Chapter 15

Living in that house was like living with a time bomb that could explode anytime & anywhere without any warning & it would happen if Tiffany didn’t act carefully enough or took a wrong step. Yoona, Chanyeol & Yunho. Each of them carried the key to her freedom. If one of them blew it up, she might lose everything she was striving to hold together. To deal with Yoona, she had honed her skill as a good actress. She had learned how to effortlessly put a blank & indifferent expression on her face whenever Yunho’s around. Thank god Yunho was so cooperative, even though sometimes he couldn’t control his manner. Just like that day, for example, when they passed each other in the corridor. Actually, Yunho did nothing inappropriate, only whispering those three precious words but those words & the way he said it somehow managed to turn Tiffany’s cheeks to the color of long-stemmed red roses & just as her luck would have it, Chanyeol came out from the corner at that moment. Luckily, she could think & act fast enough. She coughed hard, pretending to catch a cold or something, just so Chanyeol wouldn’t be suspicious seeing her face so red while that incorrigible Yunho, without showing any remorse for making her went through such thing, walked away whistling.

Yunho was one thing but Yoona, the meanest time bomb, was entirely a different thing. She was like a ghost that haunted her victim. Those first weeks, she had popped up everywhere, at every corner of the house. Sometimes, Tiffany thought that perhaps Yunho’s mansion wasn’t big enough. That would explain why she had always come across Yoona so easily but with thirty rooms inside, not including yards & swimming pool, she knew that she couldn’t blame the house. It must be something to do with Yoona’s inner alarm or something but lately, the situation was actually getting better. Yoona didn’t watch Tiffany as much as she had done before. Maybe because she got tired of it or perhaps because Tiffany could finally convince her that she still remembered their deal. Or maybe Yoona was watching her without her knowing but whatever it was, Tiffany hadn’t intention to be careless. So much was at stake. So much she couldn’t afford to lose.

On the top of the list would be Yunho. She had thought that freedom would be the one thing she had craved the most almost all of her life but these weeks with Yunho had taught her something else. He was the one thing she didn’t want to live without. Even though those intimate smiles of his could make her mind turned into mush, she craved for it. She also loved the way he was looking at her, how he could make her felt gooey & warm inside & how just being near him could make her felt exhilarated & energized as if she was a battery that had just been freshly charged. She didn’t know how he could make her feel the way she did but for whatever reason, she intended to stay there & enjoy it for now. At least until this feeling ran out of its course. She prayed it never would.

On the other hand, much to her satisfaction, Chanyeol didn’t seem to show much progress on his search either. Tiffany had often seen him hanging around the house. Must be because there’s not much led he had to follow for she had counted that days had turned to weeks & yet, her true identity hadn’t been revealed yet, but that didn’t mean that she could become careless. She kept her eyes open & her breath held, figuratively speaking, for any sign of movement from his side but it was all at peace. It’s not until another month had passed that she started to be able to take easier breaths.

What she didn’t know was that it was like the calm before the storm.

That morning, Tiffany was polishing silverware in the dining room. She heard Yunho’s wonderful voice through the window. At first, Tiffany tried to ignore it. Even when her heart yearned to join him in the fun, she kept dabbing the silver polisher on the spoons & forks & rubbed it until the silver shone like brand new but after trying for five long minutes, she couldn’t help herself but to walk closer to the window. She watched Yunho playing catch with Taepung near the swimming the pool while her own two dogs were yapping when the water splashed too near for their comfort & then creeping back in again, when they felt it’s safe to do so. Yunho would throw the ball for Taepung to catch & Taepung would run & jump, sometimes even swim to catch it & then brought it back to his master. She saw him gesturing for Romeo & Hani to join in the fun but she knew that her babies wouldn’t get near the water if they could help it, “Sissy dogs.” She heard Yunho chuckled before turning back to his dog & repeated the process again. He seemed to really enjoy this weekly activity. He clapped & whistled every time Taepung successfully did his job. He even laughed delightfully when Taepung drenched him by shaking his body. In that moment, Yunho looked like a little boy who had no other concern in life but to play with his companion. With the morning sun touching his wet hair & his cute face, he looked really innocent & appealing. Tiffany sighed softly & leaned forward a little to enjoy the view in front of her. She watched Yunho hugged Taepung affectionately & let the dog his face. Her lips curved into a smile when she heard his laughter, “Taepung, you are so lucky.” Tiffany mused silently, starting to imagine that she was in Taepung’s place. Yunho would caress her face tenderly & then he would draw her into his embrace & carried her away from the pool. That wonderful loving smile would adorn his face. She would smile back at him & circle her arms around his neck but of course, she wouldn’t Yunho’s face like Taepung did but...hmmm, maybe she would let him kiss her again, like he had done before.

