Chapter 9

 

“What did she say?”

 

“Thank you for your visit! Please visit us again” Jessica repeated in a monotone. 

 

“That’s all she said?”

 

“Yeah”

                                   

“Was she at the counter or was she going around the tables, serving?”

 

“Both”

 

“That’s too much work.” Tiffany mumbled. “Did she say that to everyone?”

 

“YES. Miss. Tiffany Hwang Miyoung, she said that to everyone”. Jessica huffed.

 

Yuri came to help, sensing her girlfriend’s agitation.

 

“Tiffany-ah, she was on her duty at the checking, so she was saying that to everyone. It was funny ‘cause there was this high school kid in front of us. He was like ‘If you are at the counter, then I would visit every day’. Her shocked face was so funny.”

 

Tiffany frowned upon hearing the anecdote, while Yuri bursted out laughing. After a moment Jessica also joined her in laughter as Yuri jogged her memory about how awkward Taeyeon looked.

 

“I was next in line, and she smiled at me and said, ‘Thank you for your visit! Please visit us again’”

 

Jessica doubled over in laughter at her girlfriends’ perfect impersonation of the newly appointed barista at the café.

 

“HEY! Don’t make fun of her accent.” Tiffany tried to defend the absentee.

 

“I am not making fun. I just think it’s cute. I remember when I used to have an accent back in the day when I first came here. But then I faded away.”

 

“You would say ‘shi’ instead of y.”

 

“Yeah and all the kids in middle school would laugh at me, that was not funny. I am happy my accent is gone now. This Korean lady at the market was surprised that I could speak perfect Korean.”

 

“Aww! Yuri-ah! It’s okay. You know they were just kids and kids can be mean sometimes. Plus I thought your accent was y.”

 

“Then too bad it faded away.”

 

“Tsk tsk. My thoughts exactly.”

 

“What can I do, I had a ‘shi’ teacher to correct my pronunciations.” 

 

“Ahem! Guys please don’t forget that I am still here.”  Tiffany made her presence known to the couple that seemed to get carried away.

 

“Tiffany! You just ruined our moment. I was this close to stealing a kiss from my Sica.”  Yuri complained making Jessica blush at the mention of the personal nickname adorned by the possessive adjective.

 

Tiffany worked hard to refrain herself from puking at the display of sweetness.

 

“You are too forward Yuri-ah”, Jessica shoved Yuri playfully, “and you are not forgiven for flirting with that Korean lady in the mart”, she added in a stern voice. 

 

“Uh oh-”

 

“Uh oh is right. Tiff, we should be going now, it’s getting a little late.”

 

“Do you need a ride Tiffany?” Yuri asked the girl seated in front of her.

 

“No I will be fine. I might end up getting some food from here and my driver will be here by the time I finish. So I will be fine!”

 

“Okay then! Bye Tiff.”

 

“Bye Tiffany.”

 

“Bye you guys!”

 

Tiffany watched as her friends got up to leave.

 

“Sica, don’t forget your cell phone.” Yuri said while handing Jessica her cell phone.

 

“Now let’s go, we need to get something for tonight’s dinner with my parents, and don’t you dare smile at my sister when she flirts with you, and don’t get too busy discussing recipes with mom or start playing Ping-Pong with dad.”

 

“Got it. You just want my undivided attention. Right?”

 

“YES – What? NO! That’s not what I meant! Yah! Kwon Yuri! Don’t tease your girlfriend!”

 

Tiffany was looking out the café window, waiting for her order to arrive, and smiled as she saw Yuri running down the pavement to avoid the violent Jessica from hitting her.

 

Tiffany waved at the tanned girl, who waved back and winked as she hid behind one of the poles.

 

A few seconds later Jessica came running, looking around to find her missing partner. She saw Tiffany looking at her through the café window and mouthed, ‘Where is that idiot?’

 

Tiffany was deciding whether or not to tell Jessica, but the tanned girl beat her to it.

 

Tiffany cringed as she could faintly hear her best friend’s dolphin shriek through the thick glass window.

 

That was Jessica’s reaction upon being unexpectedly back hugged by her girlfriend.

 

She saw Yuri trying to awkwardly explain that it was a joke to a few people who were ready to get back at Yuri for harassing the pretty lady.

