2.0

Years ago…

She knew it was all for show but Tiffany couldn’t help but feel guilty. She saw how Taeyeon ran away with tears in her eyes, and her heart broke at the sight while her friends howled in laughter.

For the whole day, all she did was keep to herself until the very last period, rushing and leaving her friends as soon as the bell rang.

Tiffany soon found herself in front of Taeyeon’s house, sweating and out of breath as she rang the doorbell.

The door opened and Tiffany grinned at how Taeyeon’s mother pulled her in towards the house, scolding her about running on the streets. The sweet old lady sat her by the kitchen counter before yelling for Taeyeon, fixing two mugs of hot chocolate by the kitchen sink.

Soon enough, she heard the sound of hurried footsteps running down the stairs.

“Slow down, Taetae!” Tiffany heard the lady yell, exasperated.

She smiled as the lady looked at her while shaking her head, rolling her eyes at her silly daughter who appeared a second later, wearing a guilty grin.

“Sorry, mom.”

“Sooner or later you’re going to trip down the stairs,” the lady said matter of factly, placing the mugs in front of them, “When that happens, I am not taking you to the hospital.”

Tiffany laughed when the lady flicked Taeyeon’s forehead, and smiled sweetly when she patted her head. Taeyeon’s mom left the kitchen right after, leaving her with a pouting kid.

The solemn look on Taeyeon’s face made her remember why she was there, making her frown.

“How are you?” She asked, softly, lifting her hand to touch that spot on Taeyeon’s cheek, the place where her tears flowed hours before.

Taeyeon took her hand, smiling as she intertwined their fingers. “I’m fine. Don’t worry about me,” the girl grinned.

Tiffany searched her eyes, eyebrows furrowing when she saw no remorse. Taeyeon looked genuinely happy and it baffled her.

The girl chuckled, probably because she looked so disbelieving.

“I’m not lying, Fany. I’m really okay.”

“B-But… You cried…”

“Oh, did you see it? I’m a good actress, right?”

Tiffany’s eyes narrowed. “You mean that wasn’t real…?”

Taeyeon shook her head, turning somber all of a sudden. “I will never shed tears for them,” she said.

Tiffany understood then.

Taeyeon might never show it, but she was sure she got hurt by the bullying too.

She wanted to do something for her, to ease the bad experience even for a little bit, but she wasn’t sure what…

 

Tiffany grinned to herself, pressing the phone to her ear.

She waited until the ringing stopped, her smile widening at the sound of Taeyeon’s voice.

“Hey. What’s up?” The girl said, sounding obviously cheery.

“Guess what came in the mail today,” Tiffany said in a singsong voice.

“Hmm… Okay, I have nothing. What is it?”

Tiffany eyed the unopened envelope lying on her desk, her smile turning mischievous and playful.

 

—–

 

“You’re evil—Hey!”

Tiffany shoved Taeyeon’s shoulder playfully, smiling apologetically when the shorter girl almost lost her balance. She pulled her towards her and looped their arms together.

“I was just saying,” Tiffany started, “that it’s a great idea to—”

“Get revenge?”

“No! Stop interrupting me!”

Taeyeon threw her head back as she laughed, ignoring the weird stares she was getting. Tiffany chuckled beside her as they continued to walk around the outdoor mall, enjoying the cool breeze that the autumn brought.

“I just think it’s nice to see everyone again. I’ve never visited ever since I left,” Tiffany said, eyeing the early Christmas decorations scattered around the establishment.

Jeonju had been a huge part of her childhood. She moved a lot because of her father’s work, but out of all the places that she had lived in, she stayed in Taeyeon’s hometown the longest.

Tiffany heard the girl hum beside her. “I guess you’re right…” Taeyeon said, voice still unsure. “And it’s been a while since I last visited too. I think my family’s gonna be happy when they see you.”

Her face brightened up considerably, letting go of Taeyeon’s arm as she walked ahead to stand in front of her.

“So it’s a yes? You’ll come with me?” Tiffany asked, already excited.

“Yeah. But you need to help me pick out a dress—”

“Let’s go find one now!” She grabbed Taeyeon’s wrist and started pulling her to the nearest boutique.

