the hard work!” Taeyeon addressed Wooyoung and smiled, before turning her back on him.

‘Marriage changes everything… Am I being greedy or will Taeyeon really keep a place in her heart for me? Who am I kidding. Marriage will just make Leeteuk’s presence in Taeyeon’s heart bigger.’

-Flashback begins-

“Youngie, why did you bring me here?” Two soft brown eyes looked at him curiously. The weather was great and the sun was shining on them. They were at a green meadow, with many beautiful flowers and trees.

“Erm…” 7-year-old Wooyoung hesitated before pulling out a toy ring. Her eyes widened when she saw it.

“Taetae, we’ll get married in the future, okay? I only want you as my bride. ” Wooyoung stared sincerely at Taeyeon, as a wide smile spread across her face.

“Okay, I also want Youngie as my groom next time! Pinky promise??” 7-year-old Taeyeon tilted her head cutely to the side, waiting for Wooyoung to answer her.

“Promise!” Wooyoung nodded his head vigourously. He put the ring on Taeyeon’s finger, and it fitted her perfectly, like it was made for her and only her. The two of them smiled shyly at each other and went off hand in hand to the nearby playground.

-Flashback ends-

‘Sooner or later, Leeteuk’s presence in Taeyeon’s heart will grow so much that he will eventually push me out. I’m going to lose the person I love the most.’

At that thought, Wooyoung slammed the tray he was holding down, before running towards the door where he had seen Taeyeon exit from after talking with Leeteuk. He grabbed her hand tightly, forcing her to run with him. Taeyeon was utterly confused at what Wooyoung was doing, and kept asking Wooyoung questions, but he just ignored her and continued running, tightly holding onto her hand.

Panting due to shortness of breath, Wooyoung and Taeyeon now stood in front of their elementary school gates. It was here that Wooyoung and Taeyeon had first met – this was the place where everything started.

“Yah! Why did we come here?” Taeyeon asked for the umpteenth time. 

Wooyoung ignored her question again, and just beckoned for her to follow him inside the school. It was a Saturday so the school was empty, except for the kind elderly security guards who let them in after knowing that they were past students here. 

Wooyoung and Taeyeon walked down the familiar hallways of the school, looking around at the place where they spent a big part of their childhood in. It was literally like a walk down memory lane, as many blurry memories came back to the both of them – little Wooyoung and Taeyeon playing random games of catching in the hallways and classrooms and then being scolded for being playful. Those were the days when they were so young and innocent.

Wooyoung finally stopped in his tracks as they finally reached the classroom they were most familiar with – their home classroom. Both Taeyeon and Wooyoung smiled as they looked at the sign of the classroom they spent a considerable number of years in. 

“Everything here gives me such a nostalgic feeling! It really doesn’t feel as if so much time has passed.” Taeyeon commented with a smile on her face, as they walked into the empty classroom.

“Wooyoung, why did we come here though? Don’t ignore me this time!” Taeyeon suddenly asked again, dying to know why they had suddenly arrived at this place.

“Haha sorry for ignoring you, Taeng. It’s just that I don’t know myself either. I just really wanted to come here with you.” Wooyoung said honestly.

Taeyeon’s mouth formed an O as she nodded with understanding.

“Pabo, you seriously surprised me. I kept asking but you weren’t answering at all! I thought you were going to sell me away or something.” Taeyeon’s ahjumma laughter followed, lightening the mood. Taeyeon then walked towards the seat beside the window seat in the second row, and put her hand on the table that, despite Taeyeon being petite, was too short for her.

“Hey, do you still remember these seats?” Taeyeon asked Wooyoung, as she sat on the short chair she sat at back when she was in elementary school. Wooyoung followed suit, seating at the window seat beside Taeyeon. By fate, the seat beside Wooyoung’s was empty when Taeyeon had transferred to their school in the second year of elementary school, and their seats were always beside each other ever since, even in high school.

“It’s like nothing changed but us physically,” Wooyoung said, “even the old books we used to read are still here.”

“Yeah, but in actual fact everything has changed, hasn’t it?” Taeyeon sighed, “Growing up is really inevitable. I would like to go back to the times when we were attending elementary school if I could.”

“It’s really weird how fate works, don’t you think? If I hadn’t transferred to this school, I wouldn’t have met you, right? And if I didn’t meet you here, I think a big part of my life would have been different. We wouldn’t have met Yoona, Taecyeon and Junho as well.” Taeyeon wondered out loud.

“Yeah… and if you didn’t come to this class, we would never become friends at all.” Wooyoung agreed.

“Probably… if this seat beside you wasn’t empty when I came, and if you didn’t pass me that eraser silently while I was panicking during the test, I think we wouldn’t become childhood friends. Things would definitely be so much more different if fate didn’t work as it was.” Taeyeon smiled while thinking of the vivid memories.

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Taecyeon walked around with a tray in his hand, serving wine to the guests at the party. He saw Junho in a corner acting suspiciously. As Taecyeon got nearer, he realized that Junho was busy eating food from the buffet table and decided to creep up on him.

“Yah, Lee Junho! How could you!” Taecyeon exclaimed loudly.  

“SHHHHH! I’m helping to finish the leftovers! I’m doing a kind deed, you know?”

“But...” before Taecyeon could say anything, Junho stuffed a fruit tart into Taecyeon’s mouth to shut him up and make him an accomplice in the process.

“Mmm… it is indeed a kind deed. Let me help out too.” Taecyeon gave an evil smile as he reached for more food from Junho.

“Junho-ssi!” A sudden call from Leeteuk suddenly shocked the two as they quickly tried to remove all traces of them munching on the food before turning around with sheepish smiles.

“Can I bother you to take the pictures for later?” Leeteuk asked with his palms placed together.

“Of course! I brought my camera just to do that.” Junho said quickly, covering his mouth which was still full of food.

“Thank you so much!” Leeteuk thanked him with a bow and Junho bowed back in response. “Oh by the way, have you seen Taeyeon anywhere? I can’t seem to find her for a while now.”

“Ah, sorry, no. It’s been a while since I last saw her.” Taecyeon answered.

“Maybe she went to touch up on her make-up?” Junho suggested.

“I see. If you see her, can you tell her to meet me? Thank you! And guys, please eat comfortably! Thank you for the hard work!” Leeteuk smiled, before excusing himself.

“Hey, speaking of Taeyeon… I haven’t seen Wooyoung around too. He isn’t here?”

“Yeah he’s not. He just went on the biggest race of his life.”

“Huh? What, horse racing? He’s into that kind of stuff?” Taecyeon asked innocently.

“You can say it’s somewhat a gamble… He is aiming for a reversal, which must work as soon as possible because he’s losing time.”

“Oh… He’s losing so much? Gambling never made much sense to me. The odds are so absurd!”

“Yeah and you never know whether you’ll win… But Wooyoung would win.”

“You think he will?”

“I don’t know, but I really hope so. And he better hurry up!” Junho frowned as he looked at Leeteuk who was looking all over for Taeyeon. Junho was worried that Leeteuk would realize that Wooyoung took Taeyeon away.

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