Chapter 31

Sunny’s POV

When the bell rang, we all focused our attention towards the door. There was a woman standing outside. She had straight long black hair, fair skin, plump red lips, and a beautiful eyesmile. She looked very similar to Tiffany, except older.

“Hello!~ I’m—” Tiffany and Taeyeon both stood up when she spoke, mouths agape.

“Michelle Hwang.” Jessica also looked very pleasantly surprised, standing at the door with her eyes wide.

How did she…??

“MIMI-UNNIE!” Taeyeon and Tiffany suddenly shouted and ran towards the woman hand-in-hand. Michelle opened her arms wide to accept the hugs of both of her dongsaengs and laughed at their childishness.

“Hello Steph. Hi Tae. It’s been so long since I last saw you.”

“I MISSED YOU!” The cousins once again exclaimed together, whining like little kids.

I inched closer and closer towards the other person who looked just as left out as I was, Jessica.

“Psst, what’s happening?” I elbowed her gently.

“Michelle Hwang…” Jessica just repeated, her eyes sparkling with wonder. “My idol. The famous designer and model.”

I followed Jessica’s gaze and turned my attention back towards the trio in front of us who did not notice our presence: Michelle-unnie with her back to us, Taeyeon whose eyes were solely focused on the elder Hwang, and Tiffany who was unable to see the two of us.

“She looks familiar.”

“Huh?” Jessica was frowning by herself, a hand pressing against the side of her head and her eyes focused on the laughing woman. “You mean like on TV or in magazines?”

“No… somewhere.” She closed her eyes as if in pain.

“That’s impossible. Even I’ve never seen her.” I patted her back soothingly. “Don’t think too much. It’ll make your head hurt.”

“But—” Her answer was interrupted by a question that Michelle asked.

“Steph, have you met anyone yet?” Raised eyebrows and a suggestive nudge. Tiffany and Jessica both tensed. Taeyeon and I looked at each other.

“Well, there’s someone…” Tiffany quietly said, her fingers fidgeting as a shy smile crawled up her lips.

My cellphone suddenly buzzed inside my pocket, interrupting her.

“Yes, Umma? Ok. I’m coming now.” I stood up and started towards the door.

“Going to Sunflower?” Taeyeon asked me, standing up to follow me.

“Yes. You can stay. I’ll call Soo to cover up for your shift.” I smiled at her and waved goodbye. “She still owes me for what she ate last time.”

After bowing politely to Michelle, I walked out the door while taking my phone out to call Sooyoung.

“—ello?” She answered after a long while. Munching sounds were heard from the other end of the line and I frowned in disgust. Sooyoung was talking with full again.

“I need you to come to the café right now.”

“I demand food as the payment.”

I rolled my eyes. “We’ll see.”

“Be there in ten.” She hung up, sounding happy. I can imagine the wheels in her shikshin head turning round and round to come up with ways to get a free lunch out of me.

Just as I had predicted, the café was filled with customers. All the staff were rushing about here and there, and even my parents have come out their little office hole.

“SUNNY!” A girl dressed in the white and yellow waitress outfit came running towards me and began pulling me behind the counter. She pushed a sunflower-patterned apron into my hands and placed slips of orders on top of the cloth. “Hurry up. We need your help.”

“Alright Hyomin! Time to use some sunshine power!” I tied the apron around my waist and did a little fist pump with her before getting to work.

After exactly 10 minutes, my tall friend burst through the door, her nose in the air, sniffing like a dog.

“Hmm, freshly baked banana muffins…” With her eyes twinkling, she wandered up to me. “Sunny, can I have a muffin before I start working? I think I will need it for energy.”

“Soo, you just ate. There are even cookie crumbs left on your shirt.” I ignored the puppy eyes.

“But that was two minutes ago!”

“You eat too much.”

“I can never eat too much. My body’s taller than yours so I have to eat a little more.”

I looked at her in disbelief. “I’m about to go crazy here with all these orders. Are you going to just stand there and insult me or are you going to HELP?!”

Sooyoung froze with a loud gulp. Even some of the customers looked our way.

“I’m sorry, Sunny.” She put on an apron and took an order slip obediently.

