“I don’t care if you send someone who I’ve never met before. I just don’t want you to deploy Eunjung or Jiyeon to me again. You of all people should know about our mutual hatred for each other!” Taeyeon yelled into her phone whilst pacing around the room. Yuri and Yoona paid no attention to her as they played their own game of Jenga whilst they were waiting for the college board members to arrive. They were going to discuss their current status as the Elites.

“And I thought the college board members would at least show us some decency to arrive on time. This lot has been anything but supportive.” Yuri huffed as Yoona painstakingly extracted a piece near the bottom. Just as she was about to pull the piece free, the door slammed open and in walked Sooyoung along with the rest of the board members, causing the tower that the two Elites rigorously built to topple over.

“I’ve been discussing this with you people since the beginning of this year. The Elites will be resigning this year and I gave you a fair warning that it could be at any time.” Sooyoung gritted her teeth. Taeyeon rolled her eyes at the sudden intrusion and quickly bid farewell to the Legion to focus on her secondary group’s priorities. Yuri and Yoona weren’t too pleased either with their Jenga tower in ruins before them now. 

“But we need at least a month’s notice so that we can arrange their departure. They’re by no means like any other student here in our campus and it has been a problem in the past for our college about the disappearances of the past Elites,” the man in front of the group retorted. All members took their respective seats with Sooyoung sitting at the end of the table together with the Elites. A distinct gap can be noticed between the two opposing sides as it has always been. 

“That is what Elites’ tradition is. So what problem will it cause?” Taeyeon inquired blatantly. The man who was the chancellor of the campus clenched his teeth and opened his file to retrieve some papers. 

“In this day and age, it is dubious to suddenly appoint three new students as Elites after long years without them. We don’t even know the criteria in appointing them but each and every time, it would be three women along with their guardian who storm into our campus with a letter saying they are the next Elites. What’s even more suspicious is that no record of the past Elites remains,” he said as he tossed the evidence to the Elites. Taeyeon, Yuri and Yoona didn’t need to take a single glance at the said proof because they were well aware of what had transpired. New sets of immortal groups would take turns on being Elites in this campus depending on who resided nearby. It was a way of blending in with the humans whilst creating a safe distance and credible explanation for their strange affiliations. 

“And we are to do the same here. All of our records are to be erased and the campus is to forget about our identities until the new generation of Elites returns.” Yuri decided to participate in the discussion. Yoona swung her legs back and forth lazily. She really didn’t want to talk to the board members since they were an irritable bunch. They always questioned their place in the Elites but they can’t do anything about it because a considerable proportion of the college’s funds comes from the Elites. 

“What is it about the Elites that allows them that special treatment? They rule the campus like their own and decide to up and leave on a whim,” the vice chancellor voiced. Taeyeon casually shrugged and leaned back into her chair.

“Each generation of the Elites knows the last and the previous ones. We are by no means randomly selected. It is a title that is passed down through a very strict procedure which takes years. How the Elites’ system work is only for past, present and future Elites to know,” Sooyoung stated firmly. She could tell the frustration that the board members were harbouring and she really couldn’t blame them. To humans, it really did make no sense to have a random group of people come and go as they please with so much control over the academe.

“There is to be no negotiation or discussion on this topic. This meeting was just to inform the members that the Elites’ resignation is effective as of tomorrow evening. It was a pleasure working with your group and hopefully some of you will get to see the succession of the next Elites.” Taeyeon stood up and gave them a small bow of her head out of courtesy. Afterwich, she stood by the door and opened it for the members to leave. It was her subtle way of kicking them out but it was civil at least.

“And for the damages it will cause our campus?” the chancellor added. Yoona rolled her eyes and shook her head in disbelief. She knew they were only worried about their funding.

“We will subsidize from an anonymous bank for six years only. That is when all current students graduate and the damages cease,” Yuri thoroughly explained. 

“But words spread fast.” The vice was sure trying to milk every last penny he could get. 

“Rest assured. By six years, we would be nothing but rumours,” Sooyoung settled. 

“How can you guarantee it?”

“We guarantee it. The Elites are by no means your average student as you would have noticed by now?” Sooyoung eyed him with a brow over the other

“All the more reason—”

“I repeat myself one last time chancellor. Six years funding. No more, no less.” Yuri hissed through gritted teeth. The rest of the board members have long left the room after having no contribution to the meeting but the chancellor and the vice were not satisfied.

