"Yes, I know, I know..." Taeyeon spoke into the receiver, "yes Sica, I know it's 3.30. I'll be back by 4... I'm just around the area. Just had to meet someone... No, not a guy... as in... there was a guy but I met him and his soon-to-be wife for their wedding!"

Taeyeon sighed innately as she ended her conversation with Jessica. Her best friend can be really impatient sometimes, and what was with her trying to know if Taeyeon was with a guy? That girl is hilarious.

She decided that she would have to get Jessica some cakes from their favorite patisserie. She must have been nervous about the wedding preparations, even though she insists that she is alright and totally confident of herself. They are not best friends for so many years for nothing; she knew Jessica inside out.

Smiling to herself as she walked out of the shop, with her arms full of bags from the number of cakes she bought.

"-nd what is wrong with me queuing from here?"

"I... You not..."

Taeyeon turned around to look at the commotion. There was a Caucasian male quarrelling with a middle aged Asian lady. While he was speaking in fluent English, she could tell that the lady had trouble with the language. While walking nearer to them, she overheard her speaking in Korean and another language that was familiar to her, but she did not understand.

The guy snorted while speaking to his friend in English, "let's just stand here. None of them understands English and they don't know that we actually understand Korean, so they won't be able to tell us that we had stood in front of the lady."

"Madam, are you alright? Did they cut in line?" Taeyeon asked the lady gently.

"Yes they did. I would've been alright normally but I wanted to get this for my friend. She is arriving soon for a short trip and she had always loved the pastries here, but they only make it once a fortnight, and counting the number of pastries left, if they decide to buy the same one she likes, I would not be able to get it. I tried to explain to them that I was in line but they don't understand Korean and only speak English," the lady explained.

From the corner of Taeyeon's eye, she saw them smirking.

Taeyeon started in Korean, "why are you smiling? Is it because you find it funny that she would not be able to get it since you cut the queue in front of her? Or..." she then continued in English, "did you understand Korean all along?"

"Wh- How did... I mean..." one of the two stuttered, while the other just looked shocked, "no! We don't understand a single word she said!"

"Oh really?" Taeyeon then switched back to Korean so that the lady and the crowd that was slowly forming could understand, "you were discussing how none of us understood English and that we wouldn't know you understand Korean."

"Let's just go Charlie, I told you not to cut the queue!" the one who was previously quiet muttered in English to his friend.

"I'm not going!" he shook off his friend's grip on his arm, and replied in Korean, "so what if I understand Korean? It's a free country, I can stand wherever I want!"

"Oh really?" Taeyeon returned his smirk, "try it... see if the ajumma would sell it to you."

"Ajumma! Give me two of this... and," he turned to glare at Taeyeon before he looked back at the shopkeeper, "all of the special pastries."

"Sold out! Next person!" the ajumma shouted, looking at the lady next to Taeyeon.

"What?" he turned and glared at Taeyeon, "you!"

The lady, who previously looked so frail and weak due to the assumed language barrier, stopped him from touching Taeyeon, "what do you think you are doing? You're in the wrong and yet, you try to bully her? Go and reflect on your own behavior!"

With the lady's words and the crowd's glare and finger pointing, the two quickly scurried off.

"How can I repay you? Let me just get the pastries and I'll treat you to a meal?" the lady told her.

"No really, it's alright!" Taeyeon insisted, while giving a quick glance at the time and saw that it was already 3.45pm, "oh my gosh! I'm sorry ajummonim, I really have to rush off. I hope you have a great day!"

With that, she waved at the elder lady and went back to the hotel, occasionally running with whatever stamina she had, and managed to reach the hotel entrance with seconds to spare before 4pm.

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Author's note:

Just a gentle note that I am not trying to say all tourists/foreigners who stay in South Korea are such jerks, many of them can be nice too, if not most of them. I didn't want anyone thinking that I am trying to hint otherwise, the ONLY reason why I used a caucasian was because the guy HAD to look like someone who people would not think twice if he claims not to understand Korean. :)

I feel so bad when I saw the last time I had published the previous chapter was almost 6 months ago. SIX. MONTHS. I apologize sincerely.