Taeyeon shifted her weight from one foot to another, as she looked at the fidgeting girl in front of her. Said girl got her hands behind her back, seeming to hold something. She's acting weird today... "Why did you call me here? Something wrong?" she finally asked after a long time of silence, her face showing an expression of concern.

 

"Will you be my girlfriend?"

 

Wait. What?

 

Taeyeon's jaw almost dropped to the ground, flabbergasted by what Jessica Jung just said. And when she thought that that'd be the only shocking thing, eyes bulged out of their sockets when a bouquet of flowers were held in front of her face. My mind won't stop playing tricks on me, won't it?

 

"W-what? Sorry, I didn't hear you."

The addressed girl finally lifted her head up, allowing for Taeyeon to see her flustered features. "I said, w-will you be my girlfriend?" she repeated, stammering somewhere along her sentence.

 

"Oh my gosh. You're joking, right?" Taeyeon questioned. 

Jessica ing Jung. The beauty and brains of Dongguk University. She's got everybody groveling before her with just a glare. And still, handsome guys and gorgeous girls flock over her in a vain attempt to win her attention. So why the will she ask me that one question when I don't even have eyebrows?! 

 

Jessica's face fell, what little of her courage finally spiraling down the sink. "W-well, I just thought that maybe there's a chance to, you know, uhh... For you to be my girlfriend. If you don't, then fine. I don't really care-" her rumbling was cut off when Taeyeon spoke.

 

"Yes," Taeyeon said, accepting the flowers and setting them down.

 

"Bwoh?!" Jessica snapped her head upwards, her eyes widening. "Can you repeat that?"

 

"Yes, I would like to be your girlfriend," Taeyeon smiled so widely that it hurt. But not one single bit did it bother her because her attention was focused on the brunette in front of her. 
 

 

"WAAAAH!" a dolphin scream was released, shocking the petite girl in front of her. "What the-" Taeyeon's words were cut off when she was suddenly lifted from the ground. "JESSICA! Put me doooown!" she shrieked.

 

"No! I'm too happy to let you go from my embrace!" Jessica laughed, "You're finally mine! You have no idea how long I waited for this!" 

 

Taeyeon laughed as well, returning the same sentiment, "Seems like I'm not the only who did, then."


Calming down, Jessica finally put Taeyeon down. She held Taeyeon's hand and caressed them. "I'm glad I'm not the only one," she whispered and stared at Taeyeon's chocolate orbs, "I'm glad that I'm not the only one who was waiting all this time."

 

Taeyeon rolled her eyes playfully, "You weren't. Now, will you kiss me? I was also waiting for tha-" Taeyeon's words were cut off again when a pair of soft lips landed on her own. A soft smile spread across her lips before returning the kiss. A few seconds later, which seemed like an eternity but ended too fast for the both of them, the two new lovers finally parted because of the lack of oxygen. Without realizing it, tears trickled down their cheeks.

 

"I... love you," Taeyeon finally uttered out the words she had been hiding for as long she can remember, thinking how she never thought she'd be able to do it in a million years, and how finally doing it felt so out of this world. She, Kim Taeyeon, was convinced that this was the happiest she'd ever been and that nothing could beat this. All because of her confession.

But only to be proven otherwise seconds later. 

 

 

 

 

"I love you more."

She was wrong. The reply of her lover---​​​​​​tears came out of her eyes again thinking of the absurdity of it all---was what made her feel the happiest. Was she out of this world happy? No. She was out of this universe happy.

 

 

~~****~~

 

 

"It's already two in the morning..."

 

Tick Tock. Tick Tock.

 

The ticking of the clock made Taeyeon shift restlessly on her chair. She bit on her nails and glanced at her phone, anxiety bubbling at her chest. Taeyeon picked her phone up and was about to call a certain brunette when the jingling of keys interrupted her. Relief washed over her as she knew that the brunette had finally arrived.

 

"It's past midnight. Where have you been?" Taeyeon inquired immediately as soon as the brunette opened the door. "Overtime at work," Jessica briefly announced and carelessly discarded her shoes on the shoe rack.

