+++

“What the—“ Taeyeon groggily got up from bed and followed the source of the noise. She ended up standing in front of her windows, the ones facing her neighbor’s house.  

“For ’s sake…” She groaned as she grabbed her phone under her pillow. The upper right corner of the screen displayed 3:43 AM. At first, she tried to ignore it by going back to bed. Maybe she would fall asleep again. Maybe.

I just wanna tell you how I'm feeling
Gotta make you understand

Teeth clenching. Fists balling.  

“Just ignore it.” She convinced herself and kept her eyes shut. 

Never gonna give you up
Never gonna let you down
Never gonna run around and desert you

“Ugh, not this goddamn song!!”

The annoyed girl bounced from bed and trudged to her windows.  She took a deep breath and held the edge of the curtain and harshly pulled it open.  Carefully, she peered through the windows and saw that the lights of her neighbor’s living room were . 

“Goddammit! It’s freaking 4 AM in the morning and the whole neighborhood is still asleep.” A hand tousled her blonde locks as she cursed in an audible voice, with high hopes of her neighbor hearing her complaint. 

Never gonna make you cry
Never gonna say goodbye
Never gonna tell a lie and hurt you

“There’s a ing thing called headphones.” Taeyeon cussed as she sandwiched her head between pillows in attempt to block the noise from reaching her ears. 

+++

It would be more tolerable for Taeyeon if the music her annoying neighbor played was to her liking. Unfortunately, none of them were her type. Most of the songs she would hear were those from the 70’s and 80’s. Not that she knew all the songs, she could just tell by those old voices and supporting tracks. 

An idea popped in her head. If her neighbor could do it, why couldn’t she? She grabbed her iPod speakers and placed on it the windowsill. 

After selecting her favorite playlist, she hit the play button and the song began playing.

Can't you see I'm easily bothered by persistence
One step from lashing out at you

She expected her neighbor would get annoyed by the loud music, but in the end, her plan backfired.

“Maybe I should set up a home theater tomorrow.”

+++

It went on for a month, Taeyeon waking up in the middle of the night to her pesky neighbor’s old music. But Taeyeon couldn’t do anything but be annoyed. One day, her patience had reached its limits, telling herself that she couldn’t take it anymore and decided that she should do something. She learned from her professor that such matters could be reported to the police. 

She liked the idea. Taeyeon wasn’t the type to be all friendly and nice to anyone, especially to strangers. ‘What are neighbors for?’ and other love-your-neighbor sayings weren’t Kim Taeyeon’s thing after all. 

But, would it be fair to her neighbor? She didn’t even try to approach them once. 

And so, she decided to talk to her neighbor before taking things into legal matters. 

+++

Taeyeon stood by the front gate of her neighbor’s house. She contemplated a lot of times before ringing the doorbell. After two rings, the front door swung open, a manicured hand gripping the doorframe. 

“So, my annoying neighbor is a girl.” Taeyeon thought as she observed those neatly manicured nails polished in devil red. 

“Coming!” A sweet voice came.

In a flash, Taeyeon’s anger dissipated, moreover when she saw the face of her neighbor. She had her long straight hair dyed in blonde and her fringe was pretty cute as well. The girl was wearing a white sports bra with matching pink cycling shorts which emphasized the curve of her thighs. Her skin was covered with sweat as her fringe was sticking onto her forehead. Without Taeyeon noticing, the gate opened and the young woman was already standing in front of her. 

“Hi! How may I help you today?”  

Taeyeon’s throat went dry. Unable to find her voice, she just gave the girl a brief smile. A brief, awkward smile.  

“Oh wait, I know who you are! You’re living next door, right?” She asked with curious eyes, waiting for Taeyeon to answer in confirmation to which the latter did by nodding. “So, anything you need my dear neighbor?” She questioned in a saccharine tone. 

Taeyeon’s mind went blank for a second. “Nothing. I went to the wrong house. Sorry.” Taeyeon’s gaze was fixated on her red checkerboard slip-on Vans as she spoke. 

“Oh, is that so?” Her neighbor pouted. 

“Sorry for bothering you.” Taeyeon answered and took her leave.

