Chapter 16

 

 

“I am done!” the little girl shouted after finishing the last piece of meat on her plate.

 

“Haeyeon-ah, this is a restaurant, you can’t just shout out like that.”

 

“Sorry Omma!”

 

“It’s okay! At least you are done before Taeyeon.”

 

“Yesss! I beat Unnie!”

 

“Taeyeon-ah, you are still not done! I thought you would be done, after I come back from the restroom. *tsk* *tsk* such a slow poke.”

 

“Omma! Appa is teasing me!”

 

The said woman, the mother of the two, glared at her husband, who gave her his signature cheeky grin, which oddly resembled the matching grin of her elder daughter.

 

The thought made her smile.

‘That same dorky smile.’

 

“Kim Seunghyun!” the woman called out in a reprimanding tone, trying her best to hide her smile upon seeing her husband sitting up straight hearing her voice.

 

She smiled when their eyes met.

“Yes Mrs. Kim…”

 

‘Gosh! That cheeky smile again.’

 

She just raised her eyebrows in response.

 

“I thought you’ve had enough of calling out my name last ni-OUCH” The father of the two, yelped in pain, when his wife pinched his arm.

 

“The kids are here.” She said in a hushed tone, her face turning red.

 

Taeyeon looked at her parents who were just staring at each other having a stare down. 

 

Their elder daughter looked down upon seeing her parents almost having a conversation through their eyes…

 

‘I wish I can have this one day…when I grow up.’

 

Taeyeon sighed.

 

There was this thing that has been bothering her recently, ever since she had a talk with her best friend.

 

They were actually pretty close. She was a quiet kid, and he, although he wasn’t exactly quiet, it was hard for him to get along with the other boys, because he had this feminine vibe about him, that led other boys in the class to endlessly. And the two aloof souls sought friendship in each other.

 

They were having a conversation during lunch and somehow the conversation took a turn toward how Taeyeon never talks about boys.

 

“I am just not boy crazy like the other girls.” Taeyeon said decisively.

 

“That’s it?”

 

“Yeah. What else…”

 

“Something else that you are not telling me?”

 

“We are friends since forever…I am not keeping anything from you. I just don’t like boys.” Taeyeon stiffened realizing how close to the truth that sounded. “Right now…that’s it.” She added to cover up for herself. 

 

“So when are you going to tell me that you like GaYun-sshi from math?”

 

Taeyeon’s eyes widened, but she tried not to show her surprise.

 

“I-I don’t know what you are talking about.” She tried to say in her best authoritative tone.

 

“Taengoo-ah! I know you for so long. And it’s okay to like girls.”

 

“How did you know?” Taeyeon gave in, knowing that she got caught and there is no reason denying the truth, at least not to her best friend.

 

She sighed, lowering her head. ‘Now he is going to think I am weird.’

 

Key came closer to his friend, and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

 

“No need to feel bad or lonely about this Taengoo. And if it makes you feel any better…I will tell you something about me too, that I have never told anyone.”

 

Taeyeon looked up, wondering what it could be.

 

“I like Jonghyun-hyung.”

 

It took Taeyeon a few moments to realize exactly what he said. Her eyes widened as the sudden realization dawned upon her.

 

‘I should’ve seen this coming.’

 

“Yes, I like boys. So big deal!”

 

“How did you know?”

 

“Just like you know. I just know…”

 

Taeyeon nodded in understanding.

 

“Is it a bad thing?”

 

“I don’t think so….what do you think Taengoo?”

 

“I mean we are not hurting anyone…so it shouldn’t be a bad thing right?” Taeyeon said, almost like questioning herself.

 

“I think so too. It might be different from most people, but I don’t think it is a bad thing.”

 

“hmmm.”

 

The two friends packed up their stuff as the bell rang and walked to class.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“UNNIE!”

 

Taeyeon broke out of her reverie, when she felt her little sister poking her cheek and calling her.

 

“Appa gave us money to get ice cream….let’s go unnie!”

 

Taeyeon looked at her father to confirm her sister’s words, while her sister was already standing up and pulling her by the hand.