 

Jessica glared at the two men who were showing a bit too much enthusiasm in rescuing Jessica and walked away, possessively taking Yuri’s hand in hers.

 

Tiffany was startled by the waitress who was finally back with her food. 

 

‘Finally’

 

 

Tiffany was about to dig into her food when she remembered how Taeyeon would literally dig into her food.

 

Flashback

 

Tiffany was lazing around in the Shim’s guestroom, which temporarily became her room.

 

She looked out the window, to give her eyes a break from constantly looking at her laptop.

Tiffany had to smile when she saw a familiar figure on a lopsided bicycle.  

 

There were several bags hanging from each handle of the bike, unfortunately the rider of the bike was not too smart about hanging the bags, causing the bike to lean a bit too much on the left.

 

Tiffany giggled when she saw Taeyeon struggling to pedal the bike with all the bags on the handle and Taemin sitting on the carrier seat in the back.

 

The sun was on its way toward further west, the day was coming to an end. Birds were flying to their rightful homes, and the farmers followed suit.  From where Tiffany stood, it looked like a painting, the setting sun at the back-drop of the fields, and Taeyeon riding a lopsided bicycle away from the sun.

 

“Taeminie. Make sure that you don’t lose any of the petals of the flower.” Tiffany could hear Taeyeon’s voice nearing the house.

 

“Okay! Okay! Aish! Such a bossy noona.  I thought you said that Tiffany noona is beautiful like a flower. Then why do you need to give her flowers again?”

She heard Taemin asking his noona this honest question.

 

‘She said I am beautiful?’ Tiffany couldn’t help the shy smile on her face, as she could feel her face burning at the thought of Taeyeon saying something so heartfelt yet cheesy.

 

None of Tiffany’s previous flings has ever gotten her flower.

Except for this one guy who thought it would be very Romeo-like to appear on their date with a rose, while biting on the strand of the single rose. Tiffany almost snorted at the sight when she opened the door, but he was a good-looking chap, and that’s what mattered at the time.

 

Admitted that the gesture was quite outdated and extremely cheesy, but there was something about giving someone flowers that is very touching and heart-melting.

 

And this is not Taeyeon’s first time giving her a flower. The other times were also out of the blue, although this time around, Tiffany came to know about the surprise from beforehand.

 

 

The duo was now inside the house, since she could hear the commotion of all Taeyeon greeting all the ajhumma-s.

 

She decided to come downstairs; the main objective is to receive the surprise, which is not so much a surprise anymore. But the giver of the surprise would never know that.

 

At times like these, her plans of revenge completely slip her mind. She tends to get engrossed in this little act of hers. Sometimes she didn’t even realize it herself how much she enjoyed being with Taeyeon, being around Taeyeon, talking to her, spending time with her just quietly sitting at the cliff watching the sun set or sun rise.

 

“Taeyeon-ah, thank you so much for bringing everything in.”

 

“This is not a problem. I hope you have everything you wanted for the wedding preparation.”

 

“Yes, yes. Everything is exactly how we wanted. You are an angel Taeyeon-ah.”

Tiffany smiled from the stairs seeing Taeyeon getting smothered by all the ajhumma-s, but she frowned when she saw a rather young girl came skipping toward Taeyeon.

 

The girl looked like she was high on sugar.

 

“Taeyeon-unnie! Taeyeon-unnie! I am back!”

 

“Yeah I see that Yoona-ah! You have grown even taller than the last time I saw you.” Taeyeon exclaimed with a smile.

 

“No Unnie. I think you are just shrinking every day. The next time I see you, you will be as short as little Taeminie.”

 

“Noona! I am not short.” Taemin complained, his words getting distorted, as Yoona was pinching his cheeks.

 

“Are those flowers for me Taeminie?” Yoona asked the little boy who was in charge of the flowers that were originally meant for the American girl, who stood still on the stairs watching the scenes unfold before her, not exactly liking this pretty doe eyed girl who was now after the flowers that were meant for her.

 

“No Tae-noona got them for- ”, Taemin was unable to finish his sentence when Yoona almost lunged herself on Taeyeon, causing her shorter girl to stumble back.

 

 

“Aww! Taeyeon-unnie, this is soo sweet! You got flowers for me. They are so pretty Unnie. Just like Hyunnie! I think I will give it to her. She would love these. Where is she now?”

 

Tiffany had to calm herself, she never liked when someone took what was rightfully hers.

