33rd Piece of the Puzzle

 

FOUR YEARS LATER...

 

 

The brown-haired, soon-to-be-lawyer was reading through her email messages.

It was late in the evening, but she wasn't sleepy at all. 

 

[Happy Birthday Fannnnnyyyy!!! You're doing well, right? Hope to see you soon! Keep in touch!-Sooyoung]

 

Tiffany smiled upon seeing one of the birthday messages that she was eager to read. 

[Thanks so much, Soo!! Yes, I'm doing well. How are you and the others? will see you soon. REAL soon!- Tiffany]

 

She was glad that she was able to remain friends with the tall shikshin. Through the years, they kept sending simple greetings but it just stayed that way. They never talked about other things. Tiffany always tried to avoid anything related to her past lover. Although at times, she was tempted to ask if Taeyeon's still single.

Sooyoung on the other hand, didn't want to meddle with their relationship. As much as she wanted the two to get back together, she knew it wouldn't work for they were too far apart.

 

She plopped herself down and stared blankly at the ceiling. Sitting on her bed was her favorite doll, Totoro. She snuggled herself into its softness. "Do you still remember the person who bought you?"

 

    ***   It was a regular day at school. But not for Tiffany, for it was her 20th birthday.   She opened her locker early in the morning, only to find a huge, crumpled, pink-wrapped present. Being the girl who loves surprises, she roughly unwrapped it and squealed upon seeing her favorite Anime character, Totoro. She turned her head sideways to check if someone's keeping an eye on her.     She was blushing so hard. "TaeTae, I know you're there. Stop hiding."   Soft footsteps made themselves known. A dork finally exposed herself after hiding behind the door near the lockers' area.   "Happy birthday, Fany-ah." Taeyeon revealed herself, wearing a dorky grin on her face. "How'd you know it was me?"   "Silly dork. You're the only one who knows about my favorite Anime. Anyway, I love it, Tae. Thank you so much!" The birthday girl rushed towards the older girl and pulled her into a tight embrace.       "You're the bestest friend ever!"   ****   A smile was painted on her face as she reminisced her past. Bittersweet memories with her former best friend never fail to trigger her emotions.  'How are you doing now, TaeTae?'          ****           A blonde-haired woman exited from the newly-opened cafe' owned by Sooyoung. She was sipping her Caramel Machiatto while her other hand was holding a pile of papers. She was then welcomed by a car which stopped abruptly infront of her. The window automatically opened, revealing a guy in sunglasses.               "Going home, Taengoo?"   "I'm planning to go somewhere else."   Wooyoung was used to this already- being rejected by Taeyeon every time he asked her out.   But he didn't take it to heart. He was always with different girls every weekend anyway. They never had some sort of relationship, although sometimes they're mistaken as a couple. The two just remained friends, especially now that Taeyeon worked as their band manager and song writer at the same time.     He was living the star's life. And Taeyeon was one of those people who helped him climb up the ladder.     "Okay, if you say so... I'll go ahead." Wooyoung drove off, leaving the blonde alone again.   "B