I was right. I did lose that game. And the round after it and 4 rounds after that. In between games, her phone would beep continuously and she would text for a bit. I guess she’s got a lot of friends. Cool.

“I really have to practice more now. I .” I said, shaking my head as I assembled the balls in the rack.

“You’re not bad! It’s just that I get really competitive so I try to win all the time.” She said and chuckled.

“But it’s not even a close game or anything. You’re always like three balls ahead.” I pouted.

“Come on, it’s okay. I’ve been playing pool for a long time now. You were probably still in pre-school when I started playing pool.” She shook her head at what she said, “I’m so old.” She laughed.

“Aww. Don’t say that. You don’t look a day older than 21.” I said, smiling at her.

“Thank you. Now let’s start the game.” She said as she hit the balls with force, causing its formation to break.

“Let’s have a little bet.” I said, challenging her.

“Hmm?” She looked up at me, interested as to where this was going.

“If you win, I treat you to whichever restaurant you want. But if I win, you give me a perfect score in our test in English class, though I'm going to ace it anyways, but at least I'm not going to study anymore.” I said, holding out my hand to her.

She laughed, “You can’t do that! We can’t bet on your grades. That’s unfair. Choose something else as your reward.”

“Fine, fine.” I retracted my hand, placing it on my chin, thinking of what I should say, “How about you treat me for some yogurt? It’s been awhile since I had some and I've been craving it recently.” I said, thinking of when I last ate yogurt.

“Deal.” She shook my hand, “though it’s unfair for you that you’re treating me to a restaurant while I’m going to treat you yogurt but hey, it’s your condition so it’s all good.” She said, laughing. Her phone beeped again.

My eyes widened in what she said, “HEY! That IS unfair! I take it back!” I said, making an ‘x’ out of both my hands.

“Nope! You can’t take it back now. We shook on it.” She said, hitting the ball, watching it as she successfully potted it.

“But that’s unfair!” I said, sulking at the sides, watching her successfully pot two more balls.

Beep.

She shook her head as she said, “You can’t take it back anymore. A deal’s a deal.”

“Fine. You’re gonna lose anyway.” I said, crossing my arms over my chest.

She laughed at my actions and said, “You’re such a kid.” She walked over to me and patted my head, “Go on, it’s your turn.” She gestured for me to go play.

I studied the formation of the balls and counted how many I have yet to pot. I still have 7 balls while she has 2 left. . I really have to step up my game so she can treat me for some yogurt! So I have four balls near the pockets. I have to shoot the three first because the other balls will be easier to shoot since they’re already near the pockets.

I bent down over the table, steadying my breath so I can aim for the ball properly. I steadied my cue and hit the ball. I held my breath as I watched the ball move to the pocket. It went in! I jumped and fist bumped the air, “HELL YEAH!” I shouted.

Taeyeon laughed, shaking her head saying, “Rejoicing already? That’s only your first shot. You have 6 left.”

I immediately frowned at her, “That’s one step in making you lose.” I said, poking out my tongue at her.

“Whatever you say that’ll make you feel better.” She said, sticking out her tongue back at me as her phone beeped. She took it out of her pocket and texted.

I focused my attention back on the game, checking what I should hit next. I eyed a ball and went over to where it was to shoot it. I successfully potted the ball and I grinned at Taeyeon. She just waved me off and smiled a little, still texting. I looked at her for a few seconds, appreciating how cute she looked just now before potting another ball in a pocket. I grinned again, focusing on the balls, not looking at Taeyeon so I wouldn’t get distracted. Since the balls left are the ones near the pockets, I’m pretty sure I’ll win this game.

“Ready to lose, Ms. Kim?” I said, looking at her, smirking.

“If you can actually beat me, sure.” She said, motioning for me to continue playing.

I took my eyes off her and focused back on the game. 4 more balls then the 8^th ball and I’ll be the winner. I went to the other side of the table and positioned myself as I eyed the ball I’m going to hit. I hit all 4 of the balls, one after the other, potting them successfully. Only the 8^th ball is left now and Taeyeon still has two balls to go.

