CHAPTER 28

       It’s been a long time since their last moment they had their date like this. And actually, both of them terribly missed a moment like this so much. So it wasn’t wonder when finally at the same time they found glimmering of excitement reflected from their eyes when their gaze met, though Taeyeon had to struggle hard to conceal her sadness and worriness as she knew... it won’t be long...

       But no matter how good Taeyeon suppressed her inner feeling, it just didn’t work for Tiffany, the one who knew her well, so much well, so damn well, more than anyone alive in this world. She didn’t buy the fake smile Taeyeon displayed up on her beautiful face.

       Still with her fingers intertwined with her beloved girlfriend, Tiffany tilted her head, scrutinized the face for the moment.

       “Taetae... what’s bothering you?” Tiffany asked carefully.

       Getting surprise because she didn’t notice Tiffany had scrutinized her expression already made Taeyeon couldn’t deny anymore.

       “Uh... Oh, nothing,” she only replied like that, but actually she also had already known Tiffany for sure wouldn’t just accept sort of answer. And as she’d predicted, Tiffany shook her head, but strangely she beamed smile and gestured Taeyeon to sit on the nearly bench.

       “Taetae,” she called out her name softly, made her heart or anyone else’s heart melted already. “What’s bothering you?” she asked again, rather to demanding, but her tone was so patient.

       Taeyeon couldn’t bear it anymore. She squeezed Tiffany’s hand and looked at her, sadly.

       “Why can’t I have you little bit longer?” she asked bluntly.

       Tiffany shook her head in disagreement. While staring at her deeply, one of her hand caressed Taeyeon’s cheek gently. The silence punctuated in a moment like this, actually had already curved pain in each lover hearts as they both tacitly known they really had no much time to be together again.

       “You will always have me forever, Taetae. Now and forever.”

       “You know... it isn’t what I was talking about,” Taeyeon shook her head sadly, but her gaze was still holding on Tiffany’s eyes.

       “Taetae... If there’s a meet, there’s an end as well... We’re all know that.”

       “But not that fast. I’m not ready. I’m really not ready for this...”

       “If there’s another life, I promise I’d come to you again, Taetae. I’d dialed the wrong number again. I promise you...”

       Tiffany tried to make a joke in order to cheer the atmosphere up, but she herself found was in the edge of crying. As Taeyeon realized the tears almost spilled out from the eyelids she quickly used her thumb to wipe the corner of Tiffany’s eyes. And she also realized, she supposed not to make any drama in their last moment, though she really didn’t have any intention to do it.

       “If there’s another life, I promise you, I’d go to find you again. And once I find you, I promise I would never let you go again, Tiffany. I think I knew I loved you even before I met you,” Taeyeon said solemnly, made Tiffany felt so touchy.

       “I love you, Taeyeon. I love you. Do you know... at that time... when you confessed your feeling to me and I pretended to not get it... at the park... you know what Taeyeon... I... I felt my chest almost exploded because I was fulfilled with joy and exuberance... You have no idea, Kim Taeyeon, how you made my day... I really wanted to hug you and said back that I love you too... That I’ve been waiting that moment, but... I... I just... mmmmh...”

       Tiffany just never had any chance to finish her sentences as Taeyeon’s lips already sealed . Taeyeon kissed her passionately, and with their eyes closed, they let their feeling blended and mixed into one.

       “I know that,” Taeyeon whsipered. “I know you love me too,” she added confidently. Afterward, she pulled from their kiss and looked at her again. This time, for the first time a sincere smile was plastered up on her face.

       “I could feel it, Tiffany. That’s why even though you kept warning me from the beginning that I’d get hurt if I continued my feeling, I didn’t give a damn. Because I knew and I was sure... it’s worth it... what I was struggling for. And I knew actually you loved me as well.”

       “B-but... you... loved the girl... Krystal... as well, right?”

       “Oh... And... and I just remember... what... what’ve you done to her? You ended your relationship because you...”

       Taeyeon hastily shook her head.

       “It’s her, who ended our relationship,” Taeyeon replied.

       “She’s a great girl,” Taeyeon continued. “I like her. I think, I loved her. But I was wrong. She made me realize that... actually my heart was only for you. It hurt her, indeed, but she’s very tough. She’s also the one who urged me to chase you... and dodged me to spend my life with regretness.”

        “I bet you’d like her.”

       Tiffany nodded her head and smiled. “That’s why. No wonder I never felt her like an enemy. I thought I could trust her to take care of you.”

       “The only one I want to take care of me is only you.”

       “But Taeyeon, you can’t ask a dead person to take care of you,” Tiffany shook her head.

       “Don’t die then,” Taeyeon replied.

       “Huh?”

       “Don’t die then. Don’t leave me. So you can take care of me as long as I’m alive,” Taeyeon asked solemnly.

        Stunning because of Taeyeon’s remarks, Tiffany just never had any chance to reply. With a gentle smile, Taeyeon made a chance to drop a peck on Tiffany’s forehead before she rose from the bench.

       “I’ll go get you some ice cream. Wait here and be a good girl, okay?”

       It had been almost twenty minutes since Taeyeon left and Tiffany had already been bored to wait there alone. At first, Tiffany didn’t realize it as she was still enjoying the scenes in front of her. A happy family passed over her, with some children bringing some balloons. They laughed along cheerfully, like there’s no burden onto their shoulders. A couple passed by, their fingers were intertwining, and they shared an ice cream together.

       “I suppose to be like one of them,” Tiffany murmured. “Live with my beloved one, make a family... if only...”

       “Hi, Miss? Can I take your time for a while?” a strange voice was suddenly heard, interupted her reverie.

