"So... how are things with... you know?" Yoona asked as she sat with Sooyoung in a corridor, again trying to work on her math. "I mean, you still haven't heard from her, right?" Speaking Hyoyeon's name aloud felt like a crime.

Sooyoung gave her a confused look. "If I had, I think you'd know by me not being able to shut up about it." She smiled tiredly at Yoona, silently apologizing for her bad mood.

"Right," Yoona said, nodding. "Of course. How are you holding up?"

Sooyoung put her pen down (it hadn't produced anything other than a picture of a hippo in a costume anyway) and sighed heavily. "I don't know what to say," she said, leaning back in the bench. "I'm trying to think of it less, but it's impossible."

Yoona stared down at the numbers in her book. After her study sessions with Seohyun, they were finally starting to make sense. "I can imagine..." she said absent-mindedly.

Sooyoung rubbed her eyes. "Look, I'm sorry I'm such a lousy friend right now. I know I'm not the only one affected by what's happened, and..."

"It's worse for you," Yoona interrupted her. "Don't worry about it, we understand."

Sooyoung looked like she wanted to argue, but she kept quiet and appeared to give math another shot. She looked at the first question for about three seconds before yelling out: "What is this anyway?!" Yoona gave her a startled look before bursting out laughing. "Do you understand this?" Sooyoung asked.

"I do," Yoona said, still half laughing. "Seohyun taught me."

Sooyoung mumbled something inaudible, but Yoona managed to catch the words "brat" and "smart". She laughed again. "Would you mind helping me with this later? I'm seriously considering just taking a nap right here..." Sooyoung stated, slowly lying down on the bench she was sitting on. Yoona's neck ached just from looking at it.

"Sure, of course," she said, happy to have some way to help the taller girl. "Can I... can I ask you something?"

Sooyoung sat up again, eyeing Yoona suspiciously. "I don't know. Will I cry?"

"I doubt it," Yoona laughed. "It's just..." she took a deep breath, ignoring her own lack of tact. "You know Seohyun..."

Sooyoung frowned. "Yes, I am vaguely familiar with her."

"Is she... is she straight?"

"Uh," Sooyoung said, completely taken by surprise. Her face was twisted in a grimace of surprised disgust. "I actually don't know," she said, "I don't like thinking of Seohyun as a creature with a drive, okay."

"But if you had to guess," Yoona pried on.

Sooyoung thought for a moment. "Actually, I had this discussion with Sunny not long ago, but we didn't really come to a conclusion. Seohyun has never expressed an interest in a boy, but neither has she expressed an interest in a girl, so it's hard to say. She's interestless."

Yoona nodded and tried to accept her answer, still desperately needing to know. She ignored the way Sooyoung was staring her down from across the table.

"Why do you ask?" Sooyoung said then, and Yoona stared blankly at her, at a loss.

"I was just curious."

"Am I sensing a crush?" the taller asked, a smile creeping up on her face. The first smile Yoona had seen on her face in days.

"Let's not talk about this," Yoona said, more for Sooyoung's sake than hers. She wasn't ashamed of her crush on Seohyun, especially not in front of Sooyoung, but she didn't want to go rubbing her love life in the other girl's face when she had just lost the one she loved.

"No, let's," Sooyoung argued, edging closer to the table. "Distractions are just what I need." Yoona glared at her for a moment before giving in, supposing she was right. "You tagged along for her dance practice yesterday, right?" Yoona nodded. "And? Did it seem like she was... into you?" She spoke the words with an obvious discomfort, as if she was trying to hook her own sister up with somebody.

Yoona shook her head slightly. "I don't know, it's hard to say."

"Okay, here's what we'll do," Sooyoung said, slapping her hands together. "At lunch, you stay away for a while, and I'll pry a little bit and see what she says. Sound good?"

Yoona smiled uncomfortably. She was grateful both for the help and for Sooyoung's sudden change of heart, but she was also a bit distrustful of the discretion of Sooyoung's prying skills. "Won't it be weird if you suddenly show such an interest in her?" she asked, and Sooyoung gave her a glare.

