Chapter 3

 

“Yah! Shorty! We’ve been walking for eternity now”

 

Tiffany had long given up the hope of a peaceful and quiet nap time jet-lagging.

 

She carried one of her suitcases for about fifteen minutes, until Taeyeon offered to carry it for her, seeing that it was slowing down their pace of migration.

 

The terrain at this part of the town was a bit on the hilly side and the ten hour long plane journey was taking its toll on Tiffany. In spite of being the one without any luggage, Tiffany was still lagging behind Taeyeon.

 

“Two more miles” came a faint reply from a moving mass of pink luggage.

 

Tiffany chuckled at the sight in front of her. Taeyeon was carrying one of her luggage as a back pack and was rolling the other luggage. The plus size back and the large rolling suitcase covered the whole form of the short girl, making it look like a mass of hot pink luggage moving by themselves.

 

“Aish! You foreigner! Don’t you dare laugh at me, or I will make you carry the back pack.”

 

This got Tiffany to shut up. It was getting darker by the hour and it was getting creepier with the constant noise of the crickets. The birds have already returned to their own homes on the tree tops after the day’s activities. They were walking through a small road with tall grass-like plantations on either side.

 

Living her whole life in the bustling city of San Francisco, surrounded by people and cars and high-rise building, this was quite the change in landscape for Tiffany.

 

With the departure of the daylight, Tiffany didn’t feel much comfortable walking by herself. So, she jogged a bit to walk by Taeyeon’s side.

 

“Did the crickets scare off the pink princess?” Taeyeon teased, noticing the presences of the American girl beside her.

 

“I-I just wanted to walk faster.”

 

The duo walked in silence, until pink loving talkative women decided to break the silence in order to quench her curiosity.

 

“Do you work on these grass lands?”

 

Taeyeon chuckled at the naiveté of the foreign girl.

 

“These are not grasslands; they are sugar-cane plantations. And I don’t really work here…but I do help out my friends that work here sometimes during the peak season.”

 

“Do you work at all?”

 

“Of course I do! Do I look like a bum to you? Plus I bought that car and painted it purple with my hard earned money.”

 

“Let me guess, your favorite color is purple then.”

 

“Guessed right.”

 

“So what do you do then?”

 

“I work in this small restaurant in the heart of the town. We are actually catering for Changmin oppa’s marriage.”

 

“Oh so you are a waitress?”

 

“Uhh…you can say that. Sometimes…yeah.”

 

“How does the restaurant run?”

 

“It runs very well. It’s the best in town! Maybe because it’s the only one of its kind around here. But it’s still the best. The working people come to our place to get lunch and home-made style dinner. We have a bar after 8 o’ clock in the evening, and karaoke nights on the weekends. We also offer American breakfast and pizza on Fridays. The young people frequent the place after-school.”

 

“You talk about young people like you are an old ajhumma.”

 

Taeyeon broke into a loud laughter hearing the statement.

 

Tiffany looked in astonishment at the uncharacteristic laughter coming from the dorky girl.

 

“Your laughter sure sounds like an ajhumma.”

 

“That I have been told Ms. Hwang.”

 

“You are in love with your job.”

 

“You are right about that as well. My father always said that if you take up a job that you love then work would not seem like work anymore.” Taeyeon smiled reminiscing about the days when she would play around with her father. “So what do you do?”

 

“I am a lawyer. I finished my internship recently and the firm that I interned for offered me a permanent position there.”

 

“Woah! Congratulations then! What kind of lawyer are you?”

 

“I am a criminal lawyer.”

 

“So cool! Then you can give advice to Hyunnie.”

 

Tiffany noticed the softness in Taeyeon’s eyes and the affection in her voice while mentioning the said individual.

 

“Seohyun. She is my little sister. Very bright student. Finished high school in three years. Now she’s looking into law schools. I wish I was even half as smart as she is. I am sure you are going to love her when you meet her. It’s just hard not to love her. She plays piano and has an amazing voice. Sometimes I tell her to audition to be a singer for some label. But she has her goals set to study law, and I support her whole heartedly.”

 

Growing up as a only child this sibling bond was something that Tiffany was always envious of. She could feel Taeyeon’s adoration for her sister.

 

“You said we were going to your dongsaeng’s house now. Is that Seohyun?”

 

“Oh no. that’s Sooyoung. I call her my dongsaeng because she’s younger than me. She’s a tall shikshin, who claims that she looks older than me because apparently I have a baby face.”

 

“She’s just stating the truth. You look like a ten year old.”

 

“Not you too”

 

Tiffany looked straight at the horizon and screech in joy, when she saw a house not so far away.

 

Taeyeon scrunched her face at the noise.

 

“Is that it Taetae?” Taeyeon couldn’t help but smile at the eager puppy eyes. She nodded her head slowly and watched as Tiffany ran toward the house.

 

Upon reaching the door, Tiffany stopped herself from knocking on the door realizing that it would be awkward for her to knock on Taeyeon’s friend’s door, without Taeyeon.

 

But before she completed her thoughts, the door burst open and a tall skinny girl popped her head out of the door with a cheeky smile.

 

“Sorry we don’t allow runaway foreigners to take refuge here.”

“Yah shikshin let her in. She’s with me” Taeyeon’s voice could be heard from a short distance.

 

“Oh my gosh! Are you two running away to get married? I am so excited! You guys are already packed! Taeyeon your future bride looks like a kpop-idol! Which band are you in?”

 

Tiffany widened her eyes at the question.

 

“No one is running. We need a place to crash for the night. And you better help me find a spare tire, before dawn.”

