CHAPTER 22

Taeyeon POV

       AS had already been expected before, Tiffany and I reached into final stage easily. And as had already been predicted before as well, our competitors were no other than Yuri and Sica; however don’t forget… we still had to face another group more. Yeah, it was Gyuri team. This competition had already given me other knowledge that despite her behavior, Gyuri actually was a smart girl. I could say she was so competitive opponent for us.

       So, here we were now. Each of us had own supporters. They kept yelling our names to show their support and made the atmosphere began even more tense. Tiffany unconsciously tightened her grip to me, making me cocked my head and looked at her.

       “Hi,” I flashed smile. “Don’t worry. We’d win it,” I assured her.

       “Oh, Tae… I really didn’t know how to pass through this without you…”

       “Don’t mention that, my Baby,” I whispered sweetly while staring at her; making the latter suddenly blushed in embarrassment.

       I patted her top of head for a moment to encourage her. At that time, from the corner of my eyes I could catch Gyuri was witnessing us. Smirking, in purpose I just landed a quick peck on Tiffany’s forehead. Yeah, ruining someone’s mood in a competition was a good strategy, rite?

       With that, the host announced the regulations for each stage on final.

       “Okay, first, congrats for you three for reached the final stage, we called it as “Round Stage”, which was… Host will release a question and each team has to give the answer, according to the order of your place now; afterward, the next group has to provide the different right answer, and so does with the last group. We have made a deal that the circle will run clockwise. Is it clear? Any question?”

       We’re all nodding our head, showing we’d absorb it. So the host just went on and was about to read the first question. First team who supposed to provide the answer was Yulsic then turned to us, and then Gyuri’s.

       “Question no.1. Mention five presidents of USA!”

       I smirked. (Oh, Yul, piece of cake!!)

       I could see Yuri grinned in his victory as well and quickly answered.

       “George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, John F. Kennedy, George Bush!”

       “Correct. 50 point!”

       “Oh, shoot,” I heard Tiffany murmured. “Yuri’s answer was absolutely what I’m going to tell…”

       I widened my smile and winked to my girlfriend. She looked at me in disbelief, as if questioning “You aren’t out of stocks???”

       “Okay, the next team please answer. Still the same question. Mention five presidents of USA!” the host exclaimed again.

       I answer calmly.

       “John Adams, James Monroe, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, Ronald Reagen.”

       My answer, inevitably, earned surprising and adoring look from the audience, not excluding my beloved girlfriend that now unconsciously dumbfounded while looking at me. s though I could read her mind, which most probably asked: how could you know them, I just mouthed to her secretly and said,”Don’t forget, I won’t never let you down, Baby.”

       As if it wasn’t enough to satisfy me and Yulsic couple, once I caught the expression of the next team consisting of Gyuri and her partner, which obviously looked like got dead , I couldn’t help to exchange glance with Yuri and grinned in victory.

       “Errr… Bill Clinton… Barrack Obama…,” I heard Gyuri said feebly. And just it. She shrugged her shoulder and glared to the partner that seemed didn’t help at all.

       Tiffany cutely whispered to me,”You’re lucky you aren’t in her team. She put all the blame on her partner.”

       If we’re not in public, I swore, I’d already dropped a kiss for my cute girlfriend. Dang! Now I had to struggle hard to bear it.

       With that, Yulsic couple and my team were tie, while Gyuri’s team was behind us. And now as it seemed difficult for Gyuri’s team to win, they seemed slightly indifferent and nonchalant now.

       Questions by questions already been passed and really, Yulsic was not a joke! Our score was very tight and we caught up each other… until finally we reached to the final question, which was the determinant one.

       When my gaze met Yuri, for the first time I knew it had been a long time we didn’t met under such a circumstance: the battle. The last time I fought against him, as I remembered, was when I was at twelve. We had to escape from a wild jungle located in east Africa with very minimum equipment: a bottle of water and a knife. I just succeed managed to escape within twelve hours, and I also remembered Yuri was behind me and finally able to catch me up “only” one hour afterward.

       I could say he’s slightly pissed off because he had to be defeated, but he fairly acknowledged my victory then. Afterward we never did any battle again because all the things we did after all was in the real field. Yes, I did my first duty for real when I was about thirteen or less.

       And now, when I looked into his eyes, I knew exactly what he’s trying to say. “This time I’m gonna beat you, Tae!”

       The voice of host who throwing the next question just yanked me from the reverie. The first was my turn.

       “As we know, it’s the determinant question for Yulsic team and Taeny team. So we’d make it be more interesting. We’d give you the questions and the first time have to answer with minimum amount that have been requested, and the next team has to provide answer at least one much more than previous team, and so on. Is it clear?”

