Chapter Two: Sparks Fly

"Just try a little! It'll taste good, I promise!"

Taeyeon shook her head firmly, staring at the glass of champagne in front of her. The two were now at the bar inside the ballroom. She had never tasted alcohol in her entire life and wasn't sure if it'd be a good idea to try it right here and right now. She was with Jiyong, who seemed like a nice guy, but one she wasn't sure she could trust yet. Who knows? She could end up getting drunk and left here for the night.

"Oh, c'mon, you wimp!" He urged on, testing her patience.

She let out a sigh. "How many times do I have to say no? I've never tried any kind of alcohol before! How are you so sure that I'll like it?"

He rolled his eyes. "If this was vodka or beer, I wouldn't make you try it. But this is champagne! Just one little sip! I swear that you'll like it!"

Sick and tired of his complaints, Taeyeon finally gave in. "Fine then. Just one sip. That's all."

He nodded excitedly, as Taeyeon lifted the glass to her lips and took a sip of the champagne. It wasn't strong, but more sweet, dry, and bubbly. Like Jiyong had said, she did feel that the champagne tasted nice. 

"It's alright," She commented, placing the glass back down on the table.

"Just alright? I could swear you were enjoying it!" Jiyong snickered. "Tsk, tsk. You should listen to me more, Tiffany-sshi."

He reached over in his seat to pinch her cheeks childishly. "You looked really smart and mature to me when we saw each other outside, but now I see, you're nothing but a little girl! Aigoo! You haven't experienced the world of the adults!"

Taeyeon flushed at his touch, quickly shoving him away. Dammit. She couldn't deny the fact that she felt slightly (okay, maybe a lot) attracted to the man in front of her. Not only was he gorgeous, but he had a cute, endearing personality. Whenever he touched her, she felt her stomach do a couple of flips. 

What on earth is wrong with you, Kim Taeyeon!? This is not the man you're marrying! If anything, he could end up with your cousin!

She shook her head furiously. Really, what was wrong with her? She had never been interested in a man before. Especially not one as immature and childish as Kwon Jiyong! She grabbed the glass of champagne and chugged it down in one gulp. She really needed to wake up from her stupid fantasy. They'd be strangers by tomorrow!

"Woohoo!" Jiyong cheered. "Finally, you're having some real fun! I knew you'd like the alcohol!"

She wiped her lips, wrinkling her nose. "Ugh. I shouldn't have done that."

Jiyong propped his elbow up on the table, leaning against his chin. "Now that we've gotten closer, I think you should tell me more about yourself, Tiffany-sshi."

"Why should I do that? We're not getting married or anything," Taeyeon replied.

"Well, we can always be friends. I gotta know stuff about my friends," Jiyong reminded her. "Come on. Tell me a bit about yourself."

"I'm not an interesting person," Taeyeon admitted with a laugh. "I like reading and singing. People often tell me that I'm a calm person that doesn't like saying much. I have a few, close friends and I like dogs."

"You sing? Show it off."

Taeyeon stared at him in disbelief. "You want me to sing here? No way! That's humiliating. Besides, my singing is just average."

Jiyong pouted. "Fine. But you've gotta sing for me later, when we go to a less crowded place."

"Fine," Taeyeon huffed. She felt like she was arguing with a kid. He would throw a hissy fit if he didn't get the result that he wanted.

"Shouldn't you tell me some stuff about yourself too? It'd be weird if only I did," Taeyeon remarked.

Jiyong shrugged. "I guess so. I'm not too special myself. I'm just a normal guy that likes women, partying, and alcohol. It's how every guy in their 20s is like. I suppose you can call me rebellious, considering the fact that I cause a lot of trouble for my parents. My dad's already got head full of white hair from the stress I put him through."

Taeyeon couldn't help but giggle.

It was Jiyong's turn to be stunned. Sure, he had heard women laugh before. But their laughs were fake and overly high-pitched. This girl's laugh was bright, cheerful, and had a kind of charm to it. She looked genuinely happy when she laughed. It wasn't fake. She wasn't trying to get his attention. She was just having fun.

He swallowed, wondering why he was thinking these kinds of things. She already had a man!

"H-Hey, Tiffany-sshi, why don't you take your mask off? I know this is a masquerade ball, but you must be sweaty in that," He said, changing the topic. Before he could reach for her mask, she grabbed his and put it against his face.

He gulped.

"This ...this..IS a masquerade ball. So rather than me taking off my mask, y-you should keep yours own," Taeyeon stuttered, tying the strings of his mask and fastening it tight.

He felt his face heat up. What the hell was wrong with him? What was this girl doing to him? He had literally met her an hour ago! He couldn't be falling for her this fast! 

Suddenly, he heard her squeak. He looked up, alarmed to see a drunk man standing next to her and trying to touch her in the most inappropiate places. She bit her lip, suppressing her anger. She didn't want to draw unwanted attention to herself.