 

Tiffany turned around to see Taeyeon behind her, beads of sweat forming on her forehead. She looked tired. Now Tiffany felt guilty for making Taeyeon carry all her luggage.

 

“As you wish Boss” The tall girl opened the door for Tiffany and went to help Taeyeon with the baggage.

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“So, where did you pick up that girl from? I always thought you liked the shy types.”

 

“I didn’t pick her up. I mean I did pick her up from the airport-“

 

“Wow! So now you are picking up girls from airports? Way to go Boss”

 

“Shut up shikshin! She’s the Hwang’s daughter that I was supposed to pick up from the airport and drive her to the Shim’s. Mr. Hwang and Mr. Shim are close friends. So, Mr. Hwang and Ms. Hwang are here for Changmin oppa’s wedding.”

 

“Ah! Where is Mr. Hwang?”

 

“As far as I know, he’s coming here next week. So where are your parents?”

 

“At the Shim’s. That house is becoming a motel now. Sunny’s parents are at Mihyun unnie’s house.”

 

“It is nice to see everyone so excited about the wedding. Oppa and unnie make a very cute couple!”

 

“True that!”

 

“My phone was out of reception…so I might have missed Hyunnie’s calls.”

 

“Yeah she was worrying about you. She said she was sleeping over at Yoona’s tonight.”

 

“That’s good. I will just text her to let her know that I am alive and walking.”

 

“Oh before I forget, here’s the key.”

 

Sooyoung got a key ring out of her pocket and was about to hand it to Taeyeon.

 

“Nah! Keep it with you. I have to drive back Ms. Hwang in the morning. By the way, I need a spare tire.”

 

Sooyoung retreated back and put the key ring back in her pocket.

 

“Yeah, I think we have one.”

 

Taeyeon wiped the last dish and put it back on the shelf and headed toward the door.

 

“Yah short stuff! Where do you think  you are going at this hour?”

 

“To bring back my baby.”

 

“NOW?”

 

“Yeah! You know that thing is my baby. I can’t just leave her alone in the middle of the road like that.”

 

“Then I am coming with you.”

 

“I don’t want to leave Tiffany-sshi in the house alone. She’s new to the place.”

 

“Wait she’s Tiffany? You mean Fany Fany Tiffany Mushroom?”

 

“I guess that’s what you guys used to call her back then.”

 

“Does she remember you?”

 

“I don’t think so. It was almost a decade ago. Plus I was not around that much during that time.”

 

“Wow! She’s grown up so much. I feel like I still look the same, except for I grew a feet taller and in your case not even that.”

 

“YAH!”

 

“I mean its true.”

 

“Whatever! Tell me where the tire is and can I borrow your car?”

 

“Sure. Its in the garage. Here is the key.”

 

Taeyeon caught the key that was thrown at her.

 

“Drive safe shorty”

“Don’t call me that shikshin”

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Sooyoung was reading her book in the living room and waiting for Taeyeon when she heard the creak of the door and a head poking out.

 

“Did you need anything?”

 

“Where is Taetae?”

 

“Taetae?”

 

“Taeyeon”

 

Tiffany was embarrassed to have slipped on her personal nickname that she gave Taeyeon, in front of Sooyoung.

 

Sooyoung chuckled at the funny nickname and mentally noted to not forget to make fun of Taeyeon about this.

 

“She went to change the tire of her car.”

 

“Right now?”

 

“Don’t ask me. I tried to keep her, but that girl is stubborn. Her car is her baby.”

 

“Yeah she told me that.”

 

The room fell silent. Tiffany didn’t know what else to say. She actually heard Sooyoung and Taeyeon talking before and that Taeyeon was going out, and wanted to make sure if Taeyeon has returned yet.

 

Tiffany noticed Sooyoung fidgeting in her place, as if she had something to say to her.

 

“Did you want to ask me something Sooyoung-sshi?”

 

“Say Fany, you don’t remember me?” Sooyoung suddenly blurted out.

 

Tiffany squinted her eyes in an attempt to understand what Sooyoung was talking about and widened her eyes in the sudden realization.

 

“SHIKSHIN SOO!! Of course I remember you! Oh my God! You are soo tall now. You turned so pretty”

 

Sooyoung grinned shyly at the compliment.

 

“Mushroom Fany has turned out to be very pretty too.”

 

“I am so sorry I didn’t realize before. It was probably the jet-lag, I wasn’t seeing clearly.”

 

“Nah its okay. It gives me the freedom to believe that I have turned so pretty and you didn’t recognize me.”

 

“That can also mean that you were ugly back then and now you are just average” Tiffany teased the tall girl.

 

“Yah! You mushroom. One more attack and I will take you to the ice lake and make you eat live fish.”

 

“Oh my gosh! I still remember that! I was telling my friend in the States about that incident. I came back home with five bumps on my head.”

 

Sooyoung laughed at the funny memory.

 

The two talked about their childhood memories and shared information about their life ever since.

 

Taeyeon came home to find the tall girl sleeping on a make-shift bed on the floor, slightly open. Taeyeon saw that she head was in a uncomfortable position and gently called the girl to shift her head.

 

“Yah! Mind your own business.” Sooyoung replied in her sleep.

 

Taeyeon chuckled at her friend who was talking in her sleep.

 

“This is so going to get back to you in the morning.”  

 

Taeyeon noticed that Tiffany was sleeping on the sofa in fetal position with her blanket on the floor.

 

“You look so peaceful when you are sleeping, and once you get up…you are going to turn into this feisty woman!”

 

She picked up the blanket and put it over Tiffany’s body.

 

Taeyeon turned off the TV and went to sleep in the guest room.