“Oh, God” Taeyeon put her face in her hands and stared into space, seeing nothing.  She felt as if she were waking from a dream and could not yet figure out which aspects of the dream had been real. She closed her eyes and wished she was in Tiffany’s room again.

She heard someone running down the stairs, she knew it was Soonkyu. Suddenly Soonkyu grabbed her arm and dragged her, she didn’t even fight it or asked where they were going, she was lost with her thoughts, trying to think of something to say, to explain what she had saw, or in this case, possibly heard.

They crossed the library and went through the far door into the billiard room, which led in turn to the gun room; there was a pair of French doors from the billiard room on the west terrace. Taeyeon and Soonkyu crept out and closed the doors quietly behind them. She saw the sunrise; the sun was low and red, casting long shadows across the lawn. Soonkyu let go of her arm and turned around, facing her.

“Please tell me it is not what I think it is” Soonkyu whispered, looking scared.

Taeyeon fidgeted around nervously, she doesn’t know how to start. Taeyeon hesitated, there is harm in her knowing because once she knew she would be capable of accidentally letting the secret out. But there was no use in lying, Soonkyu definitely heard them and she’s not a dim-witted girl, she won’t let it go easily.

 “Well?” Soonkyu crossed her arms. Taeyeon exhaled, she hadn’t realized that she was holding her breath.

“It’s true” Silence. Taeyeon waited for a response, or a scolding, or a slap. But there was nothing. She glanced at Soonkyu and she saw her hand raised to her open mouth, her eyes wide with fright.

“So you’re a-“

“Don’t say it” Taeyeon interrupted. “Look, I know this is a surprise but there is nothing wrong with us, we love each other”

“Love?  That is damnation! You need help” she started pacing back and forth “I can’t believe it, my dear friend! I have known you since we were children and now it feels like I don’t know you at all, this is bad”

Taeyeon realized that she was not talking to her, she was talking to herself. “This is really bad” she repeated.

“Soonkyu will you please stop fussing and calm down!”

“Calm down? Calm down! Taeyeon you are ill! You are having an affair with a woman and with the lady of the house at that! Mr. Hwang asked you to look after her not to sleep with her! You should have known better, she’s vulnerable, she doesn’t know what she is doing!”

“She is not as vulnerable as you think, she’s strong and smart and she does love me back, it not just an affair.”

“You’re a fantasist.”

“I am not! Will you be saying the same thing if I was with Sir Leo?” Taeyeon was starting to lose it.

“Alright then! Let’s not consider the fact that it’s between two women, let us take that out of the question but what are you planning to do? Lady Stephanie will be debuting in two days! Do you think this will stop her from marrying someone else, can’t you see that she is confused and she is using you to pass time” she then raised her arms in the air “It’s not like she will leave all of these for you, you muppet!”

Taeyeon opened to speak, and then closed it abruptly. She had no reason to speak for she had nothing to say, she quickly looked around and she unconsciously thought about what Soonkyu said. Will Tiffany leave everything for her? She wondered. She tried to picture a future for them but she saw nothing, not just an unclear one but absolutely nothing. Her heart sank.

Your love is enough for me, she recalled Tiffany saying when she confessed her love.

But is it really? She thought

“We have to tell your mother” she said, Taeyeon started to panic.

“You will do no such thing!” Pure temper oozed from her pores. She clenched her jaw and spoke between gritted teeth.

Soonkyu took a deep breath “Taeyeon, I love you like a sister, I care for you and I respect your mother, she already have enough problems of her own, don’t add up to it. If you don’t care about what happens to you, think about what will happen to your mother.” She then angrily added

“Please Soonkyu, please don’t! You’ll get Lady Stephanie into trouble; we will think of something, of some way we could get out of this, she did promise me that”

“Oh you silly, silly girl!”                              

As Taeyeon pleaded she tried to take Soonkyu’s hand but Soonkyu quickly took a step back, Taeyeon was hurt.

For a few agonizing minutes both of them said nothing, they just stood there, both occupied in their own thoughts, one was vexed while the other was in despair.

Taeyeon looked hard at Soonkyu and finally said, “If you really care about me like what you said, you will have to keep this a secret.”

Soonkyu emitted a long, deep, audible breath which expressed her irritation and disbelief, “You are out of your mind I tell you” she whimpered. “Very well then, but if anything goes wrong keep me out of it, we never had this conversation, do you hear me?”

Taeyeon felt a slight relief, that will take care of this problem for the meantime, as long as Soonkyu does keep shut, she said: “You have a kind heart Soonkyu and I hope you’ll always stay that way.”

“I’ll do my best” Soonkyu then started walking towards the door, “I better go before I change my mind” Taeyeon nodded.

“I do hope you understand the gravity of the situation that you are in, Taeyeon”

“Yes, I do, but still, thank you Soonkyu”

Soonkyu opened the French door and before she closed it she turned to Taeyeon and said, “I also hope that you realize that this situation is a broken heart just waiting to happen” and with that she closed the door and left Taeyeon outside.

“I know” Taeyeon murmured, she tried hard not to cry.

---------------------

Tiffany fell asleep after Taeyeon left, she woke up at eight o’clock. She had drawn back the curtains of her bedroom windows so that the first rays of the sun would shine on her face and rouse her from sleep.

Her first thought was for Taeyeon. She suddenly yearned for her kisses and her caress. Today she surely would be working at the plantation. Tiffany jumped out of bed and looked outside; the weather was still good for harvesting so the workers would be there.

She washed in cold water and dressed quickly in a long skirt, boots and a ja