A/N: Whew! Finally got around to finishing this last chapter. I still have another exam tomorrow but it’s not until late afternoon so I decided to get this chapter done. I’m not sure if this is good so please don’t get your hopes up.

Epilogue will be up next week, I hope, depending on my schedule. The PDF, however, might take some time. Probably 2 weeks… 3 weeks tops.

Warning: Unedited. Might contain lots (and lots… and lots) of errors in spelling and grammar. Forgive me.

PS. Locksmiths, we need your help! If you have an account in SSF, please help the TaeNy thread reach its 1527th page. The TaeNy 1527 celebration is happening on May 8 (if I'm not mistaken) but the TaeNy thread is moving at a turtle’s pace. Please comment on the thread to help speed things up. We’re only at 1513 1514 with 6 days left. Spazz, comment or whatever, I guarantee you an awesome list of authors with awesome stories.

She stepped out of the elevator and sluggishly made her way along the hallway. Jessica had just dropped her off at the entrance of her apartment building. Her friend insisted on walking her up to her front door but she refused. She needed some time alone.

She stopped in front of her door for a second; mentally preparing herself for the dark and empty apartment she was going to enter. With a sigh, she took out her keys and unlocked the door. She walked inside but stopped abruptly when she noticed a light coming from the kitchen.

Strange.

Did I leave it on?

No. She was sure she turned off all lights before leaving. She let out a silent gasp. Did someone break in? She gulped but braved herself and walked with slow and quiet footsteps to the kitchen. On her way there, she took of her heels and grasped one tightly with her hand. If there were indeed a robber in her house, she wouldn’t let him leave without at least a bruise.

She took a deep breath, building up her courage before she had to step out from behind the wall. She held her shoe tighter, ready to throw it. She took a big step, raised her hand and was about to launch it when the intruder turned around.

“Woah there!”

The shoe fell out of her hold almost instantly. Her eyes widened while her heartbeat quickened. She took short, quick breaths, not entirely believing what she was seeing.

“What’s with the shoe?”

“I-I… y-you… T-taeyeon…”

Taeyeon smiled and moved to stand in front of her.

With a shaky hand, she reached out to hold Taeyeon’s cheek. “H-how…”

Taeyeon smiled wider. “Before I tell you anything, let me introduce you to our neighbors.” She held the hand that was resting on her cheek and tugged on it while making her to the front door.

Tiffany was confused but followed the pull anyway, her eyes on their interlocked hands.

Taeyeon stopped pulling after a moment but didn’t let go of her hand. She looked up and saw that they were in front of Sunny’s apartment. “H-huh?”

Instead of answering, Taeyeon pressed the doorbell and they both waited for the door to be answered. They heard footsteps from inside before the door swung open, revealing the mini-Taeyeon Tiffany thought she’d never see again.

“You’re here!” Hayeon squealed.

“Hayeon-ah, not too loud. It’s late,” she heard a woman’s voice say from behind Hayeon. The girl turned around and it gave Tiffany a chance to see whose voice it belonged to.

“U-umma…”

Mrs. Kim beamed out a smile before gesturing them to enter the apartment.

Tiffany absentmindedly followed the Kim’s to the couch in the living room, where Mr. Kim and Jiwoong sat.  She was beyond confused. Her mind was trying to make sense of what was happening but failed.

She sat on the couch, sandwiched between Taeyeon and Hayeon while the rest of the Kim’s were on the other side. No one spoke but Tiffany needed answers. She decided to speak up first. “U-um… what’s going on?”

“Meet our new neighbors!” Taeyeon exclaimed.

“H-huh?”

“They’re our new neighbors.”

“Well except for me,” Jiwoong raised his hand. “Expect to see me here often though, with my kids and wife, hopefully,” he grinned.

Her mind was spinning, causing her to let out another “Huh?”

Mrs. Kim chuckled. “What do you find confusing, dear?”

“E-everything.” She looked around the room, from Taeyeon’s sparkling eyes, round to Hayeon’s. “I-I thought you were going home.” She reverted her gaze back to Taeyeon.

