Title: Long Lost Friends (A TaeNy Story)

Setting: Seoul, Korea

Time: 15 years from 2012 (around 2027)

Characters:

Taeyeon (Girls’ Generation)

Tiffany (Girls’ Generation)

Cameos/Mention:

Girls’ Generation

Leeteuk (Super Junior)

Kyuhyun (Super Junior)

~*~

            A good fourteen, fifteen years have passed since the comeback with “The Boys.”  In this period of time, the members of Girls’ Generation have gone into their own paths. 

            Taeyeon, the dorky kid leader, dated for a few years and tied the knot with Leeteuk of Super Junior in 2016, retiring from celebrity life.

            Jessica, the Ice Princess, became a successful solo artist and won many awards such as the “Solo Artist of the Year.”

            Sunny, the aegyo queen, devoted herself to the variety show [Invincible Youth].  She was a favorite of the IY members.

            Hyoyeon, the dancing queen, opened her own dance studio, becoming one of the top coaches in the nation.

            Yuri, the Black Pearl, chose to become a model for SM and was featured in many popular magazines.

            Sooyoung, the shikshin, started her own cooking show and published her own cookbook with her special recipes.

            Yoona, the natural beauty, pursued in becoming an actress, soon was an all-time favorite of the millions of viewers in Korea.

            Seohyun, the meticulous maknae, returned to school with a new major.  Graduating in 2020, she became a doctor in a famous clinic.

            And Tiffany? The eye-smile Fany? Well, being one of the American-Korean members in her group, Tiffany returned to Los Angeles to join her family.  During her move, all eight of the Soshi members’ contacts were lost.  Not even a single hope was present to find a way to contact her unnies and dongsaengs, especially since she changed her own address and phone number.

            Though Tiffany wanted to go back to Korea and search for her long-lost members, her father unfortunately fell sick.  He was diagnosed with an incurable disease, though it wasn’t life threatening, but it kept him on his bed.  Tiffany didn’t want to leave her dad, but she did pay close attention to the Korean news, those relating to her members.

            “Kim Taeyeon Spotted on Date with Park Jungsoo,” Tiffany read on the computer screen.

            “Seo Joohyun Starts Research on Finding Cure for Cancer”

            “Jung Jessica Wins Best Solo Artist Award Four Years Consecutively”

            “IY Lee Soonkyu Takes Pictures with Greeny’s Calf + Special Clip”

            Out of the eight members, Tiffany wanted to find Taeyeon the most.  Taeyeon had been her best friend throughout the years of being Hallyu stars.  They met during their trainee days, debuted under the same group, and worked together in their sub-unit.   The last time Tiffany saw her unnies and dongsaengs was at the dorky leader’s wedding.

            Who knew that the OTP TaeTeuk actually got married?  This was just the way the world was, unpredictable. 

            “Miyoung-ah,” Tiffany’s dad called.

            “Yes appa?” She quickly went to her father’s side.

            “Do you miss your members?” her father asked.

            “Of course, but during those years in Korea, I missed you the most,” she smiled.

            “Do… do you want to go back to Korea?”

            “Why do you ask that, appa?”

            “I know that you wanted to go to Korea back two years ago, but my disease stopped you from going.”

            “No, it didn’t,” Tiffany lied. “I wanted to spend more time with you and my siblings.”

            “Miyoung-ah, don’t lie to me. You wanted to go, right?”

            “Well…”

            “Yes?”

            “Yeah, but I don’t think I’ll be able to contact the Soshi members.”

            “How come?”

            “I lost their contact info, and it’s a bummer I also changed mine, too.”

            “You will meet those whom you are destined to.  I’m sure you’ll reunite with them.”

            “Thanks appa.” She gave her father a hug. 

            “So, you better book a ticket now, or else they’ll be gone.”

            “Really?!” Tiffany exclaimed in excitement. “I love you so much!”

            An ecstatic Tiffany flew to the computer, searching for flight tickets to Seoul.  She found an airline ready to fly next week Wednesday, which meant the day she arrives, it would be Girls’ Generation’s twentieth anniversary since debut.

