Taeyeon’s POV

“You know, this paid vacation is actually pretty fantastic.” I said as I pushed the cart down the snack isle. “It’s nice to have a break.”

“I can’t believe it’s already been two weeks since the case ended.” Hyoyeon said through my earpiece.

“Yeah, and we’re still using these damn earpieces.” Sooyoung said.

“You know you love to hear my voice, Sooyoung-ah.” I said as I spilled a few bags of chips into my cart.

“Krystal’s still coming tonight, right?” Hyoyeon asked.

“From what I’m aware of, yeah. I’ll ask Hayeon when I get home.”

“It’s been a long time since we’ve had a party, isn’t it?”

“I can’t wait to see everybody!” Sooyoung exclaimed. “I miss the guys!”

I agreed as I pushed the cart down the meat isle. I was having a get-together tonight; the boys were going to barbeque.

“Okay, okay, so what do we want to get for the guys?” I asked.

I filled the cart with everything Sooyoung and Hyoyeon said and was making my way toward the line when I was nearly ran over by a cart.

“Whoa, watch where you’re goi—” I stopped midsentence when I saw who it was. Jessica stood feet away behind her cart with the guy I immediately recognized as Taecyeon.

“We’re totally sorry, we didn’t see you there, miss.” Taecyeon said. “Hey wait… I know you…” He said slowly, staring at me. “You’re Officer Kim Taeyeon, right?”

“Uh.. Yeah, yeah, that’s me.” I said uncomfortably, scratching the back of my neck.

“Oh man, how are you?” He asked. Without waiting for a reply he spoke again. “Listen, thank you for everything you did for Jessica here.” He wrapped his arm around Jessica, who was looking anywhere but at me. “You saved her life and brought her back to me, I’m grateful for that.”

“Yeah, no problem.” I mumbled.

“No hard feelings, right?” He asked. “I know we got off on the wrong side of each other and all, but I’ve turned over a new leaf, I swear. I’m a good guy and I’m making up for what I did to my Jessie.”

My Jessie. I thought. I couldn’t believe this was happening to me.

“We good?” He asked. I looked up at them. Taecyeon had his arm on Jessica’s waist now; not in a weird possessive way, but a normal way as much I hate to admit. Jessica looked at me but when she caught me looking, she turned away again. I looked up at Taecyeon who was smiling at me with his other hand outstretched for a handshake.

I grinded my teeth together and took his hand in mine. I plastered on a smile and gave him my most official handshake before speaking my last words to them.

“I’m happy for you two.” I said. “Have a good day.” I turned away and pushed my cart to the end of the line. I let out a breath I didn’t know I was holding.

“Was that who I think it was…?” Sooyoung asked.

“Yep. Jessica and Taecyeon grocery shopping.” I sighed, shutting my eyes tight while I let the pain I was feeling subside.