"Hey, I'm a great friend!" she said, slapping Yoona lightly on the arm. "I show interest in her all the time. Moreover, I'm also a great liar."

"Alright," Yoona said, laughing. "I'd be happy for your help."


So she did what Sooyoung said. On the lunch break, she stayed outside the classroom and waited for... well, she wasn't sure what. She assumed Sooyoung would give her some sign when it was okay for her to join them again. During her wait, she realized that she missed Sungmin. He hadn't come to school that day either, which to Yoona wasn't very surprising. But he hadn't texted or called or tried to contact her in any way since the night before, which for Sungmin was very new.

Yoona understood, and it made her sad. She made a mental note to call him when she went home.

Recipient: Yoong
Sender: Sooyoung
She's totally smitten. I say go for it. just remember, if you hurt her i will beat you over the head with a shovel

Yoona's heart pounded away. She didn't dare believe it. Just how sure was Sooyoung of what she was saying?

Recipient: Sooyoung
Sender: Yoona
are you serious?

Recipient: Yoong
Sender: Sooyoung
i'm always serious about shovel beatings.

 

Yoona had to fight to not look too happy as she hurried back to the girls' usual hangout. It turned out impossible when she spotted Seohyun sitting beside Sooyoung, looking happier than she'd ever seen her. She supposed it didn't matter much if she managed to hide her feelings for Seohyun - if Sooyoung knew, odds were the whole group would know before long.

The girls all greeted her as she approached them, and Yoona tried to greet them back, but she only had eyes for one person at that moment.

"Hi," she said, standing in front of Seohyun. Sooyoung looked up at her with a very smug expression, which Yoona did her best to ignore.

"There you are," Seohyun said happily, and Yoona felt a blush creeping up on her cheeks. She was confused by how the other girl could affect her so enormously, but she didn't mind. Not at all.

"You were looking for me?" she asked, daring to give a tilted smile.

"I was," Seohyun agreed, standing up. Sooyoung was still watching them intently. "I have this history test this afternoon, and I need someone to test me." She smiled expectantly.

"I'd be happy to," Yoona agreed quickly. "The library?"

Seohyun nodded enthusiastically. "Let's go."

She grabbed onto Yoona's arm as they left the other girls, aware that they were all staring at them in curious confusion, but not caring. A perfect opportunity to put Sooyoung's words to the test was coming up, and Yoona wasn't going to miss it for the world.

So they left the other girls behind, hurrying through the corridors to get to the library, a place that Yoona had come to like almost more than her own room. She wasn't much of a bookworm, but there was something undeniably cozy and welcoming about their school library.

But who was she kidding? It was all about Seohyun's presence, and it would always be.

"I'm sorry I had to leave so early yesterday," Yoona said as they reached their destination and entered the library's comfortable silence.

"No, it's okay," Seohyun told her. They made their way between the tall bookshelves, looking for a certain table that had become their natural home, without ever saying it out loud. "I understand. What your mother says goes when you're this age."

They found their table in a corner of the room. It was placed between two bookshelves, giving it a secluded feeling, cutting off the rest of the world. "I really wanted to stay," Yoona said, "you're such a good dancer."

Seohyun laughed, sitting down in the same chair she had used the first day she had helped Yoona with her math. "Thank you," she said warmly before digging out her history book from her bag.

"I really want to see more," Yoona said, aware of all the possible meanings of her words. Seohyun gave her a hesitant look before opening her book in front of her.

"We're doing a production in four months' time," she said thoughtfully. "And you're welcome to come with me to practice whenever you want."

"Really?" Yoona laughed. "You promise not to be annoyed with me when I'm there every single week?"

Seohyun waved her hand at her. "I could never be annoyed with you," she said carefully. Yoona swallowed, unsure what to reply. Before she had a chance to think very far about it, Seohyun pushed the book over to her side of the table. "The questions of the bottom of the page, could you read them out for me?"