“And we are aware of your private investigators. We are entrepreneurs. We do not do anything of the illegal means so you will not be able to gain any of our funds. Now if you would please leave?” Taeyeon revealed coarsely. She practically closed the door on them the moment they cleared the door and let out a long and heavy sigh when they were gone. She sauntered to her seat and rubbed her neck furiously. Sooyoung took out her phone and scrolled through the messages briefly before putting it away. 

“I have someone clearing your identities as we speak. It should be done within a month or so. New certificates and IDs are being printed right now,” Sooyoung informed. The Elites nodded languidly and went about their business. Taeyeon was sorting out their banking accounts whilst Yuri and Yoona resumed their Jenga game.

“Moving is always a pain. The IDs, the banks, the police checkups. It’s all so annoying,” Yoona complained in a deflated manner. Taeyeon hummed idly, not quite listening to her complaints as she started buying valuable items online that they could sell without raising suspicions later on with their new identities. 

“Have you told Seohyun about it yet?” Yuri questioned as she pulled an easy block from the tower effortlessly. Yoona shook her head and reached out to take a piece smoothly. 

“Have you?”

“Nope. Planning on telling her today.” 

“They’re going to be hassled about us once the campus knows about us leaving. It isn’t exactly a secret that they’ve been close to us,” Yoona reckoned. Yuri shrugged her shoulders and placed her latest block on the pile. 

“I think Taeyeon’s already thought that through.”

“Being surrounded by people would be a lot safer for them. It at least keeps them in public to avoid anything terrible happening whilst they’re on campus,” Taeyeon assured. Sooyoung gave her body a stretch and laid herself flat against the table. 

“Well at least you’re not immigrating to other countries again. Having someone travel to a country and never come back always rings bells, especially for the rich and significant.” Sooyoung sighed in relief. Taeyeon wordlessly nodded in agreement as she bought another diamond necklace. It would probably take at least another century before she could resell that without suspicion but at least its value remains the same. 

“So what are we going to sell for our new accounts? There’s the ring and some old toys from a few years back. And that vase from Yoona’s home place is ready to be sold too I think,” Yuri suggested. Taeyeon stopped browsing through her phone and contemplated for a moment. She then passed the phone over to Yuri who often dealt with the management of their funds when switching their identities. 

“I’m going to head down to the next city to buy the necklace and pick up a few things tonight. I can’t find anything that doesn’t take at least a century to resell,” Taeyeon admitted dejectedly. Yuri laughed and patted the leader on the back with a cocky smirk painted on her face.

“My dear, Taeyeon. You are too high maintenance. You gotta look for the smaller stuff,” Yuri mused arrogantly. Before she could continue her egocentric speech, her phone went ringing incessantly which cut her off. Yuri fished it out of her pocket and handed it to Taeyeon without checking the caller. “Take it for me. I’ll do this buying stuff.”

“Hello?” Taeyeon monotonously answered the phone the moment Yuri gave it to her. She already is acquainted to everyone Yuri knows so she didn’t care who was on the other side. 

“TAEYEON?! WHAT THE HELL DID YOU DO TH—”

Taeyeon quickly ended the call with a scowl when the shrill voice pierced her ears. She checked the caller ID and realised that it was Jessica. Her own phone started ringing in Yuri’s hand before she could even register what happened.

“It’s Tiffany.” Yuri held the phone up to show the leader. Yuri’s phone went off again as well and now this time, Yoona’s joined in the chorus. Sooyoung raised her brows up curiously at the simultaneous phones ringing and looked at her own mobile sadly, suddenly feeling a bit lonely. 

“I wonder what they want,” Yoona hummed. The Elites shrugged their shoulders but nevertheless, they all answered the calls at the same time. They even didn’t have to lift it up to their ears before a string of profanities, and serious chastising from Yoona’s phone, burst from their phone speakers. Amidst the muffled yells of the girls through the phone, Sooyoung chortled in her seat at the sight of the three Elites staring at their phones with utter confusion. 

“Uhmm. Hi?” Yuri answered Tiffany. 

“Oh, Yuri! Jess!! Yuri’s okay!” Tiffany’s voice filled the silent room. Yuri glanced up at Taeyeon but Taeyeon merely responded with a shrug. 