She was humming dreamily when Yoona came out of nowhere & ruined her fantasy. She was still too deep in her daydream that she didn’t even realize that Yoona was standing next to her. Not until she heard the girl hissed, “Well, well, well! I smell rotten egg here! I hope you don’t forget our agreement, Tim! Or do you prefer I call you Tiffany?!”

As if splashed with ice cold water, Tiffany jumped in fright & instinctively, she searched the room to make sure that Chanyeol wasn’t around. Yoona laughed as she saw Tiffany’s face turning pale & frantic, “Hmmm, surprises surprises. You had better remember that I will always watch you. All the time. So, you had better behave just like we agreed upon & oh, please wipe your mouth. I don’t think you want people to see how you drool every time you look at master Yunho.” With a nasty victorious smile on her pink lips, she whirled around & left.

Tiffany gritted her teeth & muttered, “Too bad I only have a spoon here.” She looked at the spoon she was clutching so tightly in her hand & slowly walked back to dining room. She knew that it wouldn’t do her any good & would only harm her position greatly if she kept staring at Yunho like a lovesick fool. Reprimanding herself for her lack of self control & cursing Yoona for being so spiteful, she walked with her head down.

She almost fell down when she bumped into someone.

“Chanyeol? What are you doing here? How long have you been there?” Instead of the casual note she was trying to achieve, it was panic that was so obvious in her voice. How much had he heard? Did he see Yoona intimidating her? If he heard it all, if he got suspicious, if Yoona opened her big mouth, she would lose everything. Her freedom, dream & of course, Yunho.

Chanyeol looked at her with his thick eyebrows high on his forehead, “I live here remember? What’s the matter, Tim? You look unwell.”

“Er...its nothing. You surprised me that’s all. You popped out in front of my face without any sound. Don’t do that again, for god sake. I don’t have any spare for my heart.” Tiffany immediately tapped her chest in relief. She didn’t lie. She didn’t expect to see Chanyeol, especially after she had made sure that Chanyeol wasn’t around when Yoona had cornered her.

“Poor boy. Here, let me feel your heartbeat.” Chanyeol teased. She smacked his hand away before it could touch her.

“Watch out, young man. No touching.” Tiffany glared at him & continued her unfinished job, muttering under her breath to herself. There were still eight spoons left on the table that needed to be polished. She saw him chuckling & narrowed her eyes. By the light in his eyes, she knew he was going to again. How often had she seen those lights years ago? She was readying herself for a sassy reply when his samsung galaxy s5 suddenly beeped.

“Ah, it’s you, Keunsuk? So, any news?”

Tiffany saw Chanyeol’s face beamed in excitement & felt her heart lurched, “You got information about Tiffany’s whereabouts? That’s really great. I don’t think Mr. Hwang has anymore patience left.” Chanyeol walked to the terrace for a clearer voice so he didn’t see how Tiffany’s face turned ashen. The spoon dropped from her lifeless hand with a clatter. Her heart felt like one big gland thumping on her ribcage. Without any thought of appropriateness, she sneaked & hid behind the window so she could overhear Chanyeol’s conversation. She had to know how much information Chanyeol had already gotten about her existence but she didn’t get anything.

As soon as she saw Chanyeol hanging up his phone, she ran back to her initial spot & just in time, too. She had just picked up a spoon when he popped back into the dining room, “So, is it about your boss’ daughter? How is it going?” Tiffany forced her voice to be as indifferent as possible.

Chanyeol only grinned & shrugged, “Almost there.”