"Sure," Yoona said, raising the book up in front of her so Seohyun couldn't see the inside. Her heart beat madly as an idea was created in her mind, and was going dry. She cleared . "Who was the first president of the united states?"

"George Washington," Seohyun said instantly with perfect pronunciation, much to Yoona's inexistent surprise.

"Very good," she said, looking down at the next question. "The next one is a bit trickier. Are you ready?"

"I'm very ready," Seohyun replied, her expression so serious that Yoona had to laugh a little.

"Okay. Here it goes." She drew a deep breath. "When you go on a date, do you prefer a night at the movie theater, or cuddled up on the couch at home?"

Seohyun frowned. "What?"

"What?" Yoona said, shrugging and looking back at Seohyun innocently. "Don’t blame me, these are your questions. Now answer them."

Seohyun laughed, but still looked unsure of what was happening. "I don't actually date..." she said. "But if I had to choose, I'd say the couch."

"Okay," Yoona said, "next one. Do you prefer going out dancing at a club, or a nightly walk in the park?"

Seohyun laughed again, shaking her head at Yoona's antics. "Nightly walk in the park sounds wonderful," she said, without hesitation this time. Yoona smiled so wide it was beginning to hurt her cheeks.

"Good answer," she said. She cleared again and deepened her voice as she continued, "Now, if someone was to treat you to dinner, which of the following would you prefer? A: going to a restaurant, b: ordering takeout, or c: having your date cook you something that has a lot of thought but questionable quality?"

"Hmm," Seohyun said, trying to stay serious but bursting out laughing again. "I think... if it's the right person... then the food can taste however it wants." She smiled at Yoona, who did everything she could not to look away from her warm gaze.

"That's correct," she said, and Seohyun did a victorious fist pump. "Now for the big one. This one could be crucial for how you do on your test today, okay? So really pay attention."

"Okay." Seohyun shuffled in her seat, inching closer to the table and Yoona, and stared down at the table in concentration.

Yoona took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down. "Would you go out with me if I asked?"

For a moment, Seohyun didn't look up from the table, and her expression didn't change. In that short second, Yoona's mind had time to play her scenarios of Seohyun rejecting her, of Yoona having had the completely wrong idea, and Seohyun saying yes, and everything that that might mean.

Then Seohyun looked up, slowly, meeting Yoona's eyes, and a satisfied smile appeared on her face. "Yes."

Yoona looked back down into the book, pretending to read the next question, and when she spoke again, her voice was shaking from joy. "Last question. You really have to nail this one."

"Try me," Seohyun replied, still with that smile that seemed so unlike her.

"Will you go out with me?"

Seohyun leaned back, beaming her normal, happy smile again. She put her hand up to her chin, mockingly pretending to be thinking the offer over. "Hmm..." she said, eyes roaming along the ceiling. "I think... yes." She leaned forward, looking expectantly at Yoona. "Am I right?"

"You're very right," Yoona replied, choking on something unidentified in . "You aced it. My place on Friday? My parents are gone for the weekend."

Seohyun nodded, and her smile made Yoona unable to think of what to say next. "Now I'm going to fail my test," the younger said.

"What?"

"I will be much too happy to be able to focus on American history."


A few hours later, Sooyoung would point out to her that "if Seohyun can't focus on school work because of you, then you must be something really special to her".




 

"Come on, Shindong, please..."

Shindong looked up at Hyoyeon from under black, thick glasses. "I already told you, I can't."

"But..."

"Look, if I do what you ask, don't you think everyone else here will ask me the same?" he said, the last slither of guilt that Hyoyeon had been hoping to play on melting away. "Jungmo would find out for sure, you know nothing escapes him, and soon I'd have Chilhyun after me... I just can't. I'm sorry."

Hyoyeon stomped her feet in impatience. "But don't you like me just a little bit more than everyone else that stays here?" she asked, putting on her most innocent face and sneaking cuteness into her voice. Shindong frowned at her, and she sighed. Acts of cuteness were never her thing anyway.

