A week later- No one’s POV

“A penny for your thoughts please?” Jessica asks cutely as she wraps her arms around Taeyeon’s neck from the back. Her chin is resting on Taeyeon’s shoulder and she rubs her cheek against the girl who is zoning out.

Taeyeon smiles at the physical contacts and she touches Jessica’s arm. “I was just thinking of all that’s happening.” Jessica frowns and shifts away from Taeyeon to sit beside her instead. “What do you mean?” she asks.

“I don’t know. I just like to think.” Taeyeon giggles which earns a knock on the head from her displeased girlfriend. “ow…” she groans and rubs the spot where it is aching, actually it doesn’t hurt that bad.

“If you’re thinking of what dad said to you that day, forget it.” Jessica says casually and switches on the tv. She flicks through the channels and stops when it is Running Man. “I don’t want to pressurize you, you know.” She adds on.

Taeyeon bites her lower lip and studies her girlfriend’s expression. The girl doesn’t look that happy or engrossed in the programme, she must be thinking in her head and doesn’t want Taeyeon to find out. Being a caring girlfriend like Taeyeon, she scoops herself closer to Jessica and hugs her around the waist, “I… was thinking of that. But… since you don’t want to pressurize me, I shan’t think of it anymore then.” She smiles and Jessica returns a weak smile.

It has been a long time since the gang meets up. Taeyeon has especially called all her friends over to her house to catch up with what she has missed. Yuri is still with Tiffany. Hyoyeon is still a prankster. Leeteuk is still a comfortable oppa for Taeyeon. Yoona is still single but ready to mingle. Same goes to the rest.

“Aren’t you someone who is romantic?” Yoona teases when all have arrived. Taeyeon arches an eyebrow up and folds her arms in front of her. “Of course I am. What makes you think that I am not?” she jokes.

“Running away with someone you love. Aww that’s so sweet.” Tiffany says dreamily and looks at Yuri from the corner of her eyes. “What? Don’t look at me like that. I don’t have the money to buy air tickets for two.” Yuri states and Tiffany rolls her eyes.

“Taeyeon, where did you find that courage from?” Leeteuk asks and stuffs some titbits into his mouth. Taeyeon puffs up her cheeks and lets out the air inside as she has thought of an answer. “I didn’t have to find that courage. I just… feel the need to do that. Don’t judge me.” Taeyeon raises her two hands up in the air and looks at her friends.

“How did you survive anyway? You can’t possibly have that large sum of money to live in Canada for three months and afford the air tickets right?” Hyoyeon asks and everyone nods along.

“well… I… didn’t book the tickets. Her uncle helped us a lot. We didn’t have to find a place to live because we lived with his friend. For the first month, he sent money to us. But Jessica’s mother found out our whereabouts and we had to leave again. Then for the subsequent two months, Jessica had to work to pay for the rent and bills, as well as groceries. I failed as being a girlfriend.” Taeyeon sighs as she recalls the days when Jessica had to leave early for work.

“Why didn’t you work then?” Yoona asks curiously but actually she knows the answer already. “Is it because you don’t know how to speak English?” she jokes.

Taeyeon scratches her cheek in annoyance and nods unwillingly. “I wanted to work too. Like newspaper girl or something that doesn’t need to communicate with people. But Jessica said she’s older than me so she will carry the burden. I wasn’t that happy but then I didn’t want to fight with her because we only had each other then.”

“Awww…. How come you aren’t my girlfriend? Yuri is too boring now.” Tiffany yawns and looks at Yuri lazily. “What?! Hey hey, Taeyeon won’t set her eyes on you okay? Deal with it.” Yuri rolls her eyes and ignores Tiffany too.

“Come on the two of you. You seriously need some lesson to teach you not to take the person you love for granted.” Taeyeon scolds and continues, “I didn’t realise how much I love her until the day she had to leave me.”

The room falls into silence as Taeyeon’s eyes become red with tears. “Her father thinks that I am not good enough. Because I haven’t even graduated from high school. I can’t support Jessica financially and give her a comfortable living if we were to be together next time. He said I am not good enough.”

This time, Yuri is furious as her friend is being looked down that way. “What? How could he say that! So what if they are rich?!”

Taeyeon looks up the ceiling to fight back her tears and then she puts on a smile when she is feeling better. “It isn’t what you’re thinking about. He doesn’t object our relationship. He just wants me to work harder so that my future would be brighter. He wants to make sure that I can give the best to his daughter. He gives me two options.”