+++

The next night came and Taeyeon was awake again. This time, it wasn’t because of the neighbor’s music. It was because of her mind, her mind thinking of a certain someone. 

“You’re so lame, Taeyeon. You just talked to her for less than five minutes and she managed to occupy your mind for the rest of the day.” 

An audible sigh escaped Taeyeon’s lips as she docked her iPod onto its speakers. 

There she goes 
There she goes again 
Racing through my brain 
And I just can't contain 
This feeling that remains

+++

With headphones on her ears, Taeyeon strolled through the streets, hands in her washed-out jean pockets as she nodded her head to the beat. Everything was sailing smooth, until Taeyeon felt a tap on her shoulder. Something Taeyeon didn’t expect. So abrupt that she almost tripped on her feet. 

“I called you a second ago but you had headphones on. I thought I had to do that to catch your attention.” said the apologetic Jessica. 

“Sorry. Did you hurt yourself?” The blonde dropped her bags and reached a hand out to the unresponsive Taeyeon. 

“No. I was just a bit startled.” Taeyeon waved a hand dismissively and lowered her cap to hide her embarrassed eyes and blushing cheeks. “You’re alone?” 

“Yeah. My car needed repairs and I had to take the bus.” Jessica replied, both hands carrying bags of groceries and other stuff. 

“Oh. You need help with that?” Taeyeon asked, eyes pointing to the bags in Jessica’s hands.

“Is it okay?” Jessica asked back.

“Yep. My hands are free anyway. Besides, we’re neighbors.” By neighbors, she meant - ‘Your house is next to mine. It won’t be such a bother.’ Taeyeon simply replied and took three plastic bags from Jessica’s hands, their fingers brushing as she did so. 

No words were exchanged between them as they made their way to Jessica’s house. The whole trip was quiet, except for the sounds of the streets and people around them. For Taeyeon, it was comforting and awkward, like having both butterflies and bees fluttering around you at the same time. 

Taeyeon would have not known they already reached their destination if Jessica didn’t speak up. “Thank you for helping me.” The blonde smiled. 

“No worries.” Taeyeon smiled back and handed the plastic bags to Jessica. 

“Uhm, would you like to come in for a while? I have snacks inside.” Jessica offered. 

“Thanks but, I’m good.” Taeyeon politely declined. 

A small pout formed on the blonde’s lips. “Please? It’s my way of saying thanks. Besides, I want to get to know my neighbors.” Her lips curved a bright smile as she pleaded.  

Pausing for a moment to think, Taeyeon agreed, “Okay.”  How could she say no to that smile? 

+++

“I didn’t catch your name last time. My name’s Jessica. Jessica Jung.” She extended her hand as she introduced herself. 

“Kim Taeyeon.” She replied and took Jessica’s hand for a firm handshake, feeling that spark again as their skins brushed against each other.  She let go of Jessica’s hand abruptly. 

Surprised by the action, Jessica’s eyes widened. 

“I’m sorry. My palms are sweaty.” She lied as she took her handkerchief from her pocket and wiped her palms. 

“Oh, I see.” Jessica laughed and walked over to the pantry. “Anything in particular you like for snacks, Taeyeon?” 

“Anything is fine.” Taeyeon simply replied. 

After gathering the ingredients she needed, Jessica sauntered to the stereo system by the windows. “Do you mind if I play some music?” She inquired as she the appliance.  

Taeyeon laughed inside. Did she consider that when she plays her music during wee hours? “It’s your place. You don’t have to ask me.” 

With her approval, the music started playing. As Taeyeon expected, it was one of the songs she loathed with a passion. 

Stephen Bishop - It Might Be You

“I see you like old music.” Taeyeon noted. 

Time, I've been passing, time watching trains go by
All of my life lying on the sand, watching seabirds fly
Wishing there would be someone waiting home for me

“They were my mom’s favorites.” Jessica replied. “I listen to them so I wouldn’t miss her too much.” The longing and sadness became apparent in her smile, making Taeyeon feel very guilty. 

“I’m sorry.” Taeyeon said.

Something's telling me it might be you
It's telling me it might be you all of my life

Jessica shook her head and smiled. “What kind of music do you listen to?”