"You know that I find you very... special," Shindong said after a moment of contemplation, "but you have to understand. I'm not made of money."

"So even if I was about to starve to death right here in one of your beds, you wouldn't buy me food?"

Shindong closed his eyes exasperatedly, and Hyoyeon knew she was being a nuisance, but it didn't matter. Shindong was too nice for his own good; Hyoyeon trusted him almost frighteningly easily. He would never do anything to hurt her, verbally or physically.

"Look, here are today's tickets for the three of you," he said, handing her three pink, little notes that Hyoyeon had come to associate with great relief. "Don't do this to me now, okay, there are people waiting."

Hyoyeon looked over her shoulder and noticed a short line of people that had assembled behind her. She sighed heavily, but did as Shindong said. He eyed her carefully as she left him and made her way up the stairs to the dormitory on the second floor.

It was strange, she thought, how easy it was to get to know people when the everyday distractions of computers, cellphones and television didn't exist. There was some kind of unspoken rule that she stuck with Hankyung and Heechul, like the three of them had always existed together and couldn't do without each other. She learned quickly how easy it was for Heechul to lose hope, and how quickly he gained it again, and one of the first things she realized - and was amazed by - was how Hankyung still had the energy to care for the other boy, even when he barely had the strength to stand up himself. She had come to understand the way Hankyung would get paranoid and jealous around his boyfriend, and how sharp-tongued and annoyed Heechul would be if he went too long without real food.

Hyoyeon loved them both dearly, in a cautious, almost aggressive kind of way that made her wonder if that was what she had felt towards her family when her mother was still in her life. Even though too much time had passed since those days and she couldn't be sure, thinking of Hankyung and Heechul in that way still made her happy. And she was thankful for every kind of happiness she could achieve.

When she reached the dormitory, she found Heechul lying on the bottom bunk of the bunk bed they'd slept in the night before (Heechul and Hankyung always shared the bottom while Hyoyeon slept on the top bunk), and he was singing with all his might at the top of his lungs. Hankyung was sitting at the foot of the bed, watching the other boy with an amused glint in his eyes. Hyoyeon realized with a start that the song Heechul was singing was the same she had sung with the girls that night at the beach, and the smile that had begun to spread over her face died down immediately.

Hankyung tore his gaze away from Heechul and noticed Hyoyeon standing in the doorway. He stood up when he saw her mortified expression. "What's wrong? Did we not get a bed?" Heechul stopped singing and looked over at Hyoyeon, instantly horrified.

So far they'd been lucky enough to get a spot at the shelter every night, even on the nights when the place had been overfull. It happened sometimes, while other nights only about sixty percent of the beds were taken. Hyoyeon saw no intelligible pattern there, but then again, she didn't keep much track of the days anymore. There was no need. Every day was the same in its unpredictability.

"Oh, yes, I got them," she said, holding up the tickets. Hankyung breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank god," he said, and Heechul went back to his singing. "So what's wrong?"

"What do you mean?" Hyoyeon said. Despite how much she liked the two boys and trusted them, they hadn't exchanged stories of their past yet, and Hyoyeon doubted it would happen, not for a long time if ever. She assumed that, just like for herself, their story was too painful to tell out loud. She didn't mind.

"You looked like the apocalypse was coming just now," Hankyung said, and winced discreetly as Heechul belted out a high note that was a little out of his range. "Though now it seems like it really might be," he added quietly, and the two laughed. Heechul kept on singing, not paying attention to their conversation.

"I'm fine," Hyoyeon replied, "just remembering something. It's not important." Hankyung seemed to accept her explanation, and a second where it seemed like he was going to ask her passed silently. "Are you ready to go?" she asked, finally stepping into the room and handing Hankyung his and Heechul's tickets for the night. It was still early morning, which was why they were the only three people in the dormitory right then. Soon people would start coming up the stairs to claim their beds, only to leave again and come back later during the day. Hyoyeon, Hankyung and Heechul were about to do the same, as they knew it was better to start early in the morning. Collecting money and food wasn't always easy, though living in a big city certainly helped a lot.