“Where the hell are you guys?! What has Taeyeon done this time?!” Jessica barked through Taeyeon’s phone with her voice resonating through the other two phones as well. 

“Woah hey. Hold up. What’s wrong?” Yuri tried to calm the obviously enraged Jessica on the other side of the line. 

“We come to our class and discover that you guys aren’t there with a note saying that the Elites are leaving. Is Taeyeon forcing you guys to leave?! If she is then leave her instead!” Jessica proposed stringently. 

“Jessica! Hey! Give me that. Hello?” Tiffany regained control over her phone. 

“Why hello there, Tiffany,” Yuri mused. The Elites understood the panic behind the girls now. Taeyeon was a tad offended that Jessica would just pin this on her but in some way, she was cornering them to leave anyways. 

“Yuri, can I speak with Taeyeon? Is she there?” Tiffany sounded like she was hyperventilating on the other side. 

“I can hear you. What’s up?” Taeyeon answered. Tiffany heaved a contented sigh. 

“Listen Taeyeon, I’m sorry for not coming to the sessions and that I’m going against your will by working for myself but please don’t get mad at everyone else for what I did. I know I’m being selfish but I want to do this and it’s not fair that Jessica and Seohyun has to get in—”

“We’re fine! Relax guys, we’re not running away. We just needed to adjust a few things,” Yoona bellowed from her seat. 

“... Huh?” 

“Tiffany, I am not mad at you for anything. There’s been a few changes in our situation and we’re just adapting to it. Stay at the Elites’ room and we’ll be there soon to explain everything,” Taeyeon calmly assured before ending the call. From the other two phones, she could hear them mumbling to themselves in confusion.

“What a bunch of cuties. You have people worried for you,” Sooyoung teased. Yuri and Yoona smiled smugly whilst Taeyeon ignored the remark and immediately left the room. Yoona stretched and let loose a sigh with her back snapping into place. 

“These old bones aren’t getting any younger,” she grumbled. Yuri patted her on the shoulder and shrugged. 

“It’s because you don’t run from angry mobs and such now. With cars and public transport, our enhanced abilities are just being wasted,” Sooyoung explained. Yuri moved her free hand to her neck and craned it sideways. Her thoughts were on Taeyeon and how she had been stretching and rubbing her neck a lot lately. It worried her. 

“We had better get going. Taeyeon’s going to get mauled if we’re not there.” Yoona started making her way out the door. Yuri nodded and followed suit but paused right outside. Her hand massaged her neck in thought and Sooyoung caught sight of it. 

“They’re working on it. They have Taeyeon’s cure as their first priority, even if Taeyeon doesn’t know,” Sooyoung informed. Yuri nodded earnestly and decided to leave matter behind her whilst she dealt with Tiffany, Jessica and Seohyun for now. 

“And so the Elites are going to resign as of tomorrow evening,” Taeyeon finished up her brief explanation, making sure to leave the details about the abrupt speed up of their plans. They weren’t supposed to resign as Elites until at least the end of the year with Taeyeon being demanded to take over the Legion again. 

“And where does that leave us?” Jessica asked incredulously.

“You can opt to attend your lectures and whatnot. We’ll resume the tutoring sessions in our new residences if you need the help. We’ll still be in the country but we’ll be lying low for a while until our new identities are provided,” Yuri elucidated to assure Jessica. Having her soothe the girls would be more effective than having Taeyeon to do so since she wasn’t exactly the most reliable when it comes to situations like this due to past events. 

“So you’re basically just transitioning?” Seohyun questioned carefully. All three Elites nodded in confirmation. 

“We do it every few decades. The humans we surround ourselves with tend to start suspecting when we hit the age of forty and still look like we haven’t aged a single day,” Yoona added. 

All three girls breathed a sigh of relief. 

Taeyeon looked at Tiffany who seemed to be the most satisfied out of them all. She gently tapped on her shoulder and motioned towards the door with no intention of saying anything. Tiffany pondered on what Taeyeon needed so she obediently complied as the others discussed potential new identities. 

Tiffany assumed they were going to talk outside the room but Taeyeon continued to walk silently. She had missed out on seeing the leader of the Elites over the past few days so she was somewhat grateful to have some alone time. During her little muck ups and mishaps, Taeyeon was the first to be on her mind as she pushed through to improve herself. 

