A/N: Are you guys gonna kill me for not updating for 2 months? Lol I'm not gonna say I was busy – although I was, a little – because I was mostly lazy. But! I wrote an extra long part 9 as an apology so I hope you all can forgive me. So, enjoy!

---

 

Jessica rolled her eyes. “Will you stop glaring at me? I already said sorry! Twice even!”

Tiffany huffed then turned her back on her best friend.

“You should thank me instead, you know. If it weren’t for me, your mother would’ve caught the two of you in that position and that’s would be just… awkward.”

Tiffany sighed. Jessica was right. Moments after she walked in on them, her mother arrived and her voice rang inside the house, looking for her. She and Taeyeon had to scramble to their feet and fix their clothes.

Jessica moved closer and draped an arm over Tiffany’s shoulders. “Besides, it’s not like you’re never going to kiss! I promise to leave you alone next time. You can even have se­–”

Tiffany covered her best friend’s mouth hastily. “SHH! YAH!” She blushed and looked towards the direction of the kitchen – where her mother was.

Jessica’s laugh was muffled by Tiffany’s palm. She pushed the hand away and shrugged. “Just saying.”

“Shut up.”

“So are you together now?” Jessica asked after a while.

“I’d like to think we are.”

“What if she doesn’t think the same? I mean you didn’t actually kiss.”

Tiffany slapped her best friend’s arm as her cheeks burned. “Shut up.”

Mrs. Hwang walked in the living room just then holding a tray with glasses of orange juice. “You seem to be talking about something really fun. Mind if I join in?”

“Not at all, Auntie!” Jessica quipped. She flashed a grin at her best friend before taking a glass and sipping the juice.

Mrs. Hwang smiled back. “So who was the girl earlier? I don’t think I’ve seen her around before. Is she your new friend?”

Jessica almost guffawed. “Ohohoho, you don’t know the half of it, Auntie,” she snickered.

And at that, Tiffany stood up and half-dragged her best friend off the couch and towards the door. “Oh, mom, I think Jess has to go now.”

“Oh. Okay. Take care, Jessica,” Mrs. Hwang said from the living room.

“But I–”

Tiffany slammed the door close after shoving Jessica outside the house.

---

She felt a pair of eyes on her and looked up from her plate to see her father immediately looking away. She rolled her eyes. She had caught him stealing glances at her all throughout dinner but chose to ignore it. It was now the fifth time and she was getting irritated. “What is it, dad?”

“H-huh? What do you mean?”

She sighed. “You obviously have something to tell me, so go on, tell me.”

“Ah. It’s actually a question.”

She let him continue as she forked another piece of meat and brought it up .

“Who is Taeyeon?”

She choked on the meat. She hadn’t expected her father to know about Taeyeon. Must be her mother’s doing. She grabbed her glass of water and drank, all while glaring at her mother.

Mrs. Hwang tilted her head. ”What? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with telling your father about your new friend.”

Tiffany shook her head then faced her father. “I think mom has already told you, but yeah, she’s a… friend.”

“Is that so?” She nodded. “Then I’d like to meet her.”

“W-what?”

Mr. Hwang shrugged. “She’s the first friend you brought home in years aside from Jessica, so it’s only natural for me to be curious about her.”

“And she left so suddenly earlier that I haven’t had the chance to talk to her,” her mother said. “Invite her to dinner some time.”

“Can’t,” she answered bitterly. “She’s leaving the day after tomorrow.”

“Oh? Where is she going?”

“Home. Jeonju.”

“She’s from Jeonju?”

She nodded. Feeling slightly uncomfortable talking about the distance between what she considers her hometown and Taeyeon’s.

“Wow. That’s… far. I haven’t even been there.”

Her mother agreed. “That is indeed far. But if she’s leaving soon then why don’t we invite her for dinner tomorrow night? I think it’ll be fun.”

Tiffany sighed. “Why are you so interested in meeting her anyway?” She muttered.

“Because, like your father said, she’s the first person you brought here other than Jessica and it’s more interesting that you know her because I don’t think you’ve ever been to Jeonju.”

She sighed again.

Mr. Hwang chuckled. “Oh stop sighing, Miyoung-ah. It’s not like we’re asking you to bring your girlfriend over for dinner.”