"Whenever he's done," Hankyung said, nodding towards Heechul, who started singing louder in protest. A woman in her thirties came up the stairs and jerked back in surprise when the power of Heechul's voice hit her, and Hankyung and Hyoyeon couldn't stop their laughter.

Hyoyeon observed Heechul where he lay; the way he closed his eyes and seemed to be so into the song that he didn't care how it came out. As long as he got to sing. For a moment her brain touched on that last song, the one Sooyoung had written, perhaps for Hyoyeon, perhaps for someone or something else, and she wondered how that would have sounded.

She forced the thought out of her head.

"You know, you've got a good singing voice when you're not using it to scream bloody murder," she said, raising her voice to make sure Heechul heard her over his own noisiness.

He fell silent immediately, and stared up at Hyoyeon with a big grin as he sat up. "Thank you."

They made their way down the stairs and out the door, clutching their tickets tightly in their hands. Hyoyeon thought of the way Heechul seemed so... charismatic, celebrity-like, and the way he walked as if the entire world was his.

"Do you sing?" she asked Hankyung thoughtfully. He shrugged in reply.

"I'm not tone deaf, but I'm also not much more than that," he said with a laugh.

Heechul nudged him with his shoulder. "Stop it, you're great, and you know it." The other boy flashed him an embarrassed smile.

"Maybe a little."

"But so..." Hyoyeon said, "why don't we just sing on the street for money?"

Heechul and Hankyung exchanged a look, a look that spoke of insecurity and hesitance to Hyoyeon's eyes. "I... I don't know," Hankyung said carefully. "It feels as if there's not much to collect that way."

"Come on," Hyoyeon said. "Lots of people earn money that way." She looked around the street; many people were rushing through the city on the way to their various workplaces, but it was still too early for the tourists to be out. It was a warm day, though a lot less warm than the day Hyoyeon had arrived in the city. Slowly but surely, winter was coming.

"Which is the exact reason why I don't think it'll work," Heechul said firmly. "So many people are already doing it, and they all have instruments, and, you know... talent."

"So we'll make it special," Hyoyeon said, feeling strangely confident and excited. From her old life, music was the one thing she missed. Music, and... well. "We'll sing in harmonies, it will be great. Between the three of us, we're overflowing with talent." The boys looked at each other again, though a little less reluctantly this time. "It's not like we have anything to lose," Hyoyeon continued. "Let's just try it for today, just one day, okay? Please?"

Hankyung shrugged, gazing carefully at Heechul, as usual giving the last, decisive word to him. Heechul stared back and eventually he sighed, shrugged too and said: "Fine. I'm happy as long as I get to sing."

"I suppose it's worth a try," Hankyung said, nodding. Hyoyeon jumped on the spot, clapping her hands.

"Yay!" she exclaimed, and the boys laughed in surprise as they watched her bouncing figure. "This will be awesome! And now for the hard part... finding songs that we're all familiar with."

Heechul shook his head. "This better be worth it."


Many hours later, they made their way back to the Nari shelter, voices hoarse and tired, carrying cheap sandwiches and two bottles of water, which, given the circumstances, could only be seen as luxury. They didn't have much, but it was more than any of them had had since they had ran away from home. All three of them were happier than they'd been since they met, and the fact that it was all Hyoyeon's idea, the fact that she'd been able to bring her friends happiness, meant the world to her.


 

"Talk to me."

"What?"

"What are you thinking of?"

Sooyoung stared blankly at the TV at the other end of the room, but didn't say much. "What exactly do you want to know?"

Taeyeon shrugged, turning over on her stomach where she lay and stared intently at her best friend. "About Hyoyeon."

"There's nothing new to tell you," Sooyoung said tiredly, not returning her gaze. "I've already told you what I feel."

"But you never talk anymore. You're just... there."

Sooyoung's turn to shrug. She bit her bottom lip, looking unaffected, but Taeyeon knew better. "That's just how it is."