“Girl, we are going to get ed up tonight.” Hyoyeon said.

~~~~~

*Knock knock knock*

I opened the front door to reveal Minah the bartender with a bottle in one hand and a bag of kimbap in the other.

“I was going to make them myself, but I miscalculated the time I had and found myself five thousand won poorer.” She said.

“Anything is fine, Minah!” I said, smiling widely at her. “Come in, come in. You’re just in time! The guys are almost done with the ribs and then we’ll be set to eat!”

The group was outside in the backyard, half sitting and chatting and drinking while the other half was playing ddakji and watching the food.

“MINAH IS HERE!!” Hyoyeon exclaimed. “Finally we have a bartender to make us awesome drinks to get drunk on!!”

“Today’s my day off from bartending, Hyo.” She said as she sat beside her. “Besides, you three don’t need to get drunk for about a month after the last time.”

“Oh my god!” Sooyoung cried. “We don’t discuss that night!! Especially with Baby Jung here!!!”

“What?” Krystal perked up from the sound of her nickname. “What do we not discuss with Baby Jung here??”

“Nothing, nothing.” Hyoyeon waved her off. “Go back to making out with Amber.”

“I don’t know anything about it either!” Hayeon protested. “Let me in on it at least!”

“I think I’d rather Baby Jung know about it than my little sister!” I said. The only other three people that knew what I was talking about laughed with me.

“Oh god, that must mean something nasty happened.” Hayeon grimaced.

“Let me guess,” Amber joined the conversation with her arms around Krystal’s waist. “It has something to do with .”

Sooyoung raised her glass to the assumption in approval.

“Oh god.” I groaned with a smile as I rubbed the bridge of my nose with me forefinger and thumb, waiting for the realization.

“OMO!” Krystal practically jumped from Amber’s lap. “No way!!” She pointed from me to Sooyoung and back repeatedly before the words came to her. “Did you two do it???”

“Ding, ding, ding!” Hyoyeon cried. Everyone went crazy.

“Wait, wait, wait..” Jonghyun said as the group quieted down. “I thought you two had already done it before?” That caused more laughter.

“Wait, seriously??” Krystal was shocked, I could tell that much. I couldn’t tell if it was a bad shock though.

“She didn’t want you to know because, well.. Jessica.” Hyoyeon shrugged.

“Very nice, Hyo.” I grunted scolding. She shrugged again.

“It’s not like it matters.” Hyoyeon said straightforwardly. “Let’s be real, Taeng. When it happened, you still had a slimmer of hope that she’d come back to you. You didn’t want her to find out so you didn’t want to tell people about it. I think after today, it’s safe to say it doesn’t matter who knows.”

Ouch. That was rough. I knew Hyoyeon was saying this stuff because it was best. It was what I needed to hear, not what I wanted to hear.

“Oh yeah…” I said, pushing away the hurt I felt. “I saw her today.”

“Yeah, I heard…” Krystal mumbled.

“Oh?” I was surprised. “She told you?”

“Well, she didn’t tell me…” Krystal said. “I was with them before I came over and.. Taecyeon mentioned it.”

I nodded in silence. “You know,” I said nonchalantly. “He doesn’t seem too bad now.”

“No, I guess not.” Krystal picked at her fingers. “I still hate him. I still wish she was with you. She’s a real nowadays.”

“Yeah?” I had to admit I liked hearing this. “What’s she like now?”

“Well, she’s not as jokey with me now. She’s more of a mind-your-own-business person now. It’s all about secrets with her. I’ll just say I liked the Jessica Jessica was when she was with you.”

I nodded and took a sip from my drink to cover my smirk.

“Come on, Taeng.” Onew said. “Play a round of ddakji with us!”

“You know I’m a ty ddakji player, Onew! I’m just gonna embarrass myself in front of all these people!”

“Wouldn’t be the first time!” Yuri exclaimed. “Remember the construction cone insident?”

“Even Seohyun is playing!” Yoona pointed out. It was true, Seohyun had let her hair down for one of the rare occasions where she drank a little too much. The party had barely started and the pure and uptight girl was already kicking everyone’s in ddakji.

“Take a shot every time you lose!” Seohyun explained as she pulled me up from my seat and placed a ddakji in my hand.

“Taeyeon shouldn’t play ddakji yet.” Jiwoong said. “She still has a little more time before her surgery is fully healed. Too many shots wouldn’t be too good either, and with her ddakji skills, she’d be wasted in ten mintues.”

“Thanks, oppa.” I threw the ddakji at my brother as he laughed at me.

I made Minah take my place in the game so she’d warm up to the group and soon enough, we were all a few drinks in and enjoying our time together for the first time in a while. And I forgot all about Jessica.

Jessica’s POV

It was late; maybe around 3 in the morning and I couldn’t sleep. I lay wide awake in the king sized bed with silk sheets covering my body and a muscular arm draped over my stomach. I gulped away the pain and tears and lifted Taecyeon’s arm off of me as I slipped out of the bed. I snuck into the bathroom and closed the door before I turned the light on.

I looked at the reflection of myself in the mirror above the sink. My bare body stood before me, smooth and milky. I vaguely remember what happened just a few hours ago. Taecyeon would say it was love making; I wouldn’t be able to agree with him. Love making would imply I was doing this when the one I love. There was a time when I loved Taecyeon, but I gave my heart to someone else months ago and there was so getting it back.

I knew I wasn’t over her. Whether it be two weeks, two months, or two years I’d never not feel what I do for Taeyeon. Seeing her today—or yesterday if you must—was just reopening an unhealed wound. She looked just the same as the day I was pulled from her home, but yet she looked like a stranger… Her.. everything.. was the way I remembered… But the expression on her face when she saw me.. it was totally different. I’ve seen so many sides of that woman, but that side hurt me the most…

“You did this to yourself.” My reflection said to me. “You chose to do this, you have to deal with the consequences.”

I couldn’t look at my body anymore. I couldn’t be reminded of the things I do with Taecyeon. I felt nasty. I felt like I was cheating on her. I took a bath robe from the wall hook by the shower and draped it over my body, tying it around myself. I sat on the toilet seat and felt all of my emotions rush over me. I cried hard. I found myself in this bathroom a lot during the nights doing this exact thing. I let my body take over and felt my dam shatter and fall to the tiled bathroom floor as the river of despair inside me flooded my every limb. I cried as hard as I could without being loud enough to wake the heavy sleeper I knew Taecyeon to be.

Taecyeon’s POV

The moment Jessica left the bed, I awoke. I felt her absence like a cold wind had swept over me. I watched through slit eyes as she shuffled into the bathroom. I watched the light creep out from under the door. Minutes later, I heard the sobs as they snuck through the gaps of the doorframe. It was the same every night. I knew my girlfriend was in pain. I knew why, though I didn’t let her know. I felt for her. I lay awake every night listening to her heart break in that bathroom and my own heart break on this bed until she’d come out and climb back in bed, thinking I was asleep; she’d drift off, leaving me awake and shriveling in my own mind. I loved her. She loved another. I knew what I had to do, I just… Didn’t want to do it…

A pretty short update, sorry guys. I've been hella sick for the last like four days and I'm still getting over it :/ The chapte is entitled Mask because there is a lot of hidden emotion going on on with all of these people! Taeyeon masking her hurt in front of Jessica and Taec, Krystal masking the truth about Jessica from Krystal, Jessica's hiding her pain from Taecyeon and everyone else, Taecyeon is even hiding that he knows Jessica is hurting. So many secrets going on XD The story is almost over guys! Ony like 2-4 chapters left. Probably just 2 though. I'm gonna get some rest now, I've been fighing this DayQuil for too long lol.. Leave me some comments! Love you guys and thank you for sticking with me through this whole thing! <3 I promise it will be a happy ending <3