“Mostly alternative rock and metal rock, but some pop songs are okay too.” Taeyeon answered. 

“Oh. Let’s see if you know of this one.” Jessica said and selected a track using the remote in her hand.
After three seconds, Taeyeon recognized the song. She was expecting Jessica would choose a song of the aforementioned genre. 

Maybe it's intuition
But some things you just don't question
Like in your eyes, I see my future in an instant
And there it goes,
I think I found my best friend
I know that it might sound
More than a little crazy
But I believe

Normally, songs like this would make Taeyeon gag the instant she heard it. But not now. Not when Jessica’s sweet voice sang along the romantic tune. Not when Jessica would intently gaze at her from time to time. Not when Jessica would give her the sweetest smile everytime their eyes would meet. 

I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life

It didn’t take long when Taeyeon felt uneasy in her seat, like she had ants in her pants. Her palms began perspiring with cold sweat while she felt her stomach doing somersaults. She could even hear her pulse in her ears thudding as well. 
 
It was confusing on how Taeyeon felt like dying at this very moment, when in the first place, before she got a glimpse of her neighbor, she wanted to kill the other girl in the room for taking away the most important thing she valued next to her life, her sleep. 

Soon, they had their snacks and Taeyeon left without telling her neighbor about her sleepless nights. 

+++

“Hello ladies.” A tall and muscular guy approached the chatting girls. 

Being the friendly one out of the two, Jessica stood up and greeted him back. “Hi.” While Taeyeon, being the unsociable teenager, gave him a little smile – just to show him that she acknowledged his unwelcomed presence.

“How are you doing today? By the way, I’m Wooyoung. And this is my friend, Taecyeon.” He grabbed this ‘Taecyeon’, who was a lot taller, by the shoulder and gave the girls a shy smile. 

The younger girl was the first to respond. “Hello! I’m Jessica.” 

“Taeyeon.” came out from the older girl’s mouth in a dull voice. 

“Are you two new in this village? This is the first time I saw you.” Wooyoung blinked, trying to remember if he had seen those beautiful faces before. 

“I just moved in last month. Taeyeon’s been around for…?” Jessica turned to Taeyeon.

“A year.” Taeyeon finished as she stared at her reflection in the glass. 

The two men gaped in surprise, wondering where Taeyeon was all this time. “Really?” They chorused.

“She doesn’t go out too much. I’ve been here for a month and I only saw her four days ago for the first time.” Jessica joked. She stressed the word ‘officially’ for technically, she had seen Taeyeon in the streets when she was driving in her car. 

Wooyoung and Taecyeon chuckled in response. “Well, there is a coffee house near the club house. Do you ladies want to try it? It’s on me.” 

“If Taeyeon wants to…” Jessica looked over her shoulder and glanced at the brunette, who couldn’t do anything but agree. 

+++

“Jessica, are you seeing someone?” Wooyoung asked as he dipped a stirrer into his own cup of coffee. Taeyeon turned to Jessica, watching closely for any reactions. A question which answer she had been wanting to know but never dared to ask Jessica herself.

“No. I’m single right now.” Jessica answered casually. 

Relieved, Taeyeon glanced back to her food. “How about you Taeyeon?” Wooyoung turned to Taeyeon who had her eyes fixed on the blueberry cheesecake on her plate. 

“I’m busy.” She replied in a cold voice. Realizing she sounded a bit offensive, Taeyeon corrected herself. “I mean, I’m busy to be dating.” 

Wooyoung was a funny and talkative guy while Taecyeon was his entire opposite – shy and polite, just like how Jessica and Taeyeon were. ‘Opposites attract’ as they say, but Taeyeon was ‘romantically’ attracted to the wrong pole. And by just that simple theory, she knew there wouldn’t be any mutual ‘attraction’ happening at all.

+++

The daylight bid goodbye and neither of the two men managed to invade Taeyeon’s mind for a jiffy. Sure she found them nice and laughed at Wooyoung’s jokes and antics, but that was it. They never left a stirring impression to her. They tried, but somebody else had already caught her attention without even trying. 

Think of me when you're dreaming and know, 
That I'm wide awake and thinking of you.
Cause I swear when you're there alone.
Know that I'm wide awake tonight.