“You getting nervous, Ms. Kim? I only have one ball to go.” I said, my voice oozing out confidence.

“Not one bit. Go ahead.” She said, seemingly confident as well.

I bent down, steadying my breath as I positioned myself for the last ball. This is it. Taeyeon’s going to buy me yogurt. We’re gonna get to hang out more. I looked at my cue stick and back at the ball, aiming at it. I took a shot and everything went in slow motion as I watched the 8^th ball go in the pocket, I was about to rejoice but my eyes widen in horror when I saw the cue ball bounce at the cushion, heading towards the pocket opposite  where the 8^th ball went. Oh god. As soon as it got in one of the pockets, I closed my eyes, dreading Taeyeon’s reaction. I lost.

Taeyeon’s laughter filled the room, my self-esteem dying in an instant.

“I WIN!” She shouted, her arms clutching her tummy, still laughing at me.

I walked to one of the chairs and sat down on it, feeling dejected like a mother er. I stared at the floor, wondering what I’ve done wrong for me to be punished like this. WHY GOD?! Why’d you let me embarrass myself in front of Taeyeon?! Sigh.. I guess Taeyeon wouldn’t be treating me to anything and we wouldn’t get to bond. Oh well. I feel dejected.

Her laughter died down after a good 5 minutes. I saw her sit next to me through my peripheral vision and I sighed once again.

“I guess you’ll be treating me to the bbq place next door then?” She said, happiness evident in her voice.

My eyes lit up when I heard what she said and I face palmed myself. I totally forgot about our deal! I was so focused on me winning and her buying me yogurt that I got so sad when I lost but I forgot that I was going to treat her to a restaurant! WE WILL get to spend time together after all! YES! Aja!

I looked at her and she’s still smiling, her cheeks are red from laughing too much and I think that’s cute.

“I guess I am.” I said, smiling back at her. “Let’s go?”

“Sure. I’ll just clean up the stuff we used.” She stood up and walked to the cabinet to get a brown box.

“I’ll help you.” I said as I stood up and took my cue stick, walking to where Taeyeon’s lay.

I went to the front part of the room where the cue sticks holder were and put them back there. As I was heading back to where Taeyeon was, I watched her put the balls back one by one in the box. She has a slight smile on her face while doing so.

What are you thinking of, Taeyeon?

She closed the box and put it back in the cabinet along with the rack. I stood next to her, smiling, “You ready to go?”

“Yup. Let’s go.” She said as she headed to the door. Her phone beeped again and she instantly replied to whoever was texting her.

I fastened my pace, passing her and quickly running to the door to open it. I smiled at her as I held the door open so she can go outside first.

“Thank you.” She said as she closed the lights before leaving the room.

“You’re welcome.” I closed the door and walked next to her.

“So you were talking about a bbq restaurant next door?” I asked, looking at our surroundings. This bar looks pretty great. Its design is beautiful. Modern yet has an industrial vibe in it. Cool.

“Yeah, it’s one of my favorite bbq restaurants. It’s just a few blocks from here. I go there most of the time after visiting the bar. It’s good food. All you can eat meat. Most of all, it’s cheap. It’s just ten bucks each person so you’re good.” She said, leading the way to the exit of the bar.

As we were walking, I looked around for Yuri but she doesn’t seem to be here anymore. I shrugged my shoulders and just followed Taeyeon. When we reached outside, Frank immediately greeted Taeyeon and saluted her.

Why do the staff keep saluting Taeyeon? Does she like that? Is that her thing? Or is it just a coincidence that Donghae did it too? I kept thinking of possible ways why they did that so I didn’t hear much of what they were talking about. I just saw Taeyeon smiling at Frank and waving at him as she started walking again.

“Bye Frank!” I said, waving at him too. He smiled and nodded at me then went back to having an expressionless face and crossing his arms to look all tough.

“You know Frank? Have you been going here a lot?” Taeyeon asked, eyeing me.

“I know him in a sense of knowing his name but other than that, nah, not really. I just met him awhile ago. It’s my first time going to the Soshi Palace actually.” I said, looking at the direction where we were heading.

She just nodded and looked ahead.