“How’s your work?” Taeyeon asked softly as they were strolling. Tiffany smiled and continued to follow her. Not many had the privilege to tread beside Taeyeon like this so she was relishing it as much as she could. 

“A little messy but I’ll get the hang of it.”

“Nothing too troublesome? I’m sure I can help you find a better place if you’re not liking where you are now.”

“I’ll stay where I am for now. I think the manager is warming up to me. He just rolls his eyes nowadays when I mess up instead of yelling at me.” Tiffany beamed. Taeyeon turned her torso marginally and raised her brow at the mortal. It sounded like the manager had given up contrary to warming up to her but she decided to keep her snide remarks to herself. 

“Well, with the Elites leaving, we’ll have to keep a low profile so we can’t freely spend as much of our funds as we usually can. We’re going to not have anything to spend by next week and won’t have that luxury back until we sell a few of our old junk items,” Taeyeon explained. “So I’m afraid I won’t be able to help financially for now.”

Tiffany nodded silently and noticed that they were heading towards the private rooftop of the Elites. An idea suddenly crossed her mind. Taeyeon offered to provide financial support not too long ago but now they were going to transition and no longer be able to spend their money freely. It was obvious that Taeyeon was not planning on changing their identities so soon. It made her wonder about what had changed Taeyeon’s mind. 

“Well at least I’ll still be with you. I think that changing your identity is so cool! You can be anyone you want to be.” Tiffany laughed. Taeyeon hummed tacitly and punched in the code to open the door to the balcony. 

“Not quite. We can’t have any living relatives but at the same time can have enough so that it wouldn’t seem like we arose out of nowhere. So same story, different date I guess. It’s mostly just our birthdays that changes,” Taeyeon described. Tiffany sat down at the table and grinned widely. They haven’t been in the rooftop for a while since Jessica preferred being indoors for their studying sessions. It felt nice to be out in the open without any immediate responsibilities. 

“Oh! Is your name actually Taeyeon? I mean with you changing identities, your name is bound to change, right?” Tiffany asked curiously. Taeyeon sat across Tiffany and nodded. 

“We try to keep our real names as often as we can. We’ve changed our identities about five times by now. Coincidentally, you met us when we chose to use our original names.” Taeyeon rubbed her neck absentmindedly. “With all the bad things that transpired, it was a little nice to have my sister call me again.”

“Sooyeon, right?” 

“Yeah.”

“Would have been nice to let her stay for a bit. I mean, humans have no trouble believing in ghosts,” Tiffany suggested. 

“It ruins the balance. The afterlife council has strict rules when it comes to deceased souls,” Taeyeon stated sternly. It was because of those late souls that there was so much chaos back at the Legion’s base. 

“I guess so...” Tiffany suspired. It sounded kind of depressing how the deceased and living had to be separated so much. She gazed at Taeyeon who was staring out the roof into the open air. She was itching to get answers to a lot of questions but it was much too early to probe if she was to ask them at all.

“You blamed yourself when you thought we were leaving you guys again,” Taeyeon spoke all of a sudden. Tiffany’s back straightened instantly when Taeyeon turned around to face her with a stoic expression. “Why?” the immortal added with a curious tilt of the head. Tiffany scratched her cheek awkwardly and diffidently giggled.

“Well, I thought maybe you presumed that I was neglecting you and decided I wasn’t worth it anymore. I was actually already planning on tracking down the Legion’s headquarters to find you again.” She chuckled but Taeyeon remained silent with her expression never changing. 

“Were you neglecting me?”

Tiffany felt a jolt run through her spine when Taeyeon asked her so bluntly. 

“If you supposed that I was leaving because I thought you were neglecting me in such a short amount of time, then there must be a reason why it was the first idea that came to your mind,” Taeyeon continued. Tiffany averted her gaze and trained them down to her hands while she bit her lower lip. She knew she couldn’t hide anything from Taeyeon. She’s lived for nearly two centuries, of course she was more experienced with people and their behaviours.

“I... may have overestimated myself,” Tiffany answered slowly. Taeyeon finally bared some emotion and raised a brow at the odd answer. 

“How so?”