You could hold my heart.
It's all yours if you want.

+++

“Hey Taengoo, what do you think about Taecyeon and Wooyoung?”

“They’re fine.”

“Fine? Just fine?”

Taeyeon knew where this was going. “They’re nice.”

A nod came from Jessica. “Yeah, but, don’t you find them cute? Or rather handsome?” 

“They look good, Jessica. Good enough to be posing on magazines.” They weren’t Taeyeon’s type but what she said was a fact. Those two were definitely the boy-next-door type - the type of guys that could make girls’ pants drop to the ground with a simple wink. 

Satisfied by the blonde’s answer, Jessica confessed, “Taecyeon asked me out for a dinner.” 

“Oh. That’s good.” Taeyeon said, half-surprised. It was kind of expected anyway. The guy’s eyes never left Jessica since Wooyoung introduced him to her. 

“Actually, Wooyoung said that they wanted to have a double date with us.” Jessica added.

Taeyeon pretended that she didn’t hear what Jessica said. “Huh?”

“Oh Taengoo! Are you that dense? Wooyoung’s obviously interested in you.” 

Taeyeon hummed. “And you?” 

“What me?” An eyebrow shot upwards. 

“Are you… interested in Taecyeon?” Taeyeon asked carefully. 

“Well…” She paused to think, a pleasant grin spread across her pink lips. “He seems nice and cute, especially his huge ears. Don’t you think so, Taengoo?”

Taeyeon feigned an approving smile. This was going to be painful. 

+++

Taeyeon never heard them again, the old songs that used to disturb her peaceful slumbers. Since the day Jessica invited her over to her place, love songs had taken over her playlist. Remembering what Jessica said about her playing old songs, she couldn’t help but think that Jessica was in love. With whom? Although she wished it was her, Taeyeon could only think of one person. 

It's amazing how you    
Can speak right to my heart.
Without saying a word
You can light up the dark.

Try as I may, I could never explain
What I hear when you don't say a thing.

Taeyeon was right. The song was indeed for Taecyeon. She thought so for the guy was as quiet as her. He might not be as vocal as Wooyoung when it came to his intentions but his actions proved how much he liked Jessica. Simple gestures such as holding out the door for her, helping Jessica to her chair before taking his seat, etc. - to put it simply, Taecyeon was the epitome of a modern gentleman. 

The smile on your face
Lets me know that you need me.
There's a truth in your eyes
Saying you'll never leave me.
The touch of your hand says you'll catch me wherever I fall
You say it best when you say nothing at all.

+++

“Had fun, ladies?” Wooyoung asked.

“Yes, thanks for the dinner gentlemen.” Jessica replied. The smile on her face showed how much she enjoyed the night. 

“We should do this again next time.” Taecyeon hinted.

“Sure, we’d love to, right Taeyeon?” Jessica said, to which the girl replied with an awkward smile. 

“Good night, Taeyeon.” Wooyoung faked a cough.

“Hey Taengoo! He’s asking for a goodbye kiss.” She whispered as she nudged Taeyeon’s arm.

“What!? No, I don’t—“ Taeyeon didn’t get to finish her sentence as she witnessed Jessica walk towards Taecyeon and gave him a peck on the cheek. While the lad’s cheeks heated up immediately, Taeyeon felt like she was punched in the gut by the green monster inside her. 

With utmost reluctance, Taeyeon did the same to Wooyoung.

Smiling from ear to ear, both men high-fived each other before they headed back to the car. 

+++

Neither did Jessica know that Taeyeon only agreed to double dates because Jessica was there. And that she found it the only reason to go out with Jessica, with those ers, unfortunately. Aside from that, she wanted to make sure that Taecyeon wouldn’t do anything funny to Jessica though the likelihood of that happening was slim due to the guy’s nature.

Wise men say only fools rush in
But I can't help falling in love with you
Shall I stay
Would it be a sin
If I can't help falling in love with you

That was the last straw. It was time to raise the white flag, Taeyeon thought. 

Like a river flows surely to the sea
Darling so it goes
Some things are meant to be

She knew they weren’t meant to be.

Take my hand, take my whole life too
For I can't help falling in love with you

But she couldn’t help but keep falling in love with Jessica.