“H-Hey, stop! It’s still a month away! Fany!”

 

———

———

 

A month later…

Taeyeon had her eyebrows furrowed, phone trapped between her shoulder and her ear, hands busy tweaking her car’s heater. It has become colder especially in the mornings, and she didn’t want Tiffany to feel uncomfortable while they were on their drive to Jeonju.

“I’ll be back in four days,” she spoke, finding the right setting on the heater before finally leaning back on her chair with a satisfied sigh. Sooyoung was on the other line, chatting her up while she waited for Tiffany outside her apartment building.

“Hold the fort while I’m away,” Taeyeon said next, chuckling when she heard Sooyoung’s arrogant tone.

“I always do.”

“Yeah,” she drawled, grinning, “you’re awesome like that.”

Chuckles filled Taeyeon’s car as Sooyoung bombarded her with office gossips like she’s been gone for months, when in reality she was there an hour ago, giving last minute instructions to her secretary.

Her friend was in the middle of a juicy gossip from the other department when Taeyeon heard a soft knock on the window. She couldn’t hold in her grin when she saw Tiffany smiling and waving at her from the other side.

“Buddy, I have to go,” Taeyeon said immediately, sitting upright. She left Sooyoung one last reminder before saying goodbye, chucking the phone on the dashboard before getting off the car where Tiffany’s loud voice greeted her almost instantly.

“Hi!”

Taeyeon chuckled as she rounded the corner towards the other side, taking Tiffany’s small duffel bag before putting it inside the trunk. She saw the girl rubbing her arms so she gestured for her to go inside the car while she piled their stuff properly.

She smiled, seeing her bag beside Tiffany’s as she closed the trunk shut.

 

—–

 

Years ago…

The radio inside the kitchen was playing a cheesy ballad when Taeyeon entered, sparing her mom a brief glance before heading over to the cupboard that held her favorite chocolate mix. She stood on the tip of her toes as she reached for the jar, smiling at the thought of the hot chocolate she could already taste on her tongue.

It was Monday but she was at home, skipped class because of a fever she had been nursing since the weekend. She was getting better but Taeyeon begged her mom to let her stay for the day.

“I don’t think you’re allowed to drink that.”

Taeyeon rolled her eyes.

“Mom, hot chocolate makes everything better,” she said as she stirred her mug, facing the stove where the old lady was. “Even fevers,” she added.

Her mother was about to scold her when the doorbell rang.

“Saved by the bell,” the lady said, throwing her a playful scowl before heading over towards the front door. She was left alone in the kitchen with her steaming mug of hot chocolate.

It wasn’t as tasty as Taeyeon was used to, but she had expected it that much. The fever had left her tasteless for days, and everything she ate and drank just turned bland as soon as they touched her tongue. Nevertheless, she tried to enjoy the drink as much as she could, revelling in the little chocolatey taste she could pick up.

But when her mother returned to the kitchen with a shy Tiffany standing behind her, Taeyeon felt all of her senses go numb, not just her tongue.

 

Taeyeon smiled, nostalgic.

She remembered Tiffany’s very first visit at her house, how she brought over some fruits because she learned from a classmate that she was sick. Her mother was so amused then because of how she obviously fidgeted, especially when Tiffany came up her space to feel her temperature.

It was also the first time Taeyeon had a glimpse of Tiffany’s heart of gold; the first of many.

“Do you think they’ll remember me?”

Taeyeon blinked, shifting her grip on the steering wheel as her memories crawled back inside her head.

She looked over to the passenger’s seat and saw Tiffany looking at her with a worried expression.

“You know,” she said, chuckling, “My mom still asks about you every once in a while.”

“She does?”

“Yeah,” Taeyeon said, smiling to herself. “She really likes you.”

Tiffany smiled as she spoke. “I like her too!”

“I’m sure she’s gonna cry when she sees you.”

The girl beside her gasped and Taeyeon laughed.

“Don’t exaggerate!” Tiffany said, hitting her arm playfully.

Taeyeon looked at her and smirked, “Wanna bet?”

 

———

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