       Tiffany peered up and discovered a clown stood in front of her and smiled.

       “Yes?” Tiffany asked in bewilderment.

       “In a few minutes, we’d hold a quiz for this theme park visitor. Would you join us?”

       “Oh,” Tiffany gasped, but quickly shook her head as she thought she’s still waiting for Taeyeon. “I’m sorry, I’m waiting for my...”

       “It won’t take long. It’s just for fun.”

       “I’m really sorry,” Tiffany said solemnly.

       The clown forced a smile and nodded his head understandingly.

       “It’s okay. Have fun!!” he said with cheerful voice. But as he turned away, Tiffany still could be able to hear what he mumbled.

      “It’s indeed hard to persuade people just with kind of peas doll as a prize,” he said. And the word “PEAS DOLL” just did made Tiffany’s eyes widened in excitement.

       “WAIT!!!” She yelled. The clown still didn’t notice and kept walking.

       “Hey, clown! Wait. Count me in!!! I’m joining!”

       The clown just stopped at his track and turned back in disbelief.

       “It won’t take long, right? I change my mind. I’d like to join the quiz,” Tiffany said excitingly.

       A smile just appeared on the clown face and he just quickly proffered a cell-phone to Tiffany.

      “You see the huge billboard above the ferris wheel?” The clown pointed out a giant billboard in front of them and Tiffany nodded her head.

       “We’d announce for the questions and all the things you need to do was only typing the answer and press send button. The correct and fastest answer would be displayed on the billboard and for every correct answer, you’d get one doll.”

       “But how could I know it’s my answer who was displayed on the billboard?”

       “Oh, you will know when it was written by the color you chose. So now, just pick the color you prefer. This quiz has limited participant, so every participant would have different color.”

       “Wow! Jaemiitguna!! Pink... Is the pink color still available?”

       “Yes, young lady. It’s officially yours now!”

       “That’s it????” Tiffany asked in confuse. The clown nodded his head.

       “Yes, that’s it.”

       “Owhhhh, so easy,” Tiffany unconsciously mumbled.

       The clown laughed as he though Tiffany was so innocent and little bit naive. “What kind of games you expect for a simple prize like a peas doll? Do you expect a harder game?”

       Tiffany just smiled shyly discovering how stupid her comment was. Before both of them had any chance to talk more, the announcement from the loudspeaker had already been announced.

       “For all the quiz participants, prepare yourself and the cell-phone for the question number one!”

       “Question number 1! Who is the popular first name actor who had the main role of the movie ‘I’m Legend’ and ‘Hancock’?”

       Tiffany hastily typed as it was a piece of cake for her. Then she took a glance at the billboard and yelled in excitement as it was her answer... who was displayed on the billboard... because it was written on pink color!!!

       “Question number 2! Fill the blank! One of the most popular Josh Groban’s title of songs was blank blank blank Raise Me Up.”

       Tiffany widened her smile and hastily typed again.

       “Question number 3! Listen for this song and type the first word of the title!”

       Not long afterward, the voice of Bruno Mars was heard and it said... It’s a beautiful night, we’re looking for something dumb to do...

       Tiffany quickly typed it again confidently and she just didn’t have any chance to check the answer out as the forth and final question was released.

       “Final question and the easiest one! Just type “ME” and press send button!!!! NOW! BE QUICK!”

       Stammering, Tiffany tried to manage herself to finish it and before she noticed it, suddenly the atmosphere surrounded her just got merrier. People surrounded her stunningly peered above, narrowed and looked at the same point. As puzzled-Tiffany still didn’t get it, she just followed a couple gaze beside her...

       The billboard was showing all the letters in pink which meant Tiffany hit the jackpot. Tiffany answered all the questions correctly and she’s the faster as well... But it wasn’t only that thing made her jaw dropped open...

       The things made her so speechless was the sentence displayed on it... and it was witnessed by hundreds, even thousands pair of eyes... who was awaiting and anticipating for her reaction...

WILL YOU MARRY ME?

      “Tiffany Hwang, my world, my universe. I’ve come once to you and you have rejected me once. You know I won’t give up that easy. Now I’ve come to you again, to beg you for my selfishness to have an honour to make you mine, to own your heart and to not let you share it with anybody else but me, to take care of you for the rest of my life, to protect you with all my life, to do my best to make you smile everyday, to value every single thing who’s belongs to you, and to make you never felt sorry for chosing me as your forever one. I might not be able to give this universe to you, but I promise you, if you give a chance for me, I’d give you our own universe, where on it there’s only us, exist, enjoy, and alive.”

       Tiffany couldn’t help herself crying. She poured her tears. Her happiness tears... And she couldn’t say even for a single words. She just peered down, looked at the one kneeled in front of her, with a ring on her hand palm, was directed to her.

       Never during of her life, she felt so much precious, she felt was treated like the best diamond in this world like this. And the only person could treat her this way was only Kim Taeyeon. Yes, Director Kim, who’s once acted so arrogant, bossy, and arbitrary to her...

       “Tiffany Hwang. I ask you once again. Will you marry me?”

       Tiffany was stammering. While the audience who was started to feel impatient make the atmosphere more tense up. They yelled in excitement, urged Tiffany to accept and say yes.

       “PLEASE SAY YES! PLEASE SAY YES!” They shouted out joyfully.

       Still presenting the diamond ring calmly while awaiting the answer, Taeyeon stared at her meaningfully.

       Finally, Tiffany could composure herself again. Still with the tears kept pouring down from the eyes she nodded her head.

       “I accept your selfishness,” she managed to say.

       “I will. I will marry you, Kim Tae Yeon.”

to be continued...