The ticking sound of the clock was the only thing that broke the otherwise suffocating silence as a figure sat completely still, a turned off phone in the tight grasp of her clenched hand, her tired eyes staring ahead without any aim. Anyone passing by the living room would think she was watching the TV, but, the said device was turned off as well.

Albeit the complete and unusual silence, Taeyeon wasn’t the only one present in the shared dorm. Both Hyoyeon and Sunny were there as well, probably coping up in their own ways behind the closed doors of both of their bedrooms.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes as a recent memory came flashing through her mind. She wished it was anything other than reality, she craved for it, but when was life ever good to anyone?

~~

Flashback

“Slow down TaeTae, the food won’t run away.” Tiffany giggled as she leaned over the table and ruffled Taeyeon’s hair who returned a sheepish smile.

“But you still didn’t answer me, why so suddenly?” The older girl asked as she pointed at the table placed between them.  Last thing she remembered was playing with her iPad in her room when suddenly the pink monster appeared and dragged her out of the bedroom, repeating how she wanted to treat Taeyeon to a Korean Barbeque restaurant.

Tiffany shrugged as a response, “Just felt like treating you, is it that weird?”

“No, it’s just…” Her words trailed off, finding no reason to be complaining.

“Hmm?” She realized Tiffany was still waiting for her to finish with expectant eyes. Taeyeon paused for a moment, studying the latter’s beautiful eyes with an unconscious smile before shaking her head, “Nothing.”

Both girls fell into a comfortable silence as they indulged in their food. They weren’t bothered by fans at all since both girls made sure to be covered up well. Taeyeon was glad that the weather started to get cold which allowed them to not attract as much attention as they would in the summer.

Right after they finished their dinner, Tiffany insisted that they go visit the park near their dorm claiming that the night is still young and that it’s the perfect place to avoid crowds. Taeyeon just went by with it, not really having anything else to do anyway.

The crunching sound of fallen leaves they were stepping on filled their ears as the older girl placed her hands inside the pockets of her coat, her head snuggling deeper to the scarf wrapped around her neck while exhaling white fog. She had noticed how unusually silent and slightly tensed the girl beside her was, and this worried her.

Her eyes couldn’t help but notice the latter’s footsteps slowing down before coming to a complete stop. Looking up, her eyes were immediately met by sad ones making her stop as well.

“Tae…” Tiffany called out weakly with a hint of longing in her voice. It was only then that Taeyeon noticed how clenched her own fists were inside her pockets, how her heart was increasingly accelerating by the second and she suddenly felt suffocated. She didn’t utter a response, afraid her voice would fail her so she just kept looking at the younger girl.

After a deep breath and a trembled exhale, Tiffany finally let out a whisper.

“I’m leaving.”

Taeyeon’s eyebrows shot up to the sky as she stood stunned. Leaving?  Like… leaving this park? Leaving the dorm? Leaving… what exactly? Questions were bombarding her brain as she felt an upcoming headache piercing its way through.

“I wanted you to be the first to know.” Tiffany’s slightly hoarse voice snapped her out of her thoughts as she just looked at the girl with confusion, denial and pain.

She wasn’t sure how much time passed but she couldn’t care less. She just stared at the younger girl trying to make sense out of what the latter said.

“Taeyeon, just say something.” The said girl’s eyes returned their focus to Tiffany’s as she noticed how they were showing more pain as each second passed by. “…Please.”

“L-leaving?” Her question was met by a heavy sigh and a slight shake of a head before she saw Tiffany advancing closer to her and the sides of face. “I’m leaving the company. I’m going to be studying in the US.”

There was her slap of reality. Her slightly burning eyes blinked a few times, feeling