 

"Have you eaten dinner yet?" Taeyeon asked another question, wanting to prolong their conversation.

 

Jessica sighed exasperatedly and turned to the petite woman. "Tae. Can you just shut up for a bit? I'm seriously tired. Just please mind your own business," she declared before heading upstairs.

 

Taeyeon's grip on her phone loosened as she looked at the cold dinner on the table. "Maybe next time then. There always is next time anyway," she smiled, "What did I even expect from this sleepyhead?"

 

 

~~****~~

 

 

"Are you going home already? I prepared your favorite food-"

 

"I won't be coming home until dinner. I still have to finish this one project."

 

Being the understanding girlfriend she always was, Taeyeon apologized. "I'm sorry for disturbing you, Sica. I just... Miss you," Taeyeon sincerely muttered on the phone.
 

"It's okay. I miss you too, Tae."

 

As the line went dead, she sadly stared at the calendar. Thursday, March 9.

 

"It's not like she had to remember it anyways."

 

 

~~****~~

 

 

"It's eight in the morning, Jessica. Where have you been?" the petite woman sternly asked as she crossed her arms at the woman who just arrived. "Sorry, I kind of slept while working," Jessica replied apologetically.

 

"You know you could've just texted me, right? I stayed up all night waiting for you," Taeyeon said.

 

"No one told you to do so," Jessica retorted before heading upstairs to sleep.

 

"I'm sorry, I was just worried-"

 

"I know, I know. Just shut the up!" Jessica snapped at Taeyeon, surprising the both of them. Seeing the pained expression that Taeyeon wore, she apologized. "Sorry I didn't know what-"

 

Taeyeon laughed, the burning on her chest excruciatingly painful that she found it hard to breathe. "No, don't be sorry. It's okay. I understand. Let's just sleep, okay? I know you're tired," Taeyeon said before getting up to head upstairs.

 

Jessica followed Taeyeon with light footsteps, her heart heavy with remorse. Getting on their shared bedroom, she immediately sat on the edge of their bed. "Taengoo...?" she called, looking at the back of her lover.

 

"Yeah?" Taeyeon breathed.

 

Jessica furrowed her eyebrows as her heart sank, knowing that she badly hurt the girl with her words. Taeyeon wasn't crying, and it worried her more because Taeyeon always bottled her emotions inside. "Tae, I'm sorry..." she said before backhugging the girl.

 

"I-I'm sorry if I'm bothering you..." Taeyeon weakly apologized.

 

Taeyeon's apology did nothing to make Jessica feel better. Soon enough, tears were already coming out of her eyes. "Idiot. S-stop apologizing. I'm the one at fault h-here," Jessica reprimanded.

 

"No, I know that-"

 

"Shh, Tae... I promise to make time for you next time. I'm sorry for shouting at you, I didn't mean it," Jessica said as she held on Taeyeon's hands from behind. 

 

"I-it's okay," Taeyeon assured.

 

"Say, what about on our anniversary? I'll come home earlier for you," Jessica proposed.

 

"Seriously, Sica. You don't have to-"

 

Jessica shifted closer to the girl, "But I want to."

 

"Okay then, if you say so... Promise?"

 

"Promise."

 

Silence settled between the two of them as they listened to each other breathe, basking in the warmth of the other.

 

"Taeyeon?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"I love you," Jessica whispered before tightening her hug around Taeyeon.

 

"I love you more."

 

 

~~****~~

 

 

"Taeyeon! I'm so sorry! I slept while working again!"

 

"Jessica, I'm tired. I'm going to sleep."

 

"I-"

 

"I'm sleepy, Jessica. Just go eat the food on the table if you're hungry."

 

Jessica stopped on her tracks. She sighed and turned the other way to approach the table instead. Guilt gnawed at her insides as she looked at the balloons around the area and the foods that laid on the table. 