The streets were lit by the street lamps, having a little glow in them. It was empty. Only a few people were walking outside. The moon was shining brightly, making the atmosphere feel great. Everything seems peaceful outside as of the moment. No people bustling and rushing to go to their destination. Most of the people are sleeping now. It’s just peaceful.

I looked at Taeyeon, smiling, feeling happy that I get to spend this moment with her.

She noticed that I was gazing at her so she looked right back at me, “Why are you smiling like that? And why are you staring at me?” She said, unknowingly smiling as well.

“I’m just happy. Everything seems so peaceful right now. Simple things like this make me happy.” I said, showing a content smile as I sighed happily.

“Yeah, I feel you,” She said as she looked back at our surroundings and studied it, “I like moments like this too. It’s serene. It relaxes me.”

We walked in a comfortable silence, appreciating the scenery around us. We stopped walking when we reached a restaurant. “We’re here,” She said. I looked up and read the sign, “BBQ Kings”. Never heard of this place but since Taeyeon says it’s good then I’m pretty sure it will be great.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, the staff greeted Taeyeon immediately.

“Noona! Nice to see you back here!” A guy said as he hugged Taeyeon.

I guess she really does go here a lot.

“Minho! Good to see you. How’s everything going?” She said, patting his head.

“It’s been great! Everything’s going well.” He said as he started walking.

Taeyeon motioned her head for me to follow them.

I walked behind them and looked at my surroundings. The upper walls were cladded with brown bricks while the lower walls were just gray plaster, having an industrial feel, just like Taeyeon's bar. Every table had an exhaust on them, hanging from the ceiling, just like every Korean barbecue place. Nothing too extravagant but the place looks appealing.

“By the way, this is Tiffany. She’s my student.” Taeyeon suddenly said, patting my head.

I looked at Minho and smiled, showing my eye smile, “Hi.”

“Annyeong Tiffany-ssi.” He bowed. He led us to one of the tables with couches near the window and said, “Welp, this is your table. Table #27 as always for Taeyeon-ssi.”

“Thank you, Minho.-ya.” Taeyeon said as she pat his shoulder and took a seat.

I took the seat in across her and looked at Minho since he was still standing there.

“You’re welcome. Just raise your hand if you’re ready to order.” He said as he gave us the menu then left.

I went through the menu for a good 3 minutes before facing Taeyeon, “Ms. Kim, is it okay if you order for me? I really don’t know what to eat here and I’m pretty sure you know what’s good or not since you've eaten here before.” I said, sheepishly smiling at her.

She chuckled, “Sure, sure. I know just what to order. You like eels, right?” She said, looking up from the menu to look at me.

How’d she know?

“Yeah. I actually love eels. How’d you know?”

“I saw you eat eels in school a while ago so I assumed that you like it.” She said, explaining herself as she looked back at the menu.

I nodded at her explanation. Seems good.

She smiled at me for a quick second before raising her hand and eyeing Minho at the back. After a minute, Minho came to our table and took our orders. I honestly didn’t pay attention much on what Taeyeon ordered and just looked around again. There were only about 12 costumers here including us. I looked at my watch again, 2:10am, it says. I guess that’s why it’s not crowded here. People are already sleeping. I saw Minho pass by me as he went to the counter to get our order. Through my peripheral vision, I could see Taeyeon looking at me so I looked at her as well.

She looks tired.

“So how was your first day today in school?” I said, starting the conversation.

She leaned back and thought of what to say, “Well, for starters, it was tiring. They gave me a bunch of work load at my first day but I had a fun time since I got to know you guys and the faculty was good to me. It was a normal work day I would say.” She paused for a bit and laughed before saying, “I got to model for the first time today though. So there's that."

“I’m sorry! It was for a project in our photography class. Did you not like doing it?” I said, frowning a little.

“I liked it, don’t worry. It’s all good. You took me out of my comfort zone, that’s all. It was a nice experience. It was easier than I thought. Fast too.” She chuckled again, “Is that the class Sunny handles?” She asked.

“That’s good. I’m happy you liked it. Yup! Ms. Sunny is our teacher there.” I said as my frown turned into a smile.