       We’re all nodding uniformly and the host immediately threw the question.

       “Mention how to ‘Saranghae’ into minimum five foreign languages and the origin!”

       I couldn’t help but widening my smile. (Another piece of cake… But wait… for the first team it would be an ad… but for the second and third time, where they have to mention it into another different languages it absolutely will be so… difficult… Oh sorry, Yul. I guess you have to try your luck next time!)

       I beckoned my girlfriend to spill out the answer. She seemed so confident.

      “In English, I love you.”

      “Chinese, Wo ai ni.”

       “Netherland, Ik hou van jou.”

       “Germany, Ich liebe dich.”

       “And…,” she trailed off for the last answer she had to tell. I frowned confusingly but at the next second when she tilted her head and looked at me ‘that way’ while mentioning the words, I already known, she meant it.

“Japan, Ai eru.”

       “Correct! Full point for your team!” the host announced again.

       “Nado aieru, Yeobo,” I whispered near her ears with mixing Korean-Japanese language, earning a shy pinch on my waist from her.

       “Look, Baby. We’re going to win this,” I whispered to Tiffany.

       “Don’t be overconfident, Baby,” she said. “You shouldn’t underestimate Yulsic.”

       I gazed to Yuri again and now I found him rubbed his head. I shifted my gaze to Tiffany again and said. “I don’t think he’d make it this time. When Yuri rubs his head like that, it indicates he’s in trouble.”

       Gyuri’s face just turned into darker one afterward. For this question she just didn’t even spill out one answer. Yeah, as I said before, it would be a harm for the second or third team to get sort of question like this. But, this was a game. Not only the smartest who will win, but also, the luckiest one.

       When it already came to Yulsic team to answer, suddenly Jessica reached the microphone and earned a surprising look from Yuri. I couldn’t hear what Jessica said but from the mimic, she seemed said,”Don’t worry. I’d handle it now.”

       “Persian, Tora dos daram.”

       “Spanish, Te amo.”

       “Arab, Ana behibek.”

       “Turkish, Seni sevi yorum.”

       “Serbian, volim te.”

       “You should provide at least one more answer, Sica,” the host reminded her.

       “Of course,” Jessica smiled and said confidently.

       “Indonesia, Aku cinta kamu.”

       The moment she finished the answer, the atmosphere were turning into stunning silence one. But afterward, at the next second, the audience in unison clapping their hands admiringly, including me and Tiffany… who didn’t expect it at all. And Yuri… Yuri, for the first time seemed so dumbfounded in front of his girlfriend. Jessica, in other side, just threw a cool smile toward her ‘Seobang’.

        “It~doesn’t make sense…,” I mumbled but Tiffany quickly shook her head.

       “Admit it. She caught us off guard.”

       “Hell, yeah… I think I too focus at Yuri… and Sica… really not a joke!”

       “T-taeng… We have to mention seven answers now…,” Tiffany reminded me and suddenly I realized… There’s no chance for our team now…

       I threw a sad and sorry look at Tiffany but as she had already caught the indication, she just beamed a smile at me.

       “Gwaenchana, Tae…”

       Afterward, I heard the host asked us. “Taeny Team… Will you just give us the seven answers?”

       I heaved a huge sigh before answering.

       “I don’t think I have stock that much,” I said and smiled wryly, hence confirming Yulsic victory.

       “So with that… I announce that the winner of the contest this year is… Yuri Kwon and Jessica Jung!”

       At the moment he announced it, audiences just stood up and giving standing applause excitingly.

       Gyuri that seemed so pissed up quickly dragged her partner and left the place, while Tiffany and I hastily hustled over the people to approach Yulsic couple, which was now plastering up smile on their faces.

       Tiffany hugged Jessica tightly while I did high-five with my cousin.

       “You’re so damn lucky have this ice princess on your side!” I said to him, earning a fake glare from the latter.

       “Hahaha,” I laughed. “Congrats, Sica. Yuri owed you for this. I’d make sure he’d give you something in return properly!” I winked when I stated it.

       “Hey dude. Don’t mention it in public!” Yuri seemed play around with me and it eventually made the ice princess face, for the first time, in front of me blushed.

       “Seobang, cant you just dont talk about it here?” she pleaded coyly.

       “Huh? What was I talking about?” Yuri acted stupid deliberately and earned a playful smack from his girlfriend.

       “Ouch! It hurts!” he pretended to act as if it was painful, but at the next second he already wrapped his arms around Jessica’s waist.

       “We have to celebrate it, guys,” Yuri said again. “Sica and I are gonna treat you afterward.”