+++

“Taecyeon asked me to be his girlfriend.” Jessica announced, with the usual cheerful smile on her face. 

The shorter girl tried her best to retain the normal expression on her face. “Really?”

Jessica jerked a nod.“Yup.” 

A lump of spit was swallowed. No eye contact was made. “Good for you then.”

“I didn’t say yes.” 

Did her ears catch that correctly? Dumbfounded by Jessica’s response, she turned around to face the girl. “Why?”

Jessica just smiled and ignored the question. “What about Wooyoung?”

Taeyeon drew a heavy breath. “I… I don’t like him, Sica.” She finally confessed.

“What? I thought you do. Then why did you agree to double dates?” Confused eyes met Taeyeon’s uneasy ones. 

Taeyeon shrugged her shoulders as she casted her gaze upon the night sky, silently thanking the moon and stars for not shining so bright tonight for she wouldn’t be able to hide her tearing eyes. “So you can go out with Taecyeon.”

Jessica’s eyes lit up and pulled Taeyeon into a warm hug. The blonde girl muttered a ‘thank goodness’ right into blonde’s ear. Taeyeon knew it was nothing but a friendly affection, but she couldn’t stop herself from feeling warm and fuzzy all over. 

Nevertheless, Taeyeon was happy that she made Jessica happy, even if she wasn’t the real reason behind it. 

+++

Since that day, Taeyeon realized that she couldn’t pretend anymore - pretend that she was happy going out with Jessica to double dates, pretend she was happy hanging out with Wooyoung, and most of all, pretend that she was happy seeing Jessica get closer to Taecyeon.  Taeyeon always found ways to excuse herself. She would always get home not earlier than 9 in the evening. When she arrived before the said time, she would tell Jessica she was dead tired from the day’s activities. 

One night, Taeyeon came home at 7 in the evening. Standing from the front gate of her house, she spotted Jessica inside, talking to someone. When the figure rose in full height, she saw Jessica get enveloped in a pair of arms, manly and bulky arms. 

It was none other than Taecyeon. And they were hugging each other, close, real close. 

Before things between the two get heated up, Taeyeon sped up and disappeared into her bedroom. 

+++

Love hurts
Love scars
Love wounds
And mars, any heart
Not tough or strong enough
To take a lot of pain, take a lot of pain

“We’ve only known each other for weeks and I’m already acting like a lovesick puppy.”

Taeyeon scolded herself and rested her brow on the mahogany desk in her room. She’d never felt this pathetic before. So pathetic that she wanted to repeatedly bang her head against the wall to get some sense into her. 

“I know it’s crazy but, I love you.”

“I love you Jessica.” She whispered to herself as she the curtained-covered windows of her room. 

Love is like a flame
It burns you when it's hot
Love hurts

Ooh, ooh love hurts

+++

“Taengoo! Taengoo!” Jessica hollered as she stood in front of Taeyeon’s house. 

“Taeyeon!? Open up!” The blonde head was becoming impatient, a foot stomping as she the doorbell repeatedly. “It’s already past 8 o’clock! Come on, wakey wakey!” 

“She just left this morning.” The village guard informed her, who was in the middle of patrol.

“What?” Jessica blinked twice. 

“The girl living in that house. With bags in hand. Maybe she went out for a vacation?” 

Jessica wasn’t sure of what to feel at that instance. Her heart sped up, a feeling of panic flushed through her veins. Did Taeyeon leave for good? If that was the case, why was she feeling empty all of a sudden? Because she left without saying anything, because she left without telling you. As a friend, you had every right to be mad, Jessica reasoned out. Right. You were supposed to be mad. Just mad. Not breaking and aching everywhere. 

Wherever you go
Whatever you do
I will be right here waiting for you
Whatever it takes
Or how my heart breaks
I will be right here waiting for you

“Taengoo, I miss you so much.” Jessica grabbed her pillow and cried onto it.

I took for granted, all the times
That I thought would last somehow
I hear the laughter, I taste the tears
But I can't get near you now

Days became weeks and weeks became months. Everyday, Jessica waited for her beloved neighbor to return, but no Taeyeon came back. 

Oh, can't you see it baby
You've got me going crazy

+++

Three months later...