She choked… again.

Mr. Hwang looked at his wife and both shared a small smile. Mrs. Hwang was thankful she knew Jessica’s number.

---

“Oh my gawd. I don’t think I can do this,” Taeyeon said while looking for something to lean on.

“Don’t be so nervous.”

“You’re nervous too!” Taeyeon said as she glared at the fidgeting Tiffany. “Are you sure this is a good idea? I don’t think it’s a good idea. Yup, bad idea. I think I should just go home. Yes. Bye.” She turned around to leave but a hand caught hers before she was roughly pulled back.

“No, you’re staying. My parents are gonna keep nagging me if I don’t bring you now.”

“B-but… why would they want to see me anyway?” Taeyeon took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves.

“Well… we are dating so–“

“We are?!”

Tiffany’s face fell. “We’re not?”

“No no no! That’s not what I meant! I–”

The door suddenly swung open, revealing Mrs. Hwang. ”Oh good, you’re already here. And just in time too. I just finished cooking.” She flashed Taeyeon a smile then stepped aside. “Come in then, the both of you.” She let the two enter.

Tiffany walked in without a word and headed for the kitchen where her father was.

“Oh you’re finally here!” He looked behind her. “Where’s Taeyeon?”

Tiffany answered with a shrug and sank down in her seat.

Moments later, Mrs. Hwang came in with Taeyeon in tow. “Have a seat beside Tiffany, Taeyeon. And don’t be shy.”

Taeyeon did as told but not without noticing the quiet Tiffany. She tapped her shoulder and smiled when the other girl looked at her, but Tiffany’s straight face wiped the bright smile off hers. Oh no. This was not good.

---

Dinner went by smoothly, if one were to ask her, but she mostly stayed quiet while her parents interrogated Taeyeon. She would’ve smiled at the nervous Taeyeon, but their earlier conversation was preventing her.

So we’re not together?  She quietly sighed. They moved to the living room where the interrogation continued but she paid no attention to the other three people with her. Her mind was somewhere else.

“…ny”

“Tiff…”

“Miyoung!”

It wasn’t until a hand held hers that she snapped out of her thoughts. She looked at the owner and found herself staring at Taeyeon’s concerned eyes.

“Hey, are you okay?” Taeyeon gave her hand a gentle squeeze before letting go.

She would’ve reached out to hold it again if it wasn’t for her parents’ presence in the room. She gave an awkward laugh. “Yeah, I think I’m just a bit full from dinner.”

“You didn’t eat much, though, and that worries me,” her mother said. “Is there something wrong?”

She shook her head and gave her mother an assuring smile. “No, mom. Everything’s fine.”

Her parents nodded but she could still feel Taeyeon’s gaze on her. She turned her head, and true enough, Taeyeon was staring at her. “What?”

Taeyeon took a quick glance at her parents and when she found them talking to each other, whispered, “Are we okay?” She moved closer.

Tiffany shrugged in feigned nonchalance. “I thought there was no we?” She shifted away from other girl.

Taeyeon sighed. “Tiffany, look–”

“Oh, I almost forgot about the cake! Tiffany, would you be a dear and help me in the kitchen?” Mrs. Hwang stood up and gestured Tiffany to follow her.

Tiffany stood up and followed after her mother immediately, leaving Taeyeon on the couch. Talking about them while in the same room with her parents was just uncomfortable.

As she was cutting a slice of cake, her mother approached her from the side and watched her for a moment before saying, “Okay, what’s really wrong, sweetie? You’re usually loud and happy when you’re with your friends. Taeyeon’s here, but you seem to be bothered by something.”

She sighed but didn’t answer.

“Do you really not want us to meet her?”

She shook her head. “It’s not that, mom.”

“Then what is it? You know I’m not going to stop asking you until you tell me, right?”

Tiffany’s lips curve upwards to form a small smile. “I guess I know where I got my stubbornness from now.”

Mrs. Hwang chuckled. “Yes, from your father.” They both laughed. “Now, tell me.”

---

“I didn’t know cutting a few slices of cake could take half an hour,” Mr. Hwang commented once she and her mother stepped in the living room with cakes and juice.

“Oh, shush. You don’t know anything about the kitchen,” Mrs. Hwang retorted jokingly before sending her husband a discreet wink when she was sure their daughter and her friend weren’t looking.