"What are you thinking of?" Taeyeon asked again, and Sooyoung rolled her eyes.

"Why are you asking me this?" she asked back. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But you have to," Taeyeon argued. "I feel like you're... disappearing."

"I'm not disappearing," Sooyoung said, finally forgetting the TV and looking back at her friend. "I'm just... on vacation for a while." She smiled half-heartedly.

"For how long? I'm really worried about you."

The younger rolled her eyes at Taeyeon again. "God, I'm so sick of people saying that I worry them. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"It isn't your fault," Taeyeon said weakly. "I know that. Just... talk to me. Please."

"Alright," Sooyoung said, switching the TV off with the remote, and for a moment Taeyeon was relieved. "Should we do a Q&A? Should we invite the rest of our friends and family and get this out once and for all?" She glared at Taeyeon with a fury she hadn't seen in her best friend's eyes before, and it made Taeyeon want to cry.

"Sooyoung, please..." she said, and as expected tears quickly filled her eyes. "You know I'm not doing this to annoy you."

"No, you're doing it because you're worried, I heard you loud and clear," the taller said, inching to the edge of the couch with the remote hanging lifelessly in her hand. Taeyeon sat immobilized and stared at her best friend's back, feeling more powerless than ever before. "It's just that..." Sooyoung began, sounding a little calmer, "everyone tells me to ‘feel better' or 'move on', but as soon as I manage to stop thinking about her, everyone keeps reminding me." Taeyeon was surprised to hear her voice clogged up with tears, and Sooyoung soon angrily wiped her cheeks. "God, I'm so ing done with crying," she bit out, and Taeyeon hurried to sit by her side.

"I'm sorry," she said, holding back her own tears. She threw her arm over Sooyoung's shoulder and squeezed her tightly, and Sooyoung leaned against her as well as her height allowed. "I'm sorry I'm so bad at this. I'm sorry I’m so annoying. I just don't know how to help you."

Sooyoung sighed heavily. "You're not annoying. I'm sorry I'm in such a bad mood." Taeyeon shook her head to argue, but Sooyoung hurried on, "I'm so angry about what happened, all the time, and since you're around so much, you're getting the worst of it. I'm sorry." Her watery eyes met Taeyeon's and killed every argument in her. "Just don't... worry so much. I’ve done nothing but talk about her for the past week. I called everyone I know, even Leeteuk, even Siwon, even though he lives so far away nowadays. I don't want to forget her, but can we just... please, talk about something else for five minutes?"

"Of course," Taeyeon nodded, pulling Sooyoung in for a hug once more. "I really am sorry though, for being like this."

Sooyoung released her immediately, wiping her tears away with a groan. "I was wrong; you really are annoying."

Taeyeon pulled up her legs on the couch and aimed a kick at Sooyoung's head. Sooyoung, who was supposed to cower in fear, only covered her nose with her fingers as Taeyeon's toes approached her. She then grabbed the other girl's ankle and pushed her leg down. "Try it and see how many days it'll take until you can walk again," she said, smirking. Taeyeon pulled her legs back with a loud laugh.

"I would, but many people frown upon violence against pets."

Sooyoung's mouth fell open, and she stared at Taeyeon for a few moments while looking completely scandalized. Taeyeon smiled at her, and they both burst out laughing. "Pet?! I'm your pet now?" Sooyoung asked, launching herself to attack Taeyeon's side with tickles.

Taeyeon pulled away and grabbed Sooyoung's hands with hers. "That's right. You're my pet."

"Your pet whose apartment you've stayed in for an entire week now," Sooyoung replied with an eyebrow raised. "Don't you have a life of your own or something?"

"Why? Want me to go?" Taeyeon said, feeling unsure but masking it up with laughter.

Sooyoung shrugged. "No, not really. Just curious. If I was every other part of your life, I'd be mad at... well, me, for hogging all your attention."