The foods could almost pass for a five star hotel, and she knew that even if Taeyeon didn't cook them, it cost a lot. 

 

"I'm sorry..."

 

 

~~****~~

 

 

"Taeyeon?"

 

"I had enough," the blonde tiredly sighed, "The same things just kept on repeating. Don't you think I had enough?"

 

Jessica scoffed, "You're not the only one. I'm tired of seeing you whine like a little baby as well."

 

Taeyeon gave a short, mirthless laugh, "Wow! So that's how you saw me after all these years."

 

"I still do," Jessica put her hands on her pockets casually.

 

Taeyeon finally threw a set of pictures on the floor, "Then let's end this once and for all. You think I didn't know?!"

 

Jessica looked at the pictures that were thrown on the ground, "Where did you get that?"

 

The pictures were captured images of her and Tyler.

 

"Why did you do this to me...? You said you loved me, didn't you?" Taeyeon desperately asked before walking towards Jessica.

 

The brunette looked away, "Sorry. But people fall out of love too. Nothing lasts forever."

 

"Why? Why did you?" Taeyeon stopped on her tracks.

 

"It just so happened. He can give me more than you do, and I realized that life is not all about the stupid, childish love that we used to think when we were teens," Jessica said as she inspected her nails.

 

For Taeyeon, it felt like a hammer was bludgeoning her chest with each word that came out of Jessica's lips. Her heart was crushed into millions of pieces discovering that her lover was having an affair behind her back, and now that Jessica told her what she had been keeping all this time so indifferently, she knew right then that she's been broken beyond repair.

 

"Okay. You should've told me this earlier so that you could've rid off a whiny little baby in your life earlier as well," Taeyeon said before proceeding to walk towards the door.

 

"I probably should have."

 

"So all this time... I even thought that we'd be together forever," Taeyeon spoke so inaudibly that Jessica is not sure if she really heard it, "I'm so stupid to fall in love with someone like you. "

 

"Our first time having such mutual feelings, Tae."

 

As the door slammed shut, Jessica listlessly walked over to the couch. "Yeah, ing right Jessica..." 

 

 

 

~~****~~

 

 

"Jessica, break up with that low-life Kim Taeyeon," her father's voice was not that loud, but it resonated around the room like thunder as soon she arrived on his office.

 

The brunette's jaw went slack as she registered the words in her brain. Eyes widening, she somehow managed to ask the authoritative Jung something.  "H-how did you know?"

 

The man stood up from his leather chair and put his hands on his back. "Me and your mother were suspicious about your true relationship with her months ago. We thought that you two were just friends, because we trusted you. But we had to know it ourselves, for the sake of the company," he said as he paced around the room, "and eventually, we found out from one of your co-workers about it."

 

Jessica didn't know what to feel. Should she feel betrayed, angry, or disappointed about this co-worker of hers? Maybe later. All she could feel was fear.

 

"But Dad, I love her..." Jessica confessed before kneeling down, "Please let me be with Taeyeon and I'll do anything-"

 

"Get up Jessica. I will not change my mind," the man firmly stood his ground, "Be with Tyler Kwon instead."

 

The brunette stood up and wiped her tears away. Furiously, she looked at her father's eyes. "Then I will not change my mind as well," she said with determination before walking towards the door.

 

"It's either you break up with her, or watch her life slowly turn into ashes."

 

Her hand hovered over the door knob as her body went rigid, "What?" 

Jessica's determination evaporated into thin air as fear overpowered her emotions once again. What happened to the infamous "hard-headed Jessica Jung"? Things go unexpected with her father, just like what her friends used to say to her. And she had no idea what they were trying to say, but this moment made her understand more than anyone. 

 

"Jessica, I have the power to do anything, remember? I can do anything for as long as I wanted," the man chuckled, "Choose wisely, my dear. If you truly love her, you know what to do." 

 

Jessica let out a shaky breath, "Hope to never see you again, you money-faced man."

 

"That, I admit."

 

The brunette ignored his words and opened the door before slamming it shut.