Tiffany nodded & looked down, pretending to be absorbed in polishing the spoon while her mind whirled around anxiously. How close was his almost? Would it be longer than one month? Because in a month, her deal with Yunho would be up. In another month, she would be free from her debt. She could move somewhere else & Chanyeol would lose whatever trace he had on her. As long as he didn’t know about her & Yunho, he wouldn’t be able to use Yunho to track her because there’s no way in hell she would cut Yunho out of her life. She was too busy with her thought that she didn’t notice the way Chanyeol was looking at her before he left her with her duties.

One day, out of the blue, Mrs. Jung asked Tiffany to accompany her to the mall. Tiffany was ecstatic, excited to go since she hadn’t stepped foot into a mall for more than five months now & it’s a great excuse to leave the house on sunday, the only day she didn’t have to go to the orphanage. She almost skipped as she followed Mrs. Jung to the car & pretended not to notice the envy & dislike on Yoona’s face as she got into the car.

When the mall was looming in front of them, Tiffany got another surprises from Mrs. Jung.

“Tiffany, actually, I have a gathering with my old friends at the country club. It could take me probably a couple of hours. You know how old friends are when they see each other. We have so much to catch up with but don’t worry. I meant it when I said mall because I will drop you here. I know in the five months you have stayed with us, you haven’t had a chance to go there. Here, take this, too.” Mrs. Jung slipped some cash & a credit card into her hand.

Before Tiffany could protests, she patted her hand & whispered carefully so that the driver wouldn’t hear, “Buy a beautiful dress, sweetie. Someone’s getting desperate to see you in it.” Mrs. Jung winked & gave no other explanation as she gently pushed Tiffany out of the car, “Have fun, dear.”

Mrs. Jung’s hand waved jovially at her through the window as the car speed up & left her standing there on the curb, staring at the cash & credit card in her hand, “What should I buy a beautiful dress for?” Tiffany asked herself, out loud, perplexed.

“Because you have a date with me & I believe my mom doesn’t want her good-looking, stylish son to have a date with someone in those hideous jeans & shirt.” Yunho suddenly popped up in front of her, complete with his cheeky grin.

“Argh!” Tiffany screamed in fright. Then a frown marred her forehead as his grin got wider & cheekier.

“Why do people love to sneak up on me?”

“Come on. We have very little time.” Yunho tried to drag Tiffany inside but she didn’t budge from her spot.

“A date? Do you think I want to have a date with you?” With a scoff, she tapped her feet on the ground & looked anywhere but at him.

An impatient sigh. Then he explained it as slowly as he could, as if explaining the very obvious to a dull-witted child, “Of course you do. You are my girlfriend after all. Come on, I will take you to that boutique over there. Mom said it would have what we have in mind for you.” Yunho reached out for Tiffany’s hand but she hid it behind her back.

“Are you nuts?” Tiffany looked around to make sure that nobody she knew was around, especially not Chanyeol. When the field seemed clear, she hissed, “You want me to abandon my disguise here?! You must be crazy! No way, Yunho Oppa!”

He clucked his tongue at her, “Tiffany, nobody notice us but I promise you that they will if you don’t move.” “What are you going to do?” Tiffany looked at him suspiciously.

“Nothing I wouldn’t do to my girlfriend. Maybe I will kiss you & carry you inside. Actually, that’s a very appealing idea. I don’t care if people think that we are a passionate gay couple.”

His devilish smile convinced Tiffany that Yunho would really do that without any hesitation. She huffed out a long suffering sigh before nodding her head. She did feel the need to relax for one day, not thinking about how she should act to make her disguise still intact. For one afternoon, she wanted to look like a girl again; she wanted to feel pretty & free to do what girls would do. What’s the harm anyway? The mall was too big & far for someone she knew to be there, “Okay, but I don’t want to go to that boutique now. First...”

“What?” Yunho cut her off in his surprises, “But I can’t go on a date with you in your guy attire.” Yunho said exasperatedly, “People will stare more at a gay couple than at an attractive couple, you know.”

“So, you want me to put on a dress with this faint moustache & bushy eyebrows on my face?” Tiffany grinned, wiggling her said eyebrows, causing Yunho to grin sheepishly.