Taeyeon frowned for a second before laughing. "It's fine, really. But I was thinking I'd do something this weekend, if you're okay alone, of course."

The taller stared at her in disbelief, and Taeyeon burst out laughing again. "I think I'm capable... I do, on occasion, see other friends, you know. And I've got my mom."

"That's true," Taeyeon nodded. "Well, if so, I have a favor to ask."

Sooyoung sank down against the backrest. "Will it involve me getting up from the couch?"

"Not necessarily," Taeyeon replied without really listening. Sweat was starting to break out on her forehead, and she swallowed heavily to get a newly formed lump away from there.

"So tell me," Sooyoung said, watching Taeyeon carefully.

"I..." Taeyeon tried, but the lump immediately reappeared and choked her voice away. She coughed a few times, feeling her heartbeat speed up. Was she really going to ask her? "I'm..."

Sooyoung frowned a little, looking curious. "Do you need some help?" she asked, moving closer to Taeyeon and started pounding on her back with her fist. Taeyeon jumped away from her with a loud groan, holding her aching back.

"No, thank you, I've got it," she said. As they both laughed, Taeyeon suddenly remembered that this was Sooyoung, her best friend, and in reality she had nothing to be afraid of. It chased away some of the fear and seemed to ease the pressure on her heart, but not completely. She took a deep breath. "I need you to set me up."

Sooyoung widened her eyes. "What?" she said, "I thought you lived in a world were boys are dangerous and disgusting! I would never have..."

"I do," Taeyeon interrupted, a shiver of cold sweat going around her body. Sooyoung stopped mid-speech and stared at her in silence.

"Oh," she said then. "Oh."

Panic rose in Taeyeon as her best friend said nothing else. She instinctively inched away from her. "Is that okay?" she asked quietly, feeling that the answer would be a resounding 'no'.

Sooyoung followed her on the couch and held up her hand against her forehead. For a second she thought Sooyoung was going to punch her, and she tried to pull her head away, but Sooyoung held it still.

"You feel kind of warm," she said. Then she pulled her hand back, held it up in front of Taeyeon's face and asked: "how many fingers am I holding up?"

"What?"

"Can you hear this?" Sooyoung rambled on, and clapped her hands together loudly right beside Taeyeon's ear. The elder covered it with her hand and winced at the painful sound.

"Yes!"

"Oh, so you haven't gone insane then," Sooyoung said sarcastically. "How about amnesia then? Do you remember me? Do you remember who I am? What's my name?"

"Jesus, Sooyoung, what's gotten into you?" Taeyeon said, searching her friend's face for any kind of a joke, but she seemed completely serious.

"Oh, so you do remember me?" Sooyoung asked.

"Yes!"

"Then why the hell would you ask me if it's okay?" Sooyoung demanded, suddenly angry. "Am I a homophobe? Haven't I loved you for the past 13 years?"

Taeyeon stared at her with wide eyes. Of all possible reactions she had gone through in her mind, anger was one of them, but definitely not like that. "Uhm... yes? I don't know?" she said carefully.

Sooyoung stared at her with the same furious eyes for a few more seconds before throwing herself around Taeyeon's neck. "God damnit, you freak, you will make me cry again," she cried, and Taeyeon wrapped her arms around her in bewilderment. "I love you, you idiot, I don't care what you are. It makes me sad that you didn't get that already."

Taeyeon pulled back, feeling her entire body shake from the impending relief. "So... so it's okay?" she asked, forcing herself to meet her best friend's eyes.

Sooyoung's already tear filled eyes hardened immediately. "Do you want me to punch you? Cause I'll do it! I don't care that you just came out of the closet, my sympathy is spared for people who aren't stupid."

Taeyeon laughed, a laugh that seemed to sweep through her entire being and crack the shell of fear that'd been holding her back her entire life. She hugged Sooyoung again, relief filling her, seeping out through every limb in her body.

They stayed in their hugging position for several minutes, without a word. Taeyeon felt more loved than she had in her entire life. A single tear escaped from her eye into Sooyoung's shirt.