 

 

~~****~~

 

 

Jessica believed that she'd be fine on her own.

 

She and Tyler agreed that their relationship was simply a movie for everyone to watch. Why? Well, Tyler doesn't stick to one. And Jessica sticks to one.

 

Jessica lodged her tongue on her left cheek with her hand hovering over her phone. Taengoo <3.

 

Does it even matter now? 

Money... Laughs... Smiles... Her life... When the one thing that gave purpose to them is gone?

She doesn't understand. They say suffering makes you stronger. But this suffering couldn't and could never make her stronger. It only made her more miserable than ever. More miserable than she could have ever imagined.

But then again, she had never imagined things to end this way. Or to end, at all.

 

"Sometimes, suffering is only suffering. It doesn't make you stronger, but only causes you to hurt."

She was never the optimistic person (except when a certain midget came into her life). She had always thought that life is full of selfish human beings. Beings that won't pay you a single glance if they know they can't benefit from you. It's all about them. They'll only care about you if they know you can give them money, attention, love, and anything they want to have in their lives. You? They don't care about you for you. They're only concerned about you because they know that if you disappear, the things they get the chance to have from you will be gone as well.

 

But all of that changed.

 

One day in school, she met eyes with a petite woman with blonde locks. There were dimples on her chin as she smiled. She remember following her with her eyes even when the woman proceeded to turn her attention to her friend and blushed when said friend whispered to her. She remember it all. The burning feeling underneath her chest as she stared at the two. Her acting of keeping a poker face as she asked her friend Tiffany who the midget with blonde locks and chin dimples is.

She also remember how she forgot about her son of a  father, her mother's anguished face before her last breath, her screwed up life, oh, she forgot it all. All she could remember is how that Kim Taeyeon lit up and gave hope to her once helpless life.

 

And now, she realized that after meeting her, she can't live. She can't breathe.

 

She gulped a lungful of air as she stared at the city before her but felt nothing go in. Fear, pain, regret, and loneliness clouded her all at once. For a moment, hesitation gripped at her, but her foot remained on the railing shakily.

 

Jessica looked up at the cloudless sky one last time.

 

"I hope you find someone who'll love you like how I did. I've loved you more than anything else Tae, and I still do... Please be happy."

 

Just as she was about to let go, a pair of arms wrapped around her waist and brought her to the floor.

 

"What the were you thinking, Jessica! And for the record, I could never ever love someone else like I do for you."

 

Jessica felt tears breaking free from her eyes without control. "T-Tae? W-what a-are..."

 

Arms tightened around her. "Tyler told me everything. We met up earlier this morning because why the not when you weren't telling me everything. Why didn't you tell me Jessica? You know I will always understand you. You know that."

 

Jessica sighed, "And the more I should let you go. I can't just let you continue hurting because of me. No matter the reason. It's just not right, Tae."

 

Taeyeon turned her to her while still lying sprawled on the ground. "But you could always just tell me, Sica. We can always think of how to handle this."

 

"But how, Tae? My father will do all sorts of things just to seperate us. He will make you suffer! I've seen him do it to countless of people Tae, I've seen him!" Jessica cried as she snuggled closer to Taeyeon.

 

"No one will seperate us, Sica," Taeyeon rubbed her back, "No one."

 

Taeyeon stood up while holding Jessica and removed her hands from her face. "So stop crying," Taeyeon smiled at her before wiping her tears, "Come on, we have a long way ahead of us."

 

Jessica stuttered when Taeyeon suddenly held her hand and led them to the door, "W-wait! Where are we going?"

 

Taeyeon looked back and smiled at her and felt her heart palpitate inside her chest, exactly like the moment when they first met,

 

"To run away towards where no responsibilities exist, where no of a father exists, where no painful pasts exists," Taeyeon stepped closer to her and gingerly touched her cheek. "But us, love."

 

 

~~****~~

A/N: A short slightangst TaengSic one-shot with a happy ending for ya. Please share your thoughts on the comments. I wanna hear what you guys think ^^