As it turned out, letting Tiffany know of the dinner wasn’t that big a problem. The unspoken question of how she was going to get there was answered, without any prompting. Taeyeon had walked into the kitchen the night of the wretched call, hoping to get some milk before bed, when she found Tiffany stirring a cup of coffee, seated at the table.

It was just a simple exchange, it took Taeyeon less than 2 sentences to let Tiffany know all the details. And it took Tiffany a single sentence to let Taeyeon know that she’d make her way there on her own. And then both of them had sat quietly by the table, pretending that the other didn’t exist, whilst they finished up their late night drink.

And as Taeyeon sipped her warm milk, she wondered how they had gotten to this point. Where once they were as inseparable as peas in a pod, now they could barely stand to be in each other’s presence. Or at least, Tiffany couldn’t. Taeyeon didn’t really know if it was Tiffany herself, or the way Tiffany was acting that made her uncomfortable.

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Taeyeon stared at the little charm hanging from the rear view mirror of her car. She had sold her old Mercedes Benz a couple of years ago, in favour of yet another German make, a BMW i8. Back when she had first bought it, the car had caught the attention of many, especially since she was one of the first in Korea to own that model. It was a sleek car, and it seemed to suit her very well, silent and powerful.

The charm was a small customized keychain. Cell phones nowadays, didn’t come with a place to hang such trinkets, so Tiffany had suggested that she hung it there, so that everyone could see. On one side of the little heart shaped lock was, in tiny pink and blue jewels, their names, linked together by a red jewel heart. On the flipside, was a picture of Taeyeon and Tiffany.

An old, old picture. One that had been taken at the very beginning of their long, tedious journey to stardom.

Taeyeon gazed up at the sky. She was still stuck in a traffic jam, but fortunately, she had left home early. The sky above was a blanket of inky blue, at the far edge, she saw the setting sun, the colour changing there, to a beautiful shade of violet and orange.

The sky had always been her solace, a comfort to her in times of need. It was vast, unjudging. It covered everyone, without discrimination. And the light of day brightened her smile, almost as well as the dark night hid her tears.

Taeyeon made it to the restaurant right on time. Parking her car at a reserved lot, she noticed that there were 8 other cars parked there. The others had already arrived. She wondered how the dinner would be. Surely, between the 9 of them, most would have stories to tell. The last time they had all met up was a good year ago.

It had been too long.

The atmosphere in the private dining room was light, jovial. The 8 of them were seated at a long table, leaving a single seat at the end for her. Tiffany sat at the other end.

If they knew anything about the tension between Taeyeon and Tiffany, the other 7 girls did not show it. They stood up when they saw their leader arrive, cheering and greeting her loudly, some even embracing her in a tight hug that threatened to suffocate the pint sized lady.

“Unnie!”

“Taeyeon-ah!”

“Oh my God! Taeyeon! You haven’t grown at all!”

Shouts came from every direction, except one. Whilst everyone was busy fawning over Taeyeon, Tiffany remained seated, her face, impassive. Her red lips were drawn in a thin line, her face hard.

Only Taeyeon seemed to notice this, as she quietened the rest of the bunch.

“So..” Hyoyeon trailed off, the tension slightly more noticeable now.

Sunny spoke up. “Right. So, there are several reasons why we called for this today. I’m sure you all know the first one.” She paused to tilt her head slightly in the direction of the third youngest, Sooyoung.

“But there is another, more important, reason why we are here. A reason that, I think, should be discussed on a full stomach and preferably, with a little alcohol in the system.”

And at the looks of worry that painted the faces of the other 8 ladies, Sunny added, “Don’t worry. It’s nothing big. Just a small request from uncle.”

Sooyoung bristled. “Yah! My new restaurant isn’t important enough for you?”

And everyone broke into raucous laughter. Even Tiffany couldn’t help but giggle a little at the poor attempt of a joke.

Yet, even amidst the little chatter and small talk as they dined, the strain in the air was clear. Perhaps it was because the girls knew that their strong bond was no longer the same, or perhaps it was because of the fact that they hadn’t met in such a long time.

Taeyeon wondered what it was, but as soon as she felt the beginnings of the headache from the previous day return, she sipped on her wine, determined to forget everything and just relax for this short period of time. It was the least she could do, both for herself and the other 8 girls.

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The dinner passed quickly, and Taeyeon barely even noticed the time. The girls laughed and joked as they listened to the stories each of them had to tell.

Jessica started first, telling them tales of her time in America, how she had travelled across the country, visiting more fashion boutiques than she did theme parks. The girls thought it a waste, that Jessica had been in Orlando, and yet, hadn’t taken the time to head to the well-known Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Jessica, on the other hand, found nothing wrong with that, and a little mock argument broke out at the table.

Hyoyeon then started, telling stories of her time travelling around the world. She described the beautiful beaches of Maldives, the grandeur of the Eiffel Tower, the quaint little houses lining the Amstel river, which ran across the length of the unsurprisingly windy capital of the Netherlands.

She talked of the many people she met, the friends whose weddings she had attended in Bali or on an exotic island off the coast of Greece. She talked of the man she had met, her fiancé, and promised to introduce him to the group soon.

The other girls then shared their equally interesting adventures. The fact that they all occurred in the same country did not make each story any less interesting. Sooyoung talked about her concept for the restaurant, and why she had decided to venture into this business so suddenly. YoonA, talked about her debut in the international film industry. Seohyun, the dear maknae, delightfully recounted the many important people she had met over the course of her involvement in a project organised by the UN. The youngest had also gone back to school, completed her Masters and now, she shared her plans of taking her education to the next level. The other 8 girls beamed proudly at their studious maknae.

And as they recalled their ever-changing lives, Taeyeon couldn’t help but feel a little bitter. She was happy for her sisters, of course, but as their lives flourished and their love blossomed, Taeyeon’s was sinking deeper into the recesses of darkness.

She did not know if it was salvageable, and upon further thought, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted it to be.

Then came her turn. The girls had finished their rounds, each having shared the ups and downs of their lives in the past few years. And the only ones left were Tiffany and her. A couple of years ago, they’d talk together, their words, complementing the other’s, adding a dual view to the ‘romantic’ life of Taeyeon and Tiffany.

Now, she had nothing to share. What had she been doing, in the past few years? She hadn’t been on wonderful excursions to exotic places, nor had she blindly fallen in love with a handsome prince charming, ready to sweep her off her feet in a swirl of magic. No, she didn’t have much to say at all.

“I’ve.. I’ve recorded a couple of songs.”

And that was all she had to say, as 7 eyes looked expectantly at her. Maybe it was just her, but there seemed to be a mixed sense of relief and disappointment at the table. Relief, probably, at the fact that she was singing again, which could only mean that she was picking her life up again, after having fallen into an odd state after they officially disbanded. Disappointment, because she hadn’t given them anything to think of, not a single clue of the life behind that large apartment on the 27th floor, an apartment that had once been frequented by the girls for parties and dinners.

They turned to Tiffany, looking, perhaps, for an explanation. Hoping that perhaps Tiffany would reveal the million dollar secret, that she would tell the world what had happened to the relationship of what used to be the most loving couple in the world.

Would she tell them?

Perhaps she would, Taeyeon thought. Maybe it might finally free her from the burden of their pretence, from the watchful eyes of their sisters.

Perhaps.