 

“Unnie! Come on! Appa said to go fast and eat the ice cream there.”

 

Taeyeon smirked knowing her father.

 

‘He just wants to spend time with Umma.’

 

She saw her father winking at her, and she shook her head.

 

“UNNIE! They are going to run out of the mint oreo flavor!” Taeyeon turned around, feeling her sister’s pull on her hand.

 

“Aish! Coming Haeyeon-ah! You should be a little gentler with your Unnie.”

 

“Why! You are my Unnie, I can do whatever I want…” the little girl said with a pout.

 

Taeyeon smiled at her little sister adoringly.

 

“Unnie!”

 

“Okay! Okay! Unnie is sorry.”

 

“Sorry is not going to cut it.”

 

“Oooh! Big words! Where did you learn that?”

 

“Umma was saying this to Appa yesterday when he broke the wine glass.”

 

“Aish! You are not supposed to eavesdrop in adult people’s conversation Haeyeon-ah…its rude.”

“Oh!”

 

Taeyeon was walking toward the ice-cream store, but stopped when she felt a tug on her hand.

 

“Why?”

 

“I am sorry.”

 

“It’s okay! No worries!”

 

“SO Unnie is going to piggyback me?”

 

“Yes! Unnie is going to piggyback little Miss Haeyeon.”

 

Taeyeon said while squatting down, waiting for her sister to jump on her back.

 

“I am not little Miss. Hayeon!”

 

“Then what are you?”

 

“Big Miss. Haeyeon.”

 

“Okay! Big Miss Haeyeon. Let’s go get ice cream.”

 

Taeyeon entered the ice cream shop and smiled seeing the familiar figure.

 

She patted the head of the boy, who was giving the ice-cream guy a hard time by asking him to get samples of all the flavors.

 

“Key stop being a diva.”

 

“Oh! Taengoo! What are you doing here?”

 

“Getting ice-cream with my sister.”

 

“Ah!”

 

Key looked over Taeyeon’s shoulder to see the small face of the little girl hiding herself behind her sister.

 

“She is a bit shy toward strangers.”

 

“But I have been to your house before.”

 

“Yeah…I don’t know why she is so shy today.”

 

“Haeyeon-ah! Say ‘Hi’ to unnie’s friend.”

 

“hi” came a small muffled voice, making the two friends smile.

 

“OMO! You are so cute! Taeyeon-ah I love your sister!”

 

“Key! You are scaring her!”

 

“Oh! Sorry Haeyeon-ah! Oppa is sorry! I love you!” Key said making a small heart sign with his hands.

 

“I don’t want to marry you. I want to be with Unnie forever.”

 

“Eh?” both Taeyeon and Key looked at each other and broke into laughter.

 

“Why would Key marry you?”  

 

“Appa said that he loves umma and that’s why he married her and he would be with her forever, Unnie! I don’t want to be with Oppa forever!”

 

Haeyeon explained innocently and added, “I want to be with Unnie forever, so she can piggback me and protect me from Jack frost at night!”

 

“Aish! Haeyeon-ah you have been eavesdropping into adult’s conversations too much! He said he loves you as your Oppa!”

 

“oh! I love you too! Oppa!” Haeyeon said smiling at the boy, who beamed at her.

 

“Here is your ice-cream sir.” The boy at the counter handed Key his ice-cream. Key took the ice-cream and winked at him.

 

Taeyeon raised her eyebrow at her friend at this.

 

“What? He was cute!”

 

“Whatever! Let me order our ice-creams.”

 

After having ice-cream together, Key left, Taeyeon took her sister back to where her parents were.

 

“You girls ready to go?”

 

“Yep!” Taeyeon answered. She looked back trying to see what’s up with her sister, who seemed rather quiet.

 

“I think Haeyeon is falling asleep. Let me take her.”

 

“Nah! It’s okay umma! I can just take her to the car.”

 

“Okay then let’s get going before the rain starts to pour.”

 

 

 

Truly enough the rain started to pour. They were passing through the highway.

 

“Drive carefully Seunghyun-ah” Taeyeon mother said.

 

“Hmm…it’s getting really slippery. But don’t worry I don’t think our car is skidding so we are good.” He smiled at his wife.

