a/n: One more part and we’re done. 

—–

3.0

It’s been a decade and a lot has definitely changed.

The last time Taeyeon was here was when her sister graduated, and it was a good handful of years ago too.

It wasn’t like the place she remembered it to be, but she couldn’t deny the sense of familiarity that hit her as soon as she stepped foot inside the old hall, decorated from floor to ceiling with drapes of cloth and linen, all in the school’s colors.

At that moment, Taeyeon felt like she was in high school again—young, naive, awkward—everything she wasn’t anymore.

Her senior year might have been a nightmare at some point, but it was most memorable to her for a number of reasons too. And if someone were to ask her if she wanted to go back so she could relive it again—properly, this time—she was sure she wouldn’t change anything.

“Oh. My. God.”

Taeyeon grinned. She’d recognize that voice anywhere.

“Kim-ing-Taeyeon!”

She turned around and smirked at the equally blonde woman she hasn’t seen in ages, looking like she got caught in a rainbow hurricane judging by what she was wearing.

“Hyo—Oooff!”

Taeyeon found herself in a bone crushing hug, chortling as the shorter girl tried to lift her off the ground.

“God, look at you!” The excited woman exclaimed as she held her at arm’s length, shaking her by the shoulders. “You didn’t even age! And how dare you look hotter than me!”

“I’ve always been hotter than you!”

Hyoyeon gasped dramatically. “Look at you talking back at me now, you little punk!” She yelled, putting her in a playful headlock.

Before Taeyeon could even say anything, Hyoyeon had already started dragging her across the hall. “The others will flip when they see you,” the woman said, pulling her closer. “Let’s go!”

—–

“Holy .”

“Is that really—”

“Taeyeon?!”

Everyone seated at the small circular table made such a fuss that Taeyeon had to cover her face in embarrassment, suddenly flustered at the attention she was getting. Hyoyeon kept her arm around her shoulder, a proud grin pulling at her lips.

One by one they approached her, their faces a mix of excitement and disbelief.

“It’s so good to see you!” One exclaimed, giving her a brief hug. “I saw your mom the other day, she said you weren’t coming to the class reunion!”

Taeyeon grinned as she rubbed the back of her neck. “Ah well, I wasn’t really planning to, but Tif—”

A distant shriek caught everyone’s attention.

“Oh my God, is that Tiffany Hwang?!”

Indeed, it was.

It was cheesy and a little cliche, but Taeyeon felt like she was in a movie the moment Tiffany Hwang walked inside the hall, wearing a black dress that ended mid thigh and heels that made her legs looked incredibly amazing. Her hair was no longer red but a dark shade of brown, while her bangs were swept to the side and her tips ended in soft curls. The hall literally quieted down when she gave a polite smile, turning her head as if looking for someone. Their gazes met briefly then, and Tiffany smiled subtlely towards her direction before heading over to where her high school friends were.

“She looks even more incredible now,” Hyoyeon said, mesmerized as their whole table followed Tiffany with their eyes until she reached the table at the end of the hall.

Taeyeon looked over and saw the people who made her senior year a pretty bad experience. Yet amidst the awful memories, Tiffany shone brightly in the middle of it all, and Taeyeon couldn’t help but chuckle when she got herself a subtle wink.

———

———

Tiffany didn’t know why she was nervous; it was her idea afterall. And now she was half regretting not going with Taeyeon, because now she had to walk through the corridors alone while people eyed her with unveiled interest and curiosity. She was sure a lot of them had finally recognized her, judging by the whispers that ensued even before she could register her name at the table.

She kept on tugging at the hem of her dress until she reached the last turn that would take her to the old hall’s entrance, feeling uncharacteristically anxious.

Sighing deeply, Tiffany finally decided to go in.

—–

Last night, when Taeyeon drove her to the hotel, she insisted that they go to the venue separately, and as much as the latter wanted to pick her up, Tiffany declined immensely. She wanted to surprise her of the change she had been planning since even before they left Seoul, and she was glad of the results, judging from the way Taeyeon had looked at her intensely when she entered the hall.

Everyone gawked, but Tiffany only cared for that one intense stare coming from the corner table, discreetly following her every move.

All night she stuck with her old clique, catching up with their current lives and successes, but she would, every once in a while, steal a glance to wherever Taeyeon was.

“Is that Kim Taeyeon?”

Tiffany turned her head to the side to face her friend, realizing how she had been staring too much.

“Yes,” she answered with a nod before looking back at the other girl standing across the hall, charming everyone with her confidence.

“She looks really good, doesn’t she?”

“She does.” Tiffany smiled, a little too widely.

Taeyeon was wearing the outfit she picked for her a month ago—a two piece white dress ensemble with a white blazer that brought out her inexplicable androgynous charms. And while her blonde hair was up in a simple ponytail, she still looked incredible.

They watched her interact with her own group of friends by the cocktail table, greeting everyone who passed them by politely. Taeyeon surely gave them a shock with her transformation, and Tiffany felt so proud of that.

—–

The festivities were finally dwindling down after a good three hours of socializing and reminiscing, and Tiffany felt extremely satisfied with the night’s happenings. She almost forgot how good it was to be in the company of people she spent considerable time with, in spite of the fact that unlike most of the people in the hall, she only got to be a part of them for a few years.

She felt so welcomed and loved, especially when a lot of her peers remembered her, along with most of the old faculty and staff. For the first time in a long time, Tiffany finally felt she was home.

After a round of farewell embraces and promises to meet again, they were all ready to leave.

“It was really good to see you, Tiffany,” one said, cheery. “Though I was half expecting you to bring a spouse, or a date at least.”

She could only smile as she discreetly let her eyes roam around the hall, looking for a certain someone whom she hadn’t seen for an hour now.

“I do have one, I’m just not sure where sh—”

“Hey.”

Tiffany felt a soft touch on her lower back, and her lips instantly pulled up into a smile.

“Everyone’s leaving. Are you ready to go?”

If she could freeze the moment, she would, just so she could take a picture of all the stunned faces in front of her. Her smile blossomed when she felt Taeyeon’s hand slide towards the curve of her hip, lips tugging upwards even more when she heard an audible gasp from one of her female friends.

She watched with an amused smile as her former clique stayed frozen, especially when she leaned in towards Taeyeon’s ear.

“Hello, Miss Popular,” Tiffany whispered, snickering. She giggled when she felt the hand on her hip pinching her softly.

“Stop it, you’re gonna give them a heart attack,” Taeyeon whispered back before they separated.

Everyone was staring at them, including Taeyeon’s friends from the other table, who were now openly gawking at them.

“Guys, you remember Kim Taeyeon?” asked Tiffany, lacing their fingers together before pulling the girl closer to her.

Taeyeon smiled as she nodded at her friends. “Hello,” she greeted, earning her incohorent, garbled responses.

“Well it was nice seeing everyone,” Tiffany then said, looking over at the smiling girl beside her, “but Taeyeon and I need to head home.” She looped her arm with hers and leaned her head on the latter’s.

“Let’s meet again next time, okay? Bye guys!”

And with that Tiffany dragged the chuckling girl across the hall, grinning from ear to ear as they left everyone with their jaws on the floor.

———

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