It only took Yunho three trips to the cosmetic department & five minutes for Tiffany to remove her makeup & changed into a girl. As she didn’t want to attract unnecessary attention, she didn’t do much to her hair & only applied the barest of makeup but the results still made her looked innocently stunning & the black sleeveless liz claiborne sheath dress they had chosen together accentuated her curves nicely rather than flaunted it. It was no wonder that even though she had tried as much as she could to blend into the background, she still stuck out like a sore thumb.

Trying to ignore the stares directed their way, Tiffany strolled with Yunho, hand in hand. They shopped, walked, laughed & teased. They had fun. She even had fun at his expenses when she saw him growling & barking at some guys who felt staring wasn’t enough & decided to ask for her number & the way he held her hand so possessively & yet, so tenderly had made her day seemed even brighter.

Late that afternoon, Yunho was standing near this huge fountain in the center of the mall with venus pouring the water from the vase she carried on her shoulder while Tiffany was buying some ice cream for them. He looked indulgently at her animated face as she gave her order to the ice cream girl. He watched as she pursed her baby pink lips & pointed to the toppings she wanted & saw her eyes lit up as the girl winked at her & added a half scoop to her cone. The thought which had been circling in his mind for sometime, gelled & became solid. It felt so natural & right that he felt his heart beat even stronger, even steadier at the sureness of it. With a secret smile playing on his lips, he sneaked into an upscale shop nearby to harass the manager to expedite his order.

Tiffany’s delighted smile died down as she looked around for Yunho. Where could he be? He said he would wait for her near this fountain with their shopping bags. With a little frown, she circled the fountain & yet, still found no sign of Yunho. The brownie ice cream cone in her hands were forgotten as panic & worry started to creep in. She refused to think that something bad had happened to him. Like her father’s men kidnapping him in order to force her to give in. A slip of regret seeped into her mind. Whatever her reason was, it was a stupid idea to go prancing in the mall like this, without her disguises as defense but she was mighty glad when she saw him walking towards her with a soft smile & warm glow on his face! She ran towards him & threw herself into his arms with such exuberance that Yunho had to step in circles to keep his balance. When he felt he could stand steadily again, he laughed & with his arms still around her, stepped back, intending to & stepped right into the ice cream Tiffany had dropped.

“Ah!” A feminine voice shrieked.

“Argh!” A deeper voice screamed.

Tiffany was still sitting in the fountain, drenched from head to toe with water & mortification when Yunho suddenly kneeled beside her & asked, “Tiffany, what do you think of marrying me?” In his hand, the ⅕ ct t.w. white & color-enhanced pink diamond ring he had just hassled Tiffany’s to complete sooner shone like a promise.

Tiffany could only google at him for a moment. Then she sputtered & screeched in indignation, “You are proposing to me inside a fountain at the mall?! When I’m soaked to my bone & looked like a drenched rat?!” But Yunho only grinned unrepentantly, “Rat is never the word to describe you. Maybe the loveliest drenched little bunny? The only one I love & want to marry?”

Tiffany glared at him even as she blushed from the embarrassment & pleasure she felt. What a rotten timing this guy had & what a weird sense of humor. Because of him, she, who didn’t want to attract attention, was now the center of attention. She could feel eyes, amused & dreamy eyes, directed at her. She could hear the crowd starting to urge her to say yes. She could see some people sighing wistfully & some said what a romantic & unforgettable proposal it was. Tiffany, herself, wanted to bury her head in the base of the fountain if only it were made of sand.

“I won’t accept no for this question, Tim.” Yunho suddenly whispered into her ear, & without any hesitation, picked up her hand & slipped the ring into her finger.

It fitted beautifully & it felt so right.

“Please don’t say no? I can’t afford it.” He brought her hand to his lips, bestowing on it a gentle kiss. A kiss that was full of promises for a lifetime of love & happiness.

Smiling shyly, she buried her head in his shoulder, whispering her assent as the crowd exploded into applause & whistles.

They were too immersed in their moment that they didn’t notice their surroundings. Didn’t notice someone’s eyes went wide opened with shock & recognition. Didn’t notice the way he hurriedly placed a call with his cell phone.