However, Jiyong immediately rose from his seat and slapped the guy away. He grabbed Taeyeon's wrist firmly and dragged her out of the bar, without a single word. He seemed upset, angry even. It was a big change from his normally playful personality.

"J-Jiyong? Are you okay?" Taeyeon asked softly, as he dragged her out to the fountain they were by before.

He let out a deep breath, turning around.

"Sing for me."

"What?"

He poked her cheek playfully. "I want to hear you sing. We're out by the fountain now. There's no one else. So sing for me, Tiffany-sshi."

She opened to argue, but then closed it, realizing that fighting against Jiyong was a waste of energy. Instead she let out a sigh and nodded reluctantly.

"You look so dumb right now, standing outside my house. Trying to apologize, you're so ugly when you cry, please, just cut it out," Taeyeon sang. "Don't tell me you're sorry 'cause you're not. And baby when I know you're only sorry you got caught."

Silence. No applause. No boo-ing. Nothing but silence. Taeyeon glanced at Jiyong tentatively. Was her singing really that bad? Tiffany had always told her that it was wonderful.

"W-Was...it bad?" She asked.

He stared at her seriously.

"I think I might like you."

Taeyeon's eyes widened. What was he talking about!? This was not good! Tiffany would kill her if she didn't reject him firmly!

"What are you talking about, Jiyong? We're good friends, remember?" Taeyeon reminded him weakly. "Besides, you only met me an hour ago at this ball. You can't like me already. And what did my singing have to do with any of that? Think about it."

He shook his head. "I know. That's why I said, 'I might.' It's a fact that I feel sparks with you. You make my face heat up and my insides get tingly. I want to spend more time with you. Your singing, your laughter, I want to experience all of it. When I first came here, I expected a spoiled brat. A superficial, selfish girl. But you weren't like that, Tiffany-sshi. You're real. You're smart, sensible, and have a special kind of charm. You make me happy. Being married to you wouldn't be so bad."

"D-Don't be silly," Taeyeon stuttered. "You might like me that way, but I don't. This is ridiculous. You're fooling yourself."

I think I might like you too, Jiyong, but it's wrong for me to do so. I came here to reject you for Tiffany's sake. No one has ever complimented me like you have. Even though we're only meeting each other for tonight, I hope you meet someone great.  You deserve it.

"Let's go dance," Jiyong suddenly said, grabbing her hands. 

She blinked. "What..? What do you mean, go dance? We're not gonna go dancing in the middle of a conversation! Besides, I told you that we weren't in that kind of romantic relation-"

"We're gonna dance because I know you're in denial. I'm gonna show you that you're feeling attracted to me too," Jiyong cut her off, taking her inside. He led her into the middle of the ballroom, earning stares from other people.

He protectively placed his hand on her waist, pulling her closer to him, so that their bodies were almost touching. Taeyeon in a breath, unable to take her eyes off of his.

Despite the fact that they were wearing masks, people could tell that their gazes were filled with passion and affection. It was almost as if, to those two, no one else existed at the moment.

She nervously placed a hand on his shoulder, as the two swayed to the music. 

You're going crazy, aren't you, Kim Taeyeon? Stop this now. Stop this for Tiffany and Seunghyun's sake. Stop this for Jiyong's sake, so he doesn't get hurt when he finds out your real identity. Stop this for yourself. Stop before you fall too hard.

Without warning, Jiyong stopped moving. The look in his eyes softened and he reached for the back of her head, to untie her mask. Taeyeon's eyes widened in alarm. If he took off her mask, the people around them would see and realize that she wasn't Tiffany at all.

Panic ran through her body. She was frozen. Her mind kept telling her to push his hands away, but her body wasn't following.

And then, just as the mask was about to fall off her face, the lights went on.

Screams filled the room. Jiyong reached forward to embrace "Tiffany", but he felt nothing there. A moment later, the lights flickered back on and Jiyong cocked his head to the side in confusion.

All that was left in his hands was her mask. There was no sign of her anywhere.

Taeyeon ran.

She fan as fast as she could. She didn't care if her dress got ruined. She didn't care about the fact that her mask was gone and that Tiffany's chaffeur would recognize her. She felt scared. She wasn't supposed to be doing those kinds of things with Jiyong.

She urgently opened the door to her car and hopped in, breathless. 

"M-Miss Taeyeon? What are you doing here?" The chaffeur asked in shock. "Where's Miss Tiffany?"

"Please don't tell anyone about this!" Taeyeon pleaded. "There's...there's a good reason for this! You know about Tiffany and Seunghyun, don't you? I only came here to reject the man here."

"Miss Taeyeon-"

"You've been with us since we were five!" Taeyeon cried. "Can't you let Tiffany love who she wants? Even if it's secretly."