She nodded, “What was it for anyway? What was your project about?”

My eyes widened and I panicked a little at her question. What should I say?!

I tried to think of other things to say to her but I couldn’t come up with a proper excuse. She IS going to find out soon anyway, right? So should I just say it? I mean, she’s Ms. Sunny’s friend so I’m assuming she’ll tell Taeyeon soon.

“Well, itwasaboutwhatifindbeautiful.” I said quickly in one breath, exhaling after saying it.

I laughed immediately when I looked at Taeyeon. She had this dumbfounded expression on her face. She looks so cute!

“What?” She asked, not understanding a single thing I just said, “The only thing I understood was ‘well’.”

SHE WANTS ME TO SAY IT AGAIN!? Relax, Tiffany, relax. Deep breaths.

“It’s about what I find beautiful.” I said for the second time, slower this time.

“Oh,” She said, smiling at me, “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” I smiled back.

Suddenly, her phone rang. She took it out from her pocket and answered the call. I couldn’t hear a single thing the person was saying. Taeyeon however, I can hear everything she was saying, well, she’s right in front of me so obviously I would hear it.

“Thank you. Yeah, it is March 9 today. Thanks. I’ll see you soon. I’m in BBQ Kings. Nah. Just with my student. I’ll tell you some other time. Thanks again. Bye.” That’s all I heard.

I kept quiet the whole time.

She put her phone down the table and smiled.

“Sorry if I was being rude. I had to take the call. It was my mom.” She said.

“It wasn’t rude at all. Don’t worry, it’s no big deal.” I said, genuinely smiling at her.

I saw the staff going near our table. They were all smiling at us. How weird.

 “Thanks. It’s just that it’s my—“

Suddenly, the birthday song was playing through the speakers around the restaurant and the staff sang while clapping their hands, “HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!” Minho shouted, “ONE MORE TIME!” then they sang again.

I looked at Taeyeon all confused and saw that she was smiling, clapping and singing along with them.

I don’t understand what’s happening? I’m so confused? It’s not my birthday?

After singing the birthday song twice, they sang it again for the last time in Korean. I just played along and sang as well, even though I didn’t know jack about what was happening.

When they finished singing the Korean version, Minho said, “Happy Birthday to our favorite and loyal costumer, Kim Taeyeon!”

My eyes almost bulged out of my sockets. IT’S TAEYEON’S BIRTHDAY?! How come I didn’t know this??? I don’t have a gift prepared for her! Oh no!

Minho and the rest of the staff greet her once more before leaving.

“It’s your birthday?!” I said, unconsciously shouting a little, still shocked.

“Yup. Officially 29 now.”

“Wow. I didn’t know that. Sorry I don’t have a gift for you.” I said, looking down at the table.

“It’s okay. No worries.” She said, reaching over to pat my hand for a good two seconds.

I looked at our hands and blushed, “I’ll give you one soon though!” I said, a little too eager for my liking. I cleared my throat, “I’ll just give it to you in school. Yeah.” I said, in a cool way this time.

“Here’s the order of our favorite costumer! I’ll be serving the cake we prepared for you after you eat. Have a nice meal.” Minho said as he put our food on our table.

Taeyeon ordered a lot of food. There were around 10 side dishes and 5 main dishes. Wow. She eats this much? I gazed at her and saw how she was looking at the food like it’s gold. She’s smiling from ear-to-ear! She looks so happy, it’s cute.

“Let’s eat?” She said as she took her eyes off the food and looked at me, still grinning.

How precious.

“Sure.” As soon as I said that, she immediately started eating. I held in my laughter and just started eating as well.

I exhaled happily and grinned while I took my first bite.

She’s great.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

Happy Taeny Day! Yay~

I'm sorry the update took long. I had a little writer's block. For some reason I didn't have the motivation to write. But hey, I'm back! I got two reserved chapters so I'll try my best in uploading twice a week again. Thank you guys for being patient!

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Anyways, have a great day! Enjoy this long chapter. 

See you in a bit, babes. Yes, I'm calling you guys 'babes' from now on.