One cold and breezy night, Taeyeon found herself sitting on the rooftop floor, a can of cold beer in hand. Two meters away from her, there stood a light post, decrepit but bright enough to provide adequate lighting to the area. 

The new neighborhood she was in was peaceful and quiet at both day and night. She missed this kind of environment. This was exactly her life several months ago. 

Taeyeon heard footsteps approaching. “Drinking again?” 

Taeyeon immediately got on her feet and dusted off her jeans with her free hand. “It helps me to sleep.” She heard a few clicks from the lighter as she took another chug of her alcoholic drink. 

In seconds, the scent of cigarette smokes wafted through the air. “It does, but problems of the heart cannot be drowned by alcohol forever.” 

Without Taeyeon asking the other person how, the look in her eyes spoke it. “I hear the music you play.” 

Taeyeon chuckled. “Sorry. I should probably use headphones from now on.”

“I don’t mind. I like listening to them. I’m not sure if the landlady thinks the same though.” A light laughter was heard as the smell of nicotine filled the air. 

Taeyeon was sociable when intoxicated. “What’s your name? I’m Taeyeon.”

“Chansung.” His pearly white teeth showed. They were too white for a smoker, almost blinding her amidst the dark. 

“Oh, and don’t give me that look. I know you swing the other way.” The smoker chortled and so did the drinker.  

+++

A loud slamming of fist can be heard against the hard wood, waking the sleepyhead from her precious sleep. Tongue clucking in exasperation, Taeyeon clambered down the stairs to check the person behind that door. It was probably the landlady Chansung was talking about. 

Without bothering to fix her hair, Taeyeon unfastened the chain lock and twisted the knob, “Huh?”

The door was pushed open. “Don’t ‘huh, huh’ me! Why did you move out without telling me!?” Jessica crossed her arms, her lips unconsciously forming a cute pout. Taeyeon found it so adorable that she wanted to pinch her cheeks but she willed herself not to.  

Taeyeon took a seat in the nearby stool and looked away. “Sorry.”

“Sorry? Is that all you can say?! Ugh, I hate you!” Jessica bellowed while Taeyeon just sat in silence, unsure of what to say or to do to console the younger girl across her. A little later, muffled sobs can be heard throughout the room. 

Taeyeon never left her seat as her eyes did to the floor. She didn’t want to see Jessica crying, afraid of what she might do. At the same time, she couldn’t help but feel mad at herself, for making the girl she loved cry. 

“I heard the last song you played before you left.” Jessica blurted out, voice softening.

Taeyeon didn’t grasp the gist of Jessica’s statement. “Okay?”  

“Argh! Why do you have to be so dense?!” Jessica wiped her tears with the back of her hand, ruining her eye makeup in the process. The same hand balled into a fist as Jessica stormed towards the shorter girl. Alarmed by the daunting sight, Taeyeon squeezed her eyes shut and contracted every muscle she could in her body, preparing to take the hit. She felt a light flick on the forehead, after the footsteps had stopped. Taeyeon slowly opened her eyes but had them shut again when Jessica closed the distance between their faces. 

“Wait!” Blushing furiously, Taeyeon pulled away from the younger girl. The taste of lemon still lingering on her lips. “What about Taecyeon?”

“Like I said, he’s nice and cute, but…” Jessica looked into Taeyeon’s eyes. “I only like him as a friend.”

Confused, Taeyeon’s eyebrows scrunched. She wasn’t dumb but she wasn’t definitely the brightest crayon in the box when it comes to these things. “Then what were the double dates—“ The same pair of soft lips cut her off. 

Toned arms s around Taeyeon’s waist, bringing her closer to their owner. “So I could spend time with you, babo.” Jessica whispered as she playfully nipped the ear of the embarrassed blonde, leaving entire the flap of tissue tinted in red. 

+++

A/N: So, does everyone feel like puking a bucket of cheese after reading this? LOL. Don't tell me I didn't warn you! XD Actualy, I had a neighbor who always plays the kind of songs Jessica plays in this story. Alas, that neighbor isn't as hot and gorjess as Sica. He's an old man! T^T

And yeah, I don't mind if you call this (click here)