Eventually their backs and necks started aching, and they pulled back. Taeyeon was relieved to see that Sooyoung wasn't crying, and her features looked softer than normal.

"So... do you have anyone to set me up with?" Taeyeon said, trying her best to sound confident, but knowing Sooyoung could see right through her.

"I think so," the taller replied. "She's a few years older than us, but that's okay, right?"

"I guess," Taeyeon nodded. "And please tell me it's someone you haven't hooked up with, cause I think that would be weird."

They stared at each other for a silent moment before Sooyoung tried to put on her most angel-like expression.

"Oh my god..."

"No! I'm kidding," Sooyoung said through her fit of laughter. "I've not hooked up with her, I swear." Taeyeon gave her a suspicious glare, but let it go. "She's a really sweet person. I met her through Leeteuk sometime last year."

Taeyeon frowned. "Why does that guy know the entire world? I swear, if he wanted to, he could set up a local dating service all by himself."

Sooyoung looked thoughtful for a moment. "That's actually a good idea, I should probably tell him that if he ever comes out to civilization again."

"So will you take care of it for me?" Taeyeon asked after letting Sooyoung take a moment to be immersed in the new idea. "Will you see if Saturday is okay with her?"

"Sure," Sooyoung nodded. "Damn it, why did everyone wait to fall in love until I was single? I've always wanted to double date with someone..."

"Everyone?" Taeyeon repeated, instantly curious. "Why, who's in love?"

Sooyoung's mouth fell open as she realized her mistake. "Uuuuhhh..." she said, looking past Taeyeon and staring at the wall.

"Tell me!"

"Uhm... Seohyun..?" Sooyoung said carefully.

Taeyeon stood up from the couch. "WHAT?!" Sooyoung winced and held up a couch cushion to shield herself from the incoming slaps. "Seohyun? Seohyun's in love?!" Taeyeon cried. "With who? Who's the bastard who's gonna corrupt her?"

Sooyoung scratched her head. "Well... I... uhm... Yoona."

Taeyeon sat down again heavily. "Oh. Well, that's too bad."

Sooyoung arched an eyebrow. "Why? Are you suddenly a homophobe now?"

Taeyeon just glared at her, but knowing that that statement was closer to the truth than she wanted to admit. "No, it's just, Yoona already has Sungmin. So she's probably straight, right?"

"Sungmin is not Yoona's boyfriend," Sooyoung told her, "but nice to know you pay so much attention to your friends' lives."

The elder just grumbled, taking Sooyoung's cushion from her and holding it in her lap. It was true, she hadn't been able to become very close with Yoona, Jessica or Yuri, but there was a reason for it. A big, obvious reason in the disguise of Tiffany; whenever she was around, Taeyeon immediately turned into an unfocused pile of goo.

But it was all good, because now she probably had a date for Saturday night, and things would work out just fine. She saw Tiffany as a big "just ing deal with yourself"-sign from God or the world or the powers that be, so that was exactly what she would do. The date didn't necessarily have to about anything romantic - the thought alone made her scared - but maybe she could get some perspective. Get over her phobia of herself, and in that way also get over Tiffany.

And most importantly, Stephanie said she should go on a date, so she would.

A/N:
Ohoho, guess what? Today I passed 400 pages and 190,000 words on this fic~ and you guys have already read more than 200 pages of it, so I better hurry up and write the rest, ehehe... ^^' but really, i'm trying my hardest to finish it before my posting has caught up, cause i know i'll freak out with the pressure of updating every week, what with school stabbing me in the back every single day ;; really.
Someone asked me WHERE IS TAENY and i'll say it here too in case someone else is wondering: when i planned this fic, i planned it so that every couple will have an equal amount of 'screen time', so to speak. Or at least kind of the same. But I can't make it all happen at once or it'd be really difficult to pull off, juggling all the storylines at the same time, but it will come, I promise~ so don't worry, locksmiths. I'll try to make sure it's worth it. ;>
Anyway, til next week, guys!