"Miss Taeyeon, calm down," The chaffeur said soothingly. "I won't tell anyone. For the 30 years I have been working, I have always found the idea of arranged marriages foolish. You, young ladies, should be free to choose who you want to spend the rest of your life with."

"...Mr.Kim, can I tell you another secret?" Taeyeon whispered.

The old man laughed warmly. "Of course, Miss Taeyeon. You know I think of you as my own granddaughter."

"I...I think I might've fallen for Kwon Jiyong," Taeyeon confessed. "I know it's wrong. I know I'm being foolish. I know I came there to reject him, but I gradually got more attracted to him. I don't know what to do. Tiffany would call me crazy."

"Miss, love is not something that you can control. People try and tell their heart that they're not in love. That it's impossible. But in reality, they deny it because they're scared of falling too hard," He replied. "It's wonderful that you've fallen in love..but Miss, falling in love with Kwon Jiyong is not very good. As painful as it may be, I ask for you to hide your feelings. Mr and Mrs Hwang are set on having Tiffany marry Jiyong. I'm sorry, but you have no chance with him."

A painful, aching feeling entered Taeyeon's stomach. She stared down at her hands, remembering the way Jiyong had held them warmly.

"I know, Mr.Kim. I'll...I'll do my best to forget about him. I'll pretend it was all a dream..."

"Do you think Taeyeon's doing okay?"

Though Taeyeon may have been in despair, Tiffany was currently blissfully cuddling with Seunghyun in bed. It had been a long time since they'd spent time together like this. They couldn't see each other often or for long amounts of time. Tiffany's parents had too many maids and butlers set up to guard her. Tonight was the one nght she could be free with him.

She honestly wanted to be with him forever. She loved everything about him. His appearance, his personality, and even his flaws. Everything was just so beautiful to her.

"I think so, babe," He answered, kissing the top of her head. "Taeyeon's a trustworthy girl."

"You really think so? I just hope she isn't being too passive while rejecting that guy. You know how quiet and timid she is around strangers," Tiffany reminded him, leaning closer into his broad chest.

"Stop worrying so much," He said, tickling her sides playfully. "I thought tonight was supposed to be for us!"

Tiffany let out a shriek, beginning to laugh hysterically. She weakly attempted to push Seunghyun's arms away, but only ended up letting out more bubbly laughter. 

Seunghyun smiled lovingly, as he stopped tickling her, and instead, hugged her tightly. 

"I never want to let you go," He whispered by her ear. 

She smiled. "Don't. Seunghyun, I know our relationship might be one that's hard to achieve and my parents don't approve of us, but I sitll love you. I hope you know that. No matter what happens in the future, my heart belongs to you and I will always be coming back for you. Even if my parents make me go out on blind dates, know that while I may smile to that man, you're the only man that can embrace me like this."

He released her from his arms, to cup her cheeks in his hands and kiss her sweetly. Tiffany gladly returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around Seunghyun's neck. They tilted their heads from side to side, their mouths perfectly molding against one another.

When they finally broke apart, Tiffany began to cry, alarming Seunghyun. 

"B-Baby, what's wrong?" He exclaimed, wrapping her into a tight hug. "Has someone been bothering you lately?"

"It's not that, Seunghyun," She hiccupped, tears running down her face. "i'm just so happy to be here with you. I'm scared of losing you. I don't want you to end up leaving because you get sick of my parents disapproving."

He pinched her nose lightly, earning a yelp from her. "Yah, Hwang Miyoung, don't be stupid. Who was the one lecturing me just a second ago, about never leaving her? Do you really think I'm such a bastard? I love you, from head to toe. I'm not going to leave you, when I've stayed with you this long already."

She buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Thank you, Seunghyun. Thank you so much. Even if Taeyeon has failed in her task today, I won't marry that Jiyong guy, no matter what."

He wiped her tears gently.

"I believe you, Fany."

A/N: So I feel like you guys will have many complaints about this chapter. First of all, it's still pretty short, which I am sorry about. Second of all, G-Tae may be progressing too fast. ^^" It sounds a bit unrealistic, I guess. And third of all, I promised you guys TopFany, but there wasn't that much in here. Sorry about that, everyone! Hopefully, the next chapter will be better, because Tiffany will finally be meeting Jiyong! And Jiyong will finally meet Taeyeon, w/o a mask and not disguised as Tiffany.

Also: Thank you SO SO SO much for all the comments and subs. 38 subs? That's crazy. I definitely don't deserve it, but thank you so much for all the support. I had no idea that there were this many Soshibang (TopFany/G-Tae) shippers. 

Remember to leave a comment and subscribe if you haven't already! =) You may not think much of your comments, but they really do a lot for me. I get happy from seeing each and every one of them, no matter how short.