Mr. Hwang noticed that his daughter was happier than earlier. He chuckled and nodded at her wife in response.

“Eat up.”

---

She watched as Taeyeon thanked her parents, bowing and smiling at them.

“Thank you for inviting me over, Mr. and Mrs. Hwang. It was a pleasure being here today.”

Mrs. Hwang smiled while Mr. Hwang said, “It’s nice to see that you’re no longer nervous around us.”

Taeyeon turned red and Tiffany had to smile at the cute sight while her parents laughed.

“I’m just kidding, Taeyeon. It was nice meeting you. We should do this again in the future when you’re in Seoul again.”

“Definitely,” Taeyeon grinned.

Her parents said their final goodbyes before leaving her with Taeyeon in the living room.

“I’ll walk you out.”

Taeyeon nodded and followed her out the house.

“Thank you for inviting me. Your family is wonderful.”

Tiffany nodded. “No problem.”

They stood there in awkward silence for a moment before Taeyeon mumbled. “You haven’t answered my question.”

Tiffany raised an eyebrow. “What question?”

Taeyeon huffed. “Are we okay?”

“If my memory serves me right, I think I already answered that.”

Taeyeon pouted. “Yeah but…”

“Didn’t you say we weren’t dating?”

Taeyeon sighed and looked at her. “Please let me explain? That wasn’t what I meant.”

“Be thankful my mom told me to give you a chance to explain.”

“Huh?”

“Nothing. Go on. Explain.”

Taeyeon took a deep breath. “What you said caught me by surprise. I didn’t expect for you to say that we’re dating when I… when I…”

“Yes, when you…?”

Taeyeon looked down and fiddled with the hem of her shirt before mumbling, “…when I stayed up all night last night trying to think of a r-romantic way to… to make you my girlfriend.” Her cheeks turned bright red.

Tiffany’s looked at Taeyeon amusingly. “You stayed up all night?”

Taeyeon nodded, still looking down. “I even called up my cousin in Jeonju just to ask her, but she got mad because I woke her up. So I ended up calling Yejin instead, but it was pointless because I was only halfway through with my question when I heard her snoring from the other line.”

Tiffany chuckled. “So I take it you didn’t come up with anything?”

“Nothing.” Taeyeon sighed. “Nothing romantic, at least.”

“Oh so you did think of something?”

Taeyeon nodded. “Yeah. Something not romantic though.”

“What is it?”

“Straight up asking you,” Taeyeon chuckled. “Crazy, right?”

“Crazy, but it could work.”

Taeyeon looked up at her. “What?”

“Why don’t you try it?”

“Huh? B-but…”

“It might work,” Tiffany said and bit her lip. Oh what the heck.

“J-just ask?”

Tiffany nodded.

“O…kay. Um… Tiffany…”

“Yes?” Tiffany answered.

“W-will you be m-my g-g-girlfriend?” Taeyeon stuttered. “P-please?”

Taeyeon chuckled but with flushed cheeks. “With a little more confidence, Taeyeon.”

Taeyeon gulped. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She opened her eyes after a moment and stared at Tiffany’s expectant ones. “Tiffany, will you be my girlfriend?”

Tiffany smiled widely. “Yes.”

Taeyeon’s eyes widened. “R-really?”

Tiffany chuckled and took a step forward, stopping just in front of the other girl. “Yes, really.” She hugged the still shocked girl. “Told you it might work.”

It took Taeyeon a few more seconds to let everything sink in before she brought her arms up around Tiffany, returning the hug just as tight. “It wasn’t romantic though,” she said through Tiffany’s hair.

Tiffany slightly pulled away to look at Taeyeon. “Does it really matter, hmm?”

Taeyeon smiled and shook her head. “Not really, now that I think about it.”

They smiled at each other before Taeyeon suddenly looked around their surroundings.

Tiffany frowned. “What’s wrong?”

“Can I kiss you now?” Taeyeon whispered as her eyes landed on Tiffany’s lips.

Tiffany felt her heart race and her face heat up, but she nodded in response. “Of course,” she whispered back.

Their lips met in a sweet and gentle kiss and both couldn’t be happier.

Neither could Tiffany’s parents, who were watching from their window.