Tiffany wanted to spend New Year's Eve together. TaeYeon shuddered just at the idea of it and the many people who would be out then, but she would be going back home during the lunar new year without bringing Tiffany, so she agreed. After all, Tiffany compensated her well for it.

TaeYeon offered to do the authentic Korean sunrise festival, even though her bones ache at the thought of standing on the beach, or worse, hiking, before dawn and during such a frigid winter. Lucky for her, Tiffany has the same concern. Neither of them is fit enough for the physical exertion, so the typical countdown became their choice.

They end up having dinner and then drinks in one of the bars in the most popular nightlife district. Everywhere is packed to the brim; TaeYeon has never experienced something like this before. Her relief of the place being cozy to wait for the new year is gone when Tiffany says, "Let's get out of here," against the buzz of conversation and music in the bar.

TaeYeon resists. It's nice and warm inside. They are lounging in a corner booth and watching the countdown play on the big screen. If she ignored the many couples and the loud groups of people doing drinking games, she could pretend it was no different than any of her previous New Year's Eves. Too bad she can't forget that Tiffany is there, that she is currently giving her a potent pout paired with puppy-dog eyes, and that Kim TaeYeon has no willpower when it comes to denying whatever Tiffany Hwang wants.

Leaning over the table so she can be heard, TaeYeon threatens with no real bite, "You're paying me for this."

In response, Tiffany smiles, takes TaeYeon's hand, snatches their long-padded jackets and hats from the back of their seat, and embarks on the dangerous journey of getting out into the street without being separated. Having survived the earlier task of getting in, TaeYeon braves the random bodies shoving and touching hers without flinching.

The air outside is only slightly fresher than inside. The snow has come and melted away, and the temperature is actually warmer than before, thanks to global warming. They slip into the stream of people on the street moving with purpose, TaeYeon following Tiffany blindly, until they find a nice spot with a sliver of unobstructed view between two tall buildings and settle along with the other people already lounging about. On a screen by one of the buildings, they can see that roughly five minutes are left in the year.

"Any resolutions for the new year?" Tiffany asks.

TaeYeon mulls over the question. She hasn't thought much about it, but her meager number of friends have insisted on the same thing over and over again; they probably managed to brainwash her with their ideal. "Going out more?" Her voice rises by the end, making it sound more like a question than a statement.

TaeYeon's titling her head to the side, way too cute for a full-grown woman that it should be a crime, and Tiffany grumbles, "I swear to God, whenever I look at you... " She's slipped back into English and trailed off. It's as endearing as it is confusing for TaeYeon's basic knowledge of the language. Tiffany shakes her head slightly, as if to dispel whatever she was thinking. "You're adorable."

Lately, it's what's happening whenever they are together: TaeYeon stares, dwelling in her thoughts, and Tiffany pulls her out with a remark that she doesn't finish, as if she was on the verge of saying something she shouldn't. And TaeYeon wants to know; she wants her to continue whatever she was going to say, but she is too afraid it won't be what she hopes for.

"What about you?" TaeYeon asks instead. "Your resolutions?" She grins, raising a brow teasingly.

In the short time they have known each other, she's learned that Tiffany is ambitious and works really hard to realize her dreams. She expects her to pull out her phone to start listing off the resolutions she has jotted down in a note. She is taken aback when Tiffany dips her chin instead, looking up at her through her lashes.

"I have one left from this year."

TaeYeon nods, not knowing where this conversation is going and too distracted by Tiffany to think.

"It's not really a New Year's resolution. Just a resolution. I made it four months ago."

Four months ago. The lone braincell of TaeYeon that's not busy gawking at how beautiful Tiffany is latches on that. Four months ago is when they began dating. Tiffany was new in Korea. She had troubles settling in, especially due to people's assumptions that she isn't a foreigner or that she was raised with knowledge of her heritage—the language, traditions, and ways of life. TaeYeon almost turned her down then; she wasn't up to do babysitting duty for (what she assumed) a foreigner who'd like to forget her roots but ended up being sent back for work and was hating every bit of it. But Tiffany was convincing, and TaeYeon found herself agreeing by the end of their first meeting.

She has a distinct gut feeling that whatever this new resolution of Tiffany's is, it has something to do with her, and she'd do whatever it takes to help her achieve it. "What is it?" She asks, her voice downed by the sound of her heartbeats rushing in her ears.

After hesitating for too long, Tiffany relents. "Can I kiss you?" She asks in a whisper, but it's as loud as thunder for TaeYeon.

Of course, Tiffany will be direct, in spite of the blush on her cheeks. Didn't she tell her about those couple of times she got into trouble at work for being too straightforward? Wasn't that one of the reasons she was transferred to Korea?

"TaeYeon?" Tiffany waits until TaeYeon meets her eyes. "You don't have to if you don't want to. It wasn't in the—"

TaeYeon doesn't let her finish the sentence; it'll ruin the moment. "I want to!" She yells, startling Tiffany a bit. "I want to, it's just..." Glancing around, she feels the anxiety she felt earlier when they arrived at the bar.

The new year is just seconds away. Some people begin the countdown. Multiple heads tilt up in expectation of colorful fireworks painting the night sky. In spite of it, TaeYeon is sure someone would see them kissing, and they would judge. But looking around, no one meets her eyes. Everyone is too busy with their own thing to care about two women standing too close to each other, and surprisingly, they are not the only ones. A squeeze on her gloved hand, and she's reminded that it's okay now.

Nine.

Tiffany is leaning closer, her eyes arching up in a smile that TaeYeon likes so much. She won't pull away—she can't. She is too caught up in the moment to do anything other than stare star-struck at Tiffany. She can turn her head to offer her cheek, acting clueless, as if she assumed Tiffany wanted to kiss her there since the beginning and blame the misunderstanding on cultural difference. Tiffany will play along, always so gracious and kind.

Eight.

As the shouting got louder and more harmonious, Tiffany halts just a couple inches away. If they were somewhere private, TaeYeon might have suffocated herself from being overwhelmed by her perfume—something expensive and foreign, just like her. Luckily, this time she can't filter out the smell of the many bodies surrounding them.

Seven.

From that close, TaeYeon notices the gloss of her pink lips, the tip of her tongue peeking for a second to wet them, the move all too tantalizing to ignore. Her own lip trembles, as do her hands, in anticipation of what is to come. Yet Tiffany doesn't close the distance. She holds on to her posture despite being pushed around by the sudden onslaught of people, all grabbing for that better view of the sky. Tiffany is giving TaeYeon the option of an out; all she has to do is make a choice.

Six.

They are so close that their breaths mingle in between, fogging before dissipating away. Tiffany's hand is still holding hers, anchoring her in the moment.

Five.

She realizes that if she is to help Tiffany fulfill her so-called new resolution, she has to kiss her before the year ends. For a hot second, she panics, but with it comes a surge of courage, and the next thing she knows, her lips are against Tiffany's. Too firm, she thinks, because she can feel the uncomfortable pressure of their teeth behind their lips.

Before she can abruptly end the contact, Tiffany's free hand cups her cheek. The glove is soft on her skin, and she feels the tension ease away as she melts into the kiss. Is she supposed to move her lips? Is there a pattern she should follow? The movies make it seem so easy, but she doesn't want to devour Tiffany like a hungry zombie.

The rest of the countdown falls away, and loud cheers burst in earnest. Someone jostles TaeYeon forward, jerking her away from her spinning thoughts and back to what's happening. While she is distracted like a fool, Tiffany has taken the lead. She really knows what she is doing—the slight tilt of her head, the perfect press of her pillowy soft lips, the low hum deep in —and TaeYeon can't stop the pang of jealousy. It's the perfect kiss, and definitely not the first for Tiffany.

After what feels like a lifetime, Tiffany pulls back first. Still with her eyes closed, TaeYeon can feel her sigh fluttering across her face, ruffling her lashes. Her lips tingled, and she quickly wet them, tasting the cherry of Tiffany's gloss and chasing it again like the first time she found chapsticks with flavors.

"I like kissing you."

It's easy enough to understand the English words, and TaeYeon's blush darkens. is too dry, and she fears she'll croak out her words like a dying toad. She has nothing to respond to Tiffany's declaration; her mind is too jumbled; one thought races with another. She itches to run away, or at least to pull down her beanie to cover her face, no matter how ridiculous it will look. But Tiffany continues to stare at her with that particular softness in her eyes, like it is real.

"Is it okay if I kiss you again?"

There is no need for pretense when she has been staring at Tiffany's lips ever since the kiss ended, so she nods. Perhaps a little too enthusiastic.

"I'll pay you more," Tiffany murmurs against the corner of her lips. "Later."

TaeYeon can only agree numbly. "Of course." And she stands still to accept another kiss. It's just as nerve-wracking, but for an entirely different reason.

When she accepted the job, she didn't think it would be this hard. She expects it to be fun to meet new people and hang out with them, perhaps stemming her own loneliness and gaining some money while doing so. She didn't expect someone like Tiffany Hwang to be her first client; she didn't expect how easy it is to be with her and how willing she'd be to do as Tiffany wishes. Now, how should she tell the woman who has paid her to be her girlfriend that it was her first kiss? Or that, against the contract they signed, she has fallen in love with her?