I smiled. Sooyoung is a great friend when she is not being a shikshin…

“Can I get a muffin after work?” She asked me shyly, her eyes twinkling with hope again.

But when is she ever not a shikshin?

~~

I was sitting down at the counter of our café. It was around 2 in the afternoon so there weren’t many customers as the rush hours were over and Sooyoung has already went back home happily with her muffin. Bored, I took out the song that Taeyeon and I wrote and decided to practice it. It was a sweet love song, more matching for my situation than Tae’s. I took out my wallet to look at the picture of Taeyeon and me that we took together on my birthday last year. There was a warm feeling in my heart: a sense of contentment and also the spark of hope that has always been there. I was staring at it and reminiscing about the times we spent together, even if it was just as friends.

“Hey Sunny!” Yuri and Sooyoung crept up behind me and shouted in my ear.

“OH MY TAEYEON!” I screamed and jumped about a feet into the air and dropped my wallet.

Yuri and Sooyoung looked at each other. Sooyoung quickly picked my wallet up before I could and Yuri grabbed my song papers.

“Ooo little Sunny has a crush on someone little!” Sooyoung sang teasingly and showed the photo to Yuri.

♪♫ When I pass by you
My heart flutters for the entire day
I alone longed for you
An image of you is always left behind ♪♫

Yuri sang a little of our song and smirked at me. “Taeyeon huh?

“How long has this been going on?”

“I don’t like Taeyeon!” I said and grabbed my things back.

“Oh really? Then why were you staring at the photo?” Sooyoung asked.

“Why did you scream ‘Taeyeon’ when we snuck up behind you?” Yuri added.

“I-I don’t like her ok?!”

“Yeaaahhh, you don’t like her. You looovvvee her!” Yuri said immaturely and the two of them burst out laughing.

“We have to tell Taeyeon!” Sooyoung said.

“Nonononoo, don’t tell her please!” I begged them.

“Sunny, you just confirmed that you actually like Taeyeon!” Yuri said and laughed again.

I buried my head in my hands.

“Ok, I do. I always have, ok? Just don’t tell her. I’ll give you anything you want.” I gave up on arguing with them.

The two nodded understanding, their faces somber as they sympathized with my situation. But their expressions soon changed to mischievous looks.

“You said anything… so free food?” Sooyoung asked me as she looked at Yuri. Yuri nodded her approval. “And you have to tell us more about your crush on Taeng.”

“Ok..” I sighed. “Just don’t tell her.”

Sooyoung and Yuri high-fived each other and took a seat at a table.

“Anyways… Sooyoung, why are you back when you left just a moment ago? And Yuri, where’s Yoona?”

Taeyeon’s POV

Sunny’s departure brought our attention back to the other girl who was still seated quietly like schoolgirl. Jessica watched Mimi’s every move with seemingly uninterested eyes but the way she kept furrowing her eyebrows told me otherwise. She was curious, very very curious about something. Mimi-unnie finally noticed her stare and greeted her with an eyesmile.

“Hello there~” She flashed Jessica a flirty wink and asked us. “Who’s that pretty lady?”

Jessica blushed and smiled coyly.

“That’s Jessi!” Tiffany answered happily, sounding like a proud mother showing off her child.

“A new friend that you made? That’s an angel you’ve got there Steph.”

“Yeah, we’re…”

“Best friends.” Jessica and Tiffany finished the sentence together.

“HUH?!” My eyes widened in surprise and I looked at my cousin and her girlfriend as they sat side by side uncomfortably. Mimi-unnie was clearly hitting on Jessica right in front of Tiffany and they weren’t doing anything about it.

“Something wrong, Tae Tae?” Unnie asked me.

“I meant huhhhhhh, I’m so hungry!” I grabbed her hand and began heading towards the kitchen. “Let’s continue talking while eating. The breakfast is getting cold.”

Glancing back, I saw Jessica reaching for Tiffany’s hand and guiding her after us. Worries vanished when I saw them smile at each other.

Maybe I saw just thinking too much… everything’s fine… hopefully. They must have their reasons.