She was a bit trapped between being mad at Taeyeon for giving away the flowers to Yoona, and finding it endearing as to how much of a softie Taeyeon really was.

 

“I think Hyun is either at Sooyoung’s place or in the library, she was saying she needed to finish some assignment over break.” Upon hearing that, Yoona dashed out the door possibly on search of the younger girl.

 

Mrs. Park noticed the American girl standing on the staircase, unmoved, and called her, “Oh Tippani-ah, come downstairs. Your Taeyeon-ah just got here.”

 

All of their close family and friends knew about Taeyeon and Tiffany’s engagement, and they have all been quite nice and supportive about the whole ordeal.

They have known about Taeyeon’s preference for a while, even though it was hard for them to accept at first, since it was a small town in Korea, they gradually accepted it with Mr. Hwang’s help.

 

Everyone in the town loved Taeyeon, they all supported Taeyeon when she lost her family, and they all kind of realized that Taeyeon’s preference wouldn’t change the person that she is.

 

 

Tiffany had to stop a smile from forming upon hearing the possessive pronoun before Taeyeon’s name.

 

“Aish! Look at her blushing!” Mrs. Park pointed out to the other ajhumma-s in the house, while pinching Tiffany’s cheek.

 

‘Oh gosh! Cheeky ajhumma’ Tiffany thought to herself, feeling the blush creeping upon her cheek upon getting caught.

 

“Is there any food? I am really hungry.” Taeyeon declared in a lazy manner.

 

Taeyeon was just too tired to realize what the teasing was all about, and she was still sulking about Yoona taking away her flowers that she got for her fiancée.

 

 

“Omo! Taeyeonie. We are so sorry, I bet you are really tired from all the bike riding with the heavy bags.” Mrs. Baek patted Taeyeon’s head. The said girl pouted in response.

 

 

 

“Yah! Unnie stop acting like an ajhumma already.” Taeyeon said to the older woman who was patting her head.

 

“I am still 3 years older than you! So I get to do what I want. Plus it’s you who has the ajhumma laughter not me.” The Unnie pinched Taeyeon’s.

 

“Don’t tease me Unnie.”

 

“Yah! Jiyeon-ah, don’t tease our Taeyeon.” Mrs. Baek said to Jiyeon, and pinched Taeyeon’s cheeks while winking at the older girl.

 

Taeyeon crinkled her nose to show annoyance, but in reality she liked the attention of the ajhumma-s. It made her think of her mother. These ajhumma-s have looked after her ever since she lost her family, and Taeyeon was very thankful for that. Taeyeon was like their own daughter.

 

Tiffany smiled, seeing the interactions between Taeyeon and the elderly women in the town. The way they cared for Taeyeon like Taeyeon was their baby, really hit some strings for the American girl. After all she also grew up without a mother figure.

 

However, Tiffany’s smile disappeared when the so-called Jiyeon-Unnie took her fiancée’s hand dragging her toward the kitchen. Mrs. Park saw the look and smiled to herself.

 

‘Finally Taeyeonnie got someone to care for her. I was afraid that poor girl was going to celebrate Forever Alone Day forever!’

 

“Jiyeon-ah”

 

“Ah, yes?”

 

“Mrs. Baek and I were going to the mall to buy some jewelries for the bride, so come with us.”

 

“Oh, but I was going to feed Taey-”

 

“No, it’s okay. I think Tiffany can take care of THAT.” Mrs. Park raised her eyebrows to let the girl know not to argue further.

 

Jiyeon looked at Tiffany and saw that the girl was staring at her hand that was conjoined with Taeyeon, and got Mrs. Park’s message.

 

“Okay then. Taeminie come with us, little one!”

 

“Wae? I want to eat with Tae-noona.”

 

“We’ll feed you at the food court in the mall.” Mrs. Baek assured the young boy.

 

“Hamburger?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“YESS! Okay I am coming. Noona you go eat your kimchee while I will eat American Food today.” Taemin teased the older girl, and showed his tongue.

 

“Yah! I am happy with my kimchee rice, somehow the smell of hamburgers make me nauseous. I need rice to fill me up.”

 

“Fatty noona!”

 

“Who are you calling fat? I had to bike for almost an hour, and you aren’t getting any smaller, eating hamburgers and pizzas.” It was Taeyeon’s turn to show her tongue to the little boy.