 

Taeyeon saw her parents holding hands discreetly, and smiled.

 

She admired the bond they had. She wished for her parents to be together forever, wherever they are.

 

She was almost drifting off to sleep, when she heard a loud bang.

 

“What is happening Seun?”

 

“I don’t know, I can’t see the back before of the fog. I think something just hit our car.”

 

“I think you should just stop…”

 

“Yeah…I am pressing on the brake, but I can’t just randomly stop, then the car wou-”

 

“AAAAhhhh”

 

And before Taeyeon could realize anything, she felt a big force hitting the car, and their car rolling off.

 

Taeyeon tried to move toward her sister, who was seated on the other side, awoken from her peaceful slumber.

 

There were glasses flying everywhere. Taeyeon reached out to protect Haeyeon, she tried to call out her sister’s name, but she couldn’t hear her own voice.

 

She saw her sister facing toward her, her forehead dripping with red fluid, her eyes teary, fear mixed with agony, shock and uncertainty. She blinked a few times, trying to speak; Taeyeon could only see her mouthing ‘Unnie! Help me’, before she rested her tired eyes for eternity. Looking at those eyes for those short moments, myriads of emotions rushed through Taeyeon making her feel numb. It seemed like all the noise around her stopped she could only hear her heart beating out of her chest.

 

However, when she finally saw Haeyeon closing her eyes, she somehow found her voice, it didn’t sound anything like the soft smooth voice of Kim Taeyeon. It sounded like a person going crazy in desperation.

 

“HAEYEON! NO NO! DON’T CLOSE YOUR EYES! NAAAAA” Taeyeon kept on yelling the same thing, until she herself slipped into unconsciousness, darkness taking over her being.

 

She didn’t even realize that the car has stopped tumbling, the other two passengers remained unmoved, their hands still linked, fingers intertwined, their hearts not beating for each other, because it stopped beating altogether...Their love lasted forever, for them, ‘forever’ ended at that moment. Their vows to hold hands through eternity were fulfilled. Their wish to never live a day without the other came true. It’s just that they weren’t present to celebrate the fulfillment of the vows, to see their wish coming true…

 

 

 

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“NAAA” Taeyeon woke up with a jerk, sitting up.

 

‘I am sorry! Haeyeon I am sorry. I couldn’t protect you. I am sorry.’

 

Since the incident, there have been countless nights when Taeyeon would have dreams about that day, or just visions of the look in Haeyeon’s eyes, sleepless nights where she just hugged her knees rocking back and forth, and muttering endless apologies to her late sister.

 

 

Tiffany sensed the movement on the bed, and woke up to find a ceaselessly weeping Taeyeon; without any thought, her first instinct was to hug the vulnerable girl.

 

Usually Taeyeon would like to be left alone in the oblivion of her dark past, letting the lonesome feeling engulf her being; she had always felt that no one can ever pull her off this infinite black hole.

 

Nevertheless, when she felt Tiffany’s presence beside her, for the first time in her life, the blackness didn’t seem boundless.

 

She didn’t even realize she was crying until she felt Tiffany’s gentle hands wiping away her salty tears.

 

“I couldn’t save her Fany. I couldn’t protect her. She even asked me to save her…” Taeyeon couldn’t take it anymore and gave into Tiffany’s warm embrace.

 

“Sshh. Taeyeon it’s not your fault. You didn’t fail. Sometimes things are not in our hands Taeyeon-ah.”

 

 

The whole night Tiffany just hugged the shaken girl, cooing words of comfort and assurance to make her believe that sometimes in life, things happen, their reasons unknown, worst part of the whole ordeal is that, even long after these things happen, your mind wanders off to those events, you think over and over again and you say to yourself, ‘I could’ve…’, and you gyrate into this spiral stairs of depression dragging you down into the world of ‘could’ve-s’ while forgetting, that if there was any possibility that you really ‘could’ve’ done anything about it at that time you probably would’ve.

