I have a feeling that people are going to eat me alive in the next chapter. Lol. Stick with me some more, yeah? I’m glad all the Jeti fans enjoyed the previous chapter and now I hope the Locksmiths out there enjoy this chapter. Oh, and please look forward to the next chapter. It’ll be great [I’ll try] and I can finally answer those questions everyone’s been shooting at me.

~

Eight-year-old Taeyeon was playing in the sandbox with a rather serious look on her face. Her tongue was sticking out to the side a bit as she formed her sand castle. There was a moat, a small bridge, and large walls. Her tiny finger was making a window for the tower where her princess rested.

The brightness of the sun was soon covered by a shadow and Taeyeon quirked her head to the side in confusion. She glanced up and saw a young girl with slightly big cheeks looking at her curiously before smiling brightly. It was so bright that it seemed like even her eyes were smiling.

“Annyeong~, Tiffany-inmida.”

Taeyeon blinked a bit at the girl. There were plenty of other kids around the park but she decided to say hi to her. She shrugged her shoulders after thinking too much and returned the smile.

Trying to say hi back, Taeyeon furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. This Tiffany girl’s name was a bit difficult to say.

“T-Tifpany? Timpani? Tippani?” she pouted in frustration at the foreign sounding name.

Tiffany giggled as she watched the small girl struggle with her name. She smiled again with her head tilted, unknown that this “eye-smile” would be her signature once she grew up.

“Yes, Tiffany. What’s your name?”

Taeyeon scrunched her nose, still trying to say her name, “Tifpany. Tippani. Ti. Ffan. Ee. Tippani.” She scratched the back of her head and sighed, “Ti. Fany. Fany. Tippani.”

Another round of giggles, Taeyeon seemed determined to get her name correctly.

“You can call me Miyoung.”

“Miyoung,” Taeyeon smiled brightly at the much easier name for her Korean tongue. “Annyeong Miyoung, Taeyeon-inmida.”

~

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale.

Taeyeon’s shoes hit the pavement at a steady pace as she ran her late afternoon run. She found herself running twice today. Her morning jog and now her late afternoon run that seemed to schedule itself weekly. It was for only one reason and her name was Stephanie Hwang Miyoung, or rather, Tiffany.

A bittersweet smile covered her face as she thought of the love of her life. That dull ache in her heart seemed to become heavier as she continued to run. She definitely missed Tiffany. They were childhood friends for a long time but they didn’t get together until they were fifteen. That was probably due to her being dense about the matters of the heart.

When she hit puberty, Taeyeon began reacting to Tiffany in a weird way. They’d have sleepovers and there would be an unexplainable thumping of her heart along with a rise in temperature in her body. This began around the age of twelve and intensified when they reached high school. All the hints Tiffany dropped: holding her hand, intertwining their fingers, leaning her head on Taeyeon’s shoulder, kissing her cheek, the backhugs…everything, flew over Taeyeon’s head.

A chuckle escaped the running woman’s lips as she rounded the corner. In the end, when Tiffany agreed to go with some boy to a school dance, it opened Taeyeon’s eyes to her real feelings. The green-eyed monster didn’t settle well with the shorter girl and she finally manned up and confessed.

It was a blissful three years. There were arguments of course but Taeyeon couldn’t ask for more. She had her Miyoung who loved her with all her heart. However, this all changed when Taeyeon realized their futures rested in different areas.

Tiffany was going to college to get a business degree and quite possibly take over her father’s company. Taeyeon wanted to follow her Jiwoong-oppa into the Korean military. Not the army but rather the navy.

They talked about the future together and it was a rather hard subject but Tiffany was determined to make it work.

~

Taeyeon was driving Tiffany’s car down to the bus station. The car was silent and Tiffany was humming some pop song as they travelled. Taeyeon glanced towards her girlfriend before focusing back on the road.

She knew. She knew that long-distance relationships were difficult and hard to maintain. Taeyeon wanted to believe that the two would last but…

She knew that there was so much out there for Tiffany. Tiffany would be going to college with her childhood friend from the States, Jessica. Taeyeon would be at bootcamp and after that, she wouldn’t be able to determine her duty station. Can she do that to Tiffany? Make her wait for her? For at least four years?

Taeyeon knows she can wait, and Tiffany probably would too. Yet…did she want Tiffany to go through such unnecessary heartache if they don’t make it through? There could be months at a time where Taeyeon won’t be able to contact her. Is that alright? Taeyeon knows she’s a pessimist and wishes she could change that. All the negative scenarios are running through her mind and she just wishes it would all be positive.

“You need to grow Taeyeon-ah. You need to find yourself. So does Tiffany-ssi.”

Famous words of her Jiwoong-oppa. Can Taeyeon be selfish and make Tiffany wait for her while she finds herself? She feels lost without Tiffany by her side but it was beginning to make sense. After high school, people go their separate ways. Besides, if they were meant to be, it’d happen right? After all, if you love someone, you’re supposed to let her go.

Taeyeon parked the car and slowly let go of Tiffany’s hand before getting out to get her bag from the back. The bus pulled up and Taeyeon let out a sigh, knowing she had to do it.

Tiffany grabbed her beloved’s hands and squeezed them tight, “It’s okay, Taetae. Boot camp’s only a few months and you can call me. Then if you ever have time, come visit me.”