“What are they?” Sooyoung, who has been quiet all the time, asks.

“He gives me 5 years to prove that I can fight my way into the best university in Korea and then work in his company. But I would just be a minor. Then work my way up the position. But that would at least take me another 10 years. So I can only marry Jessica after 15 years. Which is like when I am 33 year old. That’s old.” Taeyeon says and makes a disgusted face.

“What’s next?” Sunny asks.

“He will send me to England to take up business course and have me trained to be a businesswoman for 5 years. I will get my degree in England. But the thing is, I have to learn English from the scratch. It is tough to handle both English and business at the same time.” Taeyeon says and pauses. Her friends nod in agreement as they know how tough it is to learn English.

“Then after 5 years, I will come back to Korea and take over the General Manager position. But I am scared. What if I have done something wrongly and the whole company just… closedown? And, I wouldn’t be able to see Jessica for 5 years. You know? 5 years! A lot of things can change…” Taeyeon says, disheartened  

Her friends pity her for carrying such a huge responsibility at this age. They are supposed to have fun and not worry about something like business yet. But Taeyeon has to think through all these and make sure she is placing the right bet.

“So what do you think?” Hyoyeon asks and everyone waits for Taeyeon to speak.

“I don’t know. Jessica doesn’t want me to stress out over this. But how can I not? She’s worried too but she doesn’t show it.” Taeyeon rubs her face and sighs. She feels this heavy feeling in her chest and she can’t let it out.

“Do you want to talk to her about it? Like, ask her for her opinion too. Maybe she wants you to choose the first option, or maybe she wants the second option. You wouldn’t know.” Tiffany says.

“I want to talk about it. But she will say that she doesn’t want to pressurize me. So I keep quiet in the end.” Taeyeon explains.

“Talk to her soon, okay? We definitely don’t wish to see you stressing out too.” Sooyoung says and gives Taeyeon a pat on the back.

“Hello?”

“hey sica.”

“yes taengoo?”

“Can we meet up? I have something to tell you.”

“Hmm sure. But I am in school right now. So we’ll meet up around dinner time?”

“Okay. Will your dad be home tonight?”

“Yeap. He’s always home nowadays. Why?”

“Tell you later. See you.”

“Okay.. bye.”

Taeyeon heaves the longest sigh ever when she ends the call. Is she really going to do it? Does she see Jessica as her partner for life? Or is this just some puppy love that everyone is talking about?

“Taeyeon-ah.” Taeyeon flinches when she hears her mother’s voice. “Yes omma?” she stands up and walks over to her mother.

“Come, let’s talk.” Her mother says and sits on the sofa. Taeyeon follows after and she is feeling dead nervous inside. It is the first time that her mother talks to her after she returns to Korea.

Her parents were glad that Taeyeon was back and they just told her not to run away anymore. After which, they didn’t talk anymore until today. Taeyeon knows her parents are upset but she doesn’t dare to approach them first.

“Taeyeon-ah.” Her mother calls her name gently and holds Taeyeon’s hand in hers. “We’ve thought through it a lot of times and, we’re willing to accept you. But you have to know that in Korea, it is forbidden to have such relationship. You must make sure that you can take all the criticism, you must stand strong. We will not ask you to hide this relationship but rather, ask you to fight for it.”

“We’ve seen how you become more responsible and stronger after being together with Jessica. We see it. Has she changed you for the better? I am sure everyone can see it. But the thing is, how long can such relationship last?” her mother pauses and looks at Taeyeon.

Taeyeon doesn’t know how to answer. Can she say that they will last forever when there isn’t such thing as forever?

“Omma, I don’t know how long can we last. But as long as I live, I will love her. I promise. I know I am still young and this is my first love, but I want it to be my last too.” Taeyeon says earnestly when her mother doesn’t speak anymore.

“If you’re happy, we’ll be happy too. I don’t want to see you feeling down because of the stress and whatsoever. It isn’t worthy. I know by forcing you to marry a man wouldn’t make you happy and we aren’t that unreasonable.” Her mother assures her.

“Thanks omma.” Taeyeon says with a light smile. She hugs her mother and her mother rubs her back to tell her that she will be there to support her whenever she needs it.

TBC. A few more to go and this is done. Happy ending? ;)