 

Tiffany sighed in relief, seeing the slow and steady rise-fall of Taeyeon’s sleeping form on her lap. She leaned her back against the headboard of the bed and gently the fringes off Taeyeon’s forehead, and smiled when she felt Taeyeon snuggling closer to her. Somehow Tiffany felt accomplished to be able to be there for Taeyeon, and it was gratifying.

 

All her life, Tiffany has been served hands and foot. She got what she wanted, her father made sure she got the best care. Even if she was a little sick, he would stay by her side, to make sure she was okay, never letting her feel the void after her mother passed away. Whoever, she dated, provided her with endless supplies of expensive things, even if she never really asked for them. She would lie to herself if she said that she didn’t enjoy being served. However, the feeling of serving someone else was far more rewarding, and pleasing.

 

Hearing about Taeyeon’s sad past broke her heart. She wasn’t a foreigner to the feeling of losing someone dear, so she could empathize with Taeyeon.

 

When Tiffany lost her mother, it was more like she was prepared for it. She knew when the days were coming closer. However that doesn’t mean that it hurt any less. The grueling pain of watching the once cheerful, energetic woman getting the life out of her is excruciating.

 

 In Taeyeon’s case, it’s like, one moment she had everything, sitting with her family in the car, teasing her sister, playing with her father, getting scolded by her mother but it only took moments for them to be gone and they vanish. Their beings cease to exist.

 

 God knows how much time it took for Taeyeon to accept the fact that it was not a dream and that she was by herself in this world now.

 

Losing someone close is sometimes inevitable and unexpected; Tiffany realized that in the hard way, therefore, why lose someone due to your own idiocy, and that is why Tiffany was desperate to make it right between Taeyeon and her.

 

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She was feeling a lot better this morning, although she still felt a bit under the weather. She tried to remember what happened the night before, and blushed remembering that she spilled all about her past to Tiffany.

 

She wondered if Tiffany would think anything less of her. She tried to tell herself that it didn’t matter, since they weren’t actually together anymore, so it doesn’t matter what Tiffany thought of her.

 

However, it still bothered her, knowing that Tiffany knew how weak she was, that she was unable to protect her sister.

 

 

Maybe this is the reason why Tiffany didn’t find suitable her as a competent partner.

 

Tiffany came out of the bathroom and was surprised to see that Taeyeon was awake. She wasn’t expecting Taeyeon to wake up so early, since she had a rough night. She frowned seeing the self-depreciating look on Taeyeon’s face. She immediately rushed to Taeyeon’s side.

 

“Baby! You are awake!”

 

Tiffany didn’t even realize as the word of endearment slipped through her tongue, however Taeyeon caught onto that and looked up at Tiffany with a small smile.

 

Her breath got caught in at the sight in front of her. Tiffany’s hair was still damp from the shower. A lone droplet of water trickled down her neck and got caught on the skimpy pink towel that was wrapped around the freshly showered redhead.

 

“Y-Yah! Kim Taeyeon! M-my eyes are up here!” Tiffany tried her best to sound agitated, when in reality she was getting all hot and bothered under Taeyeon’s gaze.

 

Taeyeon was too flustered for getting caught, and looked up at Tiffany’s eyes, shaking her head furiously in denial, as her cheeks flushed red in embarrassment.

 

Tiffany chuckled at the cute look on Taeyeon’s face, and leaned in to put her lips on Taeyeon’s forehead to check on her temperature.

 

“You are still warm…”

 

‘yeah my temperature is going to be warm if you keep on trying to check my temperature while wearing that…’

 

Taeyeon thought to herself.

 

“How are you feeling?” Tiffany asked gently.

 

This made her remember what happened last night and she lowered her head as guilt and sadness rushed through her.

 

“Do you think I am a bad sister?” Taeyeon asked out of the blue.

 

Tiffany frowned at the question that she received as the answer to her question.

 

 

Tiffany sighed and cupped Taeyeon’s cheek delicately. She knew that Taeyeon has been blaming herself for whatever happened and would forever go on blaming herself, for what happened to her sister and someone needed to show Taeyeon for what she is worth.

 

“Taeyeon-ah! What happened to Hayeon is not your fault. You couldn’t do anything. Tell me. If you could do anything about it, wouldn’t you have done it already?”