“Well...” Tiffany hesitated. She then saw Taeyeon’s brow furrow and breathed in deeply. Taeyeon was going to force an answer out of her one way or another so she might as well do it the less painful way. “I thought that no matter how long I went without seeing you, you would still be waiting for me just like I would be waiting for you.” Tiffany paused, waiting for a reaction. When none was given, she suddenly became flustered, ripening like a tomato. “It was really stupid of me, I know. I just thought, with you having all the time in the world, that maybe a couple of weeks... maybe even a month wouldn’t be too bad. At least until I got everything under control.”

“I see,” Taeyeon said slowly. She looked away from Tiffany and crossed her arms in thought. She then sniggered quietly and shook her head which confused Tiffany who was anticipating some kind of a cold lecture. “Well, it’s true that I have all the time in the world so I wouldn’t mind waiting.”

“Really?”

“Yes,” Taeyeon gave a gentle smile. “But that doesn’t mean that you overestimated yourself. The only reason why I would agree to wait is because I understand what you want and I don’t want to interfere.”

“I know that but when I panicked I assumed that maybe... I was just that special to you that you would... overreact?” Tiffany fiddled with her fingers nervously. Saying it out loud just made it seem even more stupid than it already was in her head. She waited for a response from the immortal she was confessing to so that she could get over the embarrassment. It startled her when Taeyeon suddenly stood up. 

“Or maybe you just underestimated yourself.” Tiffany looked up at Taeyeon who had her back facing her. Taeyeon cocked her head to the side and raised her brow at Tiffany. “Maybe you’re just that special that I would never try to leave you.” Taeyeon laughed lightheartedly before turning around and shaking her head. She can’t believe that she was gradually changing because of a human but it didn’t feel wrong. 

“Taeyeon... I...” Tiffany was at a loss for words. Her heart was racing in the back of and she just felt like her world was nothing but her, Taeyeon and the rooftop. Taeyeon shrugged her shoulders and broke Tiffany’s trance by facing her and clearing . 

“We should get back. Yuri, Yoona and I have to start clearing our records before copies are made,” Taeyeon announced awkwardly, trying to act as if she wasn’t out of character just then. Tiffany raised her hands and slapped her cheeks a few times to calm herself down. She knew Taeyeon wasn’t going to keep the occasional soft demeanour shown for long so it was no surprise that she would be trying to change the topic. 

“Well, I’m free today. So is there anything I can help you with?” Tiffany offered. Taeyeon shoved her hands into her pockets and hummed thoughtfully. 

“I need to pick up a necklace for future investment purposes in the next town. Want to accompany me?” Taeyeon suggested. Tiffany bobbed eagerly and hurriedly went to stand beside Taeyeon. 

“Is it as old as ours? Because the stuff from back then are just beautiful.”

“Thanks for reminding me about how old I am,” Taeyeon muttered. “But no. It’s rather modern so we won’t be able to invest until further into the future.”

“Oh, well nevertheless... it’s still an investment,” Tiffany said in a calm voice. It disheartened her a little when she was reminded of how different they were. Taeyeon was alive during the time that their locket and key was made and will still be alive for when the new investment would be sold. As for her... Well, it was a different story. 

“I rarely make an investment since Yuri covers that but I thought that it was worth the effort this time,” Taeyeon spoke up when she noticed the little change in Tiffany’s voice. “I’ll have to ask you a favour and look after it for a while whilst we change our identities.”

“Huh?!”

“No arguments. This is not up for discussion either. It’s too dangerous to keep it with me while I’m getting my new papers sorted.”

“But judging by what you said... It must be worth a fortune!” Tiffany argued. Taeyeon shrugged her shoulders and started pacing to the door. 

“Whether it is worth a fortune or a penny, you’re looking after it for me. Now let’s go before the afternoon home rush kicks in.”

Tiffany stood on the roof with a dumbfounded look. She ran her hand through her hair and sighed tiredly. She just could not keep up with the random swings that Taeyeon had... but she’d be lying if she said she hated it. It made every meeting with Taeyeon different and she liked that. In general, she liked everything that involved Taeyeon, including her dictatorial persona. At the end of the day, Tiffany was able to sleep better knowing that she was special to Taeyeon. Maybe not as special as she was to her, but had enough meaning to matter at least. 

“Just like a fun-sized box of surprises.” Tiffany giggled to herself.