 

Taemin was trying to think of a comeback, but was dragged away by Mrs. Baek.

 

“Tiffany-ah, please serve the food to Taeyeon. It’s all on the kitchen. If you don’t serve, that girl is going to start eating from the pan.”

 

“Yes Mrs. Park.” With that Tiffany closed the door, and went back to the kitchen only to find Taeyeon looking at her with a string of noodles lingering from , which she quickly slurped upon seeing the other girl, staring at her with stern eyes.

 

“I was just tasting it to see if the noodles was cooked properly.”

 

Tiffany rolled her eyes at the lame excuse and walked past Taeyeon.

 

“I wasn’t eating from the pan.” Taeyeon said to the American girl, who was quietly getting plates and utensils for Taeyeon.

 

‘Just how cute can you be Kim Taeyeon.’

 

Not getting any reply from Tiffany, Taeyeon tried to apologize.

 

“I am sorry. I just had my first bite, when you came in.”

 

Tiffany was trying hard to stifle her laughter. She pressed her lips together in order to not let the laughter out, and turned around.

 

“It’s okay. Let’s get you something to eat now.”  

 

Taeyeon nodded her head and made her way to the dining area silently.

 

Tiffany put a little bit of everything, and added some more bulgogi and kimchee rice on the plate, knowing that those were Taeyeon’s favorites.

 

Taeyeon almost dug into the plate literally as soon as Tiffany set it down. Tiffany giggled a bit seeing the girl almost gobbling down the food, but Taeyeon was too busy eating to notice anything else.

 

After finishing about half the food on one go, Taeyeon realized a certain pair of eyes watching her.

 

 “Oh my! I am sorry Fany-ah. I was so hungry; I started eating all by myself.”

 

With that Taeyeon took a piece of meat with her chopstick and held it in front of Tiffany’s mouth, offering her the food, making Tiffany smile at the kind gesture.

 

“I am not the one starving all day, and then biking for an hour with heaving bags on your lopsided bike.”

 

Tiffany tried to redirect the meat toward Taeyeon’s mouth, but Taeyeon won’t budge.

 

“How can I just sit here and eat when my fiancée is sitting here not eating anything.”

 

Taeyeon’s sweet words made Tiffany blush.  

 

‘Can you not be so cheesy and make me blush at the simplest things?’

 

“Come on, eat up, I can’t sit here all day.”

Tiffany tried to hide her blush by making Taeyeon pay attention to her food.

 

“Ah! Yes, yes! Thank you for staying here.”  Taeyeon said the last few words with her mouthful of food.

 

“Yah! Close your mouth and eat like a normal person.” Tiffany scolded and smiled when Taeyeon reverted her concentration back to the food.

 

~Ring Ring~

 

End Flashback

 

The harsh ringtone of her phone brought her back to the reality.

 

Tiffany realized that she fell asleep at the café resting her head on the table, her food still untouched.

 

‘Oh my gosh! I should really stop thinking about Taeyeon. I hope she is doing fine.’

 

The phone stopped ringing already but vibrated loudly, indicating that the other party had left a voicemail.

 

“Daddy you called?”

 

“Yes. I just wanted to call you and say that I was leaving for the weekend for a business trip, however I will be back by Monday morning. If you want, you can call Jessica to come over or something.”

 

“Oh. Okay. Thanks for letting me know.”

 

Tiffany heaved a sigh and stood up. She got the waiter to pack her food to-go and left the café. Her thoughts lingering on her ex-fiancé. 

 

Her eye-smile...seriously! 

Hi guys! I am sorry i took so long to update this time. I will try to be faster. its just that school started, and I have a lot of stuff going on. I don't even have time to eat. its crazy, but I am adapting. Thank you for being patient with me, and subscribing to my story. 

Please do leave comments about what you think about the story that would really encourage me. I am trying to write up chapter 10 over the weekend, hopefully I will finish before the weekend. sometimes I write up about 5 pages and then cut it all out because I think its not good enough, or I think that the story should go some other way, so it takes me a few takes to make a finalized chapter. plus I don't want the updates to be super short, so I don't post an update untill its at least 10 pages on a word document. I hope you guys understand...sorry for all the explanations, I thought I owe you guys an explanation since you guys are reading the story, and its for you basically.