Onyx eyes looked up into eye-smiling ones. A dull ache settled on top of her heart and she swallowed. She squeezed Tiffany’s hands back as she whispered, “I’m sorry.”

“Sorry? Why?” Tiffany asked as she felt the seriousness of Taeyeon settle around her. There was a constricting feeling around her chest that began to compress.

Taeyeon remained silent as she gritted her teeth, trying to keep her tears at bay. Taking in a deep breath to calm her nerves, she looked into her soon-to-be ex-girlfriend’s eyes. “We knew this time was coming. When we’d go our separate ways and I wish I could take you with me, Miyoung-ah, but I can’t.”

That constricting feeling seemed to suffocate Tiffany as she could feel where the direction of this conversation was going, “Taetae, what are you-?”

“We need to go our separate ways, Miyoung-ah. I want you to know that this is hard for me too, but we need to do this. You need to go to college and-”

Tiffany cut her off when she realized Taeyeon’s intent, “No!”

She ripped her hands away from Taeyeon’s hands and wrapped her arms around her neck. Tiffany clutched onto Taeyeon, knowing that she was slipping away, “No! No! No! We said we’d try this out. You said we’d make it. We’ll make it. I’ll wait forever for you!”

Tears were sliding down Tiffany’s face and Taeyeon closed her eyes tightly. She had to do this. Her hands came up as she tried to force Tiffany off of her, “You need to go to college and live life. Find the Tippany without Taeyeon. I’ll do the same. We need to grow and find ourselves, Miyoung-ah. We can’t do that tied together. Maybe, if down the road, we see each other again…”

Taeyeon managed to take Tiffany’s arms from around her neck but the previously eye-smiling girl gripped her shirt in a last effort to stay with her.

“Taetae, please don’t,” she whispered desperately with a choked sob. The tears seemed to be flowing down her face endlessly. This wasn’t supposed to happen. She was supposed to wave goodbye to Taeyeon and see each other soon after. They were supposed to kiss with the promise of keeping in touch. Taeyeon wasn’t supposed to break up with her.

Taeyeon lifted up her arms and placed her hands against Tiffany’s face. Her thumbs tenderly wiped away the tears and slowly lifted her beloved’s face. Tiffany looked into Taeyeon’s misty eyes and could feel her heart breaking. Their lips met together with a mix of tears and a salty, bitter taste. Tiffany gripped onto Taeyeon’s wrists, wishing this kiss wasn’t goodbye forever.

“Miyoung-ah, saranghae,” she whispered once they pulled away.

Tiffany never thought that hearing those words would cause her heart to feel as if it were being drawn and quartered. The tears never stopped spilling down her face even after Taeyeon boarded the bus without a backwards glance.

~

Taeyeon gritted her teeth at the memory and shook her head. She stumbled a bit as she lost her pace but it didn’t matter too much. The café was in sight and she began to slow down. The runner walked into the café and ordered two cappuccinos. Once she had the drinks, she walked to the nearby park and sat on a bench. Waiting.

“We’ll make it. I’ll wait forever for you.”

A sigh escaped her lips as she thought of those words. How she wished that were so. It took her six years to run into Tiffany again. Was she too late? Or was it fate’s plan?

~

Tiffany was walking with her head down low. It was a rather hard day at work and she just needed space to cool off. In her haste, she collided with someone and nearly fell over if they didn’t grab her forearm to steady her.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t-” her heart stopped.

Her eyes met very familiar onyx ones. The girl was clad in gym shorts and a sports bra. There was a light sheen of sweat over her and she couldn’t deny that her mere presence left her breathless.

“Tippani?”

“…Taeyeon?”

~

The two of them caught up through coffee and even took a walk in the park. They ended up sitting on a bench with Taeyeon twiddling her thumbs nervously. There was no backing out now.

She cleared and turned to Tiffany, bravely holding onto her hands, “After all these years…I’m still in love with you, Miyoung-ah.”

Tiffany sat there in silence for a minute or two. Taeyeon could feel her anxiety levels rising. Was she too late? Did Tiffany no longer love her?

“I’m in love with you too, Taeyeon, but…” Taeyeon heard no more and surged forward, capturing her beloved’s lips with her own.

The spark was still there.
The fire.
The chemistry.
The…tears?

Tiffany pulled back much like she did all those years ago after they kissed. Tears were rolling down her eyes and Taeyeon couldn’t help but feel the pain that constricted in her chest.

Tiffany was holding onto her wrist, all the same, and she choked out, “But I have Jessica now.”

Her world collapsed around her.

~

So they may not be back together but at least Tiffany was still willing to see her. Even if it was just as friends. Even if they were still in love with each other. Even if it killed her. Taeyeon wasn’t going to give up.

“Taetae?”

“Ah, Miyoung-ah. I got something for you.”

~

Okay, this went WAY over what I intended to write. It was not supposed to be that long but I felt this chapter was more drama than fluff so…the length should even it out. Hahaha. I’ll be writing the next chapter over the weekend. I promise it’ll be longer than this chapter.

All Jeti, Taeny, and possibly the Taengsic shippers look forward to it. I feel as if the next chapter will make or break me. We’ll see if I can keep you hooked. Oh! And my fail of a photoshop image will be up with it as well.

Feedback is always appreciated.