“But I am home.” She looked around and smiled at her family before looking back at Tiffany. “We are home.”

Tiffany remained silent but her heartbeat accelerated. It was telling her something, but she was afraid to hope too much.

“I think you owe your girlfriend a proper explanation, Taeyeon-ah,” Jiwoong said. “She’s still confused.”

Taeyeon nodded.

“I guess we better go sleep. Hayeon’s been quietly yawning over there since a minute ago. We’ll leave you two alone. Should you want to leave, please lock the door, Taeyeon-ah. We’ll see the both of you tomorrow for breakfast and I won’t take no for an answer.”

---

They entered the apartment and went in Tiffany’s room without talking. It worried Taeyeon that Tiffany hadn’t uttered a word since the talk other than “goodnight.” She was afraid that they had gone too far with the surprise and it got Tiffany furious.

Taeyeon sat on the bed and waited for Tiffany to return from the bathroom. She was nervous.

Moments later, Tiffany stepped out of the bathroom, decked in her pajamas. She sat beside Taeyeon and stared at the closed bathroom door before speaking. “Please tell me. What happened to Jeonju? What happened to Hayeon finishing her studies? What ha–“

“I’ll tell you, but please don’t get mad. Your uncle was just trying to help.”

She nodded. She wasn’t mad, of course; she just wanted an explanation.

Taeyeon took a deep breath before explaining everything to Tiffany. She went on to tell her about her uncle’s plans to help her. She told her about how her uncle sought Sunny and Hyoyeon’s help to convince Taeyeon’s family to move from Jeonju to Seoul. They also helped him fix Hayeon’s papers to move her from a small school in Jeonju to a known high school in Seoul.

Her parents worried for Hayeon but the girl was beyond excited for the move. She had always wanted to study in Seoul but her family didn’t have the means to do it. She had two more years of high school to finish but she didn’t mind the sudden transfer. She knew she would get better education in Seoul anyway.

Uncle Hwang made sure that she would get into one of the best high schools in the city. Hayeon did, with full scholarship too, and her chances of entering the University of her choice got bigger.

All of Uncle Hwang’s work touched the Kim parents’ hearts. They didn’t know what led him to do all of that, but when he suddenly showed up at their doorstep one day in Jeonju, explaining everything to them, they didn’t have to think twice to agree.

They were happy that Hayeon was finally going to get the education she deserved, but more than that, they were also happy to know that Taeyeon finally found her happiness. Taeyeon had always been so selfless and moving to Seoul didn’t seem that big of a sacrifice to make sure their daughter stayed happy.

“So, I’m staying. My whole family’s staying. Here. In Seoul. With you.”

Tiffany stayed quiet until Taeyeon finished. All that information made her feel dizzy. Happy, but dizzy. Uncle Hwang was really something. “W-what about Sunny and Hyoyeon then?”

Taeyeon smiled; relieved that at least Tiffany didn’t look mad. “Unfortunately, they already went back to Jeonju. Sunny only came here to secure a place to stay for my family and Hyoyeon came here with my family. Their lives are in Jeonju, but don’t worry, I made them promise to come and visit every two weeks.”

“H-how… w-what…” She closed her eyes; too overwhelmed with everything. So her uncle and friends did so many things to make sure Taeyeon stayed. They sacrificed their time and energy just to make her happy. How many times did she ever reject their help because she thought she didn’t need it? They could’ve given up on her stubbornness but they didn’t. They persisted and she was thankful for that.

Taeyeon moved to hold her hand. “Are you angry?”

Her eyes fluttered open. “No!” How could she get angry? They did so, so much! She was grateful for them. She was grateful for her uncle. Most of all, she was thankful for Taeyeon – the person who managed to change her completely. And she wasn’t leaving. It finally sank in.

Taeyeon wasn’t leaving. She was staying. Here. In Seoul. With her.

She removed her hand from Taeyeon’s hold and hugged her instead.

Taeyeon hugged her back immediately. “I love you.”

 “I love you too.” She made a mental note to thank their friends and her uncle, but not before smacking them for making her cry too much. She tightened the hug. “So, so much.”