 

Tiffany smiled, when she felt the other girl nodding against her hand.

 

“Then don’t blame yourself Taeyeon-ah! You are a great person. You take care of Seohyun and Taemin so well. You are an incredible sister. You are always strong for them, tending to all their needs. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise. I think you did a good job with them. You are a beautiful person inside and out.”

 

“You really think so?” Taeyeon asked looking up at the redhead, Tiffany nodded and felt the heat rising on her own cheek under Taeyeon’s intense gaze.

 

“Yes. I really think so. Don’t you dare start thinking that you are not enough. Now go take a bath. I prepared a bath with some herbs; it is supposed to help with your cold, and let me wear some clothes, before you start staring at me like a ert again.” Tiffany said winking at the sick girl.

 

Taeyeon nodded but stopped registering what Tiffany said.

 

“Wait! What! I am not a ert!!” she yelled.

 

“Yeah! Yeah! Keep telling yourself that.” came the voice from the closet.

 

Taeyeon sighed in defeat and dragged herself to the bathroom to freshen up and take the bath.

 

 

 

She hummed at the feeling of the hot water against her warm skin. The smell of the herbs was very calming, she leaned her head back, closed her eyes, enjoying the bath.

 

If she was confused before, she was even more confused now, at Tiffany’s behavior toward her.

 

She couldn’t find a reason to hate the girl she loved, even though she started to despise her for some time, when she thought that Tiffany played her. But now living with her under the same roof, was confusing Taeyeon to no end. Especially since it seems like Tiffany genuinely cares about her.

 

She couldn’t understand if Tiffany was just being nice to her since she was sick and she felt pity, but it didn’t seem like it.

 

Taeyeon was a very sensitive person, and she definitely knew the difference between sympathizing and empathizing, and Tiffany was never sympathetic toward her, which made her feel so comfortable around the girl.

 

 

 

‘Why are you confusing me so much? Do you really like me? Or is it just me imagining things…It is getting harder and harder to keep my guards up if you are going to be this kind to me. Please don’t make me fall for you any harder, I don’t think I can handle it.’

 

 

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Tiffany walked into the kitchen and found that Sonkyu and Taemin were already up; Taemin was munching on some toast while Sonkyu was watching some game show on TV.

 

“Good morning” Tiffany said, startling the duo.

 

“Morning Tiffany!”

 

“Good Morning Noona”

 

“We helped ourselves to some food, since both you and Taeyeon were still knocked out and this young one was starving.”

 

“That’s good! Feel free to grab anything you want! I am sorry for being a bad host.”

 

“It’s okay! I understand. How is Taeyeon doing this morning?” Sonkyu asked, she was concerned about her friend. Last night she fell asleep, after Tiffany assured her that she would be fine waiting for Taeyeon.

 

“She had fever last night. But she is better this morning. I prepared a bath for her that should help. If the temperature goes up again, there is Tylenol. I am making some Green tea with honey that should also help.” Tiffany explained as she proceeded toward the countertop. “Taeyeon really likes the waffles with honey. She doesn’t like syrup. So let me get that from the fridge. That shouldn’t take much time! Then she can have hot milk with cocoa later.” Tiffany was sort of talking to herself, while arranging the food.

“Are you guys sure, you don’t want anything?” she turned and asked the older girl and the young boy.

 

“Yeah! I already had eggs and bread…so I am good.” Sonkyu replied.

 

“Noona I want a waffle.”

 

“Got it!”

 

SOnkyu smiled as she saw Tiffany diligently preparing breakfast for Taeyeon.

 

‘Looks like you are in good hands Taengoo.’

 

 

 

Author's Note:

 

I am sorry! very sorry for not updating last weekend like I said I would. its just that there were some sad things that I had to write, and I cannot write sad stuff, when I am very happy...its kind of hard for me. I wrote a lot of stuff...but I decided to use those for the future. And I had a lot of stuff going on this week...I know, I know, that it's a weird feeling to be waiting for what happens next. But next weekend for sure! 

Thank you again for reading! Please do feel free to leave a comment, letting me know what you think of the story, of my writing or anything random!