Breakfast passed smoothly and was uneventful, except for the curious look Mimi gave Jessica and Tiffany when she saw them sharing a glass of milk and Jessica wiped off Tiffany’s milk moustache with her thumb.

“Do you guys need another glass or some tissues?” Mimi asked, sounding uncomfortable and bewildered at the display of affection.

“GOSH, you two are so lazy…” I covered up for them and got another glass of milk and a wad of tissues. Looking pointedly at the couple’s entwined fingers, I reminded Jessica to be careful.

Mimi seemed to believe my acting as she went back to interrogating new girl.

“Hey, have we met before?” Is this a pick-up line? Or does she remember? No it can’t be.

“N-no. I don’t think so.” Jessica blushed under the elder’s steady gaze.

“Hmm, really?” Unnie rested her head on her palm and batted her eyelashes, looking pretty. “Maybe we’ve met in my dreams or maybe we’re fated to be?”

Jessica chuckled uncomfortably and let go of Tiffany’s hand in order to fix her hair in a self-conscious manner. She was too overwhelmed by the attention Mimi was giving her that Tiffany’s attempt to hold her hand again went unnoticed. My cousin frowned with a little pout and continued eating gloomily.

“Fany-ah, are you ok?” Jessica immediately noticed the change of mood. Tiffany simply nodded and stuffed another square of pancake into .

“You guys free next week?” Mimi-unnie was all smiles as if she didn’t notice her sister’s sulk.

“Why?” Jessica and I perked up at the thought of spending time with her.

“I need someone to show me around Seoul. There’s this one amusement park that I really want to go to? You guys with me?”

We nodded their heads excitedly while Tiffany sulked even more.

“I’m not invited?” She mumbled, sounding slightly angry.

Mimi-unnie frowned and shook her head. “It might not be safe for you, Steph.”

“If Jessi’s going, I’m going too!” Tiffany stated determinedly and stood up. Her sister stared in surprise at her sudden outburst.

Jessica placed a hand onto the girl’s back to calm her down. “Of course you’re invited Tiff.”

Tiffany was coaxed back into her seat by her girlfriend who held her hand in assurance.

“She’s coming with us.” Jessica asserted. “She’ll be fine with me.”

Tiffany’s mood brightened right up and she leaned over to whisper into her girlfriend’s ear not so quietly.

“I’m puuurrrfect with you.”

Fortunately, Michelle was too busy with her food to comprehend the whispered words. “Did somebody say something?”

“HAHAHAHA. Unnie, you must be feeling jetlagged, you’re hearing things. Sica-ah, you should go home now. Aunty Jung might be worried.” I distracted my cousin and stood up, pulling her along with me.

“But—” The three whined at the same time.

“Mimi, why don’t you go rest upstairs?” I began dragging her towards the stairs while motioning with my eyes for Jessica to say goodbye to Tiffany quickly.

Michelle-unnie kept glancing back at the two girls and her unfinished breakfast, confused at why I was taking her away. But she shrugged to herself and sent Jessica one last wink before going upstairs willingly. A shade of pink appeared on Jessica’s cheeks again when she received the wink.

What the heck is going on? I thought and shot her a glare. If she hurts Tiffany, she’ll have to face my wrath.

Jessica just glared back.

Jessica’s POV

“Jessi?” Tiffany’s soft voice distracted my from glaring at her short cousin. I turned to face her and immediately felt guilty, and I didn’t even know why I was feeling like that.

“Yes honey?”

“We need to talk.” She continued, her tone serious and her face undecipherable.

“Yes, we do.”

“Let’s tell unnie later… about us. I mean she just got here today.”

“Yes. We can tell her after she has settled down.” I nodded in agreement.

Shouldn’t I feel hurt that we have to hide our relationship?

“I’m happy you’re getting along well with my sister.” The guilt me again.

“Yeah… I need to go home Tiff.” I stood up and walked to the door. Tiffany caught up with me and held my hand. “I’ll call you.”

“Jessi…” She pulled me into a hug to which I readily complied. “I felt your love last night.”

My heart began hammering once again at her words. The cloud of emotions that has been covering me up lifted and I could finally see clearly again. I tightened my arms around her while waiting for her to continue.

“And I want to tell you that… I love you.”