Hyomin looked at Sunny curiously, “What is it that you wanted to talk to me about?”

Sunny hesitated, half of her heart regretting to call Hyomin out and the other half of her heart screaming at her to confess. She took in a deep breath, looking up at the sky above them which had considerably darkened since the time they had entered the restaurant. Near the horizon were the last, bright splashes of a fiery orange and crimson red.

“The sky’s beautiful” spoke Sunny.

And you are too.

Hyomin furrowed her eyebrows, “Is that why you dragged me out here? To just say the sky is beautiful? I can see that Sunny.”

She ended her words with a laugh albeit a little strangled.

Sunny looked down and bit her lips nervously. Holding her hands behind her back, she clasped and unclasped her hands.

She cleared , “I… I… um… wanted to say that…um”

Why is this so hard? You shouldn’t be like this Sunny, you’re an idol, you’re meant to be good with words. You answer questions and talk easily at interviews and concerts and fan-meets all the time. It’s just that when it comes to Hyomin… it is hard to express my feelings and my thoughts in words. You must be brave, Sunny. You can do this. Fighting!

Hyomin tried to encourage Sunny, who she thought looked a little lost, “What did you want to say Sunny Bunny?”

Sunny couldn’t help but blush when Hyomin said her nickname.

Sunny opened to speak, ignoring the voice in her head warning her of all the things that could go wrong and just listening to the voice of her heart.

“Hyomin… to me you’re special, very special.” murmured Sunny.

Hyomin’s cheeks tinged pink and this was enough to make Sunny continue.

“To me, you’re like a bright star shining in my sky, in my world. Even though I’m known as the energy pill of our group, I still run out of energy but when I did, you… you magically appeared and when I’m with you, I feel very happy. *chuckles* You’re like my energy pill. And Hyomin, since you’ve come into my life, it’s hard for me to stop thinking about you and I’ve realised that you’re so special… that you mean more to me than just a friend or a sister… Hyomin, I… I… I love you.”

Sunny cringed mentally.

That sounded terrible and very corny. But I still have to finish what I started.

Unnoticed by Sunny, Hyomin’s cheeks turned even pinker and her eyes sparkled.

“So Hyomin, even though I don’t have much to offer you, will you be my girlfriend?” whispered Sunny, anxiously awaiting a response from the other girl.

Hyomin was silent and unmoving for a few moments as her brain processed the words Sunny had just spoken.

Sunny never felt more nervous in her life, this couldn’t even compare to what she felt just before SNSD’s debut.

What if Hyomin rejects me? If she does… I don’t know what I’ll do.

Seconds passed but to Sunny, it felt like hours, painstaking hours ticking by.

Suddenly she was enveloped by a warm pair of arms as Hyomin jumped on her.

“Yes, yes and yes! I never thought you would confess, I was too shy to do so. I love you too Sunny Bunny, so, so much. From the moment I first saw you in person, I fell for you hard.” she admitted in a rush.

Sunny smiled into Hyomin’s hair which smelt faintly of strawberries and vanilla.

“Me too, did you know when I first saw you, I was entranced? I was… under your spell,” giggled Sunny, feeling relief and joy that Hyomin had accepted her.

Hyomin drew back from the hug and pointed at herself in disbelief, “Me? You were entranced by me? Of all people?”

Sunny laughed at her expression and smoothed Hyomin’s hair gently, “Yes, you. You are the only one for me Hyominnie.”

Hyomin laughed somewhat shyly and laced their hands together, “And you are the only one for me Sunny Bunny… We sound very cheesy don’t we?”

Sunny chuckled, “I don’t mind, as long as it’s just you and me. Instead of dessert at the restaurant, should we get ice-cream at the shop down the road?”

Hyomin was a little confused at first but after following Sunny’s gaze through the window of the restaurant, she returned Sunny’s smile. “Yes, let’s go” she said as she tugged gently at Sunny’s hand.

*

Hyoyeon grinned and bounced about in her seat like an over-excited puppy dog as she eagerly awaited the arrival of dessert which the head chef had promised to be something extra special since they were SNSD.

Seohyun looked thoughtfully out the window and silently wondered where Sunny and Hyomin had gone but dismissed these thoughts when she saw her girlfriend’s cheerful face and childish actions. Hyoyeon could never fail to make her happy, even at her saddest moments.

Once a choding, always a choding.

The head chef solemnly approached the two, with a covered tray balanced on his hand.

Seohyun looked at it curiously and noticed the slight tremble of his hands. A droplet of sweat trickled down his brow. It didn’t take her long to realize he was incredibly nervous.

The head chef delivered the tray onto the table, and uncovered it while he flourished an exaggerated bow.

“Chocolate lava cake for you two ladies.” he proclaimed before standing back a few paces and bowing several times. Then he shuffled off.   