~*~

            “Taeyeon-ah!” Leeteuk called. “Breakfast is ready!”

            “Coming, yeobo!” Taeyeon replied, scurrying down the stairs of their new apartment.

            “Did you sleep well last night?” her husband asked.

            “Yep, did you have a good night’s sleep?” Taeyeon replied as she poured a glass of orange juice.

            “Of course, that’s why I have perfect skin.”

            “You little self-centered pabo.”

            The couple enjoyed a nice August morning in their little home in Seoul.  When they first got married, Taeyeon moved in to her in-laws’ home, finally able to buy an apartment after years of saving money. 

            Super Junior’s activities ceased a little before Girls’ Generation disbanded.  Many Kpop fans were sad to hear the news of their two favorite groups leaving, but they wished the members the best.

            Leeteuk found himself a high paying job as a computer engineer, working alongside with Kyuhyun.  Taeyeon became a devoted housewife, going in for tea with other ajummas once in a while or shopping with some of the Soshi members.

            “Do you have anything planned out today?” Leeteuk asked his wife.

            “Not really,” Taeyeon replied.  “I think I’ll go out grocery shopping and try out that new recipe in Sooyoung’s cookbook.”

            “I’ll be having a good dinner tonight then,” Leeteuk grinned.

            “Haha, yes you will.”

            “Are your members doing well?”

            “They seem to be,” Taeyeon answered thoughtfully.  “Jessica, Sunny, Sooyoung, and YoonYul are still in the media, Seohyun became a doctor, and Hyoyeon trained many of Korea’s top dancers.”

            “What about Tiffany?” Leeteuk pointed.

            “Miyoung? We lost contact with her!” Taeyeon said sadly. “After our wedding, we didn’t get to see her again.  I heard she went back to America.”

            “I’m sure she’ll come back to Korea for a visit,” Leeteuk comforted.

            “I hope so.”

~*~

            Pacing back and forth in her room, Tiffany thought of what she would bring to her trip to Korea.  She made a mental list while opening her suitcase.  Make-up, towels, shampoo & conditioner, toothbrush & toothpaste, shoes, clothes, phone, laptop, iPod & earphones…

            “Miyoung?” Tiffany’s sister called from the door.

            “Yes unnie?” she replied, looking up from the suitcase on her bed.

            “Appa said you’re going to Korea,” her sister stated.

            “Yep,” Tiffany grinned. “I miss my Soshi members.”

            “When is your flight?”

            “I think it’s… Oh! I’m taking off two days later!”

            “Before you go, I want to give you this.”

            Tiffany’s sister handed her a beautiful silver bracelet, and she instantly recognized it.

            “Unnie, isn’t this umma’s?” Tiffany tilted her head, confused.

            “Yes, it is umma’s,” her sister started, “but this was her gift for us.”

            “What?”

            “Umma gave me three of these, one for each of us.”

            “That means you and oppa have two other identical ones?”

            “Somewhat identical. See, your bracelet has a flower to represent your growth as our beautiful maknae.”

            “Umma,” Tiffany whispered, barely audible.

            She gave her sister a big hug and admired the little gift her mother had left for her.  Her sister left the room, leaving Tiffany lost in thought as she remembered her mother.

~*~

            “Airplane landing. Passengers, welcome to Seoul,” the speaker buzzed.

            Clicks of the seatbelts echoed through the plane and mixed with the voices of the newly arrived visitors.  Thumps were heard as suitcases dropped to the ground, followed by the rolling of their wheels.

            Tiffany got up from her seat carrying her bag and walked down to exit the plane.  She took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air.  Thirteen hours on the aircraft was stuffy, and she strode to the luggage area.

            “Do you need help, miss?” a staff asked.

            “No, I’m fine,” Tiffany smiled. “Thank you, though.”

            After a couple of minutes, she spotted the pink suitcase flowing down on the conveyor belt.  Being the independent girl she was, Tiffany lifted the suitcase with little trouble and took a taxi to her hotel.