       Yulsic and me already made a deal to meet at some center point at six in this afternoon and afterward we’re going to a restaurant at the downtown to spend time to have dinner together. I thought it was one of my best days I ever had.

       If only…

       If only the witch didn’t ruin everything.

       I was kissing my girlfriend when she suddenly popped in front of us and made another mess with me, or more accurately with my girlfriend. Oh no. Everything related with my girlfriend, of course involved me for sure. So yes. She made another mess with me.

       “PDA couple. Not here, not at the contest… This girl always finds a way to tell the world that she’s yours.” she said indignantly while passing over us. It, of course provoked me. Tiffany had already gripped my waist to restrict me but this time I ignored her.

       “Watch your mouth. It’s MY GIRL you’re talking here!” I stared at her fiercely.

       “Yeah, lame girl that has no manner so she has to tell aieru in front of many people. Funny. As if she’s so afraid if the world doesn’t know that she’s yours. Doesn’t it mean that… she didn’t trust you enough?”

       “It’s none of your business,” this time Tiffany suddenly jumped in and barked. “I trust Tae and I have no intention to show off or so when I said…”

       “Sssh, Yeobo,” I deliberately embraced her tightly and cut her sentence off. “Don’t waste your time for her. She would never understand, I think, because nobody loves her. Poor witch,” I made a face and shook my head to make her got annoyed and I thought it worked.

       She seemed so speechless and the only thing I could catch was she just clenched her fist but didn’t do anything else.

       But as we already made few steps away from her, I could her she yelled,”I wonder if you’re still as arrogant as this if you lose your girlfriend!”

       Her last statement, to tell the truth, just made me felt uneasy.

Tiffany POV

       “Tae… I feel so insecure,” I carefully let out my mind into words when we’re ambling that afternoon to the centerpoint. He looked at me seriously and his eyebrows knitted together, waiting for the next explanation from me.

       “Gyuri’s remarks…,” I gave him a clue and I felt he just curled his arms protectively around my back.

       “She just bluffed,” he stated. “Moreover, you have me. I’d protect you all the time, Tiffany. If it necessary, I’d just stay at your home.”

       “Tae… It wasn’t me that I was worrying. I’m worried about you. We never knew if she also intended something bad to you. I’m so freaking out, Tae… I didn’t want you’re getting hurt… moreover… if it was because of me…”

       He stopped walking and now faced me.

       “Hey, don’t think too much, Baby,” he said and cupped my cheek. “We’re will just be fine. Trust me.”

       Afterward he kissed me on the forehead and somehow, it just made me chill out.

       “I love you, Tae. Gomawo,” I whispered.

       “I love you too, Baby. Thank you for letting me love you.”

       At the moment he said it, I felt his sincerity and I could catch his eyes slightly watery. I had no idea about it at all. He used to say it to me, but this time it sounded slightly different. He seemed so solemn as if he wouldn’t have any chance to say it again to me.

       I kissed his lips afterward.

       Later, I found, it was the last love statement I could hear from my beloved Tae.

       As before I saw it coming… a car with high speed already headed to our direction… and could be said… it’s indeed intended to hit us…

       Or hit me, if I might rephrase.

       At that second I thought I was dying. All the things I could do was only widened my eyes and frozen in my track.

           But a pair of strong arms quickly grabbed me and dumped me to the ground. I felt my\body crushed with the pavement and the pain just suddenly crept over my whole body. But I had no much time to even feel the pain as my soberness already brought me to the scene ~ harrowing scene happened in front of my eyes.

       It’s him.

       It’s my Tae… lied on the ground. Unconsciously.

       He didn’t move at all. His arms just spread on the ground. His head angled to the other side.

And within seconds, slowly the grayish pavement already turned into red one…

       Blooding oozed from the back part of his head.

       “TAE!!! TAE!!!!” I screamed in horror, calling out his name, but no answer I could hear.

     “TAEEEEE!!!! WAKE UP!!!!!” I screamed again, this time I approached his body. I crumpled his shirt and tried to move it, but again, there’s no reaction from him.

       Trembling, I put my thumb onto his wrist, under his palm, trying to sense his pulse at the artery around his wrist… and the fact that I wasn’t able to sense any pulse there… just killed me already.

HI, sorry for late update :) I hope you're cool with it.

Because of it, I compensate by writing such a long and content update :)

A bit hint: the contest part is a clue for this story. Curious?

Share your opinion, or may... which part arousing your curiosity... 

And about TaeNy... I feel so sorry I have to make the scene.

COMMENT, pls. It'd help me to update this faster ^^.

to be continued...