Seohyun suppressed a giggle at his formal and somewhat awkward manner. She called out before he could enter the kitchen, “Excuse me Sir, would you like our autographs?”

Hyoyeon felt a smile curve about her lips.

My girlfriend is so caring.

The waiter turned around with a smile upon his face so big, it seemed as if his face muscles were being stretched beyond its limits and would give way any second.

“Really?” he questioned in astonishment, the huge smile never fading from his face.

The two girls exchanged a glance and nodded.

Once they had given him their autographs and he had left after thanking them profusely, they turned their attention to the rather large chocolate lava cake in the middle of the table.

Although Seohyun was initially a little doubtful because of the high fat and sugar content of the dessert, those were brushed aside when she tasted it.

Her eyes opened wide like saucers as she savoured the sweetness, “Wow, it’s really delicious.”

Hyoyeon grinned, “Yeah, it tastes like heaven, if that’s possible.”

Seohyun took another spoonful of the chocolatey sweetness and was raising it to when Hyoyeon scooped a majority of the contents of her spoon onto hers before gleefully putting it in .

Seohyun stared in disbelief at her girlfriend who gave her an innocent look.

“Hyoyeonie” she pouted, “That’s not very nice.”

She failed to notice the slight quirk of Hyoyeon’s mouth as she scooped another spoonful of the cake and motioned for her to open .

Seohyun complied with a little bit of bewilderment until she realised Hyoyeon was going to feed her with the spoon she had used. She blushed a little at that thought.

When she felt the chocolate tickling her tongue as Hyoyeon put the spoon in , her blush deepened at the close sight of Hyoyeon’s face in deep concentration.

I never realised she looks so… dare I say… y?

She blushed even harder and the redness reached the tips of her ears.

After Hyoyeon had fed her that spoonful, she opened her own mouth and gestured to Seohyun’s spoon.

Seohyun chuckled, “You want me to feed you?”

Hyoyeon nodded like a kid.

Seohyun giggled and reached for another spoonful of the chocolate lava cake.

Seems like it’s going to be a fun night.

*

Tiffany woke up with a head that felt like molten lead. She squinted as her eyes adjusted to the bright glare of the light. All she could see was white, white and white swimming in front of her.

She felt a hand gently squeeze hers.

“Tiffany, you’re awake. Are you alright?” questioned a voice filled with worry.

“Jessica?” rasped Tiffany, feeling parched.

“Yes, let me get you some water.” answered Jessica.

Tiffany obligingly drank the glass of water given to her and tried to organize her thoughts.

What happened before this? I was locked in a cage by a man, that man was Yuri’s brother and then he brought Taeyeon and Sooyoung. And Taeyeon! He tried to drown her and then the machine exploded and she wasn’t breathing and she was pale and… We took her to hospital and the doctor told us she was alive but… no. No! No!

“No!” screamed Tiffany, causing Jessica to jump a few feet off the ground in shock.

Jessica hurried to Tiffany’s bedside and looked at her anxiously, “Are you sure you’re alright Tiffany? Tiffany?”

Tiffany’s eyes glazed over, “Tell me it isn’t true, tell me it isn’t.”

Jessica’s face creased in confusion, “What isn’t true?”

Tiffany looked extremely distressed, “Taeyeon…”

Jessica’s face paled, “I’m sorry Tiffany.”

Tiffany sat up from bed, ignoring the relentless, thudding pain in her head, “Where is she Jessica? Take me to her now. I need to talk to her… even… even if she doesn’t remember me anymore.”

Jessica’s face looked like a sheet of paper and she patted Tiffany’s hand comfortingly, “Tiffany, she’s gone.”

Tiffany interrupted with a shriek, “Gone? Gone? She’s gone?”

Tears began to roll down her cheeks and sobs racked through her body.

No! This can’t be happening. Is this a dream? Wait… not a dream, a nightmare, a terrible nightmare. Is this just a nightmare? Will I just wake up and find that this is all in my head?

Jessica shook her head, “No, not gone in that way Tiffany, she’s gone back to Jeonju. The doctors and her family decided it would be the best thing for her, they’ve decided that Taeyeon should go back to Jeonju and live a normal life again. SM agreed to it as well. She doesn’t remember auditioning for SM or being accepted as a trainee and debuting in SNSD. They don’t want to stress her about the past so they don’t want to remind her and tell her what happened. For now at least.”

Tiffany zoned out after listening to Jessica’s words, her heart felt broken.

So it’s real. I’m living a nightmare in reality.

Before, she had been so confident that they would stay together for the rest of their lives, that their love would last for an eternity, but just like that, that dream, that hope had vanished into thin air. Taeyeon didn’t remember her at all, didn’t know who she was unless she learned about SNSD but most importantly, Taeyeon didn’t remember the love they had for each other. For Tiffany, that had been one of the most special things in her life, something she had treasured so much and now it was just gone.