            She checked in with the receptionist in the lobby, dropping off her belongings in her room before taking off on a stroll in the streets of Seoul.  The August weather in Korea wasn’t as overwhelming a it was in L.A., an occasional breeze running through her long brown hair.

            “I never realized how much I missed Korea,” Tiffany silently thought to herself.

            Many passer-bys took a glance at her, turning to their friends in wonder if they just saw the Tiffany of Girls’ Generation.  Tiffany shook the thought off and entered a popular shopping mall in Seoul.

            Tiffany had missed Korea’s fashion, its food, and of course, its welcoming feeling.  She saw her favorite jewelry store, Tiffany & Co., and politely greeted the sales attendant.  The shining pieces of the diamonds and metals caught her attention.

            “Maybe I should buy one for unnie,” Tiffany thought.

            Her little consideration was interrupted by an attendant.

            “Are you interested in any particular item, miss?” the attendant brightly asked.

            “I’m thinking of buying a bracelet for my unnie,” Tiffany replied. “Do you guys have anything special?”

            “You’re here at the right place!”

            The attendant was a young woman, probably in her early 20s.  She brought Tiffany to the bracelet section, introducing new and limited edition jewelry.  Tiffany picked out several of the beautiful silver as the sales attendant described each bracelet’s details.  She finally settled on one with colored rhinestones in a flow-y pattern.

            Satisfied, Tiffany walked out of the store and continued her adventure.  As she was walking, the thought of Girls’ Generation’s anniversary struck her.  She returned to the store, feeling a bit awkward for being there just a couple of minutes ago.

            “Hello, miss. Welcome back,” the same sales attendant greeted.

            “Hello,” Tiffany smiled.  “I just remembered I wanted to buy another gift for my best friend.”

            “What would you like to be a nice gift for your friend?”

            “Another bracelet, please.”

            Back to the glass cases it was, but Tiffany took longer looking for the perfect bracelet that would highlight Taeyeon’s pale arms.  A gold bracelet would make her look old, but a silver one would carry out the youth in the former leader.  Tiffany carefully examined each of the bracelets the sales attendant brought out.

            “I think I’ll buy this one for her.” Tiffany held out a silver bracelet studded with diamonds arranged in tiny flowers.

            “Okay, miss, I’ll wrap it up and put it in a gift box for you,” the attendant said.

            Again, Tiffany stepped out of Tiffany & Co., wondering when she’ll ever be able to see Taeyeon.  She walked around the mall, most of the time window shopping.  Time passed by really quickly, for it had been almost three hours since she arrived in Seoul.  The tiny rumble in Tiffany’s stomach told her it was time for a nice lunch.

            She was in the mood for some of the famous street food in Korea, ddukbokki and odeng, though summer was pretty warm.  Tiffany walked to the mini cart which she often visited and immediately greeted the ajumma working.

            “Annyeonghaseyeo, ajumma!” Tiffany happily called. “Do you remember me?”

            “Ah, let’s see,” the ajumma said. “Omo, is it Miyoung?”

            “Yes, it is Miyoung,” Tiffany smiled.

            “Miyoung-ah, I missed you a lot!”

            “I missed you too, and the ddukbokki and odeng,” Tiffany grinned.

            “Well, I’ll have some right up for you.” The ajumma began scooping the delicious rice cakes into a cup.

            The ajumma handed the cup of ddukbokki to Tiffany and grabbed another one to put in four sticks of odeng.  Tiffany gratefully took the food, complimenting the ajumma’s wonderful cooking skills while paying. 

            The two ladies spent some time catching up on the latest news.  Tiffany was told that Taeyeon had also often visited the ajumma, and she told the ajumma about her current life.

            “You’re only here to visit, Miyoung-ah?” the ajumma asked, disappointed.

            “Yep, for a short summer vacation,” Tiffany added.

            “Aww, it’s a pity you can’t stay too long.”

            “I know, it feels really nice to be here.”