“Hey Tiffany,” soothed Jessica as she rested a hand on Tiffany’s shoulder, “Try not to think about it, just focus on healing yourself for now. We can…”

Tiffany flung Jessica’s hand away, “What do you mean don’t think about it? Taeyeon was… my love, my everything, my life.”

She swung her legs out of bed and took several steps, swaying precariously and Jessica continuously reached out to support her but she batted her arms away every time.

Jessica ended up standing there helplessly watching her best friend stagger towards the door.

“Tiffany, what are you doing? The doctor ordered me to make sure you stay in bed. You’re in no condition to be walking, you fell and hit the ground very hard and you’ve been asleep for several days. You’ve just woken up from a coma. Just come back to the bed and we’ll solve things later, once you get better.” pleaded Jessica.

Tiffany gritted her teeth against the pain and tried to fight the wooziness. Everything seemed to spin around her.

I’m going to Jeonju. I’m going to find Taeyeon. I need to talk to her. Just to make sure… to make sure that she doesn’t remember me. Even if that hurts, I need that, I need the truth, the harsh reality. I will go to Jeonju. I must. I have to go to my TaeTae. Must go…

The world spun more rapidly and she heard a cry as she lost her grip on consciousness.

*

Yuri’s brother cut a terrifying figure as he paced up and down the stage, a dark aura hanging over him like a storm cloud, a constant snarl contorting his handsome yet sinister features.

All the others cowered in front of his soul-piercing gaze except for one.

“Brother, won’t you sit down for a while? It might help you to think better.” proposed Yuri.

Yuri’s brother hissed like a cobra ready to strike.

“I don’t need to sit” he spat, eyes flaming with fury.

A collective shiver passed through the cluster of people in the cavern.

Yuri seemed unperturbed and shrugged, “Suit yourself.”

Spinning around to the people who were agonizingly watching the scene, she called out, “You are dismissed for tonight. Make sure to come here at 5am tomorrow.”

She could feel a silent sigh of relief pass through the cluster as they hurriedly made their way out of the cavern before the leader could change his mind. Even though they were cold-hearted killers, they were as frightened of the leader as a little child was of the monsters under their bed, perhaps even more so. They all knew how ruthless, calculating and insane he was and nobody dared to question his words.

Yuri turned her gaze upon her brother who continued to pace up and down the stage hearing him mutter words of revenge.

Strangely she felt calm even though she knew her brother would stop at nothing to kill her if he realized that she was the one who sabotaged his drowning machine despite their blood relation.

I’m about to do worse than that though.

Yuri walked off to the kitchen to collect two wine glasses and a bottle of vintage cognac. Coming back to the stage, she set the glasses on the table which caught her brother’s attention.

His eyes gleamed in the dimness of the cavern, “Is that cognac?” he asked.

Yuri nodded in reply, “Yes, vintage.”

Her brother wet his lips in response and smirked, “Good.”

Yuri secretly smiled to herself.

She knew her brother well, in fact better than he thought she did. And now, it was time to use it against him.

Pouring him a full glass of cognac and only a little for her, she offered him the glass which he readily took but did not drink from.

Yuri held her glass out and they clinked their glasses together.

“Cheers” she said and swallowed a mouthful of the substance, trying not to wince as it burned down .

Seeing her take a mouthful without any adverse effects, Yuri’s brother lifted the glass to his own lips and drank deeply. Once he had finished, he filled his glass again and again.

Around half an hour later, with the bottle of vintage cognac finished, her brother passed out.

Yuri smiled to herself as she lifted him onto the couch. Her brother had a very high alcohol tolerance and could go through bottles and bottles of the strongest alcohols without feeling a slight bit dizzy. However, she had managed to dust the rim of his wine glass with a sleeping powder. He would be out for several hours, giving her time, precious time.

Slipping a silk glove upon her hand, she reached for her brother’s wine glass and carefully erased all traces of the powder.

Now, time to get to work. 

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Hello you,

So what do you think of this chapter? There are the sunbyung and hyoseo couple who are oblivious and blisfully unaware of all the pain and troubles the other members are going through and then there are the other members who are suffering deeply, in particular Tiffany. A few readers were telling me that they didn't want Tiffany to be sad, don't worry, the sadness won't last forever, although there will be a little bit of drama before the sadness ends. 

Did you realize that the fonts on AFF have changed? When I logged in today, I was really surprised and at first I thought the formatting on my computer had gone a bit funny but then I realized that wasn't the case. I think it looks much more prettier than before so I'm happy about the change^^

Also, a thank you to the new subscribers of this fanfic, I hope you like it, thank you to the commenters for voicing your thoughts and opinions and to all of my readers, thank you for reading this fanfic. It would mean a lot to me if you could leave a comment after reading as I love reading through them♥

Until next time, goodbye and have a lovely day:)