            “Oh, send my greetings to your appa. I hope he’ll recover soon!”

            “Thanks! I guess I’ll be going now…”

            “Aww, okay.  I had a great time bonding with you again.”

            “Me too. I’ll see you soon, ajumma!”

            Tiffany threw away the cups and bid farewell to her ajumma friend.  She walked to a nearby store filled with stationery and other popular items.  A Totoro plush brought interest to her as she squealed in delight upon seeing her favorite cartoon character.  Finding these stuffed toys in L.A. wasn’t common, let alone with a cheaper price.

            She bought the Totoro and looked around some more, then she entered another store selling souvenirs.  Not much appealed to her, so she went to the convenience store and got an icecream bar for a treat.

~*~

            Taeyeon scurried to the market as time was ticking.  She had invited her dongsaengs to come over to her house for a dinner in celebration of Girls’ Generation’s twentieth anniversary.  All eight members were expected, minus Miyoung.

            “Taxi!” Taeyeon waved. “Taxi!”

            Bad luck for her, many taxis just whizzed by, leaving a cloud of dust behind.  Taeyeon resolved to take a bus, which would mean taking a longer time to reach the nearby supermarket. 

                She arrived fifteen minutes later and checked the coupons in her purse, feeling somewhat anxious because of the party that night.  Grabbing a shopping cart, Taeyeon searched for her to-buy list. 

                “Vegetables,” Taeyeon muttered to herself. “Fruits, noodles, chips…”

                The list went on and on, sending the young ajumma running down the aisles of food.  She knew her former members were big eaters, especially Yoona and Sooyoung.  Her short legs didn’t carry her too quick, leaving just the right amount of time to examine any product that was not on her list.

                Taeyeon paused for a while in front of the snacks.  Pea snacks and Totoro themed chips were aligned on the shelves.  Back in the days, she spent many hours watching movies with Tiffany and snacking on the very same food. 

                It reminded her of her favorite plush, the peas from Toy Story, and Tiffany’s, Totoro.  She was interrupted when another shopper spoke up.

                “Excuse me, I would like to pass,” the shopper asked shyly.

                “Oh, I’m sorry,” Taeyeon quickly apologized. “Here, I’ll move so it’ll be easier for you.”

                She snapped out of her thoughts and checked the time, 6pm. Not even half of the list was in her cart, so she hurried to get the shopping done.  As an item was added to the cart, it became heavier, causing some difficulties as Taeyeon tried to push it without its contents falling out.

                At last, she made it to the cash register, quickly emptying the cart and placing the items on the conveyor belt.  She sighed as the price went up with every “beep” the scanner made. 

                “Well, no pain no gain,” Taeyeon thought.

                Taking the groceries by hand was tough, since the cart had to be returned to the supermarket, of course.  Thankfully, the strong ajumma had worked out quite often during her trainee and idol days.  The bags were a challenge, but they were manageable.

                She absentmindedly let her legs carry her, and it was long before it dawned to her that she was going the opposite way from home.  Then, she saw the park laying ahead of her, a figure also walking in the same direction.

                The figure looked oddly familiar to Taeyeon.  She quickened her steps to take a closer look at the person, soon recognizing the brown hair.

                “Could it be…?” Taeyeon gasped.

~*~

            It was about 7pm by now, and Tiffany felt the familiar feeling of “home.”  The sun was starting to set, creating a beautiful scene like in the movies.  A long breeze cooled her, and she found herself near a park.

            That’s when someone called her.

            “Tiffany?” A woman’s voice called. “Fany-ah?”

            Tiffany turned around, seeing a middle-aged woman.

            “Taeyeon?” she asked, hopeful.

            And the two friends smiled, recognizing each other and knowing that they had found each other after many years of separation.

~*~

Thank you for reading the first one-shot, [Long Lost Friends (A TaeNy Story)]!

Little Words of Wisdom: "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding." (Proverbs 3:5 NIV)

Much love,
honeypeachies

PS